‘Barbie Look’ In Resolve: Emulating The Technicolor 3-Strip Process

Using Nodes to Create a 3-Strip Technicolor Film Emulation

Welcome to my Mojo Dojo Color Suite. Besides being a fun movie, it also has a unique look. The Director, DP and Colorist set out with a unique goal and came up with something I liked a lot.

The first article, linked below, discusses how they created their “TechnoBarbie” show LUT, a 3-strip technicolor-inspired look.

In this Insight, you’ll learn how to set up your nodes to emulate the look and processing of Technicolor film.

I mention it briefly in the video, but its worth mentioning again – this look requires a well-exposed, colorful source image to work properly. Good production and costume design pay dividends here.

I’ve noticed that this technique doesn’t seem to work when using RCM, so you’ll need to set up your color management using nodes.

Also, I make a slight error when describing the director’s intended look, which should be “skin tones that are rather pastel / not very saturated, but where at the same time pinks, turquoises, and other colors really stand out”.

Key takeaways from this Insight

By the end of this Insight, you should understand how to:

• Create a node tree to emulate the 3 strip Technicolor process
• Set up the Technicolor processing as a compound node to be used in your project

External Links

• Working Digitally, Thinking Filmically: Yvan Lucas on Barbie’s Unique Look
• Lift Gamma Gain – Technicolor 3way the correct way

Related Mixing Light Insights

• Tutorial Series: Film Print Emulation Deep Dive

Questions or Comments? Leave a comment!

Is this Insight useful to you? Let us know! Mixing Light is all about community discussions and we’re curious if you found this helpful, if you have something to add, or if you have more questions you need answered?

– Jason