Criterion, the distributor and acclaimed preservationist company, chose Jerome Thelia of Merge as the colorist for the re-release of the film, 2 or 3 Things I know about her, directed by Jean-Luc Godard in 1967.

A film to video transfer done some years earlier had been supervised by legendary cinematographer Raoul Coutard and was used as a color, framing and timing reference in the color restoration process.

The film was shot like a dramatized documentary, illustrating and exaggerating the emotionless lives of characters in the new Paris of the 60s, where commercialism mocks families getting by on small incomes; where prostitution is a money-spinning option; and where people are coldly resigned and immune to the human nightmares of Vietnam, and the possibility of future atomic war.

“We used the cinematographer supervised TV transfer as the reference for color within SCRATCH, Merge's color timing system” says Thelia. “Our goal was to clean up yet maintain the original texture and look of the film, while making the most of the latitude of a new high-definition transfer. Thelia adds, “we were able to bring color, texture and photographic details to shots that had never before been seen in this masterpiece.  Godard has always down-played the skill that goes into some of his films, but one look at "2 or 3 things", and it's clear that you have a cinematographer and director working at an extremely sophisticated level in their use of color.  It's a beautiful and unusual film, and it was a privilege to work on it with Criterion."

Thelia had several working sessions with Lee Kline and David Phillips of Criterion. “It was exciting to work on the project of these two film-making icons, Godard and Coutard. The review sessions were intense because we all realized the historical importance of remaining true to their color palette and look of the film, while extending the dynamic range of the shots in a way never seen on video.”

2 or 3 things I know about her, on the Criterion web site here.