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American Cimematographer • January, 1940 3
AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER
A Technical and Educational Publication on Motion Picture Photography.
Published monthly by the AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS, INC. 1782 North Orange Drive Hollywood (Los Angeles), California
Telephone GRanite 2135 JOHN ARNOLD, President AL GILKS, Secretary-Treasurer
Vol. 21
January, 1940
No. 1
CONTENTS
Party gets rough • ^
By George Blaisdell
St. Paul Club does big job producing School Police 7
By Ormal I. Sprungman
Camera technique dominates filming results 11
By Claude W. Cadarette
Gerstenkorn records Pendleton's rodeo thrills 12
Philadelphia's cinema gives kids a great time 14
By B. N. Levene
Amateur progress in 1939 exceeded professional 1*>
By William Stull, A.S.C.
Studying photoelectric exposure metering 18
By Captain Don Norwood
DuPont's Superior II combines speed, fine grain, wide latitude 22
By Hollis W. Moyse
Mountain authority completes color feature 23
By Clifford Nelson
Composition is simple — perhaps — but very important 27
By James A. Sherlock
Making modem matte shots 29
By Byron Raskin, A.S.C.
Mrs. Zimmerman makes pictorial diary of prewar Europe 32
By George Blaisdell
Non-theatrical group denies theatre demand 34
Obtaining increased illumination for fine grain film recording 36
By 0. L. Dupy and John K. Hilliard
Simple changes improve camera equipment 38
By Edward Kearns
The Staff
EDITOR
Geor(;e Blaisdell
WASHINGTON STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Reed N. Haythorne. A. S. C.
TECHNICAL EDITOR
Emery Huse, A. S. C.
ADVISORY EDITORIAL BOARD
Victor Milner, A. S. C. James Van Trees. A. S. C. Fred W. Jackman, A. S. C. Farciot Edouart. A. S. C. Fred Gage. A. S. C. Dr. J. S. Watson, A. S. C. Dr. L. A. Jones, A. S. C. Dr. C. E. K. Mees, A. S. C. Dr. W. B. Rayton. A. S. C. Dr. Herbert Meyer, A. S. C. Dr. V. B. Sease. A. S. C.
FrontCover
In the "1,000,000 B. C." set at the Hal Roach studio in Culver City Norbert Brodine, A.S.C, at left and David Wark Griffith, producer of the picture, at right, listen to Hal Roach, director, discuss a scene in the picture.
It is doubtful if in the entire history of the moving picture industry there ever has been a combination paralleling this one: The owner of the studio, Hal Roach, directs the production, just as in pioneer days he had directed. Then in the piling responsibilities of management he had retired temporarily from directing. D. W. Griffith, who in the earlier days of the industry had as a director left his mark on the history of picturemaking, is the producer.
NEW YORK REPRESENTATIVE
S. R. Ccwan. 3214 Ave. L. Brooklyn. N. Y. Cloverdale 8-0992
FOREIGN REPRESENTATIVE
Georges Benoit, 100 Allee Franklin. Pavillions-sous-Bois, Seine, France. Telephone LeRaincy 13-19.
AUSTRALIAN REPRESENTATIVE
McGill's, 179 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne. Australian and New Zealand Agents.
Neither the American Cinematographer nor the American Society of Cinematographers is responsible for statements made by authors.
ESTABLISHED 1920. Advertising Rates on application. Subscription: United States, $2.50 a year; Canada and the Pan-American Union. $2.50 a year; Foreign, $3.60 a year. Single copies, 25c; back numbers, 30 cents; foreign, single copies. 35 cents; back numbers, 40 cents. COPYRIGHT 1939 by
American Society of Cinematographers, Inc.
Entered as second class matter No.cmber 18, 1937, at the postoflice at I.os Angeles, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
4 January, 1940 • American Cimematographer
A Question of Exposure
THE gentleman on the floor made the ol)\ ious mistake of lea\ ing his chin exposed too long. His only recol- lection of the fight will be a whoozy blur.
On the other hand, the man who took this pictnre will have an nncommonly vivid docnment of the entire proceed- ings-
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Ask your dealer for Agfa Ki mm. Triple S Superpan He\ersible Film today. It
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^
PARTY
GETS ROUGH
By GEORGE BLAISDELL
THERE was mention in the De- cember issue of Cinematographer about the hit made at the pre- view of Paramount's "The Great Victor Herbert." The magazine forms were locked up and sent to the pressroom be- fore the preview started, but so unusual were the evidences of enthusiasm on the part of the house — and a press preview house can be reckoned on as a pretty tough nut to crack — that it was deter- mined to break into one of those forms on the morning following if its run were still unstarted and briefly tell about the show. The chance was found and the in- sertion was made.
You may have heard of a theatre ap- plause being so mingled with that com- ing from the screen it is not possible to identify or segregate the house and the screen handclapping. That happened at the Carthay that night, not once only but several times. As a rule manifesta- tion of approval by the makebelieve house is sufficient to deter a like demon- stration on the part of the actual house, but it was not so at that preview. The persons who physically were present were determined to show their approba- tion regardless of what the screen house may have done.
It is to be regretted that of the mil- lions who see and hear the picture no one will have a list of the Herbert mu- sic, as did those at the preview — some- thing over twenty pieces of music and operas as well as the "bicycle" medley — containing eight songs from seven op- erettas. Of course the number stated is merely the Herbert songs used.
It was a delightful, an eniovable even- ing. The peak of Victor Herbert's suc- cess was described as from 1900 to 1914, of his activities, that is. He died sud- denly in 1924. So in a measure the older the auditor the keener the en- thusiasm.
Susannah Foster, the fourteen-year- old marvel, sang the last note heard in the picture— a B flat above High C. Su- sannah is said to be one of the first sing- ers to sing "Kiss Me Again" since Fritzi Scheff" introduced the song.
•
THAT was a riotous or at least a hilarious house at Pantages the nicht following that at the Car- thay. Marlene Dietrich made her first appearance in Hollywood for some time in "Destry Rides Again," a Universal picture. The printed program prepared for the occasion was phrased in the grandiloquent manner of the last cen- tury. Thus did it read printed on paper quite rough:
"Universal Pictures Company presents
an Advance Exhibition for the ladies and gentlemen of the press. An Extraor- dinary Bill. Two Distinguished Per- formers Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart in a soul-stirring photo-drama entitled 'Destry Rides Again.' Directed by the Eminent Mr. George Marshall. Produced by the Renowned Mr. Joe Pasternak. Tuesday evening, November 28, 1939. Pantages Theatre, Located in Hollywood."
It is not likely there ever before was a Frenchy the like of Marlene. Nor for that matter was there ever a deputy sheriff the like of James Stewart. In- deed they were quite different, the one from the other. Yet both were likable, very much so, to the house from the start and to each other from pretty near the start.
Since the initial showing of the pic- ture some censorial hand took a line out of the show that was good for a laugh, and then some. With the prun- ing knife they didn't reach the line in time to cut it down the preview night.
Frenchy was playing poker with one of the callers. She was the winner of a bit of gold. It was handed to her. Quietly and unostentatiously she slid the gold into her bosom, as that was quite open, in accordance with the dec- olette custom of the house; at least, the latch seemed to be out. One of the by- standers, innocent or otherwise, roared as ungently as a sucking dove:
"Boy, thar's gold in them thar hills!"
Everybody out front seem to see the move and to hear the wisecrack, because the reaction was like unto a thunderclap.
The remark was in the mood and the character of the moment and the place, of the lusty presence of Shakespeare's Falstaff — not of the grim censorial mugg of Dickens' Pecksniff of several cen- turies later.
•
THE Southern California Film So- ciety's program for December 8, 9 and 10 included Charlie Chaplin's "Burlesque on Carmen" and as well the first and the last reels of "Modern Times." Of the latter picture the an- nouncement stated it had been withdrawn from commercial circulation on account of his coming "The Dictator." That "withdrawn" is only temporary, you may be sure.
In the final reel of "Modern Times" the comedian does a dance that will be just as ageless as may be the film that bears its image. Perhaps nothing Chap- lin has done in all the years will match the dance for sheer artistry. Chaplin also sings a song that trails along with the steps. He really sings it, too. There
is no ghost voice. There could hardly be for that matter. It was too funny for any other than Chaplin himself.
One man who went through all of "Carmen" with practically a dead pan became uncontrollable once the comedian started on his dance. Show business's familiar old expression of "belly laugh" utterly failed to describe his predicament. Required would be some terai applicable to the entire anatomy at least.
The writer thinks of nothing off hand that would more certainly insure the screaming success of the new Dictator parody than the inclusion of a dance se- quence, staged with all the grave pom- posity and flapdoodle of the Hitlerian presence.
•
AT the new Academy Review The- atre at the opening of D-^cember the Southern California Film So- ciety screened the French production of "Le Mioche," with sub-titles in English. There probably will be no other public or semi-public screening. This is to he. regretted. It is a delightful subject as it is presented, even with the dialogue in French and the titles in English.
M-G-M has purchased the picture, the English title to which is "Forty Little Mothers," and will remake it in English with Eddie Cantor in the lead. It is a procedure somewhat out of the usual. An American company sees the French picture, likes it, believes it can improve it or at least- equal it, and removes from the market the original picture.
As said, it is a delightful subject. The interest centers very much on a ne'er do well window washer or something, handicapped, shall we say, by an excel- lent education. In any event, it is a possession of his, and after he goes to the front in the interest of a foundling which landed in his arms instead of the intended skunk of a father his luck turns and he is placed as a teacher of a girls' school.
The teacher is not popular with his pupils, or isn't anyway until it comes out that he is the bachelor father of an infant and trying to hide the presence of that infant in the school. The girls come to the rescue, of the teacher and the baby boy.
The reversal of the girls' opinion is most pronounced. They are as militantly on the teacher's side as formerly they were not. When the presence of the boy is discovered by the proprietress — to her horror; hasn't the teacher told her on applying he was a bachelor— the teach- er is summoned and fired. The girls stage a screaming sit-down strike. (Contirmed on Page iO)
0 January, 1940 • American Cimematographer
St. Paul Club Does
Big Job
Produicin* "^School Police^
The story behind the filming of "Barbara Steps Out," 750-foot Kodachrome feature produced in the interests of safety by the St. Paul Amateur Movie Makers' Club.
As told to Ormal I. Sprungman.
Klm/ni. Kodachrome frames enlarged by the writer.
NOT unlike every other big city, St. Paul has done its share of head-scratching, trying to figure out efficient ways of preserving the lives of school children at dangerous street intersections. In fact, officials learned that no less than 54,000,000 school crossings were made each year by grade and parochial school children in Minnesota's capitol city alone.
And so it remained for one Sister M. Carmelia, parochial school principal, to offer a suggestion which caught on im- mediately and has since spread to every sizable town in the country.
In 1921 the school police system was inaugurated locally in an effort to pre- vent accidents near schools. Selected youths from each school, 12 years of age or older, donned belts and ponchos, guarding each street intersection, halting traffic with portable STOP signs when- ever children gathered to cross en route to or returning from school.
Of course there was opposition at first from a few adults who refused to take orders from traffic directing youngsters. But when a definite decrease in accidents was noted, the public came through with wholehearted support.
In the last eighteen years St. Paul recorded only one child fatality under its school police system, and in the record year of 1938 not even a single injury!
A year ago last June, Chief of Police Clinton A. Hackert approached members of the St. Paul Amateur Movie Makers' Club. "We need a documentary film," he pointed out. "Something that will unfold the history and show the present activities of our young traffic aids. And we want it in color."
Chief Tells 'Em
These civic-minded moviemakers need- ed no further instructions, for, six months before, under leadership of past Presi- dent Art Olson, the club had prepared another 16mm. departmental feature, "Spare the Evidence," which 600-foot black and white film taught rookie police how evidence found in crime cases might be preserved.
Except for retakes, it was miraculous- ly shot in a single day. Many duplicates are now in circulation, one being used by the Kansas City police force, while another rests in the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
It was agreed of course that all film, titles and materials would be either fur- nished by the department or donated, and that the club and its members would provide the necessary labor as well as the artistic touch.
"It was a bigger job than we had bargained for," Club President Ken Hez- zelwood admitted. "First, a scenario committee of five and a camera com-
Minnesota's Gox'ernor Harold E. Stas- scn (right) presents the school police film formally to St. Paul's Mayor, William H. Fallon, during premiere showing in the State Capitol. Photo- graphed by Leo Stewart, Jr.
niittee of four were appointed. We held club discussions on several occasions to get new ideas and slants, and then we were ready to unfold our plans."
First Assignment
All members were invited to help, and though there was no compulsion, the response was encouraging. Hezzelwood acted as director. Since the filming was to be done exclusively in 16mm., 8mm. enthusiasts cooperated in other ways by shooting 16mm. stuff with borrowed equipment. Out of a club roster of 45, some 17 members took an active part in the preparation of the film.
The first big assignment was to cover the school police parade of June, 1938. Five cameramen went to work on the 1939 parade, scenes of both of which were later combined, and then followed the school police picnic and the elec- tion of chiefs.
With these main events well in hand, the next job was to tie the shots to- gether to give some semblance of a story, at the same time showing the
American Cimematographer • January, 1940 7
i
8 January, 1940 • American Cimematographer
Double-exposed main title oj acnooL police film wan obtained hti jmvting wording on transparent material lai/l over air- hruahed color background.
Hans Renter (left) and La^ey Harmon, St. Paul movie- mnkem, are shoivn preparing to shoot the main title of special film.
Four club members at work on animation sequence, which required over 12,000 moves. Eight hours were needed to ani- mate 1,000 frames which had a screening time of little more than a minute.
Conferring awards at annual school police election. To cover this auditorium event special lighting was used as explained in article.
prog^ress of the school police system. Those who were not shooting the parade set to work elsewhere staging scenes revealing the discussion of the original school police project, and filming pertinent stuff of a historical nature.
With children as the principal actors, six-year-old Barbara Johnson of St. Paul was selected to play the feminine lead. The male role was carried by six-year-old Tommy Harmon, .son of Lacey Harmon, St. Paul moviemaker whose windback gadget for Cine-Eights was described in last month's Ameri- can Cinematographer.
Natural Action Wanted
"At first we tried directing all the youngsters, telling them exactly what to do," Hezzelwood revealed. "Finally, this idea was abandoned and we tried shooting candid stuff with much more satisfaction.
"After all, we wanted the natural actions of children in everyday life, although it was necessary to work in some posed sequences. Fortunately, we had trouble with only one or two youngsters who tried to smart off before the camera lens, but their antics only landed them on the Cutting room floor.
"Although we had lots of fun with the youngsters who really- performed as well as professionals, still we had difficulty in keeping them away from our camera equipment during set- ups. Most juveniles seem to have a curious love for fingering things and poking their noses into lenses. We solved this problem by calling in an assistant cameraman whose job was simply to shoo off kids. Despite this, the school children and their police representatives cooperated splendidly."
Even the director's role was not wathout grief. In one scene, for instance, Director Hezzlewood wanted a couple youngsters to skip down the sidewalk in a natural manner.
No amount of talking would give the desired effect, so Hezzelwood himself stepped out before the lens to demon- strate the proper method of skipping — unmindful of a traffic- crowded street full of onlookers who chuckled at his antics.
Low Budget Controlled
At least a dozen different kinds of movie cameras were used to film the production, varying from Keystone, Filmo, Bolex and magazine jobs to the luxurious Cine-Special.
Working on a low budget, the club had to cut comers on production expenses wherever possible, and retakes were made only where necessary and usually to fill up a sequence. Less than 2000 feet of Kodachrome were exposed to pro- duce the completed 750-foot feature.
Fifty different camera set-ups were made with exterior and interior before the shooting schedule was over, the parades themselves being filmed from at least 20 different points. Astounding things were accomplished in the cutting room, for instance, when Minnesota's Governor Harold E. Stassen, filmed in 1939, was showTi applauding a drill forma- tion actually photographed in 1938.
Some filming difficulties were encountered, despite the fact that exposure meters were used throughout. Strong winds and scattered clouds during outdoor filming necessi- tated frequent readings to keep exposures even.
Cold weather did not affect camera motor operation, accord- ing to Hezzelwood, but it was increasingly difficult to judge light on snowy days, avoiding the reflection of falling snow when exposing for the face or clothing.
Since considerable footage had to be exposed during one
I
Close-lips played an important part in the scliool police fi'm. Here an officer is commending school police for their traffiic- handling ability.
Typical street scene of school children crossing intcrsect'o:i nnder protection of school police.
Parades and picnics were interesting sidelights in the ed'icn- tional film.
Minnesota's Governor Harold E. Stassen (holding ^vhit? hat) and St. Paul's Mayor Williayn H. Fallon (in ivhite siite) revieiv the parade of the school police. The parade scene ivhich followed actually was filmed 12 months before.
of St. Paul's hardest snowstorms some trouble was experi- enced in keeping the snow out of the lenses. Auto head- lights glowing in the midday blizzard lent an artistic warmth to the frigid street scenes.
Lighting Problem
Once when the temperature dropped to 10 degrees below- zero, Ken rushed out with a borrowed 16mm. camera to get a closeup of the mercury reading to fit the snowfall footatre. It was so cold, he admits, that he had difficulty in holding his tripodless camera still for a shivery second or two.
One of the toughest problems in lighting was the illumi- nation by photoflood of the entire auditorium of the Public Safety Building, under which roof the annual election of the school police chiefs was to be held. Five cameramen went off to cover the event after consulting lighting experts from the Northern States Power Company.
A special powei' line was man into the auditorium, and 12 number two photofloods were installed in ceiling fixtures. Six number four photofloods were used in special reflectors at shooting level, three being placed on each side of the rooui near the front to lighten the foreground.
A wide angle lens set at its widest aperture, f.2.7, recorded the action. Even at that, some of the footage was slightly underexposed, and an f.1.9 opening might have besn better.
Lighting set-ups were arranged several hours before the 600 children filed into the auditorium, and lights burned con- tinuously throughout the three-hour session. Everything was so well handled cinematically that the school police con- ducted their regular meeting, undisturbed by the activities of filming.
"During the whole course of filming, we wanted members to do everything possible to obey the law itself," President Hezzelwood said. "We didn't want members hailed into court while we were engaged in producing a traffic safetv film.
Filmer Arrested
"On one occasion, however, when a special filming group of six was called together to shoot animation, a tardy mem- ber sped down St. Paul streets a bit too zealously to reach the meeting. Picked up by police for speeding, he was brought before traffic court and handed a suspended sentence."
In one sequence, producers wished to show in perspective a school traffic area, including streets, homes and school building to portray the movements of traffic and children by animation. The chief designer for the city architect's office drew up an excellent color chart, 12 by 18 inches, and 14 1-inch pasteboard vehicles and 2 1 '2-inch streetcars were cut out for animation purposes.
Forty BB shot, flattened slightly by hammer-whacking, served as "school children."
The camera was mounted vertically shooting down on the chart, and as each individual frame was exposed, each par- ticipating club member moved figures assigned to him with either his finger or a lead pencil.
Six members spent eight hours exposing 1,000 frames which last little more than a minute on the screen. No le33 than 12,000 individual moves of the tiny street cars, trucks and children were necessary to furnish the animation.
Pasteboard Figures
Since trees were shown in perspective, those pellets repre- senting children were removed for six frames and set down
American Cimematographer • January, 1940 9
again on the other side to give the effect of walking under the trees. Later, to save time, 16 pellets were placed on ad- hesive tape, cut to the width of the street walk, and the whole tape was advanced slowly.
When one cardboard figure performed a "tiddly-wink" during a crucial move, almost throwing off the entire animation, it was decided that metal would have been much better to work with than pasteboard for the figures.
Animation filming was begun at four o'clock one afternoon,, and the last move was made just before midnight. The po- lice department cooperated by sending up a dinner to the perspiring cameramen and animators in order that work might progress slowly but surely without inter- ruption.
An Eastman Cine-Special was used for chart filming, and two number four photo-floods on a special line placed six feet away provided the right illumina- tion for an f.8 setting. Because of the excessive heat, lamps could not be used closer without discomfort to the workers.
Four different camera settings were employed, but in each case the lens re- mained at f.8, the lights being moved to correspond with an identical meter reading.
Much Editing Necessary
While most of the work was done in the last month or two just before dead- line, the biggest difficulty was trying to get the fellows together for group work at convenient hours.
In editing the hodge-podge footage, three men ran the projectors, selecting scenes wanted and not wanted, and mark- ing the film for the cutters. So many different cameras were used to cover the events that it was difficult to work up sequences in their exact order and final polishing was necessary.
All body titles were filmed on blue positive stock by an eastern titling firm, but the introductory title, "Barbara Steps Out," was made in the moviemaking workshop of the St. Paul club.
The handset wording was imprinted on a transparent, parchment like material, and this was placed over an air-brushed color background showing the State Capitol building to produce a double ex- posed effect in Kodachrome. At first Kodapak was tried, but it was found that the surface did not take ink quite so readily.
Music Helps
When the film was ready for projec- tion, Hezzelwood and Harmon worked out the musical background, employing some 14 recordings keyed to fit the mood and scene length. They found, for in-
Several mamherH of the St. Paul Amateur Movie Makers' Club enthuaiaatxcaUy set up their new screen prior to another Hhovnrui of their unique school police pic- ture, "Darhara Steps Out." Back row, left to rif/ht: lyynn liauman, Irvincj Rice, Charles Atkins, John Stees. Front row, left, is Kenneth Hezzelwood, president of the club. Hans Renter, technical advisor for the fjroup, is seen at the lower rifjhi.
stance, that music actually helped to carry the film story along, especially in sequences which were inclined to drag a bit. By altering music experimentally with each successive showing, they were able to hit the perfect combination.
For the introduction, "Queen of Sheba" was played, while "Spinning Song" and "Spring Song" figured in the lighter scenes. With the police band playing and the kids saluting, a recording of "Star Spangled Banner" fit the sequence like sound-on-film. Liszt's "Les Prelude" added a nice touch in the closing scenes.
No amateur-made production ever had such a distinguished list of guests at its premiere as the group which assembled on November 6, 1939, in the House Cham- bers of the State Capitol.
Governor Harold E. Stassen, Mayor William H. Fallon, other city and police officials, including members of the St. Paul Safety Council and their guests, were on hand. Juvenile stars in the film itself as well as the men who produced the piece were spotlighted.
E. E. Baumann, chairman of the scenario committee, made the acknowl- edgments. Ford Marshall, club secre- tary, presented the reel to the Governor, who, in turn, formally handed it on to St. Paul's Mayor.
The Mayor gave it to Gus H. Barfuss, commissioner of public safety, who smilingly remarked that "if no one else wants the film, I most certainly am going to keep it."
Many Requests for Showing
But others do want the film. In fact, headquarters has been swamped with more than 150 requests for showings in little more than a fortnight.
With two productions already to their credit during the short existence of the St. Paul group, other organizations are querying these able movie makers on
shooting films for private or public use at cost. But President Ken Hezzelwood, not so sure that his club wants to enter the commercial filming field, explained: "So-called club project work usually falls on the shoulders of a few fellows in the organization who put in an immense amount of time. In the future, we be- lieve it will be better to accept club work as individual responsibility, and let the fellows who want to aid go right ahead, the rest of the members cooperating if they wish to do so."
1940 Kodak Exhibit to be
Shown in Thirty Centers
Amplified, Ijioadcned in .scope, and de- signed for maximum appeal to the seri- ous amateur photographer, the 1940 tiaveling exhibition of the EastmaTi Kodak Company will open its first show- ings in Boston January 10, to be followed by showings in more than thirty eastern and southern cities during the succeeding months.
Divided into four major sections — salon, equipment, special displays, and lectures and demonstrations — the 1940 Kodak Exhibit includes:
"Parade of Color," made up of selected Kodachrome transparencies from the fa- mous Cavalcade of Color at the 19.39 fair exhibit, screened two evenings with accompaniment of the original music and narrative; Kodachrome motion pictures of the New York World's Fair.
Discussion sessions on photography, both for the inexperienced camera owner and for the advanced technician.
Functional demonstrations of the Kodak Precision Enlarger, and color mo- tion pictures showing this instrument's manifold applications; a model darkroom, completely equipped, with an expert demonsti-ator in attendance.
January, 1940 • Amkrican Cimematoguaphek
CAMERA TECHNIQUE DOMINATES FILMING RESULTS
By Claude W» Cadarette
Founder Los Angeles 8mm. Club
THE manner in which a camera is handled during filming reflects the technique of the photographer. Any eye strain which may be produced by motion pictures is directly caused by the unsteadiness of scenes on the screen filmed by the careless amateur. It is well to remember that the movement in the camera finder is not as apparent as when the action appears on the screen.
A basic rule of cinematography is that the camera should be stationary and all actions in the scenes should provide the necessary movements.
As long as this is a definite rule we should abide by it unless we feel privi- leged to move the camera for some dis- tinct action or effect. To relieve the repe- tition of eye-level shots, or to create a certain mood that may be desired, we can resort to another technique of mak- ing angle shots.
In straight ordinary filming the cam- era must be held firmly or placed on a solid support. Any wobble or motion of the camera is greatly exaggerated on the screen and causes a very unsteady picture that soon tires the eyes. By bracing the camera against a tree or leaning against a post, you can steady yourself reasonably well, as often times a slight wind will sway your body forc- ing you to weave the camera.
Sometimes, when filming from a car, you can rest the camera on the door sill, but be sure to stop the motor to eliminate any vibration.
Solid Tripod
The amateur cameraman should have, as an essential part of his equipment, a well built and solid tripod. Any tripod with wobbly legs is useless, as a slight breeze will cause them to shake. A good tripod is equipped with reversible legs, having sharp points on one end for out-
door use and rubber capped ends for in- door use.
The panoramic heads allow movements for the camera and facilitate the level- ing and tilting action. The heads are constructed in such a manner that the lens can be pointed in any direction and securely locked. Steady panoramic shots can be made in a vertical or horizontal movement with perfect control.
If an up-and-down motion is discern- ible in a horizontal panoram, the re- sults are very unpleasant. By rehearsing the pan shots before shooting, you can watch for any unevenness and check your beginning and end composition of the scene.
Never pan in two directions in a single shot, unless you are following a specific action. Although this is not a steadfast rule, any variation of it must be carefully executed. An example of a variation of this rule would be the fol- lowing of an aeroplane in stunt flight.
Panoramic shots must be slow, even and uniform. There is a limit of speed in which the camera can be moved to prevent the picture from jumping across the screen. According to the phenomenon of "persistence of vision," the eye re- tains the image of one frame until the next frame is flashed on the screen
Watch Panoramic Shots
If the movement of an object is not too great between frames, the action is smooth, but if the camera is moved fast the distance increases in each succeed- ing frame, giving the picture a jerky effect, and the action is not normal.
This is perceptible in fast panoramic shots, where you see the background leap across the screen. Your eye can- not follow it and the whole shot is worthless. It is also evident in follow shots where you are filming action in
the foreground and the background blurs on the screen.
To avoid this, film this type of action at an oblique angle. You would not place the camera so that a train would pass di- rectly across its line of vision, as the train moves too fast, resulting in a streak across the screen.
However, by shooting at an angle of less than 45 degrees, the train remains in the frame longer and the extreme movement is lessened. Of course, on long distant shots, this is not applicable. A train at a great distance appears to move slowly and the camera shutter is fast enough to record the movement evenly.
Follow shots are very difficult to do properly if the action is fast. It is a prime factor that the action be kept in the center of the finder while mov- ing the camera and not allowed to see- saw from one edge of the finder to the other edge.
Technique Through Practice
It is wise to rehearse action shots when possible, but the filming of sport events or races must be done without rehearsal, and your technique must be gained through practice. Follow shots made with a telephoto lens must be done with a tripod and panhead. The slightest error in movement is greatly enlarged, and only perfect control of camera movement can eliminate it. It is not humanly possible to be suffici- ently steady to use a telephoto lens while holding the camera in the hands. Don't try it.
Shots taken from a moving car or train are rarely acceptable for a good picture. If a scene is worth photograph- ing, it will warrant time spent in stop- ping the car and setting up the tripod. If your scenario calls for a moving au- tomobile shot, choose a well paved road and partially deflate the tires so that they will absorb any road shocks.
If you are shooting the action in an- other car while it is traveling, the car containing the actors should be slightly behind the camera car to smooth the background action. For interior dolly shots, use a child's wagon with rubber- tired wheels.
The dolly is very handy for interior work. It makes travel shots easy as you can move from a long shot to a medium close-up without an abrupt cut in the scene. Judicious planning will alleviate your editing problems if it is done in such a manner that the begin- ning and end of the dolly shot is sta- tionary as in a panoramic shot.
Never move a camera until you have sufficient footage from a still position to make an allowance for cutting and edit- ing. An important rule is that dolly shots are not made on people that are not in action.
Dolly or Cut
For example, a man is reading a book, reclined in a chair. You will not gain anything by dollying forward to a close- up. A direct cut from a long shot to (Continued on Page A2)
Americ.'^n Cimematographer • January, 1940 11
Gerstenkorn
.ecoms Pendleton^s Rodeo Thrills
IN the course of a six weeks' cruise through the Northwest country last fall Dr. Roy E. Gerstenkorn of Los Angeles spent ten days in the immediate vicinity of Pendleton, that famous Ore- gon town in which every year for thirty years there has been a Round-Up. Nor- mally the town claims about 5000 per- sons as its population. But that figure is far from what actually conceals itself within and on the fringes of the corpo- rate limits of the town during the few days of the annual festivities.
On those occasions the temporary resi- dents literally come from the ends of the earth. From September 13 to 16 the last year the town swelled to 30,000 persons. One man for the tenth year in succession came from Florida. Cars were present from every state in the country.
Where these visitors were stored for the somewhat necessary job of snatch- ing a few hours sleep was a mystery. To be sure, there are two very fine hotels as well as the average number of lesser houses catering to the needs of 5000 souls. The burden of the responsibility fell upon the townspeople, and they went to it.
One of the important factors of the attendance from the outside world con- sisted of three thousand Indians. They came to entertain and to be entertained. With them came their finest horses — and among them were splendid animals. The women brought their rarest raiment. Millions of beads sparkled their brightest. The little Injuns were dolled up regard- less. The chiefs of the five tribes partici- pating were arrayed in all their glory of headdress.
Preliminary Questions
These original Americans were all provided for in a special space by them- selves. They brought their own tepees, some of which had been in their families for a hundred or more years. Some
there were made entirely of buffalo hides, handed down from father to son.
Dr. Gerstenkorn arrived in Pendleton before the start of the program and made rather extensive inquiries among the photographers. He made especial inquiry as to the best spots on the field to get the sun and where as a rule the animals chose as their ground to perform. On the tryout days he took his camera down on the field and shot close up.
The management was very consider- ate of photographers and allowed full scope. The doctor, however, during the last of the tryouts got in the way of one of the animals wildly cavorting, animals by the way which cared not a snap of their lively hoofs for photogra- phers or cameras. The doctor escaped the steer by the narrowest of margins. Thereafter he chose one of the boxes from which to make his exposures.
All of his shots were made from a tripod. The pictures show the wisdom of the provision. Another precaution he took was in camera speed. After an early experience he made his speed never less than 24, and he made many at 32 and 64. That early rodeo experience was trying out a roll of film at 16. When it came back from the processing it was discarded.
The doctor stresses his point of speed- ing a camera at rodeos, especially when planning on taking stills from the film. It also goes for practically all sports events.
Fast Action
One of the pictures that Dr. Gersten- korn brought home from his trip to the Northwest is a 400-footer titled "Let 'Er Buck." It is all rodeo, packed with action, each sequence following the other
Picture of fntiire topliand at Petidle- ton Round-Up. The shadow of Ids bottle of pop is across the face of his mother.
as rapidly as do the news reels in their football summaries.
Perhaps a list of a day's program will give a better idea of what a rich harvest is here provided for the camera addict looking for something worthwhile to shoot:
Introduction of queen and attendants, cowboys' pony race, amateur calf rop- ing contest, stage coach race, squaw race, amateur bucking contest, cowboys' relay race for the championship of the world, Umatilla squaw race, free-for-all Indian race, calf roping contest for the championship of the world, bulldogging contest for the championship of the world, cowgirls' and cowboys' grand mounted parade, spectacular Indian pa- rade, trick riding, trick and fancy rop- ing, full-blooded Indian ceremonial and war dances.
Umatilla Indian race, steer roping con- test for the championship of the world, cowgirls' pony race, pony express race for the championship of the world, cow- boys' bucking contest for the champion- ship of the world, Indian relay race, cowgirls' relay race for the champion- ship of the world.
There is plenty of thrill in the 400 feet of film. Motivating it are thirty years of experience in rodeo manage- ment. There is little injury to the par- ticipants so far as is discoverable. There is a hospital case in the Doctor's film. One of the bulldogging contenders missed his hold when he left the horse's back and reached for the animal's horns. The stretcher is on the spot.
In the second picture in the first col- umn of the layout on the page opposite
American Cimematographer
January, 1940
13
the rider in a cloud of dust has just gone through the fence. The third pic- ture, just below, is a continuance of the same sequence. The throw still is un- completed, as the steer must be thrown with bare hand, flat on the ground on his side, all four feet out, head turned in proper manner.
Close Calls
At the head of the first column is a picture of a man being thrown by a buck- ing horse under the latter's raised feet. It seems impossible the contender will escape them, but apparently they do not descend on him.
At the top of the second column is a picture of a bucking horse that has all four feet off" the ground. This was taken at l/64th of a second.
The total amount of money hung up for the contenders in the Round-Up was S9365, of which .$4400 was expended on events which give points for all-around cowboy champion in accordance with the rules of the Rodeo Association of America.
Hollywood will be interested in one of the famous cowboys who has been a contender in Pendleton. In the cast of "Gone with the Wind" is Yakima Ca- nutt, who has been in pictures for more than fifteen years — principally as ace daredevil.
According to the record of Pendleton Canutt was world's bucking champion for 1917, 1919 and 1923. He was bull- dogging champion in 1920 and 1921. For the Police Gazette belt he was regis- tered winner in 1917, 1919, 1920 and 1923. In 1923 a $2500 trophy was dedi- cated to the memory of ex-President Theodore Roosevelt emblematic of the all-around cowboy championship of the world, to be awarded the three-time winner of the most points at the Chey- enne Frontier Days and the Pendleton Round-Up, the latter conducting the finals. Canutt was the winner of the award for 1923.
Dr. Gerstenkorn suggests if an ama- teur wishes really to test his ability to make a record of thrills and spills that he take a husky tripod, speed up his camera to a minimum of 24 per second, with an occasional trial of 64, visit his home or nearest rodeo and make a pic- ture.
Not only will he learn how good he is in following with his eye and hand the fastest kind of action and experi- ence the keenest sort of excitement per- sonally but he will make an addition to his library that will be viewed with deep interest by his friends and club-members as well as those of other clubs who will ask to get a peek at it.
PHILADELPHIA'S CINEMA GIVES KIDS GREAT TIME
The Spirit of Christmas — the Joys of Christmas-time are best exemplified by the joys of the children. To that end, the Philadelphia Cinema Club dedicated
its December meeting to the children with a regular not old-fashioned but really new-fashioned Family Christmas Party.
Getting under way at 7:30 p.m., in the Crystal Room of the Adelphia Hotel, a program to delight the hearts of the children as well as their parents was presented. To those members, not hav- ing children of their own, the invitation was extended to bring the neighbors' children. After all, amateur movies got its start in filming the antics of the children, to be shown thereafter to any and all who will come to see them.
What human — be he young or old — is not delighted with the man-made crea- tures; so in both monochrome and color a program of movie cartoons was shown and well received. But to see the car- toon characters being created before your very eyes! That's where our own "Mike" Angelo, famous artist, captured the hearts of the audience.
With sure, swift strokes the charac- ters they all love were created for them — and did they love it! Then, to prove that the cartoon form of drawing can be applied to real characters, "Mike" proceeded to draw cartoons of the vari- ous children as well as some of the club members.
The Christmas Carols, no novelty of course, but as offered at this gala oc- casion were something 'really to hear. With musical accompaniment furnished by members of the Ladies Auxiliary, with the novel method of presentation, with the voices of girls and boys blend- ing with that of men and women, is a memory that will never be forgotten.
But Santa Claus is ready to open his pack. Lights Up! Camera Set! Roll them over, and as Santa distributes his gifts to the kiddies and even an oldster or two the cameras record it all for the future.
Four No. 2 Photofloods plus ordinary room lighting provided the necessary illumination , for two 8 mm. and three 16 mm. cameras to record the events.
As the hour of parting draws near (lights out at 9:30 for the kiddies), the officers of the Philadelphia Cinema Club extend to you, the Readers, a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. B. N. Levene,
Chairman of Publications Committee
German Motion Picture Notes
According to the German press, the Commercial Attache at Berlin reports that innovations adopted by German mo- tion picture theaters as a result of the war and its attendant inconveniences such as black-outs, curtailment of trans- portation facilities, etc., include a re- vision of the time of performances in favor of earlier shows and the scheduling of special shows at which newsreels, the Westwall Film (Siegfried Line) and various educational films featuring mili- tary and naval subjects are exhibited.
When the Philadelphia Cinema Club (/ives its annual Children's Party Presi- dent A. L. O. Rasch is caught with an anonymous but a real thing Santa Clans
At Year's End — At Year's Beginning Day By Day — Everyday —
EASTMAN
PLUS X
NEGATIVE
The daily diet of
The Conscientious Camera!
J. E. BRULATOUR, Inc
DISTRIBUTORS
Amateu-r Progress in 1939 Exceeded Professional
INSOFAR as professional cinematog- raphy is concerned, the year 1939, while highlighted by detail advances in many directions, did not bring forth (with one possible exception, still hardly out of the developmental stage) any broadly revolutionary advances.
In the amateur field, more notable ad- vances in materials and equipment may be noticed, following in several instances upon the heels of similar professional advances of the previous year.
In the professional field, the year's progress followed, in general, the logical- ly predictable trend of consolidating the gains made possible by 1938's tremen- dous advances in film sensitivity, through the development of improvements in methods and accessory equipment.
Since the start of the European War in September, two definite economic trends have been observed, both of which may be far reaching in their conse- quences. The first — noticed even before the outbreak of hostilities — is the trans- ferrence of several fundamentally Euro- pean production^ from the European stu- dios to Hollywood.
The second — of probably greater im- portance— is a tendency among Holly- wood producers, in view of expected losses in the foreign market, to curtail or wholly eliminate the lower-budget, so-called "B" productions in favor of fewer but more expensive films which may be expected to enjoy a more stable market because of their quality.
Methods
Another corollary of the European War is the probability that vdth the virtual elimination of foreign sources of supplies of such things as lenses, dyes, chemicals, and fine miniature cameras, American manufacture of such products must benefit.
Perhaps the outstanding advance in professional methods has been the enor- mously increased acceptance by studio cinematographers of photoelectric ex- posure meters. The fact that these de- vices are now almost generally used not only on exterior scenes but on studio interiors as well may be ascribed partly to the higher sensitivity of the present, high-speed emulsions, which made neces- sary closer control of illumination levels, and partly to the introduction of meters better suited to these lower light levels.
The trend, noted last year, toward the use of smaller lighting units, especially baby spotlights, has continued and in- creased as cinematographers grew more familiar with the faster emulsions. The new films' sensitivity to delicate grada- tions of lighting has also prompted cine- matographers in several studios to ex- periment with methods aiming at more scientifically accurate coordination of make-up and illumination levels.
Film — Professional
Potentially the outstanding actual de- velopment of the year has been the in- troduction of fine-grain positive emul- sions, combined with ultra-violet print- ing by means of modified, high-pressure mercury arc light sources, for making studio rerecording sound tracks (both negative and positive) and for release printing of both sound and picture.
While yet scarcely out of the experi- mental stage, two productions now in release have utilized this process to some extent. Revolutionary improvements in sound quality (especially high frequency reproduction), in reduced emulsion ground noise (6-8 db.) and in improved picture quality are to be noted.
The possibilities of using this fine- grain stock for original sound track negative, dubbing and release positives.
combined with the known fine-grain characteristics of present picture nega- tive emulsions, seem impressively great.
During the latter part of the year the DuPont Film Manufacturing Corporation quietly introduced its "Sujjerior, Type II," a high-speed panchromatic negative emulsion of the type generally classed as modern, fast production negatives.
Announcement that the Gevaert organ- ization was erecting a film coating plant in this country brought the total of major American factories producing mo- tion picture film to four.
Film — Amateur
During this year Ifimm. and 8mm. film products benefited by the evolution of higher speed emulsions in much the same way professional 35mm. film prod- ucts benefited the year before. Agfa in "SSS Pan" and Eastman in "Super-XX" introduced 16mm. reversal emulsions with (Weston) speed ratings of 100 to daylight and 64 to Mazda. Agfa, in ad- dition, made the well-known "Supreme" emulsion (speed, 64-40) available on 16mm. (safety base) negative.
The 8mm. field benefited almost equal- ly from these advances, as both manu- facturers introduced 8mm. emulsions of approximately thrice the speed of pre- vious 8mm. monochrome films, and with notably finer grain structure. Agfa's is marketed as "Twin-8 Hypan"; East- man's as "Super-X"; the Weston ratings of both are 24 to daylight, 16 to in- candescent illumination, as compared to 8 and 5 for previous types.
Color
Technicolor remained the dominant 35mm. natural-color process, though at least three other three-color systems made greater or less strides toward com- mercial practicability, while in addition, prior to the beginning of the European War it was rumored that the Gasparcolor process, already in use abroad, was plan- ning entry into the Hollj-wood field.
At the start of the year Technicolor introduced faster emulsions, approxi- mately four times as fast as its previous product in daylight, and three times as fast in artificial light.
This resulted in marked decreases in the illumination levels for Technicolor photography. With the previous film, normal illumination levels averaged be- tween 500 and 600 foot candles, while with the new, faster Technicolor films the average is approximately 250-350 foot candles.
This has revolutionized Technicolor lighting, making it possible for the first time to follow the monochrome practice of using very small incandescent spot- lighting units, including baby spots. At the same time, it vastly widens the scope of background projection process pho- tography in color, making possible the use of remarkably large background screens.
The sensitivity distribution of the new emulsions seems somewhat better, with resulting improvement in color rendition. Although accurate information on the
16 January, 1940 • American Cimemat()graph?:r
score is lacking, it would appear also that the front bipack element is thinner and less dense, with a resulting improve- ment in the definition obtainable in the rear, red-record negative (producing the cyan or blue print), and consequently in the overall definition of the trichrome print.
Similar improvement has been noticed in Eastman's faster "Zelcras" bipack negative. While several laboratories have been processing two-color negative and prints by this method, Cinecolor, in a large, new plant opened this year, re- mains the most active in this field. Cine- color has also shown excellent results in the production of 16mm. two-color re- duction prints from 35mm. bipack nega- tives.
.35mm. Cameras The outstanding happening in the 35mm. studio camera field during 1939 was the introduction on the American market of the French "Eclair" camera. This camera, a direct lineal descendant, by the way, of the well-remembered "Gillon" of pioneer days, is a noiseless, self-blimped studio camera of modern design.
It is equipped with external magazines, a pilot-pin movement apparently much more rugged than common in European designs, and several novel and practical operating features. What the result of wartime conditions on the Eclair's Holly- wood future may be is unpredictable; however the latest authoritative reports indicate that, in conformity with the Allies' "business-as-usual" commercial policy, the cameras will be readily avail- able for export to this country.
It is conceivable that transactions in- volving these cameras might have a stimulating eff'ect upon release of the foreign earnings of American films.
Sub-standard Cameras
The sub-standard camera field re- mained relatively quiet. Although it was frequently rumored that, following the introduction of Bell & Howell's turret- equipped 8mm. camera, other equally advanced American eights were to ap- pear, none did so.
Bell & Howell, however, offered anoth- er greatly desired fitting for their 8mm. cameras, in the form of a back-wind permitting the making of dissolves and double-exposures. Similar devices had been made to order by individuals for several types of 8mm. cameras; but this was the first instance of a major manu- facturer's providing such a device.
The 16mm. camera field remained equally static. From abroad, the Zeiss "Movikon," equipped with an interlocked range-finder, and the Bolex-Paillard, both incorporating many technical refine- ments and available in both 16mm. and 8mm. sizes, found favor among an in- creasing group of users.
Lenses
The greatest advance in this field re- mained potential, rather than actual. It was of course the announcement by two independent researchers of a process of
coating glass with a chemical film, said to measure approximately one wave- length in thickness, which virtually elim- inates surface reflections.
Applied to lenses, this treatment would, it has been estimated, increase the light-transmission — and hence ef- fective speed — by some 25 per cent. While it is understood that the process is being investigated by several sources, it has not as yet been publicly applied to photographic optics.
For natural-color studio still photog- raphy, Bausch & Lomb supplied at least one studio with what are believed to be among the first large, color-corrected lenses commercially made in this coun- try.
In the sub-standard field Bell & Howell introduced the French-made Som-Ber- thiot "Hyper Cinor" wide-angle attach- ment for 8mm. cameras. This consists of a supplementary objective which re- duces the effective focal length of the standard 12^/2 mm. lens to approximately 6mm., doubling its angular coverage.
Abroad the Siemens & Halske A.G. of Germany marketed a 16mm. version of their "Transfocator" zoom lens, while in this country Joseph Walker, A.S.C., developed an experimental zoom-type lens of simple design, for 16mm. use.
Accessories — Professional
Probably the most generally used in- novation in accessory equipment was the Weston Master exposure meter, which gained wide acceptance in both profes- sional and amateur use. This meter provides dual-range readings, with in- creased low-illumination sensitivity spe- cially suitable for use with modern, super-speed emulsions and low-inten- sity illumination.
At the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio a radically new mobile camera carriage was designed by John Arnold, A.S.C., and put into use. Featuring a medium- sized monocoque-type cranearm and an underslung camera mount, it is intended to provide a single, highly flexible cam- era support to be used for virtually all types of both stationary and moving shots.
In at least two studios, systems of remote-control focusing patterned in some degree after the Technicolor selsyn- motored method, have been applied to standard black-and-white cameras.
Cinematographer Joseph Yolo, of Yakima, Washington, devised a remark- ably interesting combined viewfinder and range-finder for use with extreme tele- photo lenses and an Eyemo camera. With this, the focusing of a 12-inch lens is effected with an interlocked range-finder in a manner similar to that familiar in miniature still cameras.
A number of major studios adopted the system of providing wheeled camera- lockers for each camera. With this, all equipment used with a given camera is kept together at all times, whether in the studio or on location, thereby not only safeguarding the equipment, but saving considerable time when special
lenses, motors, tripods or other fittings are unexpectedly needed.
A very interesting design for a photo- electric-electronic light meter was sug- gested by C. S. Franklin of Hollywood. In this unit, by an adaptation of tele- vision principles, a graphical indication of the intensity of illumination on any given, minute area of the objective field might be read.
The device would consist of a lens, a photo-electric cell, a physical scanning system and a cathode-ray tube, together with the related synchronizing circuits.
Accessories — Amateur
The usual variety of accessory equip- ment for amateur filming appeared, most of it of a somewhat minor nature. Per- haps the most important were various attachments for both 16mm. and 8mm. cameras to permit the making of fades, dissolves, wipes, etc. Among them may be mentioned the "Fadette," the "Tran- sito" and others in this country, and, abroad, the excellent Smethurst High- light Wipe and the Bools (Boolsky) vignetter.
An 8mm. version of the previously introduced Craig "Projecto-Editor" op- tical motion viewer was introduced. A very clever stroboscopic viewer, designed by amateur Fred Doolittle, was also observed, though not marketed com- mercially.
Lighting
In the professional field, the trend in lighting was again toward the in- creased use of very small spotlighting units. Baby spotlights, of the Fresnel- lensed type — both Bardwell-McAlister and Mole-Richardson — with CP type globes and daylight corrective filters, were successfully used in Technicolor cinematography. Experiments were also made with still smaller spotlighting units.
In several studios the recently devel- oped tubular, fluorescent lamps have been used — usually in banks of two, three or four tubes — for soft front- lighting in close-ups.
In the amateur field a notable devel- opment was the introduction of General Electric's reflector-type globes. These are available in both the floodlighting and spotlighting types, and in each case consist of a funnel-shaped bulb with a suitable reflecting surface permanently coated upon the inside of the bulb.
The Bardwell-McAlister "Baby Keg- lite" was made available to the ama- teur and commercial fields through dis- tribution by the Eastman Kodak Stores throughout the country. In addition at least one other line of Fresnel-lensed baby spotlights is being exploited in the amateur field.
An interesting twin floodlight unit, in which two individually adjustable re- flectors are mounted on a pantograph support which collapses into a perma- nent, caster-equipped case, has been in- troduced by the Agfa-Ansco Corpora- tion under the name "Agfalite."
(To he Concluded)
American Cimematographer • January, 1940 17
STUDYING PHOTOELECTRIC EXPOSURE METERING
By CAPTAIN DON NORWOOD, U,S,A,, Retired,
Part II
IN October we considered the action of the photoelectric exposure meter in the face of certain typical condi- tions in the field. It was noted that under some conditions errors were in- troduced by the meter.
Some of these were due to natural
variations in relative size of light and dark areas in the scene; some due to relative location of meter operator at the time of taking a reading; some due to variations in angular position of meter when taking a reading.
The latter two sources of possible
error depend, in an analysis, on the manner in which they affect the relative sizes of light and dark areas in the scene as "seen" by the meter. So it develops that practically all of the er- rors considered may be laid to the underlying cause of variations in the proportions of light and dark areas as "seen" by the meter.
Test Stand Built
It was thought that it would be in- structive to make a laboratory set-up so that the meter could be tested under controlled conditions and the exact mag- nitude of the various errors thereby de- termined. Accordingly an exposure meter test stand was constructed.
The test stand consists of a rigid sup- port for the exposure meter, and a re- flecting surface at a fixed distance from the meter. See Figure 1. The reflect- ing surface, in the form of a disc which just encompasses the area seen by the meter, is adjustable as to relative size of light and dark areas.
It is possible to have this disc area adjusted to show all dark surface, or all light surface, or part dark and part light in any desired proportions.
By using various proportions of light and dark areas a total allover effect of reflected illumination may be made to match the reflected illumination from any conceivable photographic scene.
The material chosen for the dark sur- face is one having a very low reflec- tion factor; black velvet, with a reflec- tion factor of 2 per cent. The bright surface has a high reflection factor; white velvet, with a reflection factor of 80 per cent. The reflection factors refer to diffuse reflection in every case in this study.
Illumination Constant
The ratio of these two reflection fac- tors is 40 — 1, which serves our purpose very well since, with very few exceptions, a 40 — 1 range of brightness is the great- est usually encountered in the average photographic scene.
In using the test device the illumina- tion on the disc will be constant. The effect of variations in the size of the light and dark sectors can be observed.
Let us first make an adjustment of the test disc which will give us a set- up that will roughly correspond to the scene illustrated last month in Figure 1, that of the girl in the white dress standing in front of a dark background. That will give us the adjustment shown in Case I, of Figure 2: A small sector of white and a large area of black.
In all of these tests the incident light will be constant. It will be set to have a value, normal to the surface of the test disc, of 1000 foot candles. If the reflection factor of the white velvet were 100 per cent then the brightness of the white velvet would be 1000 foot lamberts.
Since the reflectance of the white vel- vet is actually 80 per cent, the brightness of the white velvet turns out to be 800 foot lamberts. The black velvet with
FIGURE 3
LOG EXPOSURE
18 .January, 1910 • Amkrican Cimematocrai'Her
Figures la, lb and Ic — Exposure meter stand as designed by Capt. Norwood.
a, reflectance of 2 per cent has a bright- ness of 20 foot lamberts.
White and Black
If the entire disc, with area of 1 square foot, were white velvet with brightness of 800 foot lamberts, the light flux reflected from it would be 800 lumens. If the entire disc, with area of 1 square foot, were black velvet with brightness of 20 foot lamberts, the light flux reflected from it would be 20 lumens.
Combinations of white and black sec- tors will give values of reflected light flux intermediate between the limits of 800 and 20 lumens.
We must bear in mind that what actuates the exposure meter is the flux density of the light striking its sensi- tized surface, and this flux density for our set-up will be a function of the number of lumens being emitted from the 1 square foot of reflecting surface.
Now in Case I, Figure 2, the com- bination of 1/32 square foot white and 31/32 square foot black will reflect to the meter a flux density of light that will give a meter reading of 44 k. The factor k is a constant depending on the calibration of the individual meter. In our study it will simplify matters to consider it as having the value of unity (1).
In Case II, where the white area has been increased to Vs and the black area decreased to %, the meter reading turns out to be 118 k.
In Case III, with Vi of the area in white and % black, the meter reading is 215 k.
In Case IV, with V2 the area in white and V2 in black, the meter reading is 410 k.
In Case V, with 31/32 of the area in white and 1/32 in black the meter read- ing is 776 k.
Incident Illumination Unchanged
Xow all through this series of tests the incident illumination (foot candles) has not changed. The brightness (foot lamberts) of the white velvet has not changed. The brightness of the black velvet has not changed. Therefore one photographic exposure which would be properly set to include the brightness of the white velvet and the brightness of the black velvet would do for any and all of these cases.
However the reflected flux density was diff'erent in each case. Since the meter reading is a function of the total re- flected flux density, we have a wide variation in meter readings, ranging from 44 k in Case I, to 776 k in Case V.
The exposures indicated by a meter in Cases I to V would vary by the same ratio 44 to 776, except that it would be in inverse fashion, of course, since the highest meter reading dictates the least exposure and vice versa. So it now becomes apparent where the meter read-
American Cimematographer • January, 1940 19
FIGURE 2
tHt BRIOHTHESS
IDEAL iXfCSUhii graph
{ ror reference )
The mld-polnt of the Scene Brightness Range coincides with the mld-polnt of the Film Exposure Range.
ft. ft. ft.
lamberts laT.berts
Total area of disc - 1 scj.
Area of white - 1/52 sq.
Area of black - 31/32 sq.
3rlj:htne3s of white area - SOO ft. Brightness of black area - 20 ft. Light flux reflected from white area •
POO X 1/32 - 25 luinens Light flux r-^flected from black area ■
20 X 31/32 - 19.4 lumens Total reflected flux density - A4.4 lumens/sq . f f-^ ;..eter reading AVERAijr. BRIGHT. .ESS of scene- 44 "
SCENE BRIGHTNESS |.iTC ■ " RANGE ^
CAii
II
|
Total area of disc |
- 1 " |
sq. |
ft. |
|
Area of white |
- 1/8 |
sq. |
ft. |
|
Area of black |
- 7/8 |
sq. |
ft. |
|
Brightness of white area |
- SOO |
ft. |
lamberts |
|
Brightness of black area |
20 |
ft. |
lanberts |
|
Light flux reflected from |
white area |
eoo X l/e - 100 lumens Light flux reflected from black area -
20 X 7/8 - 17.5 lumens Total reflected flux den3lty-117. 5 lunens/sq. f tJjS Leter reading AVERAGE B.^IGHT.NEbS of scene-118 ~
CASE III
|
Total area of |
disc |
- 1 |
sq. |
ft. |
|
Area of white |
- 1/4 |
sq. |
ft. |
|
|
Area of black |
- 3/4 |
sq. |
ft. |
|
|
Brightness of |
white area |
- 800 |
ft. |
lamberts |
|
Brightness of |
black area |
20 |
ft. |
lamberts |
Light flux reflected from white area -
800 X 1/4 - 200 lumens Light flux reflected from black area -
20 X 3/4 - 15 lumens Total reflected flux density- 215 lumens/sq.'f t. Meter reading AVERAGE BRIGHTNESS of scene- 215 'HIS
CASE IV
|
- 1 |
sq. |
ft. |
-2.0 |
|
- 1/2 |
sq. |
ft. |
|
|
- 1/2 |
sq. |
ft. |
|
|
- 800 |
ft. |
lamberts |
|
|
20 |
ft. |
lamberts |
Total area of disc Area of white Area of black Brightness of white area Brightness of black area Light flux reflected from white area -
800 x 1/2 - 400 lumens Light flux reflected from black area -
20 X 1/2 - 10 lumens Total reflected flux density- 410 lumens/sq.ft. iieter reading AVERAGE BRIGHTNESS of 8cene-4l0 k
SCENE BRIGHT NESS RANGE
CASE
^FlLM EXPQgURE RANGE ^ I I I I I I I I
Total area of disc Area of white Area of black Brightness of white area Brightness of black area Light flux reflected from
800 X 31/32 - 775 Light flux reflected from black area -
20 X 1/32 - 0.6 lumens Total reflected flux density- 776 lumens/sq.ft. Keter reading AVERAGE BRIGHTNESS of 3cene-776 k
- 1
- 31/32
- 1/32
- eoo
20 white
lumens
January, 1910 • AMERICAN ClMEMATOGRAPHER
Gleimon Three Times "Winner
BERT GLENNON and Ray Rennahan won the critics' aw^vd for their Technicolor photography on "Drums Along the Mohawk," made by Twentieth Century-Fox, by a substantial majority. It was released in November. For Glennon it means an honor that outdoes that of any other photographic award in the twenty-one polls that have been taken by the Hollywood Reporter.
It is Glennon's third consecutive release to be so recognized. They were "Stagecoach," a Wanger production, released in February; "Young Mr. Lin- coln," Twentieth, released last June, and the present.
Rennahan has been mentioned once before in the twenty-one months the poll has been conducted, sharing the honors with Ernie Palmer in "Kentucky," released in December, 1938.
There were tie votes for both second and third places. For the second the votes were even on Victor Milner's "The Great Victor Herbert" and Tony Gaudio's "We Are Not Alone," which subject by the way took all but four awards for the month. The third place was divided between Universal's "Destry Rides Again" and "Tower of London," the cameramen respectively being Hal Mohr and Geoi-ge Robinson.
It was a matter of interest to note that one director of photography, Al Gilks, in three consecutive subjects coming from his hand has participated in an award for "best general feature." These were at the MGM studio — "These Glamor Girls," "Dancing Co-ed" and "Secret of Dr. Kildare."
ings may be somewhat misleading in indicating exposure values.
The correct exposure for this set-up would be indicated by a meter reading of 127, this figure being the geometric series mean between the brightness val- ues of 20 and 800. The readings ac- tually shown by the meter in the test series just considered ranged from 44 to 776, or from about 1/3 of the correct reading up to over 6 times the correct reading.
Negative's Exposure Latitude
Such values would have resulted in exposures ranging from 3 times normal down to 1/6 of normal, all due to the change in relative size of bright and dark areas in front of the meter. As an aside it may be of interest to note here that an arrangement of black and white sectors which would give the ideal read- ing of 127 would consist of 14 per cent of area white and 86 per cent black.
The reason the meter works fairly well for black and white film is due to the great exposure latitude of modern negative films. This exposure latitude is about 1 — 128 in most cases. With a scene brightness range of 1 — -40 being imposed on a film with latitude of 1 — '128 considerable error in the meter reading can be tolerated and passable results still secured.
It was thought it would be interesting to carry this study still further and plot the results of meter determined ex- posures for Cases I — V on H. & D. curves. This was done and the results are shown in the right hand column of Figure 2.
In each graph in this column is shown an H. & D. curve for a inodern pan- chromatic emulsion developed to a gam- ma of 0.70. The limits of the substan- tially straight line portion of the curve are shown by dots on the curve. For convenience these limits are projected down on to a band entitled Film Ex- posure Range. This range embraces exposure values having a ratio of 1 — 128. The mid-point of this range is also in- dicated for reasons that will presently appear.
Brightness Values
At the top of each graph appears another band entitled Scene Brightness Range. Since this appears over a Log. Exp. scale, what is actually referred to are the values of the Scene Brightness Range image after going through the camera lens and being modified by the exposure controls of f stop and shutter time. This upper band is projected down on to the H. & D. curve in each case so that relative positions of the two bands may be noted.
The length and position of the Film Exposure Range band is determined by the characteristics of the emulsion and the development. The length of the Scene Brightness Range band depends on the range of brightness values found in the scene.
The position of this band on the chart is determined by the exposure controls
of f stop and shutter time. If a meter is used to determine these two exposure controls it can be readily seen that the meter determines the position of this band on the chart. The shifting of this band to right or left on the chart consequent to exposure determination by the meter is the important feature of the series of graphs.
At the top of the column is shown, for reference, an ideal exposure. It will be noted in this case that the mid- point of the Scene Brightness Range coincides with the mid-point of the Film Exposure Range.
Exposure meters functioning on flux density of light reflected from a scene give a reading that indicates average brightness of the scene. This average brightness may have a value any where in the brightness range of the scene depending on relative proportions of bright and dark areas in the scene, as we have learned in studying Cases I to V.
In Case I, the average brightness has a value of 44, quite near to the bright- ness value of the black area, namely, 20.
Highlight and Reflection
Now let us digress a moment to scan a few principles. The computer on a meter indicates exposure controls which will so modify the Scene Brightness Range that the average brightness point will coincide with the mid-point of the Film Exposure Range.
It then follows that the brightness range of various scenes will be moved to right or left on the exposure scale depending on where the average bright- ness value of the scene happens to lie with respect to the values of brightest highlight and least reflection.
Since in Case I the average bright- ness has a value quite near to the brightness value of the black end of the
Scene Brightness Range, the whole band will be shifted to the right on the chart, so that the average brightness point will coincide with the mid-point of the Film Exposure Range.
It can be seen that in this location the white end of the Scene Brightness Range lies outside of the limits of the Film Exposure Range.
The result of following the meter read- ing when confronted with a scene having a small proportion of bright area and a large proportion of dark area, as in Case I, will be overexposure for the high lights in the scene.
Exposure Satisfactory
In Case II the average brightness value of the scene has moved nearer to the center of the Scene Brightness Range. Consequently, in an exposure based on the meter reading the Scene Brightness Range has been moved to the left on the chart. Now the extremes of black and white lie within the limits of the Film Exposure Range and the exposure is said to be satisfactory.
In Cases III, IV, and V a continuation of the same shift to the left may be observed. However in Case IV it will be noted that the black end of the Scene Brightness Range now lies outside of the limits of the Film Exposure Range.
The same thing is still more marked in Case V. These last two cases illus- trate the fact that with a scene having a large proportion of bright area and a small proportion of dark area, there will be underexposure of the dark areas, when the meter reading is followed.
Natural Color Film
We have seen how determination of exposure with the meter and computer results in placing the average brightness of a scene at the center of the Film Ex- posure Range.
(Continued on Page H)
American Cimematographer • January, 1940 21
Superior II Combines Speedy*
Fine Grain^ ^Wide Latitude
By MOLLIS W. MOYSE,
Teclinicnl Represetitative DuPont Film Manufactnrinfj Corporation
|
DAYLIGHT |
FILTERS FOR |
DuPONT |
|
PANCHROMATIC NEGATIVES |
||
|
SLPERIOR I |
SLPERIOR II |
|
|
Filter Factor |
Filter Factor |
|
|
Aero 1 |
1.5 |
1.0 |
|
Aero 2 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
|
12 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
|
15G |
2.5 |
2.0 |
|
21 |
3.0 |
2.5 |
|
23A |
4.5 |
4.0 |
|
25A |
6.0 |
5.0 |
|
29F |
12.0 |
11.0 |
|
56 |
3.0 |
3.0 |
|
3N5 |
4.0 |
4.0 |
|
5N5 |
5.5 |
5.5 |
|
25ND |
1.8 |
1.8 |
|
50ND |
3.1 |
3.1 |
|
75ND |
5.6 |
5.6 |
|
lOOND |
10.0 |
10.0 |
INTRODUCTION of the recently an- nounced DuPont Superior II negative, now in use in several major studios, makes available to cinematographers a new stock which combines very high speed, exceptionally fine grain and wide latitude. A brief description of its more important characteristics is presented herewith.
Emulsion Speed
Practical usage under studio condi- tions has shown DuPont Superior II to be conservatively twice the speed of Su- perior I, with which cinematographers are well acquainted. This is confirmed by Theodor Sparkuhl, A.S.C., in his com- prehensive article "Testing New Weston Meter," which appeared in the December 1939 issue of American Cinematographer.
Grain
The grain improvement in Superior II is readily recognized by its beneficial ef- fect on the definition and texture of the image. It is noteworthy that the graini- ness characteristics have been improved.
rather than sacrificed, in obtaining the substantial speed increase.
Latitude
As a result of specific research effort, Superior II will be found to embody the wide latitude, shadow detail, and so- called "fool proof qualities" of Superior I. Enthusiastic reports on the ease of handling Superior II serve as evidence that this recognized DuPont characteris- tic has been retained.
Color Balance
As may be seen in the spectograms here illustrated, and the filter factor chart, DuPont Superior II has very closely the same color balance as Su- perior I, except for a slight increase in red sensitivity.
The DuPont Film Manufacturing Cor- poration offers Superior II with the ex- pectation that its exceptional speed, lati- tude and grain will enable it to serve as an effective tool in advancing the cine- matographic art.
Hong Kong Takes American Motion Pictures "As Is"
Censorship of American motion pic- tures is notably more lenient in Hong Kong than in most other parts of the world, according to a report from Consul John H. Bruins.
The only competition to American films in the island colony comes from Chinese-produced pictures, the report indicates. Official figures show that in the first nine months of this year 22.5 American feature films and 128 locally- produced films were censored in Hong Kong.
It is estimated that approximately 100 feature films will be produced in China during the current year, which is double the total of 1938. Chinese pictures, how- ever, are technically inferior and the domestic features cost less than S2000 each to produce.
There are 28 motion-picture theaters in Hong Kong, having a total seating capacity of 29,000.
Superior I
Spectograms demonstrating similarity of color balance characteristics in DuPont Superior I and Superior II negatives.
Superior II
22 January, 1940
American Cimematographer
Mountain Aiutliority Completes Color Feature
By CLIFFORD NELSON
SIERRA NEVADA Grand Crescendo of California
SIERRA NEVADA is a delightfully intimate color film describing some of California's most spectacular high mountain regions. It features the John Muir Trail, which extends from Yosemite National Park to Sequoia National Park. This route takes one through a sublime wilderness of mighty mountains, with joyous streams and stupendous water- falls, basins of gleaming blue waters, icebergs, glaciers at work in the shadows of the peaks, groves of lovely trees, gar- den spots of delicate alpine flowers, and incomparable mountain glows and magic sunsets.
The picture is dedicated to John Muir, famous and beloved California moun- taineer. For the theme of "Sierra Ne- vada" I chose one of his many beautiful invitations to "climb the mountains": Climb the mountains and get their glad tidings.
Nature's peace will flow into you As sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their freshness into you
And the storms their energy, While cares will drop off like autumn leaves.
Muir also stated: "I live to entice peo- ple to learn of nature's loveliness." With the hope of contributing to this fine ideal, I made this color film describing an in-
teresting pack trip over the John Muir Trail.
ITINERARY
Although the Muir Trail proper begins at Tuolumne Meadows, I have also in- cluded pictures of many interesting high- lights of Yosemite National Park, such as Yosemite Valley, the Big Trees, Hetch Hetchy, Glacier Point, ascent of Half Dome, and the popular Merced Lake- Vogelsang Pass Trail, which is one of the northern laterals to the Muir Trail.
Leaving Tuolumne Meadows, we fol- low the Lyell Fork Trail, sometimes walking over magic carpets of delicate wildflowers. Finally we ascend to Dono- hue Pass on the Sierra Crest, where ad- mirable views of Mount Lyell and its spectacular glacier are enjoyed.
To the south we get a glimpse of Mount Hitter and Banner Peak, part of the noble Hitter Range. Banner Peak dominates Thousand Island Lake, which is the site of one of our very interesting camps. Although this lake is dotted with rocky islets, and surrounded by rugged barren slopes, its shores are covered with green grass and coloi-ful flowers.
On the other side of a low ridge, we see Garnet Lake, with Mount Hitter crowning its mighty setting. Here we find the pass between Garnet Lake and Shadow Canyon blocked with snow, so we detour about twenty miles in order to get through to the other side of this
"We lienr the lienrtbcntft of Nnture." Nelson, stnndi^ig, and his companion in the Sierras.
otherwise easy mountain pass. On this alternate trail we photogi-aph our best collection of flowers.
Piling Beauties
Shadow Canyon presents a ti-emendous concentration of mountain wonders. Shadow Creek, Shadow Lake and Lake Ediza, are dominated by Mount Hitter and the Minarets. The latter are tre- mendous walls of sheer rock with nu- merous jagged spires and pinnacles crowning the crest.
In the shadows of these heights we see interesting glaciers, dazzling snow fields, and a lake jeweled wath icebergs. Final- ly, we thrill at the sight of an incom- parable sunset effect on clouds which are breaking up over the dark massive silhouettes of Banner and Hitter. The pictures of the wonders of uppei- Shadow Canyon and the sunset climax complete the first reel. An intermission usually follows.
In describing the second reel I shall merely mention a few of the most inter- esting highlights. This part of the film takes us from Shadow Canyon to Mount Whitney in Sequoia National Park.
At Agnew Meadows we visit Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Sonmiers, whose cordial
American Cimematographer • January, 1940 23
"The. river gUjwH like a mirror, and in every rapid the xun in sowing spangles."
"Godn are often judged by the peaks they throw af/ainst the sky."
"Nevermore need one tveary or faint by the way
Who gains tlie blessings of one moun- tain day."
caring for the pack animals. Another series describes the routine of a day in camp, showing sleeping in bags, washing in the stream, cooking breakfast, eating a typical trail lunch, and finally prepar- ing dinner.
The fishing story describes catching the golden trout, preparing them for cooking and then frying them to a crisp golden brown.
The packing sequences describe such conveniences as nests of pots, specially made waterproof sacks, duffel bags, sad- dle bags, etc., and also show how these items are carried on the animal.
A few of these so called educational picture incidents are rather thrilling. Due to the extremely heavy snowfall during the previous winter some of the passes and many sections of the trail were blocked with snow. I tried to point out a few potential sources of danger and explain how it is possible to avoid or overcome them.
To the inexperienced mountaineer, this series of educational pictures will present interesting and valuable material for practical use. The experienced moun- taineer will delight in recalling memories of his interesting trips.
CONTINUITY
The everchanging route of the trail provides a fundamental background for interesting and thrilling continuity. Ac- tion is, of course, a most important fac- tor. Various phases of this subject are mentioned in connection with my de- scriptions of our hiking and camping activities. However, I might add that even many of the scenic shots include at least some suggestion of motion.
The titles are selected "poems in prose" which, although brief, are rich in meaning. They are little "thought gems" that add a rather refreshing sparkle to the pictures that follow them. For example, when some people watch us ascend a high mountain pass, they question the safety of mountain trails. I can't help but chuckle (and the audi- ence chuckles with me) every time that I read the title, which is John Muir's an- swer to such a question: "These moun- tain passes lead through regions that lie far above the ordinary haunts of the devil."
As a final finishing touch to the con- tinuity of the pictures I prepared a de- scriptive dialogue. In this dialogue, combined with the plan of the pictures, I have attempted to create a friendly relationship between the "characters" on the trip and the people in the audience. "Hank," my congenial companion, is a
24 January, 1940 • Amkrican Cimkmatockapher
J
"These beautiful days saturate them- selves into every par-t of the body and live always-"
"The Sierra are so hospitable, kindly and tenderly inspiring. It seems strange that every one does not come at their call."
"Glaciers are still at work in the shadoivs of the peaks, and thousands of lakes and meadows blooyn beneath them."
hospitality is recalled by many who have packed into this section of the Sierra. I took a few shots of their camp in order to illustrate how easy it is to reach various wildernesslike areas in the Sierra from nearby pack stations.
A few miles out of Agnew Meadows we view the Devils Post Pile. This curious postlike structure consists of formations of ci-ystalized columnar basalt, with masses of broken columns beneath them. It is one of the finest of such structures in the United States, and ranks with the Giant's Causeway in Ireland and F'ingals Cave in Scotland.
Wide Angle Shots
On top of all of the high mountain passes along the Muir Trail I have taken wide angle shots of views looking toward the north and of views looking toward the south, in order to orientate the audi- ence. For example, at Silver Pass, my views looking toward the north include our final glimpses of the already familiar peaks of the Ritter Range.
Above Mono Creek we see a very in- teresting "half dome" structure. My telephoto shot reveals that it is a very curious cross section of a volcanic crater.
After crossing over Bear Ridge, we drop down to Bear Creek, where we ex- perience, and of course photograph, de- lightful fishing for golden trout.
In the spectacular Evolution country we enjoy some of the most beautiful meadows in the Sierra. Then we ascend to Muir Pass (elevation 12,059 feet).
Unfortunately, space does not permit me to follow through to the end of the trip with this very sketchy description. In this account, I merely attempt to give the reader some idea of the trip and of my motion picture record.
From Muir Pass to Mount Whitney the country is equally beautiful, and probably a bit more spectacular. I might add, however, that the trail winds through such lovely forested canyons as Palisade Canyon and Woods Creek and ascends to such heights as Mather Pass (12,000 feet), Pinchot Pass (12,050 feet) and Foresters Pass (13,200 feet). In Sequoia National Park we ascend to the summit of Mount Whitney (14,496 feet).
EDUCATIONAL
In addition ^to photographing the beauties of these many mountain scenes I took many picture sequences that illus- trate the technique involved in making a pack trip. I wanted the picture to be instructive as well as entertaining, and I tried to picture the answers to some of the many questions that people ask about such trips.
One series describes the importance of
American Cimematographer • Januai-y, 1940 25
likeable outdoor youth, who is neither camera-shy nor camera-conscious.
"Wheezer" is the big strong mule that packs most of our supplies. "Tiger- mule," on the other hand, is quite tem- peramental. She coasts down hill with the greatest of ease, but has to be towed by "Wheezer" on the up-grades. That "third person," whom so many people insist must have been on the trip in order to operate the camera, is none other than the writer, who occasionally gets into the picture by playing the dual role of "camera starter and stoppei'," and amateur actor.
PRESENTATIONS
"Sierra Navada" is presented with an explanatory dialogue and background of selected music. The film has been so planned that the first half (1600 feet) constitutes a general cross section of a pack trip in the Sierra.
In this I'eel I have attempted to in- clude shots of the most important phases of trail camping.
Also the country visited includes a rich variety of spectacular sceneiy. It begins wdth some of the scenic wonders of Yo- semite National Park, and climaxes with the lakes, icebergs, glaciers, and peaks of the Ritter Range. This reel provides an ideal progi'am for groups that desire a forty-five minute to one hour show.
The second half of the picture depicts some of the most spectacular wilder- ness areas in the entire Sierra Nevada Range. The entire program can be pre- sented in about an hour and forty min- utes, including the intermission.
The showings in San Francisco and the East Bay regions have been very successful, as indicated by sold-out per- formances as long as six days in advance, extra shows, and a most enthusiastic re- sponse in the form of sincere letters of appreciation.
While in the mountains I always feel that everyone should be there with me. It is a genuine enjoyment that I sincere- ly desire to shai-e freely. Quoting Muir again, showing these pictures is my way of "enticing people to leain of nature's loveliness."
St. Paul Metropolitan Cine
(From the December Bulletin) Our club picture "Active Spirits" turned out fairly well. Made as it was in one evening, with the characters hav- ing no rehearsal, other than short in- structions before each scene was taken, the picture as a whole was good.
The instruction received by those tak- ing part and also those looking on was indeed something that could be obtained nowhere else, and all agreed their fu- ture pictures would be a whole lot bet- ter as a result of the information and instruction received that evening.
It goes without .saying Leo Zengerle directed the picture like an old timer, even to having a complete script from which he directed the picture very capably.
The characters were portrayed by "Doc" Martineau and Ed Barber as
tourists and Roger Byrne as the waiter in the cafe. Camera technique, light- ing, make-up, exposure and composition all received their share of attention, and everyone present really had a chance to go to "Movie School" that evening.
Those who served on the picture com- mittee were Leo Zengerle, chairman; John Bordenave, Harold Piggott and Lyman Gallagher.
The State Conservation Department which is desirous of having a picture made showing the recreational possibili- ties of Minnesota, met with representa- tives of the club, Leo Zengerle, John Bordenave, Joe Ermatinger, and the matter was gone over.
While no definite decision has been reached as yet, Mr. Kemp of the Depart- ment was very much impressed with the quality of the pictures screened by our members. The following members made a showing that evening: Ted. Hotchkiss, Earl Waldorf, Ed Grumke, Harold Piggott and Gilbert Peterson.
Academy's Research Council Considers Program of 1940
In line with the trend for advance- ment of motion pictures by means of new research ideas, the Research Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is now considering its coming year's program, with plans for even more thorough consideration in the fields
Clifford Nelson
CLIFFORD NELSON, who has written this description of his feature-length 16mm. Kodachrome subject, for several years has been closely affiliated with playground and visual recreation work in San Francisco. In the last five years he has developed a large boys' cen- ter to the extent it has become na- tionally recognized in the field of juvenile delinquency prevention.
His conception and development of the plan for visual recreation proved to be a valuable asset to the San Francisco Recreation Commis- sion, both as a public I'elations and an educational program.
Prior to the making of "Sierra Nevada" all of Mr. Nelson's pic- tures were made for the Recrea- tion Department of San Francisco. The present picture is his own. It will be shown in Los Angeles on the evening of Tuesday, Januai'y 9, in Royce Hall Auditorium, on the campus of the University of Cali- fornia, at 8 o'clock.
Mr. Nelson, besides being an out- door enthusiast and the maker of many really high quality pictures in color as well as in black and white, is the author of the book "Natural Color Film," now in its second edition.
of photography, laboratory processing, sound lecording, motion picture optics and sound and picture projection than previously.
Membership of the Research Council, made up of one representative from each studio, consists of John Aalberg, repre- senting RKO Radio; Bernard Brown, Universal; Farciot F^douait, Paramount; E. H. Hansen, Twentieth Century-Fox; Nathan Levinson, Warner Brothers; John Livadary, Columbia; T. T. Moul- ton, Samuel Goldwyn, and Douglas Shearer, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Eastman Issuing Control
for Two Photoflood Lamps
Designed to prolong the life of Photo- flood lamps and assure comfort for sub- jects while a picture is being arranged, a new Kodak control for photoflood lamps is announced by Eastman.
The Kodak Control, a compact metal box less than six inches square, accom- modates up to six No. 1 Photofloods or up to three No. 2 Photofloods. It plugs into any power line of 100 to 125 volts, either A.C. or D.C., and four sockets are provided into which cords from Photoflood lamps may be plugged.
During the time a person is being posed, or a still-life subject is being arranged, the lamps may be burned at about half voltage, through use of the "dim" switch setting on the Kodak Con- trol. At this voltage, the lamps emit enough light for working out a lighting scheme, but heat and glare are greatly reduced. This means added comfort for all persons engaged, and helps in handling many still-life subjects that are sensitive to heat.
An interesting feature of the device is that either the left-hand or right-hand group of lights can be turned on or off independently of the opposite group. With the Kodak Control placed at camera position, the photographer can shut off or alter the lighting without the need of moving from lamp to lamp.
When a lighting scheme has been evolved and everything is ready for the exposure, lamps may be instantly switched to full brilliance for the few seconds necessary, then returned to the convenient and economical low voltage during preparations for the next shot.
Priced at $4. .50, handsomely finished in brown wrinkle with "dim" and "bright" lettering in white, the Kodak Control for Photoflood lamps makes an excellent holiday gift for the serious amateur photographer. Complete in- structions are furnished with each con- trol.
Agfa Announces New Trays
Announcement is made that the 4 by 6 inch composition developing trays, mar- keted by Agfa Ansco, are now being superseded by trays of the same size, made of genuine hard rubber. Amateur photographers will be interested to know that the new hard rubber trays are avail- able at the list price of 20 cents each, a new low price for trays of this quality.
26 January, 1940 • American Cimkmatographer
Composition Is Simple
— Pephaps — IbiuLt Very Important
By JAMES A. SHERLOCK
ACTION is a dynamic force in a mov- ing picture, but is not sufficient to hold attention without that elusive quality known as "Picture Composition," difficult enough to obtain in the reflex viewfinder of a still camera but ten times more difficult to acquire in the small viewfinder of any cine camera.
If the amateur cinesmith wishes to add Picture Composition to his films he can easily develop a picture conscious eye that will naturally select a good cam- era angle for every shot. A study of good work done by artists and still pho- tographers will assist, but will also prove to the cinematographer that he must be careful in selecting camera angles as the
size and shape of the "field" in a moving picture remains permanent after the film has been exposed.
A good scene will have an abstract quality that suggests much more than it actually shows. A visit to the local art galleiy by a movie maker in a receptive mood will prove this point more than any words, and a study of works of art will show that most paintings are BUILT on some geometrical pattern that has the power to attract the eye and HOLD at- tention.
Why "Old Masters"
The "S" curve suggests depth and beauty, the Diagonal is used for speed
I'he simplest method of obtaininf/ depth to a scene is to fraine it. Photo by Eric Merton.
or movement, the Triangle or Pyramid suggests strength and stability. Radia- tion suggests growth and the Rectangle is used if dignity is emphasized.
Great artists have used these forms on which to BUILD pictures that have stood the test of time, and a study of their etchings or paintings explain why they are known as Old Masters. Their work holds the most casual eye in chan- nels that all lead into the picture and attract attention long enough till the viewer appreciates the abstract meaning of the Master.
All mentioned geometrical forms are now used by the world's best professional cinematographers when photographing either an interior or exterior. They use a particular design to suggest a mood in keeping with the scene. Sometimes a geometrical design is used to group or pose characters, while at other times the design is in the set or scene.
Geometry Valuable
This might seem a little involved to the amateur who has not yet troubled about this absorbing phase of movie- making, but once the first few rules are learned, the cinesmith will find an added pleasure to his fascinating hobby and his work will be of a higher standard, particularly if he is observant and has imagination.
There are many books written on still picture composition that will intei'est the cine woi'ker. They explain that every scene as a whole must be studied and correctly balanced with flowing lines that lead the eye into the picture.
Most rules governing still picture com- position are applicable to moving pic- tures, but are not strictly followed by the cinematographer with imagination, who cuts a scene when the action I'eaches its climax, then follows with a shot that
Each scene must have a dynamic ap- peal that compels the viewer to look, and having seen, to understand.
American Cimematographer
January, 1940 27
has a pleasing- camera angle pioducinjj' a smooth change of scene.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of a good motion picture is the careful cam- era angles chosen to secure successive scenes that are restful to the eye.
Unlike the painter who can eliminate or add what he wishes, the moviemaker must carefully choose the best position for his camera with the knowledge that every tone of light and shade will reinain permanently as each scene is photo- graphed.
What Makes Depth
The sense of depth is a vital part of all moving- pictures and good cameramen use light and shade to suggest the feel- ing of the third dimension on a screen that has but two dimensions.
To create this illusion a series of ob- jects must be placed at different dis- tances from the camera. It is the sug- gestion of space between objects that all cameramen should strive for when seek- ing pictorial effect. When black and white film is used, light must fall from an angle and break the picture into vari- ous shapes, thereby causing shadows to fall diagonally on the scene.
With color film this is not as impor- tant, as different colors separate the ob- jects, but even when using- the latter film shadows should not be avoided.
On occasions the beginner will select a camera angle which shows perspective, texture and harmony, but unless he has had previous experience with a still cam- era his early pictures will be flat and dull.
Thin picture in spoiled hy tlie inclusion of the fence in the foreground which takes the eye out of th,e scene. Cover it and notice the difference.
Using a camera outdoors, long shad- ows are to be gathered in early morning or late evening. Nature is then at her best for the pictorialist. Landscapes and buildings are draped with long trailing shadows. If the building is light in color a heavy filter is used to give contrast be- tween the sky and architecture. If it is a dark building try for a white cloud be- hind it. The contrast of tones give a suggestion of depth.
Line of Beauty
By having a road or river recede from the camera in the form of the letter "S" depth is felt in a decided manner. This form of picture composition is to be
There are many yood points about thi^ still. Notice the S curve finishing in the bottom, left hand corner, also lines lea/i- iny to the nuiin point of interest whick has not been placed in the center of the jnctiire. Photo by Eric Merton.
found everywhere; in a shapely woman's figure, cumulus clouds, winding paths, a winding brook, breakers on the seashore, in fact it appears more often in nature than any other form of picture composi- tion and is most pleasing to the eye. It is known as the line of beauty.
The simplest method of obtaining depth in a scene is to frame it. "Fram- ing" means placing an object along or near the edge of a picture but the object should be small and of a medium tone and should not contain distracting con- trasts. If the "Frame" is in keeping with the mood of the scene so much the better.
For example, when photographing a landscape, have a small tree near one of the lower corners of the viewfinder; then in a seascape, include a small boat in a similar spot. In street scenes, a sta- tionary vehicle or traffic signal can be used; when photographing architecture look round for an archway, but remem- ber the framing must be used to attract attention to the center of interest.
Framing a Breeze
Another popular form of "Framing" is the use of a branch of a tree. This is particularly advantageous when photo- graphing a scene that has little i-nove- ment. A real tree is best, but a small branch can be held a few feet in front of the camera. If there is no wind, the branch could be gently swayed as the film is running through the camera. (Continued on Page 39)
28 January, 1940 • American Cimkmatographer
Making Modern Matte^Sliots
DURING recent years the increas- ing use of Technicolor photog- raphy, especially evident at the Warner Brothers' studio, has brought new problems to the making of matte- shots.
It is no longer enough to match mere- ly the alignment, line, form and tonal values of the two elements of the shot: the color values must also be matched perfectly, or the composite shot will lose its naturalness. On the other hand, it is becoming evident that color offers highly inviting possibilities in utilizing matte-shots.
Color matching must be done in two senses. It is obvious that the coloring of the actual set or landscape of the live-action portion of the shot must be precisely matched by the coloring of their respective continuations in the painting. This is by no means easy.
Two pigments which give visually identical color impressions very frequent- ly may not photograph the same in Technicolor. It is entirely possible that the pigments used to paint a set may not photograph with the same Techni- color values as will visually identical pigments used in producing the matte- painting.
Therefore more than ordinarily close coordination between the matte-shot per- sonnel, the set, the art, and painting departments is necessary. The matte painter must not only know what colors were used in the set, but what paints were used to produce those colors. Where it is possible, he should have samples of the colors and paints used. The same, of course, is also true of fabrics and the like where they enter the matte painter's problem.
To date, we have found no method of making natural color frame enlargements to guide the painter as the monochrome frame enlargements do.
By Byron Haskin^
Head of Department of Special Effects Warner Brothers-First National Stiidios
In Two Articles ARTICLE II
There are color print processes which will yield good color prints from Tech- nicolor negatives, it is true; but they are slow and troublesome, and — most im- portant— they do not use dyes which give the same results as those used in Technicolor printing. And unless the print gave the same chromatic balance as the ultimate Technicolor print it would be valueless for precise work.
Our greatest reliance is therefore placed on projection and inspection of the actual Technicolor negatives, and upon careful study of the natural-colored Technicolor "pilot" prints in a magnify- ing viewer.
The light illuminating this viewer must, of course, be filtered to match Technicolor projection standards, for ob- viously one would get an erroneous im- pression of color if he viewed the pilot by a ruddy, low-intensity incandescent light instead of a whiter illuminant.
Color of Lighting Important
Equally important is the color of the lighting used in photographing the matte- painting. Most Technicolor interiors are lit with special arc equipment which gives a light very closely matched to natural daylight.
Left, view of matte-shot photograplii)i(j room, note absence of electric cables; outlets are placed in floor, conveniently close to lamp positions. Right, photo- grnpliinff a matte painting for a scene from "Robin Hood."
If, then, the painting was photo- graphed under ordinary Mazda lighting, it would have a strongly red-orange hue which would be basically different from the natural coloring of the rest of the shot.
Our matte-shop camera room is equipped with B-M Keglites, which are, of course, incandescent units. From our viewpoint, incandescent lamps are far more convenient for matte-shot illumina- tion. So we fit our lamps with the spe- cial, high color temperature "CP" type globes, and special daylight corrective filters.
The result is Mazda light corrected to an acceptable match to Technicolor's daylight standard. It is necessary, how- ever, to take special care to guard against changes in the color tempera- ture of the globes, and against deteriora- tion of the corrective filters.
With these precautions, making matte- shots in Technicolor is not particularly difficult. Variations in the color balance of prints seem to constitute the re- maining difficulty, and this is of course beyond our control.
It is possible, however, to plan a matte- painting on the basis of a color pilot which, as a "rush" print, has not been printed in perfect color-balance, and find that when the shot is finally com- pleted and the full print made a dif- ference in printing color balance has affected your color matching.
Increasingly close coordination with the Technicolor laboratory and the steady improvement in Technicolor printing are slowly minimizing this problem.
Technicolor Softness an Asset
In many phases of camerawork the slight tendency toward softness or de- creased definition apparently inherent in Technicolor's three-negative method and
American Cimematographer • January, 1940 29
Bottom, setting built for "ElizahetJi and Esaex." Center, nhoiving area matted out. Top, the completed matte-shot. (Enlargements from Technicolor nega- tive.)
imbibition trichrome printing has been deplored.
In making matte-shots, however, it appears to be a definite asset, for it gives us a better blend, and a more convincing appearance than does the more sharply defined monochrome.
This, combined with Detlefsen's skill in painting his mattes in color, has made our many Technicolor matte-shots sur- prisingly eff'ective. It may seem like a press agent's blurb to say so, but it is a fact that, as many unbiased ob- servers have told us, matte-shots in color seem to convey an even greater illusion of actuality than they do in monochrome.
The possible combination of matte- shots with other special effects methods, like projected backgrounds, miniatures, and the like, are endless, either in color or monochrome. Multiple matting, for instance, offers valuable possibilities of making the live action at one take, other foreground action at another, and blend- ing the two together by means of a matte painting.
Avoid Great Expense
In one recent production, for exam- ple, we utilized back-projection of a miniature as a background for the ac- tion of the principals; in the immediate foreground a separate take provided surf, and these two elements were bound together by a multiple-matted painting to form a composition which would have been both difficult and expensive to pho- tograph by conventional methods.
As regards production economy, a re- cent, routine shot tells its own story. The script required action on a high trestle of a logging railway. The near- est actual location of this nature would have been more than six hundred miles from the studio.
But a suitable railway bridge was found less than a dozen miles from the studio. Matte paintings changed this bridge into a much higher timber trestle, and replaced the background with typical north-country scenery.
The artist even transformed a con- veniently placed telegraph pole into a tall pine tree! The scene was quickly shot with doubles, and while the matte- painter finished the shot the principals enacted the closeups on a studio stage, with a simple bridge railing and a sky backing for "location."
The resulting sequence was as con- vincing as if the action had been filmed on a distant location — and the saving in time, effort and production cost marked another routine step in the constant effort to obtain economy in production without sacrificing production values.
Germany's motion picture industry, cooperating with the military and civil authorities, is making every effort to have the moton picture theaters in occu- pied Poland resume operations.
30
January, 1940
American Cimematographer
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American Cimkmatographer • -January, 1940
Mrs, Snrmiemiaii Makes Pictorial
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HAT was at least an unusual sum- . nier experienced by Mrs. Charles A D. Zimmerman of the Los Angeles Cinema Club. From the time she left her home in Los Angeles until she returned she consumed practically three months. She traveled by easy stages by automobile to Quebec, a matter of a couple of weeks, and on June .'5()th sailed on the Empress of Australia.
She was accompanied by three of her four children. George is at Stanford and Susanne and Charles are at U. S. C. A third son is a senior at John Burroughs High. As the three are active in their college work Mrs. Zimmerman planned a summer in which they should all be together. In the party also was Mrs. Fritz M. Pistor of Los Angeles. With the two . sons taking turns in driving the family car they would be able to go and come as and when they pleased.
Mrs. Zimmerman was not unmindful that in this respect she would be at a decided advantage in the pursuit of her favorite pastime — the taking of pictures. There would be no cut and dried itin- erary. She would be subject to the beck and call of no one unless it orig- inated within her own family when she asked to stop the car every few miles.
And in that matter of taking pic- tures Mrs. Zimmerman really was ex- pert. She had been taking them ever since the older children were young. And as they took on stature she took on skill.
As an earnest of her intentions in a picturemaking way for ths summer she
By George Blaisdell
was taking along with her on the boat from Quebec to Europe a matter of 4800 feet of Kodachrome, as she could not depend upon buying over there.
Two hundred feet of it were shown at the annual banquet of the Los An- geles Cinema Club on the night of De- cember .'3. The title was "Holland."
Wins First Prize
The subject was awarded first color prize. Speaking conservatively, it was beautifully done. It was not particular- ly in any one department or one phase of a motion picture that the- subject excelled, but it seemed to be in all of them. Any amateur or at least the aver- age amateur knows how easily one may make a slip, but apparently there was no time for such an accident here.
The filming of the Island of Marken, which was done in a brief half hour, was of a remarkable even quality — and that applies particularly to the photog- raphy. We are told that in Kodachrome the latitude of the photographer is less than that in black and white; that the exposure should be on the nose.
This exposure really was on the nose.
The pictures were taken in and around the Holland towns of Vollendam and Marken, characterized by a garb peculiar to the locale. Certainly it was pic- turesque. The day was a Sunday, and the natives all were on show. They were of every age, from infancy to old age. One of the most interesting se-
quences was of two seasoned old salts strolling along in front of the church. Like two variety artists of another day, they walked up and down.
Mrs. Zimmerman said that whereas at one time she had used black and white exclusively, there never had been any doubt as to what she wanted once she had tried color. "There is a thrill in color," she declared. "What a dif- ference it makes — whether you are work- ing in black and white or in color — - when you focus on a beautiful flower- ing bush? What you see with your eyes you may visualize on the screen. For me the black and white has no com- parison with the appeal that rides in color. I think in color!
"I took two black and white films which proved to be a total loss. That is, the color was so definitely outstand- ing they were lost by comparison.
Likes Simple Titles
"I had good fortune with my process- ing, good in final results. I think I al- most lost my mind waiting for the re- turn of some of the films, especially three packages which I had forwarded from Monte Carlo to Rochester. I had five films processed in England, five in Berlin, three in Paris, and mailed twelve from Rome to Rochester. These latter were two months in getting back to Los Angeles."
Nor do a multiplicity of titles appeal to the photographer. When possible she enjoys showing her film to friends and verbally describing the scenes as they are unreeled. Her pictures mainly are edited from that point of view. It is her experience her friends so prefer to have it. They have the feeling, they tell her, of having taken a trip abroad or to the point portrayed on the screen.
The camera used by Mrs. Zimmerman is a Bell & Howell TOD. It has a turret head, with a 3% -inch Taylor-Hobson 3.5 lens, a regular Taylor-Hobson 3.5 1-inch lens, a 1.8 Cooke which is used when light is poor. "I use standard lens when I can to secure sharp background," said Mrs. Zimmerman. "I think most peo- ple like to see what is in the back- ground as well as what is in the fore- ground.
"I have a wide-angle 2.5 lens which comes very handy. In Germany I bought a 2-inch telephoto 2.5 Dallmeyer lens made for a Bell & Howell." A Weston meter is employed on all pictures.
The first stop from Quebec was Eng- land. Landing at Southampton, London
Tlie party — Clinrles Zimmerman, Su- sanne Zimmerman, Mrs. Mildred Zim- mei-man, Mrs. Fritz M. Pistor, George Zimmerman
32 January, 1940
American Cimematographer
Mrs. Charles D. (Mildred) Zimmerman in Berchtesgaden, Bavariati Alps, locale made famous by the Hitler retreat.
Siisayine Zimmerman
George Zimmerman at Berchtesgaden
Charles Zimmerman, the bearer of the camera and tripod
and the countryside were toured and a night boat was taken from England to Holland. Truly the gateway to Germany, arrangements had been made for but a brief stop.
Bright sunlight prevailed while the camera was in work, but clouds por- tended rain. Consequently what pictures were taken were "on the dead run." It was all to her later regret, however, for on various occasions she "laid awake nights recalling all the fine shots" she did not wait for.
No Pictures on Shipboard
The tour extended to Northern and Southern Germany, Budapest, Switzer- land, Italy, French Riviera and Monte Carlo, from which point films were for- warded. These arrived in Los Angeles a month after Mrs. Zimmerman's return. Then came France, the Grand Route des Alpes, and scenically gorgeous Geneva. From Paris they drove to Cherbourg, where in great anxiety they awaited the Empress of Britain for the return to Quebec.
The Britain was due to sail on Sep- tember 2, and Mrs. Zimmerman was particularly anxious to connect with the boat. She was assured later bookings were problematical as to promptness. However the Britain sailed on schedule, Sept. 2. That was the day on which the Athenia was sunk, to the north of them. Passengers were not notified.
The speedy vessel sailed 400 miles off of her course, zig-zagging with absolute blackout at night. Every passenger was carrying a lifebelt on ofi'icial orders from the Admiralty. Asked if any pictures were taken on board, Mrs. Zimmerman shook her head in the negative.
"The situation seemed to be too seri- ous to dramatize on film," she said. "I'll admit I would like to have a picture of life on that boat for the six days' crossing, but we were not thinking in terms of motion pictures," she added.
Mrs. Zimmerman does her own edit- ing. She is interested now in illum- inated titles, which she plans to do for herself. She admires the results se- cured by professionals with the aid of an air brush and is considering the taking of lessons in the field of hand- painted titles.
She realizes the making of these is an accomplishment in itself — that there is much to be acquired in the way of skill — in painting the backgrounds and in the lettering. Already she possesses a creditable collection of her own water colors which she is mulling over.
Most men and women will rest quite
American Cimematographer • January, 1940 33
contented if they can put on for their friends' entertainment such examples of photography as Mrs. Zimmerman dis- played the night of the Cinema Club's annual dinner; a few perhaps will strive to master in addition what may be described as an added art and a craft
A TREND toward better understand- ing between the non-theatrical and theatrical film industries was fore- shadowed in a statement released by the recently formed Allied Non-Theatrical Film Association, with offices at 1600 Broadway, New York.
The association took friendly issue with the action of the thirteenth annual convention of the Associated Theatre Owners of Indiana, which demanded that the film industry discontinue the release of pictures for 16mm. distribution.
"The Allied Non-Theatrical Film As- sociation, while it respects the belief of exhibitors that the theatrical motion pic- ture is primarily an entertainment form, takes this occasion to point out that films and projectors have other legiti- mate uses; education, instruction, ad- vertising and constructive propaganda of various types," the statement said.
"These uses were not invented by the 16mm. industry. On the contrary, the 16mm. industry came into being because there was a demand for films and for types of exhibition which could not be met by the entertainment industry.
"The demand of 35mm. exhibitors that
Los Angeles Cinema Club's Head for 1940 Is Ed Pyle
Edward J. Pyle, Jr., was elected presi- dent of the Los Angeles Cinema Club at the organization's annual banquet, held at the Hotel Mayfair, December 5. Other officers for the coming year included D. S. Kilgour, vice president, and William Hight, secretary-treasurer. Retiring president James Mitchell acted as toast- master, and over 80 members and guests attended.
The feature of the evening was the presentation of the prize-winning films in the Club's annual contest. Competition was divided into separate classifications for black-and-white and Kodachrome films, with three prizes awarded in each group.
Premier winner in the monochrome group was "Building a Home," filmed by Giles de Tremaudan. This 400-foot reel very completely detailed the building of a house from the initial sketches through to completion. Photographed necessa- rily under conditions of weather and
— -painting in oils or water colors and hand lettering.
Mrs. Zimmerman is strong for her club affiliations. "I think joining the Los Angeles Cinema Club has helped me concentrate on accuracy, both in taking and in editing my pictures," she said.
no films shall be released for 16mm. dis- tribution implies a denial of the im- portant moral, social and educational in- fluence which films, regardless of widt»i, can exercise beyond the walls of the regular movie house. One of the peren- nial bugaboos of the theatrical industry has been the sponsored film, and the 16mm. field has continuously served as a safety valve for this explosive pos- sibility.
"It should also be noted that if the attitude expressed in the recent resolu- tion of the Indiana State Exhibitors As- sociation should ever prevail, the entire film industry would incur the deep re- sentment of thousands of school teachers, social workers, professionals, civic lead- ers and other groups which use 16mm. films for constructive, legitimate pur- poses of their own.
"It is the hope of the Allied Non- Theatrical Film Association that any abuses which may exist in the non- theatrical field can be eliminated by our organization and that some permanent basis can be found, in the near future, for the harmonious co-existence of the- atrical and non-theatrical film enter- prises."
lighting that were sometimes adverse, the judges pronounced this film an outstand- ing example of smooth and complete continuity.
Second place was awarded to "The Caldron," a "candid movie" impression of unposed happenings in a public park, filmed by Dr. Roy E. Gerstenkorn, and described in detail in the May 1939 issue of The American Cinematographer.
Third place in the black-and-white group went to Dr. Harold Lincoln Thomp- son's "Towzy Tyke," a thoroughly ap- pealing one-reeler of the career of a scotty. Expertly edited and cleverly titled, the film was assembled of scenes filmed over a period of several years, and was more than ordinarily interesting.
First award in the color group went to Mrs. Charles D. (Mildred) Zimmerman for her too-short film on "Holland." Beautifully photographed, and abound- ing in human-interest touches not always found in amateur travel films, this film, which was only about 200 feet in length, left the audience audibly wishing for more — praise indeed in a club whose members are inveterate globe-trotters!
Second award for color went to K. F. G. Chapman for his film, "Flowerland." In this Chapman took an admittedly hackneyed subject— flowers — and ren- dered them more interesting by a skill- ful combination of excellent Kodachrome camerawork and a dazzling display of lap-dissolves and similar optical transi- tions.
Third place in the color group was given to Charter member C. Earle Memory for his film "Tomorrow's World." This film, dealing with the New York World's F'air, treated its subject capably and with such completeness that the maker's remark that it had been filmed in a two-day visit to the exposition seemed incredible, even when spoken by the club's energetic founder and consistent- ly dissenting minority. W. S.
Los Angeles 8 mm. Members Celebrate Annual Dinner
The annual banquet, which replaced the December meeting of the Los Angeles 8 mm. Club, was held at the fashionable Elks Club, overlooking beautiful West- lake Park in Los Angeles.
After the dinner, and after comments and remarks had been made by the re- tiring officers, Alexander Leitch, the president, introduced the new officers for the year 1940. Elected at the Novem- ber meeting, they were as follows: William Wade, president; A. J. Zeman, vice president; Leo Caloia, secretary; William Miller, treasurer.
Claude Cadarette, founder of the club and member of the Board of Governors, then presented Mr. Leitch with a pin from the members as a token of appre- ciation for his untiring efforts and in- terest in behalf of the club.
The main event of the evening was the announcing of the winners of the an- nual contest, which was done by William Stull, A S. C. First prize went to William Wade for his very fine production, "It May Happen To You." This picture also was awarded the Horton vacation trophy, as the best vacation picture submitted during the year. Other prize winners were as follows:
Paul Cramer, "Conscience."
Leon Sprague, "San Francisco Exposi- tion."
Leo Caloia, "The Lady on June Street" (one of ten best).
Earl Janda, "Boat Fever."
Al Leitch, "Oranges."
Dr. E. P. Boiler, "Trail Riders."
Mrs. C. H. Taber, "Artist's Revenge."
Lewis B. Reed, "Watch the Birdie."
A. B. Callow, "Inventitis."
Allen P. Smith, "Santa Fe in Minia- ture."
Jack Cornell, "San Francisco Fair." George L. Johnson, "Alaska Vaca- tion."
Arbogast-Lee — "Jungle Fever."
Through the courtesy of the East- man Kodak Company, six of the prize winning pictures were projected on the new Eastman Model 70 Projector. The meeting adjourned at 11:30 p. m.
LEO CALOIA, Secretary.
NON^THEATRICAL GROUP DENIES THEATRE DEMAND
34 January, 1940 • American Cimematoorapher
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American Cimematographer • January, 1940
OTbtainiiig Increased Illumination for Fine Grain Film Recording
By O. L. DUPY and JOHN K. BILLIARD
THE current use of fine grain posi- tive stock for recording and print- ing of Variable Density film rec- ords has brought about demands for in- creased illumination due to the fact its speed is 1/6 that of ordinary positive.
A mercury lamp which has a rating of 85 watts at 250 volts has been used in most cases. However, in some cases greater illumination is required than that which can be obtained at its normal rating. To produce this greater illumina- tion the outer jacket was removed from the lamp and a new one which had an inlet and outlet for air was provided.
By means of a blower sufficient air was passed through the tube to keep the quartz tube below the melting point. Under this condition it is possible to obtain from two to three times more illumination with a power input as high as 300 watts.
Automatic Control
It was found that the best operating condition was with an amount of air which reduced the voltage on the lamp down to 150 volts and the current went to 2 amps.
To stabilize the illumination, because of slight variation in voltage from the
supply of air temperature, a method was finally adopted which gave an automatic control over wide ranges of air tempera- ture and supply voltage.
This method consists of using a small series D.C. motor placed directly across the lamp terminals in order to operate the blower fan. The amount of air de- livered then is proportionate to the square of the voltage across the lamp.
If the supply voltage tends to de- crease, the motor slows down, delivering less air, and the lamp heats up, decreas- ing the rising current to keep the volt- age constant, and the illumination is unchanged.
If the voltage rises, the motor speeds up, and forces more air to cool the lamp, and the voltage goes down and the current rises to a normal value to maintain a constant wattage and illu- mination. It is possible with such a regulator to vary the current and volt- age over a wide range to maintain a given wattage.
This is due to the non-linear character- istic of the blower-motor which when combined with the lamp characteristic permits stable operation at any wattage. The electrodes do not evaporate for cur- rents below 2 amps.
Thus it is possible to operate at 200 watts with 100 volts arc drop and 2 amp. current or 150 volts arc drop and 1.33 amp. or at 300 watts with 150 volts arc drop 2 amps, is required.
The more air that is used reduces the efficiency between power input and illu- mination somewhat, but since absolute efficiency is not important it is possible to use the lamp over the indicated lati- tude with reasonable life.
Since the mercury arc lamp when started draws a very high current and has an arc drop around 15 to 25 volts, depending upon the temperature, a non- linear resistance or current limiter is necessary for automatic starting.
The ordinary incandescent lamp is sufficiently non-linear, so that it can be used for this purpose. By this method when the arc drop is low, the voltage across the incandescent lamp is high, and when the arc voltage builds up the incandescent lamp voltage goes down, allowing the arc to absorb the required power.
Where a wide range of current is re- quired, the lamps are changed in size so as to allow the proper current.
In order to keep the D.C. supply volt- age as low as possible, the lamps are started by external means. A high fre- quency buzzer or spark coil is held near the lamp to break the arc down. In this way a 200 or 350 volt D.C. supply can be used.
Otherwise, a 500 to 600 volt supply would be needed in order that the arc be started. At 350 volts the arc then can be started by static electricity such as can be obtained by rubbing a piece of glass with silk. Figure 1 shows a schematic set up on the equipment.
Agfa Adds Darkroom Outfit
Agfa An SCO Corporation announces the addition of a new darkroom lamp and filter outfit to its line of photographic equipment items.
The new outfit includes an Agfa 3\i by 4 ^4 -inch Saf elite Lamp housing and socket, one A3 Green Filter, one A6 Yellow-Green Filter and one A7 Red Filter. The filters, which are all 3% by 4% inches in size, are designed to pro- vide maximum visibility with complete safety when correctly used and fitted with a standard 10-watt frosted Mazda lamp.
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36 January, ]!)40 • Amkiucan Cimematockai'Hkk
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American Cimematographer
January, 1940 37
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By EDWARD KEARNS, Assistant Cameraman
RIGHT now all of us in the industry are being asked to cooperate in finding ways to make production more efficient — in finding ways to save time and money. As many people have pointed out, there are many little ways in which we can effect savings of time and money which, while small in them- selves, none the less can mount up to form very welcome economies.
As a practical assistant cameraman who has had the pleasure of working with many different directors of pho- tography, on every sort of film from major studio "specials" to quickies, I'd like to point out a few such little details which could, at little or no cost, add greatly to the speed and convenience of routine camerawork.
Just as a starter, let's take one of the most familiar matters of every day operation : focusing. The Mitchell cam- era, which most of us use, is equipped with a focusing telescope which in turn has an ocular adjustable to the individ- ual eye.
That's fine — but what happens when, as is usually the case, each of the three men in the crew who use it have eyes that focus differently?
Each May Change
If I, as the assistant, adjust the eye- piece to suit my eye, it is very likely that it will not be focused correctly to suit the eye of the operative camera- man. So when I have the camera fo- cused on a scene my operative can't ac- curately check the shot until he has taken time to refocus that eyepiece for his own eye.
Then if the director of photography wants to take a last minute glance through the camera, to make sure that both the operative and I have done our work correctly, nine times out of ten he, too, must delay a moment or so while he readjusts the ocular to his own eye!
All told, it is only a loss of a dozen seconds for each of us: but it happens on every set-up — usually on every "take," and it can pyramid into a really noticeable total of lost time and motion in the course of even a single day's shooting.
There are several ways of overcoming this. On my last picture, for instance, I scratched some crude calibrations on the eyepiece tube of the camera, so that all I needed to do was to give the tube a
quick pull or push to the mark, and be sure that the eyepiece would be pretty well focused for whichever of my fel- low-workers wanted to look through the camera.
Some cameras — among them I be- lieve the new French Eclair, described in the September issue of /this maga- zine, and the 20th Century-Fox Camera built by Grover Laube — have eyepieces that are calibrated much the same way as the oculars of telescopes or binocu- lars, with a center line for average eyes, and uniformly marked "plus" and "minus" calibrations for eyes nearer or farther sighted than average. That's a step in the right direction!
Saving Time and Bother
But since this inatter of looking through the camera is one that is gone through hundreds of times each day, wouldn't it be worthwhile to fit the eye- piece with some sort of a semi-auto- matic, pre-set control ? That way, it could be set, let's say, so that it would normally be focused to suit either the operative or the assistant.
But by depressing a handy lever be- side the eyepiece the director of pho- tography could snap the system into perfect focus for his own eyes. Releas- ing the lever would automatically snap the focus back to what was right for the
IN "Charlie McCarthy, Detective," as in all of these pictures in which Charlie is given the leading part, it seems to be the regular story. Charlie or rather his sponsor, Edgar Bergen, A.S.C., takes the leading part and no one else seems to have much chance.
Charlie here sings a song which suc- ceeds in making something of a sensa- tion. The contour of Charlie's cranium has been monkeyed with. His eyes seem more expressive than formerly. In fact, his whole appearance is changed — and it must be said to be on the side of even more attractiveness, of more allure.
Then again it may be added that it is possible George Robinson, A.S.C., paid added attention to Charlie — as it has been hinted since the beginning of screen history and possibly by jealous fellow- players that cameramen have been known to be singularly lucky in their exposures when photographing the more fortunate of God's creatures.
younger eyes of his operative and assist- ant. A lot of time and bother could thus be saved.
Now in much the same way let's consider what the assistant is up against in the last few seconds before a scene is shot. In those last seconds, when everybody is on edge to get the take started, the assistant runs a tape-meas- ure to the point of focus — usually the principal player.
Then he checks the calibrations on the lens to make sure that the focus setting agrees with the measured distance. If necessary, he re-sets the lens to that measured distance.
That is all very well. But in many instances — especially in the closer an- gles— he finds that the lens-calibrations and his tape-measure don't agree. Let's say we are making a closeup. The meas- ured distance is 5 feet 10 inches. But the focus-calibrations on the lens take a standing broad-jump from a marked 6 feet to 5 feet — or in many cases, they even ignore 5 feet and the next mark is for 4 feet!
That means that to set the focus, the poor assistant has to guess. First he sets the lens to 6 feet. Then he resets it to the next mark — 4 feet. Then he twists the mount to approximately half- way between the two; that should be pretty close to 5 feet.
When Everybody's Tense
Now he takes another guess and ties it off at a point roughly two-thirds of the way between the imaginary 5-foot point and the actual 6-foot mark. If he's lucky, he should have the lens fo- cused pretty close to 5 feet 10 inches. If he isn't lucky he's just a bum.
And, mind you, he's doing this in those last few seconds before the cam- eras start rolling — the time when every- one is a bit tense for the take, and when everyone wants technicalities crowded out of the way so the troupe can make pictures! Even the technicians tell him to hurry up and get out of the way.
In some few studios, blimps are ar- ranged so that this can be done on an accurate scale, outside the blimp. But in many more, the job has to be done on the lens itself, inside the blimp; if there are external scales, they are either inaccurate or uncalibrated ex- cept for scrawled "foUow-focus" marks.
Now on the lenses most frequently (Continued on Pfuje IS)
38
.January, l!i40 • Amkkican Cimematogkapher
Composition Is Simple — Perhaps
(Continued from Page 28)
Interior shots are just as easily han- dled. The next time you are watching an interior scene photographed by an A.S.C. cameraman notice how a small ornament, a small piece of furniture, a photograph, a bowl of flowers or a few books have been used to coincide with the mood of the scene and improve its composition, but these cinesmiths do not litter a scene with useless objects. They have the principal thing in the scene dis- tinctive and isolated.
When human figures are added, they should harmonize with the mood of the scene and should not look directly into the lens, as they will appear to be look- ing out of the picture instead of into it.
The most common fault with beginners is that they do not hold the camera level when photographing a scene that con- tains a long horizon. Another fault is the desire to include too much in one scene. This is accentuated when the scene is panoramed. The eye and brain are confused as they wander from one point to another trying to seek under- standing.
iVIain Point of Interest
The main point of interest should not be in the exact center of the picture and should have lines leading in its direction. Unnecessary detail should not crowd a scene. If the foreground is interesting keep the background subdued, and if the background is to be the main point of in- terest have the foreground subdued.
The main point of interest is empha- sized by lighting it strongly. It should have the greatest contrasting tones and should be the point where all lines lead. There should not be two highlights or subjects of equal value in the one scene and the highlight should be placed near or in the main point, which should be kept away from the edge of the picture.
In photographing land or seascapes, never have the horizon divide the scene in halves. If the sky in interesting keep the horizon low in the viewfinder. If the foreground is to be featui-ed have the horizon near the top of the picture.
Photographing Procession
Clouds are a great advantage, as they break the monotony of a light sky and add to the beauty of the scene. If a mov- ing object is to be followed keep plenty of space in fi-ont of the action. Do not have the subject appear to be running out of the picture and try to panoram at the same speed as the moving object, keeping it in the same position of the viewfinder. Otherwise the speed of the action might appear to vary and possibly will not look convincing.
Do not photograph a procession or
When photographing moving objects, have them, approach the camera at an angle.
traffic at right angles to the camera. Have moving objects approach the cam- era from an angle. A low camera angle will make an object appear larger than a high camera angle.
A close analytical study of good pro- fessional films will show that the photog- rapher has carefully studied camera angles to get pictorial eff"ectiveness. He uses lighting to suggest moods in sym- pathy with the emotional appeal of the shot.
Newsreel cameramen use angles that have a candid appearance. They force
Shoots Dastardly Villain;
All Actors' Voices Rattle
The villain in a fast-moving Western movie rode hot on the trail of the furi- ously retreating hero. Their guns spat fire as their frothing steeds raced on. Suddenly the audience in the State The- ater at Vivian, La., took a sharper in- terest in the proceedings as one patron rose in his seat, raised a long-barrelled weapon and fired point-blank at the terrible villain.
Such is the record of a new high in dramatic realism achieved by motion pic- ture sound. But the story ends happily after all, almost. It turned out that the gun was a "BB" rifle, and so the dam- age to the screen was limited to a tiny hole.
But the RCA Photophone loudspeakers behind the screen didn't come off so easily. The pellet lodged between the aluminum throat and the cone of one of the high-frequency horns, so that henceforth all the actors seemed to have a rattle in their voices.
R. H. Stimpert, of RCA Photophone's Dallas Office, is the field engineer serv- ing the "State." He proved to be the real hero of the day by responding in short order to an emergency call from Exhibitor B. R. McLendon and remov-
an audience to feel participation in the subject matter. Professionals use more closeups than amateurs. They realize that each scene must have a dynamic ap- peal that compels the viewer to look, and, having seen, to understand but unfortu- nately it is not always convenient for the amateur to take a camera close to an object or a person to get the candid close- up that is wanted. It is at this point of moviemaking that the amateur realizes the necessity of telephoto lenses and the advantage of a turret head on a camera.
ing the "BB" pellet. No damage to the equipment developed, and so Mr. Stim- pert retired and the show went on.
Government Sponsors Film to Prevent Animal Injury
Improper handling of livestock in transit to market has been costing stock- men and packers about 812,000,000 a year. Thousands of hogs, sheep, and cattle die or are injured annually in shipment, largely from preventable causes. To show how this loss may be reduced the United States Department of Agriculture has released a two-reel sound motion picture "Do Unto Ani- mals," portraying proper methods of shipping livestock, both by rail and by motor truck.
The film was sponsored cooperatively by specialists of the Bureau of Animal Industry and the National Livestock Loss Prevention Board, and produced by the Motion Picture Section of the Department's Extension Service. It is available in both 16 and 35mm. widths and requires approximately 21 minutes for projection.
Responsible organizations and individ- uals may obtain the use of the film on application to the Extension Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Wash- ington, D. C.
American Cimematographer • January, 1940 39
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Party Gets Rough
(Continued from Page C>)
The mother who had deserted the in- fant obtains a job and goes hunting for the boy — she wants him back. She gets on the trail of the teacher and follows him to the school. That morning the teacher, before the world had turned a complete blackout, had formally adopted the boy. The mother, on her arrival told of the piling circumstance, is over- whelmed.
It's a black outlook, for the man and the woman. The man is jobless, with the responsibility of fatherhood, the buy- ing of clothes and milk. The woman is without claim to her child, which she had expected to receive for the asking.
There's a way out of the dilemma, however — one in which each of the three involved is a winner. The father by adoption is a bachelor. The mother in fact has no ring. There's no legal im- pediment to marriage, for which the fates are crying. It's a dead open and shut case.
Well, the clinch leaves every one in a most happy, even tearful, mood. It is a natural as well as a happy ending, especially happy after the riotous and determined sit-down strikers have been informed the hard-hearted mistress of the school has relented, that the teacher
and the baby and the mother all will remain.
Will the industry authorities have the sense and the sand to preserve that naturalness — or must they declare with straight faces it to be the law of God and man that an unmarried screen mother is to be forever debarred from the blessing of a screen minister — that today is still the day of the Scarlet Letter ?
We shall see.
IMPRESSIVE indeed is RKO-Radio's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." It is impressive because of its magni- tude, equaling and probably exceeding that of any of its predecessors in the area covered — and thickly peopled; in the conviction and sincerity and authority of its actors; and in the greatness and the conception and the execution of the story.
The Hunchback himself is a master- piece. It is easy to employ superlatives, and frequently they are employed. But in this instance running back to the be- ginning with some care brings to mind no make-up that exceeds that of Charles Laughton in sheer repulsiveness in its initial effect upon the beholder. How that feeling changes as the play pro- gresses, from repulsion to sympathy, is a major part of the story.
No one who is in ordinary health and
who is interested in the making of mov- ing pictures should miss seeing "The Hunchback." It is true there are one or two instances where the lash is brought into play where it will be painful to the sensitive.
It is now five days since this reporter witnessed the picture. He has seen no other films in the meantime. "The Hunchback" is practically as vivid now in his memory as it was the morning fol- lowing the showing.
There are so many great characteriza- tions— Laughton's is but one. There is Sir Cedric Hardwicke, fanatical justice, a cross between Jekyl and Hyde, remind- ing at times of that other Hugo char- acter Javert, the stern right arm of the law we find in "Les Miserables"; Tom Mitchell, who to the public at large has come so fast during the last two years but who has been accumulating, piling up, that marvelous ability of his, as the king of the beggars; there is young Maureen O'Hara, whom Laughton brought from the other side, of mar- velous appeal as Esmeralda.
Then there is Walter Hampden as the Archbishop, fully as good as one would expect the Shakespearean veteran to be; Harry Davenport as King Louis XI; Ed- mond O'Brien, the splendid juvenile mak- ing his first screen appearance; and a host of others.
William Dieterle directs the produc- tion. A goodly measure of all the praise that has been bestowed upon others pri-
40 January, 1940 • AMERICAN CiMEMATOGRAPHER
marily belongs to him — for even if he may not have been in the first instance responsible for it he did pass it — let it stand — and consequently was a part of it.
And Joseph H. August, A.S.C., with his photography and the vast areas of space it was his responsibility to illumi- nate and reproduce on the screen as well as the closeups — another of the veterans of the camera who like old wine improves as the years give added experience. And Vernon L. Walker, A.S.C., who with his special effects adds so much to the beauty —and the horror — of the production.
An Admiral of the United States Navy made the remark forty-odd years atro in speaking of a naval battle in which he had been a part: "There's glory enough for all."
Which is true indeed in the present instance — but space forbids.
•
CHARLES G. CLARKE, A.S.C., has privately printed an account, one of the rare first accounts, of the talking motion picture. The book is titled "Edison's Invention of the Kineto- Phonograph," by Antonia and W. K. L. Dickson, being a reprint of an article appearing in the Century Magazine in 1894.
Mr. Clarke was in possession of the original story. Inquiry among usual sources for locating a duplicate of it brought out the fact it was not avail- able. It was his conviction the sto^y was sufficiently worthy to justify him in going ahead and making it ac^ssible to those who were interested. He ar- ranged for the printing of 250 numbered copies.
The book will be reviewed in the Feb- ruary issue.
THERE has just been laid on our desk "U. S. Camera 1940." It is a m.ost worthy book and fitly cele- brates the 100th year of photog^'aphy. It has over 300 pictures in black and white and color by America's leading photographers, both amateur and pro- fessional. It is limited to 30.000 conies and its sale price is $2.95. It is edited by T. J. Maloney. One of the outstand- ing features is a section devoted to the two years' work Edward Weston did on a Guggenheim Fellowship, the text ac- companying the pictures being by the hand of Charis Wilson Weston, his wife. The book will be reviewed another month.
ACCORDING to the very interest- ing story by Earl Miller, chief electrical engineer RKO-Radio Pictures, which will appear in Febru- ary, the load peak in amperes in 1922- 23, at the time "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" was produced by Univer- sal, was 37,500. At that time Mr. Miller was chief gaffer at Universal on the picture in question.
At the present time RKO-Radio's am- perage was 11,500 on the same picture. The reasons for the employment of less
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than one-third of the "juice" this year may be many, but they will be interest- ing. Of course, the first thought is of faster films, and that of course is one. There are others.
Some of these may be a difference in lights as well as a faster and different kind of film. It goes without question there must have been a great advance in the means and methods of speed and economy in the making of special ef- fects and process work in the last six- teen years, all of which is within the knowledge of Vernon Walker, A.S.C., who specializes at Radio in that sort of work.
Kodak Exhibit Adds Dates
Three more cities have been added to the tour schedule of the 1940 Kodak Ex- hibit, making a total of thirty-five book- ings. In each city, the exhibit will in- clude a large black-and-white salon, panels of local exhibition prints, color exhibits, equipment displays, and special evening shows featuring color motion pictures and a Parade of Color from the 1939 Kodak World's Fair exhibit.
The Baltimore show, Feb. 2-5, will be held at the Enoch Pratt Library and the Dayton (Ohio) show Jan. 27-29, at the Biltmore.
American Cimematographer • January, 1940 41
Camera Technique Dominates Filming Results
(Continued from Page 11)
a closeup carries you there faster. How- ever, if action is present, a dolly shot may be better. If a man is standing by a table and walks across the room to a chair, a dolly shot will permit you to film a medium shot continuously, where- as the distance he travels would force you to take the scene at an extreme distance to cover the entire scene.
Dolly shots often require a change of focus during the course of the shot and you must determine the speed at which the lens barrel must be turned to main- tain critical focus. Rehearsal will help you, as usually the focusing has to be accomplished without you being able to view the distance scale on the barrel.
A well planned travel shot can elimi- nate many splices in editing, but do not keep the camera moving all the time. If you are doubtful about the dolly shot, eliminate it entirely and use fixed posi- tions. Every movement of the camera must have a definite purpose behind it, and if it is done without a good reason you are just retarding the tempo of the picture.
Vary Monotony
Angle shots are usually described as unnatural views of a subject, but their use adds life and interest to the picture. Low angle shots lend a sense of strength to your actor and gives the illusion of height and dignity. Dramatic effects are given impetus with odd angles, but the unnaturalness of the angle usually demands that only a short length of it should be used.
Do not film at an extreme angle, as
you will only confuse your audience, but by slightly tilting the camera or varying the shots from eye level monot- ony, you will get many impressive shots that give zest to the picture.
Good camera technique also calls for a thorough knowledge of your camera speeds and the proper time to use them. The speeds are given for a purpose in spite of the fact that most amateurs seem to disregard their importance. Most cameras are equipped with film speeds of 8-12-16-32-64 frames per sec- ond.
The amateur will usually take a shot or two for slow motion effect and dis- regard the purpose of the other speeds. High speeds (which give us slow motion effects) are advantageous for sport events or any actions that you may wish to study closely.
Also, slow motion is necessary when filming miniature sets as the increased speed of the film will do away with the jerky actions and render an illusion of great size and weight. Your chance to obtain a lot of footage of some celebrity can be lengthened by shooting at slow motion.
Comic situations are often given more punch by speeding up the action on the screen. This is done by the use of the 12 frame per second speed. Your hero will fight harder and faster at 12 frames than 16 frames and the force of the blows are increased. Use your judg- ment on film speed choices and don't forget to compensate the exposure when making a change.
Watch Closeups
It must be remembered that the finder of the camera is not in the same posi- tion as the lens, and although this slight difference is not noticeable when filming long shots, we must correct it when taking closeups.
Some cameras have the finder directly over the top of the lens and the allow- ance must be made by slightly tilting the camera upwards. This is necessary only when the subject is within six feet of the camera.
A small arrow in the finder guides you in framing your subject. When you keep the subject below the arrow you are ad- justing for parallax and keeping the lens field in line with the finder field. Other cameras require a slight compen- sation for parallax by moving the cam- era sideways.
This is necessary when the finder is placed on the side of the camera. When no allowance is made for parallax while filming closeups, you will cut off part of the subject at the top sides, accord- ing to your type of camera.
Watch the professional screen for camera movements. Unless the action necessitates a dolly shot or panoram, the camera remains stationary and the actors supply the actions. The world's foremost cinematographers are filming your entertainment, and if you are suc- cessful in emulating their work to the used — the 50mm. and such — the focus calibrations begin to spread out increas- ingly as the focus shortens from 10 feet
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42 .January, l'J40 • AMERICAN CiMEMATOGRAPHER
best of your ability you will readily be- come an advanced amateur.
If these artists decline to break the
rules of good cinematography, it is my
opinion that what we learn from the
professional screen is the greatest tu- toring we can acquire in this field.
Use Tripod
Camera technique is that element which produces a smooth, visual narra- tive. It can be likened to a gift which is presented in a pleasing manner, add- ing to the pleasure of the recipient. A well balanced scenario, properly exposed and edited, will be greatly weakened by improper handling of the camera.
Unsteady scenes are not easy to view, and it is paramount that all scenarios be filmed with the use of a tripod. It is wiser to reshoot a scene if it is not desirable or to cut it from the reel, re- placing it with some suitable action.
To excel in any undertaking, whether it is for personal gain or a hobby, one must have a thorough knowledge of the basic fundamentals of that undertaking. It is strongly recommended that each amateur cinematographer affiliate him- self with an amateur motion picture club in his city, and in this way asso- ciate with other amateur moviemakers.
An exchange of film and ideas is most beneficial in improving your own filming and discovering your weaknesses. If an amateur will strictly abide by the funda- mentals and basic rules of motion pic- ture technique, his filming results will improve and increase his enjoyment in this fascinating hobby.
By constantly criticizing your own work and using the best of any con- structive analysis you may receive from other sources you can polish off all rough edges of your filming activities and produce screen results that place
ONLY &m ADJUSTMENT
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your films in the prize winning class. Then, too, always remember that a good picture is yiever made in a hiir)-y.
Television Broadcasts On 16mm. Product Now Showing
Regular television broadcasts of in- dustrial as well as other motion pic- ture subjects are now being made with live broadcasts on a regular schedule from the Don Lee Broadcasting Com- pany in Los Angeles.
Typical industrial films transmitted recently by the use of 16mm. sound prints are "Helpful Henry," a comedy from the International Harvester Com- pany; "Hawaiian Harvest," a thirty min- ute educational film from the California and Hawaiian Sugar Refining Corpora- tion, and "Trees and Men," a forty min- ute picture from the Weyerhaeuser Tim- ber Company, these being pictures pro- duced by Dowling and Brownell of Hol- lywood.
Eastman Issues Projector Care with Tripod for 16mm.
New convenience in the projection of 16mm. motion pictures with the Koda- scope Model EE, Series II, and the Koda- scope Model G, Series II, is afforded by a projecto case with folding tripod legs, just announced by the Eastman Kodak Company.
The case is designed to eliminate pre- show confusion and supplants makeshift projector supports. It is a particular boon to projectionists who travel and to those who must show movies before large groups. At home it offers a more convenient and satisfactory support than the usual card table or taboret.
The case holds the projector and a separate compartment on the side of the case houses the tripod legs. When the case is in use as a projector stand the tripod compartment makes a convenient shelf, for extra reels and other equip- ment.
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American Cimematographer • January, 1940 43
Studying Photoelectric
Exposure Metering
(Continued from Page 21)
We have also noted that if the natural proportions of bright and dark areas in a scene depart from a prescribed ratio, the Scene Brightness Range will be shift- ed to right or left on the H. & D. curve, thus departing from an ideal exposure.
A limited amount of shift to right or left can be tolerated with a Scene Brightness Range of 1 — 40 being record- ed on a film having a Film Exposure Range of 1—128.
Perfect Computation
However, suppose that we have a film with a gamma of 2.0. This is a high contrast in comparison with the pre- viously considered film with its gamma of 0.70. An H. & D. curve for this film would appear something like that shown in Figure 3.
Here the Film Exposure Range is only 1 — 40. Now if we want to record on this film a scene having a Scene Bright- ness Range of 1 — 40 it can be appreciat- ed that only a perfect computation of exposure will do. The exposure must be the ideal one previously considered in this article or there will be either underexposure at one end of the Scene Brightness Range or overexposure at the other end.
Natural color film such as Kodachrome has a high contrast, the gamma being approximately 2.0. Hence this film has an H. & D. curve comparable to that showTi in Figure 3. So exposures made on Kodachrome cannot stand any de- parture from the ideal exposure.
Perhaps this will explain why people who have used exposure meters with apparent success on black and white film have experienced difi'iculties when attempting the same procedure with natural color film. This indicates that a device working on a more accurate principle than the conventional exposure meter is needed for natural color work.
UNIFORM AVERAGE DENSITY NEGATIVES VS. UNIFORM PRINTING EXPOSURE
Another point of interest is the fol- lowing. The conventional meter if care- fully used produces negatives all having the same average density. A snow scene, all full of brilliant highlights (comparable to Case V) will be recorded with the same average negative density as a scene taken in a dark forest (com- parable to Case I).
Since both negatives have the same average density it is evident that one
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must be printed very lightly to get a bright print which will represent the original scene. The other must be print- ed very heavily in order to get the dark effect of its original scene. Thus,
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entirely different printer settings must be used for the two scenes.
Now if the exposures had been de- termined by having the mid-point of each Scene Brightness Range coincide with the mid-point of the Film Exposure Range as in the ideal exposure, we would find one negative to appear some- what dense, the other to appear some- what thin. Both would be printed with the same printing exposure.
The dense negative would then re- produce on a print the brilliance of the snow scene. The thin negative would reproduce on a print the darkness of the forest scene. In motion picture work all scenes made by an ideal exposure method could be printed with a constant printer setting.
How can Ideal Exposures be consistent- ly made for every type of scene? Well, to begin with, some type of exposure determination that ignores the relative proportions of bright and dark areas in a scene must be used. A method that determines the mid-point of the Scene Brightness Range would be desirable.
Ideal Exposure
This has been attempted by some with the following scheme. A large gray card having a diffuse reflection factor of about 12 or 13 per cent is secured. The reason for this reflectance percent- age is that 12.7 per cent is about half way, in a geometric series, between 2 per cent and 80 per cent, our Scene Brightness Range limits.
If an exposure of the gray card image could be made to coincide with the mid- point of the Film Exposure Range, then it follows that the mid-point of the Scene Brightness Range has coincided with the mid-point of the Film Exposure Range, and the Ideal Exposure is ob- tained.
To achieve this result the gray card, about 1 foot square, is placed at the loca- tion of the photographic subject. The meter is held close to the card so that it will be affected by light from no other source. Then a reading is taken. This serves to determine the value of the mid-point of the Scene Brightness Range.
An exposure determined from this reading will give proper exposure to all brightness values in the scene ac- cording to their position in the bright- ness range above or below the gray card brightness.
Since the reflection factor of the gray card is a constant, the above described method is actually an indirect method of measuring incident illumination. The
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1
44 January, 1940 • Amkkic/n Cimkmatographer
meter readings from the gray card will be high or low depending on whether the incident illumination is high or low.
Remarkable Uniformity
Some analytically minded operators have taken advantage of this fact to eliminate the gray card entirely. Their method is to turn the meter around so that from the position of the principal subject it faces the source of key illumi- nation. In this position the incident illumination is directly measured. Of course some adaption of the meter is necessary before this can be done.
Those who have taken this step have found a remarkable uniformity in the printing qualities of the resulting nega- tives.
Thus it appears that a meter to meas- ure incident illumination has certain marked advantages over those meters which measure reflected illumination. However, there are some problems that are involved in the design of the inci- dent illumination type of meter. These problems, and the features of an ideal type of meter will be discussed next month in the third and concluding issue of this series.
SUMMARY OF PART II.
1. If a given scene has a proportion of 14 per cent high reflectance and 86 per cent low reflectance area the conven- tional exposure meter will give satisfac- tory exposure readings.
2. Meter readings on scenes which show some departure from the propor- tions noted above will be tolerated in the exposure latitude of black and white film.
3. Scenes which show a marked de- parture from the proportions noted above must have the meter readings compen- sated by the camera operator. Scenes hav- ing a small relative proportion of high reflectance area require an exposure less than that indicated by the meter. Scenes having a large proportion of high re- flectance area require an exposure greater than that indicated by the meter.
4. In natural color photography any departure from the prescribed proportion of light and dark areas in the scene re- quires compensation of the meter read- ing as indicated in paragraph 3 above.
5. Negatives produced following con- ventional exposure meter readings all have the same average density, regard- less of brilliance or darkness of subiect matter in original scene. To reproduce effect of brilliance or darkness in the print a great range of printing exposure will be required.
6. An exposure meter which directly
FRED HOEFNER
Cinema Camera Shop
True Ball Tripod Heads
915 N. La Cienega, Los Angeles, Calif. Telephone CRestview 5-7092
measures incident illumination appears to have interesting possibilities. A further study of this type of meter will be made. (TO BE CONCLUDED)
For Customers' Convenience
When customers send in for process- ing at one time 400 feet or more of 16mm. Panchro super reversal, Panchro microgran reversal, or ortho reversal, Gevaert laboratories will, unless direct- ed otherwise, return customers' films spliced on a 400 foot spool ready for projection. It is requested the customer kindly number the boxes in the order in which he wants the films spliced. This offer applies to films processed in the United States and Canada only.
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HOLLYWOOD HI-0226 CALIFORNIA
The Hibernating Camera
(Chicago Cinema Club Bulletin) Do you have a hibernating camera in your household? You know what we mean, one of those cameras that covers its sprockets and pulls in its claw with the first hint of the cold weather? Yet, some of our best movie-taking possi- bilities will come up during the next four or five months. Unusual oppor- tunity is in store for you not only be- cause of extra chances to take indoor movies with complete little stories or plots, but unusual also because the va- riety in your film offerings as a result of new indoor and wintertime films will add spice to your projection program that your friends and others will notice quickly and favorably.
'Fess up, now! Honestly, how long is it since you took any snow pictures if at all? Have you taken any sleigh- rides, any skating action, any ice-boat- ing, any skiing, or any straight outdoor snow scenics?
Have you ever taken a walk along Lake Michigan's rocky shore (right here in Ch'cago), seen the beautiful ice for- mations created by the waves, wind and spray and have you finished that little hike with pictures of the g.f. (girl friend) ?
And, indoors, have you anything taken inside at all?
Why not start planning a movie right now for Christmas, take some shots early leading up to the grand holiday, perhaps get the Holiday spirit all around you, in the downtown shopping districts, at church, among rich and poor alike, everywhere.
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665 North Robertson Blvd. West Hollywood, California
American Cimematographer • Januai-y, 1940 45
Simple Changes Improve
Camera Equipment
(Continued from Page 38)
used— the 50mm. and such— the focus calibrations begin to spread out increas- ingly as the focus shortens from 10 feet on down. And it is in just that range that the great majority of our studio work is done. It is in that range, too, where minor inaccuracies in focus are most harmful.
Wouldn't it be possible, then, to pro- vide some sort of auxiliary focus cali- brations for these most commonly-used settings? There is no need for elab- orate scaling; but if there could be defi- nite calibrations of each foot from 10 feet down, with an intermediate dot be- tween these calibrations to indicate with reasonable accuracy where each 6-inch point fell, the assistant's work would be rendered faster and more accurate.
Fast Film Products
The same is true of diaphragm cali- brations, too. Until fairly recently about all that was really necessary was to have clearly recognizable indications of the maximum opening: f.2.3, f.2.5, or whatever might be the case— and of the smaller apertures— f.5.6 and smaller- used outdoors.
But today we have fast film products which have brought with them a habit of stopping down the lens to a greater or lesser extent on interior scenes.
Suppose, with such film, your director of photography decides to shoot at f.3.2. Many lenses may be calibrated some- thing like this: f.2.5, f.2.8, f.4, f.5.6 and so on. Between that f.2.8 calibration and the next mark, f.4, there is a lot of room, and it is up to the assistant to guess at the correct point to set the lens at the prescribed f.3.2. The possi- ble margin of error is close to 100 per- cent—at least equal to the 1.8 exposure- increase of a .25 neutral density filter!
Of course it would be foolish to ex- pect every possible intermediate lens- setting to be calibrated on a normal lens mount — especially when one thinks of the meticulousness of one noted cine- matographer who, in a case like this, might have been expected to tell his assistant to set the lens not at f.3.2, but at f.3.19876!
But would it not be both possible, and an excellent safeguard, to provide some suggestion of where the normal interme- diates are? Let's say, in this case, a dot to mark f.3, another dot for f.3.2, a line for f.3.5, and another for f.4.5, and so on. Only the range from wide open down to about f.4.5 would need to be given these added markings, and, as I have said, a dot or a line would be enough.
All a good assistant really needs is some slight indication of such key set- tings. But it hardly seems fair to ask them to guess almost blindly, as they must now, on so vital a question as exposure when the success of a scene
may be dependent upon not judgment but a mere guess.
Finally, let's look at the rear of our camera. The adjustable shutter on a Mitchell is controlled by a lever travel- ing along an arc. At different points in this arc are little holes into which a spring-loaded pin drops, to lock the shutter at the indicated aperture.
Assistants Responsible
Making panning and dolly shots out- doors we may often begin a shot in the sunlight, with the shutter cut to 90 de- grees. Then as we move into the shadow, we open the shutter to, say, 150, 170 or 180 degrees.
Doing this, the assistant must often adjust the shutter with one hand while he follows focus with the other. As a result, he has to do the shutter-changing by touch.
To simplify this, most of us will slip a bit of match stick into the desired hole, so that we can simply swing the shutter-control blindly until it brings up against the crude stop. Then we know the shutter is open or closed to the correct degree.
But matchstick stops, like most im- provisations, are not always depend- able. They can drop out at the most embarrassing moment — and sometimes they break off between takes. The re- sult is more guesswork and more acci- dents.
Wouldn't it be a good idea, therefore, to make these stops of metal, attached in some way to the camera, so they couldn't be lost or mislaid. For instance, why not have two little metal stops shaped to slide over the same arc, and fitted with spring-loaded locking pins like the regular shutter control ?
Ordinarily, they could be swung out
FOR SALE
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HOLLYWOOD CAMERA EXCHANGE
1600 Cahuenga Blvd. Hollywood, Calif.
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WE BUY, SELL AND RENT PROFESSIONAL AND 16mm EQUIPMENT, NEW AND USED. WE ARE DISTRIBUTORS FOR ALL LEAD- ING MANUFACTURERS. RUBY CAMERA EXCHANGE, 729 Seventh Ave., New York City. Established since 1910.
of the way, at the extreme ends of the scale. But if we want, say, to close th< shutter to 90 degrees, the right-hand one can be swung in and locked with its metal pin in the 90-degree position.
Then if we want to open the shutter to 160 degrees the other guide can be swung in to mark that position. With them in place, adjusting the shutter be- comes a simple matter of moving the control lever between two positively marked extremes.
You don't have to look; you can be sure nothing can slip out of place or break. Again a piece of hazardous guesswork is eliminated, and with it a troublesome, if common, operation that consumes time is made quicker and more certain.
Speedgun For Flash Shots Available For Agfa Memo
The scope of the Agfa 3r)mm. Memo Camera now includes synchronized flash- bulb pictures by the availability of the Agfa Memo Speedgun, especially de- signed and fitted for use with the Memo Camera.
Similar in design and construction to the famous Mendelsohn Speedgun, the Memo Speedgun provides accurate syn- chronization of flashbulb exposures at all camera speeds and with all types of flash lamps.
Provision is made for extension wiring to additional flash lamps, for a safety catch to prevent accidental exposures and for adjustment of both reflector position and synchronizing control for different sizes and makes of flash lamps. The new Agfa Memo Speedgun is obtainable through regular photographic dealer.s and sells for $14.50.
NEW PRECISION TEST REEL FOR PROJEC- tion and Sound. Developed by prominent SMPE member. Combination visual, sound tests for all soundtrack adjustments. Indicates travel ghost, sidesway, picture jump, etc. Contains visual targets and constant level frequencies. W. E. Mirrophonic recording. Truly simpli- fied, easily understood. Comparative value, $75.00. With full instructions, $29.50. 16mm edition, $17.50. S.O.S., 636 — 11th Ave., New York.
EYEMO CAMERAS from $100.00 up; Deprie, 4 magazines, tripod, case $125.00; Bell & Howell silenced camera outfit $1150.00; Scene Movieola $37.50 ; Movieola with reel posts $75.00 ; Filmo Sound Projector, 2 case $225.00 ; double sprocket measuring machine $42.50 ; accessories. Camera Mart, Inc., 70 West 45 St., New York.
WANTED
WE PAY CASH FOR EVERYTHING PHOTO- GRAPHIC. Write us today. Hollywood Camera Exchange. 1600 Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood.
WANTED TO BUY FOB CASH CAMERAS AND ACCESSORIES MITCHELL, B & H, EYEMO, DEBRIE. AKELEY AL£0 LABORATORY AND CUTTING ROOM EQUIPMENT
CAMERA EQUIPMENT COMPANY 1600 BROADWAY, NEW YORK CITY CABLE: CINEQUIP
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
46 January, 1940 • American Cimematographer
'^THANKS TO FILMO, OUR ADOLESCENTS'
BABY FILMS ARE STILL IN FINE CONDITION!"
New Filmo-Master 16 mm. Projector
You can buy no finer moderately priced 16 mm. silent projector than this new Filmo - Master. It includes de luxe features heretofore found only in higher-priced Filmos. It is completely gear-driven and has a speedy power rewind. Brilliant pictures in home or small auditorium are assured by its 7 50-watt lamp, fast two-inch F 1.6 lens, and Magnilite condenser. With case $139. Mail coupon.
..SHOW THEM WITH A
Filmo-Master 8 mm. Projector
The Filmo 8 mm. Projector now appears in the new, improved model pictured above. Retained is the basic design which made Filmo the finest of 8 mm. projectors. Added are an improved film moving mech- anism, lens focus lock, new two-way tilt, radio interference eliminator, and a threaded socket so that your tripod may be used as a projector stand. Line current and lamp switches are side by side on the cabinet base. The new Filmo-Master 8 is fully gear-driven — no chains or belts in- side or out. Uses 400- or 500-watt lamp. Has fast F 1.6 lens. No increase in price — still $118, case included
' DA
PALM-SIZE FILMO 8
Filmo 8 is scarcely larger than the palm of your hand and weighs only 24 ounces. It makes movies at snapshot cost; makes color movies, too, indoors and out, even in slow motion. Has single frame device, viewfinder masks for use with tele- photo lenses, and can be equipped with film rewinding device for making lap dissolves and double exposures!
With F 3.5 lens, speeds 8, 16, 24, 32, only $49.50.
With F 2.5 lens, speeds 16 to 64, only $75.
JUST one passage through an inadequate projector could ruin your most treasured films. No saving in projector price can justify your taking that chance with films that can't be replaced. At the lowest prices in their histoi^. Bell & Howell Filmo Projectors now oflfer more ativantages than ever before, including this complete film protection:
"FLOATING FILM"— at no point does the picture area of your film touch any stationary part. Filmo can't scratch!
NO "SAWING" ACTION— shuttle tooth moves in a rectangular path — straight in, down, and straight out — thus minimizing wear on perforations.
NO JERKING — thanks to positive gear drive and correctly accelerated shuttle.
STRAIGHT LINE FILM TRAVEL— film is not twisted at any point!
Besides film protection, a Filmo Projector also gives uniformly brilliant, flickerless, rock-steady screen pictures. Filmo's scientific design and precise con- struction assure lasting, dependable service. Write today. Bell & Howell Company, Chicago; New York; Hollywood; London. Established 1907.
NEW 16 MM. FILMO 141 Eliminates Threading of Film— Permits Mid-reel Changes from Color to Black-and-white Film
Ideal for both beginner and advanced worker. Loads with pre-threaded film magazine. Easy to use, yet designed to keep pace wieh your cine- matic progress. Has four operating speeds includ- ing s-l-o-w motion if desired, single-frame ex- posure control for making animated titles and cartoons, and starting button lock. "Positive" finder eliminates off-center pictures. Lens is in- stantly interchangeable with telephoto, wide-angle, and speed lenses. With 1-inch F 2.7 lens. ..$115.
FREE FILM OFFER! "How Motion Pictures Move and Talk," a new film pro- duced by Bell & Howell, traces the making of a modern Hollywood sound movie from the raw film to the finished picture. You can borrow a print, either sound or silent, for a group showing. No charge. Mail coupon.
See Your Filmo Movie Dealer
for demonstration and in- formation about easy time payments. Or mail cou- pon for full details.
ELL
I BELL & HOWELL COMPANY ac 1-10
I 1848 Larchmont Ave., Chicago, Illinois
I Please send details on ( ) new Filmo 8 mm. Projector; { ) 16
I mm. Projector; ( ) palm-size Filmo 8 Camera; ( ) new 141.
( ) I'd like to show a g l^^^f^ 16 mm. print of the film
"How Motion Pictures Move and Talk."
before.
on
Name. .
3 and nature of groap)
. . . or
lalternate date)
Address. City ,
.State.
MITCHELL CAMERA CORPORATION
Extends to the Moving Picture Industry its Best W^ishes for a Prosperous 1940 and Promises to Continue as it has in the past the Production of the best Pro- fessional Motion Picture Camera
The Standard for 20 Years
MITCHELL CAMERA CORPORATION
66 5 NORTH ROBERTSON BOULEVARD WEST HOLLYWOOD. CALIF.
Cable Add.ess "MITCAMCO" Phone OXford 1051
AGENCIES
BELL & HOWELL, LTD.. London, England MOTION PICTURE CAMERA SUPPLY CO., New Yoric City
CLAUD C. CARTER, Sydney, Australia FAZALBHOY. LTD., Bombay, India
D. NAGASE & CO., LTD., Osaka, Japan H. NASSIBIAN, Cairo, Eavot
PMTOGRAPHCR
^^^S™ FOR AMATEUR AND PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS
[bruary, 1940
25c
Foreign 35c l>lished in Hollywood by f^Americon Society of Cinematographers
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For a negative tiiat is "tops" photo- graphically, use this new film on your next production.
Du Pont Film Manufacturing Corporation, Inc.
9 Rockefeller Plaza Smith &. Aller, Ltd.
New York ... N. Y. 6656 SantaMonicaBlvd.
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BETTER THINGS for BETTER LIVING through CHEMISTRY
Has a New ^^Positive'^ Viewfinder!
BELL & HOWELL engineers have scored again! Now the versatile Eyemo has a "positive" viewfinder and a new finder turret which mounts three matching viewfinder objectives.
With this new "positive" viewfinder, there is no masking to re- duce the field. A large-size image always fills the entire finder aperture . . . for all lenses of any focal length.
In addition, this new Eyemo finder eliminates eye parallax! Even when your eye wanders from the center of the eyepiece, you still see the EXACT field to be filmed!
Add the advantage of having three matching finder objectives on a turret for instant readiness, and you begin to know why now, more than ever, the Eyemo is unsurpassed in the field of portable cameras. For no other camera offers the versatility and dependability of the Eyemo. For information about this superb 35 mm. camera,
please mail coupon. Bell & Howell Company, 1848 Larchmont Ave., Chicago; 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York; 716 N. LaBrea Ave., Hollywood; 13-14 Great Castle Street, London. Established 1907.
Other Recent Eyemo Improvements
Important! Many Eyemo owners are converting their cameras to include these changes. Conversion charges are reasonable. Write for details.
NEW FLAT BASE — 21/2" square, with dowel holes, gives perfect seating on any flathead tripod.
LENS MOUNT LOCKING SCREWS lock each lens in focus!
TURRET LOCK for Eyemos with oflfset turret as- sures alignment even with long, heavy lenses.
DETACHABLE CORD now supplied with electric- drive models.
EYEMO can be equipped with 400-foot external magazine, offset turret, electric drive, and other studio accessories, or it can be stripped down to a light, compact, spring-driven hand camera.
PRECISION-MADE BY
BELL & HOWELL
1
AC 2-40 I
BELL & HOWELL COMPANY 1848 Larchmont Ave., Chicago, IlL ( ) Send details about new, improved Eyemos.
( ) I ovk-n Eyemo Serial No Am interested in
converting it to include
Hame . . Address . City
.State.
American Cinematographer
February, 1940 51
AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER
A Technical and Educational Publication on Motion Picture Photography.
Published monthly by the AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS, INC. 1782 North Orange Drive Hollywood (Los Angeles), California
Telephone GRanite 2135 JOHN ARNOLD, President AL GILKS, Secretaiy-Treasurer
Vol. 21
February, 1940
No. 2
CONTENTS
Three great films 54
By George Blaisdell
Clifford Nelson shows remarkable color film , 55
The Road to Bali 56
By Len Roos, F.R.P.S.
Color in Sourdough Land 57
By Ormal I. Sprungman
Books 62
Story should always come first 63
By Bert Glennon, A.S.C.
Studying photoelectric exposure metering 64
By Captain Don Norwood, U. S. A., Ret.
New gadget coordinates meter, make-up and lighting 67
By Joseph Walker, A.S.C.
Haller, Rennahan and Cline win photographic honors 68
Lighting big sets sixteen years ago and today 70
By Earl Miller
Ampro announces its first 8mm. projector 76
Amateur progress in 1939 exceeds professional 77
By William StuU, A.S.C.
Lighting for interiors 79
By Claude W. Cadarette
"Behind the Bottle" tells good story 81
By William Stull, A.S.C.
Washington club looks on unusual Kodachrome 83
By Milton J. Pike
Handicaps against India's film production 84
By F. Berko
Front Cover
Lee Garnies^ A»S,C»^ Pirodiucer
HERE is the crew on the set of "And So Goodbye," which Lee Garmes, A.S.C, is producing for RKO and for which he will produce two more. Garmes is standing with arms behind him directly behind the man kneeling. The set, constructed by the company, is of Central Park, that famous southern frame at the south of the great area at an hour when all lamps are illuminated.
Among those also shown are A. Edward Sutherland, director; Lester White, director of photography; Joe Nadel, production manager; Bob Stillman, assistant director; Stephen Gooson, art director; James Potevin, gaffer; Fred Williams, assistant grip; Bill Wilmarth, sound; Truman Joiner, grip; Fred Guard, painter; E. Fredricks, operator of camera.
The Staff
EDITOR
George Blaisdell
WASHINGTON STAFF CORRESPONDENT Reed N. Haythome, A. S. C.
TECHNICAL EDITOR
Emery Huse, A. S. C.
ADVISORY EDITORIAL BOARD
Victor Milner, A. S. C. James Van Trees, A. S. C. Fred W. Jackman, A. S. C. Farciot Edouart, A. S. C. Fred Gage, A. S. C. Dr. J. S. Watson, A. S. C. Dr. L. A. Jones, A. S. C. Dr. C. E. K. Mees, A. S. C. Dr. W. B. Rayton, A. S. C. Dr. Herbert Meyer, A. S. C. Dr. V. B. Sease, A. S. C.
NEW YORK REPRESENTATIVE
S. R. Cowan, 3214 Ave. L. Brooklyn, N. Y. Cloverdale 8-0992
FOREIGN REPRESENTATIVE
Georges Benoit, 100 AUee Franklin, Pavillions-sous-Bois, Seine, France. Telephone LeRaincy 13-19.
AUSTRALIAN REPRESENTATIVE
McGill's, 179 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, Australian and New Zealand Agents,
Neither the American Cinematographer nor the American Society of Cinematographers is responsible for statements made by authors.
ESTABLISHED 1920. Advertising Rates on application. Subscription: United States, $2.50 a year; Canada and the Pan-American Union, $2.50 a year; Foreign, $3.50 a year. Single copies, 25c; back numbers, 30 cents; foreign, single copies, 35 cents; back numbers, 40 cents. COPYRIGHT 1939 by
American Society of Cinematographers, Inc.
62
Entered as second class matter November 18, 1937, at the postoffice at Los Angeles, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
February, 1940 • American Cinematographer
Agfa Twosome
SUPREME
STAR 1 AGFA SUPREME
A great film under normal production con- ditions. Combines speed with fine grain, improved color balance and gradation.
i
ULTRA SPEED PAN
STAR 2 . . AGFA ULTRA-SPEED PAN
A superb film under difficult lighting con- ditions. Noted for its amazing speed.
Agfa Ansco Products. Made in Binghamton, New York, U. S. A.
AGFA RAW FILM CORPORATION
HOLLYWOOD
6426 Santa Monica Blvd. Tel: Hollywood 2918
NEW YORK
245 West 55th Street Tel: Circle 7-4635
American Cinematographer • February, 1940 53
THREE GREAT FILMS
THOSE who are privileged to look upon "Abe Lincoln in Illinois" can- not escape the realization from the first scene of the production that great as it is in all the essentials of a motion picture the photography of James Wong Howe stands out. It stands out among the superlatives in this story of the Great American.
It carries the story literally from the first scene right to the very last. The final shot is of the retreating, departing train from the Springfield station start- ing the President-to-be on his way to Washington. The camera is directly to the rear centre of the train, perhaps one or two hundred feet from the end of the