Arrow brightens up Smithsonian slate

MIPDOC: Smithsonian Channel in the US has ordered a five-part series about American history that will transform black and white footage into 4K content.

America in Color is being produced by the UK’s Arrow Media and claims to be one of the most ambitious colourising projects ever undertaken.

Footage documenting US history over the past century will be updated, revealing images from the Prohibition era and the Jazz Age, as well as the early days of rock ‘n’ roll and the moon landings.

The series, which spans five decades from the 1920s to the 1960s, is slated to premiere this summer.

David Royle, exec VP of programming and production at Smithsonian, described the show as “one of its most important commissions – a landmark series that puts the color back into history and transports viewers into a past that once seemed gray and distant, but now is vibrant and compelling.”

Tom Brisley, creative director at Arrow, added: “This series shows America as never seen before. Arrow is breathing new life into American history – taking stories that everybody thinks they know and telling them in a compelling new way that is instantly relatable.”