-----Original Message-----
From: Wathen, Adam <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 09 April 1999 20:44
Subject: Re: Color blind film student


>How could someone who is color-blind know that what looks like green grass
>to him is our equivalent of brownish-orange.  He wouldn't have any
reference
>point to make that equation.
>
>Skeptically,
>
>Adam Wathen

Hi Adam,

I will admit that this puzzled me for quite some time too......however
having relatives that are colour blind I asked them this question a long
time ago. ;-))

Colour blind people learn colour  in exactly the same way that we do....they
are shown a colour and are then told the word that describes it....it is
purely a method of signification....a colour identified by a word ... so it
is not important whether or not they see the same colour that we do....this
is the reference point that is used to equate their understanding of
colour...... it gets a little complicated to explain..... but I'll try.....
;-))

A lot of colour blind people actually identify primary colours in exactly
the same way that we do.....it is the darker or borderline shades that they
usually get confused over. A lime is easily identifiable as being green to
them (using the method of signification that they would have learnt as
children)......but dark green grass looks brownish orange as they are only
able to see its resemblance to the colours that they were taught were
signified by those words.

Colour blind people see less colours than we see......however as if to
compensate they usually have better night vision.


As for Eunice's question.....

>> Has anyone ever tried to study how color blind people perceive films?
Has
>> anyone ever tried to find a way to compensate for color blindness?

I have never come across any research on colour blindness and film.....
however I'm afraid that none of my colour blind friends or relatives are
film lovers.....although when asked to define a preference they all admitted
 to preferring black and white films....whether this is due to their colour
blindness or just the fact that black and white films usually have straight
forward, easily understandable, narratives it is difficult to tell.... but
it would be interesting to find out. ;-))

As for the coat in Shindler's List......to my friends it just looked a
darker shade of grey.... but it might be different for other colour blind
people..... it would depend on the severity of the individual person's
colour blindness.

hope this helps,

Julia

Julia C. Rice
U.W.C.N. UK
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Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite
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