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APRIL 
19  3 7 


INDEX 

Page 

'New  Method  for  the  Dry  Hypersensitization  of  Photographic  Emulsions," 

by  F.  Dersch  and  H.  Durr 2 

'Paramount  Introduces  a New  Set-Color  for  Use  with  Agfa  Infra-Red"  ------  8 

'The  Outlook"  - -- --------  - --  . 10 

'Problems  of  Controlling  Correct  Photographic  Reproduction,"  Part  II, 

by  Dr.  Herbert  Meyer,  A.S.C. --I2 

'Filters  for  Infra-Red  Night  Photography' 


15 


.7- 

ill 

HAIL  COLUMBIA! 

Sincere  congratulations  to  the  producer,  director,  cameraman,  and  laboratory  whose  mutual 
co-operation  created  the  picture  "Lost  Horizon."  We  feel  that  this  achievement  is  looked 
upon  by  the  whole  industry  as  a monument  to  progress,  illustrating  the  latent  possibilities 
in  motion  picture  production,  and  awakening  in  the  theater-going  public  a new  conscious- 
ness and  appreciation  of  the  efforts  put  forth  to  provide  such  entertainment 


During  1936  Agfa  Ansco  earnestly  endeavored  to  con- 
tribute to  the  general  progress  of  the  photographic  industry, 
not  only  by  improving  the  quality  of  its  standard  products,  but 
also  by  suggesting  and  creating  several  new  emulsion  types, 
such  as  the  Infra  Red  “ A and  the  35 mm.  Reversible 

Superpan,  and  the  Direct  Duplicating  film. 

The  reader  will  find  in  this  issue  supplementary  informa- 
tion in  regard  to  the  characteristics  and  application  of  these 
emulsions. 

In  addition,  Agfa  Ansco  has  also  continued  to  engage  its 
research  chemists  in  extensive  experimental  work  on  various 
other  problems  of  interest  to  the  photographic  industry.  Most 
of  this  work,  naturally,  is  unknown  to  the  public,  as  it  usually 
is  kept  confidential  until  it  reaches  the  point  of  results. 

One  of  the  outstanding  papers  presented  during  the  fall 
meeting  of  the  1936  5.  M.  P.  E.  Convention  deals  with  a new 
method  of  hyper  sensitizing  photographic  emulsions,  which  has 
been  discovered  and  studied  by  Agfa  Ansco  scientists.  This 
abstract  has  created  such  comment  and  interest  that  we  feel 
justified  in  reprinting  it.  slightly  abreviated,  in  this  issue. 

New  Method  for  the  Dry  Hypersensitization 
of  Photographic  Emulsions" 

By  F.  DERSCH  AND  H.  DURR 

SUMMARY. — Hypersensitization  by  mercury  vapor  increases  the  speed  of  photographic 
negative  emulsions  about  50  to  150  per  cent,  depending  upon  the  emulsions  used  for  the 
treatment.  The  important  features  of  this  method  that  make  it  superior  to  the  well  known 
wet-hypersensitizing  methods  are: 

( I ) The  film  does  not  have  to  be  put  through  a bathing  process  and  then  dried. 
(2)  The  mercury  vapors  are  active  also  upon  tightly  wound  spools  of  film,  the  sensitizing 
effect  being  uniformly  spread  over  the  whole  length  (e.  g„  of  a 1000-foot  roll  of  35-mm. 
motion  picture  film).  If  sufficient  time  is  available  for  hypersensitizing,  the  films  need  not 
even  be  removed  from  their  original  wrappers,  as  the  mercury  vapors  diffuse  sufficiently 
through  the  wrapping  material.  (3)  The  increase  of  sensitivity  is  general  throughout  the 
range  of  wavelength  of  light  to  which  the  film  was  originally  sensitive.  (4)  Not  only  can 
unexposed  film  be  hypersensitized  by  this  method,  but  it  is  also  possible  to  intensify  the 
latent  image  with  mercury  vapors.  (5)  The  stability  of  the  film  is  not  permanently  affected, 
although  the  increase  in  speed  is  gradually  lost  over  a period  of  four  weeks  of  aging.  The 
clearness,  however,  remains  the  same,  and  may  even  improve  somewhat.  By  a second  treat- 
ment with  mercury  vapor  the  hypersensitization  can  be  renewed  in  a film  that  has  recovered 
from  previous  hypersensitizing. 

After  the  introduction  of  panchromatic  emulsions,  methods  of  increasing 
the  sensitivity  of  these  emulsions  by  special  treatments  became  generally  known 
by  the  name  of  "hypersensitization."  These  methods  were  based  upon  the  well- 
known  fact  that  the  sensitivity  of  photographic  films  and  plates  can  be  increased 
by  bathing  them  in  water  or  in  solutions  containing  small  amounts  of  ammonia. 
Later,  other  solutions  were  recommended  for  the  purpose;  for  example,  solutions 
containing  small  amounts  of  silver  nitrate  and  hydrogen  peroxide,  and  so  on. 

* Journal  of  S.  M.  P.  E..  Feb.,  1937. 


Pa  fie  Two 


The  increase  of  speed  attainable  with  this  ireJ-hypersensitizing  method,  as  it 
might  be  called,  amounts  to  100  per  cent,  more  or  less,  depending  upon  the 
type  of  emulsion  used.  Emulsions  that  have  been  made  in  the  presence  of 
ammonia  usually  show  less  increase  of  speed. 

To  make  the  special  treatment  practicable,  for  instance,  with  panchromatic 
cine  negative  film,  great  care  had  to  be  observed  in  manipulating  the  wet 
films,  and  redrying  the  emulsion  carefully  was  particularly  important  to  the 
quality  of  the  results.  In  addition,  hypersensitized  films  always  have  certain 
disadvantages,  especially  with  regard  to  their  keeping  qualities,  which  will  be 
discussed  later. 

With  the  introduction  of  the  supersensitive  types  of  negative  film,  interest 
in  these  inconvenient,  cumbersome,  and  expensive  methods  of  hypersensitiza- 
tion declined  considerably. 

Yet,  even  with  the  availability  of  the  supersensitive  types  of  panchromatic 
materials  there  still  exists,  and  probably  always  will,  a demand  for  higher  sen- 
sitivity, if  possible  without  increasing  the  graininess. 

General 

Upon  investigating  the  effect  of  mercury  vapor  upon  photographic  emul- 
sions, it  was  found  that  the  sensitivity  of  nearly  all  types  of  negative  emulsions 
can  be  considerably  increased  when  dry  films  or  plates  are  exposed  to  the 
action  of  mercury  vapor. 

In  our  original  experiments,  photographic  emulsions  upon  films  and  plates 
were  exposed  to  the  action  of  mercury  vapor  by  placing  them  into  a light- 
tight container,  the  bottom  of  which  was  covered  with  a thin  layer  of  metallic 
mercury.  In  the  container,  films  and  plates  were  treated  for  approximately 
thirty  hours,  after  which  the  emulsions  showed  an  increase  in  sensitivity  of  about 
75  to  150  per  cent,  depending  upon  the  type  of  emulsion  and  upon  the 
mercury  vapor  concentration  within  the  container. 

In  Fig.  I the  difference  of  sensitivity  between  the  untreated  material  and 
the  material  hypersensitized  by  mercury  can  be  seen,  and  in  this  particular 
case  is  about  75  per  cent.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  characteristic 
curve  of  the  mercury-hypersensitized  emulsion  runs  almost  parallel  to  the  curve 
of  the  untreated  material.  This  fact  is  pertinent  because  wet-hypersensitized 
materials  usually  show  a distinctly  steeper  gradient  than  the  untreated  materials, 
as  will  be  seen  in  Fig.  2. 

In  Fig  2 the  characteristic  curve  of  the  untreated  material,  A,  is  plotted 
together  with  the  curve  of  the  same  emulsion  treated  with  mercury  vapor,  B. 
The  third  curve,  C,  is  for  the  same  emulsion  again,  but  hypersensitized  by  one 
of  the  wet-hypersensitizing  methods.  In  this  case  a small  amount  of  ammonia 
in  distilled  water  was  used  as  the  hypersensitizing  solution.  In  Fig.  2 the  wet- 
hypersensitized  emulsion  shows  a somewhat  steeper  gradient  than  either  the 
type  emulsion  or  the  emulsion  dry-hypersensitized  by  mercury  vapor.  This 
increase  of  gamma  is  characteristic  of  wet-hypersensitizing  methods,  while  the 


Page  Three 


Density  | Density  | Density 


Agfa  Cine  Negative 
Superpan 

A - Not  Treated 
B - Dry-Hypersensitized 
with  Mercury  Vapor 


Agfa  Cine  Negative 
Superpan 

A - Not  Treated 

B — Emulsion  Treated  with  Mercury 
Vapor  before  Exposure 
C - Emulsion  Treated  with  Mercury 
Vapor  after  Exposure 


Fig.  I.  (Upper)  Difference  of  sensitivity  between  untreated  material  and  material  hyper- 
sensitized  by  mercury. 

Fig.  2.  (Center)  Difference  of  sensitivity  between  material  treated  with  mercury  vapor  and 
material  hypersensitized  by  a wet-hypersensitizing  method. 

Fig.  3.  (Lower)  Effect  of  mercury  hypersensitization  before  and  after  exposure. 


Page  Four 


>CD  O 


hypersensitizing  by  mercury  vapor  has  practically  no  influence  upon  the  gradient 
as  far  as  the  useful  part  of  the  curve  is  concerned. 

The  increase  in  gamma  of  wet-hypersensitized  panchromatic  emulsions 
is  largely  due  to  the  fact  that  bathing  methods  increase  the  sensitivity  of  pan- 
chromatic emulsions  in  the  yellowish  green  and  red-sensitive  portions  of  the 
spectrum  much  more  than  they  do  in  the  blue.  The  original  ratio  of  sensitivity, 
for  instance,  the  blue-yellow  or  blue-red  ratio,  becomes  changed,  which  means 
that  the  filter-factors  of  the  wet-hypersensitized  emulsions  are  different  from 
those  of  the  original  emulsion.  In  this  respect  the  dry-hypersensitized  film 
behaves  in  a different  manner.  The  mercury  does  not  change  the  original  sen- 
sitivity ratio  in  different  wavelength  regions;  it  appears  that  the  increase  of 
sensitivity  is  proportional  throughout  the  portions  of  the  spectrum  to  which 
the  emulsion  was  originally  sensitive.  This  method  of  dry-hypersensitizing  ap- 
parently does  not  change  the  filter-factors  of  the  original  emulsion. 

Film  and  plate  emulsions  from  various  manufacturers  have  been  treated 
with  mercury  vapor,  and  no  fundamental  differences  in  behavior  could  be 
found.  There  is  also  no  significant  difference  between  the  effect  of  mercury 
vapor  upon  ammonia  and  upon  non-ammonia  types  of  emulsions.  It  has  been 
mentioned  already  that  the  action  of  mercury  vapor  is  rather  slow.  At  normal 
room  temperatures,  unwrapped  films  must  be  exposed  to  the  vapors  for  at 
least  twenty-four  to  thirty  hours  before  the  maximum  increase  of  speed  is  at- 
tained. Longer  treatment  with  mercury  vapor  does  not  increase  the  sensitivity 
to  an  appreciable  extent,  but  the  fog  gradually  increases.  It  would,  of  course, 
not  always  be  practicable  to  treat  unwrapped  and  unrolled  films  for  thirty  hours 
in  an  atmosphere  containing  mercury  vapor.  However,  it  has  been  found  that 
it  is  not  at  all  necessary  to  unwind  and  unwrap  the  films  completely.  The  pene- 
tration of  the  mercury  vapor  into  spooled  and  tightly  rolled  material  is  surpris- 
ingly uniform  and  efficient,  making  the  whole  process  much  more  practicable 
and  convenient.  It  is,  for  instance,  sufficient  to  leave  a 1 000-ft.  roll  of  motion 
picture  negative  film  in  the  original  can,  and  put  a few  drops  of  mercury 
wrapped  in  porous  paper  inside  the  empty  space  of  the  film  core.  The  film  can 
must  be  closed  and  sealed  with  tape,  and  should  stand  for  approximately  six 
to  eight  days.  During  this  period  an  increase  in  speed  extending  very  uni- 
formly throughout  the  entire  I 000-ft.  roll  can  be  noticed.  The  same  effect  can, 
of  course,  be  attained  with  regular  rollfilm  spools  or  with  spools  for  the  Leica 
and  Contax  cameras.  In  the  latter  case  it  is  not  necessary  to  open  the  original 
cartridge;  it  is  sufficient  to  put  the  whole  cartridge  into  a small  container 
containing  mercury. 

Stability  of  Dry-Hypersensitizing 

The  hypersensitizing  effected  with  mercury  vapor  is  not  permanent.  The 
speed  gradually  recedes  over  a period  of  about  four  weeks;  after  which  a more 
or  less  stable  condition  is  reached  when  the  sensitivity  of  the  material  is  some- 
what below  that  of  the  emulsion  before  the  treatment.  However,  during  the 


Page  Fi  ve 


HARBOR  SCENE" 


By  H.  R.  Champlin 
Contax  Camera — Agfa  Superpan — 1/100  at  FI6 


aging  period,  the  dry-hypersensitized  emulsion  remains  free  from  fog.  After 
three  to  four  weeks  the  fog  value  of  the  emulsion  is  even  somewhat  lower  than 
the  fog  value  of  the  original  film.  It  is  known  that  the  stability  of  films  or 
plates  that  have  been  hypersensitized  by  bathing  methods  is  very  poor.  The 
fog  of  fhe  emulsion  rapidly  increases  with  age,  and  materials  so  treated  are 
usually  ruined  by  excessively  high  fog  in  about  four  weeks.  This  is  another 
distinct  difference  in  behavior  between  wet-  and  dry-hypersensitized  materials. 
After  losing  their  additional  sensitivity,  dry-hypersensitized  emulsions  are  still 
in  a usable  condition.  The  speed  is  somewhat  less  than  that  of  the  original 
untreated  film,  but  the  clearness  is  at  least  the  same  or  better.  There  is  another 
advantage.  Emulsions  that  have  been  treated  with  mercury  vapor,  but  have  not 
been  used  before  losing  the  additional  sensitivity,  can  be  re-hypersensitized  by 
treatment  in  the  mercury  atmosphere  a second  or  even  a third  time. 

As  far  as  could  be  seen,  by  comparing  treated  material  with  an  untreated 
type,  the  grain  size  was  not  noticeably  affected. 


Page  Six 


Effect  of  Mercury  Vapor  Upon  the  Latent  Image 

So  far  only  the  effect  of  mercury  vapor  upon  unexposed  photographic 
emulsions  has  been  considered.  Theoretical  considerations  led  to  the  discovery 
that  the  effect  of  mercury  vapor  upon  the  latent  image  is  even  greater  than 
it  is  upon  the  unexposed  emulsion.  This  action  may  probably  be  better  described 
by  the  expression  intensification  of  the  latent  image,  as  it  has  been  applied  to 
similar  processes  utilizing  hydrogen  peroxide. 

In  Fig.  3,  A is  the  characteristic  curve  of  an  untreated  emulsion;  B is  for 
the  same  emulsion  dry-hypersensitized  by  mercury  before  exposure;  and  C is 
for  the  same  emulsion,  but  in  this  case  the  mercury  vapor  treatment  took  place 
after  exposure — in  other  words,  the  latent  image  has  been  intensified  after 
exposure  but  before  development.  From  the  curves  it  can  be  seen  that  the 

effect  of  the  mercury  upon  the  latent  image  is  distinctly  greater  than  it  is  upon 

the  unexposed  emulsion.  However,  except  for  the  difference  in  intensity  of 
the  effect,  the  characteristic  behavior  is  in  both  cases  the  same.  The  character- 
istic curve  of  the  intensified  latent  image,  as  can  be  seen  in  Fig.  3,  also  runs 
almost  parallel  to  the  original  characteristic  curve.  The  stability  of  intensification 
of  the  latent  image  is  limited  as  to  the  length  of  time  between  treatment  and 
development,  as  is  the  hypersensitization  of  the  unexposed  emulsion  as  to  time 
between  treatment  and  use. 

The  treatment  of  the  exposed  film  with  mercury  vapor  to  intensify  the 

latent  image  can  be  done  exactly  in  the  same  manner  as  has  been  described 

for  dry  hpyersensitization.  It  is,  therefore,  possible  to  correct  an  underexposed 
picture  by  treating  the  undeveloped  film  with  mercury  vapor  for  a certain 
length  of  time,  provided,  of  course,  underexposure  is  known  or  suspected.  After 
the  treatment,  the  film  is  developed  as  usual,  and  will  produce  a negative 
similar  to  one  exposed  with  100  to  150  per  cent  more  light.  Tightly  wound 
rolls  in  cans  can  be  hypersensitized  if  sufficient  time,  generally  six  to  eight 
days,  is  allowed.  Due  to  the  relatively  slow  action,  good  penetration  to  all  the 
layers  of  emulsion  is  achieved,  and  the  effect  is  more  or  less  uniform  throughout 

Practical  Applications 

Within  the  scope  of  this  paper  it  is  possible  to  describe  only  very  briefly 
how  the  material  should  be  handled  to  obtain  the  best  results.  As  a matter  of 
fact,  it  would  be  very  difficult  to  give  exact  formulas.  Fortunately  it  is  not 
necessary  to  do  so;  because  of  the  slowness  of  the  effect,  the  time  of  treatment, 
and  the  mercury  vapor  concentration  do  not  have  to  be  very  exact.  As  a 
general  rule,  loose  and  unwrapped  material  should  be  treated  from  30  to  40 
hou  rs  at  room  temperature,  while  wrapped  and  spooled  materials  require  treat- 
ment for  seven  to  ten  days,  in  a mercury  vapor  concentration  created,  for 
instance,  by  0.5  gram  of  mercury  in  a 1000-ft.  film  container.  In  place  of  liquid 
mercury,  of  course,  all  compounds,  amalgams,  such  as  silver  amalgams,  and 
other  preparations  that  emit  mercury  vapors  can  be  used  for  dry  hypersensiti- 
zation or  for  intensifying  the  latent  image. 


Page  Seven 


Paramount  Introduces  a New  Set-Color  for 


Use  with  Agfa  Infra-Red 

The  majority  of  recent  technical  improvements  in  the  Motion  Picture  In- 
dustry have  been  brought  about  principally  by  an  urgent  need  of  innovations 
designed  either  to  expedite  production  or  to  relieve  some  source  of  difficulty 
to  the  technicians.  Mutual  cooperation  between  manufacturer  and  consumer, 
which  is  so  much  in  evidence  now  and  which  is  the  outgrowth  of  this  need,  has 
resulted  in  a sincere  effort  on  the  part  of  both  not  only  to  produce  a new 
method  or  a new  material  but  to  intelligently  apply  it  in  practice. 

Proof  of  this  fact  is  seen  at  Paramount  Studios  where  Mr.  Ray  Wilkinson, 
progressive  Camera  Department  Chief,  first  conceived  the  idea  of  a more 
complete  utilization  of  Agfa  Ansco's  new  Type  B Infra-Red  Negative.  Forearmed 
with  a full  knowledge  of  the  effect  of  red  filtering  with  this  film  type,  he  con- 
ducted a series  of  tests  to  determine  a color  which  would  not  only  render  the 
most  realistic  night  effects  when  photographed  in  the  daytime,  but  at  the  same 
time  would  not  hamper  or  be  a detriment  to  the  use  of  panchromatic  films  for 
day  scenes.  The  resulting  color  evolved  by  him,  and  since  adopted  by  the 
Studio,  has  been  termed  Infra  Red  Blue-Gray  and  is,  as  its  name  implies,  a 
mixture  of  these  two  colors. 

This  new  color  technique  in  combination  with  Infra  Red  negatives  was  first 
tried  out  in  a picture  which  was  in  production  at  the  time,  "Internes  Can’t  Take 
Money,"  photographed  by  Mr.  Theodore  Sparkuhl,  A.  S.  C.  Certain  night 
scenes  were  shot  in  the  daytime,  after  the  entire  Brownstone  Street  had  been 
painted  Infra  Red  Blue,  and  the  results  obtained  were  so  convincingly  real  that 
the  studio  is  now  applying  the  color,  with  some  variations,  to  the  improved 
New  York  Street  as  well. 

Production  chiefs  are  also  enthusiastic  over  the  success  of  this  venture  as  it 
enables  them  to  schedule  pictures  with  greater  facility  and  eliminate  to  a large 
extent  the  attendant  expense  and  worry  of  actual  night  shooting. 

Page  Eight 


"FOG" 


By  H.  R.  Champlin 
Contax  Camera — Agfa  Superpan — 1/50  at  FI6 


Page  Nine 


The  Outlook 

In  this  column  it  is  our  intention  to  discuss  from  time  to  time  current 
problems  and  future  possibilities  concerning  the  development  of  motion  picture 
technic,  with  special  reference  to  the  part  which  the  Agfa  Ansco  Corporation 
by  means  of  its  research  facilities  plays,  or  intends  to  take. 

We  remind  the  reader  of  the  principal  purpose  of  our  publication  as 
stated  in  the  recent  introductory  article  of  the  first  issue,  that,  is  to  place  special 
emphasis  on  the  importance  of  mutual  cooperation  between  the  film  manu- 
facturer and  his  experimental  aids  on  one  side,  and  the  motion  picture  producer 
and  his  practical  experts  on  the  other. 

A modern  manufacturer  knows  that  it  is  not  sufficient  to  deliver  merchan- 
dise of  standard  quality,  but  he  must  also  be  fully  awake  to  all  problems  of 
his  prospective  customers,  and  be  willing  to  lend  his  help  in  solving  them. 

It  is  for  this  reason  that  Agfa  Ansco  sustains  the  rather  expensive  main- 
tenance of  experimental  laboratories  which  work  independently  from  produc- 
tion, and  similarly  employs  technicians  on  the  W est  Coast  and  in  the  East  who 
serve  mainly  as  impartial  interpreters  of  all  matters  of  interest  between  the 
practical  field  and  the  factory. 

So  that  this  service  will  be  fully  utilized,  we  invite  the  reader  to  study 
this  column  carefully  and  to  communicate  with  us  if  any  of  the  items  discussed 
should  interest  him  particularly. 

Photographing  Night  Effects  in  Daytime 
With  Overcast  Sky  or  Backlight. 

The  impression  of  a true  night  effect,  conceived  by  viewing  photographs 
taken  on  Infra-Red  film,  becomes  particularly  realistic  in  all  scenes  where  the 
sky  is  a part  of  the  photograph.  A clear  blue  sky  is  rendered  practically  black 
in  a print  from  an  Infra-Red  negative  which  has  been  exposed  with  a blue- 
absorbing filter,  for  the  reason  that  blue  sky  does  not  reflect  any  rays  to 
which  this  emulsion  type  after  filtering  is  sensitive. 

An  overcast  sky,  however,  reflects  a substantial  amount  of  red  radiation, 
which  makes  it  impossible  to  obtain  a true  night  effect  with  filters  in  use  at 
present,  in  case  such  sky  conditions  prevail.  The  same  holds  true  when  photo- 
graphing a blue  sky  against  the  sun  or  with  backlight. 

This  represents  an  occasional  limitation  and  hampers  the  possibility  of 
generally  applying  the  technic  of  photographing  night  effects  in  the  daytime. 
There  is  reason,  however,  to  believe  that  a special  filter  combination  might 
be  worked  out  which  would  make  it  possible  to  overcome  this  obstacle,  although 
practical  application  might  show  that  the  transmission  of  such  a filter  is  possibly 
too  low  to  permit  sufficient  exposure. 

If  promising  results  are  obtained  from  experiments  now  underway,  a de- 
tailed account  of  methods,  etc.,  will  be  published  in  a future  issue. 
Panchromatic  Negative  Emulsion  Combining 
Maximum  Speed  with  Absence  of  Graininess. 

This  represents  one  of  the  oldest  problems  of  any  film  manufacturer,  and 
Agfa  Ansco  has  participated  with  others  in  attempting  to  solve  it  ever  since 


Page  T en 


they  became  interested  in  the  photographic  field. 

By  natural  law,  such  a combination  seems  to  contradict  itself,  as  the  in- 
crease in  general  sensitivity  is  bound  to  cause  increase  in  graininess.  Additional 
increase  in  speed  can  be  obtained  by  various  technical  methods,  but  in  every 
instance  one  or  several  of  other  desirable  characteristics,  representing  im- 
portant factors  of  a standard  negative  material  might  be  lost. 

Graininess,  however,  is  not  in  every  case  in  proportionate  relation  to  the 
original  grain  size  of  an  enexposed  negative  emulsion.  Different  methods  of 
processing  a negative  or  a print  therefrom  will  result  in  final  prints  which  vary 
greatly  in  graininess,  although  the  negative  and  positive  emulsions  used  are  the 
same.  Graininess,  in  fact,  is  rather  caused  by  formation  of  grain  clusters  during 
development  than  by  originally  large  single  grain  size. 

The  raw  film  manufacturer  has  contributed  a very  substantial  share  in 
experimentally  establishing  principles  and  methods  which  help  to  avoid  excessive 
graininess.  Agfa  Ansco  is  still  engaged  in  further  investigating  possible  im- 
provements in  this  direction,  realizing  that  any  step  forward  will  be  highly 
beneficial,  considering  particularly  the  needs  of  special  effect  photography, 
or  of  any  photographic  process  in  general  which  applies  the  duplicating  principle. 

Direct  Duplicating  Film. 

Within  the  last  year,  Agfa  Ansco  has  introduced  a completely  novel  type 
of  film  which,  when  exposed  in  a camera  and  normally  developed,  renders  a 
positive  instead  of  a negative.  Similarly,  if  this  film  type  is  used  as  a printing 
material,  the  print  will  be  a negative  in  case  the  original  has  been  a negative, 
or  will  be  a positive  when  printed  from  a positive. 

With  its  present  speed  characteristics,  this  emulsion  is  not  applicable  to 
motion  picture  photography,  as  its  sensitivity  is  only  within  the  range  of  that 
of  average  contact  printing  papers.  (See  illustration  of  characteristic  curve). 


Characteristic  curves  showing  comparison  between  direct 
duplicating  film,  positive  35  mm.  film  and  Convira  paper. 


Page  Eleven 


If  can,  however,  be  put  to  valuable  use  in  the  Still  Departments  for  any 
type  of  copy  work  or  duplication.  Aside  from  the  economic  advantage,  this 
film  offers  in  saving  time  by  eliminating  operations  necessary  in  the  customary 
course  of  making  duplicates,  it  should  also  be  considered  that  this  direct  method 
renders  results  with  noticeably  finer  grain  and  sharper  definition. 

A detailed  description,  including  a study  of  many  points  of  practical  and 
theoretical  interest  regarding  this  film  type,  has  been  presented  by  W.  Barth 
at  the  1936  spring  convention  of  the  S.  M.  P.  E.,  and  was  published  in  the 
October,  1936,  issue  of  their  journal. 

Increasing  the  Life  of  Motion  Picture  Projection  Prints. 

An  improvement  which  Agfa  Ansco  recently  has  successfully  introduced  in 
their  manufacturing  process  consists  of  a new  method  of  casting  the  celluloid 
base,  or  film  support,  on  which  the  emulsion  is  later  coated.  While  this  change 
might  not  be  noticeable  or  of  direct  interest  and  benefit  to  the  cameramen  and 
laboratory  technicians,  it  has  helped  to  establish  a remarkable  record  for  Agfa 
Ansco  products,  particularly  their  35mm.  Positive  film  among  the  motion  picture 
film  exchanges  and  theater  projectionists. 

By  this  new  process,  the  mechanical  characteristics,  or  what  is  commonly 
known  as  "wear  and  tear"  of  the  base,  has  been  improved  to  an  unusually  large 
degree,  minimizing  the  hazard  of  mechanically  damaging  the  finished  print, 
and  correspondingly  increasing  the  number  of  runs  in  projection  machines  with 
high  intensity  arcs. 


Problems  of  Controlling  Correct  Photo- 
graphic Reproduction 

By  DR.  HERBERT  MEYER,  A.  S.  C. 

PART  II 

Controlling  Methods 

Present  day  photographic  technic  utilizes  many  instruments  and  methods 
for  the  purpose  of  properly  controlling  most  of  the  above  relations. 

Objective  brightness  and  negative  exposure  are  determined  by  light 
meters. 

Speed  and  gradation  of  negative  and  positive  materials  are  analyzed 
by  sensitometric  instruments. 

Chemical  development  of  both  negative  and  positive  materials  is  con- 
trolled by  sensitometric  methods. 

Positive  exposure  is  selected  by  semi-automatic  timing  instruments  which 
produce  a graduated  scale  test. 


Page  Twelve 


AT  DAWN  By  W.  J.  Jordan 

Agfa  Superpan — I /25  at  F32 


There  does  not  yet,  however,  exist  a practical  method  or  instrument  which 
permit  determining  of  the  total  visual  contrast  in  the  object  or  its  three  com- 
ponents, brightness  contrast,  hue  contrast,  and  saturation  contrast  in  relation 
to  the  characteristic  of  the  negative  material. 

The  explanation  that,  even  without  this  important  link,  the  reproduction  of 
satisfactory  and  artistically  beautiful  photographic  results  is  possible  lies  in  the 
fact  that  artistic  satisfaction  created  by  a photographic  reproduction  is  largely 
independent  of  the  degree  of  correct  natural  reproduction.  This  is  possibly  due 
to  the  many  visual  sensation  impressions  received  and  recorded  in  our  daily 
lives  and  which  are  all  of  widely  different  contrast  relations,  so  much  so  that  re- 
gardless of  our  familiarity  with  the  object  our  artistic  imagination  will  very  likely 
find  the  reproduction  artistically  pleasing  no  matter  how  truthfully  the  original 
visual  contrast  has  been  rendered. 


Page  Thirteen 


This  should  not,  however,  lead  to  an  attitude  of  satisfaction  with  our  pres- 
ent status,  which  does  not  provide  a dependable  instrument  or  method  to  cor- 
rectly calculate  total  visual  contrast  or  its  components  in  the  object.  Regardless 
of  artistic  satisfaction,  there  are  many  occasions  when  an  accurate  knowledge  of 
visual  contrast  relations  would  be  most  helpful,  for  instance,  when  pictures  are 
made  on  location  over  the  length  of  a full  day  or  of  several  days  which  might 
mean  a very  noticeable  and  undesirable  change  in  brightness  contrast  in  the 
object  due  to  the  shifting  of  the  sun  or  to  the  natural  change  in  sky  conditions. 

Before  dealing  with  the  possibility  of  solving  the  problem  of  determining 
visual  contrast  in  relation  to  photographic  reproduction,  it  is  necessary  to  point 
attention  to  the  fact  that  this  problem  can  be  considerably  simplified  if  when- 
ever possible  the  negative  exposure  level  would  be  raised  to  a point  which  would 
guarantee  rendering  of  all  negative  densities  on  the  straight-line  portion  of  the 
characteristic  curve.  The  high  speed  and  wide  latitude  of  present  day  negative 
material  permits  this  full  exposure  under  the  majority  of  light  conditions.  Thus, 
it  is  evident  that,  dealing  with  linear  contrast  relations  only,  the  problem  is  ap- 
preciab'y  simplified,  at  least  as  far  as  the  negative  is  concerned.  In  the  positive 
print,  however,  it  becomes  essential  to  place  part  of  the  reproduction  in  the 
curved-toe  section  to  permit  rendering  of  sufficient  transparency  in  the  high- 
lights fora  faithful  reproduction  of  the  overall  brightness  level. 

Film  Characteristics 

The  photographic  characteristics  of  positive  film  being  used  at  present  in 
professional  motion  picture  work  are  to  a large  extent  standardized.  There  is 
little  appreciable  difference  in  speed  and  slope  between  the  competitive  types, 
and  this  is  very  gratifying  to  the  laboratory  as  it  permits  establishment  and  main- 
tenance of  constant  conditions  in  printing  and  printing  equipment. 

Th  e same  uniformity,  however,  does  not  prevail  in  the  various  negative 
products  offered  to  the  market.  The  reason  for  this  difference  is  that  the  prin- 
cipal characteristics  required  of  negative  material  cannot  be  perfected  in  the 
manufacturing  process  without  the  partial  sacrifice  of  other  characteristics.  Fur- 
thermore, with  very  little  exception,  a single  all-round  negative  type  has  been 
used  for  general  photographic  work  since  the  introduction  of  the  Panchromatic 
Superspeed  type,  while  the  variety  of  problems  and  tasks  to  be  solved  and  per- 
formed could  easily  absorb  several  types  of  negatives  with  marked  difference-, 
in  photographic  characteristics. 

The  laboratories  processing  the  negative  and  print  could  reasonably  ob:ect 
to  such  variations  in  negative  film,  as  the  existence  of  such  types  demand  special 
handling  of  each  type  in  development,  which,  of  course,  would  present  diffi- 
culties in  view  of  machine  deve'opment.  As  most  laboratories  are  using  single 
strand  machines,  it  is  not  impossible  to  change  deve'oping  time  in  order  to  se- 
cure ideal  conditions  for  the  rendering  of  proper  contrast  in  different  film  types, 
as  this  is  practically  done  at  present  in  all  laboratories  which  prefer  and  emp'oy 
the  test  system"  to  the  "time  and  temperature  system." 

I To  Re  Continued  ) 


Page  Fourteen 


Filters  for  Infra-Red  Night  Photography 

With  the  kind  permission  of  Mr.  Vernon  Walker,  head  of  the  R.  K.  O. 
Special  Effects  Department,  we  report  below  on  results  obtained  by  Mr.  Walker 
in  a series  of  recent  tests  on  the  new  Agfa  Infra-Red,  type  B film. 

The  test  consisted  principally  of  a number  of  practical  camera  exposures, 
employing  various  blue-absorbing  filters  to  determine  the  most  suitable  filter 
for  night  effects,  considering  at  the  same  time  the  desired  degree  of  contrast 
required  for  background  process  shots. 

Mr.  Walker  prefers  a relatively  soft  negative  for  this  purpose,  correctly 
assuming  that  the  re-photographing  necessary  in  combining  projected  back- 
ground with  foreground  action  is  comparable  to  a regular  duplicating  process, 
which  customarily  requires  a master  print  slightly  softer  than  regular  dailies 
or  release  prints. 

The  test  mentioned  revealed  that  Wratten  filter  "G"  gave  the  desired 
results,  ideally  satisfactory  not  only  as  far  as  the  necessary  correction  is  con- 
cerned to  produce  a realistic  night  effect,  but  also  considering  the  specific 
degree  of  contrast  needed  for  his  purpose. 

These  results  are  of  particular  interest  as  they  corroborate  findings  from 
experimental  studies  which  our  technical  division  has  already  made  with  the 
older  Infra  Red,  type  "A."  Mr.  Walker  also  found  that  any  Wratten  filter 
between  G and  29F  requires  practically  the  same  exposure  factor  (4  to  6) 
when  used  in  combination  with  Infra-Red  film  for  night  effects  in  the  daytime. 
There  is,  however,  a noticeable  difference  in  gamma  and  color  contrast,  de- 
pending upon  which  one  of  these  filters  is  used,  and  it  becomes  apparent  that 
the  contrast  increases  in  ratio  to  the  increase  in  red  transmission  of  the  filter. 

Sensitometric  measurements,  also,  confirm  this  experience,  as  will  be  seen 
from  the  accompanying  list  of  gamma  readings  obtained  from  sensitometric 
strips  made  on  Agfa  Infra-Red,  type  B,  using  different  filters: 

without  filter  ...  Gamma  = .72 

with  G filter  .74 

21  .......  .76 

23A  .78 

25  . .79 

29F  . .80 

70  ......  .82 

Knowledge  of  this  apparent  lattitude  in  contrast  should  be  of  real  interest 
and  value  to  every  cameraman,  because  it  permits  him  to  more  readily  control 
different  light  conditions.  During  the  introductory  period  of  this  film  type,  we 
have  recommended  the  exclusive  use  of  the  29F  filter  for  average  results,  and 
have  purposely  failed  to  make  mention  of  the  variety  of  additional  filters 
available.  This  was  done  for  the  reason  that  we  were  anxious  to  avoid  incumber- 


Page  Fifteen 


ing  the  cameraman  with  too  much  data  until  he  had  familiarized  himself  with  this 
product. 

Incidentally,  Mr.  Walker,  in  testing  the  Agfa  Infra-Red  film,  noted  the 
extreme  fineness  of  grain  which  encouraged  him  to  compare  this  film  type  in 
its  adaptability  as  duplicating  negative  material.  The  results,  although  of  no 
practical  consequence,  showed  the  Infra-Red  type  to  be  as  fine  in  grain  size 
as  orthochromatic  emulsions  which  are  used  for  this  purpose. 

In  connection  with  the  above  report,  we  would  like  to  answer  here  a 
question  we  frequently  have  been  asked  by  cameramen:  "What  makes  the 

result  of  an  artificial  night  shot,  photographed  in  daytime  on  Infra-Red  film, 
look  superior  to  one  photographed  on  panchromatic  type  under  identical 
conditions?" 

We  believe  the  correct  answer  to  be  as  follows: 

Using  a panchromatic  type  with,  for  instance,  light-red  filters  such  as 
23A  or  29F  will  result  in  an  overcorrection  of  color  values,  but  not  sufficiently 
so  to  deliver  a complete  night  effect.  It,  therefore,  becomes  necessary,  in 
addition  to  the  filter,  to  underexpose  this  type  material  which,  however,  will 
produce  a distorted  negative  record,  wherein  the  major  part  is  necessarily  reg- 
istered in  the  toe-section  of  the  characteristic  curve.  Correspondingly,  the 
resulting  print  will  be  flat  and  show  insufficient  separation  of  density  values. 

Using  an  Infra-Red  type,  such  as  the  new  Agfa  type  B which  has  an  in- 
herent contrast  practically  equal  to  that  of  current  panchromatic  emulsions,  the 
exposure  through  a light-red  filter  already  renders  a full  night  correction,  so 
that  it  is  possible  to  place  the  negative  record  in  the  straight-line  portion  of  the 
characteristic  curve,  thus  fully  preserving  the  quality  of  an  undistorted  repro- 
duction. 

A SUGGESTION  received  from  one  of  our  readers  expressed  the  desire 
that  this  magazine  be  provided  with  some  means  of  binding  copies  together 
for  future  reference.  We  intend  to  comply  with  this  suggestion  by  supplying 
every  reader  with  a suitable  binder  at  the  end  of  each  year. 

We  are  gratefully  obliged  to  Mr.  H.  R.  Champlin  for  his  pictorial  con- 
tributions to  this  issue  of  "Agfa  Motion  Picture  Topics."  Mr.  Champlin  is  not 
only  an  outstanding  protographer,  who  has  quite  frequently  demonstrated  his 
preference  for  Agfa  Ansco  products,  but  is  also  widely  known  for  his  most  active 
interest  and  research  wrok  in  miniature  photography  and  fiine-grain  development. 


AGFA  MOTION  PICTU 

RE  TOPICS 

Published  by  C.  King  Charney, 

Inc. 

6372  Santa  Monica  Boulevard,  Hollywood,  California 

HOIlywood  29 1 8 

Editor,  H.  Meyer 

C.  King  Charney,  Inc.,  is  not  responsible  for  statements 

made  by  authors  or  for 

unsolicited  manuscripts. 

Page  Sixteen 


Cameramen  ♦ Producers 
Directors 

Whether  you  use  the  miniature  camera 
(Contax,  Leica)  as  a hobby,  or  you  em- 
ploy it  as  an  indispensable  instrument  to 
study  photographic  effects  on  sets  and 
outdoors,  remember  the  variety  and 
quality  of  AGFA  products. 


FINE-GRAIN  PLENACHROME 
FINE-GRAIN  SUPERPAN 
FINOPAN  INFRA-RED 

SUPERPAN  REVERSIBLE 

All  with  non-abrasion  surface  coating  and  anti-halation  protection. 
Manufactured  by 

AGFA  ANSCO  CORPORATION 

BINGHAMTON,  NEW  YORK 

Los  Angeles  Branch  Tel.  PRospect  2235  1043  South  Olive  Street 


MOTION  PICTURE 


MAY 

1937 


LIGHTS  AND  SHADOWS 


rome 


INDEX 

"Limitations  of  Infra-Red  Motion  Picture  Photography," 

by  Dr.  Herbert  Meyer 

"George  Crane  Takes  a Bow"  -------------- 

"Problems  of  Controlling  Correct  Photographic  Reproduction,"  Part  III, 
by  Dr.  Herbert  Meyer,  A.S.C.  - 
"Table  for  Approximate  Comparison  of  Film  Speed  Values" 


Page 

- 2 
- 7 


- 10 
- 16 


Limitations  of  Infra-Red  Motion  Picture 
Photography 

By  DR.  HERBERT  MEYER 

In  reviewing  a four  months'  sales  experience  since  Infra-Red  Type  B 
negative  was  first  introduced  to  the  industry,  we  feel  it  is  our  duty  to  point 
attention  to  the  limitations  possessed  by  this  emulsion  type  in  common  with 
special  products.  This  has  already  been  stressed  by  Mr.  Farciot  Edouart  in  his 
exhaustive  contribution  to  the  February  issue  of  this  magazine  and  from  which 
we  quote  in  part  as  follows: 

It  must  be  clearly  and  emphatically  stated  that  this  new  film 
is  by  no  means  a 'Cure  AH'  for  all  night  shots.  It  should  not  be  con- 
sidered the  final  answer  to  the  making  of  all  types  of  night  effect 
scenes." 

At  the  time  of  this  writing  the  new  Agfa  Infra-Red  Type  B has  been  used 
in  many  major  and  independent  productions  and  by  numerous  cameramen, 
and  thus  far  the  vast  majority  of  reports  received  has  been  thoroughly  satis- 
factory and  enthusiastic  as  to  the  quality  obtained. 

In  some  instances,  however,  the  results  were  found  to  be  disappointing, 
but  in  every  case  occasioning  such  comment  it  could  be  proven  that  the  cause 
of  difficulty  was  the  fact  that  certain  limitations  prohibiting  the  general  appli- 
cation of  this  type  or  any  type  of  film  for  night  photographs  in  the  daytime 
had  been  overlooked. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  photographing  of  night  effects  in  the 
daytime  was  done  before  Infra-Red  sensitive  emulsions  were  introduced  to  the 
industry,  or  at  least  adapted  for  actual  use.  In  the  past,  panchromatic  emul- 
sions sensitive  to  the  red  end  of  the  spectrum  were  exclusively  used.  The 
introduction  of  Infra-Red  sensitive  emulsions,  such  as  Agfa  Type  A and  B,  was 
successful  for  the  reason  that  these  emulsions  extended  the  scope  of  this  phase 
of  motion  picture  photography  due  to  their  higher  sensitivity  to  red  and  in- 
visible Infra-Red,  making  possible  stronger  filtering  and,  therefore,  enhancing 
the  quality  previously  obtained  by  the  use  of  panchromatic  films.  Many  of 
the  limitations,  however,  of  photographing  night  effects  in  the  daytime  by 
the  use  of  red  filters  and  panchromatic  film,  which  were  well-known  to  the 
cameramen,  must  be  equally  respected  when  applying  Infra-Red  sensitive 
emulsions  for  the  same  purpose. 

It  is  perhaps  most  instructive,  in  order  to  clearly  analyze  the  present 
technical  status  of  night  photography  in  the  daytime  with  its  merits  and  limi- 
tations, to  briefly  state  the  history  of  its  development. 

Before  Infra-Red  emulsions  were  available  and  applied,  the  medium  for 
photographing  night  effects  consisted  of  panchromatic  emulsions  in  conjunction 
with  deep-red  filters,  such  as  the  Wratten  70  and  72,  or  through  a combina- 
tion green-and-red  filter,  such  as  Wratten  56  plus  23A.  Panchromatic  negative 


Page  T wo 


emulsions  with  normal  color  balance  in  the  visible  red  require  for  this  purpose 
exposure  at  practically  full  opening,  at  least  if  insufficient  auxiliary  lighting 
equipment  is  not  on  hand,  and  even  then  the  average  negative  is  slightly  under- 
exposed and  must  correspondingly  be  printed  in  the  lower  range  of  fhe  print- 
ing scale.  The  results,  therefore,  lack  sufficient  contrast  and  shadow  detail  and 
are  quite  often  characterized  by  an  undesirable  grayness  in  the  print,  termed, 
in  the  language  of  the  cameraman,  "mushy." 

The  first  emulsion  types  sensitized  for  Infra-Red  were  still  sensitive  to  green- 
yellow,  orange  and  visible  red  and,  therefore,  also  required  heavier  filters, 
absorbing  light  rays  between  violet-blue  and  lighter  red.  They  permitted  fully 
exposed  negatives  because  of  their  increased  sensitivity  toward  the  red  end 
of  the  visible  spectrum  and  the  beginning  of  the  Infra-Red  band.  They  were, 
however,  far  too  contrasty  for  use  in  general  production  shots  and  particularly 
for  photographing  closeups. 

Neither  the  panchromatic  nor  earlier  Infra-Red  types  would  render  satis- 
factory results  when  photographing  in  a dead  backlight  or  an  overcast  sky 
due  to  the  fact  that  in  both  instances  red  rays  reflected  from  the  sky  portion 
which  makes  it  impossible  to  obtain  a negative  yielding  a black  sky  in  the  print, 
which  is  the  primary  essential  to  an  illusion  of  a night  effect. 

The  latest  Type  B negative  introduced  by  Agfa  Ansco,  and  which  created 
so  much  interest,  showed  a special  improvement  over  former  types  in  the 
following  instances: 

The  excessive  contrast  has  been  reduced  to  that  of  commonly  available 
panchromatic  types,  and  the  shadow  speed  has  been  decidedly  increased. 

These  changes  extended  the  scope  of  this  material  for  the  specific  reason 
that  the  normal  contrast  and  increased  shadow  speed  permitted  application  of 
this  type  in  general  production,  including  any  type  of  closeups.  Both  improve- 
ments also  resulted  in  an  increase  of  latitude  over  former  types  and  thus 
supplied  a desirable  protection  for  the  cameraman  and  his  exposure  calculations. 

However,  this  type,  naturally,  will  show  the  same  limitations  as  mentioned 
above,  and  therefore,  to  obtain  desirable  results  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to 
take  them  fully  into  consideration  when  planning  to  photograph  night  effects 
in  the  daytime. 

Another  important  improvement  represented  by  both  A and  B Agfa  Infra- 
Red  negative  consists  of  a thoroughly  reliable  keeping  quality.  We  know  of 
tests  made  on  Infra-Red  Type  B by  a major  studio  whereby  two  emulsions  of 
this  type,  which  have  been  manufactured  four  months  apart  were  sensitometric- 
ally  and  pictorially  compared.  The  result  proved  that  both  emulsions  were 
practically  identical  in  speed  and  gradation  regardless  of  the  difference  in 
age.  It  will  be  remembered  that  former  Infra-Red  types  had  to  be  kept  on 
ice  to  even  render  uniform  speed  and  contrast  over  a period  of  60  days  from 
the  manufacturing  date. 

We  have  found  in  some  cases  that  cameramen  who  were  accustomed  to 
apply  panchromatic  film  types  for  photographing  night  effects  in  the  daytime 


Pape  Three 


proceeded  to  expose  the  Infra-Red  Type  B with  a similar  technique,  assuming 
that  in  order  to  obtain  good  results  they  had  to  underexpose  this  film.  This, 
naturally,  resulted  in  a print  of  insufficient  contrast  and  shadow  details.  The 
superior  quality  obtained  when  using  this  Infra-Red  type  is  principally  achieved 
by  the  fact  that  it  is  possible  to  obtain  a photographic  change  from  day 
to  night  by  the  sole  means  of  color  correction,  and  that  underexposure,  with 
its  attendant  distortion,  is  not  required. 

Another  obstacle  encountered  with  Infra-Red  sensitive  emulsions  is  caused 
in  some  instances  by  the  fact  that  chlorophyl,  present  in  leaves  of  plants  and 
trees,  reflects  Infra-Red  rediation,  and  therefore  objects  of  this  nature  are 
liable  to  be  rendered  too  light  in  the  print.  It  has  been  observed  that  this 
reflection  of  Infra-Red,  particularly  from  green  spring  foliage,  causes  the  appear- 
ance of  a halo  effect  and  thus  creates  the  impression  that  the  subject  is  out  of 
focus.  This  apparent  limitation  can  be  counteracted  to  a great  extent  by 
calculating  the  exposure  as  short  as  possible,  keeping  in  mind  that  over-exposure, 
naturally,  emphasizes  the  halo  effect.  Another  even  better  method  consists  of 
using  lighter  filters  which  will  prevent  the  recording  of  excessive  Infra-Red  radia- 
tion in  comparison  to  the  remainder  of  visible  red  rays  which  are  absorbed 
by  using  heavy  filters. 

In  the  beginning  it  might  appear  somewhat  difficult  for  the  cameraman 
to  adjust  his  filtering  technique  to  Infra-Red  sensitive  emulsions  in  order  to 
obtain  correct  exposure  and  contrast  under  the  various  conditions  with  which 
he  is  daily  confronted,  but  it  should  be  considered  extremely  interesting  and 
worthwhile  that  he  acquire  sufficient  knowledge  to  avail  himself  of  all  the 
inherent  possibilities  this  type  can  offer  him. 

As  we  know,  the  usual  impression  of  scenes  observed  at  night  has  numerous 
variations,  beginning  with  the  softness  of  dawn  and  up  to  the  sparkling  brilliance 
of,  say,  a full  moonlight  water  scene.  To  reproduce  this  scale  of  contrast  satis- 
factorily to  the  imagination  of  the  theater-going  public  requires  a full  knowledge 
of  the  possibilities  and  limitations  of  the  photographic  methods  by  which  the 
cameraman  renders  the  desirable  effect. 

Fortunately,  a certain  basic  knowledge  sustained  by  practical  experience, 
rather  simply  acquired,  will  serve  as  a satisfactory  guidance  for  solving  most  of 
these  problems,  particularly  that  of  obtaining  the  proper  contrast  for  each 
desired  effect.  The  negative  contrast  obtained  in  photographing  night  effects 
in  the  daytime  on  Infra-Red  Type  A or  B can  be  varied  from  a steep  to  a flat 
gradation  by  simply  changing  from  actual  Infra-Red  filters  and  deep-red  filters, 
such  as  88,  72,  and  70,  to  light-red  filters  or  dark-yellow  filters.  If  filters  are  used 
which  absorb  all  visible  rays  and  transmit  only  Infra-Red  radiation,  the  resulting 
negative  will  show  a maximum  contrast  consisting  only  of  intensely  pronounced 
highlights  and  practically  empty  shadows.  With  lighter-red  filters,  such  as  the 
Wratten  series  between  21  and  29F,  the  contrast  of  the  resulting  negative  and 
corresponding  print  will  gradually  decrease.  Additional  reduction  in  contrast 
can  be  accomplished  by  using  yellow  filters  such  as  the  G,  Minus  blue,  and 


Page  Four 


Photographed  by  Bill  Crosby.  Courtesy  Republic  Studios. 

Agfa  Superpan — 4 P.M. — F : I 6 — 1/200  second — Wratten  21  Filter 

Aero  two,  which  permit  a slight  transmission  of  ultra-violet  radiation,  thereby 
diminishing  the  density  between  foreground  and  sky. 

As  has  been  stated,  proper  contrast  or  the  proper  relation  of  brightness 
differences  in  the  negative  and  in  the  finished  print  is  a problem  of  very  first 
importance  in  dealing  with  the  quality  of  night  effects. 

In  addition,  there  exist  a number  of  points  in  the  technique  of  photo- 
graphing night  effects  in  the  daytime  on  this  special  type  material  which  must 
be  observed  in  order  to  avoid  disappointing  results.  In  the  following  we  will 
endeavor  to  list  some  of  the  suggestions  and  the  "dont's"  which  represent  our 
own  experience  and  that  of  many  cameramen. 

1.  Acquaint  yourself  thoroughly  with  the  technique  of  rendering  the 
desired  contrast  by  means  of  different  filters. 

2.  The  best  effects  are  obtained  in  cross-light  or  semi-front  light,  throw- 
ing long  shadows. 

3.  Avoid  photographing  a dead  backlight. 

4.  Avoid  photographing  overcast  skies  and  do  not  attempt  to  include 

Page  Fit  e 


5. 


heavy  cloud  effects  In  night  shots  as  they  tend  to  destroy  the  illusion 
of  a night  sky. 

Remember  that  night  effects  imitating  moonlight  illumination  inspire 
the  impression  of  coldness  and  correspondingly  more  contrast  than 
night  effects  with  artificial  light  sources  such  as  street  lamps,  illumi- 
nated windows,  etc. 

6.  In  some  scenes  it  is  of  advantage  to  show  detail  in  the  background 
which  would  be  nearly  impossible  to  obtain  when  actually  photo- 
graphing at  night  and  to  which,  therefore,  the  medium  of  Infra-Red 
negative  is  of  particular  advantage.  In  other  scenes  it  will  be  desir- 
able to  subdue  background  and  this  automatically  requires  raising  the 
light  level  of  the  foreground,  thus  permitting  a sufficient  difference 
in  contrast  between  background  and  foreground  to  enable  the  em- 
phasis on  foreground  detail  in  the  print. 

7.  To  avoid  overcorrection  of  the  lips  when  photographing  closeups  on 
Infra-Red,  a special  lip  rouge  should  be  applied,  which  is  obtainable 
at  Westmore's  Beauty  Salon.  Other  changes  in  make-up  are  not 
required. 

8.  Using  Infra-Red  negative  for  night  effects  in  scenes  with  large  areas 
of  fresh  green  foliage,  one  will  find  that  in  some  instances  the  effect 
of  overcorrection  of  green  will  emphasize  the  reality  of  moonlight 
effects,  while  in  some  instances  the  same  overcorrection  might  tend 
to  create  an  impression  of  unnaturalness. 

9.  Using  diffusion  for  night  shots  on  Infra-Red  is  permissible  for  all 
large  closeups.  Remember,  however,  that  exaggeration  of  this  effect 
is  definitely  detrimental,  particularly  when  lower  contrast  filters  are 
used  and  the  light  conditions  lack  brilliance. 

10.  Agfa  Infra-Red  Type  B is  developed  and  processed  exactly  like  pan- 
chromatic negative. 

Further  practical  experience  in  the  use  of  Infra-Red  negative  for  night  pho- 
tography in  the  daytime  will,  no  doubt,  reveal  additional  valuable  information 
which  will  be  helpful  in  establishing  a definite  technique  of  photographic  pro- 
cedure. The  fact  that  this  type  of  effect-photography  is  based  solely  on  color 
correction  alone  demands  a thorough  study  of  the  response  of  this  specially 
sensitized  film  to  objects,  light  sources  and  material  of  different  colors  and  of 
different  Infra-Red  reflection  and  absorption  characteristics. 

Notwithstanding  the  excellent  reception  accorded  Agfa  Infra-Red  Type  B 
by  the  motion  picture  industry,  a word  of  caution  seems  to  be  timely  in  order 
that  the  impossible  be  not  expected.  At  the  same  time,  producers,  directors,  and 
cameramen  should  be  encouraged  to  exercise  patience  in  the  investigation  of 
the  full  possibilities  this  film  material  offers  when  technical  application  is  correct. 
The  practical  use  of  this  new  medium,  which  was  produced  as  the  result  of 
suggestions  by  prominent  studio  technicians,  undoubtedly  has  already  assisted 
the  industry  to  more  realistic  reproductions.  Additional  study  and  practical 
experience  will,  no  doubt,  further  increase  its  utilization. 

Page  Six 


George  Crane  Takes  a Bow 

George  Crane,  formerly  assistant  to  Mr.  George  Seid, 

Superintendent  of  photography  at  Columbia  Studios,  has 
recently  joined  C.  King  Charney , Incorporated,  in  a posi- 
tion of  sales  and  contact  man. 

Crane  has  been  allied  with  the  motion  picture  industry 
for  more  than  twenty  years,  and  during  this  time  has  ac- 
quired not  only  a thorough  technical  knowledge  and  full 
understanding  of  the  practical  needs  of  the  industry,  but 
has,  in  addition,  established  innumerable  contacts  which, 
no  doubt,  will  contribute  to  the  success  of  his  new  venture. 

Below  is  his  response  to  our  request  for  an  article  deal- 
ing with  his  experiences  with  Agfa  Ansco  motion  picture 
products  during  his  activity  in  the  Laboi  a'.ory  field: 

In  the  past  I have  quite  frequently  contemplated  the  possibility  of  a per- 
sonal connection  with  motion  picture  film  distributing  companies.  Such  a 
position  appealed  to  me  primarily  because  of  the  interesting  variety  of  problems 
and  work  encountered,  and  for  various  reasons  I felt  a particular  preference 
for  Agfa  Ansco. 

It  is  easily  understood  that  in  effecting  a connection  of  this  character  my 
first  and  perhaps  selfish  consideration  was  that  the  enterprise  must  show 
evidence  of  sound  aggressiveness  and  progress.  During  my  employment  with 
motion  picture  laboratories,  my  contacts  with  technical  and  sales  representatives 
of  the  Agfa  organization  and  its  distributing  company  convinced  me  that 
Agfa  is  a thoroughly  progressive  concern. 

I have  had  numerous  opportunities  to  observe  a willingness  and  sincerity 
on  the  part  of  their  technical  representatives  in  aiding  the  solution  of  many 
problems  occurring  in  the  technical  phase  of  motion  picture  production  and 
laboratory  procedure.  The  improvements  noticeable  in  their  present  Positive 
and  Negative  film  products,  in  comparison  with  the  types  Agfa  offered  the 
market  several  years  ago,  is  true  evidence  of  the  spirit  which  governs  their 
business  activities. 

Despite  present  day  perfection  in  manufacturing  technique  and  the  sup- 
porting extensive  control  system  maintained  by  manufacturers,  there  does  not 
exist  such  a thing  as  raw  film  definitely  insured  against  manufacturing  defects. 
The  same  applies  to  all  film  processing  laboratories  which,  in  spite  of  the  most 
elaborate  precautions  and  accuracy  of  operation,  are  always  faced  with  un- 
expected difficulties  due  to  the  complicated  nature  of  the  technical  procedure 
and  the  delicate  material  involved. 

I have  always  admired  the  tact  and  skill  of  the  technical  representataives 
of  film  manufacturers  who  are  called  upon  by  laboratories  to  defend  the 
quality  of  their  products.  To  determine  the  proper  cause  of  a defect,  and  to 
analyze  its  nature,  is  an  extremely  difficult  task  in  many  instances.  In  addition, 
few  realize  at  the  moment  the  precarious  situation  involving  all  kinds  of  psycho- 


Page  Seven 


logical  factors  with  which  these  representatives  are  faced  in  straightening  out 
laboratory  and  production  trouble  caused  by  a product  possibly  defective. 

In  commenting  on  this  subject,  I do  not  mean  to  say  that  my  experience 
in  the  laboratories  has  brought  to  light  an  excessive  number  of  difficulties  with 
Agfa  products.  The  reason  I mention  this  phase  of  my  contacts  with  raw  film 
manufacturers  is  that  I believe  the  best  opportunity  of  judging  their  ability  exists 
when  they  are  faced  with  particularly  difficult  situations,  arising  in  the  laboratory, 
which  require  their  full  manufacturing  knowledge  for  analysis. 

The  general  advance  noted  during  the  past  decade  in  all  technical  phases 
of  the  photographic  industry  has  brought  about  a status  of  near  perfection  to 
emulsion  qualities  of  motion  picture  photographic  materials,  which  renders  it 
difficult  for  a new  concern  to  successfully  introduce  its  products  competitively 
with  already  existing  film.  Naturally,  to  induce  a producer  or  a responsible 
technician  to  switch  to  a different  manufacturing  brand  can  only  be  accomplished 
by  convincing  him  that  the  new  product  has  special  merit  and  qualifications 
which  justify  the  change. 

The  local  representatives  of  film  manufacturers  also  have  the  responsible 
task  of  guiding  their  factories  in  order  that  certain  qualities  will  be  incorporated 
in  their  products  so  that  they  may  be  sold  on  the  basis  of  possessing  special 
oustanding  characteristics. 

During  my  laboratory  experience,  I remember  witnessing  the  efforts  on  the 
part  of  Agfa  Ansco  technical  representatives  in  the  introduction  of  their  Super- 
pan negative.  At  that  time  the  trend  of  the  motion  picture  raw  film  manu- 
facturers was  decidedly  toward  creating  a negative  type  of  ultimate  general 
speed.  Agfa  Ansco's  representatives,  disregarding  opinions  to  the  contrary, 
went  firmly  on  record  in  maintaining  that  excessive  speed  was  necessarily  causing 
a shortcoming  in  other  important  emulsion  characteristics,  such  as  grain  structure. 
In  the  meantime,  this  viewpoint  has  been  sustained  as  correct  by  many  practical 
experiences,  for  the  name  "Agfa  Superpan"  and  "fine  grain"  became  practically 
synonymous  to  the  cameramen  and  laboratory  technicians.  I recall  many  in- 
stances when  cameramen  and  others,  viewing  daily  prints,  commented  with 
surprise  on  the  smooth  texture  of  face  tones  in  closeups  photographed  on 
Agfa  Superpan. 

In  connection  with  this  subject,  it  might  be  well  to  mention  that  the 
cameraman  is  rarely  aware  of  how  graininess  might  affect  the  technical  quality 
of  his  finished  picture  due  to  the  many  lap  dissolves  and  other  effects  produced 
by  duplication  and  inevitably  involved  in  every  final  release  print. 

At  present  Agfa  Superpan  has  reached  a degree  of  shadow  speed  and 
general  sensitivity  fully  equal  to  competitive  material  without  appreciable  loss 
of  its  fine  grain  characteristics. 

In  closing,  I want  to  take  this  opportunity  to  express  my  sincere  gratitude 
to  Mr.  George  Seid  for  whom  I bad  the  privilege  to  work  for  the  last  two 
years.  I modestly  say  that  his  fundamental  technical  ability,  thoroughness  and 
practical  experience  has  helped  me  invaluably  to  widen  my  own  knowledge. 


Page  Eight 


. Meyer — Agfa  Plenachrome 


I'itge  Nine 


"WHEN  DAY  IS  DONE" 


By  H 


Problems  of  Controlling  Correct  Photo- 
graphic Reproduction 

By  DR.  H.  MEYER,  A.  S.  C. 

PART  III 

The  consistency  of  the  negative  developer  is  checked  and  kept  constant  by 
gamma  control,  and  in  Hollywood  laboratories  this  gamma  value  has  been  gen- 
erally set  at  approximately  .68  plus/minus  .05. 

"Time  and  Temperature"  versus  "Test  System" 

The  two  developing  systems  referred  to  in  the  above  are  based  on  two  dif- 
ferent principles  for  controlling  photographic  reproduction  of  visual  contrast  as 
far  as  the  negative  processing  is  concerned. 

In  the  "test  system,"  negative  tests  exposed  by  the  cameraman  at  the  start 
of  every  scene  which  entails  a changed  lighting  condition,  are  developed  at  an 
average  standard  time,  and  from  a visual  examination  of  each  test  the  develop- 
ing time  which  will  render  the  best  possible  contrast  and  density  in  the  cor- 
responding actual  negative  scene  is  determined.  This  method,  therefore,  un- 
dertakes to  keep  negative  contrast  in  each  scene  constant  by  varying  the  devel- 
oping time  and  the  developing  gamma  correspondingly. 

In  the  "time  and  temperature  system,"  the  principal  developing  factors, 
time  and  temperature,  and  the  developing  gamma  are  kept  constant.  In  this 
case  it  is  entirely  the  cameraman's  responsibility  to  control  proper  reproduction 
of  contrast  and  brightness  level  by  his  lighting  technic. 

Theoretically,  it  should  stand  without  argument  that  the  "test  system"  be 
given  unanimous  preference  in  view  of  the  additional  help  it  offers  to  correct 
mistakes  made  by  the  cameraman  in  calculating  exposure  and  lighting  effects, 
which  were,  no  doubt,  made  possible  by  the  absence  of  proper  methods  or 
instruments  for  determining  all  existing  relations  between  visual  contrast  and 
negative  characteristics. 

The  decision  in  favor  or  against  either  of  the  two  systems,  however,  is 
influenced  by  many  practical  factors,  the  discussion  of  which  is  not  within  the 
scope  of  this  article. 

Negative  Types 

While  all  laboratories,  regardless  of  the  developing  system  adopted,  are 
accustomed  to  relying  upon  negative  solution  control  with  a fixed  gamma  value 
which  is  a characteristic,  of  course,  of  the  film  type  used  in  connection  with 
these  control  tests,  it  is  frequently  noticed  that  this  procedure  tends  to  form  a 
habit  which  may  unjustly  become  a reason  for  condemning  film  types  differing  in 
gamma  from  that  of  the  film  used  for  these  control  tests.  This  is  particularly 
true  of  laboratories  employing  the  "time  and  temperature  system"  when  a dif- 
ference in  gamma  is  noticed  while  testing  a new  product  against  the  control- 
test  fiim  type,  it  seems  to  upset  the  principle  of  consistency  of  developing  time 
or  speed  so  essential  for  this  system  of  development.  It  has  recently  been  prov- 


Page  T en 


en,  however,  that  adapting  the  developing  speed  to  the  inherent  gamma-time 
characteristic  of  a new  film  type,  like  Super  X for  instance,  is  not  impossible 
for  either  of  the  two  systems,  and  the  initial  difficulty  encountered  is  rewarded, 
when  overcome,  with  gratifying  results. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  is  equally  no  reason  why  negative  types,  which 
sensitometrically  show  a reasonably  higher  gamma  than  .68  when  developed 
at  standard  machine  speed,  should  be  rejected.  The  scale  of  contrast  variations, 
existing  either  in  outdoor  lighting  conditions  or  produced  artifically  by  indoor 
lighting,  varies  to  such  an  extent  above  and  below  medium  contrast  that  there 
are  many  cases  in  which,  due  to  low  contrast  in  an  object,  a reasonably  higher 
gamma  characteristic  of  a negative  film  type  might  be  advantageous,  while  in 
other  cases  where  high  contrast  prevails  in  the  object  a reasonably  lower  inher- 
ent gamma  characteristic  will  be  found  to  render  better  results. 

This,  of  course,  is  only  true  when  speaking  of  that  part  of  photographic  re- 
production where  a distortion  of  brightness  relation  or  contrast  is  desired,  and 
not  where  the  task  consists  of  photographically  reproducing  the  correct  visual 
brightness  in  the  object. 

In  general  the  negative  type  with  a higher  gamma  characteristic  for  a fixed 
developing  formula  has  obviously  more  practical  latitude  in  development  than 
a type  with  lower  gamma  infinity,  provided  the  higher  gamma  infinity  is  not  ac- 
companied by  too  much  lack  in  shadow  speed.  It  is  always  possible  to  lower  the 
gamma  by  shortening  the  developing  time  and  increasing  the  exposure  or  shad- 
ow lighting,  while  it  is  not  possible  to  raise  the  gamma  value  over  that  inherently 
characteristic  for  the  given  type,  at  least  not  without  an  objectionable  increase 
in  grain. 

Sensitivity 

One  important  characteristic  of  the  negative  material  is  its  sensitivity  to 
light  or  radiation.  This  sensitivity  is  usually  classified  int 

a.  general  or  blue  sensitivity,  referring  to  the  original  sensitivity  of  the 
silver  bromide  to  radiation  of  shorter  wave  lengths,  and 

b.  color  sensitivity,  referring  to  additional  sensitivity  of  sensitized  silver 
bromide  to  radiation  of  longer  wave  lengths. 

When  comparing  sensitivity  of  different  negative  types  by  either  regular 
pictorial  exposure  tests  or  by  sensitometric  methods,  a distinction  between  the 
two  components  is  usually  not  made  and  the  results  then  refer  to  overall  sensi- 
tivity only. 

Correct  determination  of  overall  sensitivity  should  always  be  made  by  de- 
veloping the  test  types  in  question  to  identical  gamma  values.  In  case  this  is 
neglected  and  the  gamma  values  are  different,  the  comparative  speed  figure 
will  change  its  value  with  every  density  step.  When  the  different  types  are  de- 
veloped to  identical  gamma  values,  the  speed  relation  is  constant  over  the  en- 
tire range  of  the  straight-line  portion  and  the  only  possible  variation  of  this 
speed  relation  that  might  be  encountered  is  where  the  extension  and  the  shape 
of  the  curved  parts  vary. 


Page  Eleven 


For  practical  reasons  it  is,  therefore,  advisable,  when  making  comparative 
tests  of  overall  sensitivity,  to  distinguish  between  a speed  figure  relative  to  a 
speed  comparison  of  the  straight-line  portion  measured  for  equal  gamma  val- 
ues, and  a speed  figure  relative  to  the  speed  comparison  of  the  curved  portion 
which  practically  takes  into  consideration  the  toe  section  only  and  which,  there- 
fore, is  identical  to  a combination  of  threshold  and  shadow  speed. 

An  additional  way  of  expressing  speed  comparisons  of  negative  types 
which  is  commonly  practiced,  is  that  of  indirectly  calculating  negative  speed 
from  the  printer  lights  required  to  give  a normal  print  of  each  negative.  As 
the  printer  light  in  general  is  selected  with  the  intention  of  giving  the  print  suffi- 
cient detail  in  the  high  lights,  this  method  of  speed  calculation  refers  principally 
to  speed  comparison  for  high  negative  density  portions. 

Straight  Line  Portion 

Another  characteristic  important  in  the  consideration  of  our  problems  is 
the  latitude  of  the  negative  material  expressed  by  the  extension  of  the  straight- 
line  portion.  Normally  it  should  be  assumed  that  the  farther  the  straight-line 
portion  extends  towards  the  upper  end  of  the  characteristic  curve,  the  better 
it  should  be  regarded  in  view  of  the  protection  it  offers  against  wrong  calcu- 
lation of  exposure.  In  practice,  however,  it  will  be  found  that  the  laboratories 
quite  often  prefer  a negative  type  with  a relatively  low  shoulder  break.  The 
reason  for  this  is  that  the  exposure  range  of  the  standard  Bell  & Howell  printer 
with  22  printer  lights  has  a rather  limited  latitude,  and  that,  therefore,  naturally 
the  danger  of  encountering  highlights  of  unprintable  high  density  is  emphasized 
in  cases  where  negative  types  are  used  with  high  shoulder  breaks.  The  new  auto- 
matic Bell  & Howell  printer  has  an  increased  range  of  printer  lights  which  in  itself 
should  be  considered  a needed  improvement  and  a step  forward. 

Color  Sensitivity 

In  dealing  with  the  subject  of  color  sensitivity  of  photographic  emulsions 
in  relation  to  visual  sensitivity,  we  have  entered  the  most  complex  phase  of 
our  problem. 

At  present  four  types  of  photographic  emulsions  are  in  practical  use  which 
are  distinguished  by  different  color  sensitivity.  They  are  as  follows: 

Color  Blind  Emulsion. 

To  this  group  belong  emulsions  which  are  only  responsive  to  blue, 
violet  and  ultra-violet.  They  are  represented  in  practice  by  Positive 
film  and  Sound  Recording  film. 

Orthochromatic  Emulsion. 

In  addition  to  the  original  blue  sensitivity,  which  is  an  attribute  of 
all  Silver  Bromide  emulsions,  this  type  is  sensitive  to  the  yellow- 
green  range  of  radiation.  Its  practical  application  in  the  35mm 
motion  picture  field  is  rather  limited  at  present  as  it  is  only  used 
for  reproduction  of  dupe  negatives. 


Huge  Twelve 


HOME  OF  REPUBLIC  STUDIOS'  Photographed  by  Joe  Walters 

Agfa  Superpan 


Panchromatic  Emulsion. 

This  type  responds  to  practically  all  wave  lengths  within  the  visible 
range  of  radiation  and  extends  its  sensitivity  even  further  towards 
red  and  naturally,  also,  into  ultra-violet  range.  It  is  the  type 
generally  used  for  picture  negative  production. 

Infra-Red  Emulsion. 

This  type,  in  addition  to  the  original  blue  sensitivity  of  the  Silver 
Bromide,  is  sensitized  for  visible  dark  red  and  extends  its  sensi- 
tivity more  or  less  into  the  invisible  range  of  Infra-Red  radiation.  It  is 
used  in  scientific  work  such  as  astronomical  photography,  special 
effects,  particularly  artificial  night  scenes,  aerial  photography,  cloud 
effects,  and  long  distance  shots  where  aerial  haze  prevents  regis- 
tration on  other  types  of  emulsions. 

The  spectral  sensitivity  curve  of  a photographic  emulsion  is  commonly  de- 
termined by  means  of  a spectrograph.  This  instrument  permits  only  relative 
judgment  or  comparison  of  color  sensitivity,  and  the  results  obtained  might  be 
of  very  little  practical  value. 

In  practice,  the  color  sensitivity  is  usually  tested  by  actual  reproduction 
of  colored  objects  in  conjunction  with  the  use  of  light  filters. 

Referring  to  the  discussion  of  the  relation  between  color  sensitivity  of  pho- 
tographic emulsions  and  visual  sensitivity,  it  might  be  well  to  first  refresh  the 
mind  of  the  reader  on  some  of  the  fundamentals  and  terminology  of  color. 


Page  Thirteen 


Visibility  Curve  and  Spectral  Sensitivity  Curve  of  Photographic  Emulsions 

The  visibility  curve  represents  the  relation  between  visual  sensation  and 
wave  length.  It  is  measured  in  brilliance  units  which  are  plotted  for  all  wave 
lengths  creating  a visual  sensation  upon  the  retina  of  the  eye.  The  shape  and 
maximum  of  this  curve  changes  and  shifts  to  a certain  extent  with  any  change 
of  the  brightness  level  or  intensity  at  which  the  readings  of  the  brilliance  units 
are  made.  For  an  average  brightness  level  of  a non-selective  light  source  (white 
light),  the  maximum  brilliance  lies  at  556  mu  (yellow-green),  decreasing  rapidly 
towards  longer  and  shorter  wave  lengths  and  becoming  only  I % of  the  maximum 
value  at  430  mu  (violet)  and  690  mu  (dark  red). 

The  spectral  sensitivity  curve  of  any  photographic  emulsion  differs  widely 
from  the  white  light  visibility  curve,  even  when  considering  the  best  color  cor- 
rected type,  represented  by  Panchromatic  film.  The  visibility  curve  resulting 
from  certain  selective  light  sources  such  as  Mazda  light,  comes  much  closer 
in  shape  to  that  of  the  spectral  sensitivity  curve  of  the  Panchromatic  type, 
which  is  one  of  the  reasons  why  corrective  light  filters  are  not  in  need  when 
photographing  indoor  sets  with  Mazda  light  on  Panchromatic  film. 

Visual  Sensation 

The  total  visual  sensation  can  be  composed  of  three  factors,  brilliance,  hue, 
and  saturation. 

Brilliance  is  that  attribute  of  any  color  which  makes  it  comparable 
to  some  member  of  the  series  of  grays. 

Hue  is  an  attribute  of  certain  colors  by  which  they  differ  character- 
istically from  a gray  of  the  same  brilliance,  and  which  permits  them 
to  be  classed  as  reddish,  yellowish,  greenish,  or  bluish,  etc. 

Saturation  is  that  attribute  of  all  colors  possessing  a hue  which 
determines  the  degree  of  difference  from  a gray  of  the  same  brilliance. 

According  to  these  definitions,*  two  groups  of  colors  have  to  be  dis- 
tinguished, one  of  which  represents  the  non-selective  or  neutral  type  and  includes 
all  grays  between  black  and  white.  These  colors  are  hueless  and  differ  from 
each  other  only  by  the  brilliance  factor. 

The  other  group  includes  all  selective  colors,  which  in  addition  to  being 
distinguishable  by  the  brilliance  factor,  create  a sensation  of  hue  and  satura- 
tion. Hue  is  the  qualitative  attribute,  which  distinguishes  this  color  from  a 
non-selective  gray  of  equal  brilliance,  while  saturation  is  the  quantitative  attribute 
expressing  the  magnitude  of  the  difference  between  a selective  color  producing 
a sensation  of  hue  and  a hueless  color. 

Absorption,  Reflection  and  Transmission 

Any  natural  object  is  visible  by  virtue  of  the  incident  radiation  which  it 
transmits  or  reflects.  Any  object  that  transmits  or  reflects  all  wave  lengths  of 

*(See  transactions  of  the  Society  of  Motion  Picture  Engineers,  volume  10,  No.  27,  Page 
135  and  following  pages). 

Page  Fourteen 


visible  radiation  in  equal  proportion  belongs  to  the  group  of  neutral  or  non- 
selectively  colored  objects,  such  as  gray,  white  or  black,  depending  solely  upon 
the  extent  to  which  they  reflect  the  incident  radiation. 

All  objects  which  absorb  certain  wave  lengths  of  the  incident  radiation  to 
a greater  extent  than  others  are  selective  absorbers.  Radiation,  which  is  re- 
flected or  transmitted  by  such  objects  is  different  in  spectral  composition  from 
that  which  was  incident  thereon. 

The  color  which  an  object  appears  to  have  depends,  therefore,  on  two 
factors,  its  absorbing  characteristics  and  the  spectral  composition  of  the  in- 
cident radiation. 

Most  of  the  natural  colored  objects  are  of  the  reflecting  type  with  selective 
absorption.  Consequently,  the  vast  variety  of  pigments  and  dyes  and  their 
spectral  absorption  curves  are  of  vital  importance  to  the  photographer. 

Objects  of  the  transmitting  type  with  selective  absorption  are  best  known 
to  the  photographer  in  the  form  of  color  filters  which  are  used  to  selectively 
absorb  or  transmit  certain  portions  of  the  radiation  reflected  by  the  object  being 
photographed. 

The  absorption  curves  of  pigments  are  in  general  characterized  by  a more 
or  less  gradual  cut  off  in  comparison  to  those  of  transmitting  objects,  such  as 
color  filters,  which  must  show  a relatively  sharp  cut  off. 

Luminosity  Curve  and  Photicity  Curve 

The  ordinates  of  the  visibility  curve  as  previously  explained  consist  of 
brilliance  units.  When  multiplying  these  ordinates  with  those  of  the  spectral 
reflection  curve  for  any  given  selective  absorber  (such  as  a pigment  for  in- 
stance), and  plotting  this  product  against  wave  length,  the  luminosity  curve  is 
obtained.  The  area  inclosed  by  this  curve  indicates  the  relative  brightness  of 
this  object  for  a given  light  source. 

Similarly  when  multiplying  the  ordinates  of  the  spectral  sensitivity  curve  for 
a photographic  emulsion  with  the  ordinates  of  the  spectral  reflection  curve 
of  any  object  and  plotting  this  product  against  wave  length,  we  obtain  a curve 
which  is  known  as  the  photicity  curve. 

The  area  inclosed  by  this  curve  is  proportional  to  the  photographic  bright- 
ness of  the  object  considered. 

These  few  fundamentals  of  color  should  be  studied  and  understood  by  any- 
one who  concerns  himself  with  the  problem  of  correct  photographic  repro- 
duction. 

The  solution  of  this  problem,  as  was  previously  stated,  consists  of  rendering 
brightness  and  brightness  differences  or  contrast  in  the  final  print  identical  to 
that  conceived  by  the  eye  from  the  natural  object. 

In  practice  it  will  be  found  that  an  additional  problem  of  equal  importance 
exists  which  requires  deliberate  distortion  or  a deviation  from  correct  repro- 
duction in  order  to  secure  certain  desired  effects. 


Page  Fifteei 


TABLE  FOR  APPROXIMATE  COMPARISON  OF  FILM  SPEED  VALUES 


Weston 

H & D 

Scheiner* 

DIN* 

Relative  Sensitivity 
1 

4 

150 

15 

6/10 

5 

189 

16 

7/10 

1.2 

6 

238 

17 

8/10 

1.5 

8 

300 

18 

9/10 

2 

10 

378 

19 

10/10 

2.4 

12 

476 

20 

1 1/10 

3 

16 

600 

21 

12/10 

4 

20 

756 

22 

13/10 

4.8 

24 

952 

23 

14/10 

6 

32 

1200 

24 

15/10 

8 

40 

1512 

25 

16/10 

9.6 

50 

1904 

26 

17/10 

12 

64 

2400 

27 

18/10 

16 

* NOTE: — Scheiner  and  DIN  ratings  increase  by  three  units  when  the  sensitivity  of  the  film 
doubles.  H & D ratings  and  Weston  speeds  are  multiplied  by  2 when  the  sensi- 
tivity of  the  film  is  doubled. 


The  Agfa  Ansco  Corporation  wishes  to  announce  that  ground  has  been 
broken  for  the  erection  of  a new  two-story  office  and  storage  building  to  be 
located  at  Cole  Avenue  and  Santa  Monica  Boulevard  in  Hollywood. 

The  new  quarters  will  not  only  provide  larger  film  storage  space,  enabling 
more  efficient  servicing  of  customers,  but  will  also  permit  more  complete  re- 
search facilities.  The  entire  second  floor  will  be  occupied  by  the  offices  of 
C.  King  Charney,  Inc.,  Agfa  Ansco  Distributors. 

Property  and  building  represent  a substantial  investment  which  indicates 
the  determination  of  this  Company  to  manufacture  and  market  only  the  finest 
of  Motion  Picture  film  material. 


In  anticipation  of  the  Spring  convention  of  the  Society  of  Motion  Picture 
Engineers,  which  will  be  held  in  Hollywood  from  May  24th  to  28th  inclusive, 
Agfa  Motion  Picture  Topics  wishes  to  extend  a sincere  welcome  to  all  visitors 
and  delegates. 

The  whole  industry  looks  upon  this  Society  in  just  admiration  for  its  unselfish 
efforts  toward  general  technical  progress  and  high  quality  standardization. 

Agfa  Ansco  Corporation  will  participate  with  a contribution  of  several  tech- 
nical papers. 


AGFA  MOTION  PICTURE  TOPICS 

Published  by  C.  King  Charney,  Inc. 

6372  Santa  Monica  Boulevard,  Hollywood,  California 
Hollywood  2918  Editor,  H.  Meyer 

C.  King  Charney,  Inc.,  is  not  responsible  for  statements  made  by  authors  or  for 
unsolicited  manuscripts. 


Page  Sixteen 


LATITUDE  AND  COLOR  RESPONSE 

. . . can  justly  be  considered  the  most  important  factors  con- 
tributing to  beauty  and  certainty  of  photographic  results.  BOTH 
are  characteristics  represented  in  unexcelled  perfection  by 

AGFA 

SUPERPAN  PORTRAIT  FILM 

Manufactured  by 

Agfa  Ansco  Corporation 

BINGHAMTON,  N.  Y. 

Photographic  Materials  & Equipment  Since  1842 


MOTION  PICTURE 


By  DR.  ERNST  SCHWARZ 


INDEX 

Page 

The  New  Agfacolor  Process,  by  Professor  Dr.  J.  Eggert --2 

Prob.ems  of  Controlling  Correct  Photographic  Reproduction 

By  Dr.  Herbert  Meyer,  A.  S.  C. 


2 


The  New  Agfacolor  Process 

By  PROF.,  DR.  J.  EGGERT 

It  is  well  known  to  those  interested  in  the  various 
phases  of  photography  that  through  the  entire  history  of 
the  Art  there  has  been  a constant  endeavor  to  reproduce 
pictures  in  color.  As  long  ago  as  1850  when  the  first- 
known  method  was  evolved,  attempts  were  made  to  produce 
a medium  or  system  by  which  reproductions  would  be  ren- 
dered in  natural  color. 

The  introduction  and  success  of  motion  pictures  gave 
added  impetus  to  this  search,  and  many  ideas  have  been 
brought  forth  attempting  the  solution  of  this  problem. 

Most  of  these  methods  are  well-known  to  the  average  pho- 
tographer and  need  no  description  here. 

At  present  the  most  successful  are  the  so-called  sub- 
tractive systems  which  require  no  additional  equipment 
when  viewing,  but  are  still  complex  in  structure  and  in- 
volve a critical  and  expensive  technique  to  produce.  It 
would  seem,  after  reviewing  these  present  methods,  that 
an  ideal  medium  would  be  a multicoated  film  in  which 
each  layer  would  be  sensitized  to  one  of  the  primary  col- 
ors and  would,  after  exposure,  be  easily  and  economically 
processed. 

The  following  article  is  a translation  from  an  original 
paper  dealing  with  the  new  Agfacolor  process,  and  is  pub- 
lished here  as  an  authoritative  answer  to  the  many  in- 
quiries received  regarding  this  new  method. 

The  film,  as  described  below,  is  not  as  yet  available 
to  the  American  market,  and  we  are  unable  to  say  at  this 
time  when  it  will  be  available.  Production  problems  in 
this  connection  are  now  being  investigated  and  an  an- 
nouncement will  be  made  when  the  product  is  marketed. 

(Editor’s  Note) 


In  order  to  avoid  the  difficulties  involved  in  making  three  separate  color 
negatives  by  means  of  primary  filters,  it  is  necessary  to  use  a film  on  which 
three  separate  sensitive  emulsions  have  been  coated — the  first  being  sensitive 
to  blue,  the  second  to  green,  and  the  third  to  red.  If  suitable  emulsions  are 
chosen  and  coated  in  this  manner,  a film  is  obtained  which  is  similar  to  the  "Tri- 
pack"  material,  except  that  the  emulsions  are  not  separated  but  are  coated  on 
a single  strip  of  celluloid. 

The  first  step — that  of  exposure — can  be  carried  out  immediately  with 
such  a film,  for  each  emulsion  layer  will  behave  as  if  it  were  a separate  negative 
under  an  appropriate  filter;  and  if  the  entire  film  is  developed  and  reversed  to 
a positive  image,  each  emulsion  layer  will  register  a suitable  positive  image  for 
color  formation.  Thus,  the  top  emulsion  layer  will  render  a blue-color-separation 
positive,  for  this  layer  was  only  sensitive  to  blue.  Correspondingly,  the  two 


Page  T wo 


other  emulsion  layers  will  render  color-separation  positives  in  accordance  with 
their  original  color  sensitivity. 

In  the  further  course  of  such  a process,  these  positive,  silver  images  must 
now  be  replaced  in  the  respective  complementary  order  by  colored  images  of 
blue-green,  magenta,  and  yellow.  The  black  and  white  positive  from  the  blue- 
sensitive  emulsion  layer  must  be  colored  yellow;  the  positive  image  from  the 
green-sensitive  emulsion,  magenta;  and  the  image  from  the  red-sensitive  emul- 
sion, blue-green.  If  these  changes  can  be  made,  then  the  problem  is  solved 
as  far  as  basic  principles  are  concerned. 

Many  years  ago  Dr.  Fischer  of  the  "Neue  Photographische  Gesellschaft"  in 
Berlin  was  experimenting  with  certain  substances  which  could  be  used  to  pro- 
duce a dye  in  a photographic  emulsion  during  development  by  a chemical 
process  known  as  "coupling."  Proceeding  from  earlier  observations  of  Ho- 
molka,  he  added  certain  colorless  chemicals  to  a developer  which  formed  a dye 
in  the  gelatine  emulsion  during  development  by  "coupling"  with  oxidation  prod- 
ucts of  the  developing  agents.  The  dye  was  formed  only  where  silver  was  de- 
posited in  the  emulsion. 

Next,  Dr.  Fischer  found  three  different  substances  which,  when  added  to 
the  developer,  possessed  the  properties  of  producing,  in  developing  the  latent 
image,  one  of  the  respective  subtractive  primary  colors,  although  of  course, 
still  quite  imperfect.  The  patents  which  he  took  out  in  1911  and  1912  to  cover 
this  process  of  dye-coupling  during  development  have  since  expired,  and  he 
was  not  successful  in  solving  his  problem  completely  for  practical  use,  although 
he  made  a fine  start  toward  such  a solution. 

In  principle  the  color  development  of  the  three-emulsion  layer  film  is  pos- 
sible, as  has  been  already  mentioned,  but  the  practical  solution  of  this  problem 
offers  considerable  difficulties.  A large  number  of  very  exact  operations  must 
be  performed  while  processing  the  film:  first,  the  three  emulsion  layers  must 
be  given  a blue-green  development;  next,  the  dye  in  the  two  upper  layers  must 
be  removed  without  affecting  the  bottom  layer;  then,  the  two  upper  layers 
must  be  given  a magenta  development  and  the  upper  layer  has  to  be  bleached 
without  affecting  the  second  layer;  finally,  the  top  layer  must  be  given  a yellow 
development. 

It  will  be  noted  that  apart  from  the  complexity  of  the  treatment  involved, 
a new  developer  must  be  used  for  each  color  development  and  each  developer 
must  contain  the  correct  proportion  of  the  substances  required  to  produce  the 
color. 

It  would  thus  seem  that  although  this  method  can  render  excellent  results 
when  undertaken  by  a skilled  staff  using  special  mechanical  equipment  in  proc- 
essing the  film,  the  amateur  and  photographic  dealer  are  not  in  a position  to 
do  this  work.  If  it  is  desired  that  the  method  of  processing  be  more  practical 
and  simpler,  then  it  is  necessary  to  arrange  the  process  in  such  a way  that  the 
developer  used  produces  three  dye  images  simultaneously,  one  in  each  layer  of 
the  film.  This,  however,  is  only  possible  in  case  each  of  the  three  different  sub- 


Page  Three 


The  above  drawings,  illustrating  the  various  steps  in  the  manufacture 
of  photographic  film  and  paper,  will  give  the  reader  an  idea  of 
the  complicated  processes  necessary  to  place  in  his  hands  the 
materials  with  which  he  is  so  familiar. 


Page  Four 


The  /iA/llFAETUREr  m OF\SENSrTIZED  Pafeu^ 

GELATINE 


^ELATINE 
BARYTA 


DISTILLED 
WATE(^_— "! 


DISTILLED 


“lOlTTLCT 

WWlMCMIOliy 


°S«SSR5 


JJI 

*UrTl>K 

Page  Five 


stances,  Fischer  had  added  to  the  respective  developers,  Is  already  embedded 
In  each  emulsion  layer. 

The  Agfa  Research  Laboratories  have  been  working  on  the  solution  of  this 
particular  problem  for  quite  a number  of  years.  The  conditions  to  be  fulfilled 
were  certainly  not  as  simple  as  they  sound  from  the  description  given  above, 
and  it  took  a great  many  experimental  coatings  before  It  was  possible  to  coat 
on  a single  film  three  emulsion  layers,  one  on  top  of  each  other,  each  .005  mm. 
thick,  and  separated  by  plain  gelatine  layers  .002  mm.  thick.  It,  also,  required 
a tremendous  amount  of  research  to  manufacture  the  chemical  components 
which  would  produce  the  subtractive  colors  of  blue-green,  magenta,  and  yellow. 
These  substances  are  best  referred  to  under  the  name  of  "components."  They 
must  not  affect  the  sensitivity — and  particularly  the  sensitivity  to  color — of  the 
emulsion  layers  in  which  they  are  placed,  and  must  have  the  unusual  quality  of 
being  sufficiently  soluble  when  added  to  the  emulsion  during  manufacture,  but 
insoluble  during  the  subsequent  wet  treatment  in  processing,  so  that  they  would 
not  wander  from  one  layer  to  another,  or  even  diffuse  in  the  same  layer.  This 
clearly  presents  a problem  for  the  organic  chemist.  Through  collaboration  be- 
tween the  scientific  and  technical  staffs  of  the  research  laboratories  and  the 
manufacturing  plant,  it  was  found  possible  to  solve  all  of  these  problems,  in 
which  work  Dr.  Willmanns  and  Dr.  Schneider,  and  a large  number  of  co-workers, 
rendered  signal  service. 

In  general  the  method  of  working  the  new  Agfacolor  process  is  as  follows: 

During  the  exposure  in  the  camera,  which  requires  no  special  optical  equip- 
ment or  filters,  the  latent  image  for  each  separation  negative  is  formed  in  the 
film  (see  Chart  No.  I). 

A yellow-dyed  gelatine  layer  between  the  top  (blue-sensitive)  emulsion  and 
second  (green-yellow  sensitive)  emulsion  layer  insures  that  no  blue  light  reaches 
the  two  lower  emulsion  layers.  The  three  latent  images  are  first  developed  to 
negatives  simultaneously  in  an  ordinary  developing  solution.  Then,  instead  of 
removing  the  single  image  or  fixing,  as  in  the  earlier  process,  the  film  is  strongly 
exposed  to  light  and  then  developed  in  a solution  of  the  paraphenylenediamine 
type.  In  this  developer  the  remainder  of  the  unexposed  silver  bromide  is  reduced 
to  silver,  whiie  simultaneously  a dye  image  is  formed  in  each  layer  at  the  same 
place  wherever  the  (positive)  image  appears. 

Actually,  in  addition  to  metallic  silver,  an  oxide  is  formed  in  the  emulsion 
which  couples  with  each  "component"  present  in  each  emulsion  layer,  thus  form- 
ing a dye  image.  Hereafter  it  is  only  necessary  to  apply  a mild  oxidizing  solu- 
tion to  remove  the  silver  deposit  which  covers  the  dye  images,  and  the  process 
is  complete.  A very  simple  and  practical  method  thus  insures  the  production 
of  a Positive  in  natural  colors. 

This  new  Agfacolor  Process  has  the  advantage  that  it  might  be  used  with 
any  kind  of  camera  and  projected  in  a normal  apparatus  so  that  no  expensive 
accessories  will  be  required  by  the  user.  Thus,  all  difficulties,  too,  which  might 


Page  Six 


Chart  II 


Additive  Primary  Colors: 


Additive  Mixtures: 


blue 


red  green  blue  white 


Additive  Color  Synthesis  from  three 
Primary  Colors 

(Superposition  of  colored  lights) 


Chart  III 


Subtractive  Primary  Colors: 


cyan  magenta  yellow 

(minus-red)  (minus-green)  (minus-blue) 


Subtractive  Mixtures: 


yellow  cyan  magenta  black 

Subtractive  Color  Synthesis  from  three 
Primary  Colors 

(Superposition  of  tinted  emulsion  layers) 


Chart  IV 


Original  Subject: 


Additive  Color  Reproduction: 


Print  from  Print  from  Print  from 

Redfilter  Negative  Greenfilter  Negative  Bluefilter  Negative 


Redfilter 


Greenfilter 


Bluefilter 


Three  separate  positive  color-separation  images  (black  and  white)  arc  projected  with  white  light 
simultaneously  one  upon  the  other  through  primary  filters. 


Subtractive  Color  Reproduction: 


Print  from  Blue  Filter  Negative 


Print  from  Green  Filter  Negative 


Print  from  Red  Filter  Negative 


Three  superimposed  color-separation  prints/  each  tinted  in  the  color  complementary  to  the  exposing 
light  are  projected  with  white  light. 


Scheme  of  Additive  and 
Subtractive  Color  Reproduction 


be  caused  where  special  filters  and  particular  lenses  have  to  be  used  are  avoided. 
The  process  is  free  from  fringing,  parallax,  and  diffused  focus,  the  overall  thick- 
ness of  the  three  emulsion  layers  being  only  about  that  of  a normal  one-layer 
film.  One  may  note  in  particular  that  the  light  intensity  required  for  projection 
is  the  same  as  for  black  and  white  film. 

Furthermore,  the  grainless  character  of  the  image  is  worthwhile  mention- 
ing: there  is  no  silver  in  the  finished  film,  and  the  dye  image  is  practically  grain- 
'ess  and  does  not  show  any  clumping.  The  image  has  a soft  and  quiet  appear- 
ance and  can  be  enlarged  to  a larger  picture  size  than  a black  and  white  mono- 
chrome print.  The  light  sensitivity  of  the  material  at  present  is  less  than  that 
of  fast  black  and  white  negative  film,  although  it  is  sufficiently  high  for  all  prac- 
tical purposes. 

In  sunshine  16  mm.  motion  pictures  may  be  made  using  a lens  opening  of 
F:4.5  to  F:5.6.  For  still-pictures,  sufficient  exposure  will  be  obtained  with  I /50th 
to  I / 1 00th  of  a second  at  F:3 .5.  Colored  advertising  signs  can  be  photographed 
at  night  if  exposed  with  a full  opening.  The  speed  of  this  film,  therefore,  is 
clearly  ample  under  all  normal  light  conditions. 

It  is  a natural  question  whether  this  process  can  be  applied  for  professional 
motion  pictures  photographed  in  the  studio  and  also  for  making  paper  prints 
in  natural  colors.  Basically  speaking,  there  is  apparently  no  reason  why  this 
should  not  be  possible,  and  work  in  this  direction  is  already  in  full  progress. 

The  problem  of  perfecting  this  method  to  deliver  commercially  acceptable 
results,  naturally,  requires  additional  time  and  research,  but  the  results  thus  far 
achieved  justify  full  hope  that  the  final  solution  of  all  practical  questions  unsolved 
will  be  mastered  within  a reasonable  time. 


The  reader  has , no  doubt , noticed  that  this  issue  of 
Agfa  Motion  Picture  Topics  combines  the  publication 
for  June  and  July.  This  was  necessary  due  to  delay  in 
securing  color  plates  illustrating  the  description , which 
is  contained  in  this  issue,  of  the  new  Agfacolor 
Process. 

We  believe,  however,  that  information  pertaining 
to  this  new  process  was  sufficiently  interesting  to  justify 
the  combining  of  these  two  issues  into  one  so  that  the 
article  might  be  graphically  presented  and  easily  under- 
stood. 


Page  Eleven 


Problems  of  Controlling  Correct  Photo- 
graphic Peproduction 

By  DR.  HERBERT  MEYER,  A.  S.  C. 

PART  IV 

From  the  foregoing  articles  we  might  now  conclude  that  the  principal 
difficulties  in  rendering  correct  photographic  reproduction  are  caused  by  the 
following  reasons: 

(a)  Total  visual  contrast  in  the  natural  object  is  composed  of  three  variables, 
brilliance  contrast,  color-hue  contrast,  and  color  saturation.  Contrast  in 
the  photographic  reproduction  can  only  be  rendered  by  brightness  con- 
trast. 

(b)  The  color  sensitivity  curve  of  the  eye  is  far  different  from  that  of  any 
negative  emulsion. 

It  is  indeed  remarkable  that  the  professional  cameraman,  applying  his  sense  of 
feeling  and  intuition,  is  able  to  overcome  these  difficulties  regardless  of  the  fact 
that  he  is  not  provided  with  instruments  which  would  enable  him  to  measure 
these  variables  quantitatively,  and  to  adjust  exposure  and  lighting  conditions  cor- 
respondingly. It  might  also  be  considered  lamentable  that  the  present  day  technic 
in  this  respect  is  comparable  to  that  of  the  days  when  the  "negative  timer"  was 
forced  to  judge  the  printing  lights  by  visual  examination  of  the  negative  without 
the  aid  of  the  Cinex  tester.  The  question,  therefore,  arises  as  to  what  has  been 
done  and  could  be  done  to  mechanize  measurements  of  these  existing  differ- 
ences by  means  of  reliable  instruments. 

It  has  been  mentioned  before  that  correct  photographic  reproduction  in- 
volves two  different  problems,  that  of  exact  reproduction  of  brightness  distribu- 
tion in  the  object  which  is  referred  to  as  "Orthochromatic  reproduction,"  and 
that  of  deliberately  distorted  reproduction. 

Orthochromatic  Reproduction 

Orthochromatic  reproduction  requires  balancing  of  the  color  sensitivity 
curve  of  the  negative  film  material  used  to  that  of  the  eye.  This  can  be  done 
by  photographing  through  a compensating  filter.  The  spectrophotometric 
transmission  curve  of  such  a filter  is  constructed  by  dividing  the  ordinates  of 
the  visibility  curve  by  the  corresponding  ordinates  of  the  photographic  sensi- 
tivity curve  of  the  negative  material  and  by  plotting  the  values  thus  obtained 
against  wave  length.  A filter  of  this  type,  in  combination  with  supersensitive 
Panchromatic  emulsions,  would  be  rather  prohibitive  for  practical  use  due  to 
the  magnitude  of  the  exposure  factor  necessary.  For  this  reason  a compromise 
must  be  considered  and  for  practical  Orthochromatic  reproduction  filters  of  a 
dark  yellow  or  yellow-green  color  are  used,  such  as  Wratten  G or  Aero  #1  and 
#2,  which  give  sufficient  approximation  to  the  theoretical  ideal  in  combination 
with  supersensitive  Panchromatic  negative  film. 


Page  Twelve 


Monochromatic  Viewing  Glasses 

In  connection  with  Orthochromatic  reproduction,  different  monochromatic 
viewing  filters  are  in  existence  and  are  widely  used  by  the  cameramen.  Filters 
of  this  kind,  like  for  instance  the  Wratten  yellow  filter  #90,  transmit  only  a nar- 
row region  of  the  spectrum.  In  looking  through  such  a filter  it  is  possible  to 
distinguish  between  a red  and  a green,  but  the  difference  between  these  colors 
is  so  subdued  that  relative  differences  in  hue  or  saturation  cannot  be  deter- 
mined any  longer.  This  enables  the  observer  to  judge  the  object  to  be  photo- 
graphed by  brilliance  differences  only,  and  thus  to  anticipate  the  results  of 
reproducing  total  visual  contrast  by  brilliance  contrast  alone  before  the  expo- 
sure is  made. 

In  speaking  of  black  and  white  reproduction,  it  will  be  clear  that  the  prob- 
lem can  only  consist  of  correctly  reproducing  total  visual  contrast,  which  means 
it  is  not  primarily  necessary  or  even  desirable  to  reproduce  correctly  one  of 
the  three  single  factors  of  which  total  visual  contrast  is  composed.  If  we  con- 
sider for  instance  an  object  in  which  brilliance  contrast  is  absent  or  zero,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  reproduce  in  the  negative  and  print  the  remaining  hue  or  sat- 
uration contrast  or  both  by  means  of  brightness  contrast.  This  means  that  if 
different  areas  in  the  object  are  equal  in  brightness,  it  is  only  by  destroying 
this  equality  that  an  existing  visual  contrast  due  to  hue  or  saturation  difference 
can  be  correctly  registered  in  the  photographic  black  and  white  reproduction. 

Deliberate  Distortion 

Assuming  now  that  the  different  color  hues  in  this  case  are  caused  by 
reflected  radiation  to  which  the  negative  material  is  equally  sensitive,  it  will  be 

Typical  Sectional  View  cf  Research  Laboratories  of 
Agfa  Ansco  Corporation,  Binghamton,  New  York. 


seen  that  to  render  hue  contrast  in  spite  of  this  condition,  a deliberate  distor- 
tion has  to  be  made.  This  is  accomplished  by  the  use  of  light  filters,  which  for 
this  reason  are  also  frequently  referred  to  as  contrast  filters. 

Important  in  connection  with  this  problem  of  deliberately  distorted  repro- 
duction is  the  correct  conception  of  the  rather  simple  principles  underlying  the 
proper  direction  and  the  necessary  degree  of  any  contemplated  distortion.  To 
render  a color  lighter  on  the  photographic  brightness  scale  of  the  final  repro- 
duction, a filter  must  be  used  which  selectively  transmits  the  same  color.  To 
render  a color  darker  a filter  must  be  used  which  selectively  absorbs  this  color. 

"Warm"  and  "Cool"  Colors 

As  far  as  the  direction  of  the  distortion  is  concerned  there  exist  certain 
physical  and  psychological  laws  which  make  it  appear  best  to  render  colors  of 
longer  wave  length  lighter  than  those  of  shorter  wave  length.  The  former 
include  red,  orange,  yellow  and  yellow-green,  and  may  be  referred  to  as  "warm 
colors."  The  latter  include  blue-green,  blue  and  violet,  and  are  called  "cool 
colors."  In  case  of  non-spectral  hues,  the  purples,  which  reflect  red  and  violet, 
the  ones  in  which  red  predominates,  are  classed  with  "warm  colors,"  while  those 
in  which  blue  predominates  are  classed  with  "cool  colors.”  * 

Special  Viewing  Filter 

In  addition  to  the  monochromatic  viewing  filters  mentioned  above,  another 
type  of  viewing  filter  is  of  interest  and  is  also  frequently  used  in  practice.  This 
filter  is  of  a purple  tint,  thus  enhancing  red  and  blue  colors,  and  depressing 
green-yellow  radiation.  The  spectral  transmission  curve  of  such  a filter  is  closest 
in  shape  to  the  spectral  sensitivity  curve  of  present  Panchromatic  supersensitive 
emulsions,  both  showing  their  maximum  peaks  in  red  and  blue. 

Viewing  an  object  through  this  type  of  filter  will  enable  one  to  visually  an- 
ticipate the  effect  of  the  spectral  reflection  characteristics  of  the  object  upon 
the  negative  material  before  exposure.  Thus  we  are  able  to  construct  visually 
for  any  object  what  was  previously  referred  to  and  explained  as  the  photicity 
curve. 

Both  types  of  viewing  filters  discussed  are  helpful  in  many  ways  for  each 
problem,  that  of  "Orthochromatic  reproduction"  and  deliberately  distorted 
reproduction. 

Special  Effect  Photography 

An  interesting  field  in  which  the  application  of  photographic  distortion 
plays  an  important  part  is  in  the  photographing  of  so-called  "effect  shots." 
This  includes  the  many  different  methods  of  composite  trick  photography 
wherein  the  combination  of  foreground  action  and  background  is  achieved  by 
utilizing  the  possibilities  of  color  enhancing  and  depressing  filters. 

Also,  in  this  category  belong  photographing  through  haze  and  photograph- 
ically producing  night  effects  made  in  the  daytime.  While  both  of  these  tasks 

* ( L.  A.  Jones,  S.M.P.E.  Journal.  Vol.  XI,  number  30,  page  164  and  following.) 

(Continued  on  Cage  Sixteen) 


Page  Fourteen 


'STILL  LIFE" 


By  Lewis  Ami 


Page  Fifteen 


can  be  accomplished  quite  successfully  by  using  Panchromatic  negative  emul- 
sions in  combination  with  red  filters,  there  are  also  available  special  emulsions 
w hich  in  addit  ion  to  the  blue  sensitivity  inherent  to  silver  bromide,  are  sensitized 
for  deep-red  and  infra-red  radiation,  and  thus  make  effects  possible  which 
cannot  be  obtained  otherwise.  (Concluded  next  issue) 


The  1937  Spring  Convention  of  the  Society  of  Motion  Picture  Engineers 
recently  held  in  Hollywood  is  popularly  conceded  to  have  been  one  of  the  most 
successful  Conventions  held  so  far  by  the  Society.  The  wide  range  of  technical 
subjects  covered  by  the  papers  presented,  together  with  the  interesting  sym- 
posiums on  motion  picture  production  held  at  the  various  Sudios,  combined  to 
make  the  stay  of  visiting  delegates  and  the  attendance  of  local  technicians  most 
instructive  and  enjoyable. 

It  was  the  pleasure  of  the  Agfa  Ansco  Corporation  to  present  two  papers 
during  the  technical  sessions  of  the  Convention.  One  dealt  with  the  new 
Agfacolor  Process"  and  was  read  by  J.  L.  Forrest  of  Binghamton,  New 
York,  and  the  other,  a paper  describing  the  "Practical  Application  of  the  Agfa 
Infra-Red  Type  B Motion  Picture  Negative  to  Special  Effects  Photography,"  was 
read  by  G.  W.  Hough  of  the  Pacific  Coast  Technical  Division. 

Due  to  the  universal  interest  created  by  the  paper  on  the  new  "Agfacolor" 
a description  of  this  process  is  contained  elsewhere  in  this  issue  of  Agfa  Motion 
Picture  Topics. 

With  the  cooperation  of  the  Agfa  Ansco  Corporation,  a paper  entitled 
The  Objective  Quantitative  Determination  of  the  Graininess  of  Photographic 
Emulsions",  was  presented  by  Dr.  A.  Goetz  of  the  California  Institute  of  Tech- 
nology, Pasadena,  California.  As  this  paper  discussed  a comparatively  new 
method  of  measuring  and  recording  this  disturbing  phase  of  photography,  it 
aroused  great  interest  and  considerable  discussion. 

Reprints  of  the  above  papers  from  the  Journal  of  the  Society  of  Motion 
Picture  Engineers  will  be  available  at  the  Agfa  Ansco  Hollywood  office  as  soon 
as  copies  can  be  secured  from  the  East. 


AGFA  MOTION  PICTURE  TOPICS 

Published  by  C.  King  Charney,  Inc. 

6372  Santa  Monica  Boulevard,  Hollywood,  California 
Hollywood  2918  Editor,  H.  Meyer 

C.  King  Charney,  Inc.,  is  not  responsible  for  statements  made  by  authors  or  for 
unsolicited  manuscripts. 


Page  Sixteen 


Agfa  Photographic  Papers  for  Enlarging 

Brovira 

Portrait  Enlarging 

Indiatone 


Manufactured  by 


AGFA  ANSCO  CORPORATION 

Binghamton,  N.  Y. 

Los  Angeles  Branch:  1043  South  Olive  Street 
Telephone  PRospect  2235 


VALLEY  OF  THE  ANCIENTS 


Photographed  by  J.  C.  MATTHEWS 


CONTENTS 

Page 

Initiative  ..............  2 

Infra  Red  vs.  Panchromatic  Types  - - By  Dr.  Herbert  Meyer,  A.S.C.  5 

Ultra  Speed  Pan  in  Newsreel  Cinematography 10 

Quality  Control  in  the  Manufacture  of  Motion  Picture  Raw  Film 

By  F.  Wing  14 

A Faster  Film  for  the  Still  Man  - - - By  Grant  W.  Hough  19 

Academy  Technicians  Discuss  New  Films  .......  22 

Of  Interest  to  All 24 


Initiative 


THE  statement  has  often  been  made  that  the  daily  work  of  a motion  picture 
technician  consists  of  achieving  the  impossible  as  a matter  of  routine.  The 
unfailing  technical  skill  and  resourcefulness  which  enable  cameramen  and 
others  to  rise  to  these  demands  have  become  almost  axiomatic.  But  it  has  not 
so  frequently  been  pointed  out  that  many  of  these  remarkable  achievements 
have  also  been  due  in  no  small  measure  to  the  far-sighted  courage  and  adapta- 
bility which  enable  the  leaders  of  the  camera  profession  to  keep  themselves 
abreast  of  new  developments  in  materials  and  methods,  and  to  put  them  to  new 
and  perhaps  unusual  uses  when  faced  with  unexpected  demands. 

That  this  calls  for  technical  adaptability  will  not  be  doubted,  though  it  is 
possible  that  in  some  quarters  it  will  be  wondered  why  courage  should  be  men 
tioned  in  the  same  connection.  But  when  one  considers  the  tremendous  respon- 
sibility placed  upon  Hollywood's  key  production  technicians,  and  the  reputations 
of  these  men  for  unfailing  technical  dependability,  it  is  easier  to  see  why  cour- 
age is  required  to  apply  new  and  unconventional  materials  or  methods  to  use  on 
actual  production.  It  is  one  thing  to  apply  thoroughly  known  factors  to  the  solu- 
tion of  an  unusual  problem;  it  is  quite  another  to  stake  one's  reputation  — and 
possibly  several  thousand  dollars  of  one's  employer's  money  — upon  the  per- 
formance of  new  and  relatively  unfamiliar  products. 

* * * 

To  illustrate  this  point  by  a concrete  example:  recently  one  of  the  com- 
panies of  a major  studio  had  an  entire  night  sequence  to  photograph  in  the 
daytime  on  location.  Due  to  a comparatively  short  schedule  it  was  determined 
by  the  production  department  that  the  sequence  should  be  completed  in  one 
day's  shooting. 

After  considering  the  topography  of  the  location  and  the  nature  and  angles 
of  the  scenes  to  be  photographed,  the  cameraman  elected  to  use  Agfa  Infra-red 
Type  B negative.  This  film,  having  been  available  for  a year,  was  of  course  a 
thoroughly  familiar  tool. 

Shooting  proceeded  throughout  the  day  in  the  usual  manner.  But  as  dark- 
ness came  on,  it  was  found  that  there  was  still  considerable  work  to  be  done 
before  the  location  could  be  finished. 

Faced  with  the  necessity  of  matching  night  scenes  shot  in  the  daytime  with 
night  scenes  actually  photographed  at  night,  the  cameraman  immediately 
switched  to  the  new  Agfa  Ultra  Speed  Pan  negative  and  continued  shooting, 
using  only  one-quarter  the  amount  of  booster  light  that  would  have  been  neces- 
sary had  he  been  using  standard  panchromatic  material.  This  was  in  truth 
pioneering,  for  this  type  of  film  was  introduced  so  recently  that  neither  tests  nor 
production  experience  have  succeeded  in  piling  up  sufficient  information  about 
its  possibilities  and  limitations  to  make  it  a familiar,  commonplace  factor. 


Page  Two 


Upon  viewing  the  rushes  the  following  morning,  however,  several  executives 
of  the  company  freely  expressed  their  surprise  and  gratification  not  only  at  the 
excellent  matching  of  conditions  accomplished  by  that  cameraman,  but  also  at 
the  tremendous  latitude  of  a film  which  made  it  possible  to  work  with  so  little 
light.  It  was  also  noted  with  approval  that  even  in  employing  a negative  of  such 
extreme  speed  the  grain  size  was  not  at  all  out  of  the  ordinary.  The  dollars-and- 
cents  production  worth  of  the  new  film,  which  enabled  the  company  to  keep  its 
schedule,  was  also  commended. 

H5  % 

There  is  considerably  more  to  this  achievement  than  merely  the  laudable, 
personal  success  of  a distinguished  Director  of  Photography.  The  Agfa  Ansco 
organization  naturally  Joins  in  congratulating  this  Cinematographer  for  his 
achievement,  the  more  so  since  they  were  primarily  responsible  for  the  develop- 
ment of  the  production  type  of  Infra  Red  negative  which  he  used,  and  since  they 
so  recently  introduced  the  new  Ultra  Speed  negative. 

But  beyond  these  somewhat  personal  aspects,  the  incident  has  a broader 
significance.  We  have  often  expressed  the  contention  that  progress  is  achieved 
only  with  complete  co-operation  between  the  manufacturer  who  makes  the  film, 
the  Cinematographer  who  uses  it,  and  the  producer  in  whose  interest  it  is  used. 
This  incident  goes  far  to  prove  the  truth  of  this  contention.  Without  the  two  new 
materials  which  were  at  this  Cameraman's  command,  he  could  not  have  scored 
so  notable  an  artistic  and  economic  success.  Without  the  Cameraman's  versa- 
tility in  applying  new  materials  which  he  had  previously  investigated,  he  could 
not  have  effected  for  his  employer  this  economy,  without,  at  least,  some  sacrifice 
of  time  or  screen  quality.  Without  the  co-operation  of  the  producer,  in  giving 
his  Cameraman  a free  hand  in  selecting  and  utilizing  whatever  materials  he 
thought  best,  again  the  achievement  would  have  been  impossible. 

He  H1  sH 

To  us,  the  whole  incident  is  especially  a graphic  example  of  a technician's 
using  his  full  knowledge  and  experience  in  protecting  and  co-operating  with  his 
employer  ,to  the  end  that  a substantial  economy  may  be  accomplished.  It  is  our 
contention  that  this  particular  technician,  and  many  others  with  the  same  cour- 
age and  foresight,  will  achieve  far  more  lasting  personal  success  and  recognition 
than  those  others  who  not  only  lack  ambition  but  who  also  adhere  to  the  belief 
that  conventional  materials  and  conventional  methods  are  always  good  enough. 

If  men  of  the  caliber  of  this  Cameraman  were  in  the  majority,  the  problem 
of  manufacturers  supplying  the  industry  with  material  and  equipment  would  be 
greatly  simplified. 

H«  % 

All  achievements  are  accomplished  primarily  by  the  reconciliation  of  theory 
to  practice,  but  as  an  intermediary  there  is  required  a technician  of  skill,  under- 
standing and  courage  to  correlate  the  two.  The  problems  presented  daily  to 


Page  T h ree 


Cameramen  are  complex  and  multiform,  and  entail  a very  considerable  moral 
and  economic  responsibility.  Hence  a certain  conservatism  on  the  part  of  Cam- 
eramen is  not  only  laudable,  but  is  expected.  However,  when  new  methods  have 
been  demonstrated  and  proven  it  is  their  duty  to  the  industry  to  be  sufficiently 
skillful  and  adaptable  to  meet  changing  conditions  with  an  informed  and  recep- 
tive mind.  The  men  who  are  capable  of  this  will,  no  doubt,  long  remain  as  repre- 
sentative members  of  their  craft;  and  during  the  years  we  have  all  of  us  seen 
too  often  the  regrettable  fate  of  those  who  have  been  either  unable  or  unwilling 
to  keep  abreast  of  the  industry's  ever-changing  technical  conditions. 

* * * 

To  those  of  us  engaged  in  the  technical  phases  of  the  industry,  then,  the 
strides  of  science  are  more  than  ordinarily  real,  for  they  have  an  intimate,  dollars- 
and-cents  bearing  on  our  lives  and  work.  Even  a brief  review  of  the  history  of 
the  industry  will  confirm  this  fact.  It  will  readily  be  agreed  that  each  step  for- 
ward in  box-office  popularity  was  brought  about  primarily  by  the  creation  of 
some  new  technique,  either  in  the  purely  dramatic  phases  of  writing  or  direction, 
or  in  the  technical  phases  through  the  development  of  new  materials,  equipment 
or  methods.  But  before  any  of  these  innovations  could  bring  about  its  advance- 
ment in  the  quality  and  popularity  of  films,  it  had  to  be  applied  — put  to  prac- 
tical use  by  practical  film  craftsmen.  And  the  men  who  have  in  their  respective 
fields  withstood  these  sometimes  tremendous  changes  have  been  those  possessed 
of  sufficient  courage  to  analyze  and  embrace  every  worth-while  means  offered 
them  to  improve  their  production.  Now  and  always,  the  progress  of  the  industry 
as  a whole  is  measured  by  the  progressiveness  of  the  individuals  who  form  it. 


Page  Four 


Infra  Red  versus 

Panchromatic  Types 

By  DR.  HERBERT  MEYER,  A.S.C. 


OUR  experience  with  cameramen  using  the  new  Agfa  Infra  Red  type  B 
negative  has  so  far  proven  that  the  few  disappointments  encountered 
can  be  definitely  traced  to  a misconception  of  when  Infra  Red  type  B 
can  be  successfully  applied  in  making  night  shots  in  the  daytime  and  what  its 
actual  limitations  are. 

We  do  not  count  herein  any  case  where  a cameraman  steadfastly  gives 
preference  to  panchromatic  types  for  the  sole  reason  that  he  has  been  accus- 
tomed to  the  use  of  this  type  film  for  a long  time  and  is  either  afraid  to  switch 
to  Infra  Red  or  perhaps  lacks  initiative  to  bother  with  a change  as  long  as  he 
believes  that  results  he  has  so  far  obtained  are  "passable." 

The  latter  problem  is  one  which  should  be  of  definite  concern  to  the  pro- 
ducer whose  money  finances  the  production  in  question.  It  has  been  stressed 
more  than  once  that  Infra  Red  negative  as  a medium  for  photographing  night 
effects  in  the  daytime  not  only  enhances  the  beauty  of  the  results  desired,  but 
particularly  offers  possibilities  in  economy  which  cannot  be  overlooked  by  any 
responsible  production  executive. 

Principles  of  Daylight  Night  Effects 

If  it  is  true,  and  it  has  been  proven  beyond  question  to  be  so,  that  Infra 
Red  type  B widens  the  practical  scope  of  night  photography  in  the  daytime,  this 
very  fact  must  mean  considerable  savings  in  time  and  money. 

The  principles  upon  which  is  based  the  photographic  technique  of  obtaining 
artificial  night  effects  have  neither  to  do  with  magic  nor  are  in  any  way  too 
complicated  to  be  understood  and  applied  by  any  photographer. 

The  psychological  effect  of  a night  illusion  is  primarily  caused  by  the  rendi- 
tion of  a dark  sky.  A blue  sky  in  ordinary  day  photography  is  reproduced  white 
in  the  finished  print  because  of  the  blue  sensitivity  characteristic  of  any  negative 
emulsion.  To  render  a blue  sky  dark,  it  is  only  necessary  to  photograph  through 
a blue-absorbing  filter  and  to  print  down  the  negative  sufficiently  to  have  the 
sky  portion  properly  darkened. 

Of  additional  importance  is,  naturally,  the  problem  of  reproducing  fore- 
ground and  action  also  in  tones  which  suggest  an  appropriate  night  effect. 

When  using  a panchromatic  type,  it  is  not  possible  to  apply  orange  or  even 
light-red  filters  with  full  exposure  as,  although  they  do  not  transmit  blue  and 


Page  Five 


correspondingly  darken  the  sky,  they  permit  green-yellow,  yellow,  and  orange 
to  transmit,  thus  rendering  all  other  subjects  of  the  picture  like  a daylight  effect. 
This  is  directly  due  to  the  fact  that  panchromatic  emulsions  are  fully  sensitized 
and  respond  to  the  green-yellow-orange  region  of  the  visible  spectrum. 

It,  therefore,  becomes  necessary  either  to  use  deep-red  filters,  such  as 
Wratten  70  and  72  at  full  opening  because  of  their  low  total  transmission,  or  to 
underexpose  when  applying  a lighter-red  filter,  such  as  29F. 

Disadvantages  of  Underexposure 

The  underexposure,  naturally,  helps  to  render  a darker  print  in  general, 
which  in  itself  closer  approximates  a "night  effect."  At  the  same  time,  however, 
this  causes  the  entire  negative  to  be  more  or  less  registered  in  the  lower  part 
of  the  gradation  or  characteristic  curve,  resulting  in  an  undesirable  distortion  of 
the  negative's  tonal  scale  and  causing  the  print  to  look  "flat"  and  "mushy." 

Using  Infra  Red  type  B,  it  is  possible  to  use  any  filter  which  absorbs  the  blue 
end  of  the  spectrum,  as  this  film  type  is  not  sensitized  at  all  for  radiation  be- 
tween green  (5,200  Angstroem-units)  and  orange-red  (6,600  Angstroem-units). 
All  these  filters  can  be  applied  with  full  exposure  in  securing  the  night  effect  and 
thereby  assuring  a negative  with  an  undistorted  tonal  scale  and  at  the  same  time 
the  desired  night  effect  is  made  evident  not  only  in  the  sky  portion,  but  in  any 
additional  part  of  the  subject. 

For  the  same  reason  it  becomes  equally  unnecessary,  when  photographing 
on  Infra  Red  type  B,  to  use  deep-red  filters  which  have  a very  low  total  percent- 
age transmission  of  only  0.6  (Wratten  70)  and  1.0  (Wratten  72)  and,  therefore, 
require  exposures  with  full  opening. 


Filter  Transmission 

The  fact  that  any  filter  of  the  series  between  21  and  29,  and  also  including 
the  combination  of  23A  plus  56  requires  the  same  exposure  factor  when  using 
Infra  Red,  which,  naturally,  means  an  additional  convenience  and  simplification, 
is  explained  by  the  reason  that  all  these  filters  have  approximately  the  same 
transmission  for  ths  range  of  radiation  (6,600  Angstroem-units  to  7,700  Ang- 
stroem-units) for  which  Infra  Red  type  B is  sensitized,  with  its  maximum  sensi- 
tivity at  approximately  7,400  Angstroem-units.  In  comparing  the  transmission 
of  these  filters  for  the  wave  length  approximately  corresponding  to  the  maximum 
sensitivity  of  panchromatic  types  (6,300  Angstroem-units),  noticeable  differences 
will  be  found  which  account  for  different  filter  factors. 


Filter 

21 

23A 

29 

56  plus  23A 


Percentage  Transmission  for  Wave 
Length  of  6,300  Angstroem-units 

82.9 

76.1 

50.1 
5.9 


Page  Six 


'CENTRAL  PARK"  Photographed  by  DR.  ERNST  SCHWARZ 

(Agfa  Infra-Red) 


Page  Seven 


The  transmission  of  filter  72  for  the  wave  length  corresponding  to  the  maxi- 
mum sensitivity  of  these  two  film  types  is  1.51  for  panchromatic  types  (6,300 
Angstroem-units)  and  I 1.5  for  Infra  Red  type  B (7,400  Angstroem-units). 

It  has  been  previously  stated  and  stressed  that  the  application  of  Infra  Red 
film  in  obtaining  night  effects  in  the  daytime  has  definite  limitations.  Most  of 
these  limitations,  however,  apply  just  the  same  or  often  more  so  to  the  use  of 
panchromatic  types  for  this  purpose. 

If  sky  portions  are  included  in  a scene,  the  sky  must  be  clear,  otherwise  none 
of  the  filters  named  will  correct  it  to  a dark  rendition.  An  overcast  sky  reflects 
and  radiates  all  colors  of  the  visible  spectrum  plus  Infra  Red.  and  these  rays 
naturally  transmit  even  through  a deep-red  filter. 

The  degree  of  bluishness  of  a clear  sky,  also,  differs  with  the  position  of  the 
sun  and  depending  at  what  angle  to  the  horizon  the  sky  is  observed  or  photo- 
graphed. 

Sky  Analysis 

In  Fig.  I this  latter  phenomenon  is  explained.  It  represents  a simple  drawing 
of  the  sky  hemisphere  with  the  observer  standing  at  O on  the  earth  level  DB. 
A blue  sky  does  not  reflect  any  radiation  from  the  sun  except  blue.  The  at- 
mospheric haze,  however,  which  hovers  above  the  earth  level  absorbs  a consid- 
erable amount  of  blue  or  shortwave  radiation  and  preferably  reflects  and  refracts 
radiation  of  longer  wave  lengths.  The  shorter  the  space,  therefore,  through 
which  the  radiation  reflected  from  the  blue  sky  has  to  travel  to  reach  the  ob- 
server or  his  camera  lens,  the  less  blue  will  be  absorbed  and  the  less  long-wave 
radiation  reflected  by  the  haze  will  pass  to  the  lens.  In  our  sketch  D1  B1  repre- 
sents the  upper  border  of  this  layer  of  haze  with  OE  giving  its  height.  S sym- 
bolizes the  location  of  the  sun.  If  one  photographs  against  the  sky  in  the  direc- 
tion of  OA,  this  sky  portion  will  be  the  bluest  one  and  will,  therefore,  be  most 
effectively  darkened  in  the  print  when  photographing  through  a blue-absorbing 


A 


Page  Eight 


filter.  Photographing  in  a horizontal  direction  from  O toward  B,  the  rays  re- 
flected from  this  portion  of  the  sky  must  pass  throughout  atmospheric  haze, 
which  causes  a much  greater  amount  of  blue  radiation  to  become  lost  by  absorp- 
tion and  a correspondingly  greater  amount  of  long-wave  radiation  reflected  by 
the  haze  to  reach  the  lens.  When  photographing  at  any  angle  to  the  horizon, 
for  instance  in  the  direction  from  O to  C,  correspondingly  shorter  sections  of 
haze  have  to  be  travelled  through  by  rays  reflected  from  the  sky  and  corre- 
spondingly more  blue  evades  absorption. 

It  is  also  quite  difficult  and  in  most  cases  impossible  to  render  a night-sky 
effect  with  any  film  type  and  filter  combination  when  photographing  with  back- 
light. 

These  are  the  principal  limitations  in  applying  the  technique  of  photograph- 
ing night  effects  in  the  daytime  by  means  of  color  corrective  filters,  regardless  of 
whether  Infra  Red  or  panchromatic  types  are  used. 

In  some  instances  the  above-mentioned  grayishness  of  results  obtained  when 
using  panchromatic  types  with  a light-red  filter  plus  an  underexposure  might 
lead  to  a desired  effect:  for  instance,  if  actual  moonlight  night  effects  are  not 
desired,  but  a dawn-  or  twilight-effect  is  wanted.  Infra  Red  however  exposed 
with  appropriate  filters  would  produce  such  effects  just  as  efficiently  as  the 
panchromatic  types. 

Moonlight  Illusion 

Naturally,  when  thinking  of  an  outdoor  night  effect  shot,  one  imagines,  in 
the  majority  of  cases,  "moonlit  night  effects."  The  visual  illusion  of  this  effect  is 
principally  caused  through  the  observance  in  the  projected  print  of  the  dark  sky, 
soft  but  deep  shadows  and  certain  carefully  spread  highlights  and  catchlights. 
For  this  reason  a deep  shadow  in  the  foreground  resulting  from  a strong  cross 
light  is  particularly  effective.  The  peculiar  effect  of  Infra  Red  radiation  from 
green  leaves  or  foliage,  and  the  corresponding  photographic  rendition  on  Infra 
Red  film  of  highlights  outlining  the  shape  of  trees  and  tree  groups  adds  a spe- 
cific beauty  which  can  be  overdone,  but  if  properly  registered  aids  the  imagina- 
tion of  the  observer  immensely  in  realizing  a true  night  effect. 

We  feel  certain  that  in  time  every  cameraman,  director  and  producer  will 
seriously  consider  the  possibilities  offered  by  the  intelligent  use  of  Infra  Red  type 
B,  particularly  the  improved  quality  of  photographic  results  as  well  as  the  eco- 
nomic advantages. 

A full  year's  practical  experience  and  testing  has  truly  confirmed  and  justi- 
fied the  original  claim  of  the  manufacturer  that  this  film  type  is  as  stable  and  can 
be  produced  in  quantities  as  uniform  as  any  other  negative  film  emulsion.  The 
disappearance  of  excessive  contrast  characteristic  of  former  types  makes  this 
material  applicable  to  any  production  use  including  the  most  discriminating 
closeups. 


Page  Nine 


AGFA  ULTRA  SPEED  PAN  Photographed  by  CHARLES  WAITE 

5:30  P.M.  — f:4.5;  I -20th  second 

Ultra-Speed  Pan  in  Newsreel 
Cinematosraphy 

A MONTH  AGO,  when  Agfa  Ultra-Speed  Pan  was  announced  in  these 
columns,  it  was  stated  that  it  was  in  such  heavy  demand  by  the  newsreel 
and  other  Cinematographers  in  the  East  that  deliveries  in  Hollywood 
would  be  considerably  delayed.  It  is  therefore  only  natural  to  inquire  what  these 
News  Cameramen  are  doing  with  the  new  film,  and  what  results  it  is  giving  them. 

The  answer  can  be  expressed  very  simply:  every  American  newsreel  is  using 
Agfa  Ultra  Speed  Pan,  and  it  is  enabling  them  to  film  "stories"  that  could  not 
have  been  put  on  the  screen  with  ordinary  emulsions.  The  situation  is  perhaps 
best  summed  up  by  Frederic  Ullman,  Jr.,  Vice-President  of  Pathe  News.  He 
recently  said,  "The  new  Agfa  fast  film  makes  an  important  contribution  to  news- 
reel coverage.  It  enables  us  to  photograph  scenes  which  were  hitherto  not  re- 
cordable on  film.  Through  its  use  we  will  be  able  to  penetrate  into  remote  local- 
ities which  we  could  not  have  photographed  without  the  use  of  cumbersome 
lights." 

A glance  at  even  a partial  list  of  the  outstanding  newsreel  subjects  filmed 
on  Agfa  Ultra  Speed  Pan  confirms  Mr.  Ullman's  statement.  His  own  reel,  Pathe 


Page  Ten 


News,  has  within  the  past  few  weeks  used  the  new  film  in  covering  such  events 
as  the  New  York  Automobile  Show;  the  Horse  Show  at  Madison  Square  Garden; 
New  York's  Election  Night;  the  Opening  Night  at  the  Metropolitan  Opera;  the 
Lake  Placid  Ice  Carnival;  Interior  Ski  Jumping  at  Boston,  Mass.;  and  filming 
Hockey  Games  at  Madison  Square  Garden  in  slow  motion,  using  a camera- 
speed  of  4 times  the  normal  "sound  speed." 

News  of  the  Day  — the  former  Hearst  Metrotone  News  — has  used  Ultra 
Speed  Pan  in  covering  many  of  the  same  subjects,  and  in  addition  has  used  it  to 
secure  "stories"  of  a Night  Flight  over  New  York;  the  Opening  of  the  recent 
Special  Session  of  Congress;  a Camera  Tour  of  Washington,  D.C.,  released  as 
"The  Capitol  by  Night";  and  scenes  of  the  construction  of  the  new  Sixth  Avenue 
subway. 

Paramount  News,  Fox  Movietonews,  and  the  Universal  Newsreel  have  cov- 
ered these  same  stories  with  Ultra  Speed  Pan:  and  in  addition  Universal  News 
has  used  it  in  covering  at  least  one  important  news  story  in  Hollywood  — the 
Christmas  Parade,  which  was  embellished  with  shots  of  the  real  "night  life"  of 
Hollywood. 

But  the  most  telling  commentaries  on  the  use  of  Agfa  Ultra  Speed  Pan  in 
newsreel  cinematography  are  the  statements  of  the  men  who  have  actually  used 
it  to  bring  in  the  news  scenes  upon  which  their  bread  and  butter  depended. 
Without  exception,  they  are  enthusiastic  about  the  new  film.  For  instance,  Pathe 
News'  Ray  Mann  writes  us,  "Agfa  Ultra  Speed  Pan  has  not  only  enabled  us  to 
obtain  good  quality  motion  pictures  under  lighting  heretofore  considered  un- 
photographable,  but  in  many  instances  has  saved  much  trouble  and  expense  by 
permitting  subjects  which  previously  required  extensive  lighting  to  be  photo- 
graphed without  any  extra  lights. 

"I  feel  that  the  manufacturers  of  this  new  film  should  be  given  much  credit 
for  having  furthered,  by  a long  stride,  progress  in  the  improvement  of  the 
medium  with  which  we  work." 

Howard  Winner,  also  one  of  the  Pathe  News  staff,  reports,  "I  have  found 
that  Agfa  Ultra  Speed  Negative  is  far  superior  to  the  ordinary  film  in  securing 
fine  quality  negative  where  conditions  are  such  that  only  ordinary  incandescent 
lighting  can  be  used.  It  is  also  very  handy  for  artistic  night  scenes." 

Another  Pathe  Staff  Cinematographer  adds  his  experiences  in  using  the  film 
for  filtered  exteriors,  when  Cameraman  Lawrence  O'Reilly  tells  us,  "Agfa  Film 
has  played  an  important  part  in  getting  good  pictures  which  under  ordinary  cir- 
cumstances it  would  have  been  difficult  for  newsreels  to  photograph.  I find  this 
film  to  have  good  general  quality.  Used  with  filters,  it  gives  outstanding  results. 
It  is  very  fast  in  the  shadows,  and  at  the  same  time  does  not  'burn  up'  the  high- 
lights." 

To  Robert  E.  Donahue,  the  cameraman  who  "covered"  the  Madison  Square 
Hockey  Games  in  slow-motion  photography  for  Pathe  News,  the  high  sensitivity 
of  Ultra  Speed  Pan  is  naturally  most  important.  He  says,  "The  outstanding  fea- 


Page  Eleven 


ture  of  the  Agfa  Ultra  Speed  negative  is  its  great  speed.  As  an  illustration  of 
this  speed,  I took  slow-motion  pictures  of  a hockey  game  at  four  times  the 
normal  camera-speed,  or  360  feet  a minute.  These  pictures  were  made  under 
the  regular  lighting  at  Madison  Square  Garden,  and  I secured  a normal 
negative.'' 

Pathe  Newsman  William  Deeke  points  out  the  economic  advantages  of 
newsreel  filming  with  this  faster  film.  He  comments,  "The  Agfa  Ultra  Speed  film 
makes  it  possible  to  photograph  when  it  would  be  impossible  to  secure  an  expo- 
sure with  ordinary  film.  In  many  instances  it  is  possible  to  photograph  interiors 
without  the  use  of  studio  lights,  thereby  saving  money." 

Movietonews'  Head  Cameraman  Jack  Painter  counts  Ultra  Speed  Pan  as 
important  a part  of  a newsman's  outfit  as  a fast  lens.  He  backs  this  up  by  men- 
tion of  comparative  tests  of  different  types  of  film  exposed  on  the  same  "story." 
He  writes  us,  "Agfa  Ultra  Speed  Pan  film  has  been  used  by  the  Movietone  News 
Crews  under  widely  varied  lighting  conditions,  and  always  with  excellent  results. 
The  greater  speed  of  the  Agfa  Ultra  Speed  film  gives  all  lenses  an  added  advan- 
tage, and  has  made  possible  the  photographing  of  stories  heretofore  beyond 
our  reach. 

"In  news  photography  we  frequently  make  use  of  slow-motion,  and  the  Ultra 
Speed  stock  does  much  to  compensate  for  the  light  lost  through  the  increased 
camera  speed. 

"Just  recently  we  photographed  a Fashion  Show,  part  of  which  was  shot  in 
slow-motion.  During  these  scenes,  we  used  several  different  types  of  film  for 
purposes  of  comparison,  and  the  Ultra  Speed  unquestionably  made  the  better 
picture. 

"We  have  also,  on  occasion,  shot  sound  news  stories  under  exceptionally 
poor  night  lighting  conditions,  using  Agfa  Ultra  Speed  film,  one  Photoflood  bulb 
and  an  f : 2 . 3 lens.  Without  this  excellent  fast  film  being  used  it  would  have  been 
impossible  to  make  this  type  picture  even  with  an  f : 1 .5  lens. 

Every  Movietone  News  Cameraman  now  receives  his  quota  of  Agfa  Ultra 
Speed  Pan  film.  We  consider  it  just  as  essential  for  his  work  as  a fast  lens  on  the 
camera." 

These  tributes  to  the  new  Agfa  Ultra  Speed  Pan  film  are  naturally  most 
gratifying.  We  feel,  too,  that  they  are  more  than  ordinarily  sincere,  coming  as 
they  do  from  the  leaders  of  the  newsreel  camera  clan,  whose  exacting  work  is 
traditionally  based  on  the  old  saying  that  in  news  cinematography  you  can't  put 
excuses- — -or  a film  manufacturer's  fine  slogans  — on  the  screen.  In  their  work, 
only  results  count:  and  we  are  proud  to  have  the  newsreel  cinematographers  say 
that  Agfa  Ultra  Speed  Pan  is  giving  them  results. 


Page  T weive 


by  DR. 


Photographed 


;; 

' 


ERNST  SCHWARZ 


Page  Thirteen 


Quality  Control  in  the  Manufacture 
of  Raw  Film 

By  F.  WING 

Agfa-Ansco  Corporation,  Binghamton,  New  York 

T is  doubtful  if  any  other  material  is  manufactured  on  a commercial  scale 
under  difficulties  so  numerous  and  diversified  as  those  encountered  in  the 
routine  production  of  highly  sensitive  photographic  film,  for  here  the  most 
delicate  chemical  reactions  and  exact  physical  standards  must  be  maintained 
with  predetermined  limits  throughout  large  scale  manufacture.  There  are,  of 
course,  many  products  of  the  chemist  and  the  maker  of  biological  and  pharma- 
ceutical drugs,  which  are  most  difficult  to  prepare,  but  it  must  be  realized  that 
these  products  are  usually  made  in  small  batches,  command  high  prices  because 
of  their  purity,  and  can  be  prepared  and  purified  under  the  visual  observation 
of  the  chemist  during  the  process  of  manufacture. 

The  film  manufacturer,  on  the  other  hand,  is  handicapped  because  all  pro- 
duction operations  following  the  initial  steps  must  be  conducted  in  very  subdued 
light  or  total  darkness,  and  the  little  which  can  be  seen  during  manufacture  is 
useful  only  in  judging  physical  characteristics  of  the  product,  while  the  all  im- 
portant photographic  qualities  of  film  must  be  determined  by  actual  photo- 
graphic tests.  With  these  difficulties  in  mind,  one  might  suppose  that  the  maker 
of  film  could  rely  upon  standard  testing  methods  similar  to  those  used  in  making 
innumerable  other  products,  where  it  is  common  procedure  to  subject  a small 
sample  to  specified  tests  for  chemical  and  physical  characteristics  with  confi- 
dence that  the  result  will  accurately  represent  the  qualities  of  remaining  material. 

Difficulty  of  Testing  Raw  Film 

Testing  methods  of  this  kind  have  naturally  been  applied  to  controlling  the 
manufacture  of  photographic  film  wherever  possible,  and  such  tests  insure  uni- 
formity in  the  constitution  of  raw  materials,  emulsions  and  film  base,  but  the 
qualities  of  finished  photographic  materials  are  profoundly  influenced  by  vari- 
ation in  physical  dimensions,  therefore,  the  testing  of  representative  samples  at 
various  stages  of  manufacture  must  be  supplemented  by  other  tests  specially 
devised  to  reveal  the  existence  and  location  in  a coating  of  any  possible  devi- 
ation from  established  standards. 

The  average  user  of  photographic  film  has  little  or  no  idea  of  the  methods 
used  in  modern  large  scale  production  of  sensitive  materials,  and  is  therefore 
unlikely  to  have  knowledge  of  testing  methods  used  to  control  production.  The 
following  description  of  film  testing  during  manufacture  should  therefore  be  of 
interest  to  the  practical  photographer,  the  cinematographer  and  the  film  pro- 
ducer, all  of  whom  directly  or  indirectly  depend  upon  the  efficiency  of  testing 
methods  to  insure  quality  in  their  pictures  and  to  minimize  production  costs. 


Page  Fourteen 


A special  Film  Testing  Department  is  the  most  prominent  factor  in  the 
system  of  production  control,  and  though  each  production  department  is  respon- 
sible for  inspecting  workmanship  and  testing  both  the  raw  and  finished  materials 
which  it  contributes  during  the  film  manufacturing  process,  the  Film  Testing 
Department  acts  as  a "bureau  of  standards"  to  co-ordinate  inspection  by  the 
various  production  departments,  and  to  make  sensitometric  and  practical  photo- 
graphic tests  of  finished  film  before  it  is  allowed  to  leave  the  factory. 

Testing  the  Film  Base 

The  first  step  in  the  manufacture  of  photographic  film  is  the  production  of 
the  flexible  transparent  base,  and  this  material  is  examined  by  inspectors  as  it 


Photographed  by  RAY  V.  DAVIS 

Page  Fi fteen 


comes  from  the  machines  and  is  wound  in  rolls.  Samples  are  then  taken  from 
strategic  points  in  the  roll  and  subjected  to  tests  with  specially  designed  instru- 
ments which  determine  tensile  strength,  elasticity  and  resistance  to  tearing  and 
bending.  The  base  material,  if  it  is  up  to  standard  in  every  respect,  is  then 
ready  to  be  coated  with  the  emulsion  (tiny  particles  of  light-sensitive  silver  bro- 
mide suspended  in  gelatine)  which  has  been  prepared  in  the  meantime,  coated 
experimentally,  and  subjected  to  the  most  exacting  chemical  and  sensitometric 
tests  before  it  has  been  approved  for  coating  on  a large  scale. 

During  the  coating  operation,  film  is  constantly  watched  by  workers  who  can 
almost  see  in  the  dark,  from  long  experience  working  under  the  barely  percep- 
tible illumination  permitted.  In  producing  high  speed  panchromatic  materials, 
the  entire  coating  process  must  of  course  be  conducted  in  total  darkness  and 
practically  no  visual  inspection  is  possible  at  this  stage.  When  coated  film  has 
dried,  samples  are  immediately  measured  for  emulsion  thickness,  while  other 
samples  are  subjected  to  sensitometric  tests  of  photographic  characteristics.  At 
the  same  time,  samples  are  sent  to  the  Film  Testing  Department  where  they  are 
exposed  and  developed  as  a check  on  cleanliness  and  photographic  quality.  If 
all  of  these  tests  indicate  that  the  coated  roll  is  up  to  standard,  it  is  released 
for  slitting. 

Because  high  speed  panchromatic  films  can  only  be  handled  in  total  dark- 
ness, it  is  necessary  to  make  routine  tests  according  to  a special  procedure  in 
order  to  locate  and  discard  any  portion  of  the  production  which  shows  irregu- 
larities in  coating,  but  positive  film,  which  can  be  handled  under  red  light,  is 
examined  by  trained  inspectors  as  it  runs  through  the  slitting  machines,  and  it  is 
indeed  seldom  that  any  possib'e  irregularity  escapes  their  keen  observation. 

Perforation  of  each  roll  of  35  mm.  film  is  the  next  operation,  and  one  that 
requires  great  precision.  For  this  reason  the  perforating  machines  are  under  the 
supervision  of  skilled  mechanics,  and  samples  of  film  from  each  perforator  are 
run  in  a special  precision  projector  which  shows  the  perforations  in  greatly 
enlarged  form  on  the  screen.  Any  possible  unsteadiness  is  thus  instantly  de- 
tected and  the  perforator  is  repaired  and  tested  before  further  use.  At  the 
same  time,  strips  from  the  ends  of  rolls  of  perforated  film  are  developed,  and 
additional  samples  of  film  from  each  perforator  are  optically  measured  on  a 
stereo  comparator,  an  instrument  accurate  to  1/25000  of  an  inch,  to  insure 
standard  pitch  and  alignment  of  perforations.  As  a further  precaution,  the  per- 
forators used  for  negative  materials  are  checked  at  frequent  intervals  by  meas- 
uring perforated  film  with  the  stereo  comparator,  thus  insuring  precision  and 
cleanliness  in  the  cutting  of  individual  perforations. 

When  35  mm.  film  has  passed  all  tests  for  accuracy  of  width,  thickness, 
edge  printing,  perforations  and  other  physical  characteristics  which  are  meas- 
ured during  production,  samples  of  the  film  are  sent  to  the  Testing  Department 
for  sensitometric  tests,  and  special  tests  to  determine  resistance  to  age  and 
other  factors  which  adversely  affect  unexposed  materials  during  storage.  In 


Page  Sixteen 


addition  to  these  tests,  the  film  is  again  measured  for  thickness  of  base  and 
emulsion,  tested  for  resistance  to  processing  troubles,  and  examined  for  clear- 
ness following  processing  under  practical  conditions. 

Resistance  to  static,  which  might  be  encountered  under  certain  labora- 
tory conditions  in  high  speed  printing  and  developing,  is  tested  by  a special 
machine,  while  gray  base  negative  materials  are  further  checked  to  assure 
density  and  color  of  the  gray  base.  Specimen  film  strips  from  these  tests  are 
filed  for  future  use. 

At  regular  intervals,  cans  of  film  are  picked  at  random  from  finished  pro- 
duction, opened  in  daylight,  and  inspected  for  packing  and  for  any  possible 
film  defects  which  are  visible.  Other  rolls  of  finished  film  are  held  in  stock  to  be 
used  for  reference  purposes  after  the  remainder  of  the  production  has  left  the 
factory.  These  are  subjected  to  periodic  tests,  not  only  throughout  the  reason- 
able life  of  the  film,  but  for  an  additional  period  as  well,  in  order  to  study  any 
changes  which  may  take  place  in  the  film  with  age. 

As  a final  and  concluding  test  at  the  time  of  production,  samples  of  nega- 
tive materials  are  regularly  exposed  in  a professional  motion  picture  camera 
under  conditions  of  practical  use,  and  are  then  processed  according  to  ap- 
proved film  laboratory  practice.  Prints  are  made  on  samples  of  positive  material 
and  these  prints  are  machine  developed  according  to  normal  laboratory  pro- 
cedure. Finished  prints  are  carefully  examined  by  projection  and  by  slow  and 
painstaking  hand  rewinding. 

As  the  reader  may  have  guessed  by  now,  the  most  minute  details  in  the 
manufacture  and  testing  of  photographic  film  are  carefully  recorded  for  future 
reference,  and  though  unknown  to  the  public,  one  may  say  that  the  private  life 
of  a roll  of  film  has  been  as  thoroughly  chronicled  as  that  of  the  famous  Dionne 
quintuplets.  For  this  reason  users  of  photographic  materials  should  always  refer 
to  film  by  the  emulsion  number  whenever  it  is  necessary  to  discuss  technical 
matters  with  the  manufacturer. 

Much  effort  and  research  is  being  directed  toward  improving  both  the 
methods  of  production  and  the  methods  of  testing  film,  in  order  that  the  cine- 
matographer may  have  the  best  possible  materials  at  his  command.  To  meet 
problems  created  by  the  many  new  types  of  film  which  were  unknown  a few 
years  ago,  modification  of  the  testing  procedure  has  often  been  necessary,  and 
the  newer  ultra  sensitive  panchromatic  films  are  examples  of  material  requiring 
additional  routine  tests  which  were  previously  unnecessary. 

Although  the  high  degree  of  perfection  and  uniformity  found  in  modern 
positive  and  negative  materials  is  regarded  as  commonplace  by  the  motion 
picture  industry,  a moment's  consideration  of  the  unparalleled  and  elaborate 
precautions  which  enter  into  the  routine  production  of  photographic  film,  should 
enable  one  to  realize  that  this  perfection  is  no  happy  accident,  and  has  only 
been  attained  after  the  most  painstaking  care  in  manufacture  and  the  applica- 
tion of  every  known  agency  for  the  elimination  of  error. 


Page  Seventeen 


GRAND  CENTRAL  STATION 


Photographed  by  DR.  ERNST  SCHWARZ 


Page  Eighteen 


A Faster  Film  for  the  Still  Man 

By  GRANT  W.  HOUGH 

Agfa-Ansco  Corporation,  Pacific  Coast  Technical  Division 


WITH  negative  materials  of  such  greatly  increased  speed  as  Agfa 
Supreme  and  Agfa  Ultra  Speed  Pan  films  available  to  the  cinematog- 
rapher, the  studio  "still  man"  is  obviously  in  need  of  a comparably 
fast  emulsion  upon  which  to  make  his  stills.  This  need  is  now  met  with  the 
introduction  by  the  Agfa  Ansco  Corporation  of  a new  and  surprisingly  fast 
cut  film  known  as  Agfa  Superpan  Press. 

This  new  emulsion  has  a speed  equal  to  that  of  the  new  Ultra  Speed  Pan 
motion  picture  negative  film.  It  is  four  times  greater  than  the  speeds  of  emul- 
sions heretofore  rated  as  "maximum  speed"  plates  or  films,  and  approximately 
double  the  speed  of  even  the  new  Agfa  Supreme  motion  picture  negative  film. 

This  tremendous  increase  in  speed  has  not,  however  been  secured  at  any 
sacrifice  of  other  qualities  desirable  in  a fine  film.  It  must  be  emphasized  that 
Agfa  Superpan  Press  film  is  in  no  sense  a hypersensitized  emulsion.  The  increased 
speed  is  gained  through  an  entirely  new  emulsion  making  technique.  Agfa 
Superpan  Press  film  is  not,  therefore,  limited  by  the  restrictions  as  to  storage, 
keeping  quality,  etc.,  generally  applicable  to  hypersensitized  film.  Its  keeping 
quality  is  equal  to  that  of  any  existing  superpan  type  emulsion,  and  it  may 
therefore  be  stored  in  the  usual  manner. 

Superpan  Press  film  is  capable  of  producing  brilliant  results  when  exposure 
is  limited,  and  will  also  preserve  brilliance  if  the  film  is  underexposed.  Tests 
made  by  local  photographers  have  indicated  that  printable  negatives  have 
been  secured  on  the  new  emulsion  within  an  exposure  range  of  nearly  fifteen 
to  one  between  minimum  and  maximum  exposures  (see  illustrations). 

Color  Sensitivity: 

Superpan  Press  film  has  practically  the  same  color  sensitivity  as  Superpan 
Portrait  film,  which  is  familiar  throughout  the  industry.  It  is  therefore  a truly 
panchromatic  emulsion.  Its  normal  high  sensitivity  to  red  and  orange  light 
make  it  especially  useful  under  the  incandescent  lighting  used  in  motion  pictures. 
The  new  emulsion  reacts  normally  when  used  with  color  filters.  The  daylight 
exposing  factors  for  several  standard  filters  when  used  with  this  new  film  are 
as  follows: 


K-l 1.8  23-A 3.5 

K-2  2.0  25-A 5.0 

Aero  I 1.5  F 7.0 

Aero  2 2.0  N.D.  .25 1.8 

3-N-5  4.0  N.D.  .50 3.1 

5-N-5  6.0  N.D.  .75 5.6 

G 2.5  N.D.  1.00 10.0 


Due  to  the  extreme  speed  of  the  emulsion,  still  photographers  must  be 

Page  Nineteen 


AGFA  SUPERPAN  PORTRAIT  FILM  NEW  AGFA  SUPERPAN  PRESS  FILM 

Both  pictures  lit  with  500  Watt  spotlight.  Exposures:  5 seconds  at  f : 1 28. 
Normal  development  and  printing. 


cautioned  against  using  Superpan  Press  film  for  outdoor  exposures  unless  their 
cameras  are  equipped  with  high-speed  shutters. 

Darkroom  Handling 

Superpan  Press  film  requires  the  same  care  in  darkroom  handling  as  does 
any  high-speed  panchromatic  film.  It  is  advisable  to  load,  unload  and  develop 
this  film  in  total  darkness.  Tank  development  is  therefore  best.  Any  rapid 
developer  containing  sufficient  potassium  bromide  can  be  used  with  this  film. 
The  Agfa  No.  47  Metol-hydroquinone  developer  is  a good,  clean  working 
formula  which  will  give  maximum  film  speed  and  full  gradation: 

Water  (about  125°  F.)  .........  3 quarts 

Agfa  Metol  ..........  88  grains 

Agfa  Sodium  Sulphite  (anhydrous)  .......  6 ounces 

Agfa  Sodium  Bisulphite  .........  60  grains 

Agfa  Hydroquinone  . . .......  74  oz.  70  gr. 

Agfa  Sodium  Carbonate  (monohydrated)  . . . . % oz.  20  gr. 

Agfa  Potassium  Bromide  ........  47  grains 

Water  to  make  ...........  I gallon 

This  developer  need  not  be  diluted  for  use.  Normal  development  time  is 
6 to  8 minutes  at  65°  F.,  with  regular  agitation.  For  softer  negatives,  a formula 
such  as  the  Agfa  No.  17  Borax  developer  is  excellent.  In  this,  Superpan  Press 
film  normally  requires  from  I 2 to  14  minutes  at  65°  F. 

Superpan  Press  fiim  fixes  rapidly  in  any  standard  fixing  bath.  The  dye 
of  the  anti-halation  backing  is  effectively  decolorized  by  the  developer,  without 
having  any  effect  on  the  solution,  and  leaving  the  negative  normally  clear, 


Page  Twenty 


unless  the  final  wash  water  is  acid  instead  of  neutral  or  slightly  alkaline.  In  this 
case,  if  the  film  retains  any  slight  stain,  it  can  be  removed  by  rinsing  for  two 
or  three  minutes  in  water  containing  a few  drops  of  ammonia  ,or  in  a 5%  solu- 
tion of  potassium  metabisulphite. 

Practical  Use 

The  practical  advantages  of  this  film  for  the  use  of  the  motion  picture 
still  man  will  be  obvious.  Using  it  on  the  set,  its  superior  speed  will  give  the 
still  man  a much-needed  advantage  in  working  with  motion  picture  lightings. 
In  the  majority  of  instances,  he  will  be  enabled  to  reduce  the  aperture  of  his 
lens  considerably,  thereby  gaining  better  definition  and  depth  of  focus  more 
nearly  comparable  to  that  given  by  the  cinematographer's  shorter-focus  lens. 
He  will  also  be  able  to  use  shorter  exposures,  thereby  reducing  the  danger  of 
moves  on  the  part  of  the  actors. 

In  addition,  the  new  film  opens  up  a completely  new  field  of  genuine  action 
stills.  Using  ordinary  apertures,  the  speed  of  Superpan  Press  film  will  permit 
the  still  man  to  use  exposures  fast  enough  to  stop  most  normal  action.  With 
a reasonably  silent  shutter,  such  action  stills  could  well  be  made  during  re- 
hearsals, without  interrupting  the  action. 

When  using  photoflash  globes  for  normal  flash  work,  the  smallest  size  flash 
bulb  (No.  10)  should  be  used,  and  the  lens  set  one  full  stop  smaller  than  usual. 
The  larger  globes  and  stops  now  considered  standard  for  close  flash  shots  with 
ordinary  films  can  with  Superpan  Press  film  be  employed  for  long  shots,  and 
for  synchronized  speed  flashes  where  high  shutter  speeds  are  necessary  to 
arrest  fast  motion. 

The  full  possibilities  which  Superpan  Press  film  offers  in  studio  still  work 
can  hardly  be  outlined  as  yet.  These  possibilities  await  the  revealing  experience 
of  practical  still  photographers  engaged  in  actual  production.  Such  experience 
is  now  being  amassed  in  tests  and  production  use  of  the  new  product  in  several 
studios,  and  the  results  will  in  due  time  be  reported  in  these  pages.  It  is  cer- 
tain, however,  that  this  new  and  surpassingly  fast  emulsion  will  enable  the 
studio  still  man  to  obtain  a new  and  welcome  means  of  getting  his  stills  more 
quickly,  more  easily,  and  more  effectively. 

OUR  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Our  illustrations  this  month  include  three  photographs  from  the  camera  of 
Dr.  Ernst  Schwarz,  President  of  the  Agfa-Ansco  Corporation.  According  to  re- 
ports reaching  us  from  New  York,  a larger  collection  of  Dr.  Schwarz'  recent 
photographs  has  been  published  in  book  form,  under  the  title  "Pictorial  Amer- 
ica." In  common  with  Dr.  Schwarz'  many  friends  throughout  the  motion  picture 
industry,  we  await  with  considerable  anticipation  the  appearance  of  this  volume, 
which  will  certainly  take  a high  place  among  the  major  photographic  works 
of  1938. 


Page  Twenty-one 


Academy  Technicians  Discuss  New  Films 

j HE  Technicians'  Branch  of  the  Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and 

Sciences  met  on  the  evening  of  January  19th  to  witness  demonstrations  of 
* the  latest  developments  in  motion  picture  raw  film  stocks.  The  meeting  was 
held  in  the  Projection  Theatre  of  the  Paramount  Studios,  with  Gerald  Rackett 
presiding  in  the  absence  of  Technicians'  Branch  Chairman  Major  Nathan  Levin- 
son, who  unfortunately  was  ill. 

Outstanding  features  of  this  meeting,  in  addition  to  papers  relating  to 
recent  developments  in  sound  recording  stocks,  were  discussions  and  demon- 
strations of  the  Agfa  Ansco  Corporation's  two  new  motion  picture  film  stocks, 
Agfa  Supreme,  and  Agfa  Ultra  Speed  Pan. 

Dr.  Meyer  Gives  Technical  Data 

Technical  descriptions  of  the  two  new  films  were  given  in  a paper  presented 
by  Dr.  Herbert  Meyer,  President  of  C.  King  Charney,  Inc.  Following  Dr.  Meyer's 
paper,  Wilson  Leahy,  West  Coast  Technical  Representative  of  the  Agfa  Ansco 
Corporation,  presented  a brief  paper  dealing  with  the  practical  aspects  of  using 
these  two  new  films  on  production.  He  accompanied  his  remarks  with  the  pro- 
jection of  several  demonstration  reels  photographed  on  the  new  emulsions. 
Studio  interiors,  comparing  the  new  Supreme  film  exposed  at  f:4  with  conven- 
tional Superpan  exposed  at  f:2.3,  were  shown.  Night  street  scenes  photo- 
graphed at  normal  apertures  and  camera-speeds  upon  the  new  Ultra  Speed  Pan 
were  also  shown,  and  proved  striking  demonstrations  of  the  tremendous  speed 
of  this  new  emulsion. 

Production  Scenes  Shown 

Through  the  courtesy  of  the  Paramount  Studio,  and  Mr.  Farciot  Edouart, 
several  Transparency  Process  scenes  made  on  the  new  Agfa  Supreme  negative 
for  use  in  Cecil  DeMille's  production,  "The  Buccaneer,"  and  Ernst  Lubitsch's 
production,  "Bluebeard's  Eighth  Wife,"  were  shown. 

Through  the  courtesy  of  RKO-Radio  Pictures  and  Mr.  Vernon  L.  Walker, 
several  comparative  test  scenes  utilizing  Agfa  Supreme  with  the  projected  back- 
ground process  were  shown,  while  production  scenes  in  which  this  new  film  was 
used  in  filming  dance  numbers  on  a large  set  for  "Radio  City  Revels,"  furnished 
another  indication  of  the  advantages  offered  by  this  new  type  of  film. 

Mr.  Leahy  commented  that  while  the  scenes  shown  were  all  that  were  possi- 
ble in  the  limited  time  allowed  by  the  meeting,  there  had  been  many  other 
equally  noteworthy  scenes  made  upon  the  new  films  in  the  course  of  current 
production.  In  point  of  fact,  although  the  new  films  were  only  announced  in 
December,  before  the  end  of  1937  more  than  18  feature  productions,  made  by 
half  a dozen  different  studios,  had  utilized  either  Agfa  Supreme  or  Agfa  Ultra 
Speed  Pan  negative. 


Page  Twenty-two 


Photographed  by  E.  A.  TOBLER 


Page  Twenty-three 


Of  Interest  to  All  — 

Glen  MacWilliams,  A.S.C.,  returning  to  Hollywood  after  six  years  in  London 
as  Chief  Cinematographer  for  the  Gaumont-British  Studio,  was  seriously  injured 
in  an  automobile  accident  which  occurred  on  January  14th,  when  Glen's  car  left 
the  highway  near  Williams,  Arizona.  Mrs.  MacWilliams,  their  two  daughters  and 
an  English  maid  received  minor  injuries,  while  Glen  sustained  very  serious  injuries 
to  his  back. 

MacWilliams  is  now  in  the  Queen  of  the  Angels  Hospital,  in  Los  Angeles, 
where  he  hopes  his  Hollywood  friends  will  visit  him.  One  friend  recently  showed 
him  fhe  A.S.C.'s  weekly  list  of  available  Directors  of  Photography.  Glen  insisted 
that  his  name  be  placed  on  the  list,  with  the  notation,  "Will  be  available  in  six 
months."  With  spirit  like  that,  Glen  may  be  down,  but  he  is  a long  way  from 
being  out!  We  extend  our  sincerest  wishes  for  a speedy  recovery,  and  urge  all 
of  Hollywood's  camera  profession  to  call  upon  him. 

Director  William  Dieterle  is  another  member  of  Hollywood's  film  colony  who 
is  to  be  congratulated  on  his  recovery  from  serious  injuries,  likewise  sustained  in 
a motor  smash.  Director  Dieterle,  however,  is  reported  sufficiently  recovered  to 
have  left  the  hospital  and  returned  to  work.  As  we  go  to  press,  Dieterle  is  hard 
at  work  for  Walter  Wanger  Productions,  directing  "The  River  Is  Blue." 


Agfa  Ultra  Speed  Pan  is  now  available  in  special  daylight-loading  cartridges 
for  use  in  miniature  cameras,  such  as  the  Leica,  Contax  and  others.  These  cart- 
ridges may  be  obtained  from  all  photographic  supply  stores.  They  are  not  avail- 
able at  the  offices  of  C.  King  Charney,  Incorporated. 

At  present,  Agfa  Supreme  is  not  as  yet  available  in  these  miniature-camera 
loads,  though  undoubtedly  it,  too,  will  eventually  be  available  in  this  form,  as  are 
the  other  Agfa  miniature-camera  films,  including  Agfa  Superpan,  Agfa  Finopam 
and  Agfa  Plenachrome. 


AGFA  MOTION  PICTURE  TOPICS 

Published  by  C.  King  Charney,  Inc. 

6424  Santa  Monica  Boulevard,  Hollywood,  California 
HOIlywood  2918  Editor,  H.  Meyer 

C.  King  Charney,  Inc.,  is  not  responsible  for  statements  made  by  authors  or  for 
unsolicited  manuscripts. 


Page  Twenty-four 


PROVING  the  ADVANTAGES 

OF  THE  NEW 


SUPREME 


and 

ULTRA  SPEED  PAN 


Major  Productions 

"Dr.  Rhythm"  

Paramount  Productions 

"The  Buccaneer"  

Big  Broadcast  of  1938". 

"Bluebeard's  Eighth  Wife"  

"College  Swing"  

"Highway  Racketeers"  . 

"Bulldog  Drummond's  Peril". 

"Dangerous  to  Know" 

"Romance  in  the  Dark" 

"Stolen  Heaven"  

Principal  Pictures 

"Tarzan's  Revenge"  

RKO-Radio  Pictures  Corp. 

"Radio  City  Revels"..  

"The  Perfect  Alibi" 

"The  Joy  of  Loving'  . 

Hal  E.  Roach  Productions 

"Swiss  Miss"  

20th  Century  - Fox 

"The  Baroness  and  the  Butler" 

"Sally,  Irene  and  Mary" 

"Alexander's  Ragtime  Band" 
"Shanghai  Deadline"  


Supreme  Negative 


Supreme  Negative 
Supreme  Negative 
.Supreme  Negative 
Supreme  Negative 
Ultra  Speed  Pan 
Supreme  Negative 
Supreme  Negative 
.Supreme  Negative 
Supreme  Negative 


Supreme  Negative 


. ..Supreme  Negative 

Supreme  Negative 

Supreme  Negative  and  Ultra  Speed  Pan 


Supreme  Negative 


Supreme  Negative 

Ultra  Speed  Pan 
Ultra  Speed  Pan 
Ultra  Speed  Pan 


AGFA  SUPREME  and  ULTRA  SPEED  PAN 

Made  by  AGFA  - ANSCO  CORP.,  in  Binghamton,  N.Y. 

Distributed  by 

C.  KING  CHARNEY,  INC. 

HOLLYWOOD  NEW  YORK 


SEPTEMBER -OCTOBER,  1938 


AGFA 

Hollywood  29  I 8 


MOTION  PICTURE  TOPICS 

Published  by  Agfa  Raw  Film  Corporation 
6424  Santa  Monica  Boulevard,  Hollywood,  California 

Editor,  Wm.  Stull,  A.S.C. 


Agfa  Raw  Film  Corporation  is  not  responsible  for  statements  made  by  authors  or  for 
unsolicited  manuscripts. 


WINDOW  CLEANER  Photographed  by  Hilliard  B.  Swede 


CONTENTS 


- Page 

Timely  Topics 2 

Four  Useful  Optical  Formulas  ...  By  Robert  Mitchell,  Jr.  7 

Infra-Red  For  Dramatic  Effects By  Charles  Ford  13 

Problems  In  the  Use  of  Ultra-Speed  Negative  Film  . By  P.  H.  Arnold  16 

The  Minnicam-User’s  Armory  of  Film  Types 

Part  II — Special-Purpose  Films  . By  William  Stull,  A.S.C.  19 

A New  Viewpoint  On  the  Lighting  of  Agfa  Supreme  Negative 

By  Arthur  Martinelli  25 


Timely  Topics 


Motion  pictures  are  your  best  entertainment.  . . . To  those 

of  us  concerned  with  the  making  of  motion  pictures,  that  phrase  ought 

to  be  more  than  just  the  catchy  slogan  of  a nation-wide  campaign  to 

make  the  public  more  picture  conscious.  It  should  be  a yardstick  by  which  every 
bit  of  production  effort  can  be  measured. 

The  campaign  itself  is  a great  idea.  It  is  being  carried  through  on  a great 
scale  by  the  cleverest  minds  of  the  exploitation,  distribution  and  exhibition 

branches  of  our  industry.  But  it  can  backfire  disastrously  if  we  of  the  produc- 

tion division  don't  back  it  up  by  delivering  pictures  which  really  are  the  public's 
best  entertainment. 


Outstanding  pictures  can  never  be  turned  out  to  order  like  so  many  Ford 
parts.  But  if  everyone  concerned  with  the  making  of  a picture  were  to  give  his 
work  that  added  touch  of  personal  interest  which  makes  the  difference  between 
capable,  routine  workmanship  and  whole-hearted  enthusiasm,  that  picture 
couldn't  help  being  better — stronger — for  it. 

We've  an  idea  a survey  of  the  industry's  all-time  hits  would  show  that  all 
of  them  were  made  by  men  and  women  who  threw  themselves  into  their  work 
sincerely  convinced  they  were  producing  something  worthwhile.  We're  equally 
sure  the  industry  was  built  up  to  its  present  success  largely  by  people  who 
honestly  believed  the  motion  picture  offered  the  public  something  better  in 
entertainment  than  it  had  even  known  before. 


So — why  not  make  the  industry's  present,  greater  campaign  the  occasion 
for  a private  campaign  of  our  own?  A campaign  to  restore  our  own  confidence 
in  what  we  are  doing  ...  a campaign  to  side-track  our  exaggerated,  unnecessary 
intra-industry  political  squabbles  ...  a campaign  to  squelch  the  calamity- 
howlers  and  sophists  within  our  own  ranks.  In  short,  a campaign  to  rekindle 
our  own  faith  that  MOTION  PICTURES  ARE  THE  BEST  ENTERTAINMENT. 


H* 

Writing  in  a recent  issue  of  The  American  Cinematographer,  President 
Victor  Milner  of  the  A.S.C.  gives  some  characteristically  interesting  views  on 
one  of  the  most  debated  technical  subjects  of  today.  His  comments  on  the 
professional  use  of  photoelectric  exposure-meters,  and  the  professional's  needs 
in  that  direction,  merit  serious  consideration  by  anyone  interested  in  cinematic 
technology. 

With  all  due  respect  to  those  of  our  friends  who  do  not  care  to  utilize 
such  aids,  we're  inclined  to  take  sides  with  Milner.  As  he  points  out,  the  work 
of  the  cinematographer  is  two-sided:  it  is  at  once  highly  artistic  and  highly 
technical.  To  our  way  of  thinking,  anything  which  will  relieve  him  of  routine 
mechanico-technical  drudgery  is  just  so  much  more  to  the  good.  His  fellow- 
workers,  the  recording  and  laboratory  experts,  have  at  their  disposal  far  more 


Pape  Two 


in  the  way  of  technical  aids  than  he  has,  yet  they  have  sacrificed  nothing  of 
their  individuality.  Sound  men  have  innumerable  mechanical  short-cuts  com- 
parable to  the  cameraman's  light  meters,  yet  recording  certainly  shows  no 
signs  of  becoming  a standardized,  purely  mechanical  craft.  The  lab-men  who 
process  the  cinematographer's  film  have  taken  advantage  of  the  aids  of 
sensitometry,  of  scientific  control  of  solutions,  and  the  like,  yet  the  variations 
between  one  laboratory  and  another  are  as  well  marked  as  ever  they  were  in 
the  days  of  racks  and  guesswork. 

The  photographer  has  even  more  to  gain  from  the  use  of  modern  scientific 
aids.  In  just  the  measure  he  can  free  himself  from  the  routine,  mechanical 
aspects  of  his  work,  just  so  fast  can  he  gain  added  time  and  energy  for  the 
advancement  of  his  artistic  work. 

We  can  also  second  Milner's  plea  for  light-meters  designed  more  truly  for 
professional  use  under  modern  conditions.  When  such  modern  emulsions  as 
Agfa  Supreme  are  used  with  lightings  that  take  full  advantage  of  their  speed, 
new  and  incredibly  low  exposure  levels  become  normal.  Light-measuring  devices 
which  were  accurate  for  the  lighting  conditions  familiar  with  superpan-type 
films  can  become  misleading  used  under  these  new  conditions.  Inevitably,  as 
cinematographers  grow  more  and  more  accustomed  to  the  possibilities  of  this 
film,  the  normal  in  lighting  is  descending  to  progressively  lower  illumination 
levels.  Meters  designed  to  coordinate  with  this  trend  would  be  of  the  highest 
value  to  cinematographers  in  and  out  of  the  studios. 

^ % 

Reliability  of  product  must  be  the  keynote  of  any  lasting  success  both  in 
the  manufacture  and  the  use  of  motion  picture  raw  stock.  Cinematographers 
here  in  America  have  established  amazing  standards  of  photographic  reliability 
in  their  work.  Since  this  uniformity  of  personal  technique  must  necessarily 
depend  upon  the  uniformity  of  the  film  products  used,  it  is  only  logical  that 
our  cinematographers  insist  upon  reliability  in  their  raw  film. 

But  this  insistence  upon  reliability  can  be  carried  too  far.  All  of  the  widely 
used  film  products  of  today  are  reliable.  That  much  can  be  taken  for  granted. 
The  really  vital  question  should  be  whether  or  not  the  film  is  genuinely  suited 
to  modern  needs. 

It  seems  to  us  that  cinematographers  who  overlook  this  fact  are  doing  injury 
both  to  themselves  and  to  their  employers.  When  all  available  film  products 
are  of  closely  similar  type  and  characteristics,  it  may  be  well  enough  for  a 
cinematographer  to  say,  "I  use  XYZ  film;  I've  used  it  for  years  and  I know  it  is 
reliable."  But  when  film  products  are  available  which  in  addition  to  equal 
reliability,  offer  superior  fitness  for  today's  conditions  and  work,  that  same  atti- 
tude ceases  to  be  commendable. 

In  plain  English,  a man  who  takes  that  ultra-conservative  attitude  is  deliber- 
ately closing  his  eyes  to  something  which  may  improve  his  work  and  give  his 
employer  better  photography  at  lower  costs.  The  producer  is  paying  this 
man  not  alone  for  his  purely  photographic  ability,  but  for  having  the  intelligence 


Page  Three 


and  energy  to  keep  up  with  all  developments  in  his  field.  The  producer  is 
seldom  technically-minded  enough  to  follow  or  to  interpret  such  technical 
advances.  The  cinematographer  is,  and  it  is  his  duty  to  his  employer  and  to 
himself  to  do  so  freely  and  with  an  open  mind. 

* * 

One  of  the  industry's  best-known  cinematographers  recently  told  us  that 
the  only  time  he  felt  he  could  take  things  easy  on  a production  was  when  his 
studio  assigned  him  to  one  of  the  big  "A"  pictures.  When  assigned  to  a "B", 
he  said,  he  worked  twice  as  hard. 

We  wonder  if  some  of  us  haven't  gotten  a wrong  slant  on  these  "B's". 
Often  enough,  from  a standpoint  of  production,  direction  and  cinematography 
they  represent  creative  effort  fully  as  great  and  frequently  far  more  meritorious 
than  do  their  more  pretentious  fellows.  Its  a fine  thing  to  make  a great  picture 
when  you  have  the  almost  unlimited  time,  money  and  facilities  granted  by  the 
high-budget  films.  But  isn't  it  more  of  an  achievement  to  turn  out  a production 
acceptable  under  modern  standards  (which  are  high!)  when  the  purse-strings 
are  tight,  and  time  and  facilities  strictly  limited? 

It  would  be  a great  thing  if  some  of  the  people  who  look  down  on  the 
lowly  "B"  could  study  a list  of  the  many  low-budget  films  which  have  smashed 
their  way  into  the  box-office  champion  class,  to  say  nothing  of  the  many  now 
forgotten  super-specials  of  the  same  periods.  How  many  of  them,  for  instance, 
could  name  the  lavish  special  that  received  MGM’s  chief  attention  at  the  same 
time  King  Vidor  and  John  Arnold  were  filming  a program  picture  called  "The 
Big  Parade "? 

* * * 

Among  the  things  we’d  like  to  know  is  why  neither  of  our  industry's  two 
great  phototechnical  magazines  have  thought  of  publishing  a discussion  of  the 
'possibilities  offered  by  the  modern  miniature  camera  for  all-around  studio  still 
work.  There's  a great  deal  to  be  said  on  both  sides  of  the  question,  and  these 
magazines  offer  a logical  field  for  frank  debate  by  genuinely  informed 
authorities. 

To  us  the  combination  of  an  efficient  35mm.  miniature  camera,  with  mod- 
ern fast  lenses  and  such  high-speed,  fine-grained  films  as  Agfa  Supreme  offers 
tremendous  attraction.  Still  men  have  always  complained  they  were  seldom 
given  adequate  time  or  cooperation  to  make  their  stills  as  they  should  be  made. 
Many  members  of  the  production  staff,  on  the  other  hand,  complain  equally 
at  the  amount  of  time  necessary  to  bring  a big  8x10  into  action.  It  seems 
to  us  the  minicam  could  do  a lot  toward  solving  these  problems,  giving  the 
still  man  more  and  better  stills,  and  minimizing  the  delays  which  irritate  other 
workers. 

Just  as  an  example  of  what  the  miniature  camera,  in  capable  hands,  can 
do,  we  might  point  to  Paramount’s  still  department,  where  a battery  of  Contaxes 


Page  Four 


successfully  carry  a major  part  of  the  burden  of  getting  what  the  publicists  call 
offstage  and  candid  "art".  What's  more,  the  minicams  permit  the  making  of 
a greater  variety  of  poses  on  a given  assignment,  with  the  result  that  more 
"exclusives"  can  be  reserved  for  captious  editors.  We've  an  idea  the  minnies 
would  give  the  bigger  boxes  a mighty  good  run  for  their  money  if  someone 
would  give  them  a chance  on  production  still  work! 

^ ;jc 

An  innovation  potentially  capable  of  exerting  far-reaching  effects  on  the 
industry's  production  methods  is  described  in  a recent  article  by  Victor  Milner, 
A.S.C.  In  his  current  production  was  action  which  would  gain  dramatic  value 
If  it  could  be  laid  in  some  of  New  York's  more  noted  institutions.  Duplicating 
these  locations  convincingly  in  studio-made  sets  was  out  of  the  question.  As 
he  puts  it,  few  if  any  stages  would  be  physically  large  enough  to  hold  authentic 
duplicates  of  the  Waldorf's  Starlight  Roof  or  Radio  City's  Rainbow  Room.  A 
complete  company  could  not  well  be  sent  to  New  York  for  fhese  scenes.  The 
Transparency  or  projected  background  process  offered  a chance  of  success — 
provided  the  necessary  background  scenes  could  be  photographed  successfully 
on  the  genuine  locations. 

Milner's  description  of  how  the  lighting  and  other  problems  involved  were 
mastered  makes  an  article  interesting  to  read  in  its  own  right.  But  beyond 
this  interest,  the  experiment  has  a more  far-reaching  significance  which  deserves 
the  attention  of  everyone.  If  the  outcome  is  successful,  the  industry  will  have 
gained  a valuable  new  method  of  increasing  production  value  without  at  the 
same  time  increasing  production  costs  unreasonably.  In  addition,  with  the 
further  advantage  of  today's  exceptionally  fast  emulsions,  we  may  logically 
hope  to  see  studio-made  scenes  using  as  backgrounds  authentic  locales  which, 
less  than  a year  ago,  could  never  have  been  photographed.  The  production 
immediately  involved  may  not  be  counted  among  the  industry's  most  opulent 
or  dramatically  significant  productions,  but  we  venture  to  say  it  will  be  watched 
more  closely  by  the  technical  community  than  many  a current  special. 

* * * 

We  hope  every  cinematographer  can  find  time  to  attend  the  current 
revivals  of  famous  films  of  the  past.  They  offer  food  for  a lot  of  thought.  Not 
long  ago,  we  saw  a showing  of  "The  Sheik",  one  of  the  more  important  releases 
of  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  ago.  Last  night  we  attended  the  preview  of  a rela- 
tively unimportant  "Western"  made  by  the  same  studio.  As  an  exterior  night 
sequence — photographed  on  Agfa  Infra-Red  film — flashed  on  the  screen,  we 
couldn't  help  contrasting  it  with  the  night-scenes  of  the  earlier  film,  made  before 
this  modern  aid  was  available.  Fifteen  years  ago  it  required  a title  and  a blue- 
tinted  print  to  tell  the  audience  it  was  night.  Today  the  photography  alone 
tells  the  story — convincingly. 


Page  Five 


CANDLE-LIGHT  SERVICE 


Photographed  by  Charles  James  Fox 


Page  Six 


Four  Useful  Optical  Formulas 

By  ROBERT  MITCHELL,  JR. 

TO  AN  increasing  extent  during  the  last  several  years,  the  artistic  and 
executive  duties  of  a modern  Director  of  Photography  have  been  such  as 
to  leave  him  less  and  less  time  for  intimate  contact  with  many  of  the  more 
basic  mechanical  phases  of  cinematography.  Under  these  circumstances  it  is 
only  to  be  expected  that  members  of  the  profession  now  and  again  find  them- 
selves at  a loss  to  recall  the  details  of  some  of  these  rather  elementary  laws 
which  govern  their  work. 

For  this  reason  the  author  presumes  to  re-state  in  simple  form  four  such 
principles  in  the  field  of  photographic  optics.  Any  of  them  may  be  applied 
helpfully  to  problems  which  may  arise  in  studio  camerawork;  even  more  fre- 
quently they  may  be  found  useful  in  the  hobbies  of  miniature  camera  photog- 
raphy and  substandard  cinematography  with  which  so  many  studio  cameramen 
occupy  leisure  moments. 


Apertures  and  Focal  Length 

Perhaps  the  basic  formula  of  practical  photographic  optics  is; 


or  that  little  f equals  big  F divided  by  D.  It  deals  with  lens-speed,  the  diameter 
of  the  aperture  at  that  speed,  and  focal  length. 

In  this  "f"  represents  the  speed  of  the  lens  in  relation  to  its  focal  length, 
and  is  of  course  familiar  to  all  photographers.  The  focal  length  itself  is  rep- 
resented by  "F",  while  "D"  represents  the  actual  diameter  of  the  aperture  at 
the  particular  f-stop  in  question. 

In  other  words,  speed  value  equals  the  focal  length  divided  by  the  diameter 
of  the  aperture  used. 

For  any  given  lens  the  focal  length  "F"  naturally  remains  constant,  while 
the  two  other  factors  are  variable.  Thus  if  any  two  of  these  factors  are  known, 
the  formula  shows  us  how  to  find  the  third. 

Suppose,  for  instance,  we  have  a lens  the  speed  calibrations  of  which  we 
doubt,  or  which  are  undecipherable.  The  focal  length  is  known  to  be  50mm., 
and  the  maximum  aperture  is  measured  and  found  to  be  I inch  or  25mm. 
Substituting  these  known  values  for  the  letters  which  represent  them  in  our 
formula  we  find  that  the  speed  (f)  equals  50mm.  (F  or  focal  length)  divided 
by  25  (D  or  diameter  of  aperture).  The  result  is  naturally  2,  so  the  maximum 
aperture  of  the  lens  is  f:2. 

The  same  formula  will  enable  us  to  calibrate  the  lens,  for  we  know  its  focal 


Page  Seven 


SUNLIGHT  AND  STEEL  Photographed  by  Leon  Ruder 


length  and  the  f-value  of  the  stop  we  want.  Therefore,  supposing  we  want  to 
determine  the  diaphragm-scale  position  of  f:8  on  this  same  lens,  we  know  that 
"f"  eguals  8,  and  "F"  equals  50.  Though  "D"  is  unknown,  we  know  that  in  this 
case  8 equals  50  divided  by  "D",  so  "D"  must  also  equal  50  divided  by  8,  which 
is  6.25mm.  or  .2462  inches.  Thus  we  close  our  diaphragm  down  until  its  aper- 
ture is  of  that  diameter — and  mark  that  point  as  representing  f:8. 

If  the  focal  length  of  the  lens  is  the  unknown  factor,  and  we  know  the  f-value 
of  the  aperture  and  know  or  can  measure  its  actual  diameter,  the  same  formula 
will  give  us  the  focal  length.  For  if  "f"  equals  "F"  divided  by  "D",  then 
"F"  must  equal  "f"  times  "D". 

Suppose  we  have  an  f:2  lens,  the  maximum  aperture  of  which  measures 
two  inches.  Since  "F"  equals  "f"  times  "D",  the  focal  length  of  this  lens  must 
equal  2x2,  which  is  4 — and  our  lens  is  found  to  be  a four-inch  objective. 


Supplementary  Lenses 

Another  basic  formula,  and  one  which  can  be  even  more  useful  at  times, 


Page  Eight 


CALIFORNIA 


Photographed  by  Teijo  Kobashi 


is  the  one  governing  the  resultant  focal  length  of  simple  lenses  used  in  combina- 
tion. This  is  expressed: 

p fi  x f2 

f,  + f2  - d“ 

Translated  from  mathematical  terms  into  words,  this  means  that  the  resultant 
focal  length  of  a combination  of  two  lenses  is  equal  to  the  focal  length  of  the 
first  lens  multiplied  by  the  focal  length  of  the  second  lens,  which  product  in  turn 
is  divided  by  the  sum  of  the  same  two  focal  lengths  minus  the  distance  separating 
the  two  lenses.  (In  this,  as  in  all  optical  formulas,  it  is  important  to  remember 
not  to  mix  values  given  in  inches  with  those  expressed  in  millimeters.) 

In  this  formula  "d"  is  measured  as  the  distance  between  the  nodal  points 
of  the  two  lenses;  for  ordinary  purposes,  it  is  sufficient  to  consider  these  nodal 
points  as  being  located  at  the  center  of  a lens. 

For  a simple  application  of  this  formula,  suppose  we  have  two  lenses, 


Page  Nine 


one  with  a focal  length  of  5 inches,  the  other  of  4 inches,  and  mount  them  with 
their  centers  3 inches  apart.  Then  the  resultant  focal  length  will  equal  5x4 
divided  by  (5  + 4)  -3,  or  20  divided  by  6,  which  equals  3.33  inches.  Here  the 
resultant  focal  length  is  shorter  than  the  focal  length  of  either  alone!  If  we 
could  mount  the  same  two  lenses  2 inches  apart,  we  would  have  5x4  divided 
by  (5  + 4)  -2  which  equals  20  divided  by  7,  or  2.86  inches.  Thus  the  smaller 
the  separation  between  the  two  lenses,  the  shorter  will  be  the  resultant  focal 
length. 

Similarly  when  the  distance  apart  equals  the  focal  length  of  either  lens  the 
effect  of  the  other  lens  on  the  resultant  is  nullified.  For  instance  if  in  the 
example  the  separation  were  4 inches,  the  resultant  would  be  5 x 4 divided  by 
(5  + 4)  -4,  or  20  divided  by  5,  bringing  us  back  to  4 inches  for  the  focal  length 
of  the  combination.  If  the  separation  were  5 inches,  the  resultant  would  be  5 
inches  (5x4  divided  by  (5  + 4)  -5). 

This  formula  is  the  basis  for  determining  the  supplementary  lenses  often 
fitted  to  finders,  and  to  the  camera-lenses  of  some  types  of  color-cameras,  to 
give  wide-angle  effects  where  lenses  of  extremely  short  focal  lengths  are  actually 
impossible.  Suppose,  for  instance,  we  have  a 2-inch  lens,  and  fit  over  it  a 
single  supplementary  lens  (like  a still  camera's  "portrait  attachment")  with  a 
focal  length  of  200  inches.  In  this  case  let's  assume,  for  convenience,  that  the 
fitting  is  so  close  the  separation  is  negligible.  This  would  make  "F ",  the  result- 
ant focal  length,  equal  2 x 200  divided  by  2 + 200,  or  400  divided  by  202. 
This  gives  us  a resultant  focal  length  of  1.98  inches — a net  reduction  in  effective 
focal  length  of  0.02  inches!  For  really  effective  results  in  achieving  wide-angle 
effects,  then,  the  supplementary  lens  must  be  of  tremendously  great  focal  length. 

Hyperfocal  Distance 

The  hyperfocal  distance  for  any  lens  is  that  focal  setting  of  the  lens  at 
which  every  object  from  one-half  this  distance  from  the  camera  to  infinity  will 
appear  in  approximately  sharp  focus  on  the  film.  If  the  hyperfocal  distance  is 
68  feet,  in  other  words,  everything  from  a point  about  34  feet  from  the  camera 
to  infinity  will  be  in  reasonably  sharp  focus  if  the  lens  is  focused  at  the  hyper- 
focal setting  which  in  this  case  is  68  feet. 

This  point  is  dependent  upon  three  factors:  the  focal  length  of  the  lens, 
the  aperture  used  (expressed  as  an  f-value)  and  the  circle  of  confusion. 

If  lenses  could  be  made  perfect,  the  circle  of  confusion,  theoretically,  would 
be  a point,  for  the  term  refers  fo  the  diameter  of  the  image  on  the  film  of  any 
given  point  in  the  subject.  Unfortunately,  not  even  the  finest  lenses  can  bring 
the  images  of  all  wave-lengths  or  colors  of  light  to  a focus  so  perfectly  in  the 
same  plane  that  the  image  of  a point  will  be  a point.  Instead,  some  wave- 
lengths come  to  a focus  on  the  desired  plane,  while  others  focus  in  front  of  it  or 
behind  it.  The  results  is  that  the  point  is  reproduced  as  a circle,  rather  than 
a point.  This  is  called  the  circle  of  confusion.  In  some  of  the  finest  lenses  it 
is  microscopically  small,  but  still  remains  mathematically  measurable.  The  manu- 
facturers of  the  Robot  camera,  for  example,  base  their  sharpness  on  a circle 


Page  Ten 


OCTOBER 


Photographed  by  Allison  A.  Perrin 


of  confusion  .001  inch  in  diameter;  in  most  35mm.  motion  picture  work,  the 
permissible  circle  of  confusion  is  assumed  to  be  .002  inch. 

The  formula  for  determining  the  hyperfocal  point  is: 


H = 


P 

f x C 


In  other  words,  the  hyperfocal  distance  equals  the  focal  length  of  the  lens 
multiplied  by  itself  and  divided  by  the  product  of  multiplying  the  f-stop  by  the 
circle  of  confusion.  It  will  be  observed  that  two  of  these  factors — focal  length 


Page  Eleven 


and  circle  of  confusion — remain  constant.  The  other  two  may  vary,  and  there- 
fore influence  each  other. 

Suppose  we  have  a 2-inch  lens  used  at  f:2.3.  Assuming  the  circle  of  con- 
fusion as  the  usual  .002  inch,  we  have  "H"  equals  2x2  divided  by  2.3  x .002. 
This  evolves  to  4 divided  by  .0046,  and  gives  us  896  inches  or  approximately  72 
feet.  If  the  lens  is  focused  at  72  feet,  everything  from  a point  about  36  feet 
from  the  lens  on  to  infinity  will  be  reasonably  sharp. 

But  if  we  take  the  same  lens  and  stop  it  down  to  f : I I , we  will  have  "H" 
equal  to  2 x 2 divided  by  I I x .002.  This  works  out  to  4 divided  by  .022  and 
in  turn  gives  us  a hyperfocal  distance  of  181.8  inches  or  about  15  feet;  every- 
thing from  about  7I/2  feet  to  infinity  will  be  reasonably  well  defined  at  this 
setting. 

Depth  of  Field 


Depth  of  field  is  often  confused  with  depth  of  focus.  The  latter  actually 
is  the  distance  which  the  lens  may  be  moved  in  or  out  before  a given  object 
in  sharp  focus  goes  out  of  focus.  Depth  of  Field  is  the  distance  between  the 
nearest  plane  in  sharp  focus  and  the  farthest  plane  in  sharp  focus.  More 
simply,  it  is  the  distance  between  the  nearest  and  farthest  objects  in  sharp 
focus  at  any  given  time. 

These  points  are  determined  by  use  of  the  two  following  formulas- 
To  determine  nearest  plane: 


Near 


U x H 

H + D 


To  determine  farthest  plane: 

In  this,  D represents  the  distance  of  the  object,  and  H represents  the  hyperfocal 
distance  under  the  conditions  of  stop,  focal  length  and  circle  of  confusion 
applying  to  that  particular  shot. 

For  example,  suppose  we  use  the  two-inch  lens  previously  mentioned,  at 
its  maximum  aperture  of  f:2.3.  The  hyperfocal  distance  is  the  same  as  in  the 
previous  example — 72  feet.  Assume  our  object  is  40  feet  from  the  camera.  Then: 


Far  = 


D x H 
Ft  - I 


Near  = 


40  x 72 
40  + 72 


2880 
I 12 


25.9  feet. 


Far  = 


40  x 72 
72-40 


2880 

32 


= 90  feet. 


But  suppose  the  object  distance  is  72  feet,  which  is  the  same  as  the  hyper- 
focal distance.  In  that  case  we  find  that: 


Near  = 


72  x 72 
72  + 72 


Far 


72  x 72 
72-72 


5184 

144 

5184 

0 


= 36  feet. 

= which  is  mathematically  infinity! 


On  the  other  hand,  when  the  object  distance  is  greater  than  the  hyperfocal 
distance,  the  resulting  answer  for  the  far  plane  becomes  a negative  or  imaginary 
number,  and  as  such  has  no  practical  value. 


Page  Twelve 


35MM.  ENLARGEMENTS  FROM  "KING  WINTER"  Photographed  by  Chalmer  Sinkey 


Infra-Red  For  Dramatic  Effects 

By  CHARLES  FORD, 

Producer,  Republic  Studios. 

TESTS — especially  tests  of  new  photographic  materials  or  methods — are 
ordinarily  an  extremely  private  matter.  They  are  made  solely  for  showing 
to  company  personnel,  for  guidance  in  applying  the  new  material  or  method 
to  actual  production. 

Shortly  before  I left  my  former  post  as  Editor  of  the  Universal  Newsreel 
to  accept  my  present  place  with  Republic  Studios,  however,  I participated  in 
the  making  of  a test  which  I believe  is  unique.  It  was  our  first  test  of  Agfa 
Infra-Red  negative  film.  Intended  solely  as  a test,  the  results  proved  so  unusual 
that  we  released  the  test  as  a regular  issue  of  Universal's  short-subjects  series 
"Going  Places"! 

Moreover,  the  film  has  proved  remarkably  successful.  Titled  "King  Winter", 
it  was  filmed  entirely  among  the  snow-clad  mountains  surrounding  Crater  Lake 
in  Oregon.  Its  appeal  depends  wholly  upon  the  bizarre  quality  of  its  photog- 
raphy. Chalmer  Sinkey,  who  photographed  it,  deserves  a world  of  credit  for 
the  unusual  way  his  camera  has  dramatized  the  weird  beauty  of  the  scenes,  and 
for  the  technical  skill  which  enabled  him  to  obtain  such  results  with  a new  and 
unfamiliar  sensitive  material.  Characteristically,  he  gives  much  of  the  credit  to 
the  fact  that  the  Infra-Red  film  enabled  him  to  achieve  dramatic  effects 
impossible  with  ordinary  emulsions. 

Dramatic  Day  Effects 

At  about  this  point,  I can  hear  my  friends  among  the  studio  cinematograph- 
ers, who  for  several  years  have  used  this  film  for  dramatic  night-effects,  begin- 
ning to  wonder  audibly  why  we  thought  there  was  anything  unusual  about  getting 
dramatic  effects  with  Infra-Red  film.  True  enough,  there  would  be  nothing 


Page  Thirteen 


unusual  had  we  confined  our  test  to  capturing  the  daytime  night  effects  for 
which  the  film  was  intended.  But  practically  all  of  our  footage  was  not  night 
effects,  but  extreme  overcorrected  daylight  effects! 

In  other  words,  we  tried  using  the  Infra-Red  film  for  effects  which  could 
ordinarily  be  considered  as  being  in  the  province  of  conventional  superpan 
emulsions! 

The  results  proved  that  for  such  highly  dramatized  pictorial  effects,  Agfa 
Infra-Red  negative  is  definitely  superior  to  conventional  panchromatic  types. 
Using  ordinary  types  of  film  we  could,  with  the  same  heavy  filtering,  have 
obtained  a similarly  heavy  overcorrection:  but  we  would  not  have  obtained 
the  dramatic  force,  the  unusual  quality  we  got  with  Infra-Red. 

For  one  thing,  while  heavy  filtering  on  ordinary  film  would  have  brought  the 
sky  down  to  the  desired  jet  black,  making  the  clouds  and  snow-clad  mountains 
stand  out  strikingly,  this  filtering  would  have  lost  us  our  foreground  detail,  and 
would  have  given  us  harsh  contrasts  we  did  not  want. 

Foreground  Detail 

If  you  will  study  the  accompanying  illustrations,  you  will  notice  that  in  spite 
of  the  dramatic  overcorrection,  contrast  is  not  exaggerated.  The  white  expanses 
of  snow  are  not  "washed  out":  they  still  retain  a natural  amount  of  texture 
and  detail.  On  the  screen,  you  see  snow — not  whitewash. 

At  the  other  end  of  the  scale,  the  shadows  are  equally  remarkable.  Under 
ordinary  conditions,  using  conventional  films  and  heavy  red  filters,  an  exposure 
which  retained  the  natural  texture  of  the  strongly  illuminated  snow-banks  would 
lose  shadow-detail.  In  "King  Winter"  the  snow-clad  highlights  are  natural, 
while  at  the  same  time  there  is  ample  detail  in  even  the  heaviest  shadows. 
Ordinary  intermediate  shadows  are  beautifully  "open".  In  fact  I am  inclined 
to  believe  there  is  more  detail  in  these  shadows  than  would  be  visible  to  the 
average  eye  on  a bright  day  in  such  a snowy  region. 

Normal  Face  Values 

In  filming  these  scenes,  Sinkey  handled  the  Infra-Red  film  much  as  he 
would  handle  any  ordinary  super-panchromatic  type.  He  used  a 29- F filter 
for  most  of  his  scenes,  and  gave  a full,  normal  exposure.  His  lightings  ranged 
from  the  flattest  of  front-lightings  clear  around  to  direct  back-lightings.  In 
every  case  he  chose  his  lighting  without  particular  reference  to  the  special 
type  of  film  he  was  using,  merely  choosing  a lighting  which  would  in  his  opinion 
be  effective  for  that  shot  if  he  had  been  using  ordinary  emulsions. 

In  some  of  the  scenes,  people  appeared.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that 
no  special  make-up  was  used,  yet  faces  in  every  instance  appeared  normal  and 
satisfactory.  In  some  instances,  no  make-up  at  all  was  used,  yet  the  results 
were  satisfying. 

The  negative  was  processed  in  several  different  laboratories.  Part  of  the 
footage  was  developed  in  two  different  Hollywood  plants.  Other  scenes  were 


Page  Fourteen 


processed  after  Sinkey's  return  from  the  Coast,  by  Consolidated's  New  York 
laboratory. 

In  making  the  rushes  and  later  the  release-prints,  we  learned  something 
very  important  about  the  use  of  Infra-Red  film  for  normal,  overcorrected  day 
effects.  Using  the  film  for  night-effect  scenes  filmed  in  daylight,  it  is  possible 
to  intercut  the  Infra-Red  scenes  with  other  shots  made  on  ordinary  super-pan- 
chromatic films  in  any  way  that  may  be  necessary. 

Using  the  same  film  for  this  special  type  of  day  effects,  we  discovered 
that  the  Infra-Red  scenes  cannot  successfully  be  intercut  with  similar  scenes 
attempted  on  ordinary  emulsions.  The  differences  in  contrast,  exposure,  printing 
value  and  quality  are  so  great  as  to  be  beyond  the  range  of  compensation 
possible  to  most  laboratories.  The  Infra-Red  scenes  would  show  up  the  ordi- 
nary ones  most  embarrassingly. 


Editing  Problems 

This  works  no  particular  hardship  on  the  producer  of  scenic  short-subjects, 
for  as  a rule  such  films  maintain  one  photographic  mood  from  start  to  finish. 
The  same  fact  need  occasion  no  trouble  to  the  feature  producer  who  has  a 
sequence  calling  for  this  type  of  dramatic  camerawork,  either.  Since  our  experi- 
ments proved  that  people  photograph  satisfactorily  under  the  conditions  stated, 
no  trouble  need  be  expected  from  that  phase  of  the  problem.  For  the  rest, 
it  is  easy  enough  to  photograph  an  entire  sequence  requiring  dramatic  Infra-Red 
day  effects  with  this  one  type  of  film.  Since  the  dramatic  effect  in  itself 
makes  a notable  difference  in  quality  between  such  a sequence  and  ordinary 
interior  or  exterior  scenes,  the  dramaticized  sequence,  as  long  as  it  is  made 
entirely  on  the  one  type  of  film,  can  be  cut  into  conventional  sequences  with 
no  difficulty  whatever. 

Summed  up,  Sinkey's  experience  shows  that  Infra-Red  film  can  be  used 
to  open  up  a whole  new  range  of  dramatic  camera  effects  in  addition  to  the 
familiar  night-effect  scenes.  For  dramatically  over-corrected  day  exteriors,  with 
or  without  people,  it  permits  effects  never  before  possible. 


35MM.  ENLARGEMENTS  FROM  "KING  WINTER" 


Photographed  by  Chalmer  Sinkey 


Page  Fifteen 


Problems  In  The  Use  Of  Ultra-Speed 
Negative  Film 

By  P.  H.  ARNOLD 

Agfa-Ansco  Corporation,  Binghamton,  N.  Y. 

NEW  photographic  problems  have  arisen  from  the  introduction  of  motion 
picture  negative  films  having  a greater  increase  of  speed  over  the  pre- 
vailing types  than  the  supersensitive  panchromatic  films  had  at  the  time 
of  their  introduction.  Some  of  the  problems  confronting  motion  picture  camera- 
men and  laboratory  technicians  can  be  considered  in  the  light  of  solutions  that 
have  been  evolved  by  theory  and  practice. 

In  general,  Ultra-Speed  panchromatic  film,  compared  to  Superpan  negative 
film,  is  much  faster;  slightly  flatter  in  gradation;  similar  in  color-sensitivity,  with 
slightly  greater  response  to  red  light;  and  possessed  of  a somewhat  coarser 
grain.  Of  these  characteristic  differences,  the  speed  relationship  has  the  greatest 
magnitude. 


The  Problem  of  Correct  Exposure 

A wide  variety  of  tests  made  under  a number  of  conditions  of  practical 
photography  have  shown  that  Ultra-Speed  panchromatic  film  is  correctly  ex- 
posed when  given  two  lens  stops  less  exposure  than  Superpan  negative  film. 
Since  the  principal  application  of  the  film  tends  toward  those  conditions  of 
photography  or  to  cinematographic  subjects  that  have  been  considered  difficult 
to  photograph  or  impossible  to  record  because  of  insufficient  illumination  the 
problem  of  correct  exposure  can  not  always  be  solved  by  reference  to  correct 
exposure  technic  for  supersensitive  panchromatic  negative  films. 

Actinometers,  or  exposure  meters,  are  of  little  assistance  under  these  dim 
light  conditions  since  the  camera  position  is  usually  remote  from  the  subject, 
which,  in  turn,  is  often  inaccessible  for  average  brightness  measurements.  More- 
over, the  photographic  subjects  made  practicable  by  the  Ultra-Speed  panchro- 
matic film  usually  have  too  low  a brightness  level  to  activate  photoelectric  ex- 
posure meters  in  common  use.  Fortunately  the  sensitivity  characteristics  of  the 
new  film  are  sufficient  to  produce  successful  pictures  under  typical  indoor  il- 
lumination, with  normal  shutter  angles  and  at  camera  speeds  of  24  frames  a 
second,  using  lenses  having  relative  apertures  of  f/2.3  and,  in  some  cases, 
f/ 3.5. 

The  speed  of  the  film  is  not  appreciably  affected  by  age.  No  allowances 
need  be  made  in  exposing  old  film  since  the  Ultra-Speed  film  has  proved  to 

*Abridged  from  The  Journal  of  the  Society  of  Motion  Picture  Engineers, 

September,  1938,  Vol.  XXXI,  No.  3. 


Page  Sixteen 


MOUNTAIN  LAKE  Photographed  by  Dr.  Herbert  Meyer,  A.S.C. 

have  exceptional  stability  with  respect  to  speed  and  gradation,  as  well  as  resist- 
ance to  fog  and  deterioration  during  a period  of  eleven  months. 

Single-System  Sound 

In  newsreel  cameras  that  record  sound  on  the  same  film  with  the  picture 
image,  a reduction  of  lamp  current  of  approximately  15  per  cent  has  been 
found  adequate  to  compensate  for  the  speed  difference  between  Ultra-Speed 
panchromatic  film  and  supersensitive  panchromatic  negative  films.  The  intro- 
duction of  a Wratten  No.  47  (C-5  tricolor  blue)  filter  into  the  optical  system 


Page  Seventeen 


of  the  recorder  accomplishes  the  same  purpose  without  requiring  alteration  of 
the  lamp  current. 

When  exposed  on  typical  sensitometers  available  in  commercial  motion 
picture  laboratories,  Ultra-Speed  panchromatic  film  records  density  on  all  the 
steps  because,  when  these  instruments  were  designed,  films  having  the  sensi- 
tivity of  Ultra-Speed  panchromatic  film  possibly  were  not  contemplated;  whence 
the  sensitometers  have  been  calibrated  to  suit  the  speed  characteristics  of  the 
supersensitive  panchromatic  emulsions.  In  order  to  study  the  threshold  or  shadow 
density  characteristics  of  the  Ultra-Speed  film,  the  addition  of  a 25  per  cent 
neutral  density  filter  has  been  found  advisable,  since  it  produces  sensitometric 
strips  having  the  required  range  of  density  without  altering  the  characteristics 
of  the  I amp  or  disturbing  the  calibration  of  the  sensitometer. 

The  speed  advantage  of  two  diaphragm  stops,  of  Ultra-Speed  panchromatic 
over  Superpan  negative  film,  is  fairly  constant  under  various  daylight  and  arti- 
ficial lighting  conditions,  indicating  close  similarity  in  the  color-sensitivity  char- 
acteristics of  the  two  films.  Wedge  spectrograms,  however,  show  that  the  Ultra- 
Speed  film  has  a slightly  greater  range  of  sensitivity  to  red  light  than  the  previ- 
ous film  and  photographs  of  the  coior  chart  show  that  Ultra-Speed  panchromatic 
film  has  about  20  per  cent  greater  response  to  red-colored  objects  than  the  old 
Superpan  negative  film.  The  photographic  problem  introduced  by  these  color- 
sensitivity  dissimilarities  is  not  great  and  in  most  cases  can  be  neglected  with 
confidence.  No  special  character  make-up  has  been  found  necessary  with  the 
Ultra-Speed  film  even  under  100  per  cent  tungsten  illumination. 

Problems  of  Printing  and  Development 

In  timing  negatives  made  on  Ultra-Speed  and  Superpan  negative  film,  no 
allowances  need  be  made  for  differences  in  the  gray-base  color,  since  they  both 
have  the  same  type  of  neutral  gray  antihalation  layer  on  the  base  underneath  the 
emulsion.  When  combined  for  printing  with  other  negatives  having  lavender, 
pink,  or  orange-tinted  gray  bases  of  similar  optical  density,  the  Ultra-Speed  pan- 
chromatic film  may  appear  to  be  only  three  times  instead  of  four  times  as  fast, 
due  to  selective  absorption  of  the  printing  light  by  the  tinted  gray  bases.  From 
three  to  five  printer  points  may  be  required  to  compensate  for  the  filter  effect 
of  tinted  gray  bases  that  depart  markedly  from  a neutral  gray. 

When  developed  for  a gamma  0.65  or  lower,  Ultra-Speed  panchromatic 
film  has  a flatter  gradation  than  Superpan  negative  film  given  the  same  treat- 
ment. When  developed  for  a gamma  of  0.7  or  higher,  the  Ultra-Speed  film 
becomes  progressively  steeper  in  gradation  than  Superpan  negative  film  given 
the  same  treatment.  Considering  the  contrast  relationship  of  the  two  films  in 
the  range  of  negative  gamma  normally  employed  in  professional  motion  picture 
work,  together  with  the  photographic  characteristics  of  the  subjects  that  usually 
will  be  photographed  on  Ultra-Speed  panchromatic  film,  best  screen  results 
appear  to  follow  the  practice  of  developing  Ultra-Speed  panchromatic  film 
about  20  per  cent  longer  than  Superpan  negative  film. 


Page  Eighteen 


AGFA  ULTRA  SPEED  PAN  Photographed  by  Dr.  Ernst  Schwarz 


The  Minnicam-User  s Armory  of  Film  Types 

By  WILLIAM  STULL,  A.  S.  C. 

PART  II 

SPECIAL-PURPOSE  FILMS 

AMONG  what  may  be  called  Agfa's  special-purpose  films,  the  new  Ultra 
Speed  Pan  has  aroused  the  greatest  interest.  The  variables  of  negative 
^development,  etc.,  previously  mentioned,  naturally  alter  individual  opin- 
ions as  to  its  speed.  My  own  experience  indicates  that  in  daylight  its  speed 
should  be  placed  at  Weston  128 — that  is,  two  notches  beyond  the  right-hand 
limits  of  the  speed  scale  on  all  except  the  newest  Weston  meters.  Under  artificial 
light,  I have  had  excellent  results  using  a value  of  Weston  80. 

In  achieving  this  phenomenal  speed,  the  Agfa  engineers  made  some 
sacrifice  in  grain  quality,  and  since  the  film  was  originally  intended  primarily 
for  newsreel  work,  gave  it  a somewhat  soft  contrast.  But  in  instances  where 
speed  is  vital,  neither  of  these  are  serious  disadvantages. 

The  way  this  added  speed  increases  the  scope  of  "candid"  photography 
will  be  obvious.  With  modern  fast  lenses,  operating  at  speeds  ranging  from 
f:2  to  f:  1 .5,  virtually  anything  that  can  be  seen  can  also  be  photographed. 


Page  Nineteen 


Modern  Fine-grain  films 
are  capable  of  trem- 
endous enlargement. 
Compare  size  of  con- 
tact print  in  man's  hand 
with  enlargement  (from 
the  same  Agfa  Finopan 
negative)  on  wall. 


Similarly,  many  pictures  which  under  previous  conditions  would  have  demanded 
a synchronized  flash,  even  with  fast  lenses,  are  now  possible  without  such  dis- 
turbing aids.  In  the  same  way,  as  many  minnicam-users  are  realizing,  Ultra 
Speed  Pan  is  opening  to  those  limited  to  the  less  expensive  f : 3 .5  and  slower 
objectives,  fields  formerly  fhe  exclusive  property  of  the  owners  of  fast  lenses. 

There  is  another  aspect  to  the  use  of  this  film  which  has  as  yet  received 
little  comment.  This  is  its  use  under  circumstances  which  ordinarily  would  per- 
mit the  adequate  use  of  slower  films.  Some  of  these  should  be  obvious  at 
once,  for  any  photographer,  granted  his  choice  between  making  a picture  with 
an  emulsion  which  forces  him  to  use  his  lens  at  maximum  aperture,  and  one 
which  permits  him  to  use  a reduced  stop,  will  choose  the  latter.  This  is  perhaps 
most  easily  evident  in  the  case  of  speed  photography  where  extremely  high 
shutter-speeds- — from  1/500  to  I /1 000  second  must  be  used.  With  ordinary 
superpan-type  film  under  conditions  where  a full  exposure  with  I / 1 000  second 
would  call  for  an  aperture  of  f :3 .5,  Supreme  would  permit  stopping  down  to 
f : 5 .6 , and  Ultra  Speed  Pan  to  f:7. 

The  same  advantage  can  be  found  in  the  case  of  many  other  types  of 
picture  which  do  not  require  such  extremely  fast  exposures.  In  many  cases 
one  is  faced  with  the  choice  of  either  stopping  down  for  detail  and  depth, 
using  in  consequence  a relatively  slow  exposure,  or  of  sacrificing  definition  for 
the  shorter  exposures  permitted  by  larger  apertures.  In  this  case,  the  faster 
film  permits  one  to  have  his  cake  and  eat  it  too,  by  using  both  small  apertures 
and  quick  exposures.  This  should  be  especially  valuable  to  the  numerous  mini- 


Page  Twenty 


camerists  who  have  a tendency  to  jab  the  shutter  release,  and  thereby  blur 
exposures  made  at  1/25  second  or  slower. 

This  is  also  advantageous  in  using  filters.  Often  the  use  of  filters  under 
poor  light  conditions,  or  under  normal  conditions  when  the  heavier  filters  are 
used  necessitates  exposure  increases  which  again  bring  this  choice  between 
depth  and  definition  or  overly  long  exposures.  The  use  of  a faster  film  like  Su- 
preme or  Ultra  Speed  Pan  often  solves  this. 

It  naturally  follows  that  Ultra  Speed  Pan  can  be  used  outdoors  with  filters 
like  any  other  panchromatic  film.  Due  to  the  somewhat  flatter  gradation  of 
this  emulsion,  it  is  advantageous  to  avoid  featureless  flat  lightings,  and  at  times 
to  utilize  such  filters  as  the  G and  the  various  red  filters — the  A and  F series — 
which  increase  contrast.  The  filter  factors  for  this  film  are: 


Aero  I 1 .5 

Aero  2 2.0 

K- 1 1.8 

K 2 2.0 

G 2.5 

23  A 3.5 

25-A  5.0 

F 7.0 


Infra-Red 

Another  film  which  has  created  a great  deal  of  comment  is  Agfa  Infra 
Red.  While  this  film  has  become  universally  used  for  exterior  night-effects  by 
professional  cinematographers,  many  miniature-camera  users  have  seemed  at 
a loss  as  to  how  it  should  be  used  and  exposed. 

One  of  the  applications  to  which  Agfa  Infra-Red  film  is  perhaps  most 
admirably  suited,  is  its  use  for  pictorial  photographs  in  which  a dramatic  sort 
of  beauty  is  desired.  The  deep,  heavy  shadows,  the  dark  skies,  and  glistening 
highlights  that  are  obtained  in  outdoor  pictures  made  on  this  film,  are  remark- 
ably helpful  in  creating  the  dramatic  mood  required  for  some  subjects.  In  the 
same  fashion,  a fantastic  sort  of  beauty  results  from  the  sunny,  almost  snow-like 
appearance  of  grass,  shrubs,  and  trees,  for  the  chlorophyll  contained  in  most 
foliage  reflects  a large  proportion  of  infra-red  radiation  to  which  the  film  is 
sensitive.  But  often  more  intriguing  and  beautiful  than  even  these  effects, 
is  the  striking  way  in  which  creamy-white  cloud  formations  are  captured  by 
Infra-red  film  and  emphasized  in  dramatic  relief  against  a cold  blue  sky  that  in 
the  finished  print  is  rendered  in  rich,  deep  tones.  The  combination  and  develop- 
ment of  these  effects  with  Infra-red  film  presents  almost  limitless  possibilities 
to  the  pictorialist  who  is  interested  in  interpreting  the  beauty  of  outdoor 
subjects.* 

The  matter  of  exposure  is  a difficult  one  to  generalize  upon.  It  is  almost 
impossible  to  give  an  arbitrary  Weston  speed  for  this  film  because  not  only 

*See  also  "Infra-Red  for  Dramatic  Effects",  P.  13. 


Page  Twenty-One 


does  the  infra  red  radiation  vary  as  much  as  does  the  radiation  of  visible 
light,  but  the  meter's  cell,  like  the  eye,  is  relatively  insensitive  to  this  invisible 
light.  Furthermore,  this  film  may  be  used  for  several  different  purposes,  each  of 
which  requires  individual  exposure  technique.  In  the  studios,  for  instance,  Agfa 
Infra-red  fiilm  is  used  for  making  night-effect  scenes  by  daylight.  It  may  be  so 
used  by  individual  miniature-camera  users,  as  well.  It  may  also  be  used  for 
normal,  overcorrected  filter  effects,  or  for  cutting  through  extreme  haze  in 
landscapes. 

In  any  event,  Agfa  Infra  Red,  unlike  all  previous  infra-red-sensitive  films, 
does  not  require  visually  opaque  filters.  All  that  is  necessary  is  to  eliminate 


A DRAMATIC  FILTER- 
SHOT  ON  AGFA 
INFRA-RED 


Photographed  by 
Dr.  Ernst  Schwarz 


the  blue,  violet  and  ultra-violet  to  which  this  film,  like  any  light-sensitive  silver 
compound,  is  sensitive.  Virtually  all  of  its  remaining  sensitivity  is  in  the  red  and 
infra-red,  so  it  is  superfluous  to  filter  out  the  other  visible  rays.  In  an  emergency 
almost  any  deep  yellow  filter  which  cuts  out  all  blue  and  ultra-violet  will  do,  but 
the  best  filter  to  use  with  Agfa  Infra  Red  Film  is  a medium-red  filter,  like  the 
Wratten  23-A.  In  that  case,  for  night  effects,  I have  found  exposures  should 
range  between  f:4.5  and  f:3.5  at  1/25  second  under  bright  sunlight  in  a Sou- 
thern California  summer.  In  some  instances,  still  less  exposure  should  be  given, 
depending,  of  course,  upon  the  subject.  Where  normal  day  effects,  or  extreme 
haze-cutting  are  desired  rather  than  night-effects,  the  exposure  should  be  on 
the  full  side. 


Page  Twenty  Two 


In  making  night-effects  with  this  film,  professional  cinematographers  have 
learned  several  things.  For  one,  the  most  convincing  effects  are  secured  by 
composing  the  picture  so  that  a rather  heavy  shadow  cuts  across  the  fore- 
ground. For  another,  while  clouds  ordinarily  add  to  the  pictorial  value  of  a 
scene,  they  do  not  add  to  the  convincingness  of  a filtered  night-effect.  Such 
scenes  depend  greatly  upon  a jet-black  sky,  which  suggests  night.  Thus  the 
best  night-effects  are  those  which  include  a cloudless  sky.  Similarly,  if  film  and 
filter  are  to  darken  the  sky,  the  camera  should  not  be  pointed  closer  to  the  sun 
than  a 90  degree  angle;  the  best  results  come  shooting  directly  away  from 
that  part  of  the  sky  in  which  the  sun  is.  Lighter  filters  and  fuller  exposures,  inci- 
dentally, give  a lighter  sky,  which  suggests  the  luminous  quality  of  a twilight  sky. 


In  Emergencies  Infra-Red  Can  Be  Used  Without  A Filter,  As  This  Picture  By  Dr. 

Ernst  Schwarz  Shows 

It  is  peculiarly  interesting  that  Agfa  Infra-red  film  need  not  be  restricted 
in  use  to  the  special  types  of  work  described  above.  Many  photographers  have 
found  that  when  occasion  demands,  the  film  can  be  used  satisfactorily  without 
filters,  to  obtain  a picture  similar  in  general  appearance  to  that  produced  when 
a regular  panchromatic  film  is  used  without  filter.  This  procedure  affords  an 
obvious  advantage  when  there  is  no  opportunity  or  time  to  reload  the  camera 
with  a regular  panchromatic  film  for  a few  "straight"  photographs.  Naturally 
the  interpretation  of  color  values  in  the  photograph  is  not  then  strictly  accurate, 
because  Agfa  Infra-red  film  is  relatively  insensitive  to  green  and  yellow  light; 
but  for  many  subjects  this  is  a minor  consideration.  When  used  without  filter 
in  this  way,  the  film  can  be  given  about  twice  the  exposure  which  would  be  used 
for  Superpan  Supreme. 

Reversible  Superpan 

Agia  Reversible  Superpan  is  another  special-purpose  film.  Its  basic  cf.ar- 


Page  Twenty-Three 


acteristics  are  the  same  as  those  of  the  familiar  Superpan,  though  its  speed  is 
slightly  less — Weston  24  to  daylight,  16  to  Mazda. 

This  film  can  be  valuable  in  several  ways.  Since  it  gives  a positive  trans- 
parency rather  than  a negative,  it  can  be  a means  of  simplifying  things  for 
those  who,  for  business  or  pleasure,  make  use  of  projected  film-slides  or  trans- 
parencies. With  this  film,  such  slides  can  be  made  directly,  rather  than  going 
to  the  intervening  trouble  and  expense  of  making  a negative  and  then  having 
transparencies  printed  therefrom. 

But  this  film  has  also  a further  application.  Like  mose  reversal  emulsions, 
Agfa  Reversible  Superpan  has  unusual  fine-grain  characteristics.  It  is  therefore 
an  excellent  material  for  making  pictures  from  which  extremely  large  prints  are 
to  be  demanded.  This  film  cannot,  of  course,  be  developed  as  a negative,  but 
it  can  be  reversed  in  the  usual  way,  and  then  used  for  the  making  of  an  en- 
larged negative  of  any  size,  from  which  either  contact  prints  or  further  en- 
largements can  be  made. 

This,  incidentally,  offers  great  possibilities  to  those  who  use  the  advantages 
of  the  miniature-camera  for  portrait  or  commercial  photography.  Such  work 
often  requires  retouching  or  other  alteration  of  the  negative,  which  is  difficult, 
if  not  impossible  with  ordinary  minnicam  negatives.  Using  Agfa  Reversible 
Superpan  for  the  original  picture  and  making  an  enlarged  negative,  such  re- 
touching becomes  wholly  practical. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  each  of  Agfa's  six  miniature-camera  films  fits 
neatly  into  some  definite  purpose  of  the  minnicamerist's  work.  To  sum  things 
up  briefly,  it  will  be  seen  that  there  are  three  general-purpose  films,  and  three 
special-purpose  films,  each  of  which  has  its  special  utility. 

Agfa  Supreme  is  the  unexcelled  all-around  film  for  snapshotting  landscapes, 
speed  pictures,  portraits,  candid  camerawork,  and  nearly  every  phase  of  ama- 
teur and  professional  minnicam  work. 

Agfa  Finopan  is  a fine  all-around  film  especially  suited  to  pictures  and 
individuals  where  extreme  fine-grain  quality  is  paramount. 

Agfa  Plenachrome  is  an  economical  outdoor  film,  especially  useful  where  it 
is  desired  to  differentiate  strongly  between  oranges  and  red. 

Agfa  Ultra  Speed  Pan  is  the  unique  film  for  any  purpose  which  calls  for 
unsurpassed  speed — for  working  under  unfavorable  illumination,  for  speed  work, 
and  the  like. 

Agfa  Infra  Red  was  specifically  created  for  making  night-effects  by  day- 
light, for  intentionally  overcorrected  filter  shots  to  obtain  dramatic  effects, 
and  for  penetrating  haze  in  distant  landscapes. 

Agfa  Reversible  Superpan  is  specially  suited  to  making  direct  transparen- 
cies, and  to  making  pictures  for  extreme  enlargement  by  means  of  enlarged 
negatives,  or  where  minnicam  pictures  must  be  retouched  or  modified. 

It  is  hoped  that  this  discussion  of  Agfa's  six  miniature-camera  films  will 
help  those  who  use  them  to  answer  the  often  perplexing  question  of  which  film 
to  choose  for  a given  picture. 


Page  Twenty -Four 


A New  Viewpoint  on  Lighting 
Agfa  Supreme  Negative 


By  ARTHUR  MARTINELLI 


AS  LONG  as  there  are  cinematographers  there  will  be  different  ideas  as  to 

\ how  photographic  problems  should  be  solved.  I have  enjoyed  reading 
' 'in  previous  issues  of  AGFA  MOTION  PICTURE  TOPICS  the  views 
expressed  by  several  representative  members  of  the  profession  about  the  best 
ways  of  using  Agfa  Supreme  negative  and  its  additional  speed.  Some,  I recall, 
favor  keeping  lens  apertures  normal,  and  reducing  the  amount  of  light  used. 
Others  keep  the  lighting  normal,  and  stop  down  the  lens. 

My  own  method  is  different  from  either.  I won't  say  it  is  the  best,  but  it 
has  the  advantage  of  giving  me  the  type  of  photography  I want.  To  me,  this 
is  an  important  thought  in  approaching  any  problem:  for  while  each  of  us  is 
striving  for  better  photography,  each  has  a slightly  different  idea  of  what  he 
wants  in  order  to  bring  it  about.  Some  of  my  friends,  for  instance,  favor 
extreme  low-key  lightings.  Others  favor  increased  depth  of  focus. 

For  my  part,  I favor  softness.  Our  modern  lenses,  intelligently  used,  will 
give  us  adequate  definition.  But  extreme  visual  contrast  is  and  always  has 
been  a photographic  bugaboo. 

Soft  Lightings 

For  this  reason,  regardless  of  what  type  of  film  I may  be  using,  I plan  my 
camerawork  and  lightings,  indoors  and  out,  to  give  me  softer,  more  natural 
effects. 

I have  found  the  added  speed  of  Agfa  Supreme  negative  a definite 
advantage  in  gaining  this  end.  It  gives  increased  opportunities  to  soften  my 
lightings,  and  to  gain  more  pleasing  effects. 

With  a faster  film,  it  is  of  course  possible  to  reduce  the  size  and  power 
of  the  lamps  used.  But  this  in  most  cases,  if  not  perhaps  in  all,  might  mean 
an  increased  use  of  bare,  undiffused  lamps.  To  me,  the  quality  of  light  emitted 
by  an  undiffused  lamp  is  distasteful — unnatural.  I infinitely  prefer  a diffused 
beam. 

Therefore  in  my  use  of  Supreme  negative  I keep  the  lens  at  its  normal, 
maximum  aperture,  and  I balance  the  speed  of  my  emulsion  by  taking  advantage 
of  a very  welcome  opportunity  to  use  additional  diffusion  on  my  lamps. 

The  effect  of  this  style  of  lighting  is  much  more  pleasing  to  me.  I get  a 
soft  naturalness  that  does  a great  deal  to  rob  the  picture  of  the  dangerous 
effect  of  being  obviously  the  product  of  a studio  sound  stage.  There  is  a 
further  advantage  in  that  the  additional  diffusion  so  spreads  the  light  that  I 


Page  Twenty-Five 


need  give  less  thought  to  placing  a specific  "filler"  light  to  illuminate  each 
shadow. 

Exterior  Softness 

The  same  principle  is  of  equal  value  in  exteriors.  If  anything,  it  is  more 
valuable.  Any  modern  film  is  really  too  fast  to  permit  us  to  use  full  lens  and 
shutter  apertures  outdoors.  The  answer  ,far  too  frequently,  is  sought  simply 
in  closing  down  the  diaphragm.  This  effectively  cuts  the  exposure,  but  at  the 
same  time  it  also  increases  contrast. 

On  exteriors  I use  my  lens  at  the  largest  aperture  possible,  and  "stop  down" 
my  shutter  to  equalize  the  exposure..  1 1 n addition  I generally  apply  a Wratten 
21  filter.  I lhave  found  this  a most  excellent  filter  for  all-around  exterior  photog- 
raphy. It  gives  a pleasingly  normal  correction. 

In  this  connection  I might  point  out  something  which,  while  an  old  story  to 
the  older  members  of  the  profession,  may  not  be  so  familiar  to  some  of  the 
younger  men.  This  is  the  fact  that  when  working  under  unusually  brilliant 
exterior  lighting  conditions,  as  in  snow  scenes,  at  the  beach  or  in  the  desert, 
the  natural  tendency  is  to  stop  down  to  offset  the  additional  brilliance  of  the 
light.  This,  however,  also  adds  further  contrast  to  the  contrast  inevitably 
produced  by  the  brilliant  natural  light.  It  is  much  better  to  control  exposure 
with  reduced  shutter  apertures,  and  if  necessary  with  filters  as  well,  and  to  keep 
the  lens  as  wide  open  as  possible — even  overexposing  a trifle  at  times.  This 
minimizes  optical  contrast,  and  aids  in  maintaining  well-matched  photographic 
quality  between  interiors  and  exteriors. 


Photographic  Quality 

In  general,  I have  found  Agfa  Supreme  a thoroughly  satisfactory  film. 
The  increased  speed,  of  course,  is  an  advantage  in  lighting.  The  fineness 
of  grain  has  been  most  satisfactory,  as  have  the  color-balance  and  gradation. 
The  stability  of  the  film  has  been  very  pleasing.  I have  used  the  film  on  a 
good  number  of  pictures  for  several  different  producers.  Those  of  us  who 
have  been  in  the  business  for  many  years  naturally  grew  up  in  the  tradition 
that  added  speed  must  be  purchased  by  sacrifices  in  stability  and  uniformity. 
But  although  I have  used  Supreme  on  several  locations  which  would  be  a good 
test  of  any  film's  keeping  quality,  and  have  employed  footage  from  many  dif- 
ferent emulsions,  the  consistent  performance  of  the  film  has  been  equal  to  that 
of  any  I have  ever  used. 

It  is  only  natural  that,  since  a cinematographer's  living  depends  upon  what 
he  can  put  on  the  negative,  he  should  approach  any  great  change  in  film 
characteristics  with  caution. But  in  many  ways  I think  we  overdo  this  caution — 
as  witness  the  way  some  clung  to  the  old  ortho  emulsions  long  after  panchromatic 
was  introduced.  After  all,  film  is  film,  and  a cinematographer  worthy  of  the 
name  should  be  master  of  it.  Certainly  there  should  be  no  doubts  about  testing 
and  adopting  an  improved  type  which  helps  us  on  toward  our  goal. 


Page  Twenty-Six 


IN  THIS  ISSUE 


Charles  Ford,  author  of  the  article  on  "Infra-Red  For  Dramatic  Effects" 
(Page  I 3)  is  a studio  executive  with  an  unusual  background.  Before  coming  to  his 
present  post  as  one  of  Republic  Studio's  production  executives,  he  was  for 
many  years  Editor-In-Chief  of  the  Universal  Newsreel,  and  producer  of  several 
series  of  short-subjects  as  we  II.  Robert  Mitchell,  Jr.,  whose  article  "Four  Useful 
Optical  Formulas"  on  Page  7 is  eminently  worth  reading,  is  a Chemical  Engineer, 
lately  associated  with  one  of  America's  major  tire  firms.  An  enthusiastic  photog- 
rapher, he  finds  relaxation  in  digging  out  apparently  complicated  facts  and 
putting  them  to  work.  Arthur  Martinelli,  whose  comments  on  the  use  of  Supreme 
Negative  appear  on  Page  25  is  one  of  the  industry's  pioneer  cinematographers. 

The  pictorial  illustrations  in  this  issue  are  again  chosen  from  among  the 
more  notable  prints  of  the  Third  Annual  Rol leiflex  Salon.  All  of  them  are 
examples  of  the  use  of  Agfa  films  by  the  nation's  leading  pictoria lists.  A most 
unusual  example  of  the  possibilities  of  modern  photography  is  Charles  James 
Fox'  picture  of  the  candle-light  service  at  St.  Thomas  Church,  New  York.  The 
exposure  was  made  by  pure  candlelight,  with  no  flash  or  other  light  to  assist. 
The  exposure  was  on  Superpan  film,  45  seconds  at  f :3 .5. 

^ ^ ^ 

MOHR  NEW  HEAD  OF  PHOTOGRAPHERS 

Agfa  Motion  Picture  Topics  takes  pleasure  in  extending  to  Hal  Mohr,  the 
newly-elected  President  of  International  Photographers  Local  659  of  the  Inter- 
national Alliance  of  Theatrical  Stage  Employees  its  congratulations  and  best 
wishes.  The  popularity  and  ability  of  Mohr  are  attested  by  the  fact  that  this 
is  the  second  time  he  has  been  elected  to  the  chief  office  of  Local  659,  and 
that  he  also  is  Past  President  of  the  A.S.C. 

Our  congratulations  are  extended  equally  to  the  other  newly  elected 
officials  of  Local  659.  These  include  Herbert  Aller,  re-elected  to  the  post  of 
Business  Representative,  Leon  Shamroy,  Lucien  Ballard,  and  William  Skall  as 
Vice  Presidents,  James  King  as  Recording  Secretary,  and  Len  Powers  as  Serg- 
eant-at-Arms.  Edward  Pyle,  Ernest  Depew  and  Fleet  Southcott  are  the  newly 
elected  Trustees. 

The  new  Executive  Board  of  Local  659  includes  Charles  Bohny,  James  J. 
Brooks,  William  Clothier,  Robert  Coburn,  Eddie  Fitzgerald,  Russell  Harlan, 
Sanford  Greenwald,  Clifton  Maupin  and  Lathrop  Worth. 

NEW  WESTON  FILM-SPEED  CHART 

For  use  with  the  well  known  Weston  photoelectric  exposure  meters,  the 
Weston  Instrument  Corporation  has  issued  a new  table  of  Weston  film-speed 
ratings.  In  addition  to  giving  up-to-date  listings  of  all  of  the  best  known  film 
and  plate  products,  the  new  chart  is  noteworthy  because  for  the  first  time  it 


Page  Twenty-Seven 


specifies  the  developing  conditions,  negative  gamma,  and  other  vital  factors 
upon  which  the  ratings  are  based. 

Listings  are  grouped  under  eleven  headings,  corresponding  to  specific  uses 
of  the  films,  each  generally  employing  different  processing  standards.  Many 
products  therefore  get  multiple  listings,  and  in  some  cases,  show  markedly  dif- 
ferent speeds  according  to  the  use  and  developing  methods  involved.  For  ordi- 
nary rollfilm  service,  for  example,  Agfa  Superpan  Press  is  given  a daylight  speed 
rating  of  100,  while  under  the  "Press"  grouping,  the  same  emulsion  is  listed 
at  a speed  of  1 25. 

The  groupings  and  their  development  standards  include:  Rolls  and  Packs, 
based  on  commercial  photo-finishing  methods,  5 minute  development  in  DK  50; 
Miniature  Camera  Films,  based  on  development  to  a gamma  of  .8  in  the  fine- 
grain  developer  recommended  by  the  manufacturer;  Press,  based  on  develop- 
ment to  a gamma  of  1.2;  Portrait,  based  on  a gamma  of  .9;  Commercial,  based 
on  a gamma  of  1.0;  Process,  based  on  a gamma  of  3.0;  Graphic,  based  on  a 
gamma  of  7.0  with  the  meter  reading  taken  from  a white  card  and  using  the  "O" 
position  on  the  calculator;  Aero  film,  using  a gamma  of  1.2;  35mm.  Motion 
Picture  Film,  based  on  a gamma  of  .8  in  a borax  developer;  8mm.  and  16mm. 
film  ratings  are  based  on  the  manufacturer's  own  processing.  A number  of  the 
ratings  are  qualified  as  subject  to  further  test,  and  will  possibly  be  revised 
in  the  near  future. 

The  chart  is  obtainable  free  from  the  Weston  Company,  or  from  photo- 
graphic dealers. 


The  contract  of  C.  King  Charney  with  C.  King  Charney,  Incorporated, 
distributors  of  Agfa  Motion  Picture  Films,  the  expiration  date  of  which  was 
October  15,  1938,  has  been  amicably  terminated. 

The  name  of  C.  King  Charney,  Incorporated  will  be  changed  to  Agfa  Raw 
Film  Corporation,  and  the  company  will  continue  its  business  at  its  present 
quarters  in  Ftollywood  at  6424  Santa  Monica  Boulevard. 


Page  Twenty-Eight 


A Hit  in  Any  League 


80s 


SUPREME 


Made  by  AGFA  ANSCO  CORP.,  in  Binghampton,  N.  Y. 


Distributed  by 


AGFA  RAW  FILM  CORPORATION 


HOLLYWOOD 


NEW  YORK 


VOLUME  III  N 0 . 2 MARCH-APRIL  1939 


MOTION  PICTURE  TOPICS 


WILLIAM  S T U L L - A.  S.  C.  EDITOR 


Conte  tits 

Timely  Topics  . . .......  2 

Acfa-Ansco’s  Century  of  Procress  ......  6 

The  Graininess  of  Photographic  Emulsions — Part  IV 

By  Dr.  A.  Goetz  and  W.  O.  Gould  .....  17 

The  Practical  Relationship  Between  Gamma  and  Visual  Contrast 

By  S.  D.  Lund  ........  23 

S.  M.  P.  E.  Convention  In  Hollywood  ......  29 

Our  Illustrations  ....  .....  31 

You  Might  Like  to  Know  .......  32 

Tower  of  the  Sun  Photographed  by  Mike  Roberts  . . . Frontispiece 


Jewels  of  the  Night 


Photographed  by  Franklin  .S'.  Allen 


Published  Bi-Montiii.y  By 

AGFA  RAW  FILM  CORPORATION 

6424  Santa  Monica  Bi.vd„  Hollywood  245  WTst  55th  Street,  New  York 

A either  Agfa  Motion  Picture  Topics  nor  the  Agfa  Raw  Film  Corporation  is  responsible  for 
statements  made  by  authors  nor  for  unsolicited  manuscripts. 


Timvlif  Tit  pi  vs 


/^VN  another  page  of  this  issue  of 
Agfa  Motion  Picture  Topics 
will  be  found  an  article  tracing  the 
history  and  progress  of  the  present 
Agfa-Ansco  Corporation  and  its  cor- 
porate progenitors  from  the  formation 
of  the  original  Anthony  company  in 
1842  to  the  present.  It  is  an  article 
frequently  requested  by  those  of  our 
readers  who  are  familiar  with  the 
romantic  history  and  fine  traditions 
of  the  firm  behind  Agfa-Ansco  film. 
It  is  an  interesting  and  constructive 
story,  yet  it  is  one  we've  been  a bit 
reluctant  to  print. 

Why?  Because  in  common  with 
many  another  magazine,  we  regularly 
find  ourselves  restricted  by  the  limita- 
tions of  type  and  pages.  There  is 
so  much  of  a technical  nature  that 
can  be  said  about  the  Agfa  films  and 
their  use,  and  so  many  friends  who 
are  eager  to  help  us  say  it.  that  it 
seemed  unnecessarily  vain  to  utilize 
useful  space  in  telling  what  is,  after 
all,  the  typical  success  story  of  a 
typical,  pioneer  American  business 
enterprise. 

But  since  our  friends  have  had  their 
way,  we  hope  that  the  readers  of 
this  journal  will  find  this  necessarily 
brief  introduction  to  the  factory 
behind  Agfa-Ansco  film,  and  to  its 
traditions  and  methods,  illuminating 
and,  to  some  extent,  at  least,  inspiring. 
As  one  who  read  the  article  before 
its  publication  commented,  in  these 
hurried  days  of  “anything  for  quick 
profits,”  it  is  a refreshing  thing  to 
encounter  an  organization  true  to  the 


American  business  spirit  of  a great 
era.  when  loyal  adherence  to  quality 
formed  the  keystone  to  success. 

*Tp  H E monthly  meetings  of  the 
American  Society  ol  Cinemato- 
graphers are,  we  are  glad  to  see, 
gaining  steadily  in  interest  and  im- 
portance. Begun  shortly  after  the 
opening  of  the  A.  S.  C.  clubhouse, 
primarily  as  social  affairs,  these 
gatherings  have  inevitably  developed 
into  worthwhile  forums  on  current 
technical  problems. 

The  February  meeting,  devoted  to 
discussion  of  photoelectric  exposure- 
meters  and  presided  over  by  Past 
President  Dan  Clark,  attracted  the 
largest  and  most  enthusiastic  atten- 
dance yet  recorded.  The  industry  has 
reason  to  congratulate  itself  upon 
having  an  institution  of  this  nature 
where,  as  we  observed  at  that  meeting, 
cameramen  and  laboratory  experts, 
film  specialists  and  meter  manufac- 
turers could  sit  down  together  and 
discuss  their  problems  with  complete 
frankness  which  pulls  no  punches,  yet 
in  a spirit  of  complete  good  fellow- 
ship. 

For  yet  another  reason  this  meet- 
ing was  of  particular  significance. 
This  is  the  surprisingly  unanimous 
acceptance  of  meters  as  helpful 
adjuncts  to  modern  cinematography. 
Opinions  differed  as  to  the  most 
suitable  types  of  meters,  and  the  best 
methods  of  using  them:  but  not  a 
voice  was  raised  to  question  the  value 
of  the  device.  This  approval  is  a 


2 


very  recent  development;  even  six 
months  or  a year  ago  the  argument 
would  have  been  hottest  over  the  ques- 
tion of  whether  or  not  meters  them- 
selves were  professionally  worthwhile. 
It  can  hardly  be  a coincidence  that 
this  change  has  appeared  during  the 
same  period  the  new  "fast  films,”  such 
as  Agfa  Supreme,  were  being  in- 
troduced. All  of  us  who  make  or 
sell  film  should  feel  gratified  that  our 
products  should  have  a part,  however 
incidental,  in  furthering  so  important 
an  advancement  in  the  industry. 

'The  financial  columns  of  our  news- 
-*■  papers  have  frequently  chronicled 
instances  in  which  nationally  im- 
portant corporations  have,  even  during 
these  years  of  depression  and  recession, 
paid  dividends  to  their  stockholders. 
But  they  seldom  record  instances  in 
which  corporations  pay  dividends  to 
those  who  use  their  products. 

Yet  that  is  precisely  what  the  Agfa- 
Ansco  corporation  has  been  doing  to 
an  increasing  extent  over  the  period 
of  the  last  four  years! 

How.  you  ask? 

What  else  can  you  call  it  when  a 
firm  offers  products  which  in  addition 
to  giving  improved  basic  quality,  also 
permit  those  who  use  it  to  effect 
notable  economies?  To  save  money 
that  they  would  otherwise  be  forced 
to  spend? 

Let’s  look  at  the  record.  Four  years 
ago  was  introduced  the  first  Agfa 
Infra-Red  negative  film.  This  enabled 
the  producers  and  cinematographers 
who  used  it  to  obtain  better,  more 
convincing  exterior  night-effect  scenes, 
at  the  same  time  saving  the  costs  in 
equipment,  current,  labor  and  wasted 


effort  otherwise  incurred  in  making 
such  scenes  actually  by  night. 

Two  yeas  ago  this  successful 
product  was  supplanted  by  an  im- 
proved version,  the  present  Agfa 
Infra-Red  negative,  Type  B,  which 
greatly  extended  the  field  of  potential 
economies  from  atmospheric  long- 
shots  and  background  plates  to  in- 
clude virtually  every  kind  of  actual 
production  night-effect  scenes.  In  a 
word,  more  money  which  wmuld  other- 
wise have  to  be  spent  remained  in 
the  consumer’s  bank. 

Slightly  over  a year  ago,  Agfa 
Supreme  negative  was  introduced.  In 
addition  to  giving  better  overall 
photographic  quality,  this  film,  by 
reason  of  its  greatly  increased  speed, 
made  possible  a tremendous  saving 
in  electrical  costs.  According  to  one 
reliable  and  expert  estimate,  the  saving 
on  an  “A”  production  equalled  the 
average  cost  of  raw  negative  film  for 
that  production.  In  other  words,  the 
use  of  this  film  virtually  made  the  pro- 
ducer a present  of  the  raw-stock  used 
in  photographing  the  production. 

At  the  same  time.  Agfa  L ltra  Speed 
Pan  made  its  bow.  Disregarding  the 
advantages  it  offers  the  newsreel  and 
commerical  producer,  it  has  given  the 
studio  a means  of  making  background, 
atmospheric  and  special  shots  under 
conditions  hitherto  considered  photo- 
graphically impossible.  Actual 
locations — famous  rooms  and  build- 
ings— which  otherwise  would  have  to 
be  constructed  in  the  studio,  either 
full  size  or  in  miniature — can  now 
be  photographed  as  they  are.  Actual 
night  street  exteriors  can  be  filmed 
without  lights.  Again,  money  that 
would  under  conventional  conditions 
be  spent,  now  need  not  be  spent. 


3 


Those  savings  are  pretty  good  cash 
dividends  to  the  consumer,  aren’t 
they9 

wn™  this  issue,  Agfa  Motion 
W Picture  Topics  enters  its  third 
year  of  publication.  The  first  issue 
appeared  in  February  1937.  This  is 
the  sixteenth  issue  published  since 

then.  That  first  issue  contained  but 
half  as  many  pages  as  this,  reproduced 
but  a small  fraction  as  many  photo- 
graphs, had  fewer  and  shorter  articles, 
and  went  to  about  half  as  many 

readers  as  does  this.  In  view  of  such 
evidence,  we  feel  we  can  believe  the 
many  friends  who  have  repeatedly 

told  us  that  the  magazine  was  steadily 
changing  for  the  better  with  each 

issue. 

But  in  one  thing  it  has  not  changed. 
That  first  issue  carried  an  Editorial 
setting  forth  the  magazine's  policy. 
That  was — and  is — to  “continually 
strive  to  be  individual,  and  not  just 
another  publication  competing  with 
the  many  other  excellent  trade  and 
technical  journals  already  appearing,” 
and  instead  to  “constructively  discuss 
. . . all  matters  pertaining  to  the  use 
of  Agfa  motion  picture  film  . . . and 
to  provide  a forum  for  threshing  out 
new  problems  constantly  arising  from 
tbe  ever-changing  conditions  in  the 
varied  processes  of  film  production.” 

We  hope  we  have  succeeded  in  this. 
Our  extremely  cordial  relations  with 
existing  trade  and  technical  papers 
proves  our  original  contention  that 
such  a paper  as  this  need  not  con- 


Hict  with  the  industry’s  established 
journals.  The  many  compliments  re- 
ceived. and  the  widespread  interest 
shown  in  our  journal  indicates  that 
we  are,  in  publishing  this  magazine, 
serving  the  industry  and  its  technical 
people  in  a constructive  way. 

So  we  begin  our  third  year  of  publi- 
cation with  a repitition  of  this  original 
pledge,  and  repeat  as  well  the  request 
made  in  that  first  issue — that  our 
readers  give  us  their  sincere  opinions 
of  what  we  are  doing — critical  as  well 
as  favorable- -and  any  suggestions 
which  the)  may  feel  will  help  to  make 
Agfa  Motion  Picture  Topics  more 
useful  and  interesting. 

Agfa  Motion  Picture  Topics  takes 
pleasure  in  extending  to  John  Arnold, 
the  newly-elected  President  of  the 
American  Society  of  Cinemato- 
graphers. its  warmest  congratulations. 
Leader  of  the  organization  from  1931 
to  1937.  Arnold  returns  to  the  Pres- 
idency backed  by  universal  confidence 
inspired  by  his  proven  leadership. 

To  Ray  June,  the  Society’s  new 
First  Vice-President.  Teddy  Tetzlaff, 
Second  Vice-President.  Joseph  Val- 
entine, Third  Vice-President,  and 
Frank  B.  Good,  Secretary-Treasurer, 
we  also  offer  our  congratulations. 
Finder  their  guidance  and  that  of  the 
Society’s  Board  of  Governors,  which 
counts  as  new  members  Charles  G. 
Clarke  and  Robert  DeGrasse,  the  A.S.C. 
seems  assured  of  continued  growth  in 
stature  and  in  service  to  the  camera 
profession. 


4 


J ah  ore.  Temple,  Treasure  Island 


Photographed  by  Mike  Roberts 


5 


'T'his  year  American  photography 
celebrates  its  one  hundredth  birth- 
day. In  hut  three  years  more  the 
Agfa  Ansco  Corporation,  too,  will 
celebrate  its  centennial — the  oldest 
American  maunfacturer  of  a complete 
line  of  photographic  equipment. 

The  intervening  century  is  a roman- 
tic saga  of  photographic  pioneering, 
liberally  studded  with  “firsts” — - 
pioneer  achievements  which  have  be- 
come milestones  in  the  history  of 
photography.  The  story  properly 
opens  even  before  that  momentous 
sixth  of  February,  1839,  when  Louis 
Jacques  Mande  Daguerre  made  the  first 
public  announcement  of  his  Dauguer- 
reotype  process.  Some  time  before  this 
announcement,  an  American  artist 
resident  in  Paris  visited  the  French 


A — Film  Plant  B — Research  and  Administration 

inventor  and  became  an  enthusiastic 
Daguerrean  photographer.  This  artist 
was  himself  something  on  an  inventor 
— his  visit  to  Paris  was  for  the  pur- 
pose of  patenting  his  own  invention, 
an  electric  telegraph — b u t photo- 
graphers in  general  and  Hollywood 
in  particular  should  honor  Samuel 
F.  B.  M orse  as  the  man  who  first 
brought  photography  to  America. 

One  of  the  first  Americans  to  learn 
the  Daguerrean  art  from  Morse  was 
a young  Columbia  University  grad- 
uate. Edward  A.  Anthony,  who  became 
one  of  the  first  amateur  photographers 
in  America.  In  college  he  had  special- 
ized in  mathematics  and  engineering, 
and  he  quickly  became  an  expert 
photographer.  \\  ith  proficiency  came 
the  typical  Yankee  urge  to  turn  his 


6 


Building  C — Paper  Plunt  D — W urehouse 

skill  to  practical  account,  and  young 
Anthony  became  perhaps  the  first 
amateur  to  turn  photographically  pro- 
fessional. 

Settling  a Boundary  Dispute 

During  these  early  years,  Anthony 
put  the  new  process  to  a dramatic  use. 
Photographing  some  of  the  highlands 
along  the  Canadian  border,  his 
pictures  enabled  the  American  Govern- 
ment to  settle  a boundary  dispute,  and 
were  the  first  photographs  ever  made 
or  used  by  any  government  for  any 
purpose. 

With  this  auspicious  start,  the  young 
man  set  up  a portrait  studio  in  Wash- 
ington, where  he  was  held  in  such 
esteem  that  the  Committee  on  Military 


Affairs  gave  him  the  use  of  its  com- 
mittee rooms  for  his  sittings. 

Success  in  this  venture  (and  it  can 
hardly  he  doubted,  the  scarcity  of 
dependable  photographic  materials!) 
impelled  him  to  go  into  business  as 
a dealer  and  manufacturer  of  photo- 
graphic materials.  The  photographic 
supply  house  which  he  established  in 
1842,  at  308  Broadway,  New  York 
City,  bore  the  name  E.  Anthony,  and 
was  the  forerunner  of  today's  Agfa 
Ansco  Corporation. 

Young  Anthony  built  his  business 
rapidly,  and  with  it  he  built  a reputa- 
tion for  integrity  and  superior  mer- 
chandise which  his  successors  have 
continued  to  this  day.  Reading  some 
of  Anthony's  almost  century-old  ad- 
vertisements, one  is  impressed  with 


7 


the  thought  that  in  some  things  a 
hundred  years  need  bring  little  change, 
for  Anthony  stressed,  even  as  do  his 
modern  successors  today,  the  impor- 
tance of  quality  and  dependability  in 
photographic  materials.  In  one  of  his 
early  advertisements  Anthony  wrote, 
“My  prices  . . . will  be  found  to  be 
very  low',  but  I look  for  a reputation 
more  from  their  quality  than  from 
their  low'  price,  being  convinced,  from 
former  experience  as  a practical  oper- 
ator, that  noting  in  the  daguerrean 
business  is  truly  cheap  but  what  is 
good.'’  The  phrasing  and  the  products 
may  change,  but  the  underlying  view- 
point might  well  come  from  any  of 
his  firm’s  current  bulletins! 

As  the  business  grew,  Anthony  was 
joined  by  his  elder  brother,  Henry 
T.  Anthony.  In  that  year  1 852 — 
the  Anthonys  scored  another  notable 
photographic  “first”  when  they  held 


The  Cradle  of  Agfa-Ansco — 1842 


Edward  Anthony 


the  first  photographic  prize  contest  in 
the  world.  Yet  another  pioneering 
achievement  was  credited  to  the  firm, 
which  by  this  time  had  assumed  its 
more  familiar  name  of  E.  and  T.  H. 
Anthony  & Company,  when  a few  years 
later  H enry  Anthony  made  what  is 
believed  to  be  the  first  “instantaneous” 
photograph  or  snapshot  ever  made. 

It  was  during  this  period  that  the 
wet  collodion  process  began  to  dis- 
place the  daguerreotype.  The  incon- 
veniences presented  by  the  process — 
that  plates  had  to  be  coated  immed- 
iately before  use,  exposed  while  wet, 
and  developed  immediately  thereafter 
— were  in  a great  measure  offset  by 
the  fact  that  shorter  exposures  and 
the  making  of  extra  paper  prints  were 
made  possible.  This  opened  vast  new 
possibilities  to  photography,  and  it 
was  only  natural  that  the  Anthonys 
should  enter  the  field  of  supplying 
collodion  plate  materials. 


Union  Buttery.  Photographed  by 

Ft.  Lyon — 1863  Matthew  Brady 

Most  famous  among  the  Anthony 
clients  of  those  days  was  Matthew  B. 
Brady,  whose  celebrated  collection  of 
photographs  of  the  Civil  War  made 
in  the  field  with  Anthony  materials, 
was  probably  the  first,  and  certainly 
the  most  famous  of  all  camera  war- 
reportages.  Considering  the  handicaps 
faced  even  today  by  the  men  who 
follow  battling  armies  with  a camera. 
Brady’s  Civil  War  pictures  made  under 
all  the  handicaps  of  the  cumbersome 
wet-plate  process,  are  still  unequalled. 
Not  only  did  he  have  to  carry  with 
him  the  bulky  camera  equipment  of 
the  period,  but  in  addition  his  equip- 
ment must  serve  as  a miniature  plate- 
factory  and.  of  course,  as  a darkroom 
for  the  immediate  development  of  his 
pictures.  All  told,  he  had  to  burden 
himself  with  an  assortment  of  camera 
and  laboratory  equipment  whic  h 
would  today  be  a load  for  a fair-sized 
truck ! 

But  by  1880  the  vastly  simpler 
gelatin  dry  plate  process  had  been 
introduced,  thus  bringing  photography 
closer  to  its  modern  stage,  and  the 
first  Anthony  dry  plates  were  intro- 
duced. followed  four  years  later  by 
the  first  Anthony  (plate)  hand  camera. 


First  Celluloid  Film 

In  1887  the  Anthonys  were  associ- 
ated in  a development,  the  importance 
of  which  is  exceeded  only  by  the 
original  invention  of  photography  it- 
se  If.  Th  is  was  the  invention  of  cel- 
luloid-based photographic  film,  which 
not  only  freed  photography  from  the 
restrictions  imposed  by  bulky,  break- 
able glass  plates,  but  which  at  a single 
stroke  made  the  motion  picture 
possible.  From  the  very  earliest  days 
of  photography,  the  limitations  of 
Daguerre’s  metal  plates  and  St. 
Victor's  glass  plates  had  been  realized. 
Oiled  and  waxed  paper,  and  a thous- 
and other  supports  had  been  tried 
and  found  wanting.  Photographic  re- 

rm  mr 

AG  FA  AM  SCO 

COBFOUATIOK 


Entrance  to  Agfa-Ansco 
Administration  Building — 1939 


9 


searchers,  especially  those  striving 
for  the  photographic  reproduction  of 
motion  pictures,  knew  that  success 
awaited  only  the  appearance  of  a light? 
flexible  and  transparent  support  for 
their  picture-making  emulsions. 

Finally,  in  1887,  the  Reverend  Han- 
nibal Goodwin  announced  and  patent- 
ed his  invention  of  celluloid-based 
photographic  film. 

This  history-making  clergyman  was 
a photographic  enthusiast  who,  dur- 
ing the  course  of  his  experiments,  fre- 
quently consulted  with  the  Anthonys. 
It  was  only  natural,  then,  that  when 
his  invention  was  perfected,  he  should 
assign  the  manufacturing  rights  to  the 
Anthony  organization,  and  that  the 
first  photographic  film  should  be  mar- 
keted as  an  Anthony  product. 

The  Birth  of  Ansco 

It  was  during  this  same  period  that 
death  terminated  the  activities  of  the 
firm’s  founders,  Edward  and  Henry 
T.  Anthony,  leaving  the  leadership  of 
the  organization  to  Edward  Anthony’s 
son  Richard.  Under  his  direction  the 
firm  allied  itself  with  another  pioneer 
photographic  house,  the  Scovill  Manu- 
facturing Company,  of  Waterbury, 
Connecticut. 


Fifty  years’  progress — The  head  of  the  Agfa- 
Ansco  camera  plant  compares  a camera  he 
designed  for  Scovill  & Adams  in  1888  with 
the  1939  Agfa  Memo. 


This  latter  firm  had  been  manu- 
facturing metal  products  since  1802, 
and  entered  the  photographic  field  in 
1842  as  a manufacturer  of  Daguerreo- 
type plates  in  a photographic  division 
which  ultimately  became  the  thriving 
Scovill  & Adams  camera  manufactory. 

In  1902,  Anthony  & Company  com- 
bined resources  with  the  Scovill  & 
Adams  firm  to  form  the  Anthony  & 
Scovill  Company,  a name  which  a few 
years  later  was  officially  abbreviated 
to  the  familiar  Ansco,  in  which  An 
represented  Anthony,  and  sco  Scovill. 
At  this  time,  too,  the  firm’s  main 
manufacturing  activities  were  central- 
ized in  Binghamton,  New  York,  where 
they  still  remain. 

During  the  decades  that  followed, 
the  Ansco  Company  concentrated  its 
activities  upon  the  manufacture  of 
film,  papers,  chemicals  and  cameras 
for  professional  and  amateur  still 
photographers.  In  this  field  the  firm 
speedily  established  itself  as  a maker 
of  quality  materials  and  equipment. 
The  firm’s  leadership  in  the  pro- 
fessional field  was  even  more  clearly 
defined;  in  many  a professional  studio 
today  Ansco  professional  cameras  are 
still  in  use,  unsurpassed  by  newer  in- 
struments. 

The  firm  has  remained  basically 
unchanged  since  then,  the  only  further 
change  occurring  in  1928  when  the 
Ansco  Company  was  merged  with  the 
American  interests  of  the  well  known 
Agfa  Film  organization,  a merger 
which  created  the  present  name,  Agfa- 
Ansco.  This  merger  united  added 
technical  skill  of  the  most  advanced 
photographic  chemists  with  a price- 
less experience  accumulated  through 
many  years  of  photographic  manu- 
facturing. 

Since  then,  this  pioneer  American 


10 


firm  has  achieved  universal  recogni- 
tion as  a leader  in  American  photo- 
graphy. Among  professional  portrait, 
illustrative  and  news  photographers 
Agfa-Ansco  cameras  and  materials 
have  gained  acceptance  as  the  finest 
and  most  dependable  money  can  buy. 
In  every  exhibition  or  published  col- 
lection of  many  of  America’s  most 
notable  professional  photographs, 
those  made  on  Agfa-Ansco  materials 
rank  dominantly  both  in  numbers  and 
quality.  Among  America's  millions  of 
amateurs,  the  same  is  true,  for  both 
the  advanced  amateur  and  the  box- 
camera  snapshotter  recognize  the 
quality  and  dependability  which  made 
it  safe  for  the  firm  to  pledge  with 
every  roll  of  film  sold  the  unequi- 
vocal guarantee  of  “Pictures  that 
satisfy  or  a new  roll  free!” 
Agfa-Ansco  in  the  Raw-Stock  Field 
Achieving  this  leadership  was  not 
a simple  matter  of  offering  a merely 
good  product  and  trusting  the  world 
to  beat  a pathway  to  the  firm's  door. 
Leadership  today  must  be  won  by 
offering  a distinctly  better  product — 
one  offering  provable  advantages  over 
anything  in  the  field.  Following  this 
policy.  Agfa-Ansco  bettered  the  ortho- 
chromatic  rollfilms  and  packs,  then 
virtually  the  only  amateur  material 
available,  with  the  introduction  of 
Plenachrome,  a faster,  more  highly 
color-sensitive  emulsion  that  gave  a 
new  conception  of  latitude  and  de- 
pendability. Soon  after,  they  presented 
some  of  the  earliest  American  offer- 
ings of  super-panchromatic  roll  film 
for  the  amateur,  and  later  the  fine- 
grained Finopan.  The  success  of  these 
films  is  well  attested  by  a recent 
nation-wide  amateur  contest  in  which 
out  of  a group  of  slightly  over  200 
prints  either  winning  prizes  or  accept- 


Agja  Lake , being  developed  by  the  firm  as 
a country  club  for  Agfa-Ansco  employees. 


ed  for  exhibition,  more  than  160  in- 
cluding virtually  all  of  the  prize 
winners  were  identified  as  having 
been  made  on  Agfa  Plenachrome, 
Super  Plenachrome.  Finopan  or  Super- 
pan. 

The  situation  existing  in  the  motion 
picture  raw  stock  field  was  similar, 
though  necessarily  more  exacting. 
This  field  was  and  is  intensely  com- 
petitive: no  firm  can  expect  success 
if  it  remains  satisfied  to  offer  a mere- 
ly equally  good  film. 

So  Agfa-Ansco  set  out  to  discover 
in  what  way  film  stocks  could  be 
made  better — and  to  make  such  im- 
proved materials  an  accomplished 
fact. 

At  the  outset  they  realized  that  the 
keynote  to  such  improvement  must  be 
a detailed  understanding  of  what  the 
Holly  wood  cameraman  wanted — o f 
what  he  thought  would  contitute  a 
better  film.  As  a matter  of  logically 
inevitable  policy,  an  organization  of 
experienced  experts  was  established 
in  Hollywood,  and  the  policy  of  virt- 
ually taking  Hollywood’s  cinemato- 
graphers and  technicians  into  partner- 
ship was  commenced.  It  is  a policy 
which  cannot  and  will  not  be  changed. 
These  practical  men  are.  after  all,  the 
ones  who  will  use  the  product.  It  is 
their  reputations  which  must  fall  or 
rise  according  to  the  merits  of  that 
product.  Therefore  the  manufacturer 


11 


The  Picti  re-Maker 


Photographed  by  George  Blaisdell 


12 


must,  in  all  fairness,  listen  to  their 
desires  and  suggestions  and.  insofar 
as  is  technically  possible,  give  them 
film-products  which  answer  their 
demands. 

Infra-Red  Pioneered 

Thus  while  Agfa-Ansco  continued 
to  produce  motion  picture  him  pro- 
ducts, the  energies  of  the  company, 
both  in  Hollywood  and  in  Bingham- 
ton. were  devoted  to  evolving  new  and 
better  film  products  which  would  be 
of  types  which  the  cameraman  con- 
sidered as  better,  more  desirable  tools. 

In  1936  the  first  fruits  of  this 
partnership  with  the  industry  ap- 
peared. This  was  Agfa  Infra-Red  him 
— the  original  Type  A which  re- 

ceived a Technical  Award  from  the 
Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and 
and  Sciences.  In  addition  to  this  wel- 
come public  recognition,  the  him  had 
the  more  practical  distinction  of  re- 
volutionizing the  industry’s  methods 
of  making  exterior  night-effect  scenes. 

This,  however,  was  only  a start. 
One  of  the  greatest  advantages  of  the 
hrm’s  policy  of  intimate  cooperation 
with  the  practical  men  who  use  their 
him  is  that  under  it  the  consumer  has 
an  opportunity  not  only  to  outline 
what  he  wants  in  new  products,  but 
to  tell  the  manufacturer  what  qualities 
would  desirably  improve  existing  ones. 
Such  suggestions  led  to  the  develop- 
ment of  Agfa  Infra-Red  negative, 
Type  B.  which  added  to  the  still  new 
qualities  of  its  predecessor  increased 
shadow-speed  and  a gradational  scale 
comparable  to  that  of  accepted  pan- 
chromatic production  hlms.  These 
changes  widened  the  usefulness  of 
Infra-Red  negative,  permitting  its  use 
on  a still  greater  range  of  night-effect 
scenes,  and  have  not  only  broadened 


the  pictorial  scope  of  cinematography, 
hut  have  been  the  means  of  enabling 
the  industry  to  make  notable  savings 
in  production  costs. 

Pioneering  Today's  “ Fast  Films" 

In  December,  1939,  Agfa-Ansco’s 
progressive  policies  brought  forth 
another  and  a greater  photographic 
advancement  when  Agfa  Supreme  and 
Agfa  Ultra-Speed  Pan  were  announced. 
Up  to  that  time  it  had  been  axiomatic 
that  any  further  increases  in  film 
speed  must  be  bought  by  sacrifices 
in  grain-size  and  gradational  quality. 
Tl  lese  films — especially  Agfa  Supreme 
— showed  that  this  theory  was  false. 
Agfa  Supreme  is  fully  twice  as  fast 
as  conventional  supersensitive  pan- 
chromatic negative,  yet  evidences  even 
finer  grain  characteristics;  Agfa  Ultra- 
Speed  Pan  is  three  to  four  times  as 
fast  as  conventional  superpan  types, 
yet  shows  only  minor  increases  in 
grain-size. 

This  was  definitely  a new  concept 
in  film  manufacture.  From  the  practi- 
cal cameraman's  viewpoint,  it  repre- 
sented a forward  stride  comparable 
only  to  the  introduction  of  panchro- 
matic film  and  possibly  the  later  in- 
troduction of  the  earliest  super-pan- 
chromatic types.  It  permits  the  cinema- 
tographer to  obtain  his  normal  effects 
with  far  less  light  than  had  hitherto 
been  deemed  possible,  resulting  in  a 
marked  saving  in  lighting  equipment 
and  current,  with  the  pleasanter  work- 
ing conditions  that  follow  a closer 
approach  to  visually  normal  illumin- 
ation standards.  The  same  advance 
can  be  turned  to  equally  good  use  on 
special-process  scenes  or  on  extreme- 
ly large  sets  by  permitting  the  use  of 
conventional  illumination  levels  and 


13 


Behind  the  scenes  in  the  Agfa-Ansco  factory. 
Top — testing  paper  stock : cen  ter — inspecting 
positive  film ; bottom — assembling  Agfa- 
Ansco  cameras. 


smaller  lens-openings  to  obtain  greater 
depth  of  field. 

Ibis  advance  was  formally  recog- 
nized by  the  Academy  of  Motion 
Picture  Arts  and  Sciences  a year  ago. 
in  March,  1938.  when  that  organi- 
zation s Board  of  Judges  gave  to  the 
Agfa-Ansco  Corporation  its  jealous- 
ly guarded  “Class  1”  Award  -the 
coveted  golden  statuette — f o r the 
development  of  these  two  films.  Since 
the  inauguration  of  the  Academy 
Technical  Awards  in  1930.  the  Class 
1 Award  has  been  bestowed  but  three 
times  previously — and  only  once  for 
a development  in  the  photographic 
film  field.  The  importance  of  the 
achievement  may  be  appreciated  by 
the  citation  given  by  this  conservative 
Board  of  Judges,  which  stated  in 
part  that  ' The  Agfa-  Ansco  Corpor- 
ation, in  making  available  to  the 
motion  picture  industry  these  two  new 
panchromatic  films  . . . has  provided 
a tool  to  obtain  . . . high  quality 
photographic  results  heretofore  im- 
possible . . . Thus  the  Agfa-Ansco 
Corporation  has  provided  the  motion 
picture  industry  with  a product  which 
increases  the  photographic  quality  of 
production  and  tends  to  lower  light- 
ing costs.” 

The  extent  to  which  Agfa  pioneered 
today’s  "last  films’"  is  perhaps  best 
attested  by  the  fact  that  it  was  not 
until  almost  a year  later  that  the  first 
competitive  high-speed  film  product 
appeared. 

This  brings  up  to  date  the  record 
of  Agfa-Ansco’s  achievements  in  the 
motion  picture  field.  What  achieve- 
ments the  future  may  hold  can  hardly 
be  foretold.  But  the  energetic  spirit 
which  gave  birth  to  these  present  ac- 
complishments cannot  and  does  not 


1 1 


permit  the  firm’s  engineers  to  rest  idly 
upon  their  laurels.  Those  who  re- 
present the  firm  on  the  Pacific  Coast 
are  continuing  their  efforts  to  dis- 
cover just  what  additional  types  of 
film  the  practical  men  in  the  studios 
feel  will  he  most  desirable  and  use- 
ful. The  engineering  staff  in  Bing- 
hamton are  continuing  their  unceas- 
ing efforts  to  translate  those  desires 
into  the  tangible  form  of  improved 
film  types.  Three  of  the  studios  major 
needs  have  already  been  met-  and  met 
supremely  well — with  Agfa  Infra-Red. 
Agfa  Supreme,  and  Agfa  Ultra-Speed 
Pan.  It  can  be  taken  for  granted  that 
the  men  who  created  these  films  are 
in  the  same  way  bending  every  effort 
to  assure  that  the  industry's  other 
present  and  future  needs  will  he  met 
as  brilliantly  with  products  bearing 
the  familiar  Agfa  diamond. 

The  Factory  Behind  the  Film 

But  this  purely  historical  sketch  of 
the  growth  of  the  Agfa-Ansco  Cor- 
poration cannot  be  closed  without 
some  record  of  the  plant  behind  the 
product.  \\  e have  seen  how  the  product 
itself  has  advanced  from  the  Daguer- 
reotype days  when,  as  Daguerre 
slated  a hundred  years  ago,  “the  time 
required  to  procure  a photographic 
copy  of  a landscape”  was  “from  seven 
to  eight  hours,”  up  to  the  present 
sensitivity  of  Agfa  Ultra-Speed  Pan 
which  permits  snapshot  exposures  with 
relatively  slow'  lenses  under  ordinary 
room  lighting  and.  granting  the  same 
scene  and  lens-opening  referred  to  by 
Daguerre  would  call  for  an  exposure 
of  less  than  I /200th  second. 

In  the  same  way  the  Agfa-Ansco 
Corporation  has,  like  many  another 
typical  American  enterprise,  grown 
from  a liny  upstairs  shop  on  lower 


A few  of  the  people  behind  Agfa-Ansco 
products.  Top — labeling  cut  film  cartons ; 
center — inspection  of  cut  film ; bottom — 
weighing  one  of  the  thousands  of  packages 
shipped  daily. 

Broadway,  New  York,  to  a huge 
factory  in  Binghamton,  located  in 
York  State,  about  200  miles  from  the 
metropolis.  From  the  tiny  staff  of 
Edward  Anthony’s  first  shop,  the  per- 
sonnel has  grown  to  comprise  nearly 
3000  typical  American  working  men 


15 


and  women  of  all  the  heterogeneous 
mixture  of  races  and  creeds  which 
have  made  America  famous  as  the 
world’s  melting-pot. 

Here,  rubbing  elbows  as  they  go 
about  their  daily  duties  may  be  found 
youthful  graduates  fresh  from 
America's  leading  technical  colleges, 
and  experienced  oldsters  who  began 
their  professional  careers  forty,  fifty 
or  more  years  ago  with  the  stil  1 -re- 
membered Anthony  or  Scovill  firms — 
watching  their  children  grow  up  to 
places  in  the  same  matured  enterprise 
which  has  given  the  parents  not  mere- 
ly a job  but  a lifetime  career.  Beside 
these  are  the  thousands  of  others — 
men  and  women  alike;  trained  re- 
search scientists  and  equally  skilled 
film-makers,  mechanics,  inspectors, 
paper-makers,  and  opticians,  and  all 
of  the  hundred-and-one  skills  and 
crafts  that  are  called  on  in  the  making 
of  modern  film,  sensitized  papers, 
chemicals  and  cameras.  Unseen  behind 
them  stand  an  army  of  farmers  from 
the  Southern  states  from  whence  come 
the  tons  of  cotton  used  annually  for 
making  the  celluloid  film-base; 
lumbermen  from  the  North  which 
produces  the  raw  material  for  paper; 
miners  from  the  Western  mines  which 
supply  the  tons  of  silver  used  to  make 
film  and  paper  light-sensitive. 


Today  Agfa-Ansco  moves  on,  a re- 
presentative American  organization 
with  a keen  realization  of  its  respon- 
sibilities, not  only  to  the  public  which 
buys  its  products,  but  to  the  thousands 
of  American  workers  who  depend 
upon  Agfa-Ansco  for  their  livelihood. 
Agfa-Ansco  is  happy  to  be  able  to 
provide  for  these  thousands  solid, 
year-round  employment.  Equal  I y 
pioud,  too,  is  Agfa-Ansco  of  the 
traditionally  American  spirit  of  friend- 
liness—of  helpful  cooperation  which 
has  always  existed  between  the  manage- 
ment and  every  employee,  great  or 
humble.  Throughout  every  department 
there  is  abundant  evidence  not  merely 
of  individual  pride  in  the  individual 
job,  but  of  brimming  enthusiasm  for 
Agfa-Ansco  and  Agfa-Ansco's  pledged 
obligation  to  produce  the  best  pro- 
ducts in  its  field  that  can  be  made. 

Old  and  yet  young — looking  back 
upon  nearly  a century  of  accomplish- 
ment— Agfa-Ansco  is  an  outstanding 
example  of  the  American  spirit  of 
growth  and  progress,  faithful  to  the 
ideals  of  its  founders  and  to  their 
progressive  spirit,  as  well.  Agfa-Ansco 
is  proud  of  the  part  it  has  played  in 
the  past  a n d present  history  of 
American  photography,  and  looks 
eagerly  forward  to  the  future  and  to 
what  that  future  will  bring. 


- 

1 

p 

_r 

:m=r 


16 


The  Graininess  of  Photographic 
Emulsions 

by 


Dr.  Alexander  Goetz  and  W.  0.  Gould 
California  Institute  of  Technology 

The  following  instalment  supplements  three  previous  articles  in  this  journal 
which  describe  the  nature , the  effect,  and  the  measurement  of  the  graininess 
of  photographic  emulsions.  In  Part  III  the  construction  of  an  instrument  for 
the  objective  determination  and  analysis  of  this  property  of  the  emulsion 
by  means  of  the  graininess  meter  has  been  described,  which  has  been  con- 
structed at  the  California  Institute  of  Technology  with  the  aid  of  the  Agfa 
Ansco  Research  Fund.  This  instrument  has,  meanwhile,  been  applied  to  the 


analysis  of  various  types  of  emulsions, 
be  described  and  discussed  as  follows. 

Part 

The  Graininess  of  Different 
Emulsion  Types 

Tt  lias  been  shown  previously  that 
^the  graininess  constant  G was  chosen 
in  such  a manner  that  its  values  can 
be  expected  to  be  representative  of 
the  subjective  impression  of  imohomo- 
gencity  realized  by  the  observer  of  a 
sufficiently  large  section  of  a photo- 
graphic emulsion.  The  subjective  im- 
pression as  such,  of  course,  varies  with 
the  observer,  with  the  nature  of  the 
optical  system  for  observation,  with 
the  color  of  light,  etc. 

It  is  thus  rather  interesting  to  com- 
pare the  graininess  records  obtained 
from  different  types  of  emulsions  with 
each  other  as  well  as  with  the  sub- 
jective impression  gained  from  it. 
This  purpose  requires  the  comparison 
of  different  emulsions  under  approxi- 
mately the  same  density  as  the  graini- 
ness is  known  to  vary  considerably 
with  the  number  of  grains  in  the 
emulsion. 


Some  of  the  results  obtained  shall 

IV. 

Figs.  1 -a  to  1-f  represent  repro- 
ductions from  graininess  records  of 
six  different  types  of  emulsions  which 
are  true  representatives  of  negative 
and  positive  material  used  for  pro- 
fessional and  amateur  purposes: 

a. )  Material  for  lithographic  re- 
productions (density:  .46)  G = 39 

b. )  Positive  film  (density:  .47) 

G = 57 

c. )  Sound  recording  film  (density: 
.50)  G = 63 

d. )  Process  emulsion  for  purpose 

of  reproduction  (density:  .45) 

G = 59 

e. )  Panchromatic  emulsion  of 
medium  sensitivity  (density:  .41) 
G=93 

f. )  Panchromatic  motion  picture 
film  of  very  high  sensitivity 

( density : .47 ) G = 1 05 * 

*(The  values  of  G are  multiplied 
by  the  factor  1000  in  order  to  avoid 
the  use  of  decimals.  This  process  is 
equivalent  to  an  expression  of  relative 


17 


Density  0.47 


Fig.  1-a  - I f — Graininess  records  of  different  types  of  emulsions  of  approximately  the  same 
density.  The  records  arc  arranged  according  to  increasing  sensitivity  and  graininess. 


transparency  fluctuation  in  per  mil.  i 
The  comparison  of  G-values  shows 
that  they  agree  qualitatively  very 
well  with  the  subjective  experience. 
They  demonstate,  however,  a number 
of  rather  interesting  facts  at  closer 
inspection. 


F rom  the  previous  description  it  is 
obvious  that  the  smallest  detail  in  a 
graininess  record  is  equivalent  to  the 
size  of  a single  grain  and  it  is  interest- 
ing to  find  on  the  records  that  the 
shape  of  the  smallest  detail  varies 
considerably  with  the  type  of  emulsion 


I o 


AGFA  SUFEEPAN 


Figs.  2-a  - 2-e — Graininess  records  of  the  same  emulsion  for  different  densities. 


inasmuch  it  is  of  almost  equal  size 
in  la.  lb,  lc,  and  is  considerably 
larger  in  the  last  two  emulsions  of 
known  large  granularity  (average 
grain  size  I . The  first  three  emulsions 
show,  in  spite  of  an  approximate  equal 
grain  size,  considerable  variations  in 


the  size  of  the  fluctuations,  i.  e.  in 
graininess.  Furthermore,  it  appears 
that  apart  from  granularity  and  graini- 
ness. each  emulsion  possesses  a rather 
characteristic  shape  of  an  average 
fluctuation  which  indicates  that  in 
different  emulsions  the  grains  group 


19 


themselves  in  a more  or  less  typical 
fashion.  The  fluctuations  of  all 
emulsions  were  found  to  obey  the 
probability  law  sufficiently  well  so  that 
the  G-value  is  descriptive  of  the  oc- 
currence of  small  as  well  as  large 
fluctuations. 

The  records  in  Fig.  1 demonstrate 
moreover  that  the  graininess  increases 
with  increasing  sensitivity,  for  the 
emulsions  are  arranged  in  the  order 
of  their  sensitivity  properties.  Ex- 
perience in  other  emulsions  shows, 
however,  that  this  is  not  necessarily 
true  as  in  recent  years  a number  of 
fairly  high  sensitivity  emulsions  have 
been  produced  the  graininess  of  which 
is  very  small  (e.  g.  Agfa  Finopan). 

From  previous  discussions  of  the 
graininess  problem  it  is  obvious  that 
the  graininess  must  depend  upon  the 
density  of  the  emulsion  because  the 
probability  for  the  occurrence  of  a 
fluctuation  depends  naturally  upon 
the  number  of  grains  present  so  that 
one  should  expect  a larger  graininess 
for  a larger  photographic  density  of 
the  same  emulsion.  This  dependence 
of  the  graininess  upon  the  density  is 
demonstrated  in  Figs.  2a  - 2e,  where 
samples  of  the  same  emulsion  (Agfa 
Superpan)  have  been  analyzed  for  5 


different 

densities. 

The  data  result- 

ing  are  the  following  ones: 

a.) 

Density: 

.10,  G = 58 

h.) 

99  99 

.25.  G 75 

c. ) 

99  99 

.41,  G = 93 

d.) 

99  99 

.67.  G = 92 

e.) 

99  99 

1.09,  G = 57 

Fig.  3 

represents 

these  results  in  a 

diagrammatic  form 

where  the  graini- 

ness  is  plotted  versus  the  density  and 
it  is  shown  that  the  graininess  has  a 
maximum  in  the  density  range  of  .4 
— .8  which  is  in  very  good  agreement 


Fig.  3 — Graininess  versus  density  for  a pan- 
chromatic emulsion  ( same  as  Fig.  2).  The 
curve  demonstrates  the  maximum  of  graini- 
ness for  medium  densities  and  the  decline 
towards  larger  densities.  The  dashed  part 
of  the  curve  is  an  abitrary  extrapolation 
and  does  take  into  account  the  graininess 
due  to  base,  gelatin,  and  fog. 

with  the  visual  impression  of  imo- 
homogeneitv.  It  is  a well  known 
experience  to  every  one  familiar  with 
photography  that  the  regions  of  low 
and  high  density  in  a photographic 
negative  are  of  a much  more  homo- 
geneous character  when  projected, 
than  the  medium  densities. 

Close  inspection  of  the  records 
( Figs.  2a  - 2d  l reveals,  however, 
another  very  interesting  fact:  It  has 
been  mentioned  above  that  the  width 
of  the  smallest  detail  of  the  recorded 
pattern  is  indicative  of  the  size  of  the 
individual  grain  (granularity).  The 
records  show,  in  fact,  that  the  width 
is  practically  unaffected  by  the  density, 
demonstrating  that  it  does  not  affect 
greatly  the  size  of  the  individual 
grain.  The  variation  of  the  graini- 
ness with  different  densities  is  due 
to  the  fact  that  the  size  of  the  fluctua- 
tions increases  considerably,  in  other 
words,  the  occurrence  of  large  fluctua- 
tions increases  with  the  number  of 
grains  present.  This  behavior  is  some- 
what reversed  for  very  high  densities 
(Fig.  2d)  where  the  grains  begin  to 
“overlap"  which  fact  is  indicated  by 


20 


the  occurrence  of  very  broad  fluctua- 
tions which  then  produce  a result  in 
the  decrease  of  the  graininess. 

The  graininess  dependence  o n 
density  as  shown  in  Fig.  3 is  ex- 
trapolated for  densities  less  than  .1 
I indicated  by  the  dashed  part  of  the 
curve).  Although  one  should  expect 
no  graininess  in  the  absence  of  grains 
l i.e.  for  D = 0)  experience  shows  that 
a considerable  iniohomogeneity 
remains  under  such  conditions.  This 
is  partly  due  to  the  celluloid  base 


(this  effect  is  almost  absent  in  glass), 
in  the  imohomogeneity  of  the  gelatine, 
and  in  the  fog.  Thus,  the  graininess 
produced  by  these  three  factors  can 
be  estimated,  depending  on  the  con- 
ditions, to  be  between  15  and  30  so 
that  the  effect  of  base,  gelatine,  and 
fog  can  easily  produce  30  per  cent 
to  50  per  cent  of  the  graininess  of 
a fine  grain  emulsion  at  low  densities. 

One  may  be  induced  to  conclude 
from  what  has  been  said  above  that 
the  graininess  is  an  absolute  quantity 


C D 

Fig.  4a-4d — Microphotographs  of  two  different  emulsions  of  similar  densities  of  large 
( a,  b above)  and  small  )c.d)  graininess  seen  under  large  («  and  c)  and  small  [b  and  d) 
aperture.  A and  b.  and  c and  d are  taken  from  an  identical  region  of  each  of  two  emulsions. 
The  photographs  demonstrate  the  increase  of  the  graininess  impression  when  observed  with 
small  aperture  and  vice  versa,  due  to  the  scattering  of  the  illuminating  light  within 
the  emulsion. 


21 


for  a given  emulsion  of  a certain 
density.  This  is,  of  course,  true  as 
long  as  the  emulsion  is  observed 
under  the  same  optical  conditions.  If 
these  are  changed,  however,  the  im- 
pression caused  by  the  graininess  will 
change  also  and — for  certain  types  of 
emulsions — to  an  amazingly  large 
degree.  If,  for  instance,  an  emulsion 
is  projected  through  an  optical  system 
of  small  aperture,  the  resulting  graini- 
ness will  appear  different  from  the 
impression  gained  when  a system  of 
large  aperture  is  employed. 

Figs.  4a  to  4d  illustrate  this  effect: 
Two  emulsions  were  chosen,  one  of 
large  (a  and  b ) and  one  of  small 
(c  and  d ) graininess,  however,  of 
approximately  the  same  density.  Each 
emulsion  was  photographed  twice 
through  a microscope  at  a magni- 
fication of  335  diam.  and  care  was 
taken  that  exactly  the  same  section 
of  the  emulsion  was  used  so  that  a 
and  b,  and  c and  d are  identical  each, 
as  far  as  the  arrangement  of  the 
grains  is  concerned.  The  difference 
between  a and  fe,  and  c and  d respec- 
tively consists  only  in  the  aperture 
of  the  illuminating  and  observing 
system  in  which  respect  a and  c,  and 
b and  d are  identical.  The  difference 
between  both  pairs  consists,  thus,  only 
in  the  fact  that  the  aperture  for  a 
and  c was  larger  than  for  b and  d 
approximately  5 x.  In  spite  of  the 
fact  that  the  type  of  optics,  focal 
length,  magnification  and  emulsion 
region  are  identical,  it  is  obvious  that 
the  graininess  impression  received 
from  b and  d is  considerably  larger 
than  that  of  a and  c respectively.  The 
difference  in  aperture  means,  in  this 
case,  that  the  images  of  a and  c were 
produced  by  light  coming  from  a wide 
angle,  whereas,  b and  d were  produced 


from  a small  angle,  i.  e.  from  almost 
parallel  light. 

The  physical  reason  for  this  pheno- 
menon is  due  to  the  scattering  of  light 
on  the  grains  within  the  emulsion 
which  results  in  a decrease  of  contrast 
at  the  border  of  each  grain,  result- 
ing at  the  same  time  in  a decrease  of 
optical  definition.  The  wider  the  angle 
under  which  the  emulsion  is  illumin- 
ated and  observed,  the  larger  is,  of 
course,  the  amount  of  scattered  light 
received  by  the  optical  system  and 
vice  versa. 

In  the  practical  use  of  photographic 
emulsions  the  aperture  of  the  optical 
system  employed  varies  considerably 
depending  on  the  particular  purpose, 
e.  g.,  for  the  use  of  projecting  a 
microscopic  image  of  the  sound  track 
upon  the  photo-cell  in  sound  repro- 
duction. the  aperture  is  very  large, 
whereas  objectives  of  small  aperture 
are  used  in  general  for  the  projection 
upon  the  screen.  Hence,  for  the  same 
emulsion,  different  values  of  graini- 
ness will  have  to  be  used  with  regard 
to  the  final  purpose  of  the  emulsion. 

The  problems  connected  with  graini- 
ness, as  outlined  above  very  briefly, 
are  by  far  not  the  only  ones  in  this 
field,  as  for  instance  the  question  to 
what  extent  the  graininess  of  a negative 
determines  the  graininess  of  a positive 
made  from  it, — the  question  to  what 
extent  the  graininess  of  a given 
emulsion  depends  on  its  gamma  and 
the  relation  between  the  color  of  the 
light  by  which  an  emulsion  is  pro- 
jected— , play  a large  role  in  a field 
in  which,  due  to  lack  of  an  instrument 
for  the  objective  determination  of  the 
graininess,  little  research  has  been 
done  in  the  past.  In  the  next  instal- 
ment more  of  these  questions  shall  he 
discussed  in  detail. 


22 


The  Practical  Relationship  Retwreen 
in  a tn  ni  a and  Visual  Contrast 


By  S.  D.  Lund 

Laboratory  Division. 
Universal  Studio 


T7  very  industry  has  at  one  time  or 
-^another  undergone  changes  brought 
about  by  the  application  of  new  prin- 
ciples or  inventions.  In  the  case  of  the 
motion  picture,  such  a change  took 
place  when  sound,  and  especially  film- 
recorded  sound,  was  introduced. 

One  of  the  most  significant  of  these 
changes  was  in  the  field  of  laboratory 
processing  methods.  The  necessity  for 
faithful  sound  reproduction — the  fact 
that  the  photographic  quality  of  the 
sound-track  print  must  he  an  exact 
replica  of  that  of  the  sound  negative 
if  good  sound  is  to  be  heard-  -caused 
a major  revolution  in  the  methods  of 
the  industry’s  film-processing  labora- 
tories. The  rather  loose  methods  which 
had  previously  sufficed,  based  as  they 
were  largely  on  visual  inspection  and 
personal  skill  and  judgement,  were 
not  sufficiently  accurate  for  this  pur- 
pose. and  as  a result  the  more  accurate 
methods  of  sensitometric  control  were 
substituted. 

This  brought  a host  of  new  and 
hitherto  unfamiliar  technical  terms 
and  phrases  into  the  picture.  Some  of 
them  still  seem  perplexing  and  unnec- 
essarily complicated  to  many  cinema- 
tographers, since  they  seem  in  some 


cases  to  substitute  new  and  complex 
values  for  the  terms  with  which  the 
industry  grew  up.  It  is  the  purpose  of 
this  article  to  attempt  a simple  trans- 
lation of  some  of  them  into  the  more 
familiar  terms  of  everyday  photo- 
graphic practice. 

Chief  among  these  terms  are  cryptic 
references  to  “the  H.  & D.  Curve”  and 
to  “Gamma.” 

Basically,  these  are  simple  enough, 
if  one  will  simply  consider  the  former 
as  a skctch-map  of  the  latitude  and 
contrast  characteristics  of  a film  and 
the  latter  as  a numerical  expression  of 
contrast. 

Every  practical  photographer  knows 
from  experience  that  with  any  type  of 
film  there  is  a definite  relation  be- 
tween the  exposure  given  and  the  den- 
sity produced.  Within  certain  limits, 
an  increase  in  exposure  brings  a cor- 
responding increase  in  density.  But 
in  the  very  low  exposure  ranges,  and 
in  the  very  high  exposure  ranges,  this 
does  not  hold  good.  In  the  low  region, 
that  is,  in  the  extreme  lowest  shadows, 
the  exposure  has  to  increase  a lot  to 
make  a relatively  small  increase  in 
density.  In  the  very  high  region — the 
extreme  "hottest”  highlights — most 


23 


films  seem  to  build  up  to  a definite 
maximum  density  and  then  stop,  no 
matter  how  greatly  exposure  increases. 

The  II.  and  D.  C urve 

The  H.  & 1).  curve  which  owes  its 
name  to  two  English  experimenters. 
Hurter  and  Driffield,  is  simply  a pic- 
ture of  this.  If  you  plot  this  relation 
as  a curve,  with  increases  in  exposure 
indicated  by  the  distance  to  the  right 
of  a common  starting-point,  and  in- 
creases in  density  as  the  elevation  of 
the  curve  above  that  starting-point, 
you  will  find,  in  the  low-exposure- 
low-density  region,  that  your  line 
curves  upward  very  slowly.  In  the 
normal  region,  wdiere  exposure  and 
densitx  increase  about  proportionally, 
you  will  have  a practically  straight, 
upward-slanting  line.  In  the  extreme 
high-exposure-maximum-density  r e - 
gion.  your  curve  will  flatten  off, 
moving  to  the  right,  to  indicate  in- 
creased exposure,  but  not  climbing 
much,  since  there  is  little  or  no  in- 
crease in  density. 

Technically,  the  bottom  of  this 
curve  is  naturally  called  the  “toe,” 
and  the  flattened  top.  the  “shoulder.” 
The  slanting  middle  portion  is  logi- 
cally called  the  “straight-line  portion”. 

Now  if  wre  plot  these  curves  for 
tw'o  tvpes  of  film,  one  very  contrasty, 
the  other  very  flat,  we’ll  get,  in  one 
case,  a line  that  slants  up  at  a very 
sharp  angle,  and  in  the  other,  one 
that  slants  at  a much  flatter  angle. 
In  the  same  way,  hard  and  soft 
development  of  the  same  film,  giving 
contrasty  or  soft  results,  will  give  us 
similiarly  steep  or  flat  inclines.  We 
can  quite  accurately  compare  the  con- 
trast of  the  results  by  mentioning  the 
angle  of  these  slants.  That,  though 
expressed  as  the  result  of  a more  in- 


volved mathematical  formula,  is  the 
simple  meaning  of  “Gamma.” 

G amnia 

I he  now  familiar  sensitometric  or 
“gamma"  strips  are  the  means  by 
which  we  get  the  facts  for  plotting 
these  curves.  One  end  of  the  strip 
gets  very  little  exposure;  the  other 
end.  an  extremely  high  exposure. 
The  rest  of  the  strip  gets  varied  inter- 
mediate exposures,  ranging  by  pro- 
gressive and  accurately  known  steps 
from  high  to  low.  So  the  strip  itself 
is  a graduated  range  of  densities  from 
virtually  clear  film  at  one  end  to 
virtually  opaque  film  at  the  other. 

Clearly,  if  we  cut  down  the  total 
exposure  of  the  strip,  several  of  the 
light-exposure  gradations  are  going  to 
be  underexposed,  and  will  merge  into 
each  other,  while  the  high-exposure 
end  will  fall  short  of  getting  full 
exposure.  If.  on  the  other  hand,  we 
give  too  much  exposure,  the  normally 
light  end  of  the  strip  is  going  to  pick 
up  more  exposure  than  it  should,  while 
several  of  the  steps  at  the  top  end  of 
the  stri p will  all  be  overexposed  to 
the  maximum  the  film  permits,  and 
will  crowd  together  in  a single,  heavy 
density. 

What  we’re  doing  is  simply  this:  in 
a normally  exposed  strip,  we’re  using 
not  oidy  the  full  length  of  the  strip 
and  the  full  gradational  scale  of  the 
film,  b u t we  re  using  the  whole 
straight-line  portion  of  the  film’s 
curve. 

If  we  underexpose  were  lowering 
the  gradational  scale  into  the  toe  of 
the  curve;  if  we  overexpose,  we’re 
ignoring  the  toe,  losing  much  of  the 
lower  straight-line  portion,  and  caus- 
ing the  gradational  scale  to  be  crowded 


21 


up  into  the  shoulder  section  of  the 
curve. 

Naturally  we  can  get  very  similar 
results  with  over-  or  under-develop- 
ment. As  a matter  of  fact,  the  ‘gamma 
strips’’  used  in  laboratories  today  are 
all  given  an  accurately  standardized, 
normal  exposure.  Then  the  deviations 
from  normal  densities  in  the  different 
steps  will  serve  as  a measurement  of 
the  development.  These  methods  are 
equally  useful  w i t h negative  or 
positive  film. 

Practical  Application 

While  all  of  this  has  a most  obvious 
connection  with  laboratory  work,  it 
has  also  an  important  relationship  to 
the  everyday  work  of  the  practical 
cinema  tographer. 

Speaking  generally,  it  is  the  cinema- 
tographer’s aim  to  produce  in  mono- 
chrome as  natural  a rendition  of  the 
scene  as  possible.  For  this,  he  finds 
it  best  to  utilize  the  full  gradational 
range  of  the  him  material  he  is  using, 
in  order  to  have  available  not  onlv 
the  extremes  of  highlight  and  shadow, 
but  the  fullest  range  of  delicate  inter- 
mediate tones.  In  addition,  for  obvious 
practical  reasons  he  will  get  the  best 
results  when  he  knows  that  all  of  his 
gradations  in  lighting — which  is  to 
say  gradations  in  the  exposure  of  all 
of  the  details  of  his  scene — will  be 
represented  by  directly  proportional 
gradations  in  the  tonal  values  of  his 
picture. 

In  scientific  terms,  this  means  that 
he  must  utilize  the  region  of  his  film’s 
sensitivity  in  which  exposure-values 
and  density  increase  proportionately 
— that  is,  the  straight-line  portion  of 
the  H.  & D.  curve.  For  faithful  re- 
production. this  must  be  true  not  only 
of  the  negative,  but  of  the  positive  as 


well.  This  gives  him  what  we  like  to 
call  a normal  result. 

At  times,  of  course,  strictlv  normal 
results  may  not  be  wanted,  as  in 
scenes  v hich  for  dramatic  reasons 
require  strong,  contrasty  treatment  or, 
on  the  other  extreme,  extremely  flat 
treament.  The  same  results,  as  most 
of  us  have  at  some  time  or  other 
learned  to  our  sorrow,  can  be  pro- 
duced unintentionally  through  errors 
in  lighting,  exposure  or  laboratory 
treatment. 

Illustrating  Gamma 

To  demonstrate  these  points  in  a 
practical  way.  the  accompanying  il- 
lustrations were  made  from  photo- 
graphic tests,  showing  the  visual  and 
sensitometric  effects  of  both  normal 
and  distorted  lightings.  A wax  figure 
head  was  used  for  the  sake  of  uni- 
formity. The  lightings  were  simplified 
approximations  of  normal,  of  over- 
flat and  of  ultra-contrasty  close-up 
lightings.  A sensitometric  or  gamma 
strip  was  made  on  the  same  roll  of 
film  as  each  of  the  negatives  used  for 
illustration,  and  corresponding  positive 
strips  were  made  from  these.  The 
strips  were  made  with  a standard 
sensitometer,  and  their  densities  read 
with  a standard  densitometer.  The 
curves  obtained  from  the  negative  and 
positive  strips  were  plotted  in  the 
usual  manner. 

In  order  to  bring  out  the  very 
practical  relationship  between  sensi- 
tometric values,  densitometric  readings 
were  taken  on  opposite  sides  of  the 
face — the  cheek-bones,  to  the  precise 
—in  both  the  negative  and  the 
positive.  These,  in  turn  have  in  the 
illustrations  been  connected  by  the 
solid  lines  to  the  respectively  cor- 
responding densities  in  the  sensito- 


25 


metric  strip,  and  to  the  corresponding 
points  in  the  plotted  negative  and 
positive  curves. 

In  Figure  I,  which  incidentally  was 
made  with  perhaps  a more  delicate 
gradation  between  the  highlight  and 
shadow  sides  than  would  be  the  case 
in  normal  cinematography,  as  it  was 
wished  to  guard  against  any  possible 
accidental  debasing  of  tonal  values  in 
the  reproduction,  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  range  of  densities  represented  by 
these  key  gradations  fall  well  within 
the  straight-line  portion  of  the  cor- 
responding curves.  In  other  words, 
a photographer  working  in  such  a 
normal  technique  assures  himself  of 
a normal  result  on  the  screen,  since 
he  is  working,  both  in  his  negative 
and  in  the  positive  film  upon  which  it 
is  printed,  in  that  region  of  his  film's 
characteristics  where  the  response  is 
normal,  giving  a normal  and  pro- 
portionate increase  in  density  with  in- 
creased illumination. 

Figure  II  is  a reproduction  of  an 
excessively  flat  type  of  lighting,  in 
which  very  little  separation  is  evident. 
The  same  areas  on  the  subject — the 
two  cheek-bones — were  read  and  their 
corresponding  densities  on  the  sensi- 
tometric  strip  and  the  positions  of 
these  on  the  H.  & D.  curves  were  in- 
dicated as  before.  It  will  be  obvious 
that  in  such  a shot  we  are  making 
use  of  only  an  extremely  restricted 
portion  of  the  film’s  latitude  or  tonal 
range.  What  we  are  using  is,  however, 
well  in  the  center  of  the  straight-line 
portion,  and  the  reproduction  of  such 
gradations  of  lighting  as  may  exist  in 
the  limited  range  used  may  be  re- 
produced as  proportional  gradations 
in  photographic  density. 

Figure  III  reproduces  a lighting  of 
extreme  exaggerated  contrast.  This 


Figure  I. 

exhibits  a complete  distortion  of  the 
normally  desirable  range,  running  in- 
stead from  extremely  strong  highlights 
to  empty  shadows.  Its  response  spreads 
dangerously  over  the  scale,  extending 
not  only  throughout  the  straight-line 
portion,  but  crowding  perilously  into 
both  the  toe  and  the  shoulder  of  the 


26 


Figure  II. 


Figure  III. 


curve.  The  extremes  of  lighting  are  in 
this  instance  carried  into  the  ranges 
where  increases  or  decreases  in  visual 
illumination  are  no  longer  always  ac- 
companied by  corresponding  increases 
or  decreases  in  photographic  density. 
In  addition,  such  exposures  can  fre- 
quently fall  beyond  the  reproductive 


and  control  limits  of  the  positive 
printing  materials  and  process. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  above  may 
help  practical  cinematographers  to 
correlate  the  pictorial  results  they 
seek  with  the  necessary  control 
methods  and  technical  terms  employ- 
ed in  the  modern  laboratory. 


27 


San  Francisco  Fair — Pacific  House 

oq 

Zo 


Photographed  by  Mike  Roberts 


S.M.P.E.  Convention  in  HoUywtood 


As  we  go  to  press^  the  program  for 
the  1939  Spring  Convention  of  the 
Society  of  Motion  Picture  Engineers 
has  just  been  made  public,  and  in- 
cludes a number  of  papers  and  dem- 
onstrations of  worthwhile  interest. 
The  convention  will  be  held  in  Holly- 
wood from  Monday,  April  17  to 
Friday,  April  21.  The  majority  of  the 
sessions  will  he  held  in  the  Blossom 
Room  of  the  Hollywood  Roosevelt 
Hotel,  but  two  special  evening 
sessions,  planned  especially  in  the 
interests  of  studio  workers  who  cannot 
leave  set  or  office  during  the  daytime 
sessions,  are  scheduled  to  he  held  in 
the  Filmarte  Theatre  on  the  evenings 
of  Tuesday,  April  18  and  W ednesday, 
April  19. 

Highlights  of  the  program,  from 
the  viewpoint  of  the  practical  cinema- 
tographer and  laboratory  man  include 
the  following  papers:  The  Status  of 
Lens  Making  In  America , by  Dr. 
W.  B.  Rayton,  A.S.C.,  of  Bausch  & 
Fomb,  at  the  2 P.  M.  afternoon  session 
on  Monday,  in  the  Roosevelt’s 
Blossom  Room. 

New  Frontiers  of  the  Documentary 
Film , by  A.  A.  Mercey,  U .S.  Film 
Service,  at  the  same  session. 

The  Time  Telescope,  by  C.  R.  Veber 
of  Rutgers  University,  on  the  same 
afternoon. 

The  evening  session  on  Monday, 
April  17,  at  the  Roosevelt,  while  prim- 
arily devoted  to  sound,  features  a 
paper  on  Special  Effects,  by  F.  Witte, 
of  20th  Century-Fox. 


The  session  on  Tuesday  morning, 
April  18,  at  the  Blossom  Room,  while 
devoted  primarily  to  16  mm.  and  pro- 
jection problems,  schedules  several 
papers  which  should  be  of  interest  to 
anyone  interested  in  16  mm. 

Tuesday  night’s  session  at  the 
Filmarte  Theatre,  at  8 P.  M„  should 
be  particularly  well  attended  by 
Hollywood's  camera  group.  The 
papers  scheduled  include: 

Fluorescent  Lamps  and  Their  Appli- 
cation to  Motion  Picture  Studio  Light- 
ing. by  G.  E.  Inman  and  W.  II. 
Robinson,  Jr.,  of  the  General  Electric 
Co. 

The  Present  Technical  Status  of  16 
mm.  Sound-on- film,  by  J.  A.  Maurer 
of  the  Berndt-Maurer  Corp. 

Methods  of  Using  and  Coordinating 
Photoelectric  Exposure  Meters  at  the 
20th  Century-Fox  Studio,  by  Dan  B. 
Clark.  A.S.C. 

Thursday,  April  20  opens  with  a 
morning  session  at  the  Blossom  Room 
(10  A.M.)  devoted  to  laboratory  and 
photographic  matters.  The  papers  in- 
clude : 

An  Instrument  for  the  Absolute 
Measurement  of  the  Graininess  of 
Photographic  Emulsions , by  Drs.  A. 
Goetz,  W.  0.  Gould  and  A.  Dember 
of  the  California  Institute  of  Tech- 
nology. a demonstration  of  the  graini- 
ness meter  described  in  these  columns, 
and  developed  under  the  Agfa-Ansco 
Research  Fund. 


29 


Some  Factors  Governing  the  Design. 
Construction  and  Operation  of  a 
Motion  Picture  Laboratory,  the  report 
of  the  Committee  on  Laboratory 
Practice,  by  D.  E.  Hyndman,  Chair- 
man. 

Simplifying  and  Controlling  Film 
Travel  Through  a Developing  Machine. 
by  J.  F.  Van  Leuven  of  the  Fonda 
Machinery  Co. 

H arner  Brothers'  Laboratory,  by  Fred 
Gage.  A.S.C. 

Studio  practice  highlights  the  session 
at  2:30  P.  M.  on  Friday,  April  21. 
The  papers  include: 

Recent  Improvements  in  Carbons  for 
Motion  Picture  Set  Lighting,  by  D.  B. 
Joy.  W.  W.  I ^ozier  and  K.  J.  Zavetsky, 
of  t he  National  Carbon  Co. 

Report  of  the  Studio  Lighting  Com- 
mittee, by  W.  C.  Handley,  Chairman. 

Remarks  on  the  If  ork  of  the  Research 
Council  Process  Projection  Equip- 
ment Committee,  by  Farciot  Edouart, 
A.S.C. 

Carbons  for  Rear  Projection  in  Motion 
Picture  Studios,  by  D.  B.  Joy,  W.  W. 
Lozier  and  M.  B.  Null  of  the  National 
Carbon  Co. 


The  2<)tli  Century  Silent  Camera,  by 
Grover  Laube.  of  20th  Century-Fox. 
Flicker  In  Motion  Pictures,  by  L.  D. 
Grignon.  of  Paramount. 

The  Friday  evening  session,  at 
8 P.  M.  in  the  Blossom  Boom  should 
be  a definite  highlight,  as  it  is  devoted 
wholly  to  television.  Its  papers,  all 
by  recognized  experts  in  practical 
television,  including  several  of  NBC’s 
television  aces,  cover  such  practical 
points  as  the  use  of  motion  picture 
film  in  television,  television  studio 
technique  and  television  lighting. 

In  addition  there  will  be  at  the 
Boosevelt,  throughout  the  convention, 
a display  of  the  latest  equipment  and 
an  exhibition  of  the  latest  in  color 
stills  from  the  nation’s  leading  color 
still  men,  collected  by  0.  0.  Ceccarini. 
of  MGM,  who  is  an  outstanding  author- 
ity on  color  stills.  Becalling  the  ex- 
hibit Ceccarini  collected  for  the  con- 
vention two  years  ago,  this  is  some- 
thing no  cameraman  should  miss! 

The  S.  M.  P.  E.  extends  a cordial  in- 
vitation to  all  studio  people  to  visit 
and  take  part  in  this  convention — a 
privilege  which  is  well  worth  accept- 
ing. 


30 


Treasure  Island  Photographed  by  Mike  Roberts 


Our  Illustrations 


As  we  were  beginning  to  lay  plans 
for  the  pictorial  illustrations  to  go 
into  this  issue  of  Agfa  Motion 
Picture  Topics,  two  of  our  camera- 
wielding  friends  reminded  us  that  San 
Francisco  is  holding  forth  on  "Trea- 
sure Island  " with  a remarkably  photo- 
genic World's  Fair.  What’s  more, 
their  reminders  took  the  practical 
form  of  two  groups  of  pictures  of 
such  spectacular  appeal  that  selecting 
the  best  prints  to  use  became  a major 
problem ! 

The  title-page  of  this  issue  is 
adorned  with  one  of  these  prints. 
“Jewels  of  the  Night,”  from  the 
trusty  minicam  of  Franklin  S.  Allen , 
Los  Angeles  Manager  of  The  American 
W eekly.  Follow  ing  the  example  of  so 


many  of  America’s  “ace"  news  lensers, 
Allen  sees  to  it  that  his  camera  is 
loaded  with  Agfa  films  whenever  he 
exercises  h i s photographic  hobby. 
Agfa  Supreme  was  his  choice  this 
time.  The  exposure,  I /50  second  at 
f :1 .5. 

The  striking  night  shot  of  the 
“Tower  of  the  Sun"  which  forms  our 
frontispiece  is  the  work  of  Mike 
Roberts  of  the  commercial  photo- 
graphic studio  of  Roberts  & Roberts , 
of  Oakland.  It  furnishes  excellent 
evidence  why  he  and  his  studio  rank 
so  high  among  the  camera  artists  of 
the  northern  metropolis. 

From  his  camera,  too.  came  other 
pictures  of  the  pictorial  highlights  of 
the  Fair,  reproduced  on  pages  5 and 


31 


28,  as  well  as  the  striking  aerial  shot 
of  ‘'Treasure  Island”  at  the  top  of 
Page  31.  “All  of  them,”  he  tells  us, 
“were  made  on  Agfa  Superpan  Press, 
which  since  its  introduction  has  been 
the  only  film  we  use. 

“The  Picture-Maker,”  on  page  12, 
was  snapped  by  George  Blaisdell, 
Editor  of  The  American  Cinemato- 
grapher while  spending  a quiet  Satur- 
d a y afternoon  of  desert  picture- 
making. “Agfa  Superpan  Press,"  he 
tells  us,  “with  a 29-F  filter.  Exposure 
by  Weston.”  And.  we  might  add.  a 
picture  of  which  any  cinematographer 
might  be  proud! 

Many  people  have  asked  us  who 
photographed  the  spectacular  com- 
position of  billowing  yacht  sails  used 
as  the  frontispiece  of  our  last  issue. 
Unfortunately  the  print  came  to  us 
with  no  credit  data.  We’ve  since  found 
the  credit  is  due  to  Morris  Rosen / eld. 
to  whom  we  apologize  for  this  un- 
avoidable slight. 

You  Might  Like  to  Know— 

A new  illustrated  36-page  manual 
on  Speed  Flash  Photography  has  just 
been  published  by  the  Kalart  Co. 
It  is  one  of  the  most  comprehensive 
yet  published  on  the  subject,  and 
should  lie  of  value  to  everyone  in- 
terested in  synchronized  flash  pictures, 
regardless  of  the  type  of  synchroniz- 
ing equipment  they  use. 

Complete  exposure  charts  for  dis- 
tance, stop  and  shutter  speed  for  the 
various  size  flashbulbs,  with  exposure 
recommendations  for  all  types  of  film, 
are  among  the  practical  feaures  of 
manual. 

Another  practical  table  is  that  list- 
ing the  intensity,  flash  duration,  peak 


duration  and  synchronizer  adjustments 
for  all  of  the  generally  available 
types  of  flashbulbs.  Many  users 
of  flashbulbs  will  also  find  the  in- 
formation on  testing  for  synchronism 
unusually  helpful.  Detailed  inform- 
ation about  using  Kalart  flash  syn- 
chronizers with  more  than  30  of  the 
most  popular  types  of  still  and  min- 
iature cameras  is  given. 

The  booklet  is  free,  and  may  be 
had  from  the  Kalart  Company’s  New 
York  or  Hollywood  offices,  or  from 
most  dealers. 

New  Agfa  16mm.  Film 

Users  of  16mm.  cameras  will  he  in- 
terested to  learn  that  a new  Agfa 
16mm.  film  is  available  in  the 
moderate-price  range.  It  is  called  Agfa 
Reversible  Panchromatic,  and  we've 
found  it  to  be  an  excellent  fine-grained 
panchromatic  film  with  a Weston  day- 
light speed  of  about  14.  It  retails  for 
$4.50  per  100-foot  daylight  loading 
spool,  and  $2.75  per  50-foot  daylight 
loading  spool.  Processing  at  any  of 
the  seven  Agfa  16mm.  processing 
plants  in  the  U.  S.  and  Canada  is  in- 
cluded in  the  price  of  the  film. 

Filter  Calculator 

Faxon  Dean,  the  popular  camera- 
rentals  specialist,  has  prepared  for 
free  distribution  to  the  profession  a 
handy,  pocket-size  filter  and  exposure 
calculator.  It  enables  one  to  coordin- 
ate exposures  for  any  combination  of 
lens-stop,  filter-factor,  shutter  open- 
ing or  camera  speed  in  less  time  than 
it  takes  to  tell  about  it.  On  the  reverse 
is  a handy  chart  of  filter-factors  for 
the  most  popular  studio  films — in- 
cluding Agfa  Supreme  a n d Agfa 
Ultra-Speed  Pan — with  all  commonly 
used  filters. 


32 


Above  All 


Cinematographers  rightly  value 
quality  and  dependability  in  motion 
picture  film  products  above  all  other 
things.  These  values  are  outstandingly 
evident  in  every  inch  of  today’s  per- 
fected Agfa  motion  picture  films.  In 
addition,  Agfa-Ansco  offers  a variety 
of  film  types  to  meet  every  production 
requirement. 

Agfa  Supreme — the  pioneer  high- 
speed fine-grain  production  negative 
— is  universally  recognized  as  the 
finest  production  film  in  the  field. 


Agfa  Infra-Red  is  unique  for 
making  convincing  exterior  night- 
effects  by  day,  and  for  capturing 
spectacularly  overcorrected  day-effects. 

Agfa  U Itra-Specd  Pan  gives  that 
extra  margin  of  unrivalled  speed 
which  often  means  the  difference 
between  failure  and  success  in  special 
scenes  under  unfavorable  lighting 
conditions. 

All  three  conform  to  standards  that 
place  quality  and  dependability  above 
all.  Made  by  Agfa  Ansco  Corporation 
in  Binghamton,  New  York. 


AGFA  RAW 

HOLLYWOOD 
0424  Santa  Monica  Blvd. 


Distributed  by 

FILM  CORPORATION 

NEW  YORK 
245  West  55th  Street 


VOLUME  III  NO.  3 


MAY 


JUNE  1939 


MOTION  PICTURE  TOPICS 

WILLIAM  S T U L L - A.  S.  C.  EDITOR 


Contents 

Timely  Topics  ...........  2 

Flying  High  With  Infra-Red 

By  Elmer  G.  Dyer,  A.S.C.  .......  5 

Time-and-Temperature  vs  The  Test  System 
For  Negative  Development 

By  Irving  Millard  . . . . . . . . 11 

Minicam  Aerial  Stills  Tell  Story 
of  “American  Weekly”  Circulation 

By  Franklin  S.  Ai.i.en  . . . . . . . 16 

Our  Illustrations  ..........  20 

Infra-Red  Pictures  Los  Angeles 
Through  Observatory  Telescope 

By  William  Stull.  A.S.C 21 

Pathway  to  the  Stars  Copyright  by  Lyle  Abbott  . Frontispiece 


Sierra  Sunset 


Photographed  by  Elmer  G.  Dyer,  A.S.C. 


Published  Bi-Monthly  by  AGFA  RAW  FILM  CORPORATION 

6424  SANTA  MONICA  BLVD.,  HOLLYWOOD  - 245  WEST  55th  ST.,  NEW  YORK 

Neither  Agfa  Motion  Picture  Topics  nor  the  Agfa  Raw  Film  Corporation  is  responsible  for 
statements  made  by  authors  nor  for  unsolicited  manuscripts. 


Tim  el #/  Topics 


S~\ NE  of  the  perpetually  interesting 
'^things  about  editing  a magazine 
like  Agfa  Motion  Picture  Topics  is 
the  way  one  is  constantly  reminded 
that  no  two  cinematographers  face 
identical  professional  problems.  Re- 
peatedly, in  casual  chats  with  friends, 
some  point  has  come  up  which  to  us 
seemed  worthy  of  being  put  into 
print.  Nine  times  out  of  ten.  the  friend 
will  reply,  “Oh,  I don't  think  there’s 
anything  new  to  that-  I’ve  been  doing 
it  for  months.”  But  when  the  article 
has  appeared,  ten  men  in  other  studios 
( sometimes  even  men  on  the  same 
lot!)  will  congratulate  us  for  giving 
them  a piece  of  new  and  helpful  in- 
formation! What  is  “old  stuff”  to  one 
man  may  be  to  some  fellow  cinema- 
tographer the  precise  answer  to  a 
perplexing  problem  that  has  just 
arisen. 

This  magazine  exists  to  further  such 
constructive  interchange  o f infor- 
mation. This  isn’t  always  as  easy  as 
it  might  seem,  for  we  are  so  close  to 
Agfa  films  and  their  use  that  we,  too, 
can  overlook  things  that  perplex  the 
other  fellow.  For  that  reason,  we  hope 
our  readers  wull  ask  us  questions — 
even  questions  which  seem  to  them 
likely  to  be  embarrassingly  elemen- 
tary. After  all,  circumstances  have  a 
great  deal  to  do  with  what  details  a 
man  learns  about  a film  and  its 
characteristics. 

A cinematographer  using  Agfa 
Supreme  for  society  dramas  or  musi- 
cals, with  few  if  any  exterior  scenes, 
might  easily  expose  hundreds  of 


thousands  of  feet  of  film  before  a 
location  call  would  bring  up  questions 
a fellow  cameraman  making  Westerns 
would  have  asked — and  had  answered 

—before  starting  his  first  day’s  shoot- 
ing on  the  film.  Neither  of  them  might 
give  a thought  to  characteristics  of  the 
same  film  which  make  it  of  value  to 
the  optical  printer  expert  who  uses  it 
for  duping. 

In  the  same  way,  a man  who  makes 
routine  night-effect  shots  on  Agfa 
Infra-Red  would  rarely  face  the  pro- 
blems Elmer  Dyer  encounters  when  he 
takes  the  same  film  two  or  three  miles 
above  the  earth  in  an  airplane.  And 
neither  of  them  would  ask  some  of 
the  questions  asked  by  Lyle  Abbott, 
who  photographs  terrestrial  views  on 
Infra-Red  through  an  astronomical 
telescope.  Yet  the  answer  to  the  ques- 
tions of  any  one  of  them  might  be 
helpful  to  all  three. 

All  of  which  shows  why  we  are  de- 
lighted when  any  of  our  readers  ask 
us  questions,  or  suggest  an  article 
he  feels  would  be  interesting.  We  want 
Agfa  Motion  Picture  Topics  to  be 
of  practical  value  to  those  who  read 
it.  both  when  the  issue  is  fresh  off  the 
press  and  later  when,  as  so  many  do. 
they  have  filed  it  away  as  reference 
material. 

A ll  of  us  have  at  one  time  or  another 
bemoaned  the  fact  that,  save  in  a 
rare  few  private  homes  to  which  most 
of  us  do  not  have  entree,  we  whose 
daily  bread  is  the  cinema  and  its 


2 


advancement  have  no  opportunity  to 
screen  either  the  epoch-making  films 
of  the  past,  whose  influence  has  made 
our  present  work  what  it  is,  or  the 
current  product  of  foreign  studios 
whose  releases  do  not  find  their  way 
into  American  theatres.  That  such  a 
condition  should  exist  in  Hollywood, 
the  world's  film  capitol.  we  all  agreed, 
was  lamentable.  But  nobody  bothered 
to  take  practical  action. 

Today,  somebody  has.  The  Acad- 
emy’s Don  Gledhill,  in  collaboration 
with  several  other  equally  progressive 
souls,  last  year  formed  the  Southern 
California  Film  Society.  This  Society 
not  only  talks  about  such  showings:  it 
actually  put  them  on.  Its  second  season 
is  now  under  way. 

Every  Friday,  Saturday  and  Sunday 
night,  usually  at  8:30  P.  M.,  in  the 
Academy  Review  Theatre,  1455  North 
Gordon  Street,  there  is  a Film  Society 
showing  of  a picture  worth  seeing. 
Among  those  scheduled  to  be  seen  this 
summer  are  Douglas  Fairbanks’  “Tire 
Mark  of  Zorro”;  “Alas  De  Mi  Patria" 
("Wings  of  My  Country”),  a current 
spectacle  of  military  aviation,  made 
in  Argentina;  the  pioneer  impression- 
istic film.  “The  Cabinet  of  Dr.  Cali- 
gari”;  Rene  Clair’s  “A  Nous  La 
Liberte” ; “The  Covered  Wagon” ; a 
complete  evening  of  Mack  Sennett’s 
films,  including  “Molly-O.”  with 
Mabel  Normand;  the  beautifully 
photographed  “Passion  of  Joan  of 
Arc,”  photographed  almost  exclusive- 
ly in  close-ups;  the  original  “Beau 
Geste.”  with  Ronald  Colman;  “Tum- 
bleweeds,” Wm.  S.  Hart’s  last  film; 
and  many  others.  Among  those  already 
shown  have  been  Fritz  Lang’s 
“Metropolis” ; Sergei  Eisenstein’s 
“Cruiser  Potemkin”;  and  “Mientras 


Mexico  Duerme,”  the  most  popular 
Mexican-made  film  of  1938. 

To  anyone  interested  in  motion 
pictures,  not  merely  from  an  "arty’ 
standpoint,  but  from  the  more  practi- 
cal one  of  studying  the  other  fellow’s 
work  to  see  why  great  pictures  are 
great,  the  Film  Society’s  program  is 
extremely  well  worth  supporting.  We 
to  whom  making  better  pictures  means 
bread  and  butter  should  support  it 
generously,  for  study  of  such  pictures 
— old  and  new — cannot  fail  to  bring 
new  ideas,  new  enthusiasm,  and  in  the 
long  run  pay  us  cash  dividends.  It 
should  be  worth  money  to  any  of  us. 

\et  the  cost  of  attending  these 
sessions  is  ridiculously  low.  Academy 
members  may  attend  without  expense, 
though  they  are  asked  to  pay  a forty- 
cent  admission  charge  for  their  guests. 
Others  may  obtain  five  admissions,  to 
he  used  individually  or  together,  for 
two  dollars.  The  Film  Society  is  doing 
something  eminently  worthwhile  for 
the  film  industry.  Those  of  us  in  the 
film  industry  should  by  all  means 
support  it. 

* * 

*Tp  HE  trade  papers  frequently  editor- 
ialize  over  the  need  of  closer  co- 
operation between  the  business  heads 
of  the  film  industry  and  its  ‘just 
around  the  corner’  competitor,  tele- 
vision. It  is  equally  obvious  that  since 
both  mediums  tell  stories  visually — 
in  pictures,  with  the  aid  of  sound — 
cooperation  of  artistic  minds  is  equal- 
ly necessary. 

But  even  more  urgent,  for  many 
reasons,  is  cooperation  between  the 
two  industries  in  interchange  of  tech- 
nical ideas  and  personnel.  It  seems 
inevitable  that  the  two  must  ultimate- 


3 


ly  work  hand  in  hand  in  many 
respects.  Why,  then,  should  television 
in  its  developmental  stage  he  denied 
the  benefit  of  the  cinema's  technical 
knowledge  and  experience? 

Locally,  the  Don  Lee  system  has 
started  in  the  right  direction,  engag- 
ing L y n n Dunn.  Cecil  Love  and 
several  other  studio  cameramen  and 
technicians  to  take  full  charge  of  their 
lighting  and  similar  production  pro- 
blems. So  far  as  we  know,  no  other 
television  group,  in  this  country  at 
least,  has  paralleled  this  progressive 
step  by  Don  Lee's  television  chief, 
Harry  Lubcke.  We  predict  it  will 
prove  beneficial. 

From  the  figures  quoted  in  the 
papers  presented  at  the  closing  session 
of  the  recent  Convention  of  the  Society 
of  Motion  Picture  Engineers,  it  is  ob- 
vious that  television  lighting  is  a far 
different  proposition  from  lighting  a 
motion  picture  scene  for  a modern 
film  like  Agfa  Supreme,  where  key- 
light  illumination  levels  of  as  low  as 
75  foot-candles  are  common.  One 
paper  stated  that  during  the  past  six 
months,  the  lowest  key-light  level  used 
by  NBC  in  New  York  was  over  800 
foot-candles,  and  the  highest  just  under 
2500  foot-candles.  Yet  it  was  also 
brought  out  in  discussion  that  on  one 
occasion  locally,  when  a main  fuse 
blew  out  during  a program,  leaving 
only  a single  500-watt  lamp,  wired  to 
a different  circuit,  alight,  a discernible 
image  was  still  televised. 

In  time  we  will  probably  see  devel- 
opments i n television  iconoscopes 
comparable  to  the  advance  in  sensi- 
tivity made  when  Agfa  Supreme 
negative  was  introduced  to  motion 
pictures.  Until  then,  is  it  not  logical 


to  expect  that  many  of  television’s 
lighting  problems  could  at  least  be 
minimized  if  television  were  to  utilize 
the  aid  of  some  of  the  Directors  of 
Photography  who  have  made  motion 
picture  lighting  the  science  it  now  is? 


Tt  is  with  a deep  sense  of  personal 

loss  that  we  chronicle  the  passing, 
on  May  thirty-first,  of  Frank  B. 
Good,  A.S.C.  He  was  a man  who  was 
in  the  finest  sense  of  the  word  an  artist 
and  a gentleman;  one  in  whose  charac- 
ter, as  well  as  ability,  the  camera  pro- 
fession could  take  great  pride. 

More  significant  than  anything  we 
might  say  is  the  tribute  paid  Frank 
Good  during  his  lifetime  by  his 
fellow'  cinematographers  who  for  the 
past  sixten  years  have  kept  him  with- 
out interruption  a member  of  the 
Board  of  Governors  of  the  American 
Society  of  Ginematographers,  and  dur- 
ing most  of  that  time,  an  officer  of  the 
organization.  At  the  time  of  his  death 
he  had  just  been  re-elected  Secretary- 
Treasurer  of  the  A.S.C.  for  the  fifth 
consecutive  year. 

But  it  is  not  because  of  his  distin- 
guished career  behind  the  camera  or 
in  the  councils  of  his  fellow  cinema- 
tographers that  Frank  Good  will  be 
remembered — and  missed.  Bather,  it 
is  because  he  had  the  rare  gift  of 
winning  the  personal  respect  and 
friendship  of  all  with  whom  he  came 
in  contact.  Such  a man  leaves  behind 
him  a place  that  cannot  be  filled,  and 
a host  of  friends  who  feel  the  better 
for  having  known  him.  We  join  them 
in  extending  to  his  wife  and  relatives 
the  sincerest  sympathy. 


4 


From  "Only  Angels  Have  Wings” 


Photograph  by  Elmer  G.  Dyer,  A.S.C. 


Flying  High  With  Infra-Red 

By  Elmer  G.  Dyer,  A.S.C. 


A few  weeks  ago  Producer-Director 
^-Howard  Hawks  called  me  into  his 
office  at  the  Columbia  Studio  to  dis- 
cuss the  photographing  of  the  aerial 
sequences  for  a film  he  was  about  to 
make.  After  my  signature  had  been 
duly  inked  on  the  dotted  line,  he 
handed  me  a script  and  told  me, 
“Elmer,  the  air  scenes  you  made  for 
‘■Hell  s Angels’  were  great,  and  the 
ones  you  did  for  ‘Night  Flight'  were 
just  about  tops.  But  we  hope  you’ll 
surpass  all  of  them  for  our  picture 
'Only  Angels  Have  Wings’!” 

That,  as  I read  the  script,  promised 


to  be  a man-sized  assignment.  The 
writers  had  handed  us  plenty  of  pro- 
blems, not  only  in  flying  but  in  photo- 
graphy. From  the  flyer’s  viewpoint, 
there  were  some  stunts  that  certainly 
couldn’t  be  classed  as  easy,  while  the 
fact  that  the  story  dealt  with  airline 
flying  over  South  America’s  Andes 
meant  that  we’d  have  to  pick  rugged, 
mountainous  country  for  our  aerial 
locations. 

From  the  photographer’s  viewpoint, 
in  addition  to  the  tasks  of  filming  the 
various  flying  stunts  and  making  or- 
dinary day-effect  shots  of  planes  in 


t he  air.  there  were  several  night-effect 
sequences  to  he  h lined.  Some  of  these 
called  for  clear  weather,  others  for 
ominous-looking  clouds,  a n d still 
others  demanded  storms.  There  were 
also  both  day-  and  night-effect  back- 
ground plates  to  be  made  in  the  air. 

As  if  these  problems  weren’t  enough, 
the  distributors  were  anxious  for  their 
film,  and  our  schedule  couldn't  allowr 
us  much  chance  of  waiting  for  ideal 
weather,  or  for  making  aerial  retakes. 
We  would  have  to  work  fast  and  ac- 
curately— and  both  the  flyers  and  1 
were  supposed  to  turn  out  something 
just  a bit  better  than  ever  before! 

Several  Films  Tested. 

The  first  problem  I tackled  was 
that  of  making  the  flying  night-effect 
scenes.  If  these  scenes  were  to  he  made 
on  the  ground,  few  of  us  would  have 
been  perplexed;  for  during  the  last 
few  years  most  of  us  have  grown  used 
to  solving  the  night-effect  problem  by 
simply  loading  up  a magazine  of  Agfa 
Infra-Red  negative,  slipping  on  a 
23-A  filter,  and  letting  the  him  do  the 
rest.  But  doing  a night-effect  from  an 
airplane  two  or  three  miles  up  in  the 
air  yanks  you  up  to  a set  of  different 
atmospheric  and  lighting  conditions, 
and  technique  that  is  good  on  the 


Lockheed  monoplane  with  two  fixed-mount 
cameras  under  wings. 


ground  may  often  prove  the  wrong 
thing  for  aerial  filming. 

So  I began  by  making  tests  of 
practically  every  type  of  him  avail- 
able, testing  not  only  Infra-Red,  but 
a variety  of  background,  high-speed 
and  super-speed  panchromatic  types 
with  such  conventional  filterings  as 
the  familiar  23-A-56  combination  and 
the  72. 

When  these  tests  were  completed.  I 
had  a pretty  good  idea  I knew  which 
gave  the  most  convincing  night 
effects,  but  to  make  sure  I wasn't 
being  carried  away  by  purely  photo- 
graphic enthusiasm,  I ran  the  tests  for 
Producer-Director  Hawks  a n d his 
staff,  and  left  the  final  decision  to 
him.  We  all  agreed  that  the  tests  shot 
on  Agfa  Infra-Red  negative  were  by 
long  odds  the  best  and  most  convinc- 
ing of  the  lot. 

Night-Effects  Two  Miles  Up. 

With  this  decided,  we  went  to  work. 
Quite  a few  of  our  scenes  were  made 
flying  over  the  high  Sierras  around 
Mt.  Whitney,  w here  we  flew  at  altitudes 
of  11,000  feet  or  more.  Some  of  the 
scenes  were  made  with  cameras  in 
fixed  mounts,  rigidly  attached  to  the 
plane;  others  had  to  he  shot  from 
mobile  mounts  so  that  I could  'follow’ 
the  action  of  other  ships.  At  times  we 
had  as  many  as  three  or  four  cameras 
in  operation  at  once,  including  a 
couple  of  Bell  & Howells  in  fixed 
mounts,  and  my  Akeley  in  a mobile 
mount. 

While  a medium  light  red  filter 
gives  the  best  night-effects  when  Agfa 
Infra-Red  negative  is  used  on  the 
ground,  I found  that  for  aerial  work — 
especially  at  the  high  altitudes  at 
which  we  flew — a somewhat  heavier 
filter  is  preferable.  After  a hit  of  ex- 


6 


• w 


mt 


Climbing  Through  The  Night 


Photographed  by  Elmer  G.  Dyer,  A.S.C. 


7 


perimenting  during  my  preliminary 
tests.  I learned  that  the  Agfa  81  filter 
is  ideal  for  this.  It  is  a rather  deep 
red  shade,  midway  between  the  famil- 
iar 29-F  and  the  70.  For  this  high- 
altitude  Infra-Red  work,  especially 
where  there  is  usually  such  an  enor- 
mous preponderance  of  blue  and  ultra- 
violet light  to  contend  with,  this  81 
filter  is  ideal. 

As  I have  said,  our  night-effect 
scenes  had  to  cover  a wide  range  of 
conditions,  ranging  from  peaceful 
moonlit  nights  through  increasing 
cloudiness  and  storms.  The  ships  we 
used  were  metal : a great  deal  of  the 
aerial  action  took  place  in  one  of  the 
familiar  old  Ford  trimotors.  These 
silvery  ships  naturally  photographed 
the  same  no  matter  what  filtering  we 
used — a great  convenience  for  the 
cameraman ! 

Some  of  our  shots  showed  the  ship 
sailing  along  through  clear  black  skies 
on  a peaceful,  cloudless  night.  Others 
showed  it  sailing  along  over  huge, 
puffy  white  Cumulus  clouds.  In  others, 
we  chose  lightings  that  rendered  the 
cloud-banks  black  and  stormy-looking. 
Some  of  the  most  effective  scenes 
were  those  showing  this  silvery  ship, 
under  a black  sky,  droning  along  just 
above  the  rolling  top  of  a huge  cloud- 
bank; literally  sailing  over  a sea  of 
clouds. 

Day  Effects  Too. 

For  making  our  daytime  effects,  we 
uncovered  a new  use  for  Infra-Red 
negative.  By  changing  to  a lighter 
filter,  we  were  able  to  use  this  same 
film  for  day  effects  which  were  in 
many  instances  better  than  anything 
we  could  get  with  conventional  pan- 
chromatic emulsions. 

In  most  of  these  scenes  I used  a 


G filter,  which  subdued  the  blue  and 
cut  out  the  ultra-violet  of  haze,  yet 
still  gave  a lighter,  more  normal  effect 
than  any  of  the  red  filters  would.  For 
these  day  shots,  I found  Agfa  Infra- 
Red  a surprisingly  versatile  film.  Ex- 
cept in  rare  instances,  I used  the  film 
as  I would  any  panchromatic  type 
with  a Weston  speed  of  24.  I made 
the  usual  compensation  of  exposure 
for  the  G filter — using  the  same  factor 
I would  if  I were  using  Superpan— 
and  shot.  The  resulting  negative  gave 
me  a fairly  high  correction,  yet  there 
was  enough  density  in  the  sky  area 
so  that  I could  get  just  about  any 
effect  I wanted  from  a very  slight 
correction  to  a heavily  over-corrected 
day  effect  simply  by  manipulating  the 
printing  exposure. 

All  told,  in  filming  these  aerial 
scenes  for  “Only  Angels  Have  Wings,” 
we  exposed  over  30,000  feet  of  Agfa 
Infra-Red  negative,  under  all  sorts  of 
conditions,  both  on  the  ground  and  in 
the  air. 

Sudden  Temperature  Changes. 

One  of  the  most  trving  conditions  to 
which  we  subjected  the  film  was 
sudden  and  extreme  changes  of  tem- 
perature. Not  so  many  years  ago.  such 
changes  in  temperature  would  have 
been  absolute  insurance  of  film  ruined 
from  static,  and  even  more  recently, 
since  the  coming  of  sound.  I recall 
seeing  a major-studio  production  made 
on  a location  where  the  film  was  sub- 
jected to  such  temperature-changes, 
which  in  several  scenes  showed  static 
flashes.  According  to  most  film  ex- 
perts, the  best  way  to  avoid  such 
troubles  is  to  let  your  film  change  its 
temperature  gradually. 

But  in  our  case,  we  couldn't  do 
this.  Often  when  we’d  take  off  from 


the  Lone  Pine  airport  we  used  as  our 
base,  the  thermometer  would  be  read- 
ing 70°  or  over.  But  within  a matter 
of  a few  minutes,  as  we  climbed  to 
our  working  altitude  of  12,000  feet 
or  more,  tbe  thermometer  would  be 
down  to  10  or  20  degrees  below'  zero! 

Yet  in  spite  of  these  sudden  changes 
of  eighty  or  ninety  degrees  at  a time, 
we  didn’t  have  a bit  of  trouble  of 
any  kind  with  Agfa  Infra-Red  neg- 
ative. 

But  if  the  temperature-changes 
weren't  troublesome  to  the  film,  they 
made  up  for  it  by  being  most  un- 
pleasant for  those  of  us  who  had  to 
do  the  flying!  Piloting  a ship  at  those 
altitudes  is  by  no  means  a pleasant 
sport — but  operating  a free-mount 
camera  up  there  comes  under  the 
heading  of  heartbreaking  work.  You 
climb  into  the  ship  swathed  like  a 
mummy  in  heavy  wool-and-leather 
flying  clothes,  helmeted,  begoggled 
and  I if  you  are  wise)  looking  like  a 
man  from  Mars  in  a high-altitude 
face-mask.  By  the  time  the  ship  passes 
the  two-mile  mark,  you  are  thankful 
for  the  warmth  of  the  heavy  flying 
clothes:  but  when  you  stand  up  in  the 
blast  from  tbe  propellor  and  try  to 
operate  a camera,  you  find  that  the 
bulk  of  the  flying  suit  still  remains  to 
hamper  your  movements. 

As  if  that  wasn't  enough,  you  dis- 
cover that  at  such  high  altitudes  you 
really  need  oxygen  to  breathe.  The 
pilots,  seated  comfortably  in  the  cock- 
pits. can  have  oxygen  hoses  to  help 
their  breathing.  But  the  poor  camera- 
man. standing  half  exposed  there  in 
the  slipstream  from  the  propellor, 
doesn  t dare  to  encumber  his  move- 
ments with  an  oxygen  hose,  so  he 
simply  does  without  it.  Many  times 


Elmer  Dyer,  ready  for  a high  altitude  flight. 

Note  face  mash. 

1 would  film  a scene  or  two,  and  then 
sink  dizzily  to  my  seat,  groggy  and 
almost  unconscious,  to  gasp  helpless- 
ly until  the  pilot  took  me  down  to 
more  normal  altitudes  for  a few  lung- 
full;  of  denser  air. 

Landing,  in  a Gale. 

As  I have  said,  for  some  of  the 
scenes  the  script  required  storm  con- 
ditions, so  we  found  it  our  job  to  go 
aloft  and  hunt  up  some  satisfactorily 
bad  weather.  That  brought  us  to  what 
was  unquestionably  the  worst  hazard 
of  the  assignment — and  one  of  the 
most  unpleasant  moments  of  the  many 
hours  I have  spent  in  the  air.  We  had 
succeeded  in  our  hunt  for  stormy- 
looking  weather,  and  with  our  shot 
“in  the  box,”  headed  back  to  tbe  air- 
port. We  were  flying  in  the  steady  old 
Ford  Trimotor,  ten  of  us,  with  Paul 
Mantz  at  the  controls. 

Coming  in  to  land,  Paul  suddenly 
discovered  that  a really  first-class 
windstorm  had  blown  up  since  we 
took  off. 

As  the  big  ship  approached  tbe 
ground,  a sudden  gust  (and  a potent 
one!)  caught  it  under  one  wing,  and 
swung  tbe  ship  over  sideways.  I recall 
looking  out  of  the  cabin  window,  to  see 


9 


Night  Above  The  Clouds 


Photographed  by  Elmer  G.  Dyer,  A.S.C. 


the  lower  wingtip  brushing  within  four 
or  five  feet  of  the  ground — and  won- 
dering if  my  insurance  was  paid  up ! 

Somehow  Mantz — aided  I am  sure 
by  the  other  nine  of  us  unconsciously 
shoving  over  imaginary  “joy-sticks” 
for  all  we  were  worth — got  the  ship 
righted.  Just  then  another,  and  even 
stronger  gust  hit  us  and  literally  blew 
that  heavy  ship  a hundred  feet  into 
the  air  like  a feather!  We  heaved  ten 
sighs  of  relief,  even  though  we  all 
knew  that  was  only  the  first  round, 
and  we  weren't  on  the  ground  yet. 

Coming  around  for  another  try  at 


getting  the  ship  hack  to  earth.  Mantz 
was  all  set  for  another  of  those  gusts 
— but  this  time  no  gust  came,  and  we 
hit  hard,  with  a jolt  that  must  have 
been  felt  in  China!  Somehow,  Paul 
managed  to  hold  the  “tin  goose”  on 
the  ground  until  she  stopped  rolling, 
and  on  checking  things  over  we  found 
the  only  damage  done  was  to  our 
nerves.  For  a few  minutes,  though,  I 
felt  certain  I had  photographed  my 
last  scene.  But  I guess  Providence  had 
decided  I mustn’t  die  before  I’d  shot 
a few  more  rolls  of  Infra-Red  in  the 
air! 


10 


Time  and  Temperature 
rs 

The  Test  System  for 
Neyative  tPereiopment 


By  Irving  Millard 

Night  Superintendent, 
Cinema  Laboratories , Ltd. 


A LT hough  the  laboratory  process- 
ing  of  pictorial  motion  picture 
negative  film  has  to  a certain  extent 
been  standardized  in  recent  years  by 
the  imposed  limitations  of  composite 
sound  and  picture  printing,  there 
still  exists  a considerable  difference 
of  opinion  as  to  the  best  methods  to 
employ  within  those  limitations  to  pro- 
duce uniformity  of  contrast  and 
density  and  at  the  same  time  to  ob- 
tain in  the  developed  negative  the 
fullest  measure  of  the  artistic  and 
dramatic  effects  created  by  the  cine- 
matographer. In  general,  there  are  in 
use  today  two  basically  different 
methods  of  negative  development,  each 
of  which  has  its  advantages  and  ad- 
vocates and,  inevitably,  its  disadvant- 
ages and  its  opponents. 

These  methods  are  the  “time-and- 
temperature"  method  and  the  so-called 
“test  system"  of  development. 

The  present  article  is  not  intended 
as  a vehicle  for  partisan  arguments 
for  or  against  either  of  these  systems. 


hut  instead  to  serve  the  more  useful 
purpose  of  providing  a convenient 
summary  of  the  facts  regarding  each, 
together  with  an  impartial  discussion 
of  features  which  under  practical 
conditions  have  been  found  to  be 
assets  and  weaknesses  of  each. 

77  me- A nd-T  emperature 

Under  t h e time-and-temperature 
system,  negative  is  processed  day  by 
day  at  an  established  time  of  develop- 
ment. in  solutions  maintained  at  a 
constant  and  favorable  temperature. 

Solution  control  is  generally  exer- 
cised with  the  aid  of  sensitometric  and 
visual  solution  film  tests  processed  at 
regular  intervals.  Uniformity  of  solu- 
tion strength  is  maintained  by  chemical 
manipulation. 

Specifications  established  by  exper- 
ience as  representing  the  most  desirable 
standards  for  the  proper  development 
of  normally-exposed  negatives  are 
rigidly  observed.  This  system  therefore 
offers  the  cameraman  a theoretically 


II 


constant  factor  of  development  to 
which  to  peg  his  manipulations  of 
lighting  and  exposure. 

The  Test  System. 

Differing  radically  from  the  time- 
and-temperature  system  of  develop- 
ment, the  test  system  is  based  upon 
the  pre-examination  of  test  strips 
which  serve  as  a guide  by  which  the 
developing  time  for  the  production 
negative  may  be  altered  in  order  to 
coordinate  more  closely  the  factors  of 
negative  exposure,  density  and  con- 
trast with  the  requirements  of  the 
positive  printing  scale. 

In  this  method,  solution  temperature 
and  strength  are  held  constant,  but 
the  developing  time  altered  to  suit 
the  needs  of  the  individual  negative. 
Solution  maintenance  is  effected  by 
substantially  the  same  methods  as 
used  for  this  purpose  under  the  time- 
and-temperature  system. 

This  system  therefore  offers  the 
cinematographer  a certain  measure  of 
protection  when  he  is  working  under 
unusual  or  difficult  conditions,  and 
theoretically  allows  a welcome  flexi- 
bility. 

The  advocates  of  each  of  these 
systems  naturally  take  pains  to  add  to 
these  sometimes  theoretical  arguments, 
facts  of  a more  practical  nature  with 
which  to  uphold  their  contentions. 
Among  those  most  justifiably  advanced 
by  exponents  of  the  time-and-temper- 
ature  system  may  be  mentioned  the 
fol  lowing. 

First,  the  possibility  of  reproducing 
without  alteration  or  distortion  an 
exact  monochrome  replica  of  the 
photographed  scene. 

Second,  elimination  of  the  need  for 
making  tests  which  are  inevitably 
more  or  less  costly  to  make,  and 


which  can  in  many  cases  be  inaccurate 
or  misleading. 

Third,  reducing  by  one  (the  test 
reader)  the  variables  interposed  be- 
tween the  cameraman  and  the  screen. 

Fourth,  the  maintenance  of  an  un- 
varying standard  of  negative  process- 
ing to  which  the  cameraman  ma\  ad- 
just himself,  and  thereby  be  able  to 
secure  in  a direct  line  the  desired 
contrast  and  mood  in  his  screened 
picture. 

Theory  vs  Practice. 

In  theory,  the  writer  has  always 
held  that  the  time-and-temperature 
method  [daces  the  responsibility  for 
negative  uniformity  both  as  to  con- 
trast and  as  to  density  in  the  hands 
of  the  cinematographer,  where  it  right- 
fully belongs.  Reducing  the  number 
of  variables  between  bis  work  and  the 
screen  is  also  a step  in  the  right 
direction,  since  he  alone  possesses  the 
complete  knowledge  of  the  effects, 
mood  and  visual  tempo  for  which  he 
is  striving — a knowledge  which  in  the 
existing  structure  of  production  is  not 
readily  available  to  the  laboratory. 

In  practice,  however,  certain  con- 
ditions lend  to  offset  some  of  these 
theoretical  advantages  of  the  time- 
and-temperature  system,  as  the  ad- 
herents of  the  test  method  are  at  pains 
to  point  out.  First  among  these  is  the 
virtual  impossibility  of  maintaining  a 
standard  of  absolutely  consistent  pro- 
cessing. While,  in  comparison  to  what 
was  common  only  a relatively  few 
years  ago,  we  are  justifiably  proud  of 
the  consistency  of  modern  methods 
and  machines,  it  must  be  admitted  that 
this  consistency  is  relative,  rather  than 
absolute,  and  that  in  methods  based 
on  consistent  solution  strength,  tem- 
perature and  machine  speed,  sufficient 


12 


Soap  Bubbles 


Photographed  by  Bob  Levy 


errors,  minor  in  themselves  perhaps, 
but  cumulatively  of  noticeable  magni- 
tude, can  occur. 

It  has  also  frequently  been  pointed 
out  that  this  system  of  development 
lacks  the  flexibility  which  would  en- 


able the  laboratory  to  aid  the  camera- 
man by  making  compensation  for  the 
inevitable  small  day-to-day  variations 
in  his  lighting  and  exposure.  In  ad- 
dition, such  a system  utterly  lacks  the 
flexibility  to  help  him  by  under-  or 


over-developing  negative  photograph- 
ed under  unusual  and  abnormal  con- 
ditions. 

7’ests — Pro  and  Con. 

Laboratories  employing  the  test 
system  point  especially  to  the  follow- 
ing facts  as  advantages  obtainable  by 
that  system. 

First,  the  proper  making  and  use 
of  tests  affords  very  considerable  pro- 
tection insofar  as  the  printing  scale 
is  concerned  to  the  cinematographer 
forced  to  shoot  under  abnormal  or 
subnormal  conditions. 

Second,  it  affords  similar  protection 
to  cinematographers  who  by  habit 
light  in  either  a dangerously  low  or 
a dangerously  high  key. 

Third,  it  permits  absorption  of  the 
effects  of  the  inevitable  slight  solution 
differences  which  may  exist  from  day 
to  day.  The  same  factor  similarly  aids 
in  smoothing  out  the  individual 
cameraman’s  day-today  variations  in 
lighting  and  exposure  previously  refer- 
red to. 

These  advantages  are  equally  bene- 
ficial to  the  cinematographer  working 
on  a major  studio’s  top-budget  pro- 
ductions and  to  his  fellow  cameramen 
working  under  the  restrictions  of 
short  schedules  and  budgets.  If  any- 
thing. they  can  be  more  valuable  to 
the  latter,  as  such  conditions  often 
necessitate  long  and  fatiguing  hours 
and  occasional  disregard  of  ideal 
photographic  conditions.  It  is  the 
function  of  any  laboratory  when  faced 
with  such  conditions  to  offer  all  assist- 
ance possible,  and  it  has  repeatedly 
been  proven  that  in  such  circumstances 
forced  development  of  underexposed 
negative,  or  retarded  development  of 
overexposures  to  a point  permitting 


adequate  printing  densities,  even  it  at 
some  loss  of  perfect  photographic 
quality,  has  been  beneficial  to  the 
screen  appearance  of  the  picture  as 
a whole. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  must  be  point- 
ed out  that  the  tests  involved  require 
valuable  time  and  effort  if  they  are 
made  properly,  and  even  so  can  under 
modern  conditions  prove  misleading. 
Consider,  for  instance,  a light-effect 
shot  in  which  a strong  beam  of  light 
is  to  simulate  sunshine  coming  through 
Venetian  blinds  which  are  to  be  closed 
during  part  of  the  scene,  but  are 
opened  later  in  the  shot.  A test  made 
for  the  initial  lighting,  with  the 
blinds  closed,  will  give  no  indication 
of  the  exposure-values  when  the  blinds 
are  open,  and  vice-versa,  so  that  it 
is  unpleasantly  easy  to  develop  the 
scene  incorrectly  on  the  basis  of  such 
a test.  The  same  applies  with  equal 
force  and  greater  frequency  to  the 
modern  moving-camera  shots,  in  which 
the  camera  may  dolly  through  a very 
considerable  range  of  lightings  and 
exposures  within  a single  shot. 

The  test  system,  too.  if  carried  out 
on  a proper  scale,  demands  an  inti- 
mate cooperation  between  the  camera- 
man and  the  laboratory  if  it  is  to 
function  to  advantage.  Such  cooper- 
ation. under  modern  productions  con- 
ditions, is  difficult,  if  not  impossible 
to  obtain. 

On  the  other  hand,  in  most  labor- 
atories today  the  need  of  frequent 
tests  can  be,  and  is  minimized  by  the 
fact  that  after  the  initial  tests  have 
been  made  the  laboratory  can  estab- 
lish a normal  average  developing  time 
for  each  cinematographer’s  negative. 
Thereafter,  in  normal  production, 
tests  need  be  made  only  as  a safe- 


11 


guard  or  check  comparable  in  a way 
to  the  laboratory's  own  visual  and 
sensitometric  tests,  and  of  course  as  a 
means  of  guiding  the  laboratory  when 
any  unusual  conditions  have  been 
faced  on  the  set. 

Practical  Conclusions. 

In  conclusion,  it  may  he  remarked 
that  there  exist  certain  practical  aids 
which  may  be  utilized  by  cinema- 
tographers working  under  either  of 
these  methods  of  negative  processing, 
and  which  will  help  in  overcoming  the 
weaknesses  of  the  processing  system 
involved. 

An  outstanding  weakness  of  the 
time-and-temperature  system  is  the  fact 
that  it  subjects  all  negative,  regardless 
of  lighting  or  exposure,  to  a fixed 
standard  of  development.  The  cine- 
matographer operating  under  this 
system  of  negative  processing  can 
therefore  protect  himself  to  a degree 
b y selecting  a negative  emulsion 
having  the  maximum  exposure-latitude 
characteristic.  In  this  way  he  can  ex- 
pect the  film  itself  to  aid  in  compen- 
sating for  any  unevenness  of  exposure 
levels. 

In  this  connection,  too,  it  must  be 
pointed  out  that  the  intelligent  use  of 
a modern  photoelectric  exposure  meter 
can  be  of  tremendous  aid  to  the 
cameraman  in  maintaining  on  his  part 
a consistency  of  lighting  and  exposure 
values  which  will  match  the  standard- 
ized negative  developing  procedure. 
It  is  significant  that  the  two  organi- 
zations making  the  most  extensive  use 


of  photoelectric  light-measuring  de- 
vices both  use  the  time-and-temper- 
ature  method  of  negative  processing. 

Cinematographers  whose  negative  is 
processed  in  plants  using  the  test 
system  can  anticipate  that  their  neg- 
ative may,  in  the  interest  of  maintain- 
ing consistent  printing  densities,  at 
times  be  over  or  under  developed  to 
some  extent.  They  will  obviously  find 
it  an  advantage  to  select  a negative 
emulsion  which  offers  a wide  latitude 
in  development. 

Since  consistency  in  exposures  will 
obviously  minimize  not  only  the 
number  of  tests  required,  but  also  the 
laboratory’s  manipulations  of  t h e 
developing  time,  these  cinemato- 
graphers. too,  will  find  the  proper  use 
of  photoelectric  exposure  meters  bene- 
ficial. In  this  connection,  however,  it 
is  well  to  echo  the  statement  frequently 
made  by  other  writers,  that  these 
meters  must  be  used  with  intelligence, 
or  not  at  all. 

In  general,  it  can  be  seen  that  as 
practiced  today,  both  the  time-and- 
temperature  and  the  test  system  of 
development  offer  worthy  advantages, 
and  that  if  the  cinematographer  will 
make  intelligent  use  of  the  aid  offered 
by  modern  materials  and  methods,  he 
can  be  sure  of  excellent  results  re- 
gardless of  which  system  is  used  in 
the  processing  of  his  negative.  And 
it  may  be  reasonably  concluded  that 
the  gap  between  these  different  and 
much-discussed  methods  is  in  practice 
slowly  but  surely  lessening. 


15 


Wils hire  Boulevard 


Photographed  hy  Franklin  S.  Allen 


.W/ii/frtiu  Aerial  Stills  Tv! I Story 
of  " 'American  Weekly"  limitation 

By  Franklin  S.  Allen, 

Los  Angeles  Manager 
The  American  Weekly 


A N unexpected  crowd  of  100  people 

*-in  the  street  will  tangle  traffic  and 
make  a front-page  story  for  news- 
papers. 

4.000  people  in  the  Olympic  Aud- 
itorium is  an  impressive  fight  crowd. 

100.000  people  at  a football  game 
is  about  as  many  people  as  the  human 
mind  can  visualize. 

And  when  crowds  get  this  big,  it 
takes  an  expert  to  tell  within  25.000 


or  30,000  of  the  correct  number. 
When  you  go  over  1 00,000  individuals, 
very  few  people  can  differentiate  in 
their  own  minds  between  1,000,000  or 

2.000. 000,  or  5,000,000  or  7,000,000. 
Therefore,  when  you  have  a publi- 
cation with  a circulation  of  nearly 

7.000. 00,  or  approximately  one  fourth 
of  all  the  homes  in  America,  it  be- 
comes a very  serious  problem  to  get 
people  who  spend  their  money  for  ad- 


16 


Los  Angeles 


Photographed  by  Franklin  S.  Allen 


vertising  to  comprehend  the  bigness 
of  this  audience.  As  a matter  of  fact, 
a small  publication  often  gets  two, 
three  or  four  times  as  much  per 
thousand  circulation  because  its  page 
rate  seems  low  in  proportion,  and  be- 
cause the  space  buyer  does  not  visual- 
ize the  difference  between  700,000  and 
7.000,000  or  even  between  3,000,000 
and  7,000,000. 

That  is  the  problem  faced  by  those 
of  us  who  are  concerned  with  the 
business  side  of  “The  American  Week- 
ly.” It  is  our  task  to  bring  home  to 
our  advertisers  and  prospective  adver- 
tisers not  only  the  fact  that  “The 
American  Weekly”  will  take  their 
message  into  nearly  7,000,000  homes, 
but  also  what  that  sort  of  coverage 
can  do  for  the  sale  of  their  product. 

Putting  It  In  Pictures. 

If  you  have  ever  tried  to  convey  the 
practical  meaning  of  such  huge  figures 


to  other  people,  you  will  realize  the 
truth  of  that  over-worked  old  Chinese 
proverb.  “One  seeing  is  worth  ten 
thousand  tellings.”  But  in  our  case, 
the  problem  is  how  to  find  ways  of 
portraying  this  coverage  in  graphic 
form.  We  can  tell  an  advertiser,  for 
instance,  that  in  Los  Angeles,  “The 
American  Weekly"  reaches  three  out 
of  four  homes  on  the  entire  Pacific 
coast.  That  it  reaches  two-thirds  of 
all  homes  in  those  counties  that  ac- 
count for  95  per  cent  of  all  the  retail 
sales.  We  can  quote  surveys  by  Daniel 
Starch  which  indicate  that  every  copy 
of  “The  American  Weekly”  averages 
two  adult  readers,  in  addition  to  the 
children  who  read  it.  But  we  are  still 
only  talking  about  figures  so  enormous 
as  to  be  intangible. 

Therefore  we  try  to  tell  our  story 
of  circulation  i n pictures.  To  be 
specific,  in  pictures  that  take  our 


17 


Looking  Down  Photographed  by 

On  If  estwood  Franklin  S.  Allen 


coverage  out  of  the  abstract  and  put 
it  in  terms  that  any  successful  mer- 
chandiser can  understand. 

To  assist  me  in  this  effort,  I recent- 
ly engaged  the  Goodyear  b 1 i m p 
‘‘Volunteer,”  slung  my  Contax  around 
my  neck,  and  made  a study  from  the 
air.  photographing,  for  example,  a 
filling  station  or  a grocery  store  in 
which  the  products  of  an  advertiser 
or  a prospective  advertiser  might  be 
sold,  and  the  homes  that  surround  it. 

A hen  the  negatives  were  developed, 
I had  enlargements  made — big  ones — 
and  placed  check  marks  on  those 
homes  that  actually  get  “The  Ameri- 
can Weekly.” 

Then  I show  the  prints  to  the  ad- 
vertising manager  of  the  firm  in  ques- 
tion. When  he  sees  this  picture  of  an 
actual  point  of  sale  of  his  own  pro- 
duct. surrounded  by  homes  that  act- 
ual!) read  our  publication — and  these 
check  marks  indicate  that  two  out  of 
three  or  three  out  of  four  actually  do 
receive  it — he  has  a graphic  visual- 
ization of  our  coverage,  expressed  in 
tangible  terms  far  more  easily  com- 
prehended than  any  talk  of  millions. 

Using  Supreme  In  The  Air. 

Agfa  Supreme  negative  plays  a big 
part  in  this.  Ever  since  the  intro- 


duction of  this  film,  I have  used  it 
and  found  it  by  far  the  most  useful, 
all-around  film  on  the  market.  In  the 
air  it  is  particularly  spectacular. 

Making  stills  in  the  air.  regardless 
of  whether  you  are  Hying  in  a blimp 
or  in  an  airplane,  you  have  several 
definite  photographic  problems  to  con- 
quer. First  of  all.  you  must  use  a 
fairly  high  shutter  speed,  to  overcome 
the  vibration  of  the  engine.  In  my  ex- 
perience, that  means  a speed  of 
1 250th  of  a second  or  faster. 

Next,  in  order  to  assure  the  maxi- 
mum ot  definition,  one  always  prefers 
to  stop  the  lens  down  as  far  as 
possible. 

At  the  same  time,  for  penetrating 
the  ever-present  aerial  haze,  it  is 
necessary  to  use  a filter. 

In  addition,  using  these  aerial  mini- 
cam photos  as  I do,  where  more  than 
ordinarily  big  enlargements  are 
necessary,  a film  with  real  fine-grain 
quality  is  imperative. 

All  of  this  points  to  the  need  for 
a fast,  highly  panchromatic  film 
which  in  spite  of  its  speed  is  of  the 
fine-grain  type.  And  it  gives  its  own 
answer,  for  these  requirements  give 
an  excellent  picture  of  Agfa  Supreme 
negative. 

In  addition,  there  is  the  question 
of  brilliance  to  be  considered.  Too 
many  non-professional  air  shots  tend 
toward  an  unpleasant  flatness  in  both 
lighting  and  contrast.  For  reallv  satis- 
factory results  you  want  to  use  a film 
that  will  give  you  a normal  snap  and 
contrast,  witout  forcing  you  to  resort 
to  using  either  an  over-correcting  filter 
or  printing  on  an  extremely  ‘hard’ 
paper. 


Q 

O 


My  experience  has  been  that  Agfa 
Supreme  fulfills  all  of  these  require- 
ments to  perfection.  With  a ‘"G” 
filter,  shooting  at  1 /250th  of  a second 
at  an  opening  of  /: 5.6,  I am  able  to 
stop  the  vibration  of  any  type  of  air- 
craft, and  get  a picture  with  definition, 
brilliance  and  sparkle  that  nothing 
else  seems  to  give.  As  for  grain  size, 
since  I have  been  using  Supreme  I 
have  had  very  little  occasion  to  give 
a thought  to  grain.  Most  of  my  aerial 
negatives  have  been  enlarged  to  11x14, 
and  some  to  even  larger  sizes.  Yet 
even  in  such  enlargements,  the  grain 
remains  so  inconspicuous  that  when, 
as  recently,  I exhibited  a 20x30  inch 
enlargement  from  an  aerial  minicam 
negative  to  a photographic  friend,  and 
boasted  pridefully  of  the  fine-grain 
quality,  I got  the  reply,  ‘‘What  grain?” 

Blimps  and  Planes. 

So  much  depends  on  individual 
developing  methods  that  most  state- 
ments as  to  film  speeds  must  neces- 
sarily be  generalities.  The  official 
factors  quoted  for  Supreme’s  speed 
by  both  Weston  and  Agfa — Weston  64 
— seems  to  me  to  be  a most  conser- 
vative average.  In  my  own  use  of  the 
film  I always  take  my  meter  readings 
using  a speed  factor  of  100,  incident- 
ally using  the  same  figure  for  both 
natural  and  artificial  light,  and  I still 
have  to  watch  myself  to  keep  from 
overexposing  and  overdeveloping  my 
negatives. 

Working  under  unfavorable  con- 
ditions I have  found  Supreme  to  have 
not  only  unusual  speed,  but  unusual 
latitude  in  development.  It  is  really 
uncanny  to  see  the  way  the  film  gives 
quality  results  even  when  for  any 
reason  you  have  to  force  the  develop- 
ment to  the  extreme. 


Long  Beach  Photographed  by 

Marine  Stadium  Franklin  S.  Allen 


Making  aerial  pictures,  either  for 
pleasure  or  for  business,  a blimp  like 
the  Goodyear  blimp  1 used  is  without 
doubt  the  ideal  type  of  aircraft.  Only 
in  a blimp  can  you  have  the  motors 
throttled  down,  or  switched  off  entire- 
ly, allowing  the  ship  to  hang  motion- 
less in  the  air  over  your  subject,  while 
you  open  a window,  lean  out  and  snap 
your  picture  at  leisure. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  you  are  going 
somewhere  on  one  of  the  commercial 
airlines,  don't  let  the  fact  that  you  will 
be  flying  in  a 200-mile-an-hour  cabin 
ship  give  you  the  idea  you  can't  get 
good  aerial  pictures  with  your  mini- 
cam. You  can!  In  the  course  of  my 
work  I frequently  fly  up  and  down  the 
coast,  or  to  New  York,  and  on  these 
trips  I've  bagged  many  excellent 
pictures  with  my  Contax. 

In  general,  any  shutter-speed  over 
1 /250th  of  a second  will  he  fast 
enough  to  stop  the  vibration  from  the 
engines;  but  don't  make  the  mistake 
of  bracing  your  camera  or  your  elbows 
on  any  part  of  the  plane.  That  in- 
tensifies the  vibration,  transmitting  it 
more  strongly  to  the  camera.  Instead, 
brace  your  elbows  against  your  body, 
and  use  your  whole  body  as  a shock- 
absorber  for  the  camera. 

Always  make  a point  of  being  first 
at  the  gate,  and  select  the  rear  seat 


19 


on  the  opposite  side  from  the  sun, 
figuring  ahead  where  the  sun  will  be 
ajter  the  plane  takes  off. 

The  windows  in  modern  airliners, 
if  they  are  clean,  will  give  the 
camerist  no  trouble.  But  be  sure  they 
are  clean!  When  I take  an  airline 
trip.  I make  it  a point  before  we 
take  off  to  tip  the  porter  to  wash 
my  window  for  me.  If,  as  sometimees 


happens  on  even  the  best  airlines,  the 
engine  on  your  side  is  throwing  oil, 
another  quarter  spent  the  same  way 
at  each  stopping  point  will  do  your 
pictures  a world  of  good. 

For  the  rest,  follow  the  dictates  of 
your  exposure  meter,  directed  at  the 
ground,  use  a “G”  filter  and  Agfa 
Supreme — and  you'll  have  some  aerial 
shots  of  which  anyone  might  be  proud! 


Our  illustrations 


When  a newspaperman  turns  to 
photography  as  a hobby,  almost  any- 
thing can  happen.  The  article  on  Page 
21  tells  what  happened  when  one  news 
hawk  — Lyle  Abbott , of  the  Los 
Angeles  Evening  Herald-Express  — 
combined  the  hobbies  of  astronomy 
and  photography.  Our  frontispiece, 
“Pathway  to  the  Stars,”  shows  another 
facet  of  Abbott's  photographic  en- 
thusiasm. The  picture,  he  tells  us, 
was  made  on  Agfa  Superpan  Press, 
through  a K-3  filter,  exposed  1 /200th 
second  at  /: 32. 

The  camerawork  of  Franklin  S. 
Allen  (another  newspaperman) , whose 
aerial  pictures  of  Southern  California 
are  seen  on  pages  f6,  f7,  f8  and  19, 
is  too  familiar  to  our  readers  to  re- 
quire any  introduction.  Besides,  Allen, 
in  his  article,  tells  how  and  why  he 
made  those  pictures  much  better  than 
we  could. 

\ es,  the  Bob  Levy  who  made  the 
delightful  picture  of  the  boy  blowing 
soap-bubbles,  which  we  reproduce  on 
page  f 3,  is  the  second  generation  of 
the  cafe  Levys  now  serving  the  third 
generation  of  Levy , Senior's  customers. 
After  seeing  what  Bob  can  do  with 
a Leica  and  Agfa  Supreme,  we’d  say 


he  is  almost  as  good  at  picture-making 
as  his  chef  is  at  making  Bouillabaisse 
—and  that,  gentlemen,  is  praise! 

When  you've  said  Elmer  Dyer, 
you've  said  aerial  cinematography.  The 
pictures  which  illustrate  his  article, 
which  begins  on  page  5,  may  help  the 
three  or  four  of  our  readers  who  don't 
knowr  Elmer  to  understand  what  we 
mean  by  that. 

The  picture  of  the  Griffith  Obser- 
vatory on  page  21  is  no  glass  shot, 
so  Len  Galezio,  A.S.C.,  assures  us.  It 
is  a bona  fide  moonlight  scene  photo- 
graphed on  Agfa  Ultra  Speed  Pan. 

Morgan  Salon. 

Three  years  ago,  Gilbert  and  Nina 
Morgan,  of  the  Morgan  Camera  Shop. 
held  the  first  Morgan  Camera  Shop 
Salon.  Today  the  third  edition 
of  this  salon,  grown  to  international 
proportions,  is  on  display  throughout 
the  month  of  June.  Its  worth  seeing. 

While  Southern  California  camerists 
predominate,  there  are  entries  from 
every  part  of  the  U.  S.,  from  British 
Columbia,  and  even  from  Alaska.  We 
are  rather  proud  to  note  that  50  of 
the  77  exhibitors  used  Agfa  films  for 
one  or  more  of  their  entries. 


2(1 


Griffith  Observatory 


Photographed  by  Len  Galezio.  A.S.C. 


Mnfra-Keii  Pictures  Los  Anyeles 
Through  Observatory  Teteseope 

By  William  Stull.  A.S.C. 


T)ERCHED  high  on  the  hills  above 
Hollywood  stands  an  impressive, 
triple-domed  building—  the  Griffith  Ob- 
servatory. Most  inhabitants  of  the 
film  city,  whether  they  have  ever 
visited  the  observatory  or  not.  point 
to  it  with  pride  as  they  tell  visitors 
that  its  huge  central  dome  contains 
one  of  the  three  or  four  planetariums 
in  America. 

But  few  of  them  realize  that  the  two 
smaller  domes  which  flank  the  massive 
central  one  which  houses  the  plane- 
tarium's dome-shaped  screen  are  there 
for  practical  service  as  well  as  for 
architectual  balance.  One  of  them 
houses  a coelostat;  the  other,  a 


massive  twelve-inch  Zeiss  telescope. 
Both  are  dedicated  to  the  task  of 
bringing  to  Hollywood’s  citizens 
glimpses  of  the  actual  heavens,  to 
supplement  the  manufactured  heavens 
of  the  planetarium. 

However,  if  this  state  of  ignorance 
exists,  it  is  not  the  fault  of  Lyle 
Abbott.  Officially,  Abbott  is  Assistant 
News  Editor  of  the  Los  Angeles  Eve- 
ning Herald-Express.  Unofficially,  he 
is  an  amateur  astronomer  of  no  mean 
attainments,  and  for  a long  time  was 
intimately  connected  with  the  obser- 
vatory and  its  work.  Combining  these 
two  varied  interests,  he  has  kept 
readers  of  the  Herald-Express  supplied 


Los  Angeles  Civic  Center  as  seen  through 


Griffith  Observatory  ; 1 


with  what  is  perhaps  the  most  author- 
itative coverage  of  astronomical  hap- 
penings ever  seen  in  a daily  news- 
paper. 

Photography  plays  an  important 
part  in  this.  If  an  eclipse  of  sun  or 
moon  is  visible  in  Southern  California, 
or  if  a wandering  comet  pays  us  a 
call,  photographs  of  the  event  are 
featured  in  the  next  edition  of  the 
Herald-Express.  Even  when  no  such 
heavenly  sideshows  are  in  progress, 
Abbott  kept  this,  the  city’s  biggest 
news  camera,  in  the  public  eye  by 
training  it  on  terrestrial  objects — 
giving  the  commonplace  a new7  angle 
by  photographing  it  through  the  tele- 
scope. 

Accidental  Beginning. 

This  idea,  Abbott  says,  began  more 
or  less  accidentally  some  four  or  five 
years  ago,  shortly  after  the  telescope 
had  been  installed.  One  chilly  Sunday 
morning,  realizing  there  was  to  he 
visible  a partial  eclipse  of  the  sun 
shortly  after  sunrise,  he  and  the  writer 
essayed  to  give  the  new7  telescope  its 
baptism  by  photographing  the  eclipse 
through  it.  Armed  with  a Contax  and 
a 4x5  newspaper  Graphic,  we  climbed 
the  hill  before  dawn,  and  set  about 


improvising  some  way  to  get  the 
pictures. 

The  task  was  rendered  more  difficult 
by  the  fact  that  unlike  the  telescopees 
used  in  observatories  less  directly  con- 
cerned with  the  general  public,  the 
Griffith  instrument  was  designed  oidv 
for  visual  observation,  and  provided 
no  means  of  fitting  cameras  or  plate- 
holders  to  the  telescope.  Ultimately 
it  was  found  that  by  removing  the 
eyepiece  and  clamping  in  its  place  a 
sheet  of  white  cardboard  upon  which 
the  image  focused,  we  could  obtain 
an  image  of  the  sun’s  disc  which 
could  be  re-photographed  with  the 
press  camera. 

Then — just  as  the  eclipse  com- 
menced— a hank  of  heavy  clouds 
drifted  up  and  obscured  the  sun! 

This  failure,  however,  only  whetted 
Abbott’s  ambition  to  use  the  telescope 
for  photographic  purposes.  In  ad- 
dition, with  the  telescope  trained  low 
on  the  horizon,  to  focus  the  rising 
sun.  unexpectedly  interesting  views 
of  such  familiar  landmarks  as  the  Los 
Angeles  City  Hall  and  Forest  Lawn’s 
"Tower  of  Legends”  were  revealed. 

Abbott  applied  himself  to  the  design 
and  construction  of  a photographic 


22 


Telescope.  10  miles  distant  Photographed  by  Lyle  Abbott 


attachment  for  the  big  tube.  Aided  by 
Life  Magazine's  Paul  Dorsey,  a special 
fitting  was  built  to  replace  the  tele- 
scope's usual  ocular  or  eyepiece.  At 
one  end  a massive  ring  clamped  to 
the  telescope  tube.  At  the  other  was  a 
fitting  to  bold  a standard  4x5  Graphic 
plateholder  with  its  dark  slide. 

Tested  out  with  conventional  Agfa 
Superpan.  the  device  worked  to  per- 
fection. But  there  still  remained  the 
problem  of  piercing  the  veil  of  aerial 
haze  which,  especially  over  a big  city, 
hides  the  distance.  No  practical  com- 
bination of  conventional  film  and 
filtering  woidd  do  it. 

At  this  point  Abbott  secured  a 
supply  of  an  experimental  cut-film 
coating  of  Agfa  Infra-Red  negative. 
This  brought  success  at  last,  and  one 
day  this  winter,  readers  of  the  Herald- 
Express  were  treated  to  a panorama 
of  Los  Angeles’  Civic  Center  area, 
photographed  on  Agfa  Infra-Red 
negative  through  the  city’s  most  power- 
ful telephoto  lens. 

“The  sensitivity  of  Agfa  Infra-Red,” 
says  Abbott,  “is  ideal  for  this  pur- 
pose. The  haze  which  gives  us  so 
much  trouble  when  we  try  to  make 
these  shots  with  conventional  films  is 


composed  very  largely  of  ultra-violet 
and  violet  light,  which  is  easily  filtered 
out  by  use  of  a 29-F  filter.  In  ad- 
dition. the  infra-red  rays  to  which  the 
film  is  most  sensitive  penetrate  from  a 
distance  much  more  strongly  than  any 
\isible  light  can. 

“Another  asset  is  the  relatively  high 
speed  of  Agfa's  Infra-Red  emulsion, 
especially  w hen  compared  to  the 
older  infra-red  sensitive  plates  and 
films  which,  slow  in  themselves,  re- 
quired the  added  use  of  a filter  which 
was  virtually  opaque  visually,  and 
naturally  increased  the  exposure  enor- 
mously. In  telescopic  work,  especially 
in  anything  such  as  this,  where  the 
telescope  must  be  trained  low  and 
used  through  miles  of  atmosphere, 


Lyle  Abbott 


23 


lengthy  exposures  are  a liability,  be- 
cause of  the  distortion  so  often  caused 
by  reflected  beat-waves. 

‘‘I  think  we  were  using  the  most 
powerful  telephoto  lens  ever  used  in 
Los  Angeles.  The  Griffith  Observatory 
telescope  is  of  the  refracting  (lens) 
type,  with  a focal  length  of  16  feet 
8 inches.  The  lens  works  at  a fixed 
maximum  aperture  of  12  inches,  giving 
us  an  effective  working  speed  of  /:16. 
With  this  relatively  small  aperture, 
am  film  which  will  cut  exposures  to 
the  minimum  is  a big  help. 

‘'By  way  of  comparisons,  I might 
mention  that  the  huge  200-inch  mirror 
telescope  now  being  built  at  Cal-Tech 
for  use  in  the  Palomar  Observatory 
will  work  at  a speed  of  /: 3.3  while 
the  Schmidt  scouting  telescope  already 
in  use  there  works  at  /: 2. 

“Our  first  tests  were  made  on  Agfa 
Superpan,  using  a K-3  filter,  which 
happened  to  he  the  only  one  available 
at  the  time  large  enough  for  our  pur- 
pose. With  this  combination,  photo- 
graphing the  Los  Angeles  City  Hall, 
over  8 miles  from  the  telescope,  our 
exposure  was  1 /10  second  at  the  tele- 
scope’s one  aperture,  /:  16.  Using  Agfa 
Infra-Red  negative  and  a 29-F  filter, 
our  exposure  was  2 seconds,  of  course 
at  the  same  aperture.  I have  since 
gained  access  to  a private  telescope 
of  equal  power,  hut  of  the  reflecting 
or  mirror  type.  This  works  at  an  effect- 
ive aperture  of  /: 8,  which  should  cut 
our  exposures  down  to  % second.  With 
it  I am  planning  to  make  further  tele- 
photo panoramas  of  the  city,  includ- 
ing. if  the  weather  favors  me,  a pano- 
rama of  the  Fleet  at  anchor  in  San 
Pedro,  more  than  20  miles  away. 

“What  is  my  purpose  in  all  this? 
Well,  it  is  not  solely  that  of  exercis- 


ing my  astronomical  hobby,  nor  even 
of  getting  strikingly  unusual  pictures 
for  the  Herald-Express.  What  1 am 
hoping  to  do  is  to  begin  to  arouse  a 
telephotographic  consciousness  in  the 
minds  of  Southern  California’s 
hundreds  of  amateur  astronomers. 
There  is  a really  incredible  number  of 
these  private  backyard  observatories 
in  this  territory.  Some  of  them  house 
commercial  telescopes;  far  more  house 
instruments  home-made  — even  to 
lenses  and  mirrors — hy  these  enthus- 
iastic amateur  astronomers. 

“But  very  few  of  these  amateurs 
have  discovered  the  possibility  of 
harnessing  photography  to  their 
hobby.  And  once  the  thrill  of  looking 
at  the  heavens  through  a telescope  you 
have  made  yourself  has  worn  off,  you 
are  in  a mood  to  welcome  something 
new. 

“As  it  is,  while  much  good,  con- 
structive visual  observation  is  being 
done  hy  these  amateurs,  it  is  by  no 
means  as  systematic  and  scientifically 
profitable  as  it  could  he.  Quite  a few 
worthwhile  astronomicial  discoveries 
have  been  made  hy  amateur  astrono- 
mers; but  there  is  always  a chance 
for  error  in  something  new  observed 
only  visually. 

“If  these  amateurs  would  fit  photo- 
graphic attachments  to  their  telescopes, 
they  would  not  merely  have  proof  of 
their  observations.  They  would  learn 
that  the  camera  can  reveal  stars  too 
faint  to  he  observed  visually.  And 
when  they  made  new'  discoveries,  they 
would  have  the  evidence  in  tangible 
form  which  could  he  analyzed  hy  pro- 
fessional astronomers,  and  would  in 
all  probability  add  more  importantly 
to  the  sum  total  of  our  astronomical 
knowledge.” 


24 


Photographed  by  Earl  Theisen 


.1  Go od  Start 


In  cinematography,  getting  off  to  a 
good  start  makes  the  job  easier  and 
success  more  certain. 

The  surest  way  to  get  off  to  a good 
start  on  any  cinematographic  assign- 
ment —routine  or  extraordinary — is  to 
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Agfa  Supreme  is  the  pace-setter 
among  modern,  high-speed  production 


films — the  first  of  its  type,  and  still 
the  standard  by  which  modern  film 
performance  is  judged.  If  for  your 
next  cinematographic  start  you  want 
a film  which  ideally  combines  high 
speed,  fine  grain,  fully  panchromatic 
quality  and  gradation.  Agfa  Supreme 
will  give  you  the  good  start  you  want, 
Made  by  Agfa-Ansco  Corporation 
in  Binghamton,  New  York. 


Distributed  by 


AGFA  HAW  FILM  FOIt  1*0  It  A TION 


H 0 L L Y W 0 0 D 
6424  Santa  Monica  Blyd. 


N E W Y 0 R K 
245  West  55th  Street 


VOLUME  III  N O.  4 


JULY  - AUGUST  1939 


MOTION  PICTURE  TOPICS 

WILLIAM  S T U L L - A.  S.  C.  EDITOR 


Contents 


Timely  Topics 2 

Modern  Films  And  SpECiALrEFFECTS  Cinematography  ...  7 

By  Fred  W.  Jackman,  A.S.C. 

It’s  A Photo-Chart  Finish!  By  William  Stull,  A.S.C.  ...  14 

Using  Modern  Films  To  Simplify  Modern  Problems  ...  22 

By  Marcel  Picard.  A.S.C. 

Shooting  Stills  For  An  Airline  By  Leon  Miller  ....  27 

Our  Illustrations 31 

Of  Interest  To  All 32 

Lake  Tahoe  . . . Photographed  by  Truman  D.  Vencill  . Frontispiece 


Ferry  Slip 


Photographed  by  Franklin  S.  Allen 


Published  Bi-Monthly  by  AGFA  RAW  FILM  CORPORATION 

6424  SANTA  MONICA  BLVD.,  HOLLYWOOD  - 245  WEST  55th  ST.,  NEW  YORK 

Neither  Agfa  Motion  Picture  Topics  nor  the  Agfa  Raw  Film  Corporation  is  responsible  for 
statements  made  by  authors  nor  for  unsolicited  manuscripts. 


T im ely  T opics 


'"p  his  year  marks  the  fiftieth  birthday 
of  the  motion  picture  industry — 
the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  presen- 
tation of  the  first  moving  picture.  As 
the  industry  prepares  to  celebrate  its 
golden  jubilee,  those  of  us  who  are 
engaged  in  the  phototechnical  phases 
of  that  industry  may  well  pause  to 
consider  for  a moment  how  greatly 
the  industry  and  all  of  us  who  work 
therein  are  indebted  to  film. 

Today,  film  is  a commonplace.  It 
is  the  stuff  we  make  our  pictures  on, 
and  upon  which  we  ship  our  shows  to 
the  world’s  theatres.  We  use  it;  we 
know  the  characteristics  of  each  type 
and  have  our  individual  favorites:  but 
beyond  that,  we  take  film  for  granted 
as  a natural  and  inevitable  part  of 
making  moving  pictures. 

It  was  not  always  thus.  Fifty-odd 
years  ago,  when  Thomas  Edison,  his 
assistant  W.  K.  L.  Dickson,  and  others 
were  trying  to  turn  man’s  age-old 
dream  of  living  pictures  into  fact,  film 
of  any  type,  size,  shape  or  quality 
was  as  earnestly  sought  after — and 
apparently  as  impossibly  distant — as 
is  atomic  power  today.  Edison — and 
others  before  him — knew  what  film 
should  do;  what  it  should  be  like; 
how  it  should  be  used  in  making  mov- 
ing pictures.  But  they  did  not  have  it, 
and  they  did  not  know  how  to  make 
or  get  it.  They  knew  only  that  without 
it,  motion  pictures  were  an  impossi- 
bility. 

Nearly  four  thousand  years  ago  the 
ancient  Egyptians  knew  that  a series 
of  pictures  of  a moving  object,  each 
representing  a slightly  later  phase  of 


movement  would,  if  viewed  rapidly 
and  successively,  blend  together  to 
give  an  illusion  of  motion. 

Once  photography  had  been  invent- 
ed and  refined  to  the  point  where  in- 
stantaneous exposures  were  possible, 
there  remained  only  the  mechanical 
problem  of  finding  a way  to  bring  into 
place,  expose,  remove  a dozen  or  more 
light-sensitive  surfaces  per  second  in 
taking,  and  comparable  operations 
with  developed  pictures  in  viewing,  to 
make  moving  pictures  possible. 

The  sole  stumbling-block  was  the 
lack  of  suitable  mechanical  support 
for  the  pictures.  Glass  plates,  which 
were  universally  used  for  photography 
at  that  time,  would  not  do,  for  glass 
plates  are  bulky,  heavy  and  breakable. 
Paper  would  not  do,  as  it  is  not  trans- 
parent. 

Thus  in  1887  all  practical  research 
toward  motion  pictures  stood  stale- 
mated. waiting  for  somebody  to  in- 
vent an  emulsion  support  which  was 
light,  flexible,  durable  and  transparent. 

That  same  year,  the  Rev.  Hannibal 
Goodwin  announced  and  patented  his 
invention  of  celluloid-based  photogra- 
phic film,  and  the  firm  which  is  now' 
the  Agfa-Ansco  Corporation  placed  it 
on  the  market.  Here  at  last  was  a neg- 
ative material  which  was  light,  flex- 
ible, durable  and  transparent.  Motion 
pictures  were  at  last  thoroughly 
practical ! 

To  turn  them  into  a practical  fact 
was  but  the  relatively  simple  matter 
of  designing  the  necessary  mechanical 
equipment  to  perform  the  operations 
of  moving  and  exposing  the  film.  We 
do  not  mean  by  this  statement  to  de- 


2 


tract  from  the  achievements  and  abil- 
ity of  such  brilliant  pioneers  as  Edi- 
son. Lumiere,  Dickson,  Friese-Greene 
and  the  rest,  but  only  to  point  out  the 
fact  that  until  they  had  film — the  basic 
material  for  making  their  pictures — 
they  could  not  progress;  as  soon  as 
film  was  available,  they  could  (and 
did)  bring  their  ideas  quickly,  and 
relatively  easily,  to  brilliant  fruition. 

Today — half  a century  later — we 
take  film  for  granted.  When  techni- 
cians discuss  film  products,  they  con- 
cern themselves  only  with  the  emul- 
sion coated  on  the  celluloid.  When 
most  of  the  others  in  the  industry 
think  of  film,  they  think  only  of  the 
pictures  captured  on  the  emulsion. 
None  of  us  gives  a thought  to  the  un- 
obtrusive strip  of  celluloid  which 
carries  both  emulsion  and  picture. 

Yet  in  simple  fact,  our  entire  in- 
dustry is  founded  on  a strip  of  cellu- 
loid: a little  thing,  virtually  unnoticed 
today,  yet  as  vital  in  1939  as  it  was 
in  1889.  for  in  more  than  half  a cen- 
tury of  scientific  research,  the  world 
has  failed  to  find  a satisfactory  sub- 
stitute for — film. 

"Vyr  E hear  a great  deal  today  about 
” the  vast,  and  largely  untapped 
potentialities  of  the  Latin-American 
market,  particularly  South  America, 
and  of  the  importance  of  getting  a 
better  understanding  of  the  entertain- 
ment tastes  of  our  southern  neighbors 
so  that  we  can  make  pictures  that  will 
please  them. 

During  this  last  month,  Hollywood 
has  had  a unique  opportunity  to  gain 
truly  first-hand  information  on  this 
point.  Donald  Gledhill,  the  energetic 
Secretary  of  the  Southern  California 
Film  Society,  took  the  trouble  of 


bringing  to  Hollywood  tangible  proof 
of  what  filmgoers  in  one  of  South 
America’s  greatest  nations — the  Argen- 
tine Republic — like.  On  July  twenty- 
first,  twenty-second  and  twenty-third 
he  gave  Hollywood  the  privilege  of 
viewing  two  of  the  latest  and  most 
successful  Argentine-made  features, 
“ Alas  de  mi  Patria”  and  “ Puerto  Cer- 
rada ,”  both  produced  by  Argentina 
Sono-Film,  of  Buenos  Aires. 

To  many  of  us  here  whose  knowl- 
edge of  Spanish  America  is  bounded 
by  the  southern  borders  of  Tiajuana 
and  Agua  Caliente,  or  perhaps  Ensen- 
ada, these  films  should  be  eye-openers. 
They  reveal  a cultured  people,  far  re- 
moved indeed  from  the  serape-wrap- 
ped  peon  of  fiction,  and  a sober,  pur- 
poseful outlook  even  farther  removed 
from  the  fandangoes  and  rhumbas  of 
our  so-called  “latinized"  music-films. 
Above  all,  they  showed  human  beings 
who  live,  love  and  meet  problems  quite 
as  any  North  American  or  European 
might. 

From  the  more  technical  viewpoint, 
either  of  these  films  would  be  a credit 
to  any  nation  with  a film  industry  less 
completely  established  than  Holly- 
wood’s. To  a certain  extent  they  in- 
evitably show  that  their  producer  did 
not  have  Hollywood's  lavish  technical 
and  other  resources  to  draw  upon,  but 
in  the  whole,  they  compare  most  favor- 
ably with  the  standards  set  in  most  of 
Hollywood’s  independent  productions 
and  in  some  respects  even  with  many 
major-studio  program  films.  In  each 
of  the  productions,  the  acting  talent 
shown  in  the  stellar  roles  would  be 
an  asset  to  any  of  our  major  produc- 
tions. 

Photographically,  both  productions 
are  praiseworthy.  The  many  excellent 


3 


process-shots  seen  in  “ Alas  de  mi  P at- 
ria" are  a pleasant  surprise  to  those 
of  us  who  had  thought  this  technique 
restricted  to  the  studios  of  Hollywood 
and  Europe.  In  " Puerto  Cerrada ” the 
photography  of  John  Alton.  A.S.C. — 
a Hollywood  cinematographer — justi- 
fied the  Argentine  reviews  which  had 
given  the  cinematographer  equal  rec- 
ognition with  the  star.  In  this  connec- 
tion. we  hope  one  day  to  see  the  work 
of  another  Hollywood  cinematogra- 
pher, Tony  Kornman,  who  recently 
travelled  south  to  aid  Argentina’s  film 
industry.  The  work  of  both  of  these 
Americans  should  give  a forceful  an- 
swer to  the  people  in  Hollywood  who 
think  that  photographic  ability  is  mir- 
aculously restricted  exclusively  to  the 
relatively  few  names  found  on  major- 
studio  contract  rosters! 

We  don’t  know  how  many  of  the 
people  who  have  been  preaching  the 
gospel  of  Hollywood  films  for  South 
American  audiences  were  alert  enough 
to  see  these  two  pictures — much  less 
how  many  of  the  people  who  should 
have  seen  them  did  so.  But  if  only  one 
of  these  executives  did  so  he  will 
agree  with  us  that  Don  Gledhill  de- 
serves an  Academy  “Oscar”  for  bring- 
ing these  films  to  Hollywood  to  show 
Hollyw'ood’s  executives  and  creators 
what  Spanish  America  wants  in  its 
movies! 

Wf  e’ve  no  patience  with  the  spine- 

v less  “critic”  in  whose  reviews 
everything  is  perpetually  good.  But  at 
the  other  extreme,  we  grow  equally 
annoyed  with  reviewers  who  essay  to 
pass  expert  judgment  on  something 
they  know  little  or  nothing  about. 

Photography  is  an  excellent  exam- 


ple of  this  point.  It  is  a highly  tech- 
nical art.  and  subject  to  many  condi- 
tions which,  like  had  sets,  costumes 
or  make-up,  limited  schedules,  indif- 
ferent laboratory  work  and  the  like, 
which  are  not  always  under  the  con- 
trol of  the  Director  of  Photography. 
In  addition,  we  have  all  of  us  seen 
instances  in  which  a working-print 
was  previewed,  and  gave  an  impres- 
sion of  poor  photography  which  would 
subsequently  be  disproved  by  viewing 
a properly  balanced  release-print. 

The  technician,  viewing  a preview 
under  such  circumstances,  can  gener- 
ally put  the  finger  on  these  factors, 
and  adjust  his  estimate  of  the  cinema- 
tographer's work  accordingly.  The  lay- 
man as  a rule  cannot. 

In  the  very  nature  of  things,  few 
if  any  of  our  daily  and  trade-paper 
critics  can  he  technicians.  A few  of 
them  have  the  benefit  of  sufficient  per- 
sonal experience  within  the  industry, 
or  of  serious  practice  of  amateur  still 
or  movie  photography,  to  give  them 
at  least  a sympathetically  semi-tech- 
nical  viewpoint  on  things  photogra- 
phic. But  the  majority,  in  so  far  as 
photography  is  concerned,  are  laymen 
pure  and  simple. 

Since  this  is  the  case,  it  doesn't 
strike  us  as  being  quite  fair  for  the 
lay  critic  to  irrevocably  damn  the 
photography  of  a picture.  This  is  par- 
ticularly true  because  the  cinematogra- 
phers most  likely  to  encounter  handi- 
caps beyond  their  control  are  the  two 
groups  most  urgently  in  need  of  criti- 
cal tolerance.  On  the  one  hand,  there 
is  the  very  young  man,  just  struggling 
up  from  the  ranks,  trying,  perhaps  for 
the  first  time,  to  make  good  as  a Di- 
rector of  Photography.  On  the  other. 


4 


u/  r 


there  is  the  older  man  demoted,  wheth- 
er for  good  cause  or  mere  prejudice 
against  his  gray  hairs,  from  “A”  pic- 
tures to  programmers.  In  either  case, 
the  cinematographer  is  inevitably 
working  against  the  myriad  handicaps 
of  short  time  and  money,  indifferent 
sets,  inadequate  facilities  and.  too 
often,  careless  laboratory  work.  A 
printed  condemnation  works  overtime 
against  such  a man. 

The  technically  trained  reviewer  can 
recognize  these  things,  and  take  them 
into  account  in  forming  his  opinion 
of  the  cameraman’s  work.  If,  after 
all  the  variables  are  summed  up,  he 
feels  that  the  photography  has  some 
redeeming  features,  he  can  at  least 
dismiss  it  softly  as  “adequate.”  If 
not.  he  can  still  realize  that  many 
conditions  unknown  to  him.  and  some^ 
times  best  left  unmentioned — as  for 
example  a resolutely  uncooperative 
director — may  be  unseen  factors;  and 
he  can  remain  charitably  silent  on  the 
photographic  score. 

The  untrained  critic  can  do  well  to 
follow  this  latter  course.  Like  any  lay- 
man. he  can  tell  that  he  likes  a piece 
of  photography  without  necessarily 
knowing  why;  and  that  same  lack  of 
specific  knowledge  should  impel  him 
to  speak  softly  when  he  does  not  like 
photography,  for  he  cannot,  as  a rule, 
say  why  he  does  not  like  it.  much  less 

-«■  x -.oo  tViat-  wav  Under 

modern  releases,  nor  could  they  be 
photographed  so  efficiently.  But  they 
could  still  be  made  adequately  on 
yesterday’s  ortho  film. 

On  the  other  hand,  special-process 
cinematography  as  we  know  it — most 
notably  the  projected  background  pro- 
cess— literally  owes  its  existence  to 
the  competition-bred  urge  to  increase 
film  speeds.  It  was  not  possible  on 


to  condemnation — who  doesn't?  They 
are  big  enough  to  admit  their  short- 
comings. and  to  accept  merited  re- 
proof from  anyone  who  can  criticise 
understandingly.  But  they  do  feel  just- 
ly entitled  to  receive  the  benefit  of  the 
doubt  from  critics  who  do  not  have 
the  peculiar  technical  training  that 
would  enable  them  to  analyze  what  is 
seen  on  the  screen.  All  they  ask  is 
that  the  reviewer  be  big  enough  him- 
self to  refrain  from  condeming  that 
which  he  does  not  understand. 

■Jr  * -X- 

Qo  capable  are  our  modern  special- 
^ process  cinematographers  that  we 
seldom  have  an  opportunity  to  see 
what  would  happen  if  we  were  sud- 

depiK  robbed  of  their  services, 
increaseu  ns  

in  direct  proportion  to  successive  in- 
creases in  film  sensitivity.  It  has  at- 
tained its  present  broad  scope  largely 
as  a result  of  the  introduction  of  to- 
day’s ultra-fast  negative  materials. 

During  the  period  when  cinema- 
tography and  what  we  then  called 
“trick  camerawork”  were  growing  up, 
many  of  us  toyed  with  the  idea  of  re- 
photographing projected  backgrounds, 
always  being  brought  up  sharply  by 
two  facts — as  hard  as  any  brick  wall. 
First,  there  was  no  method  other 
than  the  use  of  cumbersome  mechan- 
ical linkages — belting  and  long  shafts 
— by  which  we  could  synchronize  the 
camera  and  projector.  Second,  and 
most  important,  the  negative  materials 
then  available  were  far  too  slow  to 
permit  rephotographing  any  sort  of  a 
projected  image.  So  while  many  of 
us  thought  wishfully  of  the  idea,  none 
of  us  could  put  it  into  practice. 

So  far  as  I have  been  able  to  learn, 
it  was  my  privilege  to  be  the  first  to 
make  practical  use  of  the  basic  prin- 


7 


ciples  of  what  we  now  know  as  the 
projected  background  or  transparency 
process.  That  first  experiment,  so 
many  years  ago.  now  seems  as  crude 
as  Benjamin  Franklin’s  kite:  but  it 
may  serve  to  show  how  much  process 
camerawork  is  dependent  upon  Him 
speeds. 

“ Process  Shots ” in  1925 

When  we  were  making  “The  Lost 
World”  for  First  National,  hack  in 
1925,  we  decided  that  one  of  our  min- 
iature shots  of  the  dinosaurs  would 
be  more  convincing  if  we  could  show 
a background  of  moving  clouds. 

We  were  working  in  stop-motion ; 
animating  painted  clouds  woidd  be  an 
almost  impossible  task,  doubly  so 
when  added  to  the  difficulties  of  ani- 
mating our  miniature  monsters,  and 
combining  the  miniatures  with  full- 
scale  shots  of  the  living  principals. 

So  we  tried  projected  clouds. 

Our  set  represented  a tropical  can- 
yon. For  the  sky  in  the  extreme  back- 
ground I obtained  a sheet  of  the  larg- 
est size  of  positive  cut-film  then  avail- 
able. Behind  this  I placed  a Kleigl 
theatrical  spotlight,  fitted  with  one  of 
the  then-popular  effect-devices  which 
by  means  of  a revolving  slide  cast  a 
pattern  of  moving  clouds. 

Working  at  normal  camera-speeds, 
this  would  have  been  enough.  But  in 
stop-motion,  it  became  necessary  to 
devise  some  method  of  synchronizing 
the  camera  and  the  moving  cloud-effect 
slide,  so  that  the  clouds  would  animate 
smoothly. 

Of  course,  in  those  days  normal 
speed  meant  16  frames  per  second.  So 
we  checked  the  action  of  the  effect 
spotlight  until  we  found  just  how 
much  the  slide  and  its  projected  image 


should  move  in  1/1 6th  of  a second 
to  give  a normal  effect. 

We  were  already  driving  our  stop- 
motion  camera  by  motor  with  an  elec- 
tric clutch-control  mechanism  which 
exposed  one  frame  each  time  the  re- 
lease button  was  pressed. 

It  was  not  particularly  difficult  to 
design  a similar  mechanism  to  operate 
the  rotating  cloud-effect  slide  on  the 
spotlight.  This  was  set  so  that  when 
the  controlling  button  was  pressed,  the 
slide  was  moved  just  enough  to  give 
the  correct  one-frame  animation. 

Interconnecting  these  controls  so 
that  only  one  button  need  be  pressed 
finished  the  job.  When  this  master 
control  button  was  pressed,  the  clutch 
on  the  camera  let  the  motor  expose 
one  frame  of  film.  Then-  and  not 
until  then — the  cloud-slide  was  ad- 
vanced the  proper  distance. 

Thus  we  had.  in  a crude  way,  the 
first  electrical  synchronization  of  the 
camera  and  background  projection.  It 
was  crude,  but  it  worked. 

Impossible  If  ith  Slow  Film 

The  point  that  must  be  understood 
is  this:  that  this  crude  “projection- 
shot"  was  possible  at  that  time  only 
because  we  were  able  to  work  in  stop- 
motion,  with  its  necessarily  more 
ample  exposure.  It  would  have  been 
impossible  in  normal-speed  camera- 
work. simply  because  with  the  film 
then  available  we  could  not  have  got- 
ten an  adequate  exposure,  even  in  this 
case  when  we  concentrated  the  beam 
of  a theatre  spotlight  on  a screen  less 
than  30x40  inches  in  size! 

Only  a few  years  later,  sound  came, 
and  brought  with  it  the  now'  familiar 
methods  of  electrically  synchronizing 
any  number  of  cameras  and  recorders. 


8 


Naturally,  the  same  interlock  that  kept 
a camera  and  a recorder,  or  a recorder 
and  a projector  in  step  could  also  be 
used  to  synchronize  a camera  and  a 
background  projector. 

But  still  the  projection  process  was 
impossible,  simply  because  the  film 
then  available  did  not  permit  us  to 
get  an  exposure  in  any  reasonably- 
sized  projected  image. 

Only  when  the  first  super-panchro- 
matic emulsions  were  introduced  did 
it  become  possible  to  make  composite 
shots  in  which  the  background  behind 
living  actors  consisted  of  a rephoto- 
graphed, projected  motion  picture. 
That  I and  the  staff  I then  had  at  the 
Warner  Brothers’-First  National  Stu- 
dios made  the  first  use  of  this  process, 
and  obtained  patents  on  the  basic  fea- 
tures of  the  process,  is  beside  the 
point.  If  we  had  not  done  so,  someone 
else  would  have,  for  many  cinemato- 
graphers were  thinking  of  the  idea, 
and  the  mechanical  means  and  the 
sensitive  materials  necessary  to  make 
it  possible  were  at  last  at  hand. 

Successive  Improvements 

Since  then,  the  physical  scope  and 
utility  of  the  process  have  steadily- 
increased.  It  is  true  that  great  strides 
have  been  made  in  methods  and  in 
the  efficiency  of  equipment,  especially 
lamphouses  and  arc  carbons.  But  any 
impartial  analysis  will  show  that  each 
really  notable  advance  has  followed 
close  on  the  heels  of  the  announce- 
ment by  one  film  manufacturer  or 
another  of  a faster  emulsion. 

Second  in  importance  only  to  the 
advent  of  those  earliest  superpan-type 
films  which  made  the  process  possible 
is  the  advent,  nearly  two  years  ago, 
of  the  first  of  today’s  modern,  super- 
fast films — Agfa  Supreme,  and  the 


similar  types  which  have  since  follow- 
ed it.  Let’s  consider  what  these  films 
mean  to  process  photography. 

The  production  utility  of  the  pro- 
cess is  measured  by  two  factors.  First, 
the  physical  scale  upon  which  it  can 
be  employed.  Second,  the  convincing 
effect  possible  in  the  blending  of  live 
and  projected  action  in  the  composite 
picture. 

It  is  obvious  that  if  technical  con- 
siderations limit  us  to  screens  five  or 
six  feet  wide,  we  will  be  restricted  to 
rather  close  angles  in  the  composite 
shot,  or  to  small-scale  backgrounds 
such  as  could  be  seen  through  a rather 
small  door  or  window.  If  the  script 
calls  for  long-shots  or  angles  which 
would  overshoot  our  small  background 
screen,  it  will  be  necessary  to  take 
the  company  actually  on  location,  and 
to  work  by  conventional  methods.  In 
such  an  instance,  it  would  be  almost 
better  to  have  no  process-shots,  rather 
than  to  have  them  restricted  to  only 
the  more  intimate  angles.  Little,  if 
any  time,  money  or  effort  would  be 
saved. 

Depth  of  Focus 

Secondly,  assuming  that  process 
screens  of  larger  dimensions  can  be 
illuminated  to  a technically  practical 
exposure-level,  we  will  still  find  our- 
selves badly  hampered  if  screen  illum- 
ination forces  us  to  make  our  scene 
at  the  maximum  aperture  of  the  com- 
posite camera's  lens,  for  the  focal 
depth  will  not  be  sufficient  to  give  us 
a normal  relationship  between  the 
foreground  actors  and  their  projected 
background  unless  the  two  are  un- 
naturally close  together. 

As  has  been  proven  abundantly  dur- 
ing the  past  two  years,  the  increased 
speed  of  such  modern  films  as  Agfa 


9 


Supreme  eliminates  both  of  these  lim- 
itations, and  gives  the  process  the 
scope  and  the  actuality  which  make 
it  a technical  and  an  economic  asset 
of  production. 

Two  years  ago,  a process  screen 
twenty  feet  wide  was  considered  a 
large  one,  and  the  use  of  a screen 
twenty-four  feet  in  width  was  regarded 
as  a daring  experiment. 

Larger  Screens 

Since  the  introduction  of  today's  fast 
films,  the  use  of  twenty-four-foot 
screens  has  become  a commonplace, 
and  in  certain  studios  projection-shots 
have  been  made  successfully  on 
screens  half  again  as  large.  In  one 
notable  instance  at  least,  a screen 
thirty-six  feet  wide  was  successfully 
used  with  the  projector  so  positioned 
that  the  projected  image  “bled  off'' 
for  six  or  seven  feet  on  all  sides  of 
the  screen:  in  effect,  the  entire  pro- 
jected image  was  more  than  forty-five 
feet  in  width.  The  composite  camera 
was  loaded  with  Agfa  Supreme  nega- 
tive film,  and  the  Directors  of  Photo- 
graphy responsible  for  this,  the  most 
spectacular  achievement  in  process 
photography  in  the  last  season’s  re- 
leases, have  gone  on  record  as  stating 
that  these  scenes  could  not  have  been 
made  without  this  modern,  ultra-sen- 
sitive film. 

In  more  routine  work,  where  ex- 
tremely great  screen-sizes  are  not  re- 
quired, the  speed  of  modern  emulsions 
is  also  valuable.  With  a highly  sensi- 
tive negative  film  in  the  foreground 
camera,  screen  brightness  is  no  longer 
the  limiting  factor  in  the  composite 
exposure.  It  becomes  possible  to  delib- 
erately throw  away  a portion  of  this 
background  illumination  in  the  inter- 
ests of  improved  quality. 


Since  the  introduction  of  the  pro- 
jection process,  it  has  been  obvious  to 
most  thoughtful  cinematographers  that 
we  were  of  necessity  making  sacrifices 
in  the  gradational  scale  of  our  pro- 
jected background  plates  by  using 
prints  which  were  too  light  to  give 
really  correct  gradation.  We  gained 
overall  light  transmission  at  the  sac- 
rifice of  gradational  value. 

Improving  Gradation 

With  a faster  film,  we  can  now  use 
daiker  background  prints,  which  will 
give  us  a more  normal  gradational 
scale.  This  will  obviously  enable  us 
to  match  more  closely  the  gradation 
of  the  actual  foreground  and  the  pro- 
jected background. 

In  addition,  it  is  sometimes  possible 
to  reduce  the  amperage  of  the  projec- 
tion arcs,  thus  subjecting  the  back- 
ground film  to  less  heat.  This  extends 
the  useful  life  of  these  keys. 

Since  the  introduction  of  today’s 
fast  films,  projection-process  cinema- 
tography has  so  eidarged  its  scope  as 
to  reach  proportions  which  greatly  ag- 
gravate the  problem  of  securing  depth 
of  field  in  the  composite  shot.  When 
it  becomes  necessary,  as  it  has  in  some 
recent  instances,  to  carry  adecpiate 
definition  from  a near  limit  of  less 
than  twenty  feet  from  the  camera  to 
a background  screen  seventy-five,  a 
hundred  or  more  feet  distant,  with 
lenses  of  normal  focal  length,  stop- 
ping down  is  the  only  course  which 
x\  i 1 1 give  the  desired  focal  depth.  With 
a fast  negative  film  in  the  composite 
camera  and  an  amply  powered  back- 
ground projector,  this  becomes  possi- 
ble. On  shots  where  with  the  older 
Superpan-type  film  an  aperture  of 
/: 2.3  might  be  needed,  it  now  becomes 
possible  with  modern  film  to  stop  the 


10 


camera's  lens  down  to  /: 3 or  /:4.5, 
which  virtually  doubles  the  region  of 
adequate  definition. 

Making  Background  Plates 

Today’s  film  types  offer  tremendous 
advantages  in  making  the  background 
plates,  as  well.  For  many  types  of 
night-effect  backgrounds,  the  possibili- 
ties offered  by  Infra-Red  negative  are 
already  familiar.  If  Infra-Red  has  be- 
come an  invaluable  tool  in  making 
production  night-effects,  it  is  an  even 
greater  asset  in  making  background 
night  scenes. 

But  many  background  plates  require 
city  night-effects,  with  street  lamps, 
shop-windows  and  electric  signs  aglow. 
Scenes  of  this  type  on  any  large  scale 
are  naturally  beyond  the  scope  of  any 
method  of  shooting  in  daylight  with 
overcorrecting  filters.  They  must  be 
made  actually  at  night. 

Since  the  introduction  of  Agfa  Su- 
preme and  Agfa  Ultra  Speed  Pan, 
such  shots  can  be  made  more  easily 
and  more  convincingly  than  has  ever 
before  been  possible.  Exposed  at  nor- 
mal lens  apertures  and  camera  speeds, 
these  films,  especially  the  latter,  will 
record  the  normal  lighting  of  such 
scenes;  the  windows,  street  lamps,  and 
signs  do  not  have  to  be  specially  lit 
to  obtain  a convincing  effect. 

Frequently  it  is  necessary  to  obtain 
normal,  day-effect  background  plates 
of  distant  locations,  in  places  where 
the  normal  lighting  conditions  are 
photographically  unfavorable,  and 
where  it  may  be  impractical,  or  even 
wholly  impossible  to  use  any  artificial 
lighting  equipment.  Today’s  high- 
speed negative  films  are  invaluable 
under  such  circumstances.  Where  the 
light  conditions  are  only  moderately 
unfavorable,  such  emulsions  as  Agfa 


Supreme  may  be  used,  to  obtain  the 
most  satisfactory  balance  between  high 
film  speed  and  fine  grain-structure. 
Where  the  light  conditions  are  at  their 
worst,  such  films  as  Agfa  Ultra  Speed 
Pan,  offering  the  maximum  of  out- 
right film  speed,  can  he  used  to  obtain 
the  desired  background  without  the 
expense  and  delay  of  using  artificial 
lighting.  Thus  the  film  chemists  have 
made  it  possible  for  special-effects 
cinematographers  to  obtain  back- 
ground scenes  under  circumstances 
and  in  places  where  two  years  ago  no 
cinematographer  could  hope  to  work 
successfully. 

Making  Miniatures 

Many  of  these  same  considerations 
apply  to  the  photographing  of  minia- 
tures. In  this  work,  exposure  has  al- 
most from  the  start  been  a limiting 
factor.  As  is  well  known,  one  of  the 
fundamental  tricks  in  making  a photo- 
graphed miniature  appear  convincing- 
ly large  on  the  screen  is  to  photograph 
it  in  slow  motion — that  is,  at  camera 
speeds  four,  six,  eight  or  more  times 
normal,  depending  upon  the  scale  to 
which  the  miniature  is  built,  the  lens 
and  angle  used,  and  so  on. 

This  ultra-speed  camerawork  inevi- 
tably shortens  the  time  of  each  ex- 
posure tremendously.  At  eight  times 
the  present  normal  speed  of  24  frames 
per  second,  or  720  feet  a minute,  with 
a shutter  opening  of  170  degrees,  each 
frame  receives  an  exposure  of  only 
1 /408th  of  a second! 

Working  under  full  natural  sun- 
light, this  introduces  a definite  ex- 
posure problem.  Working  under  arti- 
ficial light,  the  problem  is  greatly 
increased,  for  there  is  a limit  to  the 
amount  of  light  that  can  be  flooded 


11 


onto  a small  set,  even  with  today’s 
most  efficient  lighting  equipment. 

When  you  add  to  this  the  necessity 
of  obtaining  the  maximum  depth  of 
focus  in  miniature  shots,  obtainable 
only  by  stopping  down  the  lens  of 
the  camera,  the  value  of  today’s  high- 
speed films  for  miniatures  can  be  ap- 
preciated. 

At  first  sight  it  might  seem  that 
depth  of  field  might  be  relatively  more 
easy  to  obtain  in  a miniature  than  in 
a full-scale  scene,  since  the  set  will 
be  relatively  small,  and  the  focal 
depth  needed  far  less  than  in  a full- 
scale  shot.  But  in  practice,  this  is  by 
no  means  the  case:  for  in  the  minia- 
ture, the  lens  will  probably  be  focused 
on  a point  considerably  closer  to  the 
camera — and  as  the  focus  is  brought 
closer  to  the  camera,  depth  of  field 
decreases  with  alarming  rapidity.  A 
50mm.  lens,  focused  at  25  feet,  will 
at  an  aperture  of  /: 2.3  give  adequate 
definition  on  everything  from  1 8 to 
40  feet  from  the  lens — a focal  depth 
of  22  feet.  But  the  same  lens,  used  at 
the  same  aperture  and  focused  on  a 
point  6 feet  from  the  camera,  will 
have  a depth  of  scarcely  one  foot. 

This  is  a somewhat  extreme  exam- 
ple, but  it  will  serve  to  illustrate  some 
of  the  problems  involved  in  miniature 
cinematography.  In  addition,  it  may 
explain  one  reason  why  some  of  the 
miniatures  made  on  the  old-type,  slow- 
er films  were  unconvincing.  They 
might  be  scaled  right  and  photograph- 
ed at  the  proportionately  correct  cam- 
era speed:  but  they  exhibited  a shal- 
lowness of  focal  depth  utterly  alien 
to  full-scale  scenes  made  under  normal 
conditions.  And  though  only  the  train- 
ed eye  of  the  technician  might  be  able 
to  detect  the  reason,  even  the  untrain- 


ed eye  of  the  layman  coidd  spot  them 
as  camera  trickery  and  brand  them  as 
fakes. 

With  today’s  high-speed  films,  this 
situation,  if  not  wholly  eliminated, 
has  certainly  been  minimized.  The 
added  speed  now  makes  it  possible  to 
obtain  adequate  exposure  at  reduced 
apertures,  even  at  extremely  high 
camera  speeds.  The  reduced  aperture, 
in  turn,  yields  increased  depth  of  field 
which  makes  the  miniature-shot  inter- 
cut better  with  full-scale  scenes,  and 
gives  the  miniature  an  infinitely  more 
convincing  aspect. 

This  necessarily  brief  commentary 
on  the  relation  between  modern  emul- 
sions and  special-effects  cinematogra- 
phy can  inevitably  but  briefly  touch 
the  surface  of  the  subject.  A great 
deal  that  could  hear  discussion  has  of 
necessity  been  left  unsaid. 

Nevertheless,  I hope  that  these  re- 
marks will  be  sufficient  to  bear  out 
the  contention  that  modern  special- 
process  cinematography  owes  at  least 
as  much  as  production  cinematography 
does  to  the  advances  brought  by  to- 
day’s high-speed  film  products.  When 
the  history  of  special-effects  or  “trick" 
camerawork  is  finally  written  (and 
what  an  absorbing  tale  it  will  be!) 
two  dates  will  stand  out  strongly 
above  all  others.  The  first  will  be 
1931,  when  the  first  superpan-type 
emulsion  appeared  and  made  possible 
our  present  invaluable  projected-back- 
ground  process.  The  second,  of  almost 
equal  importance,  must  be  December. 
1937,  when  the  appearance  of  the  first 
of  today’s  super-speed  films  opened 
the  door  to  advances  which  have  so 
greatly  multiplied  the  value  of  special- 
process  camerawork  to  the  industry. 


12 


Pastoral 


Photographed  by  E.  E.  Doughty 


13 


A difference  of  opinion  may  be 
what  makes  horse  races  interest- 
ing: but  if  the  race  is  going  to  prove 
anything,  all  differences  of  opinion 
have  got  to  stop  short  of  the  finish 
line.  If  you’ve  ever  put  a couple  of 
dollars  on  a horse’s  nose  and  capped 
the  agony  of  a close  finish  with  hear- 
ing some  judge  rule  in  his  opinion 
another  nag’s  schnozzle  crossed  the 
line  first,  you'll  know  what  I mean. 
Not  only  you,  but  several  thousand 
others,  including  the  horse’s  owner, 
the  sportswriters  and  everyone  con- 
cerned except  perhaps  the  horse  him- 
self. want  tangible  proof  rather  than 
personal  opinions  about  that  finish. 

In  view  of  this,  and  the  really  im- 
portant money  that  changes  hands  in 
prizes  and  through  the  pari-mutual 
windows  after  each  modern  race,  it 
is  no  wonder  that  the  sportsmen  and 
executives  in  command  of  America  s 
most  progressive  racing  plants  have 
called  on  photography  to  take  the 
guesswork  out  of  race  judging. 

Both  still  cameras  and  cine  cameras 
have  been  used  for  picturing  finishes, 
hut  the  latest  and,  according  to  expert 
opinion,  the  most  accurate  of  race- 
finish  cameras  is  neither  a still  camera 
nor  a motion  picture  camera.  It  per- 


It9s a MBhoto- 

\ 

By  William 


forms  the  apparently  paradoxical  feat 
of  taking  still  pictures  of  moving 
objects  on  a continuously  moving  strip 
of  motion  picture  film  and.  less  than 
a minute  later,  delivering  to  the 
judges  an  enlarged  print  showing  the 
exact  order  in  which  each  horse 
crossed  the  finish  line. 

Officially  this  camera  is  called  the 
Photo-Chart  Camera.  It  is  the  brain- 
child of  engineer  Lorenzo  Del  Riccio, 
well  known  in  motion  picture  circles 
for  his  technical  research  activities  in 
connection  with  sound  and  color  at 
Paramount's  East  Coast  studios.  His 
first  Photo-Chart  installation  was  de- 
veloped more  than  two  years  ago, 
and  was  first  used  at  Bing  Crosby’s 
Del  Mar  track.  Since  then,  the  design 
and  operation  of  the  equipment  has 
been  refined  and  simplified,  while  the 
cameras  have  timed  races  on  leading 
tracks  from  coast  to  coast.  As  this  is 
written,  Del  Riccio  and  his  Photo- 


14 


Chart  Finish ! 

j Stull,  A.S.C. 


Chart  are  recording  the  finish  of 
every  race  at  Hollywood  Park,  and  by 
the  time  it  is  printed,  they  will  be 
settling  arguments  at  Del  Mar  for  the 
third  successive  season. 

Cine-technicians  have  often  remark- 
ed that  the  pictures  made  by  the 
Photo-Chart  camera  show  a striking 
resemblance  to  the  screen  effect  of 
"follow-shots”  made  with  an  Akeley 
camera.  Actually,  the  basic  principles 
which  give  such  similar  effects  are 
closely  similar,  even  though  in  de- 
tailed operation  the  two  equipments 
have  nothing  in  common.  So  recall- 
ing why  the  Akeley  gives  its  char- 
acteristic results  may  help  us  to  un- 
derstand how  Del  Riccio,  with  a lens, 
an  aperture  and  a moving  film,  but 
with  no  shutter,  has  created  the  most 
scientifically  accurate  system  of  race- 
timing yet  known. 

When  a newsreel  cameraman  trains 
the  telephoto  lens  of  his  Akeley  to 


follow  a fast-galloping  race-horse,  on 
the  screen  we  see  (if  he  is  a good 
lensman)  a picture  in  which  the 
horse  gallops  as  though  on  a tread- 
mill, while  the  background  flows  by- 
in  a smooth  blur.  The  reason  for  this 
is  that  between  the  smooth-panning 
gyro  movement  of  the  Akeley,  its 
accurate,  matched-lens  finder  system, 
and  the  skill  of  the  cameraman,  the 
image  of  the  horse  remains  stationary 
with  regard  to  the  frame,  while  due 
to  the  rapid  panning  of  the  camera, 
the  image  of  the  background  moves 
so  fast  across  the  film  that  the  shutter 
cannot  “stop”  it;  hence  the  blur. 

Much  the  same  thing,  but  with 
reverse  English,  takes  place  in  Del 
Riccio’s  Photo-Chart  camera.  To  put 
it  briefly,  the  film  moves  across  a 
narrow  aperture  at  the  same  speed, 
and  in  the  same  direction  as  the 
image  of  the  galloping  horse  moves. 
Therefore  the  image  of  the  horse  is 
stationary  relative  to  the  film,  and  is 
recorded  as  a sharp  picture,  while  the 
image  of  the  background  is  a blur,  as 
might  be  expected  in  a picture  of  a 
motionless  object  made  on  continuous- 
ly-moving film. 

The  aperture  is  the  heart  of  the 
Photo-Chart  camera.  Though  it  is 


15 


mounted  high  in  the  air  on  top  of  the 
grandstand,  it  is  positioned  with  math- 
ematical accuracy  squarely  on  the 
finish  line.  The  camera  position  is 
actually  determined  by  surveyors,  who 
align  aperture  and  finish  line  with 
as  great  precision  as  might  be  taken 
in  surveying  the  boundaries  of  one 
of  those  Park  Avenue  lots  where  a 
difference  of  a fraction  of  an  inch 
might  make  a six-figure  difference 
in  price. 


In  the  Photo-Chart  camera  t h e 
aperture  through  which  the  picture  is 
made  is  an  almost  microscopically 
narrow  slit,  eight  thousandths  of  an 
inch  wide.  A telephoto  lens  of  the 
proper  focal  length  (a  5^>  inch  Cooke 
/: 2 lens  is  being  used  at  Hollywood 
Park)  images  the  full  width  of  the 
track  on  the  film,  which  is  directly 
behind  the  slit.  The  film  moves  past 
the  aperture  at  a speed  directly  pro- 
portioned to  the  speed  of  the  horses; 
it  averages  an  inch  and  a quarter  per 
second.  In  effect,  this  gives  to  each 
0.008"  section  of  the  film  an  exposure 
of  1 /35th  of  a second. 

At  this  point  anyone  who  has  ever 
tried  to  “stop"  the  movement  of  a 
race-horse  with  a camera  will  rise  to 
point  out  that  you  can't  possibly 
“stop"  the  movement  of  a horse  gal- 
loping at  thirty-five  or  forty  miles  an 
hour  with  so  slow  an  exposure.  But 
some  of  the  older  hands  at  photogra- 
phy may  remember  how,  long  ago, 
back  in  the  days  before  lenses  or  films 
were  as  fast  as  they  are  now,  the  news- 


hawks learned  that  they  could  get  by 
with  slower  shutter-speeds  if  in  mak- 
ing such  shots  they  panned  the  camera 
to  follow  the  moving  object.  In  other 
words,  like  the  Akeley-camera  picture, 
the  movement  of  the  camera  with  the 
horse  keeps  the  image  of  the  horse’s 
body  virtually  motionless  on  the  film, 
and  naturally  a slower  shutter-speed 
will  stop  the  movement  effectively. 

The  same  general  thing  happens  as 
the  film  in  the  Photo-Chart  camera 
moves  past  the  slit.  Film  and  image 
move  approximately  the  same  speed, 
in  the  same  direction.  Therefore  the 
image  is  apparently  motionless  with 
respect  to  the  film. 

Actually,  this  works  out  so  that  as 
the  tip  of  the  leading  nag’s  nose 
reaches  the  finish-line  the  moving 
film  records  its  image.  As  the  next 
section  of  the  horse’s  head  crosses  the 
line,  a fresh  minute  width  of  film  is 
there  to  picture  it — and  so  on  until 
the  last  wisp  of  the  horse’s  tail  whisks 
across  the  line.  And  we  have  a picture 
of  every  section  of  that  horse  at  exact- 
ly the  instant  it  crossed  the  line!  By 
keeping  the  camera  going,  we  can 
make  similar  pictures  of  each  of  the 
other  runners,  in  precisely  the  order 
in  which  each  finished. 

This  gives  us  a negative  bearing  a 
latent  image  of  the  finish — accurate 
enough,  but  quite  useless  until  it  lias 
been  developed,  fixed  and,  if  the 
picture  is  to  be  of  any  value  to  the 
layman,  printed  as  a positive,  prefer- 
ably an  enlarged  one. 

So  after  the  film  leaves  the  camera 
section  of  Del  Riccio's  apparatus,  it 
travels  immediately  through  a small 
developing  tank.  In  this  tank  is  a 
developer  which  must  be  something 
like  liquid  dynamite,  for  it  develops 


16 


a full  image  in  a matter  of  a few 
seconds. 

From  the  developer  tank,  the  neg- 
ative loops  through  a potent  short-stop 
bath,  and  into  a long,  horizontal 
hypo-tank. 

The  bottom  of  this  hypo-tank  is 
glass.  The  top  is  open,  and  mounted 
under  a lamp-house  holding  three  No. 
2 Photoflood  globes,  while  a pair  of 
rollers  hold  the  film  flatly  in  place. 
Beneath  the  glass-bottomed  tank  is 
the  pre-focused  lens  of  an  enlarger, 
which  projects  the  image  downward 
to  an  easel  holding  a strip  of  enlarg- 
ing paper  about  a foot  long,  fed  from 
a roll  in  a light-proof  magazine  below 
the  easel. 

This  strip  gets  a mechanically  me- 
tered exposure,  and  is  handed  to  an 
assistant  who  puts  it  through  the 
quickest  sort  of  tray  development, 
stop-bath  and  fixing.  A brief  rinse,  and 
the  completed  print  is  slipped  between 
blotters  and  handed  out  to  the  judges 
— in  an  average  time  of  48  seconds 
from  the  instant  the  first  horse  crossed 
the  line! 

If  the  finish  is  a supremely  close 
one,  another  pre-focused  lens  and  a 
larger  easel  are  slid  into  place,  and 
an  8x10  print  of  the  leading  finishers 
can  be  made,  to  give  the  judges  a 
chance  for  really  precise  measurements 
of  those  “won-by-a-nose”  finishes. 

Fully  as  ingenious  as  the  camera 
itself  are  the  auxiliaries  developed  by 
Del  Riccio  to  simplify  the  problems 
of  operation.  To  a remarkable  extent, 
they  eliminate  the  several  variables 
which  enter  into  the  making  of  each 
picture. 

The  first  problem  in  making  any 
picture  is  of  course  exposure.  In  the 
Photo-Chart  camera,  the  exposure  must 


be  controlled  by  the  lens  aperture. 
To  simplify  this,  a built-in  exposure 
meter  is  provided.  A suitably  matched 
lens  images  the  field  on  the  electric 
eye  of  a common,  commercially  avail- 
able photoelectric  exposure  meter. 

The  next  question  is  how  to  match 
the  movement  of  the  film  with  the 
speed  of  the  horses,  which  naturally 
varies  somewhat  from  race  to  race. 
This  is  solved  very  simply.  As  the 
horses  swing  into  the  straightaway, 
the  operator  trips  a timer,  built  into 
the  Photo-Chart  camera-housing,  but 
essentially  like  the  dark-room  timing 
clocks  that  can  be  bought  for  a few 
dollars  in  any  photo-supply  store.  As 
the  lead  horse  reaches  another  marked 
point,  this  timer  is  switched  off.  In 
addition  to  the  usual  calibration  of 
seconds  on  the  timer's  dial,  this  one 
is  also  calibrated  in  miles  per  hour. 
So  on  a fast  day,  if  the  timing-clock's 
needle  points  to  40,  the  operators 
know  the  bangtails  are  finishing  at  a 
40  m.p.h  clip,  and  need  simply  reach 
to  an  adjacent  dial  to  place  the  film- 
moving  control  at  40,  which  will  move 
the  film  past  the  slit  at  a speed  pre- 
cisely corresponding  to  that  of  the 
image  of  a horse  moving  at  40  miles 
per  hour. 


The  final  problem  is  that  of  tim- 
ing the  printing  operation  accurately. 
Since  the  camera  exposure  and  neg- 


17 


ative  development  are  accurately  con- 
trolled, there  should  he  relatively 
little  variation  needed  in  printing 
time:  but  since  every  second  counts 
when  prints  must  be  rushed  to  the 
judges,  it  is  certainly  safer  to  leave 
the  timing  to  an  emotionless  machine 
rather  than  to  a human  who  might 
grow  excited  enough  to  unwittingly 
under-  or  over-time  a print.  Therefore 
the  printing  light  is  controlled  by  a 


timer  which  looks  like  a overgrown 
telephone  dial.  If  the  negative  density 
is  such  that  a five-second  exposure  is 
indicated,  the  operator  simply  dials 
five — and  the  light  goes  on  for  exact- 
ly five  seconds. 

And  how  about  safe-lighting  the 
sensitive  paper  on  which  the  prints 
are  made?  Very  simple:  the  Photo- 
Chart  camera  is  enclosed  in  an  amply- 
dimensioned  booth.  Since  the  operators 


must  be  able  to  see  the  track,  not 
only  to  determine  the  speed  of  the 
horses,  but  to  be  able  to  start  the 
camera  at  the  right  time,  there  must 
be  windows.  But  these  windows  are 
glazed  with  red  glass — about  the 
same  shade  as  a 23-A  filter — which 
gives  plenty  of  light  to  work  by,  yet 
is  thoroughly  safe  for  the  printing 
paper  used. 

Naturally,  with  Del  Riccio’s  cine- 
engineering  experience,  he  has  incor- 
porated the  most  approved  methods 
of  solution  control  in  the  “laboratory” 
section  of  his  machine.  A circulating 
system  draws  solution  from  the  top 
of  each  tank,  whence  it  is  piped  down 
through  filters  to  pumps  which  raise 
it  to  a temperature-conditioned  re- 
serve tank.  From  this  it  feeds  by  gra- 
vity to  inlets  at  the  bottom  of  each 
solution-tank,  rising  again  to  the  over- 
flow drain.  In  this  way  sufficient  gentle 
turbulation  is  obtained  to  avoid  di- 
rectional markings  on  the  negative, 
while  the  purity  and  temperature  of 
the  solutions  are  properly  controlled. 

But  as  inventor  Del  Riccio  points 
out,  it  is  not  the  ingenious  mechanical 
construction  of  this  camera  which 
makes  it  unique,  but  a superior  ac- 
curacy which  has  never  been  ap- 
proached by  any  instrument  of  con- 
ventional design.  “The  Photo-Chart,” 
Del  Riccio  will  tell  you,  “is  unique 
in  that  it  is  never  ‘blind.’  Any  con- 
ventional camera  must  inevitably  have 
its  intervals  of  blindness. 

“To  put  it  in  easily  understood 
terms,  if  you  try  to  photograph  any 
fast-moving  action  like  a race  finish 
with  a still  camera,  you  must  rely  on 
an  almost  incredible  combination  of 
skill  and  luck  if  you  are  to  make  your 
exposure  at  the  precisely  correct  split- 


second  when,  in  this  case,  the  first 
horse  actually  touches  the  finish-line 
with  the  tip  of  his  nose.  This  timing 
is  vitally  necessary,  for  it  is  entirely 
possible  that  another  horse,  closing 
fast,  might  nose  past  him  the  barest 
fraction  of  an  instant  later. 

“Much  the  same  thing  happens  if 
you  use  a conventional  motion  picture 
camera,  no  matter  how  fast  the  frame- 
exposures  follow  each  other.  There  is 
a dominant  probability  that  at  the 
true  instant  of  finishing  the  camera's 
shutter  might  be  closed,  leaving  the 
camera  ‘blind.’  In  a really  close  finish 
this  would  give  you  one  frame  taken 
a split-second  before  either  horse 
reached  the  finish,  and  the  next  a split- 
second  after  one  or  both  had  crossed 
the  line.  You  might  easily  have  one 
horse  ahead  in  the  first  frame  and 
the  other  ahead  in  the  second.  It 
would  be  impossible  to  tell  from  the 
pictures  which  finished  first:  you 

would  be  forced  to  rule  a dead  heat. 

“The  Photo-Chart  camera,  on  the 
other  hand,  ‘has  its  eyes  open’  all 
the  time.  It  photographs  each  horse 
at  the  precise  split  second  each  part 
of  the  animal  crosses  the  line.  Or, 
to  put  it  differently,  the  Photo-Chart 
camera  cannot  photograph  any  part 
of  a horse  except  at  the  exact  instant 
that  part  of  the  animal  begins  to  cross 
the  line. 

“In  general,  the  Photo-Chart  system 
makes  it  very  difficult  for  the  picture 
to  show  a dead  heat  unless  the  horses 
finish  together,  not  only  absolutely 
beside  each  other,  neck-and-neck  and 
shoulder-to-shoulder,  but  as  perfectly 
in  step  as  a pair  of  West  Point  cadets 
on  dress  parade. 

“Occasionally,  one  horse  will  blan- 
ket another  from  the  lens,  so  that  it 


19 


is  not  possible  to  tell  with  absolute 
certainty  which  is  ahead ; and  at  some 
tracks  where  auxiliary  lighting  equip- 
ment is  not  provided,  the  lighting 
conditions  late  in  the  afternoon  may 
cast  long  shadows  from  behind  the 
horses,  making  it  difficult  to  identify 
which  horse's  nose  is  ahead  in  any 
kind  of  a picture.  In  such  circum- 
stances most  conservative  judges  will 
prefer  to  take  the  safe  course  of  call- 
ing it  a dead  heat. 

“But  speaking  broadly,  I am  proud 
to  say  that  the  record  of  the  tracks 
where  the  Photo-Chart  has  been  used 
shows  this  camera  has  reduced  the 
frequency  of  dead  heats  by  over 
seventy-five  per  cent.  I believe  the 
average  of  dead  heats,  summed  up 
from  the  records  of  all  the  nation’s 
tracks,  whether  or  not  they  used  any 
type  of  photo-finish  equipment,  is 
slightly  over  two  per  cent.  In  the  many 
races  that  have  been  timed  by  the 
Photo-Chart,  the  average  of  dead  heats 
is  less  than  one-half  of  one  per  cent. 
In  the  current  season  at  Hollywood 
Park,  out  of  288  races  photo-charted 
to  date,  there  have  been  hut  two  dead 
heats! 

“From  the  purely  photographic 
viewpoint,  the  Photo-Chart  system  has 
definite  advantages.  For  instance,  even 
with  today’s  fast  films  like  Agfa  Ultra 
Speed  Pan.  exposure  in  conventional 
cameras  is  a problem.  Since  35mm. 
motion  picture  film  is  the  most  prac- 
tical sensitive  medium  to  use,  we  must 


consider  the  question  of  grain  in  the 
fast-developed  negative:  any  excess  of 
grain  could  throw  off  the  accuracy  of 
the  enlarged  print,  to  say  nothing  of 
making  the  print  difficult  for  non- 
photographic judges  to  interpret. 

“The  exposure  given  by  the  Photo- 
Chart  camera  is  on  the  average  about 
1/35  second.  This  gives  us  a chance 
to  utilize  the  finest-grained  film  ob- 
tainable. After  exhaustive  tests,  we 
decided  that  Agfa  Finopan  was  that 
film.  Its  Weston  daylight  speed-rating 

Weston  16 — is  ample  for  our  pur- 
pose, even  on  cloudy  days  or  late  in 
the  afternoon:  its  exceptionally  fine 
grain-structure  makes  it  superior  to 
anything  else  for  our  use. 

“At  that,  we  can  never  be  classified 
as  one  of  Agfa's  best  customers,  for, 
even  in  races  where  the  ‘also-rans’ 
straggle  along  far  behind  the  leaders, 
we  rarely  use  more  than  eighteen 
inches  or  two  feet  of  film  to  record 
the  finish  of  a race.  Actually  we  can 
photograph  a whole  day’s  finishes  on 
less  film  than  even  a normal-speed 
cine-camera  would  use  to  film  the 
finish  of  a single  race! 

“This  makes  it  possible  to  give  very 
careful  attention  to  the  camera  and 
developing  equipment  between  races. 
As  each  race  finishes,  a trimming 
knife  cuts  the  film  between  the  camera 
and  the  developing  machine,  so  that 
only  the  film  actually  exposed  is 
developed.  After  the  prints  are  made, 
the  developing  section  is  un-threaded. 


i l,  J ■ 


■ 

_ _ • • 

THE  PHOTOCHART 

HOLLYWOOD  PARK  2ND  RACE  JULY41939 

/ 

20 


and  its  simple  mechanism  cleaned  and 
checked.  Then  a length  of  colored 
blank  leader  is  clipped  to  the  film  ex- 
tending from  the  camera,  and  the  wet 
end  of  the  machine  is  carefully  re- 
threaded with  the  leader. 

“From  this  point  until  the  printing 
operation,  the  operation  of  the  ma- 
chine can.  if  required,  be  made  almost 
completely  automatic.  Photoelectric- 
cell circuits  at  the  proper  points  along 
the  track  could  operate  the  timer  that 
indicates  the  speed  of  the  horses,  and 
another  ‘electric  eye’  could  automatic- 
ally switch  on  the  camera  as  the  lead 
horse  intercepted  a light-beam  a length 
or  so  from  the  finish.  In  fact,  in  some 
installations  we  have  used  this  auto- 
matic starting  control  with  great  suc- 
cess. 

“But  perhaps  the  most  important 
single  thing  about  the  Photo-Chart 
system  is  the  fact  that  it  is  the  only 
race-finish  camera  in  which  it  is  ab- 
solutely impossible  for  optical  dis- 
tortion of  perspective  or  minute  in- 
accuracies in  mounting  the  camera  to 
distort  the  picture  to  favor  the  nearer 
horse.  Due  to  the  use  of  the  moving- 
film-and-slit  principle,  and  to  the 
design  of  the  slit  itself,  perspective 
distortion  is  eliminated.  For  the  same 
reason,  minor  inaccuracies  in  position- 
ing the  camera — which  would  in  a 
conventional  camera  system  make  the 
picture  favor  either  the  nearer  or  the 
farther  horse  according  to  the  direction 


in  which  the  camera’s  optical  axis 
deviated  from  absolute  alignment  with 
the  finish-line — have  no  effect  on  the 
accuracy  of  the  Photo-Chart  camera. 
As  long  as  the  slit  is  so  positioned 
that  it  is  virtually  an  extension  of  the 
finish-line,  no  inaccuracy  in  the  way 
the  lens  is  pointed  (so  long  as  the 
field  still  includes  the  finish)  can 
sway  the  Photo-Chart  picture  from  its 
impartial  accuracy!” 

Clearly,  this  impartiality,  together 
with  the  almost  perfect  elimination  of 
even  the  chance  of  a dead  heat,  is 
what  has  persuaded  the  chiefs  of  so 
many  leading  tracks  from  coast  to 
coast  to  install  the  Photo-Chart  at 
their  tracks,  and  to  place,  as  they  and 
the  leading  racing  form  experts  do, 
such  reliance  in  Photo-Chart  pictures. 
But  the  unceasing  miracle  to  the  lay- 
man, whether  he  is  a professional  or 
amateur  photographer  or  just  Mr. 
Average  Man.  is  that  of  watching  a 

O 7 o 

close  finish  and  then — usually  before 
the  jockeys  have  all  gotten  hack  to 
the  line — seeing  a picture  of  that 
finish  handed  to  the  judges  to  squelch 
all  possible  differences  of  opinion. 
And  once  you've  seen  one  of  those 
pictures  of  a close  finish  posted,  you 
know  no  argument  is  possible.  Wheth- 
er you  lost  your  shirt  on  an  ‘also-ran’ 
or  on  a nag  whose  nose  just  wasn’t 
long  enough  to  come  in  first,  you’re 
convinced ! 


21 


Farm  In  California 


Photographed,  by  Fred  R.  Archer 


I si rtff  Motlvvn  Films  to 
Simplify  Motlvrn  Frobloms 

By  Marcel  Picard.  A.S.C. 


WThen  you  think  of  buying  an 
W automobile  today,  you  don’t  ask 
yourself,  “Is  this  one  a good  car? 
Does  its  manufacturer  know  his  busi- 
ness?” You  know  the  maker  could 
not  be  in  business  in  so  highly  com- 
petitive a field  if  his  product  did  not 


incorporate  good  design,  good  mater- 
ials and  good  workmanship.  Still  you 
realize  that  although  all  modern  cars 
are  good,  some  particular  one  of  them 
will  suit  your  needs  better  than  any 
other:  it  will  have  proportions  and 
features  which,  with  your  style  of 


driving,  will  make  motoring  easier  and 
more  pleasant. 

It  is  the  same  with  motion  picture 
film.  Nobody  could  afford  to  make  a 
really  inferior  film  stock  today;  the 
field  is  too  competitive.  But  certainly 
you  will  find  that  one  film  or  another 
will  have  characteristics  which  will 
make  your  work  as  a cinematographer 
easier  and  more  efficient. 

For  many  years  now  I have  used 
Agfa  films:  I made  many  beautiful 
pictures  on  the  old  Agfa  Superpan, 
and  more  recently  I have  used  the 
newer  Agfa  Supreme.  The  Agfa  Infra- 
Red  negative  I have  used  since  the 
first  day  it  appeared.  I use  them  not 
merely  because  they  are  good  film  pro- 
ducts— that  is  to  be  expected — but 
because  I find  they  make  my  work 
better  and  more  efficient. 

New  Problems 

Today  the  cinematographer,  whether 
he  is  working  in  a major  studio  or 
on  an  independent  picture,  has  to 
meet  problems  he  never  faced  a few 
years  ago.  He  has  to  work  faster,  and 
yet  turn  out  better  camerawork  than 
ever  before.  In  the  old  days  of  silent 
pictures,  a production  did  not  have  to 
be  very  important  to  have  a schedule 
of  three  or  four  weeks’  shooting,  while 
a really  big  super-production  could  he 
shooting  for  six  months  or  a year 
without  being  considered  unusual.  I 
have  made  some  that  involved  as  much 
as  a year  and  a half  or  even  two  years 
of  camerawork. 

Today,  it  is,  as  everyone  knows, 
very  different.  An  independent  or  pro- 
gram picture  may  be  allowed  any- 
where from  six  to  eighteen  days  of 
shooting,  and  an  “A”  picture  which 
takes  more  than  two  months  of  camera- 


work is  considered  a most  exceptional 
— and  costly — epic. 

With  all  of  that,  the  cinemato- 
grapher, in  either  case,  is  expected  to 
deliver  photography  infinitely  better 
than  the  best  of  only  a few  years  ago. 
Even  the  cheapest  of  “quickies”  counts 
as  a matter  of  course  camerawork 
which  is  far  superior  to  that  of  the 
best  super-production  of  ten  or  fifteen 
years  ago. 

It  is  no  wonder,  then,  that  the 
cinematographer  of  today  is  constant- 
ly looking  for  anything  in  film,  equip- 
ment or  methods  which  will  simplify 
the  mechanical  parts  of  his  work,  and 
leave  him  more  time  to  concentrate  on 
his  fundamental  task  of  putting  crea- 
tive artistry  on  the  negative. 

It  is  in  this  that  I find  Agfa 
Supreme  and  Agfa  Infra-Red  negative 
films  so  useful.  Much  of  my  work 
lately  has  been  done  for  independent 
producers  who,  though  they  may  not 
have  so  much  in  time  and  money  to 
lavish  on  their  pictures,  none  the  less 
expect — and  are  entitled  to  get — the 
best  possible  photography  in  their 
pictures.  Many  of  these  assignments 
require  that  we  make  a complete 
feature-length  production  in  from  six 
to  eight  days  of  shooting.  This  in  turn 
means  making  fifty  or  sixty  camera 
set-ups  a day,  and  working  early  and 
late  to  keep  schedule  and  budget  in- 
tact. 

Agfa  Supreme  is  an  ideal  film  for 
this  sort  of  work.  When  conditions  are 
normally  good,  the  film  has  an  in- 
herent brilliance  which  is  most  pleas- 
ing, without  being  in  any  way  over- 
contrasty.  But  it  is  amazing  when  you 
find  yourself  forced  to  work  on  dull 
days,  or  late  in  the  evening  to  meet 
a schedule.  Then  it  picks  up  faint 


23 


gradations  of  lighting  your  eye  can’t 
even  see.  No  matter  how  dull  the 
lighting  is,  Supreme  always  seems 
able  to  pick  up  enough  traces  of  soft 
rim  lighting  to  outline  the  laces  and 
figures  of  your  actors,  so  that  they 
stand  out  as  nicely,  often,  as  though 
the  scene  were  made  under  much 
more  normal  conditions,  and  with  the 
benefit  of  ‘booster’  lights  or  reflectors. 

1 have  frequently  had  actors  and  di- 
rector alike  look  at  me  as  though  they 
thought  I was  crazy  when  I told  them 
that  with  Supreme  I could  still  man- 
age to  get  that  one  last,  important 
scene  not  only  after  the  sun  had  set, 
but  after  the  evening  was  beginning 
to  merge  into  night.  Some  of  them 
have  argued  that  even  though  the  film 
was  fast  enough  to  yield  an  exposure, 
it  couldn’t  possibly  give  us  a good 
picture  under  such  impossible  con- 
ditions. But  so  far.  Supreme  has  given 
them  a pleasant  surprise  when  the 
rushes  were  screened:  not  only  was 
the  scene  adequately  exposed — it  was 
good  enough  photographically  to  in- 
tercut successfully  with  scenes  made 
earlier,  under  far  more  normal  il- 
lumination. 

Using  filters  on  Supreme  is  another 
point  in  which  I have  found  this  film 
advantageous.  Personally,  I like  a 
fairly  heavy  correction:  I do  not 

always  want  a black  sky,  but  I cer- 
tainly want  to  keep  the  sky  definitely 
darker  than  a hare,  un-corrected  white. 
At  the  same  time,  particularly  in 
rugged  action  pictures,  it  would  not 
do  at  all  to  let  faces  become  white 
and  “washed  out.” 

Of  course  filtering  is  to  a great  ex- 
tent a matter  of  individual  taste  and 
technique.  For  my  part,  1 do  not  care 
for  the  indefinite  effects  of  the  lighter 


yellow  and  orange  filters;  I prefer 
the  more  positive  correction  one  gets 
from  the  red  ones,  like  the  23-A.  25-A 
and  29-F. 

Simplified  Filtering 

Using  either  of  my  two  favorite 
filters — the  23-A  and  25 — on  Agfa 
Supreme.  I get  just  the  effects  I want. 
Giving  a rather  ample  compensation, 
I can  darken  the  skies  to  just  the  light 
degree,  yet  at  the  same  time  I do  net 
sacrifice  the  faces.  If  anything,  the 
slight  lightening  of  face  tones  is  an 
advantage,  for  practically  none  of  the 
male  actors  in  my  pictures  wear  make- 
up, and  the  filtering  helps  to  offset 
the  effect  of  their  bronzed,  sun-tanned 
skins. 

But  even  though  I believe  in  using 
only  a few  filters,  I certainly  do  not 
agree  with  those  cinematograph,  rs 
who,  when  they  go  out  of  the  studio, 
make  it  a rule  to  slip  one  filter  into 
the  camera  and  leave  it  there.  Atmos- 
pheric and  lighting  conditions  can 
change  too  much  for  that!  But  with 
only  two  filters — a 23-A  and  a 25 — ■ 
one  can  generally  meet  most  con- 
ditions, and  still  keep  his  scenes  well 
matched  on  the  screen. 

For  instance,  when  I am  shooting 
at  an  angle  well  away  from  the  sun, 
and  have  a clear  blue  sky  with  which 
to  work,  I use  the  lighter  filter — the 
23-A.  Then  when  I come  to  a reverse- 
angle,  shooting  more  toward  the  sun 
and  the  paler  sky  that  surrounds  it, 
or  when  I am  making  related  scenes 
on  another  day.  with  a less  clear  sky, 
I use  the  heavier  25-A.  and  keep  the 
correction  and  sky  values  closely  uni- 
form in  spite  of  the  changed  con- 
ditions. 

For  making  night-effect  exteriors, 


24 


there  is  of  course  nothing  quite  like 
Agfa  Infra-Red  negative.  In  the  old 
days,  we  naturally  had  to  make  our 
night  exteriors  at  night,  with  expen- 
sive lights.  As  a result,  if  we  had 
many  night  scenes  in  the  script,  we 
had  to  expect  to  spend  more  time  and 
money  on  the  picture. 

Today,  I use  Infra-Red  whenever 
the  script  calls  for  an  outdoor  night- 
effect.  In  one  recent  production  fully 
one-third  of  the  picture  was  made  in 
night-effects,  on  this  film.  And  the 
night-effects  were  more  convincing 
than  any  I ever  got  with  lights  at 
night.  In  addition  they  were  easier  to 
make,  and  took  less  time  and  trouble. 

I have  found  that  Agfa  Infra-Red 
is  a surprising  schedule-saver.  With  it 
you  can  not  only  make  night-effects 
all  day  long,  but  you  can  keep  on 
making  them  surprisingly  far  into  tbe 
later  and  less  photogenic  hours. 

Night  Effects 

When  the  light  is  favorable,  I 
follow  tbe  usual  method  of  using  the 
Infra-Red  film  and  a 29-F  filter.  How- 
ever, I give  a more  full  compensation 
than  I believe  the  Agfa  experts  advise. 
If  I recall  correctly,  they  suggest  using 
a factor  of  6;  I prefer  to  give  a factor 
of  8;  for  if  you  have  it  on  the  nega- 
tive, it  is  easy  enough  to  print  a scene 
down  a bit  to  darken  it — but  if  it 
isn’t  on  the  negative,  no  amount  of 
laboratory  trickery  can  give  you  a 
picture. 

But  later  in  tbe  day,  as  the  light 
grows  weaker  and  more  yellow,  the 
flexibility  of  Agfa  Infra-Red  permits 
one  to  keep  right  on  shooting  convinc- 
ing night-effects.  For  as  the  light  grows 
less  ideal,  and  more  ruddy,  you  need 
only  change  to  lighter  and  lighter 
filters  to  keep  your  exposure  and  your 


effect  uniform.  And  when  schedules 
are  short,  you  have  no  idea  what  an 
asset  it  is  to  be  able  to  switch  first 
to  a 25-A,  and  later  to  even  a 23-A 
— and  still  keep  on  getting  uniform 
and  convincing  night-effects  while 
you  make  those  last  few  vital  shots. 

Some  cinematographers — especial ly, 
I believe,  those  who  have  not  tiied 
seriously  to  use  the  film — have  some- 
times held  that  they  could  not  easily 
light  up  windows  and  the  like  for 
Infra-Red  night-effects.  Perhaps  I have 
been  doing  it  so  much  I've  forgotten 
my  own  first  worries  over  the  prob- 
lem, hut  I do  not  remember  having 
any  difficulties  in  this  direction. 

Really,  lighting  windows  for  Infra- 
Red  night  scenes  is  a very  simple 
matter.  You  can  use  booster  lights,  if 
you  have  them.  If  you  have  not.  you 
can  do  as  well,  if  not  even  better,  by 
simply  using  reflectors  intelligently. 

Where  I can,  I do  the  trick  by 
simply  placing  a reflector  in  the 
proper  place  behind  the  window. 

When  this  cannot  be  done.  1 use 
two  reflectors:  one  behind  the  window, 
and  another  outside  the  window,  re- 
flecting light  into  it.  In  such  a case, 
of  course,  I have  to  he  careful  to 
mask  the  outside  rellector  so  that  it 
does  not  scatter  its  beams  where  I 
don’t  need  light,  outside  the  window 
on  walls  and  window-frames.  But  this 
is  of  course  a simple  matter.  Some- 
times I have  “lit”  half-a-dozen  or 
more  windows  this  way. 

In  general,  you  see,  I have  used 
these  two  films  to  simplify  the  mechan- 
ical phases  of  cinematography.  It  is 
not  only  the  skill,  hut  the  time  and 
energy  a cinematographer  can  spend 
on  the  creative  parts  of  his  work  that 
make  him  truly  of  value  to  his  pro- 
duction and  its  producer. 


25 


,V~" 

\ 


Fashion  Still  Photographed  by  Leon  Miller 


26 


On  The  Line  Photographed  by  Leon  Miller 


Shooting  Stills 
for 

An  Air  Line 


By  Leon  Miller 

Staff  Photographer,  United  Air  Lines 


From  an  elusive  camera-dodger  to 
sleek  Mainliner  against  a background 
of  fleecy  white  clouds — from  “leg  art” 
to  highly  technical  close-ups  of  a new 
motor  or  blind-flying  aid!  These  and 
many  more  varied  subjects  are  some 
of  the  daily  assignments  received  by 
the  photographic  department  of  United 
Air  Lines. 


In  this  air-minded  age,  almost  every- 
thing that  touches  aviation  is  news. 
With  the  spread  of  photographic  jour- 
nalism. editors  everywhere  clamor  to 
have  that  news  told  in  pictures,  or  at 
least  supported  by  pictures,  especially 
when  the  “story”  has  or  can  be  given 
the  glamorizing  twist  of  an  aviation 
background.  It  is  the  airline  photo- 


27 


grapher’s  job  to  supply  those  pictures, 
no  matter  what  they  may  be. 

Of  course,  much  as  we  and  our 
partners  in  the  airline’s  news  bureau 
would  like  it,  newspapers  and  maga- 
zines can't  continually  be  printing 
pictures  that  merely  show  our  pet 
M ainliners  or  their  crews  in  action. 
There’s  a limit  to  the  amount  of  space 
that  even  so  spectacular  a ship  as  the 
65,000-lb.,  240-mile-an-hour  DC-4  can 
gral  i : and  in  a year  or  so.  when  there 
is  not  one  hut  a whole  fleet  of  these 
big  fellows  freighting  United's  pas- 
sengers from  coast  to  coast,  their  news 
value  as  airplanes  will  drop  pretty 
close  to  zero. 

But  the  lastingly  important  part  of 
an  airline  is  not  the  ships  or  the  crews, 
hut  the  passengers.  In  the  aggregate, 
they  may  he  merely  integers  that  build 
up  the  totals  in  the  statisticians'  fig- 
ures: in  the  individual,  a gratifying 
number  are  likely  to  he  newsworthy 
personalities. 

If  Maestro  This  Hies  in  to  conduct 
a concert  at  the  Hollywood  Bowl,  or 
Senator  That  arrives  by  air  to  make 
a speech  —it’s  news.  If  your  favorite 
movie  star  flies  east  to  attend  the 
premiere  of  her  new  picture,  that’s 


Methods  of  handling  the  big  Mainliners  in 
the  hangar  make  pictures  that  interest 
aviation  magazines. 


news,  too.  The  newspapers  and  often 
the  syndicates  will  make  very  good 
use  of  such  pictures — and  if  these  per- 
sonalities are  pictured  boarding  or 
leaving  a United  Mainliner,  it  will 
certainly  do  the  Line  no  harm! 

In  addition  there  are  often  less 
famous  passengers  who  are  colorful 
newspicture  subjects.  A busy  executive, 
pictured  making  his  forty-seventh 
transcontinental  (light  by  Mainliner; 
a three-months-old  baby  being  chap- 
eroned across  the  nation  by  a relay  of 
United's  pretty  hostesses:  a nonagenar- 
ian Civil  War  veteran,  too  frail  to 
risk  any  other  form  of  transport,  fly- 
ing to  attend  a G.  A.  R.  encampment 
— all  these  are  subjects  that  tickle  the 
interest  of  both  editors  and  their  read- 
ers. And  the  fact  that  they  chose  to 
fly  by  a given  airline  is  likely  to  make 
other  folks  decide  to  follow  suit. 

The  other  journalistic  extreme  is 
represented  by  the  thousands  of  read- 
ers interested  in  the  technique  of  pri- 
vate and  commercial  flying,  and  the 
half-dozen  or  more  magazines  that 
serve  them.  Perhaps  a writer  for  one 
of  the  popular  flying  journals  wants 
pictures  for  a story-  illustrated — on 
a “million-mile”  pilot's  experiences  in 
instrument  flying;  and  another,  more 
technical  one,  asks  for  details  on  the 
system  used  to  keep  United’s  planes, 
engines  or  instruments  in  unfailingly 
perfect  condition.  All  of  them  call  for 
pictures,  often  for  pictures  made  under 
adverse  conditions.  We’ve  got  to  de- 
liver them. 

As  if  this  wasn't  quite  enough  to 
keep  our  photographers  and  news  ex- 
perts from  growing  bored,  there  are 
special  requests  from  the  newspapers 
and  syndicates  for  special  pictures. 
Since  its  beginning  some  two  years 
ago  at  the  Union  Air  Terminal  in 


28 


Burbank.  California.United  Air  Lines’ 
Photographic  Department  has  become 
an  informal  clearing-house  for  aerial 
nevvspictures  of  every  sort.  Not  only 
the  airline’s  staff  photographers,  but 
pilots  and  planes  are  on  call  twenty- 
four  hours  a day  to  help  Southern 
California’s  newsgathering  agencies 
give  their  readers  accurate  reports  and 
pictures  of  important  aeronautical 
events  and  news  happenings  as  seen 
from  the  air.  In  many  instances  the 
air  route  is  not  only  the  quickest,  but 
the  only  way  a major  disaster  like  a 
flood  or  forest  fire  can  be  reached. 

At  any  hour  of  the  day  or  night  the 
airport  phone  is  likely  to  ring  and 
some  editor  say,  “I  hear  a dam  has 
broken  here,  or  a crack  train  been 
wrecked  there — be  a good  fellow  now 
and  send  someone  up  there  in  a plane 
to  get  me  a story  and  pictures!” 

A few  minutes  later  a United  plane 
will  roar  into  the  air.  bound  for  the 
scene  of  the  disaster.  A few  hours 
later  hundreds  of  thousands  of  Cali- 
fornians and.  if  the  event  is  of  suffi- 
cient importance,  uncounted  others  in 
cities  serviced  by  the  wired-photo  syn- 
dicates, will  open  their  morning  papers 
and  view  pictures  of  the  event,  photo- 
graphed. as  the  caption  tells  them, 
from  a Lhiited  Air  Lines’  Mainliner! 

As  every  newspaperman  knows,  the 
coldest  thing  in  the  world  is  yester- 
days news.  Accordingly,  the  airline 
picture-maker  often  has  to  work  as 
fast  as  any  newspaper  photographer. 
His  pictures  must  be  delivered  while 
news  is  ''hot.  and  they  must  combine 
all  the  qualities  of  definition,  tonal 
rendition  and  gradation  that  make  a 
print  good  for  newspaper  and  maga- 
zine reproduction. 

This  means  the  use  of  photographic 


materials  which  can  be  depended  upon 
to  give  outstanding  results  under  any 
conditions,  not  only  in  the  photo- 
graphing, hut  in  the  laboratory  as 
well,  for  the  job  isn't  finished  until 
we  have  handed  the  newspaper  or  mag- 
azine editor  a perfect  print  to  send  to 
his  engraver  and  presses. 

It  is  only  natural  that  under  these 
circumstances  United's  photographic 
department  follows  the  example  set  by 
the  leading  newspapers  all  over  the 
country.  Since  the  department’s  begin- 
ning. two  years  ago.  Agfa  products 
have  played  a prominent  part  in  pro- 
ducing eye-catching  pictures  seen  in 
both  local  and  national  publications. 

Agfa  Superpan  Press  and  Agfa  Su- 
per Plenachrome  Press  have  been  used 
exclusively.  On  all  general  shots,  the 
panchromatic  material  is  used.  In 
some  cases,  however,  it  is  necessary 
in  serving  our  own  ends  as  well  as 
those  of  the  newspapers,  to  see  to  it 
that  reds — as  in  the  lettering  used  on 
the  Mainliners.  reproduce  as  black 
instead  of  gray.  For  these  pictures  the 
Super  Plenachrome  is  used.  As  it  is 
not  panchromatic,  our  red  lettering 
comes  through  a sturdy  black:  yet 
even  though  it  lacks  fully  panchro- 


Santa  Anita  on  Handicap  Day — photograph- 
ed from  the  air  for  the  newspapers  by  a 
United  Air  Lines  cameraman. 


29 


matic  correction,  the  film  gives  a very 
pleasing  rendition  of  face  tones  and 
textures. 

Both  of  these  films  have  the  extra 
speed  which  gives  a welcome  margin 
of  safety  when  rapid  focusing  is  nec- 
essary. This  means  that  we  can  use 
smaller  lens  stops,  which  give  increas- 
ed depth  of  focus  and  improved  over- 
all definition.  When  working  in  the 
air.  it  means  we  can  use  shorter  ex- 
posures, to  be  sure  of  offsetting  not 
only  the  speed  of  the  plane,  but  the 
otherwise  imperceptible  vibration  of 
the  powerful  engines. 

In  addition,  we've  found  that  Agfa 
films  have  a delightful  quality  of  bril- 
liance, as  distinguished  from  excessive 
contrast,  which  helps  a lot  in  produc- 
ing the  good,  snappy  prints  needed  for 
good  newspaper  and  magazine  repro- 
duction. This  can  hardly  be  stressed 
too  much,  for  mere  strong  contrast 
becomes  exaggerated  through  the  re- 
production processes  and  can  often  be 
distorted  into  an  unpleasant  “soot-and- 
whitewash”  effect,  while  the  brilliance 
we  get  from  Agfa  negatives  is  a very 
different  thing,  and  gives  a pleasing 
sparkle  to  the  final  result. 

Fine-grain  characteristics  are  im- 
portant to  us.  Practically  all  of  our 
pictures  are  made  with  the  newsman’s 
standard  equipment — the  4x5  Speed 
Graphic — and  enlarged  prints,  8x10 
or  larger,  are  made  from  these  com- 
paratively small  negatives.  A print 
whose  grain  structure  proclaims  it 
an  enlargement  is  useless  for  our 
purposes,  and  especially  for  pictures 
made  for  magazine  reproduction  where 
“slick”  paper  and  really  good  print- 
ing and  engraving  show  up  all  the 
good — and  bad — points  of  a picture. 
It  is  a tribute  to  the  Agfa  materials 


we  use  that  our  8x1 0’s  have  repeatedly 
been  taken  for  big-negative  contact 
prints. 

A generous  proportion  of  our  stills 
are  shot  with  synchronized  Hash- 
globes.  Working  in  the  darker  recesses 
of  hangar  or  repair-shop,  the  flash  is 
necessary.  And  working  outside,  where 
we  often  have  the  problem  of  balanc- 
ing deep  shadows  with  the  highly  re- 
flective expanse  of  the  polished  metal 
fuselage  of  a Mainliner,  the  flash  is 
invaluable.  We  use  our  speed  flashes 
much  as  a studio  cinematographer 
would  use  reflectors  or  “booster" 
lights  under  similar  circumstances — 
and  with  similar  beneficial  results. 

Both  of  these  films  lend  themselves 
admirably  to  the  rapid  processing 
necessary  in  the  newspictures  we  make 
for  local  papers  and  for  the  syndi- 
cates. Superpan  Press,  we  have  found, 
develops  and  fixes  in  about  two-thirds 
the  time  required  for  other  makes. 
In  wet-negative  printing,  the  water 
smooths  out  on  the  surface  instead  of 
forming  droplets  which  would  show 
up  in  the  print. 

The  final,  but  by  no  means  the 
least  important  link  in  the  chain  is 
the  paper  used  in  making  the  print. 
Brovira  paper,  with  its  extra  latitude 
in  printing,  saves  on  remakes,  develops 
rapidly,  and  gives  us,  even  in  rush 
prints,  the  sort  of  quality  usually  as- 
sociated exclusively  with  Salon  prints. 

The  first  requirement  in  any  photo- 
graphic business — and  especially  in 
one  like  ours  which  seldom  permits 
retakes — is  the  use  of  dependable  sen- 
sitive materials.  Experience  in  making 
thousands  of  pictures  of  all  kinds,  and 
under  all  conditions,  has  convinced  us 
that  Agfa  certainly  fills  the  bill! 


30 


Old  Anchor  Chain  Photographed  by  Fred  R.  Archer 

Our  Illustrations 


/'"'Vur  frontispiece  this  month  is  from 
the  camera  of  Truman  D.  Vencill, 
a leading  light  in  that  group  of  young- 
er photographers  who  have  come  into 
prominence  along  with  the  rise  of  the 
miniature  camera.  We’re  proud  to  fall 
into  line  with  the  nation’s  leading 
magazines  in  printing  VencilTpictures. 
Making  this  particular  shot,  Tru  de- 
serted his  usual  Contax  for  a Zeiss- 
Ikon  Juell , but  as  usual  kept  it  loaded 
with  Isopan.  Rising  in  another  sense, 


Franklin  S.  Allen,  the  airminded  Los 
Angeles  Manager  of  The  American 
W eekly,  is  back  again  on  our  title- 
page  with  another  striking  aerial  shot, 
made  over  Treasure  Island  from  the 
Goodyear  blimp,  and  as  usual  with  his 
trusty  Contax  and  Agfa  Supreme. 

The  studios  have  heard  all  too  little 
of  late  from  Fred  R.  Archer,  famed 
for  years  alike  among  studio  folk  and 
pictorialists  as  a master  of  the  still 
camera.  He  has  been  busily  teaching 


31 


the  young  idea  how  to  shoot  pictures 
in  the  Photographic  Department  of 
Los  Angeles’  Art  Center  School.  His 
pictures  on  page  22  ami  page  31  give 
eloquent  evidence  that  he  is  one  teach- 
er who  practices  excellently  what  he 
preaches!  And  on  pages  6 and  13,  we 


get  a hint  as  to  why  the  standard  of 
competition  in  the  Paramount  Studio 
Camera  Club's  contests  is  so  high:  Ed 
Doughty , who  made  those  pictures,  is 
a frequent  contestant.  His  pictures, 
like  Archer  s,  were  made  on  Agfa 
Super  pun. 


Of  Mntvrvst  to  AU 


Photo-Lab  Index 

There  have  been  many  excellent 
photographic  reference-books  publish- 
ed from  time  to  time,  but  so  swift 
and  constant  is  photographic  progress 
that  most  of  them  were  scarce  off  the 
press  before  changes  in  materials  or 
advances  in  technique  have  outmoded 
them  in  part  or  in  whole.  Henry  M. 
Lester,  of  the  miniature-camera  com- 
bine of  Morgan  and  Lester , evidently 
realized  this,  and  when  he  started  the 
task  of  compiling  an  up-to-date  photo- 
graphic reference  volume,  he  reasoned 
that  if  you  put  two  and  two  together 
you  might  get  a perpetually  up-to-date 
book.  At  any  rate,  that  is  what  he  has 
done:  his  latest  book,  Photo-Lab  Index 
(Morgan  and  Lester.  N.  Y.,  $3.50)  is 
issued  in  an  ingenious  linen-covered, 
waterproof,  loose-leaf  binding,  and 
quarterly  supplements  are  to  be  issued 
(the  first  two  free  to  registered  owners 
of  the  basic  volume)  to  keep  the  work 
perpetually  abreast  of  photographic 
progress. 

Even  without  this  unique  feature, 
the  Photo-Lab  Index  is  a book  that 
should  be  in  the  hands  of  anyone  who 
practices  photography  in  either  a pro- 
fessional or  an  amateur  way.  The 
range  of  useful  information  covered 
is  incredible.  There  is  the  latest  au- 
thoritative data  on  film  speeds — in 
terms  of  Weston,  European  and  Am- 


erican Scheiner,  Din,  and  all  three 
variations  of  the  H.  & 1).  ratings;  fil- 
ter-factors for  virtually  every  type  of 
him  with  every  type  and  make  of  filter. 

Formulas  for  all  recommended  de- 
velopers are  given,  and  in  addition, 
time-gamma-temperature  development 
charts  for  each  him  in  each  developer. 

Equally  comprehensive  data  is  given 
for  materials  of  all  makes,  including 
not  only  negative  but  printing  and 
enlarging  papers.  There  is  a very  val- 
uable section  on  Mazda,  Photoflood 
and  Photoflash  illumination. 

All  told.  Photo-Lab  Index  is  one  of 
the  most  practical  and  lastingly  usefnl 
photographic  works  we’ve  seen.  Every 
photographer  should  have  a copy. 

New  Agfa  Home  Movie  Li  I ms 

Users  of  16mm.  and  8mm.  home 
movie  cameras  will  want  to  try  Agfa- 
Ansco's  two  new  home-movie  hlms. 
For  the  ‘8’  enthusiast,  Agfa  Twin-8 
Hypan,  with  a daylight  speed  of  Wes- 
ton 24  and  an  artificial-light  speed  of 
Weston  16  is  now  available,  priced  at 
$2.25  for  a 25-foot  double-run  8 roll. 
For  the  16mm.  hlmer,  the  newest  and 
fastest  reversal  him  availab  le  is  Agfa 
Triple-S  Line- grain  Super  pan.  Weston 
100  to  daylight,  64  to  Mazda  light.  It 
comes  at  a sensible  price  in  spite  of 
its  speed — $6.00  for  a 100-foot  roll 
and  $3.25  for  a 50-foot  roll. 


Agfa  Announces  Two  4* rent  New  Papers 


CYKON  

for  contact  prints 

The  greatest  technical  improvements 
in  many  years  are  incorporated  in 
Agfa’s  two  new  sensitized  papers  . . . 
Cykon  and  Cykora! 

They  are  particularly  suited  to  the 
infinitely  varied  demands  of  motion 
picture  studio  still  work.  For  every 
type  of  subject  from  gallery  portraits 
to  candid  news  shots  and  technical 
reference  stills,  Cykon  and  Cykora  will 
give  you  a better  print,  more  easily. 

Cykon  is  for  contact  prints  . . . 


CYKORA  

for  enlargements 

Cykora  for  enlargements  . . . Both 
have  very  similar  characteristics.  Both 
give  rich,  warm  tones  that  may  he 
controlled  over  a wide  range  through 
modification  of  development,  or  after- 
treatment.  Both  emulsions  offer  wide 
latitude  in  standard  developers,  and 
low  sensitivity  to  safelights. 

Begin  now  to  work  with  these  two 
finest  and  most  modern  of  all  photo- 
graphic papers! 

Made  by  Agfa-Ansco  Corporation 
in  Binghamton,  New  York. 


FILM  - PAPEPS  - CHEMICALS 


ACADEMY C 


LIBRARY 


) r-  r^’  -t 


VOLUME  III 


AFT 


PICTURE 


S^dLLYV 


1 ^ ^ 


rv  r o 

X 


septe  m b eTr  - October 

- California. 


1939 


MOTION  PICTURE  TOPICS 

WILLIAM  S T U L L - A.  S.  C.  EDITOR 


Contents 

Timely  Topics 2 


Pioneering  Exposure  Meters  in  1928 

By  John  P.  Fulton,  A.S.C.  ......  7 

Fine-Grain  Portrait  Stills  from  35mm.  Motion  Picture  Negative 

By  William  Stull.  A.S.C 12 

“Covering”  John  Cobb's  Assault  on  the  World's  Speed  Record 

By  Truman  D.  Vencill  . . . . . . . 19 

Flying  High  Photographed  by  John  P.  Fulton,  A.S.C.  . Frontispiece 


Monterey  Seascape  Photographed  by  Bob  Levy 


Published  Bi-Monthly  by  AGFA  RAW  FIFM  CORPORATION 

6424  SANTA  MONICA  BLVD.,  HOLLYWOOD  - 245  WEST  55th  ST.,  NEW  YORK 

Neither  Agfa  Motion  Picture  Topics  nor  the  Agfa  Raw  Film  Corporation  is  responsible  for 
statements  made  by  authors  nor  for  unsolicited  manuscripts. 


T im #*##/  T opirs 


UROPE  is  at  war. 

That  statement,  screamed  from  the 
headlines  of  the  nation's  newspapers, 
has  given  the  studio  world  a fair  start 
toward  a panic.  It  indicates — so  many 
cautious  folk  argue — that  the  vital 
forty  per  cent  of  film  grosses  contri- 
buted by  the  foreign  market  would 
he  cut  off,  or  at  least  materially  re- 
duced. Accordingly  there  has  been  a 
great  deal  of  very  loose  and  panicky 
talk  of  “retrenchment” — of  big  pro- 
ductions indefinitely  postponed — o f 
slashed  budgets — of  widespread  salary 
reductions. 

We  cannot  join  in  the  general 
jitters.  As  we  see  things,  neither  logic 
nor  the  past  experience  of  our  in- 
dustry can  support  the  present  panic. 
On  the  contrary,  both  could  very 
easily  prophesy  a boom  of  unpre- 
cedented dimensions. 

Let's  look  at  the  worst  side  of  the 
ledger  first.  A glance  at  any  war-map 
of  Europe  shows  that  one  group  of 
belligerents  will  be  definitely  block- 
aded. The  other,  due  to  the  submarine, 
may  find  foreign  commerce  hamper- 
ed, but  hardly  cut  off.  We  in  Holly- 
wood may  therefore  expect  to  con- 
tinue to  send  films — if  there  remains 
a demand  for  them — to  the  latter 
countries;  we  cannot  expect  to  send 
them  to  the  former  group,  if  the 
blockade  is  anywhere  near  effective. 

But  now  a glance  at  the  ledgers  of 
most  of  our  major  producing  and  dis- 
tributing firms  will  reveal  the  fact 
that  for  several  years  Hollywood  has 
sent  virtually  no  films  to  Germany  and 
Italy,  while  Great  Britain.  France,  and 


to  a lesser  extent  the  other  and  (at 
this  writing)  neutral  countries  of 
Europe  have  formed  a lucrative  mar- 
ket for  Hollywood’s  product. 

So  what? 

The  market  which  for  several  years 
Hollywood  didn’t  have—  did  not  per- 
haps even  want  to  have — has  been 
made  inaccessible  by  war.  The  rest 
of  the  European  market — a field 
which  in  spite  of  quotas  and  absurd 
nationalistic  restrictions,  has  for  years 
showed  a marked  preference  for 
Hollywood-made  pictures  — remains 
open  to  us.  Due  to  wartime  conditions 
it  may  he  more  difficult  to  transport 
our  product  to  this  market — but  the 
market  is  still  there,  and  open  to  us. 

Point  two  in  the  arguments  of  our 
Caspar  Milquetoast  brigade  is  that  any 
nation  engaged  in  a serious  war 
would  have  less  need  of  movies — 
would,  in  fact,  be  likely  to  close  all 
theatres  as  a measure  of  wartime 
safety.  Therefore,  even  if  we  could 
get  our  films  to  those  theatres,  they 
could  not  get  any  playing  time. 

To  all  of  which  we'd  like  to  reply 
“poppycock!”  If  these  people  were 
alive  during  the  last  war.  they  certain- 
ly heard  the  word  morale  very  fre- 
quently. Translated  into  simple  Eng- 
lish, it  means  the  spirit  of  a people. 
If  that  people  is  at  war.  it  needs  en- 
tertainment— something  far  removed 
from  the  harrowing  seriousness  of 
war — to  keep  up  those  spirits.  Ex- 
perience has  proved  that  the  greatest 
booster  of  mass  morale  is  the  movie. 
It  reaches  more  people  more  complete- 
ly than  any  other  medium. 


2 


Therefore  we  predict  that  not  only 
the  neutral  nations  of  Europe,  but 
also  the  warring  nations  to  whom  we 
can  ship  our  films  will  not  only  re- 
open their  theatres  as  a matter  of 
policy,  hut  will  clamor  for  pictures 
— even  to  the  extent  of  relaxing  exist- 
ing bars  against  American  or  other 
pictures. 

To  keep  open,  theatres  must  have 
product.  The  three  great  production 
centers  of  Europe  are  at  present 
England.  France  and  Germany — three 
nations  now  at  war.  Their  studios  will 
in  all  probability  be  closed — if  they 
are  not  already  closed — ‘‘for  the  dur- 
ation of  the  war.”  No  other  nation  in 
Europe  can  produce  motion  pictures 
in  sufficient  quantity , or  of  sufficient 
quality  to  supply  their  theatres.  That 
task  is  strictly  up  to  Hollywood. 

We  do  not  want  to  suggest,  or  ap- 
pear to  suggest  that  Hollywood  and 
its  motion  picture  industry  could  be 
so  heartless  as  to  wish  to  fatten  on 
the  misery  of  Europe’s  millions.  In- 
deed, we  know  that  Hollywood  can 
be  generous  and  sentimental  to  a 
fault.  But  when  foreign  audiences, 
not  directly  impoverished  by  war’s 
devastation,  clamor  for  entertainment, 
and  are  willing  to  pay  for  it,  we 
would  be  less  than  human  if  we  re- 
fused to  supply  it  and  reap  the 
rewards. 

A thoughtful  glance  at  the  past  will 
substantiate  this  reasoning.  In  1914 
the  American  motion  picture  industry 
faced  a very  similar  problem,  with 
the  exception  that  several  European 
countries — notably  France  and  Italy 
— were  at  that  time  the  unchallenged 
leaders  in  film  production.  Then  came 
the  great  war — to  American  eyes 
fully  as  inevitable  and  fully  as  sense- 


less as  the  present  conflict.  European 
production  died  on  the  battlefields. 
American  production  was  called  upon 
lo  supply  the  theatres  of  the  world. 
Charlie  Chaplin,  Bill  Hart,  Mary 
Pickford  and  Douglas  Fairbanks  gave 
emotional  relief  and  entertainment 
to  audiences  in  London,  Manchester, 
Paris  and  Marseilles  as  surely  as 
they  did  to  American  audiences  in 
New  York  and  Keokuk. 

When  America  entered  the  war — an 
experience  which  we  all  hope  will 
not  be  repeated,  but  which  must  none 
the  less  be  remembered — we  found  it 
our  patriotic  duty  to  keep  on  making 
pictures  “to  keep  up  the  morale  of 
our  own  people  and  our  allies.” 

When  the  war  ended.  American 
movies  were  unquestionably  supreme 
throughout  the  world.  Profits  bad 
reached  new  peaks;  salaries  had  sky- 
rocketed dizzily.  Where  a player  was 
receiving  $150  a week  before  the  war, 
he  was  now  receiving  close  to  a 
million  a year,  and  still  paying  his 
producer  a handsome  profit.  Where 
before  the  war  a super-picture  might 
cost  a hundred  thousand  dollars,  after 
the  war  a genuine  million-dollar  bud- 
get was  profitable.  As  all  of  us  have 
seen,  not  even  the  introduction  of 
talking  pictures  nor  the  creation  of 
artificial  nationalistic  barriers  have 
served  to  halt  the  march  of  success 
which  followed. 

Were  not  prophets — but  history 
has  a way  of  repeating  itself,  and  the 
stage  certainly  seems  set  for  a repeti- 
tion now'.  Perhaps  the  present  near- 
panic will  do  some  good  in  the  elim- 
ination of  some  of  the  present  obvious 
inefficiency  in  production,  and  in 
awakening  our  producers  to  the  pos- 


3 


sibilities  of  the  virtually  untouched 
Spanish-American  market. 

But  in  the  long  run  it  seems  ex- 
ceedingly likely  that  history  will  re- 
peat itself  for  the  American  motion 
picture  industry.  If  Hollywood  will 
only  be  smart  enough  to  forget  its 
petty  internal  squabbles  and  get  down 
to  the  business  of  making  pictures, 
the  world  market  still  exists,  and  with 
greater  possibilities.  If  greater  re- 
wards are  possible  for  successful  pro- 
ductions, the  creators  will  certainly 
share  increasingly  in  those  rewards. 

The  heads  of  the  Warner  Brothers’ 
organization  have  recently  taken 
action  in  support  of  this  reasoning. 
They  have  issued  a statement  which 
says  in  effect  that  in  spite  of  the  war, 
production  will  continue  unabated; 
that  salaries  will  not  be  slashed;  and 
that  American  films — at  least  in  so 
far  as  the  Burbank  plant  is  concern- 
ed— will  avoid  all  semblance  of  parti- 
zanship  or  propaganda,  so  that  aud- 
iences in  any  nation  able  to  obtain 
and  pay  for  the  films  may  see  them 
and  find  them  acceptable. 

In  other  words,  we  might  para- 
phrase the  late  Arthur  Brisbane  and 
say,  “Don’t  sell  American  films  short!” 

Wf  M.  Thackeray  is  of  course 
vv  * best  remembered  as  the  author 
of  “Vanity  Fair.”  But  one  Christmas, 
in  his  spare  time,  he  dashed  off  a 
fairy-tale  which  in  addition  to  the 
usual  pluperfect  hero  and  heroine  in- 
cluded a really  unique  fairy  god- 
mother. This  potent  personage,  it 
appears,  grew  tired  of  eternally  wav- 
ing her  magic  wand  and  bestowing 
perpetual  good  fortune  on  her  god- 
children. Instead,  she  crashed  the 
gate  at  the  birth  of  a princeling  and 


remarked  that  the  best  she  could  wish 
him  was  a little  hard  luck.  This,  in 
due  time,  he  promptly  got,  and  his 
abilities  were  so  sharpened  by  ad- 
versity that  he  eventually  became  a 
much  better  rider  and  man  than  he 
could  have  been  otherwise. 

We've  thought  of  this  ungentle  fairy- 
several  times  of  late  when  in  casual 
dinner-table  conversations  with  mem- 
bers of  the  camera  profession  the 
discussion  has  turned  to  any  of 
several  cinematographers. 

One  of  them  endured  a period, 
several  years  ago,  when  no  producer 
in  town  would  have  given  him  a 
picture,  even  if  he  had  agreed  to 
work  for  nothing.  Previously,  he  had 
been  among  the  “tops”  of  the  town 
— and  folks  were  beginning  to  say, 
“Well,  so-and-so  has  a big  reputation, 
but  between  you  and  me,  don’t  you 
think  he  is  sort  of  coasting  along  on 
the  laurels  he  earned  years  ago?” 

But  when  at  last  one  producer  gave 
him  a chance,  after  nearly  two  years 
of  incessant  hard  luck,  that  camera- 
man dug  in  his  toes  and  proceeded 
to  show  the  world  that  he  was  still 
worthy  of  top  ranking.  He  has  since 
won  an  Academy  Award  for  his 
cinematographic  achievements,  and  in 
addition  he  has  deservedly  received 
unusual  critical  praise  for  his  artistry 
on  other  important  productions. 

Today,  when  you  meet  him  on  the 
set.  he  is  bubbling  over  with  enthus- 
iasm. “I'm  giving  it  everything  I 
have,”  he  will  say.  “It's  going  to  be 
one  of  the  most  beautifully  photo- 
graphed pictures  ever.  I'll  show  them 
I'm  still  as  good  as  I ever  was!” 

Another  man,  after  a moderately 
successful  career,  received  a had 
set-hack,  and  today  he  is  carving  out 


4 


a better  career  as  a specialist  in  out- 
standing exterior  photography. 
Another,  apparently  out  of  luck  as 
far  as  Hollywood’s  studios  go,  has 
become  one  of  the  top  cinematograph- 
ers of  Mexico. 

The  point  we’d  like  to  make  is  this: 
that  while  we  certainly  don’t  wish  any- 
body any  hard  luck,  we  d like  to 
remind  the  men  who  today  are  en- 
during greater  or  lesser  periods  of 
personal  depression  that  anybody  can 
have  bad  luck,  but  that  the  man  who 
really  has  the  stuff  doesn't  by  any 
means  have  to  remain  on  the  canvas 
and  be  counted  out.  On  the  contrary, 
he  can  get  up,  go  in  there  punching, 
and  win! 

In  the  same  breath,  we’d  rather 
like  to  ask  some  of  our  other  friends 
who  are  today  among  the  industry’s 
tops,  if  they  can  honestly  say  they 
have  the  same  incentive  that  drove 
them  up  to  success  when  they  were 
young  cinematographers,  just  fighting 
their  way  up  from  obscurity?  We 
know,  and  they  know  that  they  have 
ability:  hut  what  use  is  ability  if  it 
isn’t  coupled  with  a will  to  “show  the 
world " on  every  picture?  What  use 
is  Academy  Award  reputation  or  skill 
if  it  takes  the  easiest  way  on  any 
production  with  a budget  of  less  than 
a million  or  so?  If  it  complains  when 
assigned  to  a “B”  picture?  This  goes 
for  directors,  executives,  writers  and 
players  too,  if  you  insist. 

This  industry  was  made  great  by 
folks  who  were  fighting  their  way  up 
from  obscurity — folks  who  were 
battling  tremendous  obstacles,  but 
who  were  inspired  with  the  idea  that 
they  had  something  better  to  offer 
than  anyone  else.  It’s  got  to  be  main- 
tained by  the  same  spirit. 


Qeveral  times  in  the  past  we  have 
^commented  on  the  fact  that  the 
Agfa  Ansco  Corporation  is  an  Ameri- 
can firm,  giving  employment  to  more 
that  3,000  American  working  men  and 
women.  Realising  that  our  modern 
civilization  is  an  intensely  complex 
organization,  we’ve  forborne  to  guess 
at  how  many  others  such  a firm  might 
support.  But  in  a bulletin  published 
by  the  Los  Angeles  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce we  have  recently  noticed  stat- 
istics that  give  an  indication  of  what 
this  might  be.  Since  the  Chamber’s 
figures  were  for  a firm  with  1,000  em- 
ployees, we  simply  multiply  by  three, 
and  arrive  at  a figure  which  is  cer- 
tainly on  the  conservative  side. 

Based  strictly  on  averages,  a firm 
directly  employing  3,000  people  pro- 
vides family  support  for  not  less  than 
9.000  individuals.  In  addition  to  that, 
the  firm,  through  its  employees  and 
their  needs,  provides  business  for  30 
grocery  stores,  24  bakeries  and  restau- 
rants, 9 clothing  stores,  9 shoe  stores, 
6 hardware  and  building  material 
firms,  3 furniture  stores,  a dozen 
drugstores,  dry-goods,  stationery  and 
notions  establishments,  9 auto  acces- 
sory dealers  and  service  stations,  3 
music,  radio  and  optical  stores,  and 
3 tobacco  shops.  When  to  this  is 
added  the  number  of  other  people 
directly  engaged  in  transporting,  sell- 
ing and  manufacturing  not  only  the 
firm’s  own  products,  but  also  the  pro- 
ducts bought  by  these  employees,  you 
reach  a really  surprising  total. 

Add  to  this  fact  that  all  these 
people,  when  gainfully  employed, 
mean  just  so  many  more  potential 
customers  for  many  other  things  not 
listed  in  this  survey,  including,  you 
may  be  sure,  our  own  industry’s  pro- 


5 


duct  of  motion  picture  entertainment. 
Finally — and  of  particular  significance 
at  this  time — it  must  be  remembered 
that  each  of  these  people,  in  private 
employ,  means  another  name  on  local 
and  national  tax  rolls,  and  fewer  on 
relief.  The  whole  involved  chain  can 
be  briefly  summed  up  as  forming  a 
really  impressive  contribution  to 
national  prosperity.  We’re  proud  of 
it. 


A s this  is  written,  many  of  us  in 
-*■  the  motion  picture  industry  are 
watching  our  children  start  off  on  the 
adventure  of  a new  school  year.  Soon 
we’ll  be  helping  Johnny  with  his 
home-work,  and  remarking  to  our 
friends  how  amazingly  methods  of 
teaching  have  improved  since  our  own 
school  days. 

There’s  one  change  of  which  we  of 
the  motion  picture  industry  should 
take  special  notice.  This  is  the  in- 
creasing use  made  of  16mm.  moving 
pictures  as  a means  of  teaching.  The 
next  time  Junior  remarks  that  his 
school  showed  a movie,  why  not  ask 
him  about  it?  Don’t  jump  to  the  con- 
clusion that  the  film  shown  was  a pro- 
fessional feature,  screened  merely  for 
entertainment,  or  that  it  was  simply  a 
16mm.  print  of  some  outmoded  pro- 
fessional travelogue,  or  a dry-as-dust 
“educational”  subject  crudely  made 
by  some  highbrow  professor.  It  may 
be  a professionally-made  subject — -but 
it  may  also  be  one  made  by  actual 
teachers  and  students  to  teach,  in  the 
most  graphic  possible  way,  some  neces- 
sary and  practical  lesson. 

For  instance,  last  year  in  a Long 
Beach  junior  high-school,  a class  of 
average  students,  with  only  the  general 
supervision  of  a teacher,  produced  a 
one-reel  16mm.  picture  demonstrating 


the  dangerous  and  the  safe  ways  for 
children  to  ride  their  bicycles  in 
modern  city  traffic.  It  was  written, 
acted,  photographed  and  titled  by  the 
children,  and  aimed  to  make  audiences 
of  school-age  children  more  safety- 
conscious.  It  was  based  on  the  actual 
experience  of  one  of  the  students,  who 
rode  his  bike  carelessly — and  bad 
plenty  of  time  to  think  of  safety 
while  he  lay  in  a hospital  bed.  No 
professional  film  could  have  delivered 
its  message  with  more  sincerity. 

In  Akron,  Ohio,  a series  of  films 
has  been  made  carrying  the  message 
of  fire  prevention  in  terms  of  action 
understood  by  children  of  school  age. 
So  successful  have  these  films  been 
that  the  Akron  schools,  supported  by 
public-spirited  citizens,  have  establish- 
ed a complete  16mm.  studio  so  that 
more  such  films  can  be  made. 

In  Santa  Cruz,  a field  expert  from 
the  University  of  California  has  for 
some  years  been  making  his  own 
16mm.  films — on  Agfa  reversal  film, 
by  the  way — to  show  California’s 
ranchers  the  latest  methods  of  stock- 
raising. 

In  almost  every  modern  school 
there  can  be  found  material  which 
could  advantageously  be  made  into 
a 1 6mm.  picture.  Many  of  onr  readers, 
we  know,  enjoy  16mm.  movie-making 
as  a hobby.  If,  as  most  parents  do, 
they  want  to  bring  themselves  closer 
to  the  school  activities  and  associates 
of  their  children,  we  can  think  of  no 
better  way  to  do  so  than  to  devote 
a little  of  their  spare  time  to  helping 
the  youngsters  and  their  teachers  make 
such  practical  school-films.  And  we 
can  assure  them  that  the  youthful  en- 
thusiasm they'll  get  from  their  young 
co-workers  will  give  them  a new  en- 
joyment of  movie-making. 


6 


Desert  Landscape  Photographed  by  John  P.  Fulton,  A.S.C. 


Pioneering  Exposure  Meters  in  MfP2tt 

By  John  P.  Fulton,  A.S.C. 


PlNCE  the  introduction  of  today’s 
^high-speed  emidsions,  photoelectric 
exposure  meters  and  their  use  have 
been  a leading  topic  of  discussion 
among  cinematographers.  It  is  signi- 
ficant that  the  discussion  rarely  centers 
on  whether  such  meters  are  or  are 
not  helpful,  but  instead  upon  how 
best  to  use  existing  meters,  and  some- 
times upon  principles  which  might 
make  a meter  more  universally  appli- 
cable to  studio  cinematography.  A 
great  deal  has  been  both  said  and 


written  about  nearly  every  phase  of 
the  matter. 

One  article  in  particular  impressed 
me.  It  was  one  in  which  C.  Roy  Hunter, 
writing  in  a recent  issue  of  Agfa 
Motion  Picture  Topics,  stated  that 
in  his  estimation  the  ideal  meter  would 
be  one  which  measured  the  light 
actually  making  the  exposure,  taking 
its  reading  through  the  same  lens 
system  used  in  making  the  picture. 

Possibly  I was  biased  in  favor  of 
Hunter’s  idea  because  I had  proven 


7 


it  to  myself  by  making  and  using  a 
meter  which  worked  that  way  eleven 
years  ago,  in  1928.  That  of  course 
was  several  years  before  any  of  us 
in  the  motion  picture  industry  became 
aware  of  the  light-measuring  possi- 
bilities of  the  photoelectric  cell,  so 
my  meter  did  not  make  use  of  an 
electric  eye.  But  it  measured  the  light 
transmitted  by  the  camera’s  lens,  and 
was  an  integral  part  of  the  camera. 
Compared  to  today’s  meters,  it  was 
undeniably  crude — but  it  worked  with 
gratifying  accuracy.  And  that,  after 
all,  is  the  real  proof  of  any  piece  of 
equipment. 

Solving  Tropic  Exposure  Problems 

My  meter  was  developed  to  simpli- 
fy a specific  problem.  I had  been 
assigned  to  photograph  Henry  King’s 
production  “Hell  Harbor,”  much  of 
which  was  to  be  filmed  on  location 
in  Florida.  As  every  cinematographer 
knows,  exposure  and  filtering  under 
unfamiliar,  tropical  conditions  can 
be  amazingly  deceptive.  I had  heard 
so  many  harrowing  tales  of  cinema- 
tographers whose  judgement  had  been 
fooled  by  tropical  light  conditions 
that  I resolved  to  spare  myself  simi- 
lar embarrassment  if  it  was  at  all 
preventable. 

Some  means  of  actually  measuring 
the  light  was  clearly  the  key  to  the 
problem.  I decided  that  if  I could  find 
some  method  of  making  a direct  com- 
parison between  the  illumination  on 
my  ground  glass  and  a positive  of 
known  correct  exposure  and  density, 
I ought  to  have  a pretty  accurate 
guide  to  correct  exposure. 

To  make  this  possible,  I began  by 
attaching  an  illuminated  carrier  for 
my  positive  standard  to  my  Mitchell 
camera.  First  I cut  a small  hole  in 


the  top  of  the  tube  bousing  the  focus- 
ing microscope,  directly  behind  the 
ground  glass.  Above  this  I soldered 
a pair  of  clips  to  hold  my  trans- 
parency-carrier in  place. 

Then  I built  the  transparency- 
carrier. 

From  a focusing  flashlight  I took 
the  globe-socket  and  reflector  assem- 
bly, with  enough  of  the  fibre  case  to 
make  my  bousing.  Then  I built  up 
an  assembly  of  flat  brass,  crudely  cut 
to  shape,  to  hold  an  opal  glass  dif- 
fuser and  beneath  it  my  standard 
positive.  This  was  soldered  to  the 
screw-threaded  ring  which  had  orig- 
inally held  the  flashlight’s  lens  in 
place;  it  screwed  onto  my  tiny  lamp- 
house.  and  in  turn  slid  into  the  clips 
that  held  the  entire  device  on  the 
camera.  The  lamp  could  be  focused 
in  the  same  way  the  flashlight  focused 
— by  tightening  or  loosening  a cap 
which  moved  the  lamp-bulb  in  or  out 
with  relation  to  the  reflector. 

Reflex  Comparator 

With  this  done,  I removed  the 
little  sliding  port  which  ordinarily 
gives  access  to  a Mitchell’s  focusing 
system.  In  its  place  I fitted  a similar 
plate  which  carried  a little  lever,  at 
the  inner  end  of  which  was  mounted 
a small  mirror,  about  half  the  size 
of  the  frame.  By  moving  this  lever  I 
could  either  drop  the  mirror  out  of 
the  way  or  bring  it  into  a position 
where  it  reflected  the  image  of  my 
standard  positive  down  and  backward 
into  the  camera's  focusing  system. 

Since  this  mirror  was  only  half  as 
wide  as  the  frame,  when  it  was  in  the 
reflecting  position  one  saw  half  the 
ground  glass  image  on  one  side  of  the 
magnifier's  field,  and  on  the  other 
side  half  of  the  standard  positive. 


8 


Since  the  positive  was  mounted  at  the 
same  distance  from  the  magnifier’s 
optical  system  as  the  ground  glass, 
both  were  brought  into  focus  by  the 
same  adjustment  of  the  camera’s  focus- 
ing system. 

The  flashlight  globe  behind  the 
positive  was  supplied  by  a battery 
mounted  in  a small  case  on  the  tri- 
pod. On  this  case  there  was  also  a 
rheostat  and  a milliammeter.  Thus  it 
was  easy  to  standardize  the  illumin- 
ation of  the  positive;  all  that  was 
necessary  was  to  manipulate  the  rheo- 
stat to  give  a standard  reading  on  the 
milliammeter,  and  one  could  be  sure 
the  illumination  on  the  positive  would 
he  at  the  desired  standard. 

Practical  Operation 

In  actual  use,  all  that  was  necessary 
was  to  turn  on  the  light  to  the  de- 
sired standard  strength,  and  flip  the 
lever  that  brought  the  reflecting  mirror 
into  place.  Then  I would  simply  close 
down  the  diaphragm  of  the  camera’s 
lens  until  the  illumination  of  the 
image  seen  on  the  ground  glass 
matched  that  of  the  standard  positive. 
That  would  be  the  correct  exposure! 

When  using  filters,  I could  simply 
put  the  desired  filter  in  place  before 
the  aperture  by  means  of  the  Mitch- 
ell’s revolving  filter  disc.  Then,  hold- 
ing an  identical  filter  before  my  eye, 
I would  adjust  the  diaphragm  again 


in  the  same  way,  to  match  the  two 
images. 

Crude  as  it  now  seems,  this  meter 
worked  with  surprising  accuracy.  I 
still  remember  how  my  first  test  of 
the  device  surprised  me.  After  having 
gone  to  some  little  trouble  to  make 
the  device,  I felt  it  ought  to  work, 
but  I must  admit  that  I had  none 
too  much  confidence  in  it.  Especially 
after  setting  the  thing  up  and  making 
a strictly  visual  test! 

I had  chosen  a spot  in  the  bright 
sunlight  beside  one  of  the  stages  at 
the  United  Artists  Studio;  my  own 
judgement  of  the  correct  exposure 
for  that  shot  was,  as  I remember  it, 
about  /: 8.  But  when  I had  matched 
the  densities  in  my  meter,  I found  I 
had  my  lens  set  at  about  / : 1 8.  That 
couldn’t  be  right! 

I was  about  to  pack  things  up  in 
disgust  when  my  Assistant,  who  had 
sweated  mightily  over  getting  the 
thing  together  and  adjusted  on  my 
camera,  urged  that  there  couldn't  be 
much  to  lose  if  we  exposed  a few 
feet  of  tests — and  it  would  be  a pity 
to  go  to  so  much  trouble  with  nothing 
to  show  for  it!  So  we  compromised 
by  shooting  some  tests  of  a variety 
of  light-conditions:  “hot”  front-lights, 
top-lights,  cross-lights,  back-lights  and 
even  in  deep  shadows.  So  assured  was 
I that  the  readings  my  meter  gave 
were  impossibly  wrong  that  I slated 
the  roll  “Do  Not  Print!” 


Sortie  of  the  tests  described  by  the  author.  The  pictures  reproduced  above  are  enlarge- 
ments from  35 mm.  negative  exposed  in  1928.  All  received  identical  printing. 


9 


San  Juan,  Puerto  Rico 


But  when  the  negative  came  back 
from  the  laboratory,  tbe  shoe  was  dis- 
tinctly on  the  other  foot;  the  various 
takes  were  so  evenly  exposed  that 
they  could  have  been  printed  on  a 
single  light!  When  I recovered  from 
my  surprise,  I ordered  the  roll  printed, 
and  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  that 
they  actually  did  print  all  on  one 
light. 

Used  On  “Hell  Harbor" 
Needless  to  say,  when  the  “Hell 
Harbor”  troupe  went  on  location,  I 
followed  the  guidance  of  my  meter 
religiously.  There  were  plenty  of  times 
when  I shot  at  the  indicated  exposure 
only  with  grave  misgivings.  Several 


times  1 allowed  myself  the  protection 
of  making  an  extra  take,  exposed  at 
what  I thought  was  more  nearly 
correct  than  the  meter’s  reading:  but 
in  every  instance  the  meter’s  indication 
proved  accurate.  As  a matter  of  fact, 
none  of  my  protection  takes  got  into 
the  completed  picture! 

I found  the  meter  was  more  than 
ordinarily  helpful  in  judging  filtered 
exposures,  especially  when  making 
night-effect  shots  by  day.  Back  in 
1928.  of  course,  there  was  no  such 
thing  as  Agfa’s  present  Infra-Red 
film,  which  has  since  made  the  making 
of  filtered  night-effect  shots  such  a 
routine  matter.  Instead,  there  was  a 


10 


great  deal  of  mystery  about  making 
flight  scenes  in  the  daytime.  Not  many 
cinematographers  could  do  it,  and 
when  a producer  or  director  learned 
that  you  could  actually  turn  day  into 
night,  your  stock  went  up  consider- 
ably. Sometimes  your  salary  did,  too. 

But  if  the  truth  be  known,  making 
night  scenes  by  day  was  almost  as 
much  of  a mystery  to  those  of  us  who 
could  do  it  as  it  was  to  the  un- 
initiated. We  had  to  use  filters  that 
were  visually  almost  opaque — usually 
a 70.  a 72,  or  sometimes  a 23A-56 
combination — and  getting  the  correct 
exposure  was  a matter  of  pure,  but 
by  no  means  simple,  guesswork.  Some- 
times you  guessed  right ; sometimes 
you  didn’t. 

I found  my  crude  meter  a life- 
saver  in  making  that  sort  of  night 
effects.  I'd  use  a print  of  a night-effect 
scene  in  my  comparator,  and  rotate 
the  70  filter  into  place  in  the  camera. 
Then  it  was  simply  a matter  of  giving 
my  eye  time  enough  to  adjust  itself 
to  the  extremely  low  illumination  of 
both  ground  glass  and  comparator: 
that  usually  took  a moment  or  so, 
after  which  I could  use  the  meter  in 
the  usual  way. 

While  we  were  there  in  Florida 
making  the  picture,  our  negative  was 
of  course  going  to  New  York  for 
development;  hand-tests  showed  that 
our  exposures  were  running  quite  con- 
sistent, and  we  finally  finished  our 
location  work  and  started  home  con- 
tent that  in  spite  of  the  tropical 
hazards,  all  our  scenes  would  be  com- 
fortably within  the  allowable  21 -light 
printing  range. 

But  imagine  my  surprise  when  I 


found  that  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  the  picture  combined  interiors, 
normal  and  filtered  day  exteriors,  and 
a very  great  number  of  filtered  night 
exteriors,  the  entire  picture  printed 
on  oidy  four  printer-lights! 

Still  Practical 

I still  have  that  meter,  though  I 
haven’t  used  it  for  years.  But  I am 
convinced  it  would  still  work  as  suc- 
cessfully as  ever,  in  spite  of  the  tre- 
mendous advances  in  film  manufacture 
made  since  1928.  Of  course  I de- 
signed that  meter  for  the  only  type 
of  film  that  was  then  available — the 
earliest,  slow,  high-contrast  panchro- 
matic. But  using  it  today  for  a softer 
and  infinitely  faster  emulsion  like 
Agfa  Supreme  would  involve  only  the 
simple  change  of  setting  the  compar- 
ator light  to  a lower  illumination 
standard,  to  match  the  smaller  dia- 
phragm openings  that  would  be  used 
under  modern  conditions.  The  same 
sort  of  adjustment  could  be  used,  as 
I did  at  the  time,  to  automatically 
compensate  for  the  instances  in  which 
one  prefers  to  make  part  of  his  ex- 
posure compensation  with  the  shutter, 
rather  than  doing  it  entirely  with  the 
lens. 

Today,  of  course,  most  of  us  are 
using  photoelectric  meters  of  one  kind 
or  another,  and  the  crude  contraption 
of  soldered  brass  and  bakelite  that  I 
used  eleven  years  ago  is  pensioned  to 
secluded  retirement  in  a corner  of  my 
workshop.  But  it  was  the  first  exposure 
meter— and  perhaps  the  only  one  yet 
built — that  took  its  reading  through 
the  camera’s  actual  optical  system, 
and  wras  a built-in  part  of  the  camera. 


11 


Loretta  Young  Motion  Picture  Portrait  by  Merritt  B.  Gerstad,  A.S.C. 

(Reproduced  from  11x14  print:  insert  in  corner  shows  comparative  size  of 
one  of  the  35mm.  frames  from  which  enlagement  was  made.) 


Fin #*-  lira  in  Fori  rn  it  Stiiis  from 
.7.7  nun.  Motion  Picture  Xeyutire 

By  William  Stull.  A.S.C. 


TALKING  recent  years  the  increasing 
acceptance  of  the  miniature  camera 
as  an  aid  to  studio  still  work  has 
given  rise  to  considerable  discussion 
of  the  possibility  of  utilizing  frame 
enlargements  from  the  actual  produc- 
tion negative  for  some  types  of  pub- 
licity and  portrait  stills.  While  it  is 
certain  that  for  the  bulk  of  studio 
still  work  nothing  can  take  the  place 
of  conventional  big-camera  negatives, 
the  still -men  themselves  are  the  first 
to  point  out  that  there  are  times  when 


no  conventional  still  camera  can  cap- 
ture the  precise  effect  obtained  on 
the  screen.  In  some  instances  photo- 
graphic considerations  such  as  differ- 
ences in  lens  and  emulsion  character- 
istics make  this  impossible;  in  other 
instances  it  may  be  physical ly  im- 
practical to  attempt  the  making  of 
conventional  stills,  even  with  a minia- 
ture camera. 

In  such  instances  there  would  be 
much  to  be  gained  if  really  satis- 
factory still  enlargements  could  be 


12 


made  from  production  negative  frames. 

This  is  by  no  means  as  easy  as  it 
seems,  however,  for  inherent  techni- 
cal difficulties  render  it  a very  differ- 
ent proposition  from  the  familiar 
matter  of  making  enlargements  from 
minicam  negatives. 

Grain-size  A Problem 

One  of  the  chief  problems  is  of 
course  grain-size,  which  is  in  turn 
related  to  that  of  negative  develop- 
ment. In  comparison  to  the  standard 
negative  developers  of  only  a few 
years  ago,  the  solutions  commonly 
used  today  in  studio  and  commercial 
laboratories  are  rightfully  considered 
as  fine-grain  developers.  But  in  com- 
parison to  the  ultra  fine-grain  solu- 
tions universally  used  for  miniature 
camera  negative  development,  these 
solutions  are  admittedly  lacking  in 
truly  fine-grain  characteristics. 

In  addition,  while  the  old  silent- 
picture  aperture  is  roughly  half  the 
size  of  the  usual  minicam  frame,  the 
present  Academy  Standard  sound 
picture  aperture  has  an  area  about 
one-third  less  than  the  silent  picture 


aperture.  Thus  if  equal-sized  enlarge- 
ments are  made  from  a minicam  frame 
and  from  a frame  of  modern  studio 
production  negative,  the  latter  will  be 
subjected  to  somewhat  more  than 
double  the  relative  enlargement.  An 
11x14  inch  print  from  a 35mm.  pro- 
duction negative  frame  will  magnify 
the  image — and  with  it  the  grain-struc- 
ture— considerably  more  than  would 
be  the  case  in  a 26x33  inch  enlarge- 
ment from  a Leica  or  Contax  negative! 

These  two  factors  place  serious 
limitations  on  the  definition  obtain- 
able in  such  cine  frame  enlargements 
for  regardless  of  the  optical  quality 
of  the  original  image,  the  coarser 
grain-structure  and  the  greater  rela- 
tive enlargement  will  cause  an  ap- 
parent loss  of  definition. 

Further,  the  35mm.  negative  is  too 
small  to  permit  retouching:  and  where 
a picture  is  subjected  to  the  close  and 
detailed  inspection  usually  given  a 
still,  some  retouching  is  almost  in- 
evitably necessary. 

W anger  Experiments 

During  the  making  of  the  recent 
Walter  Wanger  production.  "Eternal- 


Comparison  of  grain-structure  of  conventional  single-frame  enlargement  (left)  and  three- 
frame  enlargement  (right)  of  detail  from  picture  on  opposite  page.  Reproduced  actual 
size  from  11x14  inch  prints. 


13 


Snowy  Highway 


Photographed  by  E.  E.  Doughty 


14 


ly  Yours,”  Director  of  Photography 
Merritt  B.  Gerstad,  A.S.C.,  filmed  a 
montage  sequence  which  included  a 
series  of  exceptionally  beautiful  close- 
ups  of  the  star,  Loretta  Young.  Some 
of  these  shots  have  been  pronounced 
the  finest  close-ups  ever  made  of  this 
glamorous  star. 

Wanger's  Director  of  Publicity  is 
the  progressive  John  LeRoy  Johnston, 
whose  advocacy  of  action  and  eye- 
appeal  in  publicity  stills  is  well 
known.  He  seized  upon  this  as  an  op- 
portunity to  experiment  with  the  pos- 
sibilities of  using  production  negative 
for  special  stills.  If  the  experiment 
succeeded,  he  reasoned,  a very  val- 
uable new  avenue  would  he  opened 
for  obtaining  stills  which  cannot  be 
obtained  by  conventional  means. 
Moreover,  he  woidd  obtain  a series 
of  unique  portraits  of  his  lovely  star. 

No  stranger  to  the  photographic 
possibilities  of  modern  minicam  tech- 
nique, Johnston  felt  certain  that  with 
modern  sensitive  materials  and  en- 
larging methods,  success  was  much 
more  likely  than  at  any  time  in  the 
past.  Photographic  quality  was  of 
course  the  keynote  of  the  problem: 
but  if  some  method  could  be  evolved 
to  bring  to  usefully  proportioned 


Hansen’s  multi-frame  negative  carrier,  show- 
ing sprocket  and  pilot  pins. 


still  enlargements  the  quality  Gerstad 
had  put  on  the  screen,  the  result 
would  be  something  radically  new  in 
portraiture. 

Overlapping  Grain-Images 

The  matter  was  finally  placed  in 
the  capable  hands  of  Steve  Hansen, 
photographic  technician  in  the  West 
Coast  laboratory  of  Look  magazine. 

Hansen,  when  he  accepted  the  assign- 
ment, realized  that  similar  experiments 
had  been  made  before,  and  that  photo- 
graphic quality  and  grain  size  had 
been  the  main  stumbling-blocks.  Still, 
he  reasoned,  when  the  same  scenes 
were  projected  in  a theatre  they  would 
he  subjected  to  infinitely  higher  magni- 
fication than  any  necessary  in  making 
still  prints.  The  projection  frequency 
of  24  images  per  second  would  tend 
to  make  the  individual  grain-images 
overlap  and  blend  into  each  other, 
minimizing  the  impression  of  graini- 
ness. 

Similar  treatment,  utilizing  not  one 
but  several  frame  images  for  each 
print,  should  produce  a similar  re- 
sult in  minimizing  grain  in  his  en- 
largements. 


Enlarger  adapted  for  multi-frame  printing. 
Note  enclosed  magazines  for  protection  of 
film. 


15 


Therefore  he  began  by  making  a 
special  negative-carrier  for  his  en- 
larger. Equipped  with  a standard 
motion  picture  camera  lens — in  this 
case  a 2-inch  Carl  Zeiss  “Tessar’ — - 
the  negative  carrier  was  fitted  with  a 
sprocket  for  moving  the  film  and  with 
a pair  of  accurate  pilot-pins  to  hold 
the  film  in  perfect  registration.  For 
simplicity  of  construction,  the  pilot- 
pins  were  manually  operated. 

Three-Frame  Printing 

The  nature  of  the  scenes  was  for- 
tunately such  that  there  was  very  little 
movement  between  each  frame  ex- 
posure. Therefore  Hansen  found  it 
possible  to  select  groups  of  three 
frames  from  each  scene  for  making 
his  prints. 

Each  print  was  accordingly  a triple- 
exposure, receiving  approximately  one- 
third  of  the  total  exposure  to  each 
of  the  three  negative  frames  used. 
Since  the  original  negative  had  been 
photographed  with  a pilot-pin  equip- 
ped Mitchell,  and  the  enlarger  was 
fitted  with  equally  accurate  register- 
ing-pins, the  three  exposures  were  in 
perfect  register. 

The  prints  were  11x14  inches  in 
size:  the  full  frame  area  was  by  no 
means  always  used.  The  most  highly 
magnified  enlargement  utilized  but 
half  the  frame,  and  gave  a 24-diameter 
magnification  which  in  point  of  actual 
enlargement  is  roughly  comparable  to 
a 44x56  inch  print  from  a standard 
minicam  negative! 

The  negative  used  was  a clip  from 
the  actual  production  negative;  it  re- 
ceived no  special  fine-grain  treatment, 
but  like  all  of  Wanger’s  negative  went 
through  the  usual  processing  of  the 
Consolidated  laboratory.  The  lighting 
is  of  course  Gerstad's,  and  it  is  to  be 


observed  that  he  employed  a very 
slight  diffusion  which  in  these  prints 
gives  a result  comparable  to  that  of 
the  diffusion  favored  by  many  still 
portraitists. 

The  grain-structure,  as  the  illustra- 
tions show,  is  exceptionally  fine.  When 
one  realizes  that  these  prints  are 
“blow-ups”  from  35mm.  frames,  and 
is  looking  for  grain,  it  can  be  seen: 
otherwise  it  would  probably  pass  un- 
noticed. The  general  quality  is  sur- 
prisingly well  comparable  to  that  of 
enlargements  from  standard  portrait 
negatives. 

Motion  Picture  Portraits 

Hansen’s  comments  on  his  achieve- 
ment are  characteristically  modest. 
“I  can’t  claim  to  have  originated  the 
idea,”  he  says,  “for  I know  of  several 
others  who  have  used  the  same  prin- 
ciple in  the  past.  If  the  results  I have 
obtained  are  better  than  those  general- 
ly had  before,  I think  most  of  the 
credit  should  go  to  the  improvements 
in  sensitive  materials  and  methods. 
Gerstad  gave  me  a fine  negative  to 
work  with,  made  on  modern  film,  and 
I made  my  prints  on  the  new  Agfa 
Cykora  paper  which,  almost  since  its 
introduction,  we’ve  used  practically 


Three  frames 
of  the  scene 
from  which  the 
enlargement 
on  the  oppo- 
site page  was 
made.  I Repro- 
duced actual 
size. ) 


16 


Loretta  Young 


Motion  Picture  Portrait  by  Merritt  B.  Gerstad,  A.S.C. 


exclusively  for  our  enlargements  in 
Look's  West  Coast  laboratory.  The 
matter  of  film  shrinkage  gave  me 
some  problems  to  contend  with  in 
getting  good  registration;  but  for  the 
rest — with  a good  negative,  good 


equipment  and  a really  flexible, 
modern  printing  material  like  Cykora, 
I could  hardly  go  wrong!” 

Publicist  Johnston  considers  Han- 
sen's work  a distinct  achievement. 
“Up  to  now,”  he  points  out,  “35mm. 


frame  enlargements  were  only  possible 
at  a very  evident  sacrifice  in  photo- 
graphic quality.  Hansen’s  prints,  on 
the  other  hand,  might  easily  be  taken 
for  big-camera  portraits.  I think  these 
pictures  point  the  way  to  a new  range 
of  possibilities  in  the  publicist’s  eter- 
nal search  for  life  and  action  in  his 
stills.  Of  course  such  pictures  as 
these  can  never  take  the  place  of  con- 
ventional stills — but  in  their  own  field 
they  get  a certain  realism  never  pos- 
sible by  any  other  method. 

“Not  every  type  of  cinematography 
is  adaptable  to  this  use;  we  were  for- 
tunate that  Gerstad  gave  us  a negative 
of  pleasingly  crisp  definition  and 
lighting.  A scene  photographed  with 
heavy  diffusion  or  unduly  soft  light- 
ing would  probably  not  enlarge  at  all 
well. 

“I’d  like  to  point  out  one  impor- 
tant fact  these  pictures  bring  out.  The 
most  common  objection  to  miniature 
camera  and  35mm.  cine  negatives  for 
making  high-quality  still  enlargements 
has  always  been  the  impossibility  of 
retouching  these  small  negatives.  And 
it  is  a matter  of  commonly  accepted 
routine  that  all  stills — especially  por- 
traits— be  retouched  before  prints  can 
be  released  for  publication. 

“These  negatives  could  not  be  re- 
touched. They  were  not.  But  Gerstad’s 
lighting  was  such  that  no  retouching 
was  necessary ! 

“This  proves  another  important 
fact:  that  even  though  many  of  us 
have  for  years  paid  tribute  to  the 
artistic  skill  of  our  ‘ace’  Directors  of 
Photography,  most  of  us  have  over- 


looked the  fact  that  they  are  not  only 
the  cine-camera  masters  of  the  world, 
but  that  their  daily  achievements  rank 
them  among  the  greatest  camera-por- 
trait artists  of  the  world  as  well. 

“We  are  inclined  to  overlook  this 
when  we  see  a movie  in  a theatre  or 
projection-room,  for  the  story  proper- 
ly overshadows  the  technical  contri- 
butions. But  when  you  can  study  a 
picture  like  one  of  these  'Motion 
Picture  Portraits’  at  leisure,  you  can- 
not help  realizing  that  an  ‘ace’  cine- 
matographer like  Merritt  Gerstad  is 
also  an  ‘ace’  portraitist. 

“I  feel  this  opens  up  a new  field  in 
portraits  of  our  stars.  We  talk  a great 
deal  about  what  the  beautiful  photo- 
graphy of  an  artist  like  Merritt  Ger- 
stad or  Jimmie  Howe  does  to  make 
stars  such  as  Loretta  Young  or  Hedy 
Lamarr  even  more  glamorous  than 
they  really  are.  Now  we  can  show  it 
in  stills! 

“In  addition,  there  are  some  very 
fine  players  whose  chief  charm  is  in 
animation;  who  appear  delightfully 
natural  on  the  screen,  but  who  seem 
stiff  and  wooden  in  stills.  Motion 
picture  portraits  of  such  players  as 
these  would  seem  the  only  possible 
way  of  being  sure  of  capturing  their 
real  personalities  in  stills.  Speed-flash 
shots  can  catch  the  animated  moments, 
but  at  a sacrifice  of  good  lighting  and 
portrait  quality.  These  motion  picture 
portraits  can  condense  the  best  phase 
of  animation  into  a still,  and  at  the 
same  time  maintain  the  high  standards 
of  lighting  and  photographic  quality 
we  demand  in  modern-day  pictures.” 


18 


370  M.P.H.! 


Photographed  by  T ruman  D.  Vencill 


"Covering"  John  Cobb's 
Assault  on  the  World's 
Speed  tteeord 

By  Truman  D.  Vencill 

Illustrated  by  the  Author 


TT  leaking  the  world’s  land  speed 
-^record  over  the  famous  Bonneville 
Salt  Flats  in  Utah  furnishes  the 
world’s  most  gruelling  test  of  car  and 
driver.  It  also  furnishes  an  equally 
merciless  test  of  the  films  and  cameras 
used  to  make  pictures  of  the  event. 

As  an  official  Photographer  for  the 
Contest  Board  of  the  American  Auto- 
mobile Association,  I can  call  on  per- 
sonal experience  to  verify  that  last 
statement.  I and  my  cameras  have 
been  on  duty  to  picture  all  of  the 
record  tries  since  Sir  Malcom  Camp- 
bell and  his  “Bluebird”  first  pushed 
the  record  above  the  300  miles  per 
hour  mark.  Frankly,  I can’t  think  of 
any  location  where  climatic  and  light- 
ing conditions  give  film  a harder 


workout.  During  the  daytime,  it  is 
incredibly  hot;  at  night  it  gets  almost 
equally  cold:  and  the  change  from 
extreme  cold  to  extreme  heat  is  amaz- 
ingly sudden. 

Most  of  the  runs  are  made  in  the 
early  morning  or  late  evening,  and 
the  film  that  pictures  those  runs  has 
to  be  right  out  in  the  midst  of  the 
temperature  changes.  Often  when  we 
get  up  at  dawn,  with  a run  in  pros- 
pect, the  thermometer  will  be  waver- 
ing somewhere  below  the  50°  mark: 
only  a short  time  later,  as  the  sun 
warms  to  its  day’s  work,  the  mercury 
will  have  jumped  to  better  than  110°. 

Supreme  Stands  Up 

What  this  does  to  film  can  easily 
be  imagined.  During  the  several  years 


I've  been  photographing  these  record 
runs.  I’ve  tried  almost  every  type  of 
film  available-  -and  up  to  this  year, 
the  troubles  I’ve  had  with  reticulation, 
unnaturally  exaggerated  graininess 
and  even  softened  emulsions  were 
heartbreaking. 

But  this  year,  for  the  first  time,  I 
took  Agfa  Supreme  to  the  speed  wars: 
and  to  my  delight  I found  that 
Supreme  is  the  first  film  that  stands 
the  test  of  Bonneville’s  rigorous  tem- 
perature-changes. Where  past  exper- 
ience with  other  films  had  taught  me 
to  expect  reticulation,  abnormal  grain 
and  every  other  imaginable  trouble. 
Supreme  took  it  and  liked  it  to  the 
extent  of  giving  me  some  of  the  best 
pictures  I’ve  ever  made  of  a record 
try. 


A 

»•*•»'>»>'  . .»«*  - ir,  , . ...  . • ,»*» 


Sir  Malcolm  Campbell  makes  301  rn.p.h. 

But  perhaps  you’d  like  to  hear 
something  about  how  a person  like 
John  Cobb.  Capt.  Eyston  or  Malcolm 
Campbell  goes  about  the  business  of 
setting  a new  land  speed  record.  And 
“business”  is  decidedly  the  word  for 
it:  driving  one  of  these  wheeled  bullets 
across  the  salt-beds  at  370  miles  an 
hour  costs  almost  as  much  as  an  aver- 
age motion  picture  production,  and 
involves  fully  as  much  careful  pre- 
paration. 

To  begin  with,  you  must  have  a 


car:  and  you  can’t  just  walk  into  a 
salesroom  and  say  “Wrap  that  one  up 
for  me!”  On  the  contrary,  you  have 
to  seek  out  one  of  the  very  few 
engineers  in  the  world  who  can  design 
a six-mile-a-minute  speedster,  and  you 
design  and  build  your  car  from 
scratch.  Even  the  nuts  and  holts  often 
have  to  be  built  specially  for  the 
purpose. 

Campbell  and  Eyston  both  had 
huge  juggernauts,  as  powerful  as  a 
racing  airplane,  and  bigger  and 
heavier  than  most  trucks.  John  Cobb 
and  his  designer,  Reid  Railton,  pinned 
their  faith  to  a far  lighter  and  less 
powerful  design,  trusting  to  aerody- 
namically  perfect  streamlining  to  do 
the  work  of  weight  and  brute  power. 

Eleven-Year-Old  Engines 

One  of  the  most  surprising  things 
about  Cobh’s  record-breaking  “Red 
Lion”  was  the  fact  that  his  engines 
were  over  eleven  years  old.  The  car 
used  two  of  them — one  to  drive  the 
front  wheels,  the  other  to  drive  the 
rear  wheels.  They  had  begun  their 
careers  as  airplane  engines,  known  as 
the  Napier  “Lion;”  each  had  twelve 
cylinders  in  three  hanks  of  four,  two 
arranged  in  the  usual  V-formation, 
with  the  third  standing  upright  be- 
tween the  other  two.  Originally,  if 
my  memory  is  correct,  these  engines 
produced  about  450  hp.  each:  but 
today,  between  modifications  and  the 
special  racing  fuels  used,  they  pro- 
duce considerably  more  power. 

Over  the  low-hung  chassis  of  the 
“Red  Lion"  is  placed  the  demountable 
body,  which  is  carefully  streamlined 
not  only  to  minimize  air  resistance, 
but  to  make  the  air-currents  help  to 
hold  the  car  on  the  ground  at  high 
speeds.  Following  the  experience  of 


20 


Top,  left,  part  of  crowd;  right,  "Red  Lion’s”  instrument-board.  Middle,  left,  "Red  Lion” 
under  wraps;  right,  with  body  removed  to  permit  motor  adjustments.  Bottom,  left , John 
Cobb  gets  into  his  car  for  a run;  right,  refueling  for  the  return  run:  cans  at  right  contain 
ice  for  cooling  the  motors. 


racing  aviators,  this  body  has  a 
smooth.  Highly  polished  surface,  for 
it  has  been  found  that  at  such  high 
speeds  the  friction  of  an  unpolished 
body  can  create  enough  resistance  to 
lower  the  speed  several  miles  per 
hour. 

Once  one  has  a car  and,  of  course, 
a crew  of  skilled  mechanics  to  keep 
it  in  condition,  the  next  problem  is 
finding  a track  where  the  car  may 
safely  be  “let  out.’’  This  means  a 
hard,  smooth,  flat  stretch  at  least  a 


dozen  miles  long.  It  must  be  free  from 
wind,  for  a sudden  cross-wind  can 
literally  blow  a car  off  the  track 
when  the  car  is  covering  a mile  in 
less  than  ten  seconds! 

The  Bonneville  Salt  Flats,  near 
Wendover,  Utah,  offers  what  is  prob- 
ably the  most  nearly  ideal  speed 
course  in  the  world,  and  the  Utah 
authorities  have  cooperated  to  make 
and  keep  it  the  world’s  fastest  speed- 
way. The  surface  is  a vast  expanse  of 
solidified  salt,  as  flat  and  smooth  as 


21 


AAA  timer  A.  C.  Pillsbury,  Designer  Reid 
Railton,  John  Cobb  and  Earl  Gilmore  discuss 
speed  for  the  newsreels. 


ice.  Ordinarily,  it  is  covered  by  about 
an  inch  of  powdered,  loose  salt,  much 
as  a frozen  lake  may  be  covered  with 
snow  in  wintertime.  But  when  these 
speed  tests  are  on,  the  State  Highway 
Department  sweeps  the  track  clear 
with  a special  scraper. 

Thirteen  Miles  of  Salt 

This  provides  a speedway  as  hard 
and  smooth  as  newly-laid  concrete, 
some  sixty  feet  wide  by  thirteen  miles 
long.  Down  the  exact  center  of  this 
lane,  its  position  determined  by  ac- 
curate surveying,  runs  a black  line, 
one  foot  wide  and  thirteen  miles  long. 
This  guides  the  driver  on  his  course. 

Along  this  thirteen  mile  strip  are 
accurately  laid-out  distances  of  10 
miles,  10  kilometers,  5 miles,  5 kilo- 
meters, and  the  crucial  measured  mile 
and  measured  kilometer  across  which 
the  record  sprint  must  be  made. 
Photoelectric-eye  timing  circuits  ac- 
curately time  the  car’s  rush  across 
these  distances. 

Finally  in  the  course  of  preparation 
comes  the  matter  of  proper  fuel  and 
oil.  Up  to  this  year,  the  British  racers 
brought  their  own  with  them,  special- 
ly compounded  by  leading  British 
refiners.  But  this  year,  for  the  first 
time,  John  Cobb  utilized  American 
products.  The  lubricant  was  a strictly 


stock  Gilmore  oil;  the  fuel,  while 
specially  compounded  for  the  pur- 
pose, was  prepared  by  the  Gilmore 
refineries.  In  comparison  to  familar 
commercial  fuels  it  was  something 
like  Agfa  Ultra  Speed  Pan  in  com- 
parison to  yesterday's  slowy  emulsions; 
the  high-test  gas  we  buy  for  our  cars 
has  an  Octane  Rating  of  about  80. 
and  the  best  military-standard  avia- 
tion fuel  a rating  of  100:  hut  this 
special  mixture  rates  at  around  120! 
Liquid  TNT  could  hardly  pack  a 
stronger  kick! 

Il  is  highly  significant  that  Cobh’s 
car.  with  scarcely  no  major  modifi- 
cations since  last  year’s  run.  hut  using 
this  more  potent  fuel,  achieved  a 
speed  of  some  20  m.p.h.  faster  than 
its  best  previous  record.  A great  deal 
of  credit  is  certainly  due  E.  J.  Sanders, 
the  American  chemist  who  compound- 
ed the  fuel. 

Making  The  Run 

When  everything  is  ready,  and  all 
are  assembled  on  the  salt  flats,  the 
racing  day  begins  before  dawn.  We 
rise  at  about  3:30  in  the  cold  gray 
dawn,  gulp  a hit  of  hot  breakfast,  and 
tense  ourselves  for  action. 

The  mechanics  take  a last  look  at 
the  vitals  of  the  car.  and  fill  its  capac- 
ious cooling  tanks  (which  take  the 


Adjusting  the  pushing-pole  with  which  “ Red 
Lion ” is  started. 


22 


place  of  radiators)  with  cracked  ice 
from  big  cans.  Then  the  streamlined 
body  is  lowered  lovingly  over  the 
chassis. 

A service  truck,  from  the  rear  of 
which  extends  a long  springboard, 
backs  up  in  front  of  the  racer,  and 
Cobb  carefully  lowers  himself  from 
the  board  into  his  seat.  Then  a stream- 
lined housing  is  dropped,  like  the 
cockpit  enclosure  of  a racing  plane, 
over  his  head. 

Since  the  "Red  Lion”  has  no 
starters,  there  seems  a common  mis- 
conception that  the  car  is  started  by 
being  towed  by  the  service  truck.  This 
is  not  quite  true:  the  truck  comes  up 
behind  the  racer’s  tail,  a pushing-pole 
is  inserted  in  its  special  socket  in  the 
racer's  tail,  and  the  truck  pushes. 

You'd  realize  why  if  you  once  saw 
one  of  those  racers  start!  The  truck 
rumbles  forward,  building  up  to  some 
40  or  50  miles  per  hour.  Suddenly 
comes  an  explosion,  then  another,  and 
finally  a roar  from  the  racer’s  engines. 
There  may  be  a little  spurt  of  smoke 
from  the  exhausts — and  suddenly  the 
racer  is  no  longer  there!  Fifty  miles 
an  hour  is  literally  a standstill  for  a 
car  like  the  "Red  Lion” — Cobb  doesn't 
shift  into  high  until  he’s  doing  better 
than  200 — and  once  she  starts,  she 
whisks  herself  out  of  sight  faster  than 
the  eye  or  brain  can  follow. 

Six  Miles  To  Stop 

Running  to  the  start  of  the  course, 
Cobb  manipulates  his  two  hand- 
throttles  until  the  two  motors  are  syn- 
chronized; then  as  he  hurtles  down 
the  course  he  opens  up — accelerating 
for  six  full  miles  to  build  up  maxi- 
mum speed  for  the  measured  mile. 

He  comes  by  the  judges’  stand  with 
a roar  and  a streak  of  polished  silver. 


And  as  he  flashes  past  the  end  of  the 
measured  mile,  he  starts  decelerating: 
from  370  m.p.h.  it  takes  the  full  six 
miles  left  to  bring  his  car  to  a stop. 

At  the  end  of  the  course,  the  body 
is  again  removed,  while  tires  are 
changed,  fuel,  oil  and  cooling  ice 
replenished,  and  the  car  is  turned 
around  for  a run  in  the  opposite  di- 
rection. The  rules  demand  that  two 
runs  must  be  made  in  opposite  di- 
rections over  the  same  course,  within 
an  hour,  if  the  record  is  to  be  con- 
sidered official.  Newspaper  readers 
will  recall  that  on  his  first  attempt 
this  year,  Cobb  stalled  his  engine  on 
one  run,  shifting  into  high  at  200 
m.p.h.,  and  could  not  get  restarted  in 
time  to  make  his  return-run  within 
the  specified  hour.  However,  he  cer- 
tainly made  up  for  it  a few  days  later 
when  he  officially  covered  1 mile  at 


John  Cobh:  ‘"How  fast  did  1 go?” 


23 


368.85  m.p.h.,  1 kilometer  at  exactly 
369  m.p.h.,  and  in  the  process  actually 
exceeded  370  m.p.h. 

Even  so.  the  “Red  Lion”  was  ap- 
parently far  from  “wide  open.”  for 
the  roar  of  the  motors  told  us  plainly 
that  Cobb  was  still  accelerating  all 
through  the  measured  mile.  Actually 
tires  seem  to  be  the  limiting  factor. 
The  tires  used  were  built  for  a speed 
of  360  m.p.h.,  and  at  370  were  being 
strained  perilously  close  to  their  limit. 
With  sturdier  tires,  it  seems  certain 
that  “Red  Lion,”  with  no  mechanical 
changes,  could  attain  400  m.p.h.,  or 
better. 

Making  The  Pictures 

Photographing  either  stills  or 
movies  of  the  actual  speed  run  is  com- 
plicated by  the  precautions  necessary 
to  assure  the  safety  of  both  the  spec- 
tators and  the  racer  himself.  Not  only 
the  general  public  (nearly  10,000 
people  came  to  watch  Cobb’s  run  this 
year)  but  photographers,  the  driver’s 
crew,  and  even  the  official  timers, 
must  be  kept  at  a respectful  distance 
from  the  track,  so  that  in  case  the 
driver  should  momentarily  lose  con- 
trol of  his  speeding  monster,  he  would 
have  room  enough  to  maneuver  safely. 

With  a car  moving  at  that  speed, 
if  anything  happens,  it  happens  fast: 
a car  travelling  a mile  in  ten  seconds 
covers  528  feet  in  a second ! There- 
fore the  authorities  insist  on  keeping 
clear  a 1000-foot  lane  on  either  side 
of  the  actual  track — “just  in  case!” 

This  means  we  photographers  must 
work  exclusively  with  telephoto  lenses. 
In  my  own  case,  that  meant  a 135mm. 
objective  on  my  Contax — and  the 


image  on  the  negative  was  smaller 
that  I wanted,  even  so. 

Minicam  Advantages 

Using  a minature  camera  in  photo- 
graphing these  speed  trials  is,  I be- 
leive,  a definite  advantage.  The  tele- 
photo lenses  used  on  a minicam  nat- 
urally give  far  more  depth  than  any 
comparable  objectives  for  bigger 
cameras.  Moreover,  with  a minicam, 
much  slower  shutter  speeds  are  pos- 
sible, which  means  you  can  stop  down 
farther  for  increased  depth,  and  still 
“stop”  the  motion  of  the  speeding 
car.  Even  when  Cobb’s  car  roared 
across  my  picture  at  better  than  six 
miles  a minute,  I was  able  to  stop  the 
motion  in  my  tele-shots  at  the  relative- 
ly slow  exposure  of  1 /500th  second. 

The  speed  of  Agfa  Supreme  neg- 
ative was  helpful  in  the  same  way, 
for  it,  too  enabled  me  to  use  any 
necessary  shutter  speed,  and  yet  stop 
down  for  greater  focal  depth.  In 
more  routine  pictures  made  of  the 
various  people  involved  -Cobb,  AAA 
executive  A.  C.  Pillsbury,  oil-man  Earl 
Gilmore,  Designer  Reid  Railton.  and 
others — the  same  factor  aided  in 
getting  crisp,  well-defined  pictures. 

There  is  another  thing  for  which  I 
believe  the  film  deserves  a world  of 
credit:  the  way  it  performed  under 
the  abnormally  contrasty  light-con- 
ditions. Out  there  on  the  salt  Hats,  the 
sunlight  is  intense,  and  most  of  the 
landscape  is  an  expanse  of  glaring 
white  salt,  a perfect  set-up  for  con- 
trasty, “soot-and-whitewash”  pictures. 
In  spite  of  this  I found  that  Supreme, 
wi'.h  or  without  filters,  had  so  much 
latitude  that  it  gave  me  genuinely 
pleasing  results — pictures  that  have  a 
brilliant  sparkle  without  being  over- 
contrasty. 


24 


Photographed  by  Pat  Clark 


Pictorial 

Pictorial  beauty  on  the  screen  de- 
pends on  two  factors:  the  skill  of  the 
cinematographer,  and  the  quality  of 
the  sensitive  material  he  uses. 

Agfa  Supreme  negative  is  outstand- 
ing in  this  respect.  In  addition  to 
astonishing  speed,  Agfa  Supreme 


Beauty 

offers  exceptional  fine-grain  quality, 
ideally  balanced  color-sensitivity,  and 
an  improved  gradational  range  that 
captures  all  the  delicate  tonal  vari- 
ations that  make  a picture  beautiful. 
Made  by  Agfa-Ansco  Corporation 
in  Binghamton,  New  York. 


Distributed  by 


AGFA  RAW  FML3I  CORPORATION 


HOLLYWOOD 

6424  Santa  Monica  Blvd. 


NEW  YORK 
245  West  55th  Street 


SUPREME 


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VOLUME  IV  NO.  2 


M ARCH-APRIL  1940 


MOTION  PICTURE  TOPICS 


WILLIAM  STULL 


A.  S.  C. 


EDITOR 


Contents 


Timely  Topics 2 

Make-Up  for  Agfa  Film  Products 

By  Max  Factor,  Jr 5 

Photographic  Speed  Ratings  . . . Part  111 

By  Henry  A.  Fowler  and  Lloyd  E.  Varden  ....  13 

Cameras  of  Yesteryear  . . . Part  III 

By  W.  Wallace  Clendenin 20 


Making  Movies  for  Colored  Audiences 

By  Mack  Stengler,  A.S.C.  .......  28 


About  Our  Contributors 


32 


On  the  Farm  . . Photographed  hy  Sergeant  Rex  Servoss  . . Frontispiece 


Published  Bi-Monthly  by  AGFA  RAW  FILM  CORPORATION 

6424  SANTA  MONICA  BLVD.,  HOLLYWOOD  - 245  WEST  55th  ST.,  NEW  YORK 


Neither  Agfa  Motion  Picture  Topics  nor  the  Agfa  Raw  Film  Corporation  is  responsible  fo, 
statements  made  by  authors  nor  unsolicited  manuscripts. 


Tunvtp  Topics 


Wf|TH  this  issue,  Agfa  Motion 
W Picture  Topics  commences  its 
fourth  year  of  publication.  And  on 
this  occasion,  we  feel  it  only  proper 
to  extend  to  our  ever-widening  circle 
of  friends  and  readers  throughout  the 
industry  our  sincerest  appreciation  for 
the  support  and  encouragement  they 
have  given  our  little  magazine. 

When  this  magazine  was  first  plan- 
ned. there  were  those  who  wondered 
if  people  in  this  busy  industry  would 
take  the  time  to  notice  — much  less 
read  — another  technical  magazine, 
and  one  provided  for  them  freely  by 
a manufacturer  of  film.  But  those  of 
us  who  have  shaped  and  carried  on 
the  editorial  policies  of  this  journal 
were  confident  that,  expressing  as  it 
does  the  policies  of  service  and 
quality  that  characterize  the  Agfa- 
Ansco  organization,  it  would  find  a 
welcome.  We  have  been  justifiably 
confident,  too.  that  it  could  serve  its 
own  distinctive  purpose,  without  en- 
croaching on  the  territories  of  any 
existing  publications. 

Time  has  justified  both  of  these 
opinions.  At  regular  intervals  we 
have  found  it  necessary  to  increase 
the  number  of  copies  printed.  Still, 
almost  daily,  we  here  in  Hollywood 
and  our  associates  in  New  York  are 
approached  by  people  active  in  the 
industry  with  a request  that  they,  too, 
be  allowed  to  receive  the  magazine. 
Other  evidence,  too,  clearly  proves 
the  fact  that  our  journal  is  read  and 
liked  by  cinematographers,  technic- 
ians, executives  and  directors  wher- 


ever on  this  continent  motion  pictures 
are  made.  Even,  we  find,  in  places 
and  by  people  we  had  never  known 
to  be  cinematically  active. 

In  the  same  way,  the  cordiality  of 
our  relations  with  the  industry’s  estab- 
lished technical  and  trade  journals 
has  been  gratifying.  There  have  been 
friendly  interchanges  of  news,  pic- 
tures, and  other  favors  in  a way  that 
could  not  be  possible  unless  genuine- 
ly friendly  relations  and  mutual  re- 
spect existed. 

Theref  ore  we  want  to  open  our 
fourth  year  with  a sincere  "thank 
you"  to  all  our  many  friends,  and 
with  the  repeated  assurance  that  we 
will  constantly  strive  to  make  this 
magazine  of  continued  interest  and 
benefit  to  all  who  read  it. 

A ATT  hen  truly  great  achievements  are 
honored  by  a sincere  and  wide- 
spread tribute,  nothing  can  be  added 
by  any  printed  comment.  This  year’s 
Academy  Awards  are  like  that,  and 
nothing  that  we  or  any  other  editorial 
writer  might  say  could  add  to  the  fact 
that  in  no  previous  year  has  the  in- 
dustry paid  such  spontaneous  tribute 
to  really  great  achievements,  nor  done 
so  with  such  complete  freedom  from 
political,  national  or  racial  prejudice. 

But  we  would  like  to  add  our  few 
words  of  congratulation  to  the  men 
who  received  premier  honors  in  our 
own  specialized  field  of  photographic 
achievement.  Competition  in  the  fields 
of  both  monochrome  and  color  cine- 
matography this  year  was  unusually 


2 


keen,  for  almost  every  month  was 
studded  with  the  release  of  an  unusual 
number  of  productions  that  were,  so 
to  speak,  ‘‘photographers’  pictures,” 
which  gave  their  directors  of  photo- 
graphy exceptional  opportunities  for 
outstanding  camerawork.  In  such 
company,  it  took  great  achievement 
to  win. 

We  take  pleasure,  therefore,  in  ex- 
tending to  Gregg  Toland.  A.S.C.,  our 
warmest  congratulations  on  capturing 
the  Award  for  the  year's  outstanding 
monochrome  cinematography.  His  ach- 
ievement is,  we  believe,  unique  in 
that  two  of  his  1939  productions, 
photographed  for  different  studios, 
were  nominated  for  the  Award  ballot- 
ing— a distinction  that  seldom  if 
ever  before  has  fallen  to  a cinemato- 
grapher. In  our  opinion,  and  in  that 
of  the  majority  of  cinematographers 
with  whom  we  have  talked,  it  is  al- 
most unfortunate  that  but  one  of  these 
films  could  be  singled  out  to  receive 
the  Award,  for  both  were  of  super- 
lative calibre.  In  any  event,  the  Award 
has  gone  to  one  whose  achievements 
over  a period  of  years  have  stamped 
him,  in  the  general  opinion  of  his 
fellows,  as  one  of  the  most  progress- 
ive of  technicians  and  artists  in  the 
camera  profession. 

We  take  equal  pleasure  in  extend- 
ing our  congratulations  to  the  three 
men  who  shared  the  Color  Award  — - 
Ernest  Haller,  A.S.C.,  Ray  Rennahan, 
A.S.C.,  and  Wilfrid  M.  Cline,  A.S.C. 
Not  for  many  years  have  any  cinema- 
tographers faced  a more  difficult  as- 
signment than  these  three  had  in  put- 
ting ‘‘Gone  With  The  Wind”  on  the 
screen.  Not  only  the  immense  physi- 
cal and  dramatic  scope  of  the  produc- 
tion had  to  be  contended  with,  but 
the  far  more  difficult  task  of  achiev- 


ing perfection  in  every  shot  — of  liv- 
ing up  to  the  mental  images  already 
created  in  the  minds  of  the  millions 
who  read  the  most  widely  read  hook 
of  the  decade.  It  is  too  easy  to  make 
much  of  the  fact  that  these  cinema- 
tographers had  at  their  command  virt- 
ually unlimited  time,  money  and  facil- 
ities. These  tangible  assets  helped, 
undoubtedly,  but  it  took  cinematogra- 
phic ability  of  the  highest  order  to 
complete  the  assignment,  not  merely 
adequately,  but  in  triumphant.  Award- 
winning style. 

In  past  issues,  we  have  commented 
that  the  industry  is  fortunate  in  its 
youth,  in  that  while  the  industry  and 
its  methods  have  advanced  enormous- 
ly, many  of  the  men  who  pioneered 
these  advances  are  still  among  the 
active  leaders.  The  Award  for  out- 
standing Special  Effects  work,  which 
went  to  Fred  Sersen  and  E.  H.  Hansen 
for  their  memorable  work  in  “The 
Rains  Came,”  is  an  excellent  example 
of  this  point,  for  both  men  are 
pioneers  in  their  fields.  Sersen  is 
credited  with  the  notable  achievement 
of  evolving  the  old-time  “glass  shot” 
into  the  modern  matte  shot,  and  of 
pioneering  many  other  modern  special- 
process  methods,  including  back- 
ground projection;  Hansen  is  one  of 
the  industry’s  pioneers  in  sound  re- 
cording. Each  has  enough  important 
pioneering  achievements  to  his  credit 
to  build  up  an  ample  pile  of  laurels 
upon  which  to  rest.  But  instead,  they 
collaboate  on  the  industry’s  foremost 
achievement  in  special  effects  tech- 
nique! The  industry  may  well  take 
pride  in  the  men  behind  such  achieve- 
ments. 

TVThile  we’re  speaking  of  the 
^ Awards,  we  can't  help  mention- 


3 


ing  a bit  of  news  we  recently  picked 
up.  That  is  that  the  Technical  Awards 
Committee  is  understood  to  have  put 
itself  on  record  as  recommending  that 
the  Award  for  outstanding  special- 
effects  cinematography  be  removed 
from  the  category  of  the  Special 
Awards,  to  he  given  or  witheld  at  the 
discretion  of  the  Committee,  and  made 
a regular  Award. 

That  same  thought  inspired  a com- 
ment in  these  pages  two  months  ago. 
We  tried  to  point  out  that  modern 
special-process  cinematography  has 
come  to  contribute  so  much  to  the 
technical,  artistic  and  economic  suc- 
cess of  virtually  every  production  that 
it  deserves  regular,  rather  than  mere- 
ly optional  recognition.  We  re  glad  to 
see  we  weren’t  alone  in  our  opinion. 

'"pHE  recent  announcement  of  a com- 
mercially  available  process  for 
treating  lenses  to  eliminate  surface  re- 
flections is  one  of  the  most  important 
advances  made  in  many  years.  Cine- 
matographers who  have  used  the 
treated  lenses  tell  us  the  treatment  in- 
creases effective  speed  by  one  full 
stop,  while  markedly  improving  depth 
and  definition. 

When  coupled  with  the  use  of  to- 
day’s modern,  high-speed  negative 
emulsions,  such  as  Agfa  Supreme,  this 
development  bids  fair  to  revolution- 
ize studio  cinematography  and  light- 
ing methods.  Certainly  it  should  re- 
duce illumination  levels  to  an  extent 
never  before  possible. 

* * * 

W7  E wonder  how  many  of  our 
vv  readers  realize  that  there  are  not 
less  than  two  theatres  in  the  Holly- 
wood-Beverly  Hills  region  which  as  a 


regular  policy  show  16mm.  movies 
along  with  their  regular  35mm.  bills? 
Some  of  these  films  have  been  com- 
mercial or  educational  subjects  made 
directly  in  16mm.  Others  have  been 
16mm.  reductions  of  noteworthy 
foreign-made  documentary  short-sub- 
jects which  have  never  been  brought 
into  this  country  in  their  original 
35mm.  form,  as  they  have  been  deem- 
ed more  suited  to  educational  than  to 
theatrical  release.  One  theatre,  even, 
has  at  times  utilized  a publicity  tie-up 
with  an  amateur  movie  magazine  and 
obtained  noteworthy  16mm.  amateur 
films  as  special  added  attractions. 

The  point  is  that  with  modern 
16mm.  film  and  projection,  the  aud- 
ience cannot  tell  the  difference  between 
35mm.  and  16mm.  on  the  screen. 

There  are  countless  small-town 
theatres  which  could  be  reopened  and 
made  profitable  if  they  could  utilize 
the  lowered  equipment,  transportation 
and  operating  costs  of  modern  16mm. 
Countless  other  hamlets  that  now  have 
no  theatres  could  support  16mm.- 
equipped  houses. 

Once  started,  theatrical  production 
direct  in  16mm.  might  logically 
follow.  We’ll  admit  technical  consider- 
ations until  recently  have  seemed  to 
rule  this  idea  out.  But  during  the  last 
few  months  we  have  been  privileged 
to  screen  several  excellent  productions 
photographed  directly  on  Agfa  Su- 
preme 16mm.  negative  film,  recorded 
on  modern  16mm.  recorders,  and  pro- 
cessed by  truly  professional,  modern 
fine-grain  machine  methods.  They 
proved  a revelation  in  quality.  We 
can  recommend  them  as  eye-openers 
to  any  of  our  readers  who  still  look 
askance  at  16mm. 


4 


Evening  in  Port 


Photographed  by  Douglas  Ri'dd 


Make-up  for  Aqfa  Film  Products 

By  Max  Factor.  Jr. 

Max  Factor , Inc. 


T^rom  the  make-up  artist’s  viewpoint, 
virtually  all  of  the  many  successive 
advances  in  emulsion-making  which 
have  occurred  since  the  first  panchro- 
matic film  came  into  use  some  twelve 
years  ago  have  affected  the  film’s 
sensitivity  to  red.  The  first  panchro- 
matic emulsions,  of  course  revolution- 
ized both  photography  and  make-up 
in  that  they  could  “see”  red.  to  which 
all  previous  emulsions  had  been  blind. 
And  each  successive  film  improvement 
— of  whatever  manufacture  — has 
gone  a step  or  two  farther  in  that 
direction. 


In  some  instances,  the  film  might 
be  sensitive  to  more  of  the  red  region 
of  the  spectrum  (as  is  the  case,  for 
instance,  with  Agfa’s  Infra-Red  emul- 
sion) ; in  other  instances,  the  change 
has  not  been  so  much  in  the  extent 
of  the  film’s  sensitivity  in  the  red. 
but  in  the  degree  of  that  sensitivity  — 
that  is  in  plain  English,  its  speed  to 
red  light.  When  the  earliest  of  the 
superpan-type  emulsions  were  intro- 
duced, spectrograms  showed  that  while 
their  average  sensitivity  did  not  ex- 
tend quite  so  far  into  the  red  as  that 
of  the  types  they  supplanted,  they 


were  actually  some  400  to  500  per 
cent  j aster  to  red  light  than  the  pre- 
vious types! 

These  same  changes  have  been  evi- 
dent to  some  degree  in  each  new  film 
type  introduced  by  every  manufactur- 
er. As  a result,  the  make-up  artist  has 
learned  that  it  is  absolutely  impossible 
to  specify  a single  make-up  for  all 
types  of  film. 

Balance  Film  and  Make-Up 

It  will  be  obvious,  for  instance, 
that  a make-up  designed  to  give  a 
normal  rendition  of  face-tones  on  an 
orthochromatic  film  would  not  do  so 
if  photographed  on  a panchromatic 
emulsion.  In  the  same  way,  the  minor 
but  definite  differences  in  color-sensi- 
tivity and  color-speed  between  differ- 
ent panchromatic  emulsions,  not  only 
competitive  products  but  different 
film-types  produced  by  the  same 
manufacturer,  will  call  for  minor 
modifications  in  make-up.  This  has 
been  particularly  noticeable  during 
the  last  two  years,  for  all  of  the 
present-day  superspeed  film-types  of 
the  class  pioneered  by  Agfa  Supreme 
have  been  characterized  — regardless 
of  manufacture  — by  increased  red 
speed. 

Fortunately,  however,  make-up  tech- 
nique has  been  ready  to  make  accurate 
compensation  for  such  changes.  The 
introduction  of  panchromatic  film 
gave  us  a chance  to  replace  the  some- 
what haphazard  make-up  methods  and 
materials  which  had  previously  existed 
with  scientifically  standardized  prod- 
ucts and  methods.  The  modern  pan- 
chromatic make-up  materials  are  an 
accurately-graded  range  of  deepening 
shades  of  a reddish-brown  — fairly 
close  to  the  basic  flesh  tone,  but  with 
a sufficient  brownish  increment  to  pro- 


vide the  desired  neutral  base.  Each 
shade  is  numbered,  with  the  higher 
numbers  in  every  case  indicating  dark- 
er shades. 

Most  recently,  an  entirely  new  prod- 
uct, known  as  the  “pancake,”  has  re- 
placed the  old  grease-paint  make-up 
base.  This  is,  by  the  way,  the  only 
cosmetic  which  the  United  States 
Patent  Office  has  deemed  sufficiently 
unique  to  be  patentable.  As  its  name 
implies,  it  comes  in  cake  form;  act- 
ually it  is  a compressed  powder  made 
to  a special  formula. 

And  the  "pancake'  has  revolution- 
ized the  application  and  use  of  make- 
up no  less  than  Agfa’s  fast  films  revol- 
utionized photography.  In  all  earlier 
make-up  methods,  two  products  were 
necessary  for  a finished  make-up:  a 
foundation  or  base  (usually  a grease- 
paint ) ; and  a matched  powder  to  pro- 
vide the  finished  smooth  face-texture. 
The  “pancake”  supplants  both  of 
these;  it  functions  as  both  foundation 
and  powder  at  once.  In  some  instances 
after  the  make-up  has  been  worn  for 
some  hours,  and  a sheen  develops,  it 
may  be  retouched  with  powder.  Aside 
from  this,  no  powder  is  necessary. 

Simple  Application 

The  “pancake”  greatly  simplifies 
the  application  of  a good  make-up. 

It  is  very  easily  applied  with  a 
moist  sponge,  and  it  is  very  near- 
ly impossible  to  get  too  much  on; 
the  consistency  of  the  “pancake”  is 
such  that  it  lends  itself  naturally  to 
the  thin,  smooth  application  that 
makes  the  most  photogenic  make-up. 
After  the  “pancake”  foundation  is 
applied,  the  make-up  is  completed  by 
applying  the  desired  eye-shadow  and 
lip-rouge.  The  latter  is  best  painted 


6 


Make-up  Tests , Photographed  on  Agfa  Supreme  Negative 


on  with  a brush,  by  the  way,  instead 
of  being  applied  directly  in  the  man- 
ner most  women  apply  lipstick. 

Since  the  ‘‘pancake”  type  of  make- 
up is  now  standard,  the  series  of 
tests  recently  undertaken  by  experts 
from  Max  Factor.  Inc.,  the  Agfa  Raw 
Film  Corporation  and  the  Agfa-Ansco 
Division  of  the  General  Aniline  and 
Film  Corporation  were  all  made  using 
this  product.  In  view  of  the  fact  that 
an  increasing  number  of  portrait  and 
commercial  still  photographers  todav 
are  expressing  an  interest  in  make-up. 
not  only  Agfa-Ansco’s  two  35mm. 
motion  picture  emulsions  — Agfa  Su- 
preme and  Agfa  Ultra  Speed  Pan  — 
were  used,  but  also  a group  of  the 
Agfa  cut  film  products,  including 
Agfa  Superpan  Portrait.  Agfa  Isopan, 
Agfa  SSS  Pan  and  Agfa  Superpan 
Press.  The  negatives  were  developed 
in  the  recommended  Agfa  developers, 
and  the  prints  made  on  Agfa  Cykon 
and  Cykora  papers. 

Make-Up  for  Agfa  35mm.  Films 

Three  make-ups  were  tested.  The 
first,  identified  in  the  test  exposures  by 
the  letter  “B,”  was  an  approximation 


of  what,  from  the  study  of  spectro- 
scopic cures,  we  felt  should  be  cor- 
rect for  these  films.  It  consisted  of  the 
No.  6-N  “pancake”  foundation,  with 
the  "Deep  Red”  lip  rouge,  and  gray 
eye-shadow. 

The  second  make-up,  evolved  after 
viewing  the  first  tests,  consisted  of  the 
No.  7-N  "pancake"  foundation,  the 
No.  40  Dark  lip  rouge,  and  gray  eye- 
shadow. This  was  identified  in  the 
tests  as  “C.” 

The  third  make-up  was  identical 
with  this  “C”  make-up.  except  that  a 
No.  390- A Dark  lip  rouge  was  used. 
It  was  identified  as  make-up  “D.” 

From  these  tests,  definite  recom- 
mendations as  to  the  best  make-up  for 
the  various  film  types  involved  have 
been  developed.  However,  since  indi- 
vidual opinions  as  to  what  constitutes 
a normal  rendition  of  facial  tones  can 
and  does  differ  in  some  instances,  we 
print  all  of  the  final  tests,  so  that 
readers  may  reach  their  own  conclu- 
sions. 

The  tests  made  on  Agfa  Supreme 
were  exposed  in  a Contax  camera,  and 
as  in  all  the  tests,  the  exposure  was 
determined  with  a Weston  photoelec- 


7 


Make-up  Tests,  Photographed  on  Agfa  Ultra  Speed  Pan 


trie  exposure-meter.  The  highlight- 
side  reading  was  40;  the  shadow-side, 
25;  and  the  overall  reading,  32.  This 
lighting  was  maintained  throughout 
all  the  tests.  The  exposure  was  calcu- 
lated using  the  recommended  Weston 
speed-rating  of  32,  and  was  1 /50th 
second  at  /: 5. 

The  tests  on  Agfa  Ultra  Speed  Pan 
were  exposed  in  the  same  way,  hut 
with  a Leica  camera.  Using  a speed 
rating  of  Weston  64,  the  exposure 
given  was  l//20th  second  at  / : 1 1 . In 
both  instances,  these  35mm.  negatives 
were  developed  in  Agfa  17  fine-grain 
developer,  as  recommended  by  the 
Agfa-Ansco  engineers. 

From  these  tests,  our  own  recom- 
mendations— particularly  for  Agfa 
Supreme  — would  be  to  use  the  No. 
6-N  “pancake”  foundation,  with  the 
Deep  Red  lip  rouge  used  in  test  “B,” 
and  gray  eye-shadow.  This  is  shown 
in  test  “B.”  It  is  possible  that  the 
taste  of  some  individuals  might  favor 
a slightly  darker  lip-tone  rendition 
than  this  test;  in  that  case,  a darker 
lip-rouge,  like  the  No.  40-I)ark  used 
in  test  “C”  might  be  tried:  however, 
it  should  be  remembered  that  both  this 


test  and  test  “D”  used  a darker  shade 
of  foundation  make-up  than  test  “B,” 
and  the  contrast  between  the  darker 
lip-rouge  and  the  light  foundation 
would  be  increased. 

Super  pan  Portrait  and  Iso  pan 

The  tests  made  on  the  various  Agfa 
cut-film  products  were  developed  in 
Agfa  developer  No.  47  — the  recom- 
mended solution  for  these  films.  It 
may  therefore  be  pointed  out  that 
such  portrait  workers  as  may  process 
their  negatives  in  the  softer-working 
fine-grain  formulae  such  as  Agfa  17 
will  do  well  to  modify  the  following 
make-up  recommendations,  especially 
as  regards  lip-rouge,  since  the  fine- 
grain  developers  tend  to  work  to 
softer  contrasts  than  the  commercial 
solution  used.  To  obtain  a parallel 
eflect  using  these  solutions,  a some- 
what darker  lip-rouge  would  be  ad- 
visable. 

The  tests  on  Isopan  showed  that  the 
most  pleasing  results  were  secured  us- 
ing the  same  make-up  as  recommended 
for  the  35mm.  motion  picture  emul- 
sions, that  is,  the  No.  6-N  “pancake  ' 
foundation,  with  the  Deep  Red  1 ip- 
rouge  and  gray  eye-shadow,  as  shown 


8 


Muke-up  Tests,  Photographed  on  Agfa  Isopan 


in  make-up  “B.” 

Superpan  Portrait,  on  the  other 
hand,  appeared  to  give  the  most  pleas- 
ing results  with  a combination  of  the 
“B  ’ and  “C”  make-ups,  consisting  of 
the  No.  6-N  “pancake”  foundation 
and  the  No.  40  Dark  lip-rouge,  with 
of  course  the  gray  eye-shadow  used 
throughout  the  series. 

These  two  tests  were  exposed  under 
the  same  photographic  conditions  as 
applied  throughout,  using  a Weston 
speed  of  24  for  the  Superpan  Portrait 
film,  with  an  exposure  of  1 /5th  second 
at  / : 1 4,  and  a factor  of  32  for  the 
Isopan,  giving  an  exposure  of  1 /5th 
second  at  / : 1 6. 

SSS  Pan  and  Super  pan  Press 

The  same  recommendations  as  given 
for  Superpan  Portrait  appear  to  apply 
equally  to  the  other  two  emulsions 


tested  — Agfa  SSS  Pan  and  Superpan 
Press.  The  former  was  exposed  with  a 
Weston  speed  factor  of  64,  giving  an 
exposure  of  1 /5th  second  at  /: 32.  and 
the  latter,  using  a Weston  rating  of 
80,  received  an  exposure  of  1 /5th 
second  at  /:40. 

From  the  “C”  test  on  SSS  Pan,  re- 
produced herewith,  it  will  he  seen  that 
the  No.  40  Dark  lip-rouge  gave  a very 
natural  effect,  but  that  the  No.  7-N 
foundation  used  seems  the  merest 
shade  dark  for  the  most  pleasing  re- 
sults. Therefore  the  suggestion  is  to 
use  the  No.  6-N  “pancake”  foundation, 
which  is  a trifle  lighter  than  the  7-N 
shown  in  test  “C,”  and  the  No.  40-Dark 
lip-rouge,  which  was  satisfactory. 

This  comparison  is  bourne  out 
equally  well  in  the  two  Superpan 
Press  exposures  reproduced.  It  will 


9 


Above,  Agfa  Super  pun  Portrait ; Below,  Agfa  SSS  Pan 


10 


Make-up  Tests,  Photographed  on  Agfa  Super  pan  Press 


be  seen  that  the  skin-tone  in  the  “B" 
test,  which  used  the  6-N  “pancake” 
foundation  was  excellent,  but  that  the 
lip-tone  given  by  the  Deep  Red  lip- 
rouge  was  rendered  rather  too  light. 
The  “C”  test,  on  the  other  hand,  shows 
that  while  the  7-N  foundation  used 
seems  a trifle  dark,  the  lip-tone  pro- 
duced by  the  No.  40-dark  lip-rouge 
was  most  pleasing.  Therefore  the  re- 
commendation is  a combination  of 
these  two  make-ups:  the  6-N  “pan- 
cake” foundation  and  the  No.  40-Dark 
lip-rouge,  with  the  gray  eye-shadow. 

In  conclusion,  it  should  again  be 
pointed  out  that  individual  variations 
in  laboratory  processing  methods  may 
produce  some  variation  from  the  re- 
sults here  described:  in  some  labor- 
atories, negative  development  and 
printing  may  combine  to  give  a some- 


what flatter  result  than  obtained  in 
these  tests,  while  in  others,  the  same 
factors  may  give  a higher  contrast. 
In  such  instances,  however,  we  believe 
that  a slight  change  in  the  shade  of 
lip-rouge  employed  should  be  all  that 
is  necessary  for  compensation ; where 
soft  processing  is  used,  a darker  lip- 
rouge  will  restore  the  desired  balance, 
while  where  the  processing  inclines  to 
higher  contrast,  a lighter  shade  of  lip- 
rouge  should  suffice. 

It  may  also  be  mentioned  that  while 
the  tests  reproduced  show  only  a 
blonde  subject,  the  preliminary  tests 
were  made  with  both  blondes  and 
brunettes.  However,  so  little  difference 
in  make-up  was  evidenced  that  it  was 
decided  identical  make-ups  would,  w'ith 
these  films,  be  equally  satisfactory  for 
both  blonde  and  brunette. 


11 


dbf 


12 


Photographic  Speed  Ratings  : 

By  Henry  A.  Fowler  and  Lloyd  E.  Varden 

Agfa-Ansco  Cor  poration,  Binghamton,  N.  Y. 

Part  III 


Practical  Limitations  of 
Speed  Ratings 

Aside  from  the  difficulties  in  the 
measurement  of  film  speeds  and  the 
perfection  of  a system  of  speed  num- 
bers. the  practical  application  of  even 
a so-called  “perfect”  rating  system 
would  be  limited  by  several  con- 
sequential factors.  No  system  of  speed 
rating  can  possibly  be  expected  to  ac- 
count for  personal  preferences  in 
judging  negatives,  to  allow  for  per- 
sonal errors  in  the  use  of  exposure 
meters,  to  take  into  consideration 
mechanical  variations  in  exposure 
meters  and  camera  shutters,  to  allow 
for  peculiarities  of  divers  lenses,  or 
to  be  in  accord  with  any  of  several 
other  possible  causes  of  exposure 
error.  If  such  such  errors  are  ac- 
cumulative it  is  highly  probable  that 
they  can  cause  deviations  as  great  as 
300  to  400  per  cent  from  the  cal- 
culated exposure.  A great  many  of 
these  are  shown  in  the  accompany- 
ing chart.  Fig.  18. 

Personal  Factors 

No  factors  in  determining  exposure 
properly  are  so  difficult  to  systematize 
as  personal  ones.  However,  it  should 
not  be  thought  that  this  is  the  result 
of  individual  stubbornness,  for  (if  we 
may  be  philosophic)  “the  truth  may 

* < Reprinted  through  courtesy  of  the  1940 
American  Annual  of  Photography) 


be  spoken  without  the  fact.”  Should 
one  person  be  able  to  perceive  the 
number  14  when  making  a reading 
w ith  an  extinction  type  exposure 
mefter,  it  does  not  violate  a lower 
reading,  say  12,  of  another  person. 
To  both  these  individuals,  the  truth- 
ful reading  is  what  they  perceive,  and 
since  the  readings  are  based  on  visual 
interpretation,  fact,  as  such,  does  not 
exist. 

Personal  factors  such  as  the  pre- 
ference for  either  thin  or  dense  neg- 
atives are  just  as  difficult  to  ration- 
alize, and  so  we  can  never  hope  to 
discover  a system  of  rating  film  speeds 
which  will  not  require  some  individual 
adjustments  to  account  for  these  per- 
sonal idiosyncrasies. 

In  addition  to  these  strictly  personal 
factors,  there  are  other  considerations 
which  may  be  classified  under  this 
same  heading,  although  they  apply  to 
all  individuals  to  a greater  or  lesser 
degree.  In  judging  light  intensities, 
it  is  often  thought  that  experience  en- 
ables one  to  become  quite  expert.  On 
the  contrary,  dependence  on  judgment 
in  this  instance  is  a most  efficient 
method  of  experiencing  considerable 
difficulty.  The  human  eye  is  a mar- 
velous mechanism  and  a part  of  its 
function  is  to  adapt  the  individual  to 
a wide  range  of  illumination  levels. 

The  iris  and  retina  of  the  eye 
function  to  make  it  more  or  less  sensi- 


13 


tive  at  various  levels  of  illumination 
and  their  reactions  are  entirely  in- 
voluntary. For  this  reason  it  is  not 
very  probable  that  one  can  become  ex- 
pert in  “judging”  light.  It  is  also  for 
similar  reasons  that  many  extinction 
type  meter  readings  may  prove  erron- 
eous. (For  an  excellent  discussion  of 
the  visual  mechanism  read  Chapter 
XII.  “The  Scientific  Basis  of  Illumin- 
ating Engineering,”  by  Parry  Moon). 

Mechanical  and  Physical  Factors 

We  have  already  hinted  that  vari- 
ations in  camera  shutters,  lenses,  and 
exposure  meters  may  be  of  consider- 
able importance  in  obtaining  good 
exposure.  These  variables  usually  are 
given  only  a minimum  of  thought, 
whereas  less  important  factors  are 
blamed  excessively  for  exposure  diffi- 
culties. To  begin  with,  camera  shutters 
may  be  simple  rotary  types,  leaf  types, 
or  focal-plane  types,  all  of  which 
differ  in  efficiency.  Furthermore,  any 
two  shutters  of  a given  type  but  of 
different  design  may  vary  consider- 
ably in  efficiency.  Leaf  shutters,  for 
example,  decrease  in  efficiency  as  the 
number  of  leaves  increases.  The  effici- 
ency varies  also  for  different  exposure 
times,  being  as  low  as  40  per  cent  in 
some  cases  of  very  short  exposure  and 
close  to  100  per  cent  for  exposures 
around  1 second  (22).  A great  amount 
of  argument  has  been  set  out  in  favor 
of  focal-plane  shutters  because  of 
their  greater  efficiency,  but  unless  a 
focal-plane  shutter  is  well  designed 
it  may  be  inferior  to  a good  leaf 
shutter.  L.  P.  Clerc,  at  the  conclusion 
of  a discussion  on  shutter  efficiency, 
says:  “It  must  be  therefore  concluded 
that  except  for  special  work  or  for 
focal -plane  shutters  which  are  ideally 
mounted,  the  good  modern  diaphragm 


shutters  are.  on  the  whole,  distinctly 
superior  to  focal-plane  shutters.” 

The  rated  speeds  on  most  shutters 
are  seldom  found  to  be  true.  A num- 
ber of  methods  have  been  proposed 
for  testing  shutter  speeds,  several  of 
which  are  simple  enough  to  permit 
one  to  keep  a constant  check  on  his 
particular  equipment.  Unless  this  is 
done,  though,  there  is  always  the 
danger  of  some  error  in  exposure 
being  introduced. 

Lenses  may  also  cause  errors  to 
arise  as  great  as  those  introduced  by 
shutter  inaccuracies.  The  reason,  of 
course,  is  the  fact  that  no  substance 
is  completely  transparent,  and  the 
loss  of  light  by  absorption,  and  in 
the  case  of  lenses  by  reflection  also, 
naturally  varies  according  to  the 
quality  of  the  glass,  the  thickness,  and 
the  number  of  reflecting  surfaces  (23). 

Lens  errors  of  this  sort  are  more 
or  less  inherent.  Still  other  errors  can 
be  introduced  by  carelessly  setting 
the  diaphragm  at  the  desired  /:  value 
or  by  not  taking  into  consideration 
the  change  in  effective  /:  value  when 
making  close-range  exposures  where 
the  bellows  extension  is  increased 
beyond  normal. 

Exposure  meters,  although  prim- 
arily intended  to  put  aside  all  diffi- 
culties in  obtaining  perfect  exposures, 
are  themselves,  in  many  cases,  poten- 
tial trouble-makers.  This  statement  is 
not  made  intending  to  discourage  the 
use  of  exposure  meters — far  from 
that.  An  exposure  meter,  especially 
one  of  the  newer  photoelectric  types, 
is  universally  recognized  as  a distinct 
part  of  one’s  photographic  equipment. 
But! — an  exposure  meter  is  a mechan- 
ical instrument,  and  not  a Sun  God. 
It  cannot  be  revered  and  blindly  de- 


14 


fended  as  some  mystic  idol.  Seldom 
do  two  exposure  meters  give  the  same 
reading  under  the  same  conditions  of 
light;  but  the  error  in  this  instance, 
except  in  rare  cases,  is  less  than  the 
variance  possible  by  differences  in 
manner  of  using  the  meters.  Some 
photoelectric  type  meters  become  less 
sensitive  with  continued  use.  Others 
may  be  affected  by  heat  and  moisture. 
However,  these  sources  of  error  can 
be  controlled  by  care  of  the  meter 
and  by  periodic  checking.  Or  better 
still,  instead  of  using  the  meter  as  an 
absolute  instrument,  it  should  be  used 
as  a guide  in  judging  exposure,  which 
judgment  may  be  tempered  by  ex- 
perience. A meter  which  consistenly 
indicates  exposures  which  result  in 
negatives  of  too  high  density  or  too 
low  density  does  not  have  to  be  dis- 
carded, but  rather,  the  values  it  indi- 
cates simply  have  to  be  modified  by 
a factor  which  experience  will  dictate. 

Processing  Factors 
In  the  discussion  concerning  the 
factors  which  influence  the  character 
of  the  H.  and  D.  curve  it  was  pointed 
out  that  a great  many  of  them  center 
about  the  developing  procedure.  The 
ideal  conditions  which  are  met  in 
laboratories  (conditions  which  are 
rigorously  controlled  when  speed 
ratings  are  determined)  are  seldom 
possible  to  duplicate  in  practice.  Tem- 
perature control  of  processing  solu- 
tions requires  elaborate  equipment  in- 
stallations, costing  far  more  than  the 
average  photographer  can  hope  to 
pay.  The  best  solution  to  this  prob- 
lem is,  perhaps,  the  constant  use  of 
a thermometer  and  simple  methods  of 
temperature  control,  such  as  a water- 
bath.  However,  in  many  cases  these 
things  are  even  avoided  because  of  the 


extra  trouble  involved.  Still  other 
laboratory  methods  are  not  adopted 
in  practice,  for  example,  the  use  of 
a fresh  developer  for  each  develop- 
ment. For  economic  reasons,  it  can 
hardly  be  expected  that  this  practice 
will  be  adopted;  therefore,  the  deter- 
ioration of  a developer  with  use,  and 
the  accumulation  of  development  by- 
products certainly  introduce  serious 
obstacles  to  the  use  of  fixed  speed 
numbers.  As  we  have  previously 
pointed  out,  film  speed  is  lost  with 
increases  of  soluble  bromide,  and 
since  free  bromides  are  released  dur- 
ing development,  little  can  be  hoped 
for  if  a developer  is  used  over  too 
long  a period  and  no  adjustments  for 
changes  in  film  speed  are  made.  The 
latter  would  be  indeed  difficult  to  do, 
anyway,  since  the  amount  of  bromide 
which  accumulates  not  only  depends 
on  the  amount  of  film  development, 
but  also  depends  upon  the  exposure 
level  and  degree  of  development. 
Furthermore,  with  some  developers  of 
low  reduction  potential  (usually  fine- 
grain  type  developers)  the  effect  of 
bromide  is  so  much  greater  than  with 
developers  of  high  reduction  potential 
that  no  fixed  rule  on  this  point  can  be 
set  down. 

The  progress  of  development,  it  has 
been  shown,  is  greatly  affected  by 
agitation,  and  so  it  is  highly  recom- 
mended that  a standard  method  of 
agitation  be  worked  out  and  adhered 
to. 

Inherent  Film  Factors 

Most  of  the  inherent  film  factors 
of  importance  in  speed  determination 
have  been  discussed.  Some  minor  con- 
siderations— latent  image  decay,  slight 
variations  in  emulsions  in  manufac- 
ture, and  variations  from  age — are 


15 


not  of  importance  except  in  a few 
cases.  Practically  all  commercially 
available  emulsions  can  be  made  with 
properties  of  high  constancy,  but  in 
a few  rare  cases  variations  may  occur. 
Intentional  emulsion  changes  are  care- 
fully called  to  the  attention  of  con- 
sumers by  manufacturers  if  the 
changes  are  of  a nature  which  cause 
inferior  results  when  not  regarded  in 
use.  It  is  a common  practice  of  at 
least  one  manufacturer  to  notify  the 
tiade  of  changes  by  the  use  of  stickers 
placed  on  the  film  container. 

Most  manufacturers  recommend  that 
development  be  conducted  as  soon 
after  exposure  as  possible,  but  it  is 
not  exceptional  for  excellent  results 
to  be  obtained  on  negatives  developed 
several  months  after  exposure.  On  the 
other  hand,  emulsions  have  been 
known  to  lose  50  per  cent  of  their 
latent  image  within  a few  days,  and 
so  it  is  best  as  a general  rule  to 
develop  negatives  as  shortly  after  ex- 
posure as  possible. 

Purpose  Factors 

The  relation  of  the  speed  rating  of 
a film  to  the  use  for  which  the  film 
is  intended  is  a consideration  not  often 
sensed  by  the  man  in  practice.  A cer- 
tain manufacturer  received  a number 
of  letters  asking  why  a well-known 
emulsion  in  cut  film  form  was  rated 
by  the  manufacturer  one-half  stop 
slower  than  the  same  emulsion  on 
roll  film.  The  answer,  of  course,  be- 
comes obvious  when  it  is  recalled  that 
amateur  negatives  are  for  the  most 
part  better  suited  for  the  purpose 
when  less  dense  than  negatives  usually 
desired  by  the  professional  photo- 
grapher. Negatives  to  be  used  for  con- 
tact printing  are  often  denser  than 
those  intended  for  projection  print- 


ing. Portrait  negatives  in  the  majority 
of  cases  are  less  dense  and  softer  in 
contrast  than  commercial  type  neg- 
atives. In  some  special  cases,  such  as 
negatives  of  black-and-white-line  orig- 
inals, exposures  are  made  for  the 
highest  densities,  whereas  in  ordinary 
negative-making  of  continuous  tone 
subjects,  much  lower  density  levels 
are  used.  Many  other  instances  could 
be  given  where  the  exposure  given  a 
film  depends  greatly  upon  the  purpose 
for  which  the  negative  is  being  made. 
For  a system  of  speed  numbers  to  be 
valid  for  all  negative  purposes  is  not 
comprehensible. 

Illumination  Factors 

Every  photographer  well  knows  that 
a flat ly  lighted  subject  allows  much 
more  variation  in  exposure  than  a sub- 
ject with  contrasty  lighting.  Although 
recently  disputed  by  a popular  photo- 
graphic writer,  it  is  a good  practice 
in  nearly  all  cases  to  expose  for  the 
deepest  shadows  in  which  detail  is 
desired.  When  the  subject  is  strongly 
lighted,  this  means  that  the  exposure 
required  to  obtain  shadow  detail  will 
place  the  highlights  very  high  on  the 
D-Log  E curve.  If  the  highlight  den- 
sities are  too  high,  they  become 
“blocked-up”  and  cannot  be  printed: 
therefore  exposure  in  such  cases  is 
very  critical.  Contrasty  lightings  also 
produce  negatives  of  such  high  con- 
trast, if  developed  normally,  that  no 
paper  is  soft  enough  to  allow  the 
making  of  good  prints.  This  is  often 
overcome  by  a lower  degree  of 
development,  which  in  turn  decreases 
film  speed  and  necessitates  longer  neg- 
ative exposure  than  conditions  might 
indicate. 

The  character  of  the  light  source 
has  been  considered  in  reference  to  its 


16 


Curves  and  Angles 


Photographed  by  Douglas  Rudd 


17 


influence  on  film  speed.  However,  it 
should  fie  stressed  that  when  filters  are 
used,  the  effective  character  of  the 
light  source  is  changed.  The  increase 
in  exposure  required  by  the  use  of 
a filter  with  a given  film  changes 
radically  with  the  type  of  light  source 
also.  Such  expressions  as  “a  two- 
times  filter”  have  no  meaning  what- 
soever. An  adjustment  not  only  is 
required  in  exposure  with  the  use  of 
filters,  but  in  some  cases  contrast  is 
aflected  greatly  enough  to  require 
changes  from  the  normal  developing 
time,  which,  as  we  have  just  noted, 
may  have  a considerable  effect  upon 
film  speed. 

Under  standard  conditions  of  light- 
ing, exposure  will  be  greatly  influenc- 
ed by  the  character  of  the  subject. 
Some  materials  reflect  light  very  high- 
ly, whereas  others  reflect  light  to  a 
much  less  degree.  The  practice  based 
on  determining  exposure  by  the 
strength  of  the  incident  light  source 
is  consequently  fallacious.  The  inten- 
sity of  the  light  incident  upon  the 
film  is  the  light  which  determines  the 
value  of  the  exposure  time.  Therefore, 
every  consideration  should  be  made  to 
approximate  this  intensity  as  closely 
as  possible. 

Colored  objects,  besides  differing 
in  reflectivity  and  brilliance  contrast, 
also  vary  in  color  contrast.  Under 
usual  circumstances  this  is  not  of 
major  importance  provided  some  at- 
tention has  been  given  to  the  pho- 
ticity  response  of  the  emulsion.  In 
some  cases,  however,  when  the  sub- 
ject being  photographed  is  predomi- 
nantly a particular  color,  this  effect 
may  alter  exposure  from  that  required 
for  a subject  containing  a wide  color 
distribution  with  no  predominant  hue. 


In  the  foregoing  survey,  the  authors 
have  attempted  to  make  clear  that 
speed  numbers,  especially  as  they  exist 
today,  are  of  very  limited  value.  From 
the  many  factors  upon  which  the  be- 
havior of  film  emulsions  in  exposure 
and  development  depend,  it  is  quite 
obvious  that  the  final  result  obtained 
on  any  particular  material  is  consider- 
ably dependent  on  the  manner  in 
which  it  is  used.  This  should  not  lead 
one  to  believe  that  correct  exposure 
is  not  important.  Correct  exposure  is 
exceedingly  important,  but  to  obtain 
it  is  not  nearly  so  dependent  upon  the 
knowledge  of  absolute  speed  values 
as  one  might  he  led  to  believe.  As 
we  have  shown,  no  criterion  of  a cor- 
rectly exposed  negative  has  ever  been 
arrived  at,  and  so  for  one  to  speak  of 
the  correct  exposure  is  to  speak  of 
something  which  does  not  exist.  With 
the  wide  latitude  possessed  by  photo- 
graphic materials  today,  variations  in 
exposure  within  such  wide  limits  as 
3 to  1 give  negatives  which  are  hard- 
ly distinguishable  from  each  other. 
If  it  were  not  for  this  fact,  “exposure” 
in  practice  woidd  be  an  extremely 
dicult  matter,  since  the  errors  intro- 
duced by  the  combined  factors  which 
we  have  presented  are  of  a greater 
order  than  3 to  1 . For  one  to  know 
the  speed  of  a film  as  a rough  approxi- 
mation is  sufficient;  for  surely,  con- 
sidering the  fact  that  differences  in 
subject  and  in  lighting  on  any  one 
day  may  necessitate  a range  of  ex- 
posure of  several  thousand  times  to 
one.  it  is  evident  that  the  advantage  of 
knowing  the  absolute  speed  value  of 
a film  for  use  in  estimating  proper 
exposure  is  insignificant. 

The  authors  wish  to  acknowledge 
the  extensive  use  of  the  literature 


18 


from  which  they  have  drawn  freely, 
and  in  many  cases  without  credit.  So 
much  of  the  literature  covered,  how- 
ever, was  found  to  be  repetitious  that 
proper  credit  in  many  cases  was  diffi- 
cult to  ascribe.  This  will  explain  any 
verbatim  phrases  taken  from  previous- 
ly published  articles,  apparently  un- 
justly, but  we  hope  not  too  many  have 
managed  to  creep  in. 

Since  the  preparation  of  this  survey, 
the  Kodak  Research  Laboratories  has 
further  developed  the  Minimum  Use- 
ful Gradient  Method  as  a criterion 
for  speed  determination  by  advocating 
a gradient  value  based  on  statistical 
findings.  By  making  a series  of 
camera  exposures  to  a standardized 
subject  (an  illuminated  transparency 
of  a typical  outdoor  subject  giving  a 
brightness  range  of  1 to  30  on  the 
ground  glass ) through  a range  from 
definite  underexposure  to  definite 
overexposure  and  then  printing  the 
negatives  for  best  results,  a correlation 
between  exposure  and  print  quality 
was  obtained  through  statistical 
methods.  In  this  manner  it  was  pos- 
sible to  establish  that  a minimum  ex- 
posure value  always  exists  beyond 
which  a further  increase  of  exposure 
gives  no  improvement  in  print  quality. 
It  was  then  found  that  this  value 
corresponded  to  an  exposure  value 
determined  by  a point  on  the  D-Log 
E curve  where  the  gradient  is  .3  the 
average  gradient  over  a log  exposure 
range  of  1.5,  or  a brightness  range 
of  1 to  30.  A practical  graphic 
method  has  been  outlined  for  deter- 
mining the  prescribed  gradient  from 
which  a speed  number  is  calculated 
as  the  reciprocal  of  the  corresponding 
exposure  value  expressed  in  meter- 
candle-seconds. 


(1)  Loyd  Jones,  Measurement  of  Radiant 
Energy  (Edited  by  W.  E.  Forsythe),  1937, 
Chapter  \ III  (McGraw-Hill). 

(2)  The  Photographic  Researches  of 
Ferdinand  Hurter  and  Vero  C.  Driffield 
(W  B.  Ferguson,  Editor),  Royal  Photo.  Soc., 
1920. 

(3)  R.  M.  Evans  and  W.  T.  Hanson,  Jr., 
Reduction  Potential  and  the  Composition  of 
M-Q  Developers,  J.S.M.P.E.,  May,  1938. 

(4)  S E.  Sheppard  and  C.  E.  Kenneth 
Mees,  Investigations  on  the  Theory  of  the 
Photographic  Process,  1907. 

( 5 ) W.  Reinders  and  M.  C.  F.  Beukers, 
Photo.  J.,  Feb.,  1934,  page  78. 

(6)  R.  Haff,  Agfa  Diamond,  Vol.  II, 
No.  2,  1938. 

(7)  A.  H.  Nietz,  Theory  of  Development, 
E K.  Monographs  No.  2,  1922. 

(8)  W.  Reinders  and  M.  C.  F.  Beukers, 
Ber.  8th  Int.  Kongress  Photographic,  pg  171. 

(9)  Parry  Moon,  Scientific  Basis  of  Illum- 
inating Engineering,  1936  (McGraw-Hill). 

(10)  Loyd  Jones,  Photographic  Sensito- 
metry,  1934  (E.  K.  Co.). 

(11)  F.  H.  G.  Pitt  and  E.  W.  H.  Selwyn, 
The  Color  of  Photographic  Outdoor  Sub- 
jects,, Phto.  J.,  March,  1938,  page  115. 

(12)  Ibid.,  under  "Discussion,”  pg.  126. 

(13)  E.  R.  Davies,  The  Inherent  Diffi- 
culties in  the  Measurement  of  Photographic 
Speed,  Photo.  J.,  July,  1934,  page  365. 

(14)  R.  Davis,  Experimental  Study  of  the 
Relationship  Between  Intermittent  and  Non- 
Intermittent  Sector  Wheel  Photographic  Ex- 
posures, Bureau  of  Standards  Research 
Paper  No  528. 

(15)  Bunsen  and  Roscoe,  Pogg.  Ann.,  Vol. 
96  page  96;  Vol.  100,  page  43:  Vol.  101, 
page  255:  Vol.  108,  page  193,  1876. 

(16)  The  Hurter  and  Driffield  Method  of 
Speed  Determination,  Note  by  W.  B.  Fer- 
guson, Photo.  J.,  Nov.,  1926,  page  514. 

(17)  R.  Davis  and  G.  K.  Neeland,  An 
Experimental  Study  of  Several  Methods  of 
Representing  Photographic  Sensitivity, 
Bureau  of  Standards  Research  Paper  No. 
355,  1931. 

(18)  Kurt  Jacobson,  Determination  of 
Sensitivity  by  the  DIN  Method,  American 
Annual  of  Photography,  1937,  page  194. 

(19)  Walter  Clark,  The  DIN  System  of 
Speed  Determination,  American  Annual  of 
Photography,  1937,  page  199. 

(20)  Loyd  Jones  and  M.  E.  Russell,  The 
Expression  of  Plate  Speeds  in  Terms  of  the 
Minimum  Useful  Gradient,  Proc.  Vllth,  Int. 
Congress  of  Photography,  1928,  page  130. 

(21)  Loyd  Jones  and  M.  E.  Russell,  Min- 
imum Useful  Gradient  as  a Criterion  of 
Photographic  Speed,  Photo.  J.,  Dec.,  1935. 

(22)  L.  P.  Clerc,  Photography — Theory 
and  Practice,  Edited  by  G.  W.  Brown, 
Chapter  XII,  1930  (Pitman). 

(23)  C.  B.  Neblette,  Photography,  Prin- 
ciples and  Practice,  2nd  Edition,  1930  ( D. 
Van  Nostrand). 


19 


tumerns  of  Yesteryear 

By  W.  Wallace  Clendenin 

Part  III 


Gamer  eclair 

Although  as  has  been  seen,  many  of 
the  early-day  producing  organizations 
made  their  own  cameras,  very  few  do 
today.  Almost  the  only  exception  is 
the  Eclair  Film  Company,  of  Paris, 
which  since  1907  has  built  cameras 
for  use  in  the  Eclair  studios  and,  dur- 
ing the  last  two  decades,  for  the 
general  market,  as  well. 

The  original  Eclairs  were  built  sole- 
ly for  use  in  the  firm’s  own  studios, 
however,  and  were  introduced  in 
this  country  some  twenty-eight  years 
ago  when  Eclair  established  its  first 
American  studio.  When  the  war  began 
in  1914,  Eclair  had  two  studios  in  this 
country,  one  in  the  east,  and  one  in 
Arizona.  Because  of  the  war,  these 
studios  were  closed,  and  the  cameras 
sold  to  various  buyers;  most  of  them 
went  to  the  World  Film  Co.  of  Fort 
Lee.  N.J.  for  some  reason  now  ob- 
scure, these  cameras  were  usually 
called  “Gillons”  by  American  cine- 
matographers. 

The  old  Camereclair  was  small  and 
compact.  The  outside  dimensions  were 
6x6x131/2  inches.  The  400-foot 
magazines  were  mounted  side  by  side 
in  the  rear  of  the  box,  with  a metal 
partition  separating  them.  This  parti- 
tion ran  all  the  way  to  the  gate  panel, 
the  gate  was  toward  the  left  side  of 
the  camera,  instead  of  being  centrally 
located. 

Three  small  sprockets  were  used: 
one  to  feed  the  film  from  the  unex- 


posed magazine  up  to  a second  sproc- 
ket above  the  gate,  with  the  third 
placed  below  the  gate.  An  opening 
was  left  at  the  top  of  the  central 
partition  to  permit  the  film  to  pass 
over  to  the  left  side  of  the  camera. 

The  intermittent  was  a modification 
of  the  Lumiere-Pathe,  retaining  the 
essential  features,  hut  of  somewhat 
lighter  construction.  An  unusual  feat- 
ure was  the  lens  panel,  which  could 
be  adjusted  vertically,  like  the  rising 
and  falling  front  commonly  used  in 
still  cameras.  A reflex  mirror  back 
of  the  aperture  was  provided  for 
focusing. 

Later  Eclairs 

In  the  post-war  years,  the  Camere- 
clair underwent  many  changes  and  re- 
finements, including  semi-silencing  to 
meet  the  demands  of  the  first  talkies, 
but  it  remained  still  closely  related 
mechanically  to  the  earlier  models. 

Perhaps  the  most  unique  feature  of 
these  post-war  Eclairs  was  the  Mery 
focusing  system,  which  was  different 
from  the  methods  used  in  any  other 
camera,  and  combined  many  desirable 
features.  It  is  well  known  that  many 
European  cinematographers  favor  the 
idea  of  not  only  focusing  through  the 
the  film  itself,  hut  even  “following” 
the  action  through  the  film  as  the 
scene  is  being  photographed.  On  the 
other  hand,  focusing  the  image  on  a 
ground-glass  focusing  screen  is  easier, 
and  usually  more  accurate. 

The  Mery  system  provided  for  both 


20 


Top,  Early  Eclair  (“Gillon”) : Center,  1929  Eclair : Bottom,  present-day  Eclair 
Silent  Studio  Camera. 


methods.  A reflex  mirror  behind  the 
aperture  reflected  the  image  on  the 
film  out  through  the  case  and,  through 
a supplementary  reflecting  and  magni- 
fying system,  to  an  eyepiece  at  the 
rear  of  the  camera. 

In  addition,  by  a pull  of  a lever, 
the  film-carrying  aperture  could  be 


slid  downward  and  replaced  by  an 
aperture  carrying  a conventional 
ground  glass,  upon  which  the  image 
could  be  focused  in  the  usual  way, 
with  the  lens  still  in  taking  position. 

In  the  1929  Eclair  this  was  carried 
still  farther.  A six-lens  turret  was  pro- 
vided, and  placed  so  that  the  lens 


21 


directly  above  the  photographing  pos- 
ition was  correctly  aligned  with  the 
movable,  upper  ground-glass  aperture. 
Thus  where  focus,  rather  than  precise 
composition,  was  wanted,  one  could 
slide  the  focusing  magnifier  upward 
to  where  it  reflected  the  image  on  this 
ground  glass,  and  focus  from  there. 
In  addition,  the  camera’s  six-lens 
turret  could  he  fitted  with  three  pairs 
of  matched  lenses,  while  the  upper 
aperture  was  adjustible  from  the  out- 
side to  correct  for  vertical  parallax. 
Thus  equipped,  the  action  could  he 
followed  through  the  upper  lens  while 
it  was  being  photographed  through  the 
matched  lower  lens,  in  much  the 
fashion  of  the  American  Akeley.  The 
upper  aperture  was  above  the  shutter’s 
disc,  so  the  image  did  not  flicker  when 
the  camera  was  in  operation. 

Present  Camereclair 

The  present-day  Camereclair  has 
been  completely  redesigned,  and  has 
little  in  common  with  old  one  except 
the  name.  It  is  self-blimped  and 
genuinely  silent,  built  from  the  start 
for  use  as  a studio  sound  camera.  Ac- 
cording to  whether  you  compare  it 
with  the  old,  silent-picture  cameras  or 
the  present  talking  picture  camera- 
and-blimp  combinations,  it  may  be 
regarded  either  as  one  of  the  heaviest 
or  one  of  the  lightest  types  ever 
built.  Its  weight — roughly  140  pounds 
— is  vastly  more  than  that  of  the 
average  silent-picture  camera,  but  just 
as  considerably  less  than  that  of  the 
bulky  camera-and-blimp  combinations 
with  which  we  are  familiar. 

The  intermittent  of  the  new  Eclair 
is  a single  claw,  working  in  conjunc- 
tion with  a single  pilot-pin  and  an 
intermittent  pressure-pad.  The  design- 
er's preference  for  this  type  of  move- 


ment is  based  on  tests  which  showed 
that  under  many  conditions  the  film 
might  actually  he  moved  and  register- 
ed by  hut  a single  claw  and  pilot-pin, 
even  though  two  were  actually  pro- 
vided; accordingly  the  single-claw 
movement  seemed  simpler  and  more 
accurate. 

Focusing  is  by  a modernization  of 
the  Mery  system.  A reflex  focusing 
magnifier  is  provided  on  the  left  side 
of  the  camera.  This  may  be  used  in 
the  fashion  dear  to  European  cine- 
matographers, to  focus  or  follow 
action  during  filming  directly  on  the 
film;  an  automatic  shutter  is  fitted  to 
the  eyepiece  of  the  magnifier,  to  pre- 
vent fogging  the  film  through  this 
optical  system. 

For  more  normal  focusing,  oper- 
ation of  a control  on  the  outside  of 
the  camera  rotates  aperture,  film  and 
reflecting  prism  90°  hack  and  down- 
ward. and  slides  a second  aperture, 
fitted  with  its  own  ground  glass  and 
mirror,  into  place.  It  is  not  necessary 
to  open  the  camera  at  any  time  during 
this  operation;  and  the  image  is  not 
reversed  from  right  to  left  as  was  the 
case  in  so  many  other  older  reflex 
focusing  methods.  The  focusing  knob 
is  on  the  right  side  of  the  box,  and 
three  separate  focusing  scales  are  pro- 
vided in  different  positions  on  the  out- 
side of  the  case. 

The  finder  is  located  outside  the 
camera  on  the  right.  Here  again  reflex 
prisms  are  used,  this  time  to  permit 
placing  the  finder  lens  as  close  as 
possible  to  the  objective.  In  this  way 
parallax  is  reduced  to  a minimum. 

The  camera  no  longer  has  a revolv- 
ing lens  turret,  but  is  fitted  with  high- 
ly ingenious  quick-change  lens- 
mounts.  The  mounts  themselves  pro- 
vide compensation  for  differences  in 


22 


focal  length  and  stop-calibrations  be- 
tween virtually  all  normal  lenses. 
Thus  a single  focusing  scale  and  a 
single  set  of  diaphragm  calibrations 
will  take  care  of  all  lenses,  regardless 
of  focal  length  or  speed. 

The  construction  of  the  present 
Eclair  strikes  a new  note,  even  as  the 
first  metal-bodied  Bell  & Howells  did 
in  the  days  of  wooden  cameras  thirty 
years  ago.  The  main  frame  of  the 
camera  is  a solid  metal  plate:  the 
outer  casing  is  moulded  of  a tough, 
semi-resilent  synthetic  plastic  which 
gives  strength  without  brittleness  or 
weight.  This  casing  is  lined  with 
sound-absorbing  materials,  and  com- 
bines the  functions  of  camera  case  and 
blimp  in  one  unit.  It  is  only  necessary 
to  open  one  door  to  gain  access  to 
the  camera  movement.  To  ensure 
soundproof  operation,  there  is  a front 
door,  fitted  with  a window  of  optically 
flat  glass,  in  front  of  the  lens. 

The  magazines  are  mounted  outside 
the  camera,  on  top.  Contrary  to  usual 
practice,  they  are  built  as  single  units; 
in  this  respect  they  are  like  those 
used  on  many  earlier  cameras,  but 
they  offer  economy  and  compactness 
which  should  be  definitely  advan- 
tagous.  Takeup  is  by  an  enclosed  train 
of  silent  gears;  the  whole  take-up 
drive  assembly  may  be  quickly  swung 
from  the  rear  magazine  to  the  front 
one  if  for  any  reason  it  is  desired 
to  operate  the  camera  in  reverse. 

At  present,  two  of  these  cameras 
are  in  this  country.  At  the  end  of 
August,  it  was  intended  to  supply  com- 
plete sales  and  service  facilities  for 
the  Camereclair  in  Hollywood,  but 
the  outbreak  of  the  war  has  tempor- 
arily blocked  this. 


Bell  and  Howell 

'"pHE  first  Bell  and  Howell  camera 

was  turned  out  in  Chicago  late  in 
1907;  the  designers  were  Donald  J. 
Bell  and  Albert  S.  Howell.  The 
camera  was  a black  leather  covered 
box,  of  200  foot  capacity,  with  the 
magazines  one  above  the  other  in  the 
rear.  There  was  no  apparent  attempt 
to  save  space  in  the  designing  of  the 
camera;  it  was  at  least  an  inch  wider 
than  other  similar  types.  Two  lenses 
were  used,  one  for  taking  and  one  for 
viewing;  focus  was  by  means  of  a 
reflex  mirror  hack  of  the  gate.  The 
viewing,  or  finder  lens  was  mounted 
directly  above  the  other  one,  and  pro- 
jected its  image  on  a large  ground 
glass  on  the  right  side  of  the  box. 
There  is  no  reliable  information  avail- 
able as  to  the  design  of  the  intermit- 
tent. and  apparently  no  feature  of  the 
camera  was  patented.  It  is  not  certain 
how  many  of  these  cameras  were 
built,  but  the  number  was  somewhere 
under  twenty,  and  most  of  these  were 
sold  to  the  Essanay  Co.,  of  Chicago. 

The  first  of  the  famous  Bell  and 
Howell  standard  cameras  was  built 
late  in  1909,  and  sold  immediately  to 
the  Essanay  Co.  It  was  a radical  de- 
parture from  conventional  design,  and 
was  probably  the  first  motion  picture 
camera  to  be  designed  as  such  from 
the  ground  up.  Every  vestige  of  waste 
space  was  eliminated,  the  camera  body 
being  a metal  casting  which  was 
moulded  to  fit  closely  around  the 
the  mechanism  at  every  possible  point. 

Of  the  camera’s  many  novel  feat- 
ures, four  were  outstanding:  the 

method  of  focusing,  the  dissolving 
shutter,  the  double  magazines,  and  the 
design  of  the  intermittent. 

The  Bell  and  Howell  had  a revolv- 


23 


Early  Box-type  Bell  and  Howell  (1907) 


ing  turret  carrying  four  lenses  — in 
early  practice,  two  matched  pairs  oi 
different  focal  lengths.  The  lenses  of 
each  pair  were  arranged  opposite  each 
other  across  the  turret,  so  that  while 
one  lens  was  being  used  for  taking, 
the  other  might  be  used  as  a finder. 
Since  the  ground  glass  of  the  finder 
was  in  exactly  the  same  focal  plane 
as  the  film,  a lens  focused  on  the 
finder  could  then  he  swung  over  and 
used  for  taking.  The  problem  of  paral- 
lax was  overcome  by  having  the  whole 
camera  slide  over  on  the  tripod  head 
so  that  the  finder  lens  would  be  in 
the  same  position  it  would  later  oc- 
cupy when  the  picture  was  being  shot. 
Once  focused  at  the  finder,  the  lens 
was  then  swung  over,  the  camera  slid 
back  to  its  normal  position,  and 
everything  was  set. 

The  dissolving  shutter  may  not  have 
been  the  first  ever  used,  but  it  was 
probably  the  first  actually  to  reach 
the  market.  Certainly  it  made  the  in- 
dustry sit  up  and  take  notice.  The 
only  camera  prior  to  the  Bell  and 
Howell  with  an  automatic  dissolve 
was  the  Pathe  Professional,  with  its 


lens  diaphragm  coupled  to  the  mech- 
anism. A lens  dissolve  had  two  dis- 
advantages, one  of  which  was  the 
visibly  increased  depth  of  focus  as 
the  lens  was  closed. 

The  other  bad  feature  was  that  a 
lens  fadeout  never  — as  a rule  — was 
quite  complete,  especially  when  shoot- 
ing in  strong  sunlight.  Some  cinema- 
tographers resorted  to  speeding  up  on 
the  crank  at  the  end  of  a dissolve  to 
further  cut  the  exposure;  this  caused 
a slowing  down  of  the  action  which 
was  sometimes  quite  effective,  in  other 
cases  merely  comic.  Another  device 
was  the  insertion  of  a special  dia- 
phragm blade  which  had  a small  pro- 
jection which  would  completely  close 
the  lens  at  the  smallest  aperture;  this 
was  fairly  satisfactory. 

In  passing  it  might  be  remarked 
that  the  first  shutter  dissolves  used 
with  artificial  lighting  caused  plenty 
of  headaches.  In  those  days  alter- 
nating current  was  used  for  lighting 
the  sets,  and  the  shutter  aperture  as 
it  was  cut  down  used  to  get  in  step 
with  the  60  cycle  current.  The  result 
was  not  a smooth  fadeout,  but  a 


24 


Movement  of  Standard  Bell  and  Howell 


series  of  wild  blinks  that  looked  as  if 
someone  were  fluttering  something 
back  and  forth  across  the  lens. 

The  Bell  and  Howell  double  maga- 
zines were  at  first  unpopular  because 
of  the  extra  space  they  took  up,  but 
it  was  soon  realized  that  they  saved 
a lot  of  time.  Instead  of  having  to 
shoot  until  the  end  ran  through  the 
camera  — perhaps  in  the  middle  of 
a good  take  — or  instead  of  having  to 
open  the  almost  empty  magazine  and 
throw  out  a good  short  end,  it  was 
now  possible  to  stop  and  change 
magazines  at  any  time  without  having 
to  cut  or  rewind  the  film. 

The  Bell  and  Howell  intermittent 
was  probably  the  most  radical  depart- 
ure of  all  from  standard  design.  Other 
cameras  had  the  film  running  in  a 
straight  line  through  the  gate,  with 
the  claws  moving  in  and  out  of  the 
perforations.  The  Bell  and  Howell 
claws  moved  straight  up  and  down,  the 


film  was  shifted  backward  and  for- 
ward. 

Moved  to  the  rear  it  was  impaled 
on  the  claws  which  pulled  it  down. 
At  the  bottom  of  the  stroke  the  film 
was  moved  forward  off  the  claws,  up 
against  the  aperture  plate,  and  onto  a 
pair  of  pilot  pins  which  held  it  dur- 
ing the  exposure.  The  only  time  any 
pressure  was  exerted  on  the  film  was 
while  it  was  standing  still,  the  rest 
of  the  time  it  was  absolutely  free  from 
drag  of  any  kind.  Even  the  light  traps 
of  the  magazines  exerted  no  pressure 
on  the  film,  since  these  were  opened 
automatically  by  the  closing  of  the 
camera  door. 

Although  the  first  Bell  and  Howell 
standard  model  was  sold  in  1909,  it 
took  the  industry  eleven  years  to  get 
around  to  recognizing  it  as  the  best 
American  apparatus  then  available. 
The  first  camera  sold  to  Essanay  was 
followed  by  others;  Essanay  seems  to 


25 


have  been  a proving  ground  for  many 
Bell  and  Howell  “firsts.'  Selig  — who 
ordinarily  used  their  own  cameras  — 
bought  one  or  two  Bell  and  Howells, 
and  sent  out  what  was  probably  the 
first  standard  model  to  reach  the  Los 
Angeles  area;  this  was  about  1912. 

\X  hen  Thomas  H.  Ince  became  one 
of  the  important  figures  of  the  indus- 
try with  his  studio  at  Santa  Monica, 
he  threw  out  all  the  older  cameras 
he  had  been  using,  and  went  over  en- 
tirely to  Bell  and  Howells.  The  Ameri- 
can Film  Co.  of  Santa  Barbara  follow- 
ed suit,  and  the  rush  was  on. 

1920  saw  the  studios  almost  100% 
Bell  and  H owell  equipped;  in  that 
year  the  company  sold  142  cameras. 
As  an  interesting  contrast  it  might  be 
noted  that  in  1913,  after  the  camera 
had  been  on  the  market  three  years, 
just  twelve  cameras  were  sold,  an 
average  of  one  a month. 

Those  who  believe  that  1000  foot 
magazines  were  not  used  until  sound 
came  in,  may  be  surprised  to  learn 
that  the  first  ones  were  turned  out 
by  Bell  atid  Howell  in  1916.  They 
were  used  on  Jackson  J.  Rose’s 
camera,  and  if  you  haven’t  already 
guessed  it,  the  studio  was  Essanay. 
The  first  Bell  and  Howell  motor  drive 
came  out  in  1918. 


The  present  Bell  and  Howell  stand- 
ard model  is  substantially  the  same 
in  its  general  design  as  the  first  one 
of  1909.  That  one  was  so  carefully 
and  accurately  designed,  that  no  major 
change  has  ever  been  found  necessary, 
and  such  modifications  as  have  been 
made  since  that  time  have  been  mere- 
ly that  addition  of  various  accessories. 
Among  the  more  important  of  these 
modifications  is  one  which  simplified 
throwing  the  camera-head  over  to 
focusing  position.  In  curent  models, 
the  original  dovetailed  slide  has  been 
replaced  by  a lever  operated  mechan- 
ism in  which  the  rear  part  of  the 
camera-head  — from  the  shutter  hack 
— moves  back  and  sideways  away 
from  the  lens  to  return  in  focusing 
position. 

This  design  was  developed  jointly 
by  John  Arnold,  A.S.C.,  and  the 
Hollywood  Bell  and  Howell  Engineer- 
ing staff.  Cameras  of  this  type  are 
being  constructed  in  Hollywood;  seven 
are  in  daily  use  at  the  Metro-Goldwyn- 
Mayer  Studio;  another  is  owned  by 
the  United  States  Eilm  Service,  and 
seven  others  are  in  production.  This 
focusing  arrangement  may  be  applied 
to  modernize  any  existing  Bell  and 
Howell,  and  all  new  cameras  being 
made  are  equipped  with  it. 


26 


Photographed  by  Truman  D.  V encill 


27 


.!###/•  #*###/  Movies  for  Colored 
Audiences 

By  Mack  Stengler,  A.S.C. 


Wr hen  we  talk  about  such  artists 
as  Marion  Anderson.  Paul  Robe- 
son. Bill  Robinson  and  Hattie  Mc- 
Daniels, we  generally  end  by  paying 
tribute  to  the  remarkable  natural  musi- 
cal and  dramatic  ability  of  their  race. 
It  is  almost  traditional  that  of  the 
thousands  of  Negroes  who  have  ap- 
peared on  stage  and  screen,  few,  if 
any,  have  been  known  to  give  bad 
performances.  Almost  equally  famil- 
iar is  the  intense  pride  that  their 
fellow"  Negroes  take  in  the  achieve- 
ment of  Afro-American  entertainers. 
A nation-wide  audience  loyally  cheers 
each  success. 

The  motion  picture  industry  has 
been  surprisingly  slow  to  put  these 
two  facts  together  and  give  this  wait- 
ing audience  pictures  of  and  for 
Negroes.  From  time  to  time  during 
the  past  twenty  years  there  have  been 
attempts  at  making  Negro  films,  here 
and  elsewhere,  with  varying  success. 
The  majority  of  them  have  been  un- 
successful because  their  makers  seem 
to  have  underestimated  the  colored 
public,  and  given  them  inferior  films. 

During  the  last  three  years,  how- 
ever, the  making  of  colored-cast  pro- 
ductions has  matured.  A better  under- 
standing of  the  production  require- 
ments of  this  field  has  been  coupled 
with  an  assured  distribution  outlet 
for  satisfactorily  made  pictures.  As 
a result,  there  are  now  at  least  three 
production  units  in  Hollywood  active- 
ly engaged  in  turning  out  colored- 


cast  productions  of  a quality  seldom 
before  attempted. 

Major  Quality 

These  pictures  are  being  produced 
on  a scale  of  cost,  facilities  and  sched- 
ule that  compares  favorably  with  the 
better  independent  releases,  and  the 
results  on  the  screen  are  in  many 
cases  quite  comparable  to  many 
major-studio  program  films. 

It  has  been  my  good  fortune  to 
direct  the  photography  of  several  of 
these  films.  It  has  been  an  interesting 
experience  in  every  way.  Photograph- 
ing negroes,  either  singly  or  in  groups 
can  offer  extremely  interesting  pic- 
torial possibilities. 

It  can  also  offer  some  equally  in- 
teresting technical  problems.  Espec- 
ially in  these  films,  which  deal  entire- 
ly with  modern-day  action,  tonal  ren- 
dition is  important.  The  cinemato- 
grapher should  develop  an  even  closer 
understanding  of  the  relationship  be- 
tween his  subjects,  his  him.  lighting, 
makeup  and  laboratory  processing 
than  would  he  the  case  on  a similar 
production  using  an  all-white  cast. 

I recall  some  time  ago  at  an  A.S.C. 
meeting  devoted  to  the  question  of  ex- 
posure-meters, there  was  quite  a bit 
of  discussion  of  what  should  be  done 
when  one  had  a white  man  and  a 
colored  man  in  the  same  shot.  This 
is  an  every-day  occurence  in  modern 
all-colored  films,  for  the  complexions 
of  the  actors  vary  over  the  entire 


Its  a Sad  Story  Photographed  by  E.  ].  Toplitt 


range  possible  from  the  lightest  to  the 
darkest  of  the  negro  race. 

Know  Film , Lighting 
The  best  solution  I have  as  yet  found 
is  to  know  your  film  and  its  reaction 
to  varying  intensities  of  lighting.  It 
so  happens  that  all  of  the  colored- 
cast  productions  I have  photographed 
have  been  made  on  Agfa  Supreme 
negative,  with  excellent  results.  Hav- 
ing used  this  film  on  other  produc- 
tions with  all-white  casts,  I knew  its 
normal  characteristics.  This  could  re- 
main the  normal  standard  for  set- 
lighting and  for  key-lighting  the 
players  with  lighter  complexions.  For 
those  who  have  darker  coloring,  I have 


simply  raised  the  intensity  of  the  key- 
lighting, sometimes  increasing  it  by 
one-third  or  more. 

An  important  phase  of  this  prob- 
lem is  knowing  tbe  shadow-speed  of 
the  film  you  are  using.  Obviously  an 
emulsion  that  lacks  speed  in  this 
region  will  require  more  illumination 
to  give  a natural  rendition  of  these 
less  reflective  darker  skins  than  will  a 
film  that  has  a greater  sensitivity  in 
the  shadows.  Of  course,  the  same  ap- 
plies with  equal  effect  to  the  matter 
of  modeling. 

Makeup  is  another  matter  that  can 
easily  be  misjudged.  The  average 
Negro  has  a skin  texture  no  more 


29 


glossy  than  that  of  the  average  white 
person.  But  too  often  cinematograph- 
ers yield  to  the  temptations  of  pic- 
torial effectiveness  and  allowr  makeup 
and  lighting  to  combine  to  give  an  un- 
naturally shiny  texture  to  the  dusky 
countenances.  To  my  mind,  and  I be- 
lieve also  to  that  of  tbe  colored  aud- 
ience as  well,  a smootb-textured  ren- 
dition is  much  more  pleasing.  There- 
fore I prefer  to  have  my  players  made 
up  smoothly,  and  normally  pow'dered 
to  remove  the  shine  the  heat  of  in- 
candescent lamps  gives  to  colored  and 
white  complexions  alike. 

Of  course  this  is  only  a generality: 
there  are  times  when  a shiny-faced 
rendition  may  be  much  more  effective 
dramatically.  This  is  especially  true 
when  playing  for  either  comedy  or 
melodramatic  effects,  as  I found  re- 
cently in  a colored-cast  melodrama 
where  strong  rim-lighted  effects 
proved  dramatically  valuable. 

In  any  photography,  securing  ade- 
quate separation  between  faces,  cos- 
tumes and  sets  is  a problem.  Ordin- 
arily, my  experience  in  filming  color- 
ed pictures  has  been  that  photograph- 
ically neutral-toned  costumes — espec- 
ially shades  of  gray  — are  best.  How- 
ever if  one  understands  bis  film  and 
its  reaction  to  lighting,  even  dark- 
skinned  players  in  light-colored 
clothes,  or  lighter  players  in  dark 
clothes,  can  be  most  effective.  One  of 
the  most  effective  shots  made  of  the 
somewhat  dark-skinned  leading  lady 
in  one  recent  film  was  one  in  which 
she  wore  a dark-toned  evening  gown. 

Filtering 

Regardless  of  the  color  of  your 
players,  filtering  on  exterior  scenes 
has  always  been  something  to  ap- 
proach with  care,  especially  as  the 


action  progresses  from  long-shot  to 
close-up.  As  faces  figure  more  and 
more  prominently,  the  lightening  ef- 
fect of  some  filters  on  face  tones  be- 
comes more  prominent.  When  your 
cast  is  made  up  of  Negroes  of  vary- 
ing complexions,  this  problem  may  be 
magnified  since  tbe  filtering  may  not 
act  uniformly,  but  instead  may  affect 
tbe  lighter  complexions  first,  while 
having  far  less  effect  on  tbe  darker 
skins.  For  this  reason  I have  found 
il  best  in  these  pictures  to  modify  my 
filtering  rather  more  quickly  as  1 move 
in  from  long-shots  to  close  angles 
than  I would  with  an  all-white  cast. 

In  general,  however,  the  technical 
requirements  of  photographing  color- 
ed-cast productions  do  not  differ  too 
greatly  from  those  with  which  we  are 
familiar  from  experience  in  filming 
pictures  of  more  accustomed  types. 
The  differences,  I believe,  can  be  sum- 
med up  by  the  statement  that  the  cine- 
matographer should  have  complete 
confidence  in  the  negative  stock  he 
uses,  and  he  thoroughly  familiar  with 
its  behavior  under  the  special  con- 
ditions of  tonal  qualities  and  reflect- 
ivity involved. 

For  the  rest,  the  success  of  these 
pioneer  Negro  producing  units  is  mak- 
ing possible  a constant  increase  in  the 
standard  of  schedules,  budgets  and 
production  facilities  available.  Since 
ibis  results  in  a constant  improvement 
in  the  quality  of  these  films  — to  the 
extent  that  there  exists  already  a prob- 
ability that  from  time  to  time  some  of 
them  will  be  regularly  booked  into 
representative  first-run  theatres  which 
have  heretofore  shown  only  major 
“white”  productions  — it  seems  that 
the  continued  success  of  good  all- 
colored productions  is  assured. 


30 


Rihherfincers 


Photographed  by  Bob  Levy 


31 


About  Our  Contributors 


The  excellent  article  on  Make-up 
for  Agfa  Film  Products  which  appears 
on  Page  5 shows  clearly  that  Max 
Factor.  Jr.,  is  carrying  on  the  disting- 
uished traditions  of  his  famous  father, 
whose  progressive  mind  did  so  much 
to  advance  theatrical  and  screen  make- 
up from  a haphazard  knack  to  a 
science.  We  sincerely  appreciate  Fac- 
tor's cooperation  in  preparing  this 
article  for  our  readers.  At  the  same 
time  we  would  like  to  extend  our  ap- 
preciation to  the  others  who  partici- 
pated in  the  research  program  out  of 
which  the  article  grew.  Among  them 
we  may  mention  Max  Firestein,  A. 
Bernard  Shore.  Make-up  Artist  Sid 
Kramer.  Arthur  J.  Campbell.  Head  of 
Factor’s  Photographic  Department, 
and  Bernice  Lyon,  the  extremely  pat- 
ient young  lady  who  served  as  a 
model  for  the  long  series  of  tests.  In- 
cidentally, we  hope  to  publish  a 
similar  article  on  make-up  for  Agfa 
Infra-Red  negative  in  a forthcoming 
issue  — especially  if  the  weatherman 
will  cooperate  by  providing  some  of 
the  clear,  sunny  days  all  of  us  prefer 
for  testing  an  outdoor  film. 

Mack  Stengler,  A.S.C.,  whose  article 
on  Making  Films  for  Colored  Aud- 
iences appears  on  Page  28,  is  one  of 
that  rather  rare  group  of  cinemato- 
graphers who  seem  equally  at  home 
directing  the  photography  of  a big, 
major-studio  production  or  a short- 
schedule  independent  release.  That  he 
is  in  demand  in  both  fields  is  high 
tribute  to  his  technical  skill  and  artis- 
try. We’ve  long  known  Mack  as  one 
of  the  industry’s  better  photographers 


of  color  pictures  — and  now,  from  the 
reviews  he  is  getting  on  the  several 
all-negro  films  he  has  recently  photo- 
graphed. it  appears  he  is  also  one  of 
the  better  photographers  of  colored 
subjects,  as  well! 

Our  frontispiece  this  month  comes 
from  the  versatile  minicam  of  Ser- 
geant Rex  Servoss.  of  the  California 
Highway  Patrol.  We  think  its  a rather 
unusual  subject  for  a photograph,  and 
very  well  handled  photographically. 
We  don't  know  if  Sgt.  Servoss  is  one 
of  the  State  Patrolmen  who  goes  after 
speeders  with  a camera,  but  we’ll 
wager  that  when  he  does,  he  not  only 
gets  his  man  but  a better-than-average 
picture  of  him  too! 

Further  bows  to  our  friends  Bob 
Levy  and  Ed  Toplitt  for  their  contri- 
butions. 

In  our  Editorial,  we  mention  the 
many  evidences  of  friendly  cooper- 
ation between  our  little  journal  and 
the  industry’s  established  technical 
trade  papers.  The  photograph  on 
Page  25  is  an  example  of  this.  When 
W.  Wallace  Clendenin  reached  the 
point  of  describing  Bell  & Howell 
cameras  in  bis  series,  Cameras  of 
i esteryear,  we  found  that  we  needed 
a picture  of  a standard  Bell  & Howell 
— in  a hurry.  The  cut  we  use  was 
loaned  by  the  International  Photogra- 
pher Magazine,  to  which  we  gladly 
extend  credit.  Our  personal  thanks, 
too,  to  Editor  Herbert  Aller  and  Art- 
Editor  John  Hill,  whose  excellent  fil- 
ing system  made  locating  a suitable 
cut  a matter  of  minutes. 


32 


Above  the  Rest 


In  every  field  of  endeavor,  some 
one  individual  or  product  always 
stands  out  above  the  rest  ...  in 
motion  picture  negative  film,  Agfa 
Supreme  is  the  outstanding  leader. 
Supreme  revolutionized  cinematogra- 
phy with  its  combination  of  high 


speed  and  high  quality  . . . and  today 
it  still  offers  the  supreme  combination 
of  speed,  balanced  color  sensitivity, 
fine  grain  and  tonal  brilliance. 

Made  by  Agfa-Ansco  Division, 
General  Aniline  & Film  Corporation 
in  Binghamton,  New  York. 


Distributed  by 


AGFA  RAW  FILM  CORPORATION 

HOLLYWOOD  NEW  YORK 

6424  Santa  Monica  Blvd.  245  West  55th  Street 


SUPREME 


pr  ;£A 

5— •'>  ^ r&T W 

VOLUME  IV  NO.  3 


MAY-JUNE  1940 


MOTION  PICTURE  TOPICS 

WILLIAM  STULL  - A.  S.  C.  EDITOR 

Contents 

Timely  Topics 2 

Looking  Back  at  Ten  Years  in  Europe 

By  Phil  Tannura,  A.S.C.  .......  5 

Supreme  Films  Grinding  of  200-Inch  Lens 

By  Glen  Edgerton  . . . . . . . . 11 

Aviation  Camera-Artist 

By  William  Stull,  A.S.C 17 

Glacier  Lake  . Photographed  by  Lawrence  Kronquist  . Frontispiece 


Published  Bi-Monthly  by  AGFA  RAW  FILM  CORPORATION 

6424  SANTA  MONICA  BLVD.,  HOLLYWOOD  - 245  WEST  55th  ST.,  NEW  YORK 


Neither  Agfa  Motion  Picture  Topics  nor  the  Agfa  Raw  Film  Corporation  is  responsible  foi 
statements  made  by  authors  nor  unsolicited  manuscripts. 


Timely  Topics 


A T a time  like  the  present,  when 
^ each  headline  and  broadcast  brings 
its  new  tale  of  earth-shaking  events, 
it  is  only  natural  that  to  many  of  us 
the  production  of  motion  pictures 
should  seem  suddenly  trivial.  But  in 
a larger  sense,  the  exact  opposite  is 
true.  However  strongly  we  may  feel 
about  the  events  taking  place  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  we  can  do 
nothing  to  alter  their  outcome. 

But  we  have  an  opportunity  to 
render  an  invaluable  service  to  the 
world  by  swinging  the  force  of  our 
united  efforts  into  the  making  of 
better,  more  entertaining  pictures. 

The  trade  papers  tell  us  that  a vast 
part  of  our  foreign  market  has  been 
blacked  out,  and  that  domestic  aud- 
iences are  drastically  slashed  as 
thousands  of  Americans  stay  home  to 
follow  the  war  news  with  newspapers 
and  radio.  But  beyond  this,  our  own 
reactions  as  we  avidly  follow  the 
latest  bulletins  tell  us  of  a world  with 
nerves  racked  to  the  limit.  All  of  us, 
whether  in  warring  or  neutral  nations, 
are  living,  working  and  sleeping  with 
our  nerves  on  edge. 

Such  tension  cannot  continue  in- 
definitely. Regardless  of  the  outcome 
of  the  great  events  we  are  following, 
all  of  us  must  sooner  or  later  relax 
that  tension.  We  will  demand  some- 
thing to  offset  it  — to  give  our  frayed 
nerves  a chance  to  escape  from  the 
day’s  horrible  realities. 

Motion  pictures  offer  the  fullest 
form  of  such  escape  known  to  our 
time.  It  is  inevitable,  therefore,  that 


when  that  tension  breaks,  whether  it 
is  because  the  dangers  causing  the 
tension  have  abated,  or  merely  because 
outraged  human  nature  can  endure 
no  more,  motion  picture  entertainment 
will  be  in  greater  demand  than  ever 
before. 

But  when  that  demand  comes,  it 
must  he  met  with  the  kind  of  pictures 
that  will  offer  a satisfactory  escape 
for  war-frayed  nerves.  People  whose 
nerves  have  been  rubbed  raw  by  the 
realities  of  a world  at  war  will  de- 
mand entertainment  that  gives  them  an 
utter  change  of  scene  and  thought. 
They'll  want  less  of  grim  and  heavy 
drama,  no  matter  how  “timely”  or 
how  magnificently  produced  and 
acted;  they'll  want  more  light  and 
frothy  romance,  comedy  and  music. 
Especially  may  they  he  expected  to 
want  music-films:  showmen  of  our 
acquaintance  who  served  overseas  dur- 
ing the  last  war  have  repeatedly  told 
us  that  in  Paris  and  London,  no  matter 
howr  the  tide  of  war  turned,  the  music- 
halls  never  lacked  for  packed  aud- 
iences; in  our  own  country,  some  of 
the  most  successful  musicals  were 
produced  during  our  own  war  years. 
Human  nature  doesn’t  change:  the 
same  type  of  entertainment  that  offer- 
ed forgetfulness  to  war-strained  nerves 
in  1914-18  can  repeat  in  1940. 

Very  clearly,  it  is  up  to  Hollywood 
to  anticipate  that  need,  and  to  produce 
the  pictures  that  will  satisfy  it.  Let 
us  hope  that  the  Hollywood  which 
after  so  many  years  of  bickering  over 
actually  pointless  questions  of  internal 


2 


organization  and  jurisdiction,  of  frit- 
tering away  time  and  energy  on  a 
score  of  side-issues  unconnected  with 
pictures,  having  at  last  found  itself 
truly  united  in  revulsion  and  resent- 
ment over  the  shocking  events  of  the 
past  few  weeks,  can  maintain  that 
unity  and  pour  it  into  the  making  of 
better,  more  entertaining  pictures  to 
solace  the  war-ridden  nerves  of  this 
and  other  countries.  That  is  Holly- 
wood s chance  to  prove  itself  as  an 
agency  of  world-reaching  service. 

Tenuring  the  past  few  weeks,  we've 
enjoyed  the  pleasure  of  using 
some  of  the  “dinky”  spotlights  recent- 
ly developed  for  studio  use.  While 
doing  so.  we  couldn’t  help  remarking 
on  the  advances  in  film-speed  which 
have  made  such  tiny  lamps  practical. 
Two  or  three  years  ago,  before  the 
introduction  of  Agfa  Supreme  ushered 
in  the  day  of  modern,  super-speed 
films,  the  idea  of  using  little  150-Watt 
spotlights  for  serious  professional 
cinematography  would  have  been  out 
of  the  question.  Such  lamps  might 
suffice  as  playthings  for  amateur  photo- 
graphy, but  for  any  serious  profession- 
al camerawork  they  would  have  been 
inadequate. 

Today  they  are  being  used  enthus- 
iastically in  every  studio.  We’ve  seen 
tests  in  which  a good-sized  set  was 
entirely  illuminated  by  four  or  five 
of  these  tiny  lamps.  Another  cinema- 
tographer told  us  of  having  used 
fifteen  of  these  little  lamps  as  the 
mainstay  of  his  lighting  throughout  an 
entire  feature  production.  In  almost 
every  studio  there  is  a continuous 
minor  battle  going  on  between  the  Di- 
rectors of  Photography  and  the  elec- 


trical departments  over  these  lamps; 
for  no  matter  how  many  “dinkies” 
a studio  may  buy,  there  never  seem 
to  he  enough  to  give  each  Director  of 
Photography  as  many  of  them  as  he 
wants! 

Incontrovertably  these  lamps  bring 
the  cinematographer  a new  lighting 
tool  — one  that  enables  him  to  do 
things  never  before  possible,  when 
larger,  more  powerful  units  were 
necessary,  and  one  which  enables  him 
to  achieve  more  routine  tasks  with 
greater  ease  and  efficiency.  At  the 
same  time,  the  acceptance  of  these 
new  lamps  has  brought  business  bene- 
fits to  several  manufacturing  firms 
closely  allied  with  the  motion  picture 
industry,  and  welcome  employment  to 
their  staffs.  That’s  quite  an  array  of 
achievements  for  something  which 
only  two  or  three  years  ago  would 
have  been  treated  as  a toy. 

Without  any  intention  of  taking  a 
bit  of  credit  from  the  several  engin- 
eers who  conceived  and  developed 
these  lamps,  we’d  like  to  point  out 
that  this  latest  development  in  light- 
ing equipment  has  its  roots  at  least 
indirectly  in  Agfa  Supreme,  for  only 
since  Supreme  revolutionized  the  in- 
dustry’s conception  of  film-speeds  have 
such  small  packages  of  illumination 
been  of  practical  value  for  studio  use. 
We  can’t  help  feeling  a glow  of 
pride  when  we  realize  this  is  so. 

/_p  HREE  or  four  years  ago,  the 
■**  cinematographer  who  used  a photo- 
electric light-meter  (except,  perhaps, 
on  a few  rare  location  exteriors)  ran 
the  risk  of  being  considered  either  an 
impractical  theorist  or  a simple  crack- 
pot. Today,  the  cinematographer  who 


3 


doesn't  employ  such  a device,  at  least 
to  some  extent,  finds  himself  standing 
virtually  alone. 

In  other  words,  the  modern,  photo- 
electric light-meter  has  become  as 
much  a part  of  a cinematographer's 
outfit  as  his  camera  and  lenses.  Every- 
one has  gained  from  this:  the  cine- 
matographer gains  an  added  freedom 
and  security;  the  studio  gains  even 
more  through  the  added  speed  and 
certainty  made  possible  on  the  set, 
and  the  smoothing  out  of  negative 
densities  for  more  efficient  release 
printing. 

Yet  with  a single  exception,  no 
studio  in  the  industry  has  seen  fit  to 
take  the  step  of  providing  its  cine- 
matographers with  these  valuable  ac- 
cessories. The  camera  department  of 
the  Twentieth  Century-Fox  Studio 
alone  has  taken  the  progressive  step 
of  providing,  standardizing  and  main- 
taining light-meters  for  the  use  of  its 
Directors  of  Photography.  In  all  the 
other  studios,  the  burden  of  purchas- 
ing and  maintaining  the  meters  used 
daily  for  the  studio’s  benefit  has  been 
left  on  the  shoulders  of  the  individual 
cinematographers. 

This  hardly  seems  logical  to  us. 
Meters  have  proven  themselves  de- 
sirable, almost  indispensable  adjuncts 
to  modern  studio  cinematography. 
Their  use  is  of  direct  benefit  to  the 
studio.  Why,  then,  should  not  the 
studios  provide  the  meters? 

From  every  viewpoint,  there  would 
be  much  gained  by  such  a policy.  If 
meters  are  to  be  used  to  the  fullest 
advantage,  they  should  be  standard- 
ized, and  they  should  be  maintained 


at  standard  efficiency.  These  can  best 
he  accomplished  if  the  studio  pro- 
vides and  maintains  the  meters.  Today 
there  are  close  to  half-a-dozen  differ- 
ent types  of  photoelectric  meters  used 
by  studio  cinematographers.  Each  pre- 
sumably is  accurate  enough  when  used 
by  its  individual  owner  for  his  own 
guidance.  But  when  used  as  a standard 
instrument  to  indicate  to  the  laboratory 
what  has  been  done,  or  to  second-unit 
camera  crews  what  should  be  done, 
they  may  not  be  so  accurate.  Seventy- 
five  foot-candles  on  one  cinematogra- 
pher’s meter  may  not  agree  with  an 
outwardly  similar  reading  taken  with 
a meter  of  a different  type.  There  is 
in  addition  the  problem  of  sudden 
partial  failures  of  individual  instru- 
ments, which  can  cause  further  con- 
fusion. 

It  has  been  found,  however,  that 
where  meters  of  a single  type  are  pro- 
vided by  the  studio,  they  can  be  co- 
ordinated, given  daily  routine  checks, 
and  maintained  at  a higher  standard 
of  uniformity  and  efficiency  than  is 
possible  with  individually-owned 
meters.  The  value  of  the  meters,  both 
to  the  cinematographer  and  to  the 
studio,  is  thereby  proportionally  in- 
creased. Further,  the  concentrated  pur- 
chasing power  of  a modern  major 
studio  can  be  eloquent  in  persuading 
manufacturers  to  provide  instruments 
embodying  special  features  which  may 
not  be  necessary  in  other  fields. 

So  again  we  would  ask.  why  can't 
the  studios  recognize  meters  as  an  im- 
portant part  of  modern  camera  equip- 
ment, and  provide  and  maintain  them, 
instead  of  leaving  them  to  chance  and 
to  the  individual? 


4 


The  Painter 


Photographed  by  Herbert  P.  Bond 


Looking  Hack  at  Ten  Tears 
in  Europe 

By  Phil  Tannura,  A.S.C. 


Qince  my  return  to  Hollywood  activ- 
^ ity  after  spending  the  better  part  of 
ten  years  in  the  studios  of  Eng- 
land and  France,  so  many  of  my 
friends  have  asked  me  questions  about 
European  production  methods  and 
conditions  that  Em  beginning  to  be- 
lieve there  must  be  some  interest,  as 
well  as  mere  politeness,  behind  those 
queries.  So  I welcome  the  invitation 
extended  by  the  Editor  to  present  a 
few  comments  on  the  subject  to  the 
readers  of  Motion  Picture  Topics. 

As  I complete  the  photography  of 
the  first  Hollywood-made  film  Eve 


photographed  since  my  return,  Em  im- 
pressed with  the  thought  that  in  some 
ways  Hollywood  is  in  advance,  and 
in  some  ways  Europe  is  ahead:  if 
someone  could  only  combine  the  best 
ideas  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic, 
the  result  would  be  a very  nearly 
ideal  set-up  for  motion  picture  pro- 
duction. 

As  a cinematographer,  naturally  the 
first  thing  I noticed  on  my  return 
to  Hollywood  was  the  difference  in 
the  position  of  the  cinematographer 
here  and  in  Europe.  Here  in  Holly- 
wood, cinematographers  are  taken 


Marcia 


Photographed  hy  Boh  Levy 


too  much  for  granted  — perhaps  be- 
cause Hollywood  has  such  an  abund- 
ance of  outstanding  cameramen  al- 
ways available. 

In  Europe,  it  is  different.  There, 
the  cinematographer  enjoys  a notice- 


ably higher  professional  standing.  He 
is  fully  as  important  a figure  in  mak- 
ing and  preparing  the  production  as 
the  director.  His  opinions  and  advice 
are  more  eagerly  sought  by  all  con- 
cerned. from  the  producer  down.  As 


a result  he  is,  I am  confident,  much 
more  valuable  to  the  production  than 
he  is  usually  allowed  to  be  here  in 
Hollywood. 

Cameraman  Rates  Higher 

Ironically  enough,  I think  that  the 
American  cinematographers  who  have 
made  pictures  abroad  these  last  eight 
or  ten  years  are  largely  responsible 
for  this  condition.  Europe  has  many 
excellent  cinematographers,  but  until 
the  rebirth  of  European  production 
some  ten  years  ago,  they  — like  the 
industry  as  a whole  — had  had  so 
little  activity  that  they  tended  as  a 
whole  to  stagnate.  At  that  time,  and 
especially  during  the  years  of  Eng- 
land’s production  boom,  Europe's 
producers  saw  that  the  camera  was 
one  of  the  weakest  links  in  their 
chain.  Hence  they  imported  many  of 
Hollywood’s  best  cinematographers, 
at  premium  salaries.  And  as  they  were 
paying  these  experts  top  money,  the 
European  producers  were  shrewd 
enough  to  make  the  most  of  it,  get- 
ting the  benefit  of  the  cameraman’s 
wide  experience  and  knowledge  of 
production  methods  in  every  possible 
way. 

I believe  some  few  directors  and 
producers  here  work  almost  as  close- 
ly with  their  cinematographers,  but 
only  a few  of  them.  I believe  that 
Hollywood  would  find  a great  deal  of 
advantage  in  following  Europe’s  lead 
in  this  respect,  especially  under  the 
conditions  that  apply  right  now,  when 
technical  economies  are  becoming  so 
vitally  important. 

Europe’s  studios  are  now  very  well 
equipped.  When  I first  went  abroad, 
that  was  not  the  case:  but  since  then 
Europe’s  film  industry,  especially  in 


England,  has  had  the  unique  advant- 
age of  building  itself  anew,  literally 
from  the  ground  up.  Where  we  here  in 
Hollywood  had  a tremendous  invest- 
ment in  reasonably  efficient  silent-pic- 
ture stages,  cameras,  lighting  equip- 
ment and  accessories,  which  could 
hardly  be  entirely  discarded,  Europe’s 
facilities  were  obviously  old  and  out- 
moded, and  in  many  cases  utterly  in- 
adequate for  modern  sound-film  pro- 
duction. 

Europe  W ell  Equipped 

So  Europe  found  it  economical  to 
build  new  studios,  buy  new  cameras, 
lamps,  and  everything  else.  As  a re- 
sult, the  equipment  in  most  of  the 
better  European  studios  is  if  anything 
more  modern  than  that  generally 
found  here  in  Hollywood.  The  cameras 
are  new  Mitchell  NC’s,  DeBries  and 
Eclairs  — all  designed,  not  merely 
adapted,  for  sound  use.  In  most  of 
the  best  studios,  the  sound  equipment 
is  either  ERPI  or  RCA.  The  lighting 
equipment  is  of  the  most  modern, 
Fresnel-lensed  type,  usually  of  Mole- 
Richardson  manufacture,  from  M-R's 
thriving  British  factory. 

The  newer  British  studios  them- 
selves compare  very  favorably  with 
anything  in  Hollywood.  The  largest 
of  them  — Korda’s  studio  at  Denham, 
which  was  excellently  laid  out  by 
American  Jack  Okey  — is  even  as  ex- 
tensive as  all  but  the  very  largest  of 
Hollywood  plants.  The  others  may  be 
smaller,  but  they  are  no  less  modern. 

The  French  studios  are  generally 
smaller  and,  like  our  own,  more  or 
less  conversions  of  older,  silent-pic- 
ture plants.  They  compare  more  close- 
ly with  Hollywood’s  middle-sized 
rental  studios.  In  fact,  most  of  the 
French  studios  are  operated  entirely 


7 


as  rental  lots,  servicing  the  many  in- 
dependent producers  that  supply  the 
French  market.  Though  small,  they 
are  well  equipped  and  staffed. 

I was  kept  so  busy  in  England  and 
France  that  I had  no  opportunity  to 
visit  the  German  studios  and  paid 
only  a brief  visit  to  Italy’s  much- 
publicized  “Cine  Citta.”  These  plants 
do  not  compare  with  those  in  Eng- 
land. 

Metal  Set-Platforming 

There  is  one  feature  of  British 
studio  practice  which  I feel  deserves 
special  comment.  This  is  the  system, 
followed  in  many  plants,  of  using 
standardized,  metal  set-platforming, 

Instead  of  using  wood  for  this 
purpose,  standardized  tubular  metal 
units  and  clamps  are  used.  These  units 
are  much  the  same  as  the  metal  scaf- 
folding now  being  used  here  on  big 
building  projects.  By  using  these  metal 
units,  considerable  savings  of  time  and 
money  can  be  effected,  for  the  plat- 
forming can  be  put  together  quickly, 
conforming  more  accurately  to  the 
shape  and  height  of  the  set  than  is 
possible  with  wooden  platforming, 
and  of  course  the  standardized  metal 
units  can  be  used  over  and  over  again. 

In  addition,  it  is  surprising  how 
Europe’s  stage  crews  can  improvise 
accessories  with  these  units.  When  a 
company  is  on  location,  a parallel 
of  any  height  can  be  quickly  made 
from  these  sturdy  tubular  units.  At 
other  times,  I’ve  seen  excellent  large 
camera-booms  improvised  out  of  the 
same  units.  And  on  one  occasion  I've 
known  of  using  this  handy  framing 
to  hurriedly  knock  out  a camera 
platform  for  making  low-angle  shots 
of  the  bow  and  waterline  of  a ship 


during  the  short  run  of  a regular 
cross-channel  steamer!  I think  Holly- 
wood's technicians  are  missing  a good 
bet  if  they  don't  investigate  the  possi- 
bilities of  this  system. 

Laboratories  Improved 

Traditionally-  European  laboratory 
processing  has  lagged  behind  Holly- 
wood standards.  Such  was  certainly 
the  case  when  I first  went  abroad,  but 
it  is  not  nearly  so  much  the  case 
today.  Eleven  years  ago,  the  European 
labs  were  pretty  much  on  a par  with 
our  second-rate  labs  of  pre-talkie 
days.  They  generally  used  raek-and- 
tank  processing,  and  (like  our  own 
labs  at  the  time!)  knew  nothing  of 
sensitometrie  methods.  Since  then, 
however,  the  producers,  the  laboratory 
owners  and  the  film-manufacturing 
companies  have  done  a great  deal  to 
educate  the  laboratory  technicians  in 
modern  methods,  and  conditions  are 
far  better. 

In  general,  I'd  say  that  European 
negative  development  is  excellent. 
During  these  last  few  years  I’ve  seen 
some  of  the  most  beautiful  negative 
work  anyone  could  ever  wish  come 
out  of  the  British  labs. 

Their  printing,  however,  is  not  so 
good.  No  matter  what  type  of  film- 
stock  they  use,  nor  how  fine  a negative 
they  may  have  to  print  from,  the 
prints  have  a tremendous  tendency  to 
excessive  contrast.  I am  sure  that  if 
you  took  the  same  negative,  and  had 
one  print  made  from  it  in  the  average 
European  lab.  and  another  made  in 
the  average  Hollywood  plant,  you 
would  hardly  recognize  the  two  prints 
as  being  the  same  picture.  In  fact. 
I’ve  seen  examples  of  this,  for  very 
often  the  big  first-run  theatres  in 


8 


The  Project 

London  use  American-made  prints  of 
Hollywood  pictures  — using  either  the 
master-print  that  is  sent  over  with 
the  duping  lavender,  or  the  lavender 
itself  — while  the  smaller  houses 
naturally  use  British-made  prints.  The 
difference  is  incredible,  even  to  one 
who  has  seen  what  he  thought  were 
the  maximum  possible  variations  in 
print-quality. 

Use  Less  Light  Abroad 
There  is  one  phase  of  European 
laboratory  work  that  I don’t  believe 
has  been  brought  out  by  anyone  be- 
fore. That  is  that  the  European  lab’s 
negative  development  gives  you  more 
of  the  advantage  of  today’s  high  film 
speeds.  Looking  about  the  various  sets 
here  before  I started  my  own  picture, 
I noticed  that  almost  universally  my 


Photographed  by  Herbert  P.  Bond 

friends  here  in  Hollywood  seemed  to 
be  using  quite  a bit  more  light  than 
was  the  rule  in  Europe. 

When  I started  my  first  picture, 
Voco  Productions’  “Dreaming  Out 
Loud"  for  RKO  release,  I found  that 
I was  using  close  to  40  per  cent  more 
light  than  I had  been  accustomed  to 
using  on  film  of  equal  speed  in  Eng- 
land. Of  course,  if  one  knows  how  to 
balance  light,  this  makes  little  dif- 
ference in  the  result  on  the  screen: 
but  a 40  per  cent  saving  in  lighting 
can  be  a useful  factor  in  production 
economy,  just  the  same. 

On  the  other  hand,  nothing  I found 
in  Europe,  either  in  European-made 
negative  or  in  imported,  American- 
made  stock,  could  equal  the  Agfa 
Supreme  negative  I am  using  for 


‘"Dreaming  Out  Loud."  This  film  has 
a combination  of  speed,  gradation, 
brilliance  and  fine-grain  quality  I've 
found  nowhere  else.  Nothing  like  it 
has  been  available  anywhere  in  Eu- 
rope, and  I certaiidy  wish  I could 
have  used  it  on  some  of  my  pictures 
there. 

Few  Process  Specialists 

There  is  vastly  less  photographic 
specialization  abroad.  If  your  picture 
calls  for  process-shots,  or  miniatures, 
or  aerial  scenes,  you  seldom  have  a 
specialist  to  turn  them  over  to;  in- 
stead, you  do  them  yourself  — and 
like  it.  Of  course,  this  makes  the 
work  technically  interesting,  and  in 
some  cases  may  be  of  an  artistic  ad- 
vantage. But  it  would  seem  less  effic- 
ient than  the  Hollywood  system  of 
having  specialists  in  these  fields  to 
collaborate  with  you,  and  sometimes 
to  take  complete  charge  of  these 
scenes  while  you  concentrate  your 
efforts  on  the  straightforward,  dram- 
atic portions  of  the  production. 

For  the  same  reason,  there  is  very 
little,  if  any  “second  unit”  work  done 
abroad. 

Another  advantage  I've  found  since 
I've  returned  was  Agfa's  Infra-Red 
negative.  This  film  is  not  available 
abroad,  and  although  one  or  two 
foreign  firms  offer  emulsions  of  a 
somewhat  similar  type,  they  do  not 
have  the  inimitable  characteristics  of 
the  American  product.  And  yet  I 
think  Infra-Red  would  be  of  even 
greater  value  over  there  than  it  is 
here,  for  location  night-work  is  very 
difficult,  and  often  quite  impossible 
in  England.  Here  in  Hollywood,  when 
we  have  such  sequences  to  film,  we 
know  we  can  either  take  a gas-power- 


ed generator  set,  or  cut  an  M-G  set 
into  a local  transmission-line. 

That  can't  be  done  in  England. 
There  are  very  few  gas  generator  rigs 
available  there,  and  most  of  those  that 
are  available  are  of  insufficient  cap- 
acity for  important  work.  At  the 
same  time,  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
cut  into  England’s  excellent,  sprawl- 
ing network  of  power-transmission 
lines  (commonly  called  “the  Grid”), 
as  it  takes  literally  months  of  endless 
red-tape  to  gain  permission  to  do  so. 
Infra-Red  night  effects,  if  a material 
equal  to  Agfa  Infra-Red  were  avail- 
able, would  have  been  a great  advant- 
age to  us  over  there. 

Speaking  of  such  special  photo- 
graphic effects,  there  is  one  point 
where  I think  we  in  Hollywood  might 
benefit  by  following  England’s  lead. 
Over  there,  when  such  special  camera- 
effects  come  up,  the  director  of  photo- 
graphy has  a more  ample  opportunity 
to  make  advance  tests  so  that  he  knows 
precisely  how  to  get  the  effect  he 
wants ; here  he  is  expected  to  take 
it  in  his  stride,  with  perhaps  a hand- 
test  to  guide  him.  The  Hollywood 
method  saves  some  time,  it  is  true, 
and  it  is  a very  nice  professional 
compliment  to  know  that  we  cinema- 
tographers are  expected  to  be  able  to 
have  the  complete  answer  to  any 
technical  problem  immediately.  But 

I think  most  of  us  would  be  willing 
to  forego  the  implied  compliment  for 
the  greater  precision  and  ultimate 
efficiency  that  more  ample  testing 
would  give  us. 

So,  as  I said  at  the  outset,  Holly- 
wood and  European  methods  and 
conditions  are  not  nearly  so  far  apart 
as  one  might  expect  from  their  geo- 
graphical separation. 


10 


Supi'VMtte  Films  Imrintlintj  of 
200-Inch  Lons 

By  Glenn 


NE  of  the  greatest  engineering 
projects  of  our  time  is  being 
quietly  carried  out  in  the  shops  of 
the  California  Institute  of  Technology 
in  Pasadena.  It  is  the  construction  of 
the  huge  telescope  — the  largest  ever 
built  — for  the  Mt.  Palomar  obser- 
vatory, and  the  grinding  of  its  great 
200-inch  reflecting  lens.  Not  only  is 
it  the  biggest  task  of  its  type  ever 
attempted,  but  it  is  one  requiring  in- 
credible mechanical  and  optical  pre- 
cision. The  optical  curvature  of  the 
17-foot  lens  must  be  perfect  within 
a matter  of  millionths  of  an  inch — - 
and  the  mechanical  tolerances  to 
which  the  mirror  and  its  mount  are 


Edgerton 

being  built  are  almost  equally  pre- 
cise. 

During  the  last  few  months  it  has 
been  my  privilege  to  have  been  allow- 
ed to  make  an  educational  motion  pic- 
ture of  the  grinding  of  this  lens.  In 
making  it.  I have  tried  to  bring  to  the 
classrooms  of  our  schools  and  colleges 
a vivid  as  well  as  an  instructive  pic- 
ture of  this  most  spectacular  example 
of  applied  optics.  Telescope-making 
on  such  a scale  occurs  but  seldom  — 
perhaps  only  once  in  a generation; 
and  I feel  fortunate  indeed  that  the 
authorities  of  the  California  Institute 
of  Technology,  who  are  making  the 
telescope,  and  of  the  Rockefeller 


11 


Foundation,  for  whom  it  is  being 
made,  have  given  me  a chance  to  film 
the  operation. 

Rig  Photographic  Problem 

Making  this  film  has  proven  itself 
a task  of  no  small  magnitude.  Not 
only  must  the  subject-matter  and  its 
presentation  be  handled  with  the  ut- 
most scientific  accuracy,  but  the  great- 
er part  of  the  camerawork  has  had  to 
be  done  under  extremely  difficult 
photographic  conditions. 

To  put  it  bluntly,  the  great  shop 
that  was  specially  built  for  this  lens- 
grinding job  was  not  planned  with 
any  consideration  to  the  problems  of 
cinematography.  As  a room  for  this 
huge,  yet  delicate  job  of  lens-making, 
it  is  ideal;  as  a motion  picture  stage 
it  is  quite  the  reverse.  And  since 
making  the  lens  is  properly  the  para- 
mount consideration  of  all  concerned, 
the  cinematographer  must  necessarily 
make  the  best  of  what  is  available. 

This  room  is  strictly  barred  to  all 
outsiders  — in  fact  to  everyone  not 
directly  concerned  with  the  actual 
work  of  making  the  lens.  The  great 
enemy  is  dust : a single  grain  of  dust 
filtering  between  the  lens  and  the 
polishing-tool  coidd  easily  produce 
such  damaging  abrasions  in  the  glass 
as  might  take  weeks  or  even  months 
of  arduous  work  to  repair. 

The  room  is  air-conditioned,  of 
course,  and  kept  as  spotlessly  neat 
as  any  hospital.  In  addition,  every- 
one entering  the  room  must  leave  his 
shoes  outside  — quite  as  though  he 
w'ere  enterting  a Japanese  temple  — 
and  don  a special,  guaranteed-dust- 
less  laboratory  coverall.  Naturally, 
only  the  bare  essentials  of  photogra- 
phic equipment  may  be  brought  into 


this  sanctus  sanctorum  — camera,  tri- 
pod. and  perhaps  a single  photo- 
llood  lamp  — and  even  these  must  be 
spotlessly  dust-free. 

Due  to  the  physically  great  size  of 
this  biggest  of  lens-grinding  jobs,  the 
room  is  big  — as  large  as  a good- 
sized  sound-stage.  It  measures  52*/2  x 
165  feet,  and  is  a clear  40  feet  from 
floor  to  ceiling. 

Use  Practical  If  orking-Light 
The  room  is  windowless,  and  all 
the  illumination  comes  from  a battery 
of  25  incandescent  lamps  mounted  in 
the  ceiling.  If  you  judge  the  illumin- 
ation by  the  standards  commonly  ap- 
plied to  laboratories  or  workshops,  it 
is  quite  adequately  illuminated.  But 
if  you  judge  it  by  photographic  stand- 
ards, the  lighting  is  decidedly  in- 
adequate. 

The  entire  illumination  of  the  room 
is  supplied  by  two  groups  of  lamps: 
there  are  16  lamps  of  500  Watts  each, 
arranged  along  the  sides  of  the  room, 
and  a battery  of  9 lamps  of  1500 
Watts  each  in  the  center  of  the  room. 
And  all  of  these  lamps  are  mounted 
in  the  ceiling,  40  feet  above  the  floor! 
As  has  already  been  mentioned.  I had 
to  make  the  best  of  this  practical 
lighting;  I could  only  bring  in  a 
single  photoflood  unit  — and  that  only 
when  it  became  necessary  to  light  up 
the  heavily-shadowed  area  directly 
under  the  lens-carriage. 

By  the  photographic  standards  of 
only  a few  years  ago.  the  conditions 
were  absolutely  impossible  for  satis- 
factory motion  picture  photography. 
But  with  today’s  super-fast  emulsions, 
movie-making  might  just  be  possible. 

Used  16mm.  Supreme 
Since  the  film  was  ultimately  to  be 


12 


200-Inch  Lens 


Photographed  by  Glenn  Edgerton 


released  in  16mm.  form,  and  since 
compactness  and  convenience  were  es- 
sential in  selecting  the  camera  equip- 
ment to  be  used.  I was  advised,  if 
possible,  to  use  16mm.  instead  of 
35mm.  Since  many  release-prints  are 
to  be  made  of  the  picture,  16mm. 
negative  film,  rather  than  the  revers- 


al product,  was  indicated. 

Several  unbiased  16mm.  experts 
with  whom  I consulted  all  told  me 
that  the  fastest  16mm.  negative  film 
I could  obtain  was  Agfa  Supreme 
16mm.  negative.  All  of  them  recom- 
mended its  use. 

Therefore  I provided  myself  with 


Beneath  the  Carriage  of  the 
200-Inch  Lens. 

a Bell  & Howell  Filrno  70-DA  camera, 
fitted  with  an  /:  1.5  15mm.  lens,  an 
/:  2.7  one-inch  lens,  and  an  /:4.5 
two-inch  lens,  and  began  making 
tests  with  Supreme  negative.  Since  I 
had  been  told  that  a very  great  range 
of  16mm.  laboratory  work  was  avail- 
able, ranging  from  good  to  bad,  with 
the  former  none  too  plentiful,  I sent 
my  tests  to  several  laboratories,  not 
onl\  here  but  in  points  as  far  distant 
as  San  Diego  and  New  York. 

The  results  were  none  too  promis- 
ing. Almost  without  exception  they 
indicated  I was  not  getting  enough  ex- 
posure to  give  a satisfactory  negative. 
It  began  to  look  as  though  making  a 
movie  of  the  project  would  be  an  im- 
possibility. But  I resolved  on  one 
more  test.  This,  I developed  myself, 
putting  through  a hand-test  in  my 
still  darkroom.  It  was  successful.  In- 
evitably, with  my  crude  developing 
methods,  the  test-strip  was  badly 
scratched,  and  the  grain-size  was  by 
no  means  of  the  best:  but  the  develop- 
ed negative  revealed  ample  printing 
density,  and  proved  that  the  film  defi- 
nitely had  plenty  of  speed  for  the  job. 

Cooperation  From  Agfa-Ansco  Lab. 

Armed  with  this  test,  I next  went 


The  Great  200-Inch  Lens 
Tilted  to  Vertical  Position. 

to  the  Los  Angeles  Agfa-Ansco  labor- 
atory. to  see  if  their  experts  knew  of 
any  lab  which  could  handle  my  neg- 
ative. Here  I was  referred  to  H.  A. 
Deahoff  — and  the  worst  of  my 
troubles  were  over.  From  him  I learn- 
ed that  this  plant,  which  I.  in  common 
with  many  others,  had  always  thought 
devoted  solely  to  reversal  processing, 
is  now  equipped  to  develop  and  print 
16mm.  negative  as  well. 

Too  much  credit  cannot  be  given 
Mr.  Deahoff  and  his  staff.  They  have 
handled  all  the  processing  of  my  pic- 
ture, and  I can  truthfully  say  that 
without  their  help,  it  could  never  have 
been  filmed.  Moreover,  they  went  far 
out  of  their  way  to  make  my  work  a 
success.  Deahoff  came  over  to  Pasa- 
dena with  me,  and  studied  the  prob- 
lem thoroughly,  then  returned  to  the 
lab  and  mixed  up  a special  fine-grain 
paraphenylene-diamine  type  developer 
for  my  negative.  The  result  is  a neg- 
ative of  excellent  density,  gradation 
and  grain-quality,  which  is  a credit 
to  Agfa  Supreme  16mm.  negative  and 
to  the  laboratory  behind  it. 

With  this  basic  problem  solved,  the 
rest  was  largely  a matter  of  deciding 
what  action  must  be  filmed,  and  shoot- 


14 


Grinding  this  Prism  for  the  200-Inch  Tele- 
scope has  taken  this  man  four  years — And 
he  may  finish  in  four  more. 

ing,  newsreel-fashion,  at  the  time 
when  that  action  was  happening.  This 
was  greatly  simplified  hy  the  cooper- 
ation of  my  friend  Marcus  Brown, 
who  is  the  optician  in  charge  of  mak- 
ing the  telescope.  His  advice  on  the 
technicalities  of  telescope-making  has 
been  invaluable.  He  has  shown  me  the 
things  that  ought  to  be  filmed,  and 
kept  me  constantly  informed  as  to 
when  they  could  be  shot.  In  fact,  he 
has  become  so  interested  in  picture- 
making that  many  times,  when  I could 
not  be  there  to  operate  the  camera, 
he  has  volunteered  to  take  over  the 
camerawork  himself,  and  has  acquit- 
ted himself  most  successfully. 

“Clean-U p”  Spectacular 
Due  to  the  lighting  conditions,  virt- 
ually all  of  the  film  has  been  photo- 
graphed with  wide-open  lenses  — 
largely  with  the  / : 1 .5  fifteen  milli- 
meter wide-angle  objective.  The  sub- 
ject-matter is  shown  in  some  detail, 
showing  how  the  grinding  tools  are 
prepared  with  two-inch  squares  of 
rouge  accurately  mounted  in  the  metal 
tool  and  fastened  in  place  with  hot 
pitch.  Some  of  these  operations  are 
illustrated  with  simpler  scenes  show- 


Marcus Brown , Optician  in  charge  of  mak- 
ing 200-Inch  Lens , with  the  Foucalt  Knife- 
Edge  used  in  testing  the  big  lens. 

ing  the  same  operations  being  per- 
formed on  the  many  smaller  lenses, 
mirrors  and  prisms  being  made  lor 
the  telescope,  as  well  as  the  spectac- 
ular shots  of  the  big  lens.  In  this  con- 
nection it  is  interesting  to  mention 
that  during  the  four  years  this  work 
has  been  going  on,  approximately 
10,000  lbs,  of  rouge  had  been  used  on 
the  big  lens  alone,  and  some  S1/^ 
tons  of  glass  have  been  ground  away. 

It  may  also  be  worth  mentioning, 
in  view  of  the  frequent  newspaper 
reports  that  the  construction  of  the 
mirror  is  “ahead  of  schedule,”  that 
actually  no  schedule  has  ever  been 
set:  the  work  is  simply  proceeding 
methodically,  and  the  job  will  be 
finished  whenever  the  lens  reaches  its 
proper  curvature  and  polish.  Time  is 
not  a factor;  perfection  is.  And  there 
is  no  rule  or  precedent,  for  each 
batch  of  glass,  each  mould  made  from 
each  batch,  behaves  differently  in 
grinding,  according  to  its  individual 
structure. 

One  of  the  most  spectacular  oper- 
ations is  cleaning  up  the  big  disc 
after  each  day’s  work.  After  each 
session  of  grinding,  the  big  lens  must 


15 


he  carefully  cleaned  to  permit  mak- 
ing tests  to  determine  the  progress 
made. 

It  is  really  incredible  to  one  ac- 
customed to  treating  lenses  with  the 
utmost  care,  to  see  this  clean-up  done. 
The  grinding-tool  is  lifted  out  of  the 
wav.  Then  the  workmen,  in  coveralls 
and  special  soft-soled  rubber  boots, 
step  down  onto  the  surface  of  the 
lens  itself,  and,  with  a long-handled 
floor-cleaning  mop,  spread  the  rouge 
uniformly  all  over  the  surface.  When 
this  is  done,  a hose  is  turned  on  the 
lens,  and  the  rouge  is  carefully  washed 
off.  Finally,  the  lens  is  dried,  usually 
by  two  or  three  workmen  who  tender- 
ly swab  it  off  with  big  cheesecloth 
bath-towels.  As  this  is  done,  the  lens 
is  tilted  on  its  carriage,  so  that  the 
surplus  water  drains  off. 

Testing  is  another  interesting  oper- 
ation. After  each  grinding,  the  lens 
(cleaned,  of  course)  is  tested  visually 
through  a Foucalt  knife-edge.  This 
instrument  gives  a visual  measure  of 
the  smoothness  of  the  surface.  It  is 
uncanny  to  look  through  it  at  the  sur- 
face of  the  lens  which,  to  the  naked 
eye  is  already  becoming  an  amazing- 
ly perfectly  polished  piece  of  glass, 
and  to  see  that  beautifully  smooth 
surface  magnified  until  it  seems  as 
rough  and  pitted  as  the  surface  of 
the  moon!  Incidentally,  when  making 
these  tests,  the  ventilating  system  in 
the  room  must  be  turned  off,  for  even 
the  gentle  movement  it  produces  as 
the  room’s  air  is  circulated  is  enough 
to  make  this  magnified  image  dance 
as  though  in  the  midst  of  a hurri- 
cane. 


Uses  Largest  Dolly 
For  many  scenes  in  our  film  we 
used  what  is  probably  the  largest 
camera-crane  ever  used  for  either 
16mm.  or  35mm.  filming.  To  handle 
the  vast  weight  of  the  lens  and  the 
various  massive  tools,  a 50-ton  travel- 
ling crane  moves  up  and  down  the 
middle  of  the  shop.  Mounting  a little 
16mm.  camera  on  this  massive  crane 
seemed  rather  ridiculous  at  first 
but  it  enabled  us  to  get  the  most  re- 
vealing angles,  and  to  position  the 
camera  with  unusual  accuracy. 

All  told,  in  slightly  over  two 
months  of  filming,  we  have  exposed 
over  3,000  feet  of  16mm.  Supreme 
negative.  \\  e are  now'  in  the  process 
of  cutting  this  down  to  release  length 
one  400-foot  reel.  A narrative 
sound-track  will  lie  added  to  this,  and 
the  film  will  be  released  through  Bell 
& Howell's  16mm.  school-film  service 
in  two  versions,  as  a sound  film  and 
as  a silent.  As  such,  it  will  he,  I 
believe,  one  of  the  first  educational 
films  made  from  the  start  as  a 16mm. 
negative-film  production.  Photogra- 
phically, at  least,  I feel  it  will  he 
successful,  judging  by  the  appearance 
of  our  rushes  when,  projecting  them 
recently  to  gain  the  benefit  of  Bell  & 
Howell  educational  film  expert  Walter 
Evans’  invaluable  counsel,  we  ran  the 
film  on  Bell  & Howell’s  12-foot  aud- 
itorium screen.  Thanks  to  Agfa  Su- 
preme negative  and  to  the  cooperation 
of  Mr.  Deahoff,  the  picture  will  also 
give  a most  convincing  answer  to  the 
people  who  ask  whether  or  not  16mm. 
negative  is  practical.  It  is  — when  it 
is  Agfa  Supreme,  hacked  by  the  pains- 
taking laboratory  service  this  picture 
has  received. 


16 


DC-5  Photographed  by  Lawrence  Kronquist 


Aviation  Camera -Artist 

By  William  Stull,  A.S.C. 


'"pHE  most  dramatic  newspicture  sub- 
ject  in  America  today  is  undoubted- 
ly the  country's  booming  aviation  in- 
dustry. At  the  same  time,  it  is  without 
doubt  one  of  the  most  maddeningly 
difficult  of  modern  newspicture  sub- 
jects — not  so  much  because  of  the 
phototechnical  problems  involved  in 
picturing  aircraft  in  the  air  and  in 
the  factory,  but  because  in  most  of 
our  leading  aircraft  plants,  with 
thousands  of  highly  secret  planes 
a-building  for  our  own  government 
and  for  warring  foreign  governments 
as  well,  the  greatest  of  care  must  be 
exercised  to  avoid  the  publication  of 


pictures  that  might  reveal  secret  feat- 
ures of  design  or  “hush-hush”  arma- 
ments. 

In  spite  of  this  — or  maybe  partly 
because  of  it  — editors  everywhere 
clamor  for  pictures  and  still  more 
pictures  of  any  sort,  but  especially 
for  pictures  that  combine  the  dramatic 
and  pictorial  with  the  newsworthy. 
Satisfying  this  demand  without  at  the 
same  time  running  afoul  of  three  or 
four  sets  of  strict  military  censorships 
is  a major  headache  to  officials  in 
most  of  our  leading  aircraft  plants. 

At  the  huge  Douglas  factory  in 
Santa  Monica  — the  largest  in  the 


17 


world — a generous  share  of  this  prob- 
lem rests  in  the  lap  of  smiling  young 
Lawrence  Kronquist.  Working  entire- 
ly apart  from  the  firm’s  two  other 
photographic  departments,  which  make 
in,ake  innumerable  straightforward 
pictures  of  each  plane  and  its  build- 
ing for  purposes  of  engineering  and 
production  record.  Kronquist’s  job  is 
to  dramatize  with  his  camera  the 
Douglas  plant,  its  people,  and  its 
products,  to  grace  not  only  the  comp- 
any’s advertising,  but  the  pages  of 
such  select,  hard-to-crash  journals  as 
Fortune,  Life.  Saturday  Evening  Post, 
and  a host  of  newspapers  and  maga- 
zines the  world  over. 

Artist  and  Photographer 

For  this  assignment,  Kronquist  has 
unusual  qualifications.  More  than  a 
few  photographers  of  greater  or  lesser 
attainments  have  from  time  to  time 
chosen  to  style  themselves  as  ‘"Artist- 
Photographers.”  Kronquist  would 
probably  disdain  to  apply  the  term  to 
himself  — but  that  is  precisely  what 
he  is:  an  artist  who  a few  years  ago 
momentarily  laid  aside  brush  and 
pencil  for  a camera,  and  discovered 
that  in  this  modern  world  the  camera, 
in  the  proper  hands,  can  often  offer 
artistic  possibilities  as  great  or  even 
greater  than  the  older  media. 

Graduated  only  a few  years  ago 
from  Chicago’s  celebrated  Art  Insti- 
tute. Kronquist  served  a term  as  staff 
artist  on  the  Chicago  Tribune,  from 
which  he  branched  out  into  commer- 
cial art.  An  assignment  to  do  a series 
of  sketches  for  the  Great  Northern 
Railway  supplied  his  unintended  en- 
trance into  camera  artistry,  for  when 
certain  of  the  sketches  were  to  showr 
the  line’s  crack  trains  at  various  points 
on  the  run,  he  found  it  best  to  sub- 


stitute photographs  as  “sitters”  for 
the  actual  trains  which  might  whiz 
past  his  canvas  but  twice  or  thrice  a 
week  — and  then  pass  it  at  fifty  or 
sixty  miles  per  hour. 

To  get  his  “model”  exactly  right, 
he  made  the  photos  himself  — and  so 
successful  were  they  that  camera-art 
as  well  as  pencil-art  was  ultimately 
included  in  his  railroad  assignment! 

Picturing  Boeing  Clippers 

Completing  this  task  at  Seattle,  the 
Great  Northern’s  western  terminus, 
Kronquist  found  himself  tumbled  un- 
expectedly into  the  aircraft  industry. 
Boeing  was  at  that  time  a major 
center  of  aviation  news-interest,  for 
the  first  of  Pan  American’s  famous 
transoceanic  “clippers”  was  just  being 
built,  and  newspapers  and  magazines 
were  clamoring  for  pictures.  With 
only  a fifteen-foot  section  of  the  hull 
actually  completed,  supplying  this 
demand  for  pictures  with  photographs 
was  manifestly  impossible.  So,  too, 
would  he  the  use  of  the  engineering 
staff’s  strictly  technical  drawings;  and 
as  the  Boeing  executives  soon  found 
out,  the  average  commercial  artist  is 
somewhat  at  a loss  when  asked  to 
make  an  accurate*,  yet  dramatic-ap- 
pearing drawing  of  a non-existent  air- 
plane! 

At  this  stage.  Kronquist  entered  the 
picture  and  solved  the  problem  neatly. 
All  of  those  pictures  you  saw  in  the 
nation’s  “class”  magazines,  showing 
the  “clippers,”  inside  and  out,  long 
before  the  first  of  them  left  the  fac- 
tory, came  from  Kronquist’s  drawing- 
board.  Some  even  showed  the  as  yet 
uncompleted  “clipper,”  apparently  in 
flight,  spreading  its  hundred-foot 
wings  over  an  authentic  air-photo  of 
Seattle!  The  answer,  of  course,  was 


18 


Wings  for  Mars 

that  Kronquist’s  ready  pencil  super- 
imposed the  seaplane  (drawn  from  a 
scale  wind-tunnel  model ! ) over  a back- 
ground photo  made  by  his  own  camera. 

During  succeeding  months  spent 
with  Boeing,  as  the  “clippers”  and 
“stratoliners”  were  completed  and 
flew,  Kronquist’s  activities  turned  more 


Photographed  by  Lawrence  Kronquist 

and  more  away  from  the  graphic  and 
more  and  more  toward  the  photo- 
graphic. His  stills,  at  first  snapped 
merely  as  studies  for  future  sketches, 
or  for  the  fun  of  it,  had  the  spark 
of  pictorial  drama  that  editors  craved: 
inevitably  they  found  their  way  into 
print. 


19 


After  many  successful  months  in  the 
northwest,  Kronquist  hied  himself 
south  on  a well-earned  vacation  and 
honeymoon,  and  almost  before  he  had 
begun  to  give  serious  thought  to  estab- 
lishing new  business  connections, 
found  himself  heading  his  own,  unique 
pictorial  department  at  Douglas.  Here, 
however,  the  fame  of  his  skill  in  mak- 
ing dramatic  camera  portraits  of  air- 
craft had  gone  before  him.  and  he  was 
engaged  primarily  as  a photographer. 
Lens  and  shutter  had  won  — perman- 
ently, at  appears  — over  brush  and 
palette! 

} (tried  Activities 

Here  in  the  world’s  largest  plane 
factory,  Kronquist’s  camera  activities 
are  many  and  varied.  To  put  it  brief- 
ly. he  does  about  everything  except 
make  the  engineering  and  record 
photos  which  the  other  two  Douglas 
photo  departments  attend  to  with  great 
efficiency.  His  camera’s  primary  as- 
signment is  to  produce  the  arrestingly 
dramatic  shots  of  Douglas  ships  on  the 
ground  and  in  the  air  that  lend  eye- 
appeal  to  the  firm’s  advertising  and 
publicity.  Enlargements  of  these  pic- 
tures— of  salon-print  quality  — have 
found  honored  places  on  the  walls  of 
the  offices  and  homes  of  important 
airline  executives,  civic  and  military 
executives,  politicians,  statesmen  and 
rulers  in  almost  every  country  on 
earth.  The  late  King  Feisal  of  Iraq, 
President  Roosevelt,  and  the  aerial 
warlords  of  Britain,  France,  and  Nor- 
way are  among  the  many  who  have 
praised  Kronquist’s  pictorial  way  with 
’planes.  In  between-times,  he  makes 
portraits  of  the  Douglas  executives, 
many  of  whom  — like  so  many  busy 
men  — are  either  camera-shy  or  too 
busy  to  bother  with  having  their  pic- 


tures taken.  It’s  no  easy  assignment  — 
but  Kronquist  gets  bis  man,  and  makes 
him  not  only  like  it,  but  the  resulting 
picture  as  well. 

Another  unique  phase  of  Farry 
Kronquist’s  work  is  his  pioneering  in 
the  production  and  use  of  photo- 
murals for  decorating  the  cabins  of 
de  luxe  airliners  and  private  aircraft. 
“There’s  more  to  this  than  you  might 
think,”  he  tells  you.  “In  an  ordinary 
photo-mural,  assuming,  of  course, 
that  you  have  a good  negative  and  can 
turn  out  an  extra-good  and  extra- 
large  enlargement,  you  simply  mount 
the  picture  on  the  wall,  and  your  job’s 
done. 


Flying  Photo-murals 
“But  putting  a pboto-mural  in  an 
airplane  cabin  is  another  matter  en- 
tirely. To  begin  with,  your  airplane 
cabin’s  walls  usually  have  more  or 
less  irregular  shapes.  That  means 
you’ve  got  to  plan  the  composition 
of  your  pictures  to  fit  those  shapes — 
especially  the  upper-corner  taper  as 
the  fuselage  section  narrows  the  wall 
in  with  a sweeping  inward  curve. 

“What’s  more,  your  mural  has  to 
be  mounted  really  flat  against  the 
wall.  A little  air-bubble  which  would 
be  inconsequential  in  an  ordinary 
mural,  is  fatal  in  a flying  one.  That 


20 


air-bubble  contains  air  at  the  normal, 
sea-level  pressure  of  14  lb.  per  inch: 
when  the  plane  climbs  up  into  the 
thinner  atmosphere  of  10.000  or 
20,000  foot  altitudes,  your  innocent 
little  air-bubble  will  expand  almost 
explosively  and  rip  a big  section  of 
the  picture  loose  from  the  wall! 

“Then  you’ve  got  to  consider  the 
constructional  problems  of  aircraft. 
Naturally,  weight  is  at  a premium, 
so  you've  got  to  conserve  every  frac- 
tion of  an  ounce  in  your  picture  and 
its  mounting.  Then  you  run  up  against 
the  stresses  that  the  wall  must  stand 
as  the  plane  flies,  and  particularly 
as  it  lands  and  takes  off.  The  engin- 
eers provide  for  these  by  making  the 
wall  more  or  less  flexible,  so  that  it 
flexes  — expands  and  contracts  — to 
adjust  itself  to  these  varying  strains. 
Your  picture  must  provide  overlaps 
and  what  you  hope  will  be  invisible 
expansion  joints  for  the  same  purpose. 

“Then,  too,  the  walls  are  usually 
of  a peculiar,  honeycomb-like  porous 
structure,  both  to  conserve  weight  and 
to  provide  accoustical  insulation.  You 
have  quite  a problem  in  attaching 
the  moulding  that  frames  your  mural. 

“Finally,  you  put  your  mural  in 
place  several  weeks  before  the  interior 
of  the  ship  is  finished.  And  with 


DC- 5 in  Flight 


DC-4  Landing 

streams  of  workmen  going  in  and  out 
of  the  ship  from  then  on,  installing 
cabin  fittings,  instruments,  and  a host 
of  other  things,  you  can  expect  one 
or  two  clumsy  ones  will  usually 
manage  to  gouge  a hole  or  two  in 
your  pet  picture.  Then  you  try  and 
patch  the  thing  up,  working,  as  the 
ship  is  still  in  the  plant,  with  day- 
light bulbs  and  clinging  to  your  favor- 
ite rabbit's  foot.  Sure  as  shooting, 
when  the  ship  is  at  last  wheeled  out 
into  daylight  for  delivery,  you'll  find 
on  looking  at  the  picture  by  daylight, 
that  you’ve  still  repairs  to  make  in 
your  repair-job!” 

Agfa  All  The  Way 

Kronquist’s  pictures  are  an  out- 
standing example  of  Agfa  all  the  way. 
His  negatives,  which  are  usually  ex- 
posed in  a 31/4x414  Speed  Graphic 
or  a 4x5  Crown  View  camera,  are 
made  on  Agfa  SSS  Pan  and  Super- 
pan Press  cut  film,  while  the  prints — 
generally  enlargements  from  16x20 
up  — are  made  on  Agfa  Brovira  and 
Cykora  papers. 

His  camera  technique  is  modern, 
but — “I’m  photographically  old-fasb- 
ioned  in  one  respect,”  be  says.  “I’m 
heartily  in  favor  of  the  idea  of  stand- 
ardizing on  one  really  perfect  neg- 
ative material,  and  one  equally  per- 


21 


Hangar  Nocturne 

feet  printing  material,  and  letting 
your  own  technical  control  do  the 
rest.  In  that  way,  you  know  just  what 
you're  doing  all  the  time,  and  there’s 
no  guesswork  about  how  will  this 
shot  or  that  print  come  out:  you 
know  if  you  do  your  part  right,  it 
will! 

‘'I’ve  reason  to  think  a lot  of  Agfa 
products.  Back  when  Agfa  Superpan 
Press  first  came  out,  its  revolutionary 
speed  brought  me  through  many  photo- 
graphically tight  places,  where  photo- 
graphers with  old-fashioned,  slower 
films  couldn’t  have  gotten  a picture. 
With  Agfa’s  fast  film,  I got  my  pic- 
tures— and  the  pictures  in  turn  put 
me  professionally  on  the  map. 

‘'That  speed  is  still  vitally  import- 
ant. Shooting  pictures,  as  I often  do. 


Photographed  by  Lawrence  Kronquist 

of  the  operations  in  the  factory  has  to 
he  done  with  a minimum  of  disruption 
of  production.  I ll  leave  it  to  you  to 
imagine  how  our  own  executives  (to 
say  nothing  of  the  several  foreign 
military  attaches  on  duty  watching  us 
rush  out  planes  for  their  countries) 
explode  when  a photographer  suggests 
setting  up  a lot  of  lights  and  holding 
up  production  while  he  gets  the  pre- 
cisely perfect  picture.  I'll  venture  to 
say  their  remarks  would  make  the  re- 
marks of  a 'quickie'  unit  manager 
faced  with  a ten-hour  delay  seem  ab- 
solutely calm  and  unemotional!  With 
Superpan  Press  or  SSS  Pan  and  a 
couple  of  photofloods  or  flashbulbs 
in  clamp-on  reflectors  I can  usually 
‘stop’  the  motion  and  get  really  candid 
shots  of  the  workers,  while  production 
rolls  merrily  ahead.” 


22 


Warming  Up 

Fine-Grain  Development 

Making  really  big  enlargements  — 
16x20  is  Kronquist’s  standard  print- 
size.  and  for  anything  special  he  makes 
even  larger  prints — he  does  something 
rarely  done  with  4x5  negatives:  he 
gives  them  the  same  type  of  ultra 
fine-grain  negative  development  nor- 
mally given  to  minature  camera  films. 
“Lots  of  people.”  he  says,  "ask  me  if 
its  worthwhile  to  use  fine-grain  soup 
on  negatives  as  large  as  4x5.  My 
answer  is  that  maybe  it  wouldn't  be 
if  you  were  planning  on  prints  only 
8x10  or  thereabouts,  but  it  makes  all 
the  difference  in  the  world  if  you're 
aiming  for  really  big  prints.  After 
all,  blowing  up  a 4x5  negative  to 
16x20  is  quite  a bit  of  enlargement — 
enough  to  magnify  any  tendency  to 


Photographed  by  Lawrence  Kronquist 

graininess  in  your  negative.  That’s 
why  I've  been  using  so  much  of  the 
SSS  Pan  lately.  It  combines  speed, 
excellent  gradation  and  really  remark- 
able grain-structure  in  a way  that's 
ideal  for  my  purpose. 

“For  printing.  I've  standardized  al- 
most completely  on  Brovira.  Especial- 
ly in  the  crystal  stipple  finish,  this 
paper  has  a unique  brilliance  that  is 
ideal  for  aircraft  photos.  That  stipple 
finish  has  a sheen  that  gives  an  un- 
usually convincing  effect  to  pictures 
of  today’s  all-metal  ships.  When  this 
texture  is  combined  with  blue  toning 
— a trick  I pioneered  some  time  ago, 
and  which  is  getting  increasingly 
popular  with  aircraft  portraitists  — 
you  have  the  next-best  thing  to  a 
color-shot. 


23 


Flexible  Technique 

As  might  be  expected  from  the 
varied  subject-matter  involved.  Kron- 
quist’s  technique  is  flexible.  Each  shot 
is  its  own  law.  “In  general."  he  says, 
“I  try  to  deal  forcefully  with  lines 
and  masses,  with  strong  highlights  and 
shadows.  I naturally  try  to  keep  my 
definition  crisp,  but  luckily  my  pic- 
tures don't  have  to  conform  to  the 
same  standards  as  the  more  straight- 
forward shots  made  by  the  thousands 
for  production  and  engineering  rec- 
ords, and  in  which  the  picture  is  no 
good  unless  you  can  count  every  rivet 
on  the  ship. 

“On  my  exteriors,  I try  to  keep  my 
filtering  simple;  I usually  stick  to  two 
filters  — one  good  yellow  one,  and 
one  good  red  one.  With  the  latter,  I 
manage  everything  from  normal  over- 
corrected skies  to  heavy  night-effects. 
However,  since  we’ve  had  Agfa’s  super- 
fast hi  ms,  we’ve  been  able  to  get 
more  and  more  of  our  night-effects 
actually  at  night. 

“The  problem  of  exposure  is  often 
complicated  by  having  to  shoot  fast 
enough  to  eliminate  the  vibration  of 
the  plane’s  engines.  This  is  true  even 
in  shots  of  the  ship  on  the  ground,  for 
1 11  often  have  to  make  my  shots  while 
the  engines  are  being  tested,  or  warm- 
ed up  before  test  hops.  Here,  again, 
no  rule  can  be  set  down;  if  the  pilot 
is  racing  his  engine,  you  have  to  use 
a fast  exposure;  if  he’s  simply  idling 
it,  you  can  shoot  far  slower. 

"Lately  I’ve  been  exploring  the 
possibilities  of  composite  shots,  espec- 
ially as  regards  printing  in  clouds. 
^ ou  know,  it  seems  that  every  time 
we  get  a new  ship,  like  the  DC4  or 
the  DC5,  ready  to  take  its  initial  how, 
either  there  are  too  many  clouds  for 


my  picture,  or  not  enough.  And  clouds 
make  the  picture.  So  I’ve  taken  to 
shooting  the  ship  "as  is,’  and  printing 
in  the  decorative  clouds  later.  When 
the  DC5  came  out.  for  instance,  I 
made  my  negatives  with  a blank, 
"bald-headed'  sky,  naturally  getting 
prints  indentical  with  those  made  by 
the  other  cameramen,  and  useless  for 
our  purposes.  My  superiors  wasted  no 
time  in  telling  me  so. 

Composite  Printing 

“But  I took  the  negative  home  to  my 
darkroom,  and  dug  out  a nice  cloud 
negative  I'd  shot  up  in  Seattle,  while 
I was  with  Boeing.  When  I returned 
with  the  composite  print,  the  ‘brass 
hats’  thought  I'd  been  dabbling  in 
black  magic,  for  they  couldn’t  believe 
it  was  the  same  basic  picture! 

“So  I'm  trying  to  build  up  a library 
of  good  background  shots.  It  may 
sound  strange  to  most  of  you  long- 
time residents  of  Southern  California, 
who  seem  to  feel  that  Southern  Cali- 
fornia clouds  are  of  an  inferior  var- 
iety, and  that  the  clouds  up  in  the 
northwest  are  more  photogenic,  but 
I've  learned  from  experience  that 
Southern  California  clouds  are  far 
more  useful  pictorially! 

"In  making  these  composites,  I've 
certainly  gained  a lot  of  respect  for 
the  men  in  the  studios  who  make 
projected-background  composite  shots, 
for  I’ve  learned  the  vital  importance 
of  coordinated  perspective  and  light- 
ing in  the  background  and  foreground 
elements  of  the  shot.  If  the  perspectives 
of  the  two  elements  don’t  match,  your 
picture,  no  matter  how  effective  other- 
wise, stands  out  clearly  as  a ‘phoney’ 
— and  does  a nose-dive  into  the  editor- 
ial wastebasket.  The  same  picture,  with 
properly  coordinated  perspective,  is 
almost  a cinch  to  ‘click’  anywhere.” 


24 


Photographed  by  Herbert  P.  Bond 


Flowers  That  Rlooni  in  the  Sprintj 


The  flowers  that  bloom  in  the  Spring 
have  nothing  to  do  with  the  case  . . . 
except  to  point  out  that  the  success 
of  any  picture  depends  on  the  quality 
of  the  negative  emulsion  used  to  make 
it  . . . Agja  Supreme  is  the  choice  of 
wise  cinematographers  who  know  the 


importance  of  getting  the  best  combin- 
ation of  speed,  balanced  color-sensi- 
tivity, grain-size  and  tonal  range. 

Made  by  Agfa-Ansco  Division, 
General  Aniline  & Film  Corporation 
in  Binghamton,  New  York. 


Distributed  by 

AGFA  RAW  FILM  CORPORATION 

s' 

HOLLYWOOD  NEW  YORK 

6424  Santa  Monica  Blyd.  245  West  55th  Street 


SUPREME 


Scanned  from  the  collection  of 
Margaret  Herrick  Library 
Academy  of  Motion  Picture  Arts  and 

Sciences 


Coordinated  by  the 
Media  History  Digital  Library 
www.mediahistoryproject.org 


Funded  by  a donation  from 
University  of  South  Carolina  Libraries  and 
College  of  Arts  and  Sciences