Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

The NFL Films highlights of this game show this blueish-gray haze in the Silverdome that makes everything look pretty drab. But when they show a clip from earlier in the season when the 49ers played the Lions it's clear. Pictures from the game are more clear and colorful but there's still a little haze in the background. I was only 4 at the time so I have no memory of the game. Anybody know what caused that? Was it an NFL Films experiment that didn't work?

MatthewToy wrote:The NFL Films highlights of this game show this blueish-gray haze in the Silverdome that makes everything look pretty drab. But when they show a clip from earlier in the season when the 49ers played the Lions it's clear. Pictures from the game are more clear and colorful but there's still a little haze in the background. I was only 4 at the time so I have no memory of the game. Anybody know what caused that? Was it an NFL Films experiment that didn't work?

I think it was the camera lenses or film or lighting they were using. I have the CBS TV broadcast of the game and there is none of that haze.

Smoking was allowed in the Silverdome until at least the late '70s, so that haze is a common feature of many Lions highlights from that era.

MatthewToy wrote:The NFL Films highlights of this game show this blueish-gray haze in the Silverdome that makes everything look pretty drab. But when they show a clip from earlier in the season when the 49ers played the Lions it's clear. Pictures from the game are more clear and colorful but there's still a little haze in the background. I was only 4 at the time so I have no memory of the game. Anybody know what caused that? Was it an NFL Films experiment that didn't work?

I also noticed that. I've also believe that the Silverdome's roof also entered more light that other domes, and as the opening game (49ers-Lions) was played at an earlier time and in summer instead of winter.

Citizen wrote:Smoking was allowed in the Silverdome until at least the late '70s, so that haze is a common feature of many Lions highlights from that era.

I remember attending a game at the Houston Astrodome in 1983 and smoking was prohibitted there.

I would guess that the stadium lighting maybe was exposed on the film differently than how the (relatively new) chip cameras picked it up.

Any pregame fireworks or pyro?