Last Updated on 11/28/2015 by Chris Gampat
In general, photographers really hate the spot color method–which renders a scene in black and white only to bring in a single color. For many years, it was an overused consumer feature on cameras that was done very, very poorly. However, a 2010 video from AEG Perfunkt shows it off being used incredibly well. As a creative story telling device, it lends itself perfectly to the subject matter–the creation of Steak Tartare.
The video, which is all in black and white, features butcher Jack O’Shea talking about specific cuts of beef. Then when he brings out the ingredients and talks about them, we see the ingredients in color. Nothing else in the video is colorized–not even Jack himself. To that end, the video uses the power of composing by color and telling a story through color to grab the viewer’s attention.
Like it or hate it, this is an absolutely brilliant way of using the story telling device. Food photography is often all about colors, but if you add too much color then it can become a myriad of visual stimulation. By using the spot color treatment, the video editors show you exactly where to look and pay attention. Additionally, the colors stand out much more against the otherwise monochrome video.
