Trade Tattoo backdrop
MovieReleasedEnglish

Trade Tattoo

6.0/10(32)
1937
5 min
No Trailer
Animation

Overview

Trade Tattoo went even further than Rainbow Dance in its manipulation of the Gasparcolor process. The original black and white footage consisted of outtakes from GPO Film Unit documentaries such as Night Mail. Lye transformed this footage in what has been described as the most intricate job of film printing and color grading ever attempted. Animated words and patterns combine with the live-action footage to create images as complex and multi-layered as a Cubist painting. Music was provided by the Cuban Lecuona Band. With its dynamic rhythms, the film seeks (in Lye’s words) to convey “a romanticism about the work of the everyday in all walks of life."

Production

GPO Film Unit

Directors & Crew

L

Len Lye

Director

J

John Grierson

Producer

Screenshots & Stills

Trade Tattoo Screenshot 1

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