American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1945)

or/ on

( No . 2 of a series on the manufacture of Du Pont Motion Picture Film.)

Dipping for "dope". . .

PICTURED [here is the floor above
one of the great stainless steel
tanks in which cellulose esters and
solvents are thoroughly mixed. These
ingredients form a viscous syrup or
“dope” used in making the crystal-
clear base for Du Pont Motion Pic¬
ture Film.

At regular intervals, test samples
of each batch of “dope” are obtained
by dipping into the cavernous mouths
of the mixers.

At the Du Pont Control Labora¬
tories, chemists and physicists put
these samples through a series of ex¬
acting tests. Specifications are rigid
. . . closely watched. And the produc¬
tion of the “dope” for Du Pont Mo¬
tion Picture Film base is thus vigi¬
lantly checked and controlled at all
times.

Cinematographers approve this
fine film. They particularly welcome
its ability to hold the latent image

... its wide latitude . . . brilliance of
highlights without loss of detail . . .
color balance of flesh tones and foli¬
age greens and its dependable uni¬
formity of speed and contrast.

E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.
(Inc.), Photo Products Department,
Wilmington 98, Delaware.

In New York: Empire State Bldg.

In Hollywood : Smith & Aller, Ltd.

x

Bonds

Support our fighters on every front . . . buy more War

DU PONT MOTION PICTURE FILM

Patterson Screen
Division

RES.U.5.PAT.Off.

BETTER THINGS FOR BETTER LIVING . . . THROUGH CHEMISTRY

Film Products
' Division

cilPtR

.SMOOPt*

Eyemo fights, too. Members of Camera Combat Unit F go aloft for their first
aerial photographic flight armed with Eyemos. Off icial Army Air Forces Photo.

j/VloFT, Eyemo films sharp, clear, accurate
records of enemy defenses . . . spots gun em¬
placements . . . points out hidden landing
strips . . . discovers how many enemy men
are where in the combat area.

In the hands of well-trained, capable
youngsters like the two above, Eyemo also
films battle actions . . . helps keep a con¬
tinuous history of the way we’re winning
the war on every front.

It’s natural that Eyemo should be entrusted
with these vital wartime tasks. It’s always
been the camera for men of action. It’s al¬
ways been the camera that gets the scene . . .

that can take the punishment of constant
knockabout use . . . because we designed and
built Eyemo as a newsreel camera ... to be
used by men who must film the news fast,
accurately . . . who must depend on their
cameras to get the shot the first time . . .
or not at all.

And today Eyemo is the first choice
of seasoned news cameramen wherever
news happens from New Guinea to New
England.

Bell & Howell Company, Chicago; New
York; Hollywood; Washington, D. C.;
London. Established 1907.

irade-mark registered

FOR 37 YEARS MAKERS OF THE WORLD’S FINEST EQUIPMENT FOR HOME AND PROFESSIONAL MOTION PICTURES

American Cinematographer • January, 1945

3

CONTENTS

as

Aces of the Camera (Jack Greenhalgh, A.S.C . By W. G. C. Bosco 7

Bringing the Bible to the Screen.. By Alvin Wyckoff, D.Sc., A.S.C. 8

Eugene Augustin Lauste, Inventor — Sound Movies

. By Irving Browning 10

Tailor Made Fades and Laps With a Cine Special

. By Philip A. Jacobsen 12

Mili Introduces New Technique . By Ezra Goodman 14

The Camera Versus the Microphone in Training Film Production

. By Lt. Herbert R. Jensen, U.S.N.R. 16

Through the Editor’s Finder . 20

Among the Movie Clubs . 22

Artistic Titling Tips . By Glenn R. Kershner, A.S.C. 24

What A.S.C. Members Are Now Filming . 30

ON THE FRONT COVER we have what might be termed the soap suds
detail, with three “prop” men whipping up the suds for the tub in which
pretty Barbara Slater is sitting for a musical number in “Bring on the
Girls”, a Paramount picture starring Veronica Lake, Sonny Tufts, Eddie
Bracken and Marjorie Reynolds. Meanwhile Director of Photography
Karl Struss, A.S.C., waits for the suds to get high before starting to
photograph this bit of glamour.

OFFICERS AND BOARD OF GOVERNORS
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

Leonard Smith, President Fred Jackman. Exec. V.-Pres. and Treas.

Joseph Walker, First Vice-President Leon Shamroy, Second Vice-President

Charles Clarke, Third Vice-President Byron Haskin, Secretary

George Folsey, Sergeant-at-Arms

John Arnold Lee Garmes Ray Rennahan

John Boyle Sol Polito John Seitz

Arthur Edeson Ralph Staub

The Staff

e

EDITOR
Hal HaU

•

TECHNICAL EDITOR
Emery Huse, A.S.C.

•

ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Edward Pyle, Jr.

•

WASHINGTON STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Reed N. Haythome, A.S.C.

•

MILITARY ADVISOR
Col. Nathan Levinson

•

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Mel Traxel

•

ARTIST

Glenn R. Kershner, A.S.C.

e

CIRCULATION AND ADVERTISING
Marguerite Duerr

•

ADVISORY EDITORIAL BOARD
Fred W. Jackman, A- S. C.

Victor Milner, A. S. C.

Alvin Wyckoff, A.S.C.

Farciot Edouart, A. S. C.

Fred Gage, A. S. C.

Dr. J. S. Watson, A. S. C.

Dr. L. A. Jones, A. S. C.

Dr. C. E. K. Mees, A. S. C.

Dr. W. B. Rayton, A. S. C.

Dr. V. B. Sease, A. S. C.

•

AUSTRALIAN REPRESENTATIVE
McGill's. 179 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne,
Australian and New Zealand Agents

•

Published monthly by A. S. C. Agency, Inc.
Editorial and business offices :

1782 North Orange Drive
Hollywood (Los Angeles, 28), California
Telephone: GRanite 2135
e

Established 1920. Advertising rates on appli¬
cation. Subscriptions: United States and Pan-
American Union, $2.60 per year; Canada, $2.75
per year; Foreign. $3.50. Single copies, 26c;
back numbers, 30c ; foreign, single copies 35c,
back numbers 40c. Copyright 1943 by A. S. C.
Agency, Inc.

•

Entered as second-class matter Nov. 18. 1987.
at the postoffice at Los Angeles, California, under
the act of March 3, 1879.

4 January, 1945 • American Cinematographer

06

in one little reel

The postwar market — a market of new materials, new products,
and new customers. Those who adjust their manufacturing, train¬
ing and marketing methods to the faster, more efficient tempo
made possible by Victor 16mm Magic will be the leaders. Quick
reconversion to peacetime production methods through the in¬
telligent use of training films; training of sales and service per¬
sonnel rapidly and thoroughly; demonstrating and selling to a
million customers at a time — scattered all over the world, speak¬
ing a score of languages, will be essential for postwar industry
and business.

For Victory In 194 5
• — Buy War Bonds!

Victor 16mm sound motion picture equipment offers the medium,
Victor’s world-wide sales and service organization offers the co¬
operation you may need. Let your nearby Victor distributor help
plan and set up a training program to suit your specific require¬
ments; advise and guide you in the preparation of sound film
sales aids to vitalize your postwar marketing.

Victor Animatograph
Corporation

Home Office and Factory: Davenport, Iowa
New York (18), 330 W. 42d St. • Chicago (1), 188 W. Randolph

American Cinematographer • January, 1945

GLORY BE TO GOOD RELATIONS — This is Adele Mara, 21, blonde and, as anyone can see, shapely as all
get-out. What's more, she's a talented actress — talented enough to be playing the feminine lead in Republic
Studio's "Song of Mexico”, the first bi-lingual film in Hollywood history. Adele is of Spanish-lrish ancestry.
She speaks English and Spanish egually well. Latin-American relations, already good, can't help but be
better from where we're sitting . . . Photograph by Roman Freulich.

6

January, 1945 • American Cinematographer

ACES

of

the

CAMERA

Jack Greenhalgh,

By

W. C. C. BOSCO

ONE of the first of Hollywood’s con¬
tingent of ace cameramen to re¬
turn to civilian life after a term
of duty with the armed forces, Jack
Greenhalgh, A.S.C., brings back from
the South Pacific a thrilling, first-hand
account of the many ways in which the
cameramen and the crews they trained
contributed to the war effort in that area.

The story, concerning as it does the
early phases of the war in that theatre,
when our forces were chiefly engaged in
trying to stem the surging tide of Japa¬
nese aggression, or, with feeble thrusts
that only hinted at the strength of the
sledge-hammer blows that were to fol¬
low, attacked the perimeter of the en¬
emy’s defenses, is one of resolute cour¬
age in the face of most distressing physi¬
cal and mental obstacles, and the cir¬
cumvention of supply and mechanical
difficulties by ingeneous improvisation.
And among the photographs assembled
in an oversized album as a pictorial
record of his period of service are too
many grim reminders of the toll of war
— the photographs of those members of
the gallant company who will never
return.

It was December the 11th, 1942, when
Jack received word that the commission
for which he had applied had come
through. To be precise it was exactly
noom and when he received the news
over the phone he expressed his satis¬
faction and naively told the military
personage on the other end of the wire
that he would be around as soon as he
had finished the picture on which he
was then working. But that was an
arrangement completely unsatisfactory
to the military personage, who told him
that he was expected to report imme¬
diately.

“But I’m in the middle of a picture,”
expostulated Jack, who believed fervent¬
ly in the tradition of show-business.
“And we’re in the middle of a war,”

boomed the man on the other end of the
wire who had probably never heard that
the show must go on.

“At least let me remain until they
find someone else to take my place,”
countered Jack, while he did mental
arithmetic trying to estimate what a
delay in shooting “My Son, The Hero”
would cost his friend Sig Neufeld, the
producer.

“All right,” said the military person¬
age in a burst of magniminity and un¬
derstanding, “report at 9 o’clock tomor¬
row morning.”

That was just a sample of the speed
with which events were to move in the
military career of Jack Greenhalgh. At
nine the next morning he was sworn in
and told to report back, with a complete
set of uniforms and other military im¬
pedimenta necessary in the life of a
1st lieutenant, by 2 p.m. the same day.

For two months he was attached to
the First Motion Picture Unit at the Hal

Roach Studios in Culver City, and spent
the time getting basic military training,
becoming indoctrinated in army regula¬
tions and the responsibilities and re¬
quirements of his new calling, instruct¬
ing in aerial photography and combat
camera work, and found time to make
a training film in San Antonio, Texas,
before being shipped.

He went overseas with the Combat
Camera Unit of the famous 5th A.A.F.,
and after a brief stopover in Brisbane,
Australia, landed at Port Moresby in
New Guinea.

He was initiated into the perils and
thrills of warfare soon after leaving
the friendly coast of California behind.
On two different occasions Jap subs
launched torpedoes at the ship on which
he was traveling, a ship they had al¬
ready sunk, according to their optomistic
broadcasts, but skillful maneuvering
avoided the lethal load.

(Continued on Page 18)

American Cinematographer • January, 1945

7

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Bringing The Bible To The Screen

By ALVIN W Y C K 0 F F, D.St., A.S.C.

AN old adage tells us that “there is
nothing new under the sun.” That
>• phrase was coined before there
was a place called Hollywood. Something
new under the Hollywood sun (or arc
lights) has happened! An idea, new in
motion pictures, has sprouted and grown
into a healthy business of entertainment,
almost without notice.

That idea is the making of sound mo¬
tion pictures for church, school and home
from Bible stories. Making these pic¬
tures both educational and entertaining.

The company making these unusual
motion pictures, all released on 16mm.
film, is known as Cathedral Films, and
is located at 6404 Sunset Boulevard, Hol¬
lywood, California. It is a non-profit
picture company, organized solely for the
interest of the church, and was con¬
ceived by two brilliant men, the Rev.
James K. Friedrich and John T. Coyle.

The Rev. Mr. Friedrich, in addition to
his film production work, is assistant
rector of St. Marks in Van Nuys, Cali¬
fornia, and also is conducting experi¬
mentally, a Visual Aid Sunday School
in Sherman Oaks, where the children
are gathering enthusiastically each Sun¬
day to see the Bible stories on the screen.
Those children do not have to be urged
to go to Sunday School. They can’t
wait for Sunday to roll around. And they
are learning rapidly and effectively the
teachings of the Bible while being en¬
tertained.

Several years ago Coyle, a motion pic¬
ture director and producer, as well as
an inventor of many new innovations
in making the effect sequences, met the
Rev. Mr. Friedrich. They exchanged

ideas and almost immediately decided
to start the production of religious films.
The result was the forming of Cathedral
Films, and the start of something new
in motion picture making.

The first venture of Cathedral Films,
“The Great Commandment,” was a for¬
tunate financial success. The film was
purchased by 20th Century-Fox at a fig¬
ure reported to be around $200,000.00,
and which is said to have netted Ca¬
thedral Films a profit of $70,000.00.
This was a happy start, for unlike most
motion picture companies, this company
is not financed by stockholders, subscrip¬
tion or contributions. The Rev. Mr.
Friedrich started the company with his
own money. So, when the first picture
netted a $70,000 profit, he turned that
money right back into the business and
had working capital to carry on the
plans for the Biblical pictures for the
churches, schools and homes.

You see, the Rev. Mr. Friedrich is one
churchman whose vision encompassed a
broad expanse of horizon, combining
idealism with a surprising practical mat¬
ter-of-factness. He believes the church
should get into the community life of
the people, and that moving pictures can
carry a message which will instill a
spiritual thought, entertainingly, in the
minds of those people who have drifted
away from spiritual thinking which is
necessary to keep their eyes looking
toward a higher goal.

He had faith in his idea that motion
pictures depicting Biblical episodes would
be accepted if the Biblical characters
walked and talked like human beings
we know as our neighbors; if the char¬

Top left. Christ heals the paralyzed man in "Man ot
Faith". Top right, The Rev. James K. Friedrich and
John T. Coyle discuss the script during production.

acters were shown as men and women
of feeling, passion and intrigue. Above
all, they must be entertaining. He be¬
lieves that one GOOD motion picture
can deliver a more eloquent sermon to
more listeners than the most eloquent
sermon delivered from a pulpit. The
results seem to prove that he is right.

The religious films made by Cathedral
films have a national release. Distribut¬
ing organizations which are supplying
the nation with these unusual films are
located in twenty-eight states, Canada
and Hawaii. There are a total of 61 of
these distributing organizations at this
writing, and the number is rapidly in¬
creasing. Throughout the nation these
films are being shown in homes, churches,
clubs and schools in ever-increasing num¬
bers.

In Sunday School work they have been
rapidly gaining ground. The following
excerpt from Very Rev. Hugh Lavery,
M.M., Director Maryknoll, Los Angeles,
Calif., gives some idea of what the
churchmen think of the religious films:
“I have twice seen your film, “A Certain
Nobleman,” and was delighted and much
impressed by it. It conveys a great les-

January, 1945 • American Cinematographer

T

Above, the rescue of an American airman in "We,
Too, Receive".

Above, The Centurion reads the list of new taxes and Bottom of page, Wedding scene from "The Great
laws that are to be imposed by the Romans in this Commandment",

scene from "The Great Commandment

son . . . The Maryknoll Sisters and chil¬
dren saw it today and would like to
have us show it to the other Sisters
and the sick at Maryknoll, Monrovia,
some day. I am certain also that all
450 children who saw it have had a
great lesson impressed upon them, more
than we could give them in several
lessons on religion. I wish to thank
you and recommend your films whole¬
heartedly for any group anywhere.”

Rev. George Foster Pratt, of St. John’s
Episcopal Church, Stockton, Calif., wrote:
“We have begun to use your films over
again this year, and find the children
like them even better the second time.”

Perhaps the most imposing testimonial
for these films comes from the Church
Federation of Los Angeles, which is:
“It has been our privilege to view some
of the productions of this company and
we are only too glad to express our
enthusiasm for the results obtained.
Sound in scholarship and historical back¬
ground, superb in dramatic presentation,
and impartial with regard to doctrinal
interpretation, these pictures promise an
exceedingly valuable source for the
church school of the future and a new
opportunity for unity of all religious
groups, based upon the Bible.”

The church has accepted these re¬
ligious films. While most of them are
based on stories of the Bible, there are
a few that are of modern conception,
but with a religious theme so cleverly
woven into the story that it does not
interfere with the entertainment, or con¬
flict with the religious scruples of any
sect or denomination.

Research has shown that a large num¬
ber of the patrons of these films are
from those many peoples who seek re¬

ligious comfort but cannot find it in the
established rituals of the organized
church; peoples who interpret the mes¬
sages of these films according to their
own concepts.

The two wise producers of these pic¬
tures are wide awake to the fact that
the success of the films depends upon
GOOD ENTERTAINMENT, consequent¬
ly each film tells a story of romance
and humor that blends perfectly with
the spiritual theme, enhanced by clever
sound effects and excellent dialogue.

One of the company’s most successful
films is a recent production that tells
the story of a young American airman,
shot down by Jap planes over enemy
territory. Successfully, the flyer who was
badly wounded parachutes to a safe

landing in a dense mountain jungle,
close to a swift flowing stream. He
crawls to the stream to bathe his wounds,
and a letter falls from his pocket into
the stream. The letter is carried down¬
stream where a native finds it and car¬
ries it to his Chief. The Chief, having-
been educated by an American mission¬
ary, reads the letter, and surmises what
has happened. Calling some of his men,
they work their way up the stream and
find the wounded airman. They carry
him to their village and nurse him back
to health. Then help him find his way
back to his base.

The story is well constructed, and
makes good, wholesome, thrilling enter¬
tainment. It must be a hit with the

(Continued on Page 26)

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EUGENE AUGUSTIN LAUSTE
Inventor — Sound Movies

Top left, The Lauste recorder at its early stages In
1905. Note the slit covering the entire width of film.
At that time he had accomplished the feat of record¬
ing and reproducing sound.

Top right, This is believed to be a model of his
1910 combined camera and recorder which is now in
the Bell Telephone Laboratories museum. Photo shows
he divided his film, giving half to picture and half
to track. It apparently was used as a projector, too,
as is evident by the presence of a shutter at right
of photo.

By IRVING BROWNING

EUGENE Augustin Lauste, remem¬
ber that name, for it was he who
gave the world the voice from the
screen, and there are patents in almost
every country to prove it. Patents is¬
sued on the combination of picture and
sound recorded photographically on the
same film were granted to Eugene Au¬
gustin Lauste as far back as 1906 and
became a reality twenty years later.
Warner Brothers so honored Eugene
Lauste in a recent one reel film com¬
memorating the 50th anniversary of the
Motion Picture, the title of which is
“The Voice that Thrilled the World.”

Lauste was born in the Montmarte
district of Paris, France, on January
17th, 1857. It is said that he early dis¬
played inventive and mechanical talents
of a high order, and it is certain that
before he was twenty-three years old

he had filed with the French patent of¬
fice no less than fifty-three models and
designs on a variety of devices. Eugene
Lauste, proud of his achievements, hope¬
ful for the day when he would see his
invention in use, often said to his lov¬
ing wife that it would not be long before
they both would receive their share from
the success of his inventions; and today,
we hear the voice, coming directly from
the screen, just as Eugene Lauste said
it would.

I am telling this story, for I have
known the man; he was my friend for
nearly twenty years. He was much
older than I, and I had great respect
and reverence for him. He was the es¬
sence of goodness and kindness. He be¬
lieved in everyone, a trustworthy soul,
for to him, there was no wrong in the
world, yet how the world wronged him!

My first meeting with Lauste, in 1919,
was a most interesting incident. I was
producing the Eastern portion of Screen
Snapshots for CBC Film Sales Corpora¬
tion, now Columbia Pictures. Some one
I met told me about an elderly gentle¬
man who had an invention that would
some day make the movies talk, and that
intrigued me. I asked a lot of questions
about the man and his inventions, for I
had to report every story that I wanted
to do in film for Snapshots to Jack
Cohn, now vice president of Columbia
Pictures. I discussed prospective pro¬
duction ideas with Jack Cohn, for he has
a great genius in selecting screen ma¬
terial. We talked about my findings and
I was insistent on doing the Lauste
story, for I believed that this story should
be seen, yet Jack Cohn said to me, “What
good is it, you can’t hear it.”

He was right, we couldn’t reproduce
the sound in our film at that time. We
could show the apparatus and tell about
it in the titles. What was wrong in
telling about it? We were telling about
the movie stars and what they were do¬
ing at home, on the side lines when
they were at work and also when they
were at play. So why not show the in¬
vention of Eugene Lauste? His material
was part and parcel of the motion pic¬
ture. So we talked about it and Jack
told me to go ahead and make the sub¬
ject. This I did, and I never enjoyed
working with anyone more than I did
working with Lauste. He cooperated
wholeheartedly, for to him this was rec¬
ognition of his work and the coming
of sound. Yes, we told about it to the
world via Screen Snapshots, yet the
screen was silent for many years after.

Left — Year 1905. Here is a photo showing the record¬
ing and photographing of a singer, supervised by
Lauste. Note two microphones at right of Lauste and
two at the singer's left. Lauste’s son Henry is at the
camera.

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The following year, I left Screen Snap¬
shots and went to Universal Pictures to
produce the Universal New Screen Maga¬
zine, a magazine reel with stories about
people and unusual things they do. I
made many subjects for that reel of
varied types, and in no time at all
Eugene Lauste came to my mind again,
and I decided that his story could be
told again in the Universal New Screen
Magazine. I arranged with Lauste once
more and made the story. This time, I
gave him a copy of the 35mm. film, fully
edited and titled, about two hundred
feet in length. I do not believe that
either Screen Snapshots or Universal
New Screen Magazine are in any way
responsible for the advent of sound, but
at that time, it was a preview of its
machinations, but no one came to the
door of Eugene Lauste, begging him to
sell a share of his great invention,
though some people, out of sheer curios¬
ity, came and asked him to demonstrate
his talking motion pictures.

Here is a resume of the inventions and
patents of Eugene Lauste for he had
been awarded many of them. His first
application for recording sound waves
photographically was made in England,
where he was working. The date of ap¬
plication was August 11th, 1906, and
was accepted August 10th, 1907; “The
Invention relates to a new or improved
cinematographic and phonographic meth¬
od or process and the means for record¬
ing and reproducing simultaneously the

(Continued on Page 18)

Top left, Year 1910 —
Band photographed by
Lauste. Note the micro¬
phones in center right,
showing music also
was recorded. Made at
Brixton, London S. W.

Top right, Year 1912 —
The exterior of Lauste's
laboratory and record¬
ing studio at Brixton,
London S.W.

Right center, The in¬
terior of Lauste's Brix¬
ton laboratory.

Right bottom, Compos¬
ite photo of Lauste, a
strip of film with half
having a sound record¬
ing of a speech by him
and the other half
showing Lauste making
that speech; also part
of his sound camera
and a corner of his
laboratory.

Bottom left, Year 1913 —
Showing the interior of
the Lauste original com¬
bination sound and pic¬
ture camera - recorder.

Tailor Made Fades and Laps
With a Cine Special

By PHILIP A. JACOBSEN

Technical and Research Director
Campus Studios, University of Washington

Left, Fig. I. This view shows the convenient size and
location of the MDCT. The unit is held in place by a
single threaded stud and a small dowel. It can be
attached or removed in ten seconds. The speedometer
cable can be disconnected from the pinion shaft and
unlocked end removed from the eight frame camera
shaft.

N.G. Its failure was followed by the
violent removal from the studios of a
crystal ball, a rabbit’s foot paper weight
and our Encyclopedia of Easy Motion
Picture Magic. Construction on Model III
was delayed until a junta of sufferers
passed the following ordinances:

1. No Motor Driven Cinematograph¬
er’s Thumb (MDCT) shall be manufac¬
tured which cannot be stowed in the
two-inch lens compartment of the “Spe¬
cial” carrying case.

2. No MDCT shall be allowed to inter¬
fere with the normal use of the “Spe¬
cial’s” cranks, film meters, magazine
changing or shutter lever hand opera¬
tion.

3. No MDCT shall require an abdomin¬
al operation on the “Special” to install.

4. All MDCTs shall have at least one
speed; three speeds if possible.

5. No MDCT will be licensed which
cannot dish up successive fades and laps;
which is “Tech-Language” for saying
that the Thumb Emancipator must be
able to do every thing a live first digit
can muster, except a fumble.

6. No MDCTs will be permitted at
large unless they can start and stop
without the screen effect of a block¬
buster exploding in the alley behind the
studio.

7. Labor and materials shall not cost
more than $31.69 per unit unless some¬
one else pays the bill.

8. Materials which cannot be found in
the average junk box shall not require
the usual AAA-1, WPB 1319 and Wash¬
ington Directive to get the usual first
class 180 day “Delivery Maybe Promise.”

9. All MDCTs must function, without
service, for the life of a couple of Cine

THE Motor Driven Cinematograph¬
er’s Thumb, shown attached to the
Cine Special shutter lever in Fig¬
ure 1, is a mongrel reincarnation of a
speedometer cable, an egg beater and
a Yankee screwdriver, and was designed
to eliminate those “lovable little imper¬
fections” which distinguish the truly
“hand made” from the less individual¬
istic but more usable “tailor made”
fades and laps.

The artificial limb pictured in the
illustration is Model III. Model I (ex¬
tinct) was a Rube Goldberg robot as
big as the camera. Its completely housed
gears, cams, springs and levers prac¬
tically surrounded the “Special”, cover¬
ing up all the aids to navigation on the
starboard side and making the changing
of a magazine a “Karloff” for even an
“A.S.C. Houdini.” Model II, which was
rushed to completion before the essen¬
tial essence of Yankee screwdriver blew
into the studio shop, was not even dis¬

tantly related to Model I. It was a mar¬
vel of simplicity, it was very small, it
was very commercial looking and it was

View below is for those who don't like Figure I. The
shift lever can be seen but not so well as in the
close ups. Critics will be sure to note the photoflood
reflection in the eye level finder.

The egg beater gears above are early Bronze Age
and were practically made with a jack knife. The
knob atop the pinion shaft bearing housing is used
to lock the pinion and shaft in each of three positions.

Specials under varying condition^ of
temperature, humidity, cigar smoke and
blasphemy.

10. All “difficult to handle” MDCTs
will be consigned to the Cinema Works
of the Hot Place as soon as possible
after the designer has been committed
to a well guarded “Home.”

When Mr. Henkler, our studio me¬
chanic, read these good intentions he
went into his usual depressive “can’t be
done” routine but we were more than
ready for the cunning hypochondriac
with the following reviving word plasma:

“Mr. Henkler, we are surprised at
your lack of spirit and understanding.
This is no ordinary job, nor is it just
another 16mm. brain storm. This great
development involves humanity itself . . .
Mr. Henkler, our position as oracle is
most unbecoming in the presence of a
(Continued on Page 30)

Below Is an intimate character study of the shift lever.
Reversing Is accomplished by pulling straight out on
the shift handle, rotating the handle about ten de¬
grees and releasing. A small pin, spring and hole
arrangement locks the lever in each of two positions.
The upward travel of the carriage is stopped when
the shutter lever stops the camera motor. The down¬
ward travel ends where the worm ends.

Top right photo shows
the racial similarity be¬
tween the MDCT and
the Yankee Screwdriver.
It also shows how crude
the gear teeth can be
and still work. The
double worm is mild
steel, the gears are
brass, the carriage is
brass, the guides are
drill rod and the shift
lever is heat treated
soft iron. The frame is
aluminum. A "mass
production", dime store
model could probably
be made entirely from
pot metal and sold for
$1.37.

Bottom right shows how
the carriage imparts
motion to the shutter
lever. The extension arm
on the shutter level is
made fast by a single
screw and a drop of
solder. The outboard
end of the arm engages
a slot in the carriage.
It can not be pinned
because the end of the
arm describes an arc.
The thing is rustic but
it works.

Top left, John Simmons, Jo Jones, Illinois Jacquet,
Lester Young, Harry Edison, Barney Kissell in
"Jammin' the Blues".

Top right, Gjon Mill talks things over with Director
of Photography Bob Burks, A.S.C. While at bottom
of the page we see Mili in action.

MILI

INTRODUCES
N EW

TECHNIQUE

By

EZRA GOODMAN

MOTION picture short subjects do
not always receive as much at¬
tention as they deserve amid the
welter of feature-length epics starring
Ann Sheridan or Humphrey Bogart. But
on this particular day, sound stage 2
at Warner Brothers was a focal point
of attraction for visitors and for studio
workers. On hand were Jack Warner,
short-subject producer Gordon Hollings-
head and directors like Jean Negulesco
and Vincent Sherman, as well as many
technical craftsmen. All of them were
watching Gjon Mili, former photographer
on Life Magazine, direct a short subject
entitled “Jammin’ the Blues.”

Stage 2 was a jumble of sets and
props. At one end of the stage a
camera boom faced a raised, black plat¬
form set against a gigantic black drape
that stretched from the roof to the floor.
On the platform sat a group of swing
musicians, wearing dark suits. Harry
Edison, trumpet; Lester Young, sax;
and Joe Jones, drums, were all from
Count Basie’s band; Sidney Satlett, Mar¬
lowe Morris and John Simmons were a
trio from the Street of Paris night club

on Hollywood boulevard, Morris at the
piano, Red Callender was playing bass
viol, Illinois Jacquette was on sax, and
Barney Kessel, guitar. On the sidelines
sat Marie Bryant, a colored songstress,
and Archie Savage, who used to dance
with Katherine Dunham.

“Jammin’ the Blues” is the first seri¬
ous film to come out of a Hollywood
studio on the subject of modern swing.
The nearest a picture had come to it
previously was the jam session that fig¬
ured in the film “Phantom Lady.” That
sequence, however, was not sufficiently
documented. “Jammin’ the Blues” was
conceived as a result of photographer
Mili’s layout on a jam session that ap¬
peared in Life magazine. Mili, who hails
from Albania and wears corduroy pork-
pie hats from Macy’s Junior Depart¬
ment which he orders by the half dozen,
is an M.I.T. graduate, an expert in light¬
ing research, in stroboscopic photog¬
raphy, and also an authority on folk
dancing and swing music. At the mo¬
ment he was indulging his passion for
both swing and lenswork. He was sit¬
ting on the edge of the raised camera
boom and explaining to cinematographer
Bob Burks just how he wanted the
scene photographed.

Mili was attempting some unusual
photographic and directional devices in
this film. He is a student and admirer
of the great Russian silents gnd of
such directors as Einstein and Pudovkin.
He believes that Hollywood camera light¬
ing usually lights a face for its best
appeal at all times. Mili wanted camera¬
man Burks to light the faces in his
film for mood and visual effect. Few
arc lights shone down on the set from
the overhead catwalks and only two
spotlights crisscrossed from lower angles
upon the musicians. Burks was using
only a percentage of the light that is
used for the average motion picture.
Mili was also trying some exceptional
camera angles. There are many close-

(Continued on Page 26)

Some of the players in "Jammin'
the Blues". Top left, Sidney Cat¬
lett and Lester Young.

Top center, Marie Bryant and
Illinois Jacquet.

Top right, Jo Jones and his
drums.

Right center, Lester Young and
Harry Edison.

Bottom, Marie Bryant sings while
Marlowe Morris both looks on and
accompanies her on the piano.

The Camera vs. The Microphone
In Training Film Production

By Lt. HERBERT R. JENSEN. U.S.N.R.

THE state of the art of producing
training films, despite the volume
achieved, still leaves much to be
desired. This paper will point out a
principal shortcoming of the art as it is
presently practiced, from the point of
view that the primary power of the
screen (in instruction or entertainment)
lies in its ability to maintain attention
and interest through the eye rather than
the ear.

The function of the training film is
to present its subject primarily to the
visual and not the auditory sense. The
film’s instructive power comes through
seeing, not hearing, as is so admirably
stated in the Chinese phrase, “one hun¬
dred hearing not so good one seeing.”

The fact that the motion picture was
originally designed for the sense of sight
is too often forgotten in writing and
producing a training film. The word
“writing” is stressed, for that is where
the fault too often lies; scripts are writ¬
ten rather than pictured. This is un¬
derstandable for we have been able to
use and manipulate words for hundreds
of years while we have had less than 50
years of practice in using and manipu¬
lating pictures. The adoption of the
policy of using the spoken word instead
of the picture is not from lack of knowl¬
edge. The experience gained from the
days when films were silent taught us
otherwise.

The extent to which the word has
been used instead of the picture is in¬
dicated by the results of an analysis
of a few typical scripts. The script
of a picture judged an excellent pro¬
duction had a word-to-scene ratio of
3 to 1, 3 words per scene. The script
for another picture that had “sleeper”
tendencies had 38 words per scene. It
is admitted that this method of judg¬
ing the effectiveness of a film is a
crude one, but it does give some indi¬
cation of the extent to which words
have been substituted for pictures. The
quality and effectiveness of a training
film are undoubtedly related to the word-
scene ratio, and the lower the ratio the
better the film.

A further indication that the camera
has not been used efficiently is the oft-
heard remark that training films put
men to sleep. The auditory sense, as
may be proved by this discussion is a
powerful sedative, and even its use here
may put you to sleep. The same thing

NOTE: The above article by Lieut. Jensen of the
Training Film Branch, Bureau of Aeronautics, U.S.N.,
Washington, D. C., is reprinted from the November,
1944, Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engi¬
neers. — The Editor.

happens in the training film, or more
accurately stated, the film lecture in
which the eye is subverted by the ear.
If the audience sleeps the picture fails.
One of the reasons why men sleep may
lie in the fact that the screen does not
hold the eye because words have been
substituted for pictures and the film
thereby fails to maintain the attention
of the learner. To avoid this the eye
must receive the major impact and not
the ear.

The problem of maintaining attention
is also related to film length. Many
training films are longer than they need
be because of the inadequate handling
of the screen image. Not enough of
the right pictures are used in the right
way, with the result that the track
has to say the things the screen does not
say. Word explanation is less efficient
than picture explanation, and the great¬
er the number of words needed to ex¬
plain the item under instruction the
more feet of film needed to carry them.
This overdependence on narrative ex¬
planation results in a sound track packed
with voice modulations from beginning
to end with nary a pause in between.
The constant bombardment of words on
the auditory nerves dulls them and the
learner is lulled to insensibility. Adroitly
used, the narrated track must allow
pauses between sentences and para¬
graphs. Phrasing sound and silence is
necessary if the mind is to absorb and
make each thought presented its own
before the next one drives it out.

Training film makers must learn that
some silence is golden, especially that
resulting from the cessation of the nar¬
rator’s voice. The camera must be em¬
ployed in a manner that will permit the
screen to form a silent and attentive
bond between it and the viewer’s eye,
aided by the microphone only when and
where absolutely necessary.

It is easy to see why the microphone
has become a “Quisling,” so to speak,
because of its subversive activity in un¬
dermining the job of the camera. It
could not have become so without its
being aided and abetted by film makers
who used it as a tool, something that
could be had easily and manipulated
without much trouble. The ease with
which a sentence can be conjured up,
reworked, rewritten, erased, and formed
again is simple compared to the labor
involved in conceiving the most efficient
picture images. Further, the sentence
can always be changed with ease; a pic¬
ture image can seldom be changed or
manipulated without the expenditure of
considerable time, energy and money. The

subsequent delivery of a sentence to a
microphone in a modern comfortable re¬
cording studio is nothing compared to
the difficult manipulation of a camera
on location. Contrast these working con¬
ditions with those confronting the cam¬
era.

Cameramen doing Navy location shoot¬
ing are required to work under handicaps
that seldom exist in the studio. Much
of the Navy’s camera work could be
classed as “triphibian,” involving as it
does photography on land, at sea, and
in the air with attendant problems al¬
most as complicated as those involved
in this type of warfare. The cramped
quarters of a bridge or an engine room,
the unstable platform of a landing boat
or an airplane make camera handling
hard work. The narrow passageway
and the vertical or near-vertical ladders
that must be traversed with heavy equip¬
ment to gain access to the various parts
of a ship involve almost as much sweat,
if not blood, as is involved in following
a trail in New Guinea. It is not without
cause that once a camera position is
achieved it seems that it is seldom
abandoned until every usable foot tha$
can be extracted from the scene has
been shot. Why move in to get a close-
up or another angle when the item can
be described so much more easily in the
sound track ? And so the microphone
takes over the camera’s work, the audi¬
ence goes to sleep and the information
fails to become part of the learner’s
experience.

What should happen instead of this is
the camera should be used to isolate,
describe, and explain the item, relegat¬
ing the narrated track to the background
in a merely supporting role. The camera
should be used as a pointer, moving in,
out, and across the scene as dynamically
as the galvanometer on a recorder. At¬
tention should be aroused and main¬
tained by the camera’s ability to interest
and excite the eye.

The type of camera handling desired
is of a level that would deliver to the
screen an effect similar to that which
the human being gets with his own eye.
The effect to be striven for is the ap¬
pearance of the same fluid mobility that
the human eye enjoys in examining an
object. This would result in more effec¬
tive training films because of the sub¬
sequent increased eye attention to the
screen. In this regard we should err
on the side of using too many pictures
rather than too few. The one act of
going all-out for pictures and using
words only when practically forced to,
will put the camera back in its rightful
role.

Now in all this what part of it relates
to the work of the motion picture engi¬
neer? Some subversive activity on his
part directed at the microphone, or the
amplifiers, or the recorders? Not that,
but rather constructive work on the
camera’s home front.

Mobility and ease of manipulation of
the camera have been problems receiv-

( Continued on Page 33}

16 January, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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EASTMAN FILMS

Aces of the Camera

(Continued from Page 7)

When the ship that carried the unit
from Brisbane to Moresby arrived at its
destination he was left on board, with
two enlisted men, to look after the equip¬
ment and supplies. It turned out to be
a brilliant tropic night, complete with full
moon. Jack thought it was wonderful.
And then he heard some of the Aus¬
tralian stevedores saying what a won¬
derful night it was for the Tojo Limited.
The Tojo Limited? That, inquiry elicit¬
ed, was their name for a squadron of
Jap bombers that visited the harbor at
every opportunity. And such an oppor¬
tunity as the weather offered that even¬
ing the Aussies were sure would not
be neglected.

What had seemed like such an ideal
night to Jack a few minutes previous¬
ly, now had all the earmarks of being
one of the worst possible nights. The
moon, which previously had only artistic
and romantic appeal, now seemed to be
a diabolical searchlight training its bril¬
liant light on his ship for the nefarious
purpose of Tojo’s bombers. What an ex¬
cellent target that ship would be under
such a moon, stuck out in the middle of
the placid waters of Moresby Harbor.
Jack could feel his stomach contracting
as he weighed the possibilities open to
him in case of attack. To stay on the
ship, which was loaded with ammuni¬
tion and high-octane gas, or to take to
the water which was full of man-eating
sharks? Suddenly his stomach relaxed
and the problem seemed too much; he
went to sleep in the camera truck that
was still lashed to the deck. And the
Tojo Limited failed to come over that
night.

The magnificent work of the combat
camera units throughout the various war
theatres is too well known to need re¬
peating here, and the story of Jack
Greenhalgh’s unit with the 5th A.A.F.
cannot yet be told. But besides their
ground and aerial combat duties it can
be revealed that they covered their area
for general news events that concerned
the Allied armed forces, much as a
newsreel man covers his beat at home,
made films on ordnance tests, and on-the-
spot movies of improvements or new de¬
velopments in battle or battlefield tech¬
nique.

By way of illustration, two films that
Jack made while he was in New Guinea:
one was on the right as well as the
wrong way to drop supplies to isolated
groups of men in the jungle. Made right
in the fighting area, under actual, not
simulated, conditions, it was sent to
Washington where it was studied, and the
lessons it taught passed on to those who
needed the information. Another was on
how to convert a jeep into an ambu¬
lance — quickly, under field conditions. It
had been something the brasshats had
been wanting to know for a long time,
and then one day, under the stern prod¬
ding of necessity, a G.I. in New Guinea

discovered how to do it. So, Jack and his
boys made a film showing just how it
was done, and sent the film to Wash¬
ington. And that information was also
passed on.

Jack says the army was a great ex¬
perience. And although there were many
incidents that he wouldn’t care to live
over he wouldn’t have passed it up for
the world. He’s only sorry his carcass
wouldn’t stand up better under the rigors
of the life out there.

Jack came to Hollywood from San
Antonio, Texas, in 1923 and got his start
in pictures as Ross Fisher’s assistant.
He had gone with his father to visit
the company on location at Lake Sher¬
wood, then called Las Turas Lake, and
fell heir to the job when the regular as¬
sistant failed to show up. It was a fill-in
job that turned into a fulltime position
on the series which Harry Joe Brown
was producing, and A1 Rogell directing.
And while Jack was the regular assist¬
ant now he was still expected to fill in
for the stunt men when they failed to
make the grade.

There was the time a spectacular shot
had been planned from the top of the
Flatiron Building, the tallest structure
in Los Angeles at the time. It called for
the stunt man to descend from the roof
by a rope, pick up a girl from one of
the windows on the way, and carry her
down to the ground. Everything worked
out splendidly until the stuntman got
up on the roof and looked down the ten
stories to the sidewalk below. Some¬
thing happened to his insides and he re¬
fused to do the stunt. A1 Rogell raised
an eyebrow and looked meaningly at
Jack. So Jack carried the heroine down
the rope.

Then there was the time that the
script called for the hero to speed up
to a moving train on a motorcycle and
climb aboard. But the stuntman hired
for that occasion, though he raced along
by the side of the train, couldn’t make
up his mind to change vehicles. So once
more the Rogell eyebrow was raised and
the meaningful looked cast in the direc¬
tion of the assistant cameraman. “But
I’ve never even been on a motorcycle,”
Jack remarked, as casually as he could.
“Well, don’t worry,” Rogell told him,
“the second section of the train won’t
be along for five minutes and anyone
can learn to ride one of the things in
that time. All you do is twist this and
shove in that . . . .”

He made it.

As second cameraman Jack went with
the Fred Thompson Company. And when
Fred Thompson died he went to Pathe
for his first experience with sound; on
a picture starring Constance Bennett
and Regis Toomey which Norbert Bro-
dine photographed. He was with First
National in 1930, and with Fox in ’32.

In ’35 he went to Panama as second
man to Edgar Lyons to shoot “Go Get
’em Haynes,” starring Bill Boyd. It was
one of the pictures that put Republic in
business.

When P.R.C. started, Sig Neufeld
called Jack to shoot their first picture,
“The Beast of Berlin”; and he was shoot¬
ing on that lot until Uncle Sam called.
And two days after his medical dis¬
charge Sig Neufeld called him back to
work. He hopes all the other boys will
receive such considerate treatment when
they come home.

Eugene Lauste

(Continued from Page II)

movements or motions of persons or
objects and the sounds produced by
them.” Other excerpts from the patent
papers, “It is obvious therefore that no
true record or reproduction of the sound
waves could be made by any mechanical
process or means in which a hard sub¬
stance, necessary to make the impres¬
sion comes in contact with another hard
substance, such for instance as the re¬
cording or reproducing pin of the phono¬
graph or gramophone, because the fric¬
tion caused between the two hard sub¬
stances itself creates sound waves which
accompany, vary or modify, the sound
waves which it is desired to record and
reproduce and are recorded and repro¬
duced with the latter, proving detri¬
mental to their true reproduction. The
record therefore must be taken or pro¬
duced without any contact between the
medium caused to vibrate by the sound
waves and the record or recording sub¬
stance.”

In 1908 a paper was drawn, accrediting
Eugene Augustin Lauste with the Photo-
cinematophone, A Revolution in Living
Pictures, A Revolution in Talking Ma¬
chines, A Cinematograph and Photophon-
ophone Combined. “The Most Marvel¬
ous and Interesting Scientific Invention
of the Age,” and inside the paper, the
following, “Plays in their entirety, both
as to sound and action will be handed
down to posterity, and operas, complete
in every detail, can be reproduced thous¬
ands of miles away, in the heart of
Africa or in the wilds of Australia, with¬
out the presence of a single actor or
the assistance of a super; it will be
possible for the strains of an orchestra
of one hundred performers, or the voices
of a chorus of one thousand strong,
with all the actions inseperable from
the performance of large members to be
carried to the earth in the space of
about twelve inches square and released
and given to the world time after time
with hardly any further trouble than
is necessary for showing an ordinary
Magic Lantern.”

In 1909 Eugene Lauste, his meager
savings going fast and still working
in London, advertised for capital and
here is one of the advertisements as it
appeared, “Ten gentlemen, with 200
pounds each, REQUIRED to form syn¬
dicate, to demonstrate and license val¬
uable patent for which there is world-

(Continued on Page 28)

18 January, 1945 • American Cinematographer

The friction type "Professional Junior" removable tripod head is unconditionally guaranteed for 5
years. It gives super-smooth 360 pan and 80° tilt action. It fits all of the several tripod bases
made by us. The large pin and trunnion assures long dependable service. A "T" level is attached.
The top-plate can be set for EK Cine Special (with or without motor) 35mm DeVry and B&H Eyemo
(with motor), and with or without alignment gauge.

The Standard size tripod base is sturdy, affords positive adjustments from normal low of 42"
to extended high of 72" and weighs but 14 lbs. complete. The Baby size depresses to 16" extends
to 21", weighs 5^/2 lbs. All tripods have fluted, positive adjustment knobs.

"Professional Junior"* Tripods,
Baby Tripods, Developing Kits,
"Hi-Hats" and Shiftover Align¬
ment Gauges made by Camera
Equipment Co. are used by the
U. S. Navy, Army Air Bases, Sig¬
nal Corps, Office of Strategic
Services and other Government
Ag encies — also by many leading
Newsreel companies and 16 mm.
and 35mm. motion picture pro¬
ducers.

“!P!&®!l1!Ii§!§Sl®ffiJ<&IL
JTOa®®w * 'y'SUIP®®

* Patent No. 2318910

with Removable Head

(Illustrated below are: (I) The new Baby "Profes¬
sional Junior" Tripod, all metal, for low shots; (2)

(The "Professional Junior" Tripod Head which fits
all our tripods; (3) the top portion of the standard
"Professional Junior" Tripod and (4) the "Hi-Hat"
low-base adaptor, underneath which is shown the
finger-grip head fastening nut that firmly holds the
Tripod Head onto any style of tripod base in the
"Professional Junior" line. To the right is shown
the "Professional Junior" Tripod on which is
mounted an Eyemo affixed to the Camera Equip¬
ment Co. Shiftover Alignment Gauge.

Tripod Hr ad Uneonditionailit Guaranteed
5 Years . Write for Hescriptive Literature.

THROUGH the EDITOR S FINDER

AS the eventful year of 1944 comes
to an end we wish all our readers
a very Happy New Year.

To say that 1944 has been an eventful
year is putting it mildly. It has been a
year of surprises. During 1944 we saw a
President of the United States elected
for a fourth term. We saw the Japanese
navy reduced to a fourth rate power by
the American Naval and Air Forces. We
saw the Japanese strangle-hold on South
Sea Islands broken. We saw General
MacArthur return to the Philippines.
We saw Toyko blasted from the air. We
saw France and Greece completely liber¬
ated from the Axis domination. We saw
American soldiers breaking their way
onto German soil. Yes, it was an event¬
ful year. Let us hope that 1945 will be
still more eventful, bringing with it Vic¬
tory for the Allies and a lasting and just
peace.

THE first fifty years of motion pic¬
tures has now become history, and
one of the most intelligent and in¬
teresting bits of writing concerning these
fifty years of motion pictures is found in
the 16th annual edition of Martin Quig¬
ley’s International Motion Picture Al¬
manac. Editor Terry Ramsaye has writ¬
ten a brief outline of the history of mo¬
tion pictures from which we quote the
following :

“Within just five decades, or about the
time of man’s arrival at maturity, the
motion picture has arisen and developed
into the dominant entertainment medium
for the world. Its status among the arts
of saying and telling is second only to the
printed word and in an effective sense its
audience is greater. No book ever pub¬
lished, save perhaps the Bible in its many
versions, has ever reached so many per¬
sons as have seen ‘Gone With the Wind’
and many other notable pictures.

“The screen has achieved this, and in
every land under the sun, by reason of
the capacity to more fully recreate events,
real or imagined, than any other form of
expression. It can present and say all
that the written and printed word can
say. It can record, reproduce and state
all manner of emotion, mood and gesture,
with either more realism or more thea-
tricalism, than the stage. It captures for
itself the spell of music, the voice of the
orator, the colors from maiden’s blush
to rainbow. It takes over all of pageantry
and the dance. Whatever man can do
the screen can do. Beyond that with its
capacities of accent by selection and
close-up and its super-human seeing, near
and far, independent of tense, free to
mingle yesterday with today and the
morrow in its telling, the motion picture
has powers unapproached by the older
arts.”

IT is with extreme regret that we an¬
nounce the death, last December 11,
of Harry Zech, one of the best liked
members of the American Society of
Cinematographers.

Harry was one of the veteran camera¬
men of the industry, having started as
a photographer many years ago back
in Chicago when that was one of the
film production centers. Many of the
best known cameramen of today received
their start under Harry in those Chi¬
cago days.

Eventually, Harry became one of the
best process photography men in the
business. He did all the process work
on “Hell’s Angels”, which still stands as
an outstanding example of process pho¬
tography. For many years he was with
Sir Alexander Korda in England. For
the last year he has been with Univer¬
sal Studios. With his passing the Amer¬
ican Society of Cinematographers loses
one of its most beloved members.

The American Cinematographer is
now entering its twenty-fifth year.
Actually, it will be twenty-five
years old next November, at which time
we are planning a twenty-fifth anniver¬
sary number which we hope will be an
issue that will be prized by our readers
everywhere.

Speaking of our readers, it is interest¬
ing to note that we have them in not only
the United States of America, but in
twenty foreign countries and Alaska and
Hawaii. The Cinematographer is read
in Argentine, Australia, Brazil, British
Honduras, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Egypt,
England, Fiji Islands, Iceland, India,
Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Palestine,
Russia, Scotland, South Africa and Vene¬
zuela.

Before the war it also had many
readers in France, Germany, Poland,
Italy, Greece, Japan and China. We
hope advertising executives of concerns
wishing to reach a world market will no¬
tice how the Cinematographer really
gets around.

MOST people throughout the world
think of Hollywood as the place
where everybody concentrates on
only one thing — making motion pictures.
We admit they do a mighty fine job of
making motion pictures, but since the
outbreak of the war they have been do¬
ing a lot of other things to help the war
effort.

Hollywood’s war job is performed in
the main by six instrumentalities func¬
tioning together like cogwheels in a cam¬
era. The six are: The Hollywood Victory
Committee which had provided 3,048 per¬
sonalities for 27,875 appearances as of
May, 1944; The Hollywood War Finance
Committee in charge of bond selling
within the production branch of the in¬
dustry whose sales totaled $55,269,679
for the two years of its operation; The
Permanent Charities Committee which
obtained contributions aggregating $2,-
618,673 in the year ending April 1, 1944;
The Film Division of the OWI ; the Office
of Censorship which inspects all films as
to fitness for export and import; and the
Motion Picture Society for the Ameri¬
cas.

The motion picture industry, up to
April 10, 1944, had contributed free of
charge 13,197 complete film programs,
consisting of current features and short
subjects printed on 16mm. sound film
to the armed forces overseas.

The distribution of American motion
pictures in territories liberated by the
Allied Armies was begun with our in¬
vasion of North Africa. The first step
taken in the process was the superim¬
posing of titles in 14 different foreign
languages for 40 films. This was done
in 1942 by the American major com¬
panies, at their own expense, at the re¬
quest of the OWI. Titles for at least 50
more films were in preparation in March,
1944. When military conditions permit,
the major companies will take over dis¬
tribution in all European countries;
meanwhile the U. S. Army has super¬
vision over the selection and showing of
pictures in occupied areas.

Attention, Amateur Clubs!

The American Cinematographer’s
management for several years has given
a year’s subscription to this magazine as
one of the club prizes to several clubs.
We would like to extend the same cour¬
tesy to all amateur clubs that hold an¬
nual club contests for best pictures. Sim¬
ply have your club president write the
editor of the American Cinematogra¬
pher requesting such subscription as a
prize and we will do the rest. — Editor.

20 January, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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American Cinematographer • January, 1945 21

AMONG THE MOVIE CLUBS

L. A. 8mm Club

Approximately one hundred members
and guests of the Los Angeles 8mm.
Club attended the annual banquet and
installation of officers.

New officers installed were: President
Erwin Dietz, Vice-President John Boaz,
Secretary Bill Dorris and Treasurer
Claude Cadarette.

As is the custom of the club, the prize
winning pictures of the year were an¬
nounced at the banquet, and the top
winners were screened. Winning first
prize and the Achievement Trophy was
W. D. Garlock’s picture, “Pretties on
Parade”. Second was Milton Armstrong’s
“Tell Me a Story”. Third prize went
to Fred Evan’s “Ice Follies”, and fourth
prize was won by Gertrude Millar for
her picture “Vacation with Wackie Wil¬
lie”. She also won the Vacation Trophy.

La Casa Movie Club

The La Casa Movie Club of Alham¬
bra, California, continued its pace-setting
attendance record at its December meet¬
ing with well over 200 present. The
following program was presented.

A La Casa Movie Club demonstration
film in 8mm.

A “Special” Christmas film in 8mm.

“Christmas Memories”, in 16mm., by
Mrs. R. Gillman.

“High Sierras”, in 356mm., by C. L.
Ritter.

“Ice Follies of 1944”, in 16mm. by
P. L. Cowherd.

“Parrot Like Birds”, in 16mm., by
Andrew Orear, President of the Avicul¬
ture Society.

Syracuse Movie Makers

The members of the Syracuse Movie
Makers have hit upon an idea that is
worthy of passing along for considera¬
tion by other clubs. Starting in Decem¬
ber, they devoted one meeting to strictly
businesss. Members figure that lengthy
business meetings preceding the showing
of films becomes boresome to guests —
and to members who are anxious to see
the show go on.

The December 19th meeting was de¬
voted to discussion of the technique of
making Christmas home movies. Archie
Rodgers handled the meeting, and many
Christmas movies of the past were
screened and commented upon. Com¬
ment was cold-blooded and to the point,
with bad features and good ones being
pointed out.

Saint Louis Club

Most outstanding feature of the De¬
cember meeting of the Amateur Motion
Picture Club of Saint Louis was a talk
by Vernon Rasmussen on “The Use of
Light Meters”. Rasmussen is an expert
on this subject, and gave members some
valuable advice.

Dr. and Mrs. W. R. Jordan screened
200 feet of excellent Kodachrome show¬
ing the beauty spots of Palm Beach,
Miami and Havana.

“Tiny Factories”, an interesting film
about Bees, filmled by Walter Jennings
of Kansas City, Mo., was particularly
interesting.

Final subject screened was “Glacier
National Park”, in Kodachrome, by Ed¬
ward O. Miller.

L. A. Cinema Club

The Los Angeles Cinema Club com¬
bined its annual dinner and its election
of officers on the evening of Decem¬
ber 12.

Officers elected were: Harry E. Park¬
er, President; Alice Claire Hoffman,
Vice-President; Mrs. Mildred Zimmer¬
man, Secretary-Treasurer.

The following committees were ap¬
pointed: Advisory — C. Earle Memory
and A. C. Karr. Contest and Commen¬
tary — James H. Mitchell. Membership —
A. A. Anderson, Herbert Sturdy and
Russell B. Mullen. Program — Carl Beal,
Roy E. Gerstenkorn and Guy Nelli. Pub¬
licity — Edward Pyle, Jr. Reception and
Social — Mrs. Guy Nelli, Gertrude Miller
and Mrs. R. B. Mullen. Still Photogra¬
phy — Dr. E. L. Eames, L. J. Turley and
J. C. Milligan. Technical and Library —
Carl H. Hhomson. Music and Sound —
W. L. Easley. Contact — Jack Shandler.

M.M.P.C.

Four films highlighted the December
meeting of the Metropolitan Motion Pic¬
ture Club, held in the Walnut Room of
the Hotel Capitol, New York City. Pic¬
tures screened were:

“The Lure of the Sirens” — an 8mm.
production by the San Francisco Ama¬
teur Movie Producers of San Francisco,
California.

“A Day at the Seashore” — Produced
by Harry Groedel, and filmed during
the summer of 1944.

“Auntie in Moccasins” — A ten Best
film of 1941, and produced by Joseph J.
Harley.

“Sahuaroland” — Winner of the club’s
Annual Contest in February, 1941, made
by Frank E. Gunnell.

Philadelphia Club

The Philadelphia Cinema Club held
its December meeting on December 12
at Westminster Hall.

Among the features of the program
was “A Trip to Bermuda”, filmed by
Dr. L. H. Hergesheimer. Another out¬
standing film screened was “Merry
Christmas”, a very entertaining Castle
film.

Five of the club members also exhib¬
ited unusual examples of 35mm. slides.

Tri-City Club

The annual dinner of the Tri-City
Cinema Club was held in Davenport,
Iowa, the evening of December 14. Mo¬
tion pictures were taken of all members
and guests.

The program consisted of . Color slides
by Miss Georgie T. First, of Rock Island,
and by Dr. James Dunn of Davenport.
“A Vacation Trip”, 800 feet of 16mm.
Kodachrome, by Dr. J. P. Johnston of
East Moline. “Wiklflowers”, “Autumn”
and “Brookside”, by Robert P. Kehoe of
New York City.

22 January, 1945 • American Cinematographer

You Select

Consider These Facts:

There are few greater thrills than
viewing 8 mm. motion pictures you
have made yourself — of re-living in
motion and color the precious
highlights of family life, friendship,
sport and travel — or of seeing in your
own home your choice of the rapidly
expanding libraries of 8 mm. films.

But to enjoy 8 mm. films to the
utmost — they should be shown with
a precision projector that embodies
all the features and conveniences
of a professional type machine.

Thousands of Ampro 8 mm. projectors,
produced before the war, delighted
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Although Ampro 8 mm. projectors will
not be available until after the
war — keep in touch with newest
developments in motion picture
projection by writing today for latest
information on Ampro projectors.

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American Cinematographer • January, 1945 23

Artistic Titling Tips

By GLENN R. KERSHNER, A.S.C.

DURING 1944, in many issues of
the Cinematographer, we dwelled
on various subjects helpful to the
photographer, particularly to the 16mm.
non-professional who has never been
fortunate enough to be in Hollywood to
observe how the professional cameraman
works to accomplish his fine results.

“Proper Placing of Reflector,” in the
March Issue, was devoted to the com¬
parison between the 35 and 16mm. films
as well as how to place the reflectors
when the sun gave a front, three-quarter
light. In the April issue “More About
Reflectors,” the sun was furnishing a
direct sidelight. “Lighting Sunday Mov¬
ies,” in the May issue, described how to
use reflectors when the sun was a back¬
light.

On page 267 of the August number
we dwelt on “Improving Vacation Mov¬
ies” by describing continuity in travel
films. “Composition for the Amateur,”
in September, brought many requests
for more of such articles. While “Movie
Tricks for Amateurs” in the October
Cinematographer brought letters from
interested readers in some twenty foreign
countries where the magazine is deliv¬
ered. In that article we discussed minia¬
tures with charts on the hyperfocal dis¬
tances of lenses at various stops, and
picture areas of different lenses at vari¬
ous distances of focus.

December being the holiday number,
the article “Plan Your Christmas Mov¬
ies” was devoted to the building of mini¬
ature trees, landscapes and buildings
around the base of the Christmas tree,
as well as how to light and photograph
these miniatures; also ideas about how
to cut from the miniature shots to the
actual scenes of the family and holiday
events.

Presuming your Christmas pictures
are now made, you will want to title
them artistically. Something different
than the usual white letters on a black
background are not good salesmanship
for the scenes that follow. Titles with
backgrounds similar to the scene give
the best results so it is of these titles
we will talk.

We may spend weeks and months and,
at times, a considerable sum of money
in filming a subject or a travelogue.
Therefore we should at least spend a con¬
siderable time in preparation and filming
the titles. There should be no repeat¬
ing of words and never use a word more
than once in the beginning of your
titles.

Once your titles are all finished, lay
them out and number them as they are
to be cut into the film. By counting the

words, you will know how much film will
be required. In 16mm. there are 40
frames to the foot. As a rule we use
8 frames per word making five to the
foot then add an additional foot for
each title for safety sake. Should you
have a camera that can be wound back¬
wards then part of this extra foot can
be used in the dissolves or fades. It is
well at the time you count the words
of each title to write the number of
feet required in the upper right hand cor¬
ner beside the card number, so that you
will make no mistake while photograph¬
ing. It is this system I am going to
explain.

This system, which I have used for
many years, you can use whether you
have a camera that fades in and out
or not. After carefully reading and
studying the accompanying diagram, and
with a little patience, you too, will be
making all your titles with backgrounds
in them. If you can not make lap-
dissolves you can fade in your titles
by the use of a dimmer on lights. It
takes 2Y2 seconds normal to run one
foot. If you start your camera and
bring up your lights from darkness to
full light on the title in 1 V2 seconds,
and at the end of the title fade it out
the same, you will have a perfect fade-
in and fade-out. Or, if you would rather
have a full foot fade, use the 2% sec¬
onds. Now if you can wind your camera
backwards that foot, you can fade in
on the next title, called, a lap-dissolve.
Very nice if you can do it, for it saves
the sudden jump and shows that you have
become quite a master of the technique.

Since we are talking of lap-dissolves,
fade-ins and fade-outs, I will give you
symbols that will be very helpful t&y
you. Symbols that you can mark on your
title as you plan them. For example
the title is marked Number 1. It re¬
quires three feet, I write 3 ft. up in
the corner. Now, if I wish to fade in.
I make this character before it <. That
means from nothing to full light. Should
I wish to fade out at the end, I place
the opposite symbol > after the 3 ft.
This means from full light to nothing.
If I wish to make a lap-dissolve to the
next title, I use a combination of the
two which is

and in the diagram on this page you
will see how these can be used.

To prevent becoming confused at any
time, you lay out your titles as numbered
and make a diagram as illustrated. As

[Continued on Page 29)

Above shows how the corners of the title cards should
be marked before any are photographed.

~F6de. //V
/Title -3rr
'TTtpe out

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in Q < 7
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Ftoe. in II /£,

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FF) Of OUT !<i ■=- J6~

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TiTL.e-3 FT 15- - /Q

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Above is diagram showing how to use symbols In
preparing to make your titles.

k rr.

24 January, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Caught flat-footed by our gunners
and a combat cameraman

Enemy submarine is shelled to its doom. Official U. S. Coast Guard Photograph.

THE combat photographer is two men — he’s
a trained and toughened fighting man. He’s
an expert cameraman. He has to have the
strength and skill of a fighting man to get his
pictures when the fighting is at its thickest. As a
cameraman, he has to be so expert that he is
virtually a picture-taking machine, functioning
at high efficiency under incredibly difficult
conditions.

Everyone sees his pictures; but few outside the
motion picture industry realize how many com¬
bat cameramen are former movie cameramen,

how many have been trained by veteran movie
photographers.

And, of course, processing, editing, cutting,
adding supplementary sound — weaving sepa¬
rate shots into finished productions — are largely
in the hands of movie-trained people. The ar¬
chives of this war will be illustrated by the most
magnificent war pictures ever made, and much
of their excellence will be due to the co-operation
of the motion picture industry.

Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N. Y.

J. E. BRULATOUR, INC., Distributors
FORT LEE CHICAGO HOLLYWOOD

°ne of a series of
advertisements by
KODAK testifying to

the achievements of
the movies at war

American Cinematographer • January, 1945 25

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Bringing the Bible
to the Screen

(Continued from Page 9)

users of these films, for the demand for
release prints has been tripled.

In Cathedral Films the gospel lives
on the screen. The Christ speaks out as
though he is advising us of today, and
Biblical characters become human in¬
stead of mythical creatures of legend.
The fact that this type of film is catch¬
ing on as it is indicates that the motion
picture of the future will play a great
part in teaching man that love is better
than hatred; that peace is preferable to
war.

Mili Introduces

(Continued from Page 15)

ups and slow pan and dolly shots and
there are shots like a musician’s hand
against vibrating bass-viol strings, or
out-of -frame shots with a person’s head
in the lower right hand corner of the
film instead of in the usual center po¬
sition.

Mili’s script for “Jammin’ the Blues”
is a complete cutting script. It calls for
detailed camera angles, movements and
exits in harmony with the music. Thus,
from bar 3 to 6 in one munber, his sce-
nai'io calls for one shot to be followed
by a cut to another shot for bars 6 to
9. Mili is a great believer in the psycho¬

logical inferences that can be developed
by connecting different strips of films.
This, again he derived mostly from the
Russian school of moviemaking. “Jam¬
min’ the Blues” is like a silent film in
many ways. No one talks in it, except
for the music and singing. The picture
also has an abstract quality. There are
no sets in it, and the musicians seem to
be photographed in space without a floor
or ceiling or walls. As a result, the pho¬
tography has an almost three-dimen¬
sional effect combined with the quality
of an etching.

The musicians for “Jammin’ the
Blues,” all of them among the most
eminent in their field, were selected by
technical director Norman Granz and
Mili. They play three numbers, a slow
blues to start off with; then “On the
Sunny Side of the Street,” to step up
the tempo; and finally a fast swing
number which actually jams the ses¬
sion. The numbers were recorded in true
jam session style from midnight to 6
a.m. one night on sound stage 9, the
music recording stage at Warners. The
music was then amplified on playback
machines and coordinated with the pho¬
tographic image on the set. Marie Bry¬
ant sings the “Sunny Side” number, and
Archie Savage is cut in for an abstract
dance in the course of the music.

Mili points out that none of the popu¬
lar standbys of swing music are in evi¬
dence in the film. None of the musicians
are drinking, and only one of them is
smoking. None of them are tense, for
the essence of a real jam session is com¬
plete relaxation. Lester Young, the saxo¬
phonist who is one of the stars of “Jam¬
min’ the Blues,” is one of the most highly
regarded musicians in the trade. He has
a soft, poetic face, and Mili is capitaliz¬
ing on it in his photography. The pic¬
ture opens with a shot on Young’s pork
pie hat on which the credit titles are
superimposed. Then, as the music fades
in, Young lifts his face to the camera
as he is shown doing a sax solo.

Mili had been placed under long-term
contract by Warners, and the produc¬
tion office as well as the craftsmen at
the studio watched the making of his
first film with interest. He was given
complete freedom to do what he liked
and to experiment with the camera, film
and settings as he saw fit.

Result: “Jammin’ the Blues” is so
good it is being boomed for an Academy
Award.

Don't forget to visit
your nearest Blood
Bank. A pint of YOUR
blood may save a Life
—GIVE.

26 January, 1945 • American Cinematographer

New Filmosound Library
Releases Announced
by B.&H.

COURAGEOUS MR. PENN, No. 5826,
9 reels. Stirring historical drama show¬
ing the struggle for religious and civil
liberty in England under Charles II, and
the founding of a free, peaceful common¬
wealth in Pennsylvania. William Penn
is shown as a fearless Quaker, doffing his
broad-brimmed hat to none but God,
though it incur the wrath of king or
judge. He defends himself magnificently
before arrogant, corrupt judges by win¬
ning the jury to his side. The influence
of his loyal, nobly-born wife plays a
vital role, and his part in founding his
colony, and its peaceful relations with
the Indians is excellently brought out.
One of the best films ever made for
schools, churches, and other social groups.
Study guide. (Clifford Evans, Deborah
Kerr.)

FIRED WIFE (Universal), No. 2579,
7 reels. High tempo comedy mixup of
business and romance. Career girl called
back from a secret honeymoon, winds up
in Reno, but is saved for a new career.
(Robert Paige, Louis Allbritton, Diana
Barrymore.) Available from March 6,
1945 for approved non-theatrical audi¬
ences.

MASTERS OF SACRED MUSIC, No.
928, 10 min. Rental $1.50. Beethoven and
Bruckner, some of their major contribu¬
tions to sacred music, and the scenes en¬
riched by their lives. (Music only, and
titles.) Selections include: Beethoven’s
Fifth Symphony, Symphony Pastorale,
Missa Solemnis, Symphony Eroica and
Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony. Purchase
$28.

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the ever-changing scenes of war provide the most for the
record of history in the making — THERE you’ll find precision-
built DEVry cameras, faithfully storing away for future generations
to see — the actual, moving FORWARD MARCH of the armies of
Democracy and preserving for all time the scenes of the final death
throes of the Forces of Destruction. Chill of the Arctic, swelter of
the Tropics, humidity of South Pacific jungles — sands of the
Sahara— those unarmed heroes of the Camera Corps will tell you
that their DEVry’s took it as it came — and performed beyond the
fondest hope of men who risked a soldier’s price for jobs well done.

In the not-too-distant future, the same dependable
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P.F.C. Releases New
Film Catalog

The Princeton Film Center, motion
picture producers and distributors, has
just released its 1945 Film catalog, list¬
ing a wide variety of educational and
special-purpose films. Attractively bound
and carefully arranged to permit quick,
easy selection of titles, the films listed in
the catalog cover virtually every type of
subject, including teaching aids, cultural
and technical releases and entertainment
films.

In the comprehensive Educational sec¬
tion, films designed especially for class¬
room use are available for teaching aids

in history, geography, chemistry, physics
and social studies, as well as health,
safety and other general topics.

Supplementing a well rounded list of
cultural films in the Center’s own library,
a large number of special releases have
been deposited with Princeton by the Of¬
fice of War Information and the Coordi¬
nator of Inter- American Affairs. World
wide in scope, these releases include war
subjects, many of which were filmed in
actual combat, as well as valuable post¬
war informational and documentary sub¬
jects.

Specally chosen sponsored subjects,
selected for their educational value, are
included in the catalog. Each subject is
fully described on a separate, colored,

illustrated page, and arranged so these
descriptive pages can be used for class¬
room discussion of the subject.

B & H Announces New
16mm. Sound Projector

Designed especially for 25-cycle opera¬
tion, the Filmosound Model 156-VB is
identical in other respects with the
Model 156-V, and is listed at $453.67, ac¬
cording to word from the Bell & Howell
Co., 7100 McCormick Rd., Chicago. While
as yet the entire output of this model is
allocated to military and high-priority
civilian use, the 25-cycle feature is ex¬
pected to fill a real demand in rural
localities after the war.

American Cinematographer • January, 1945 27

Eugene Lauste

(Continued from Page 18)

wide demand. Inventor wants third
share. No cash. — Address L., Box 1,624,
Postal Department, Daily Telegraph,
Fleet-Street, E. C. 1,” and another ap¬
peared later reading as follows, “Vast
fortune awaits financier who will assist
inventor for completing most marvelous
and startling cinematograph, embracing
natural sounds. Working capital about
2000 pounds. Syndicate entertained, —
Write Enterprise 12a, Melbourne-sq.,
Brixton, S. W.”

In this manner, he would accumu¬
late a little capital now and then and
carry on, but the time was not just
ripe and those seeking fortune would
gradually drop out, but Eugene Lauste
believed in the future. On May 3rd,
1912, November 3rd, 1913, and November
4th, 1913, he received other patents in
Great Britain. On May 3rd, 1913, he
was awarded a patent in France, Bel¬
gium, and Italy; later he received his
patents from Australia, Switzerland and
Sweden, and in the months to follow
he received his papers from the patent
office from Spain, Portugal, Hungary,
Norway, Denmark, Holland, New Zea¬
land, Mexico, India, Brazil, Japan, United
States and Germany. All sealed and
delivered in the year 1913. Mr. Lauste
was fortunate to have the help of his
oldest son Henry Georges in all of his
experimenting. Though Georges finally
accepted a post as a representative of
the Eastman Kodak Company, Ltd.,
Lauste kept the scientific laboratory in
Brixton, as busy as a bee hive.

In 1910 to 1912 Lauste very success¬
fully recorded the music of a fifteen
piece band and an eighteen piece or¬
chestra, which was demonstrated again
for the reproduction of both the picture
and sound simultaneously. Eugene Lauste
came into his own, for he had proven
definitely in 1909 that he could both
photograph the picture and sound on
the same film.

Lauste came to this country in the
year 1887 where he joined the technical
and research staff of Thomas A. Edison
at Orange, New Jersey, and there with
Edison, he worked and helped perfect
the famous Kinetoscope projector. Lauste
left Edison in 1892 to develop a gaso¬
line engine which he designed in asso¬
ciation with another French engineer.
He was assured by experts that an en¬
gine of this type with its noise and in¬
flammable potentialities, could never be
made commercial because it would not
be allowed on the streets. He dropped
it, yet, he might have been accredited
as the inventor of the automobile as
well as the inventor of sound in motion
pictures.

More than his being credited with the
invention of the photographing and re¬
cording of sound and picture simulta¬
neously, he had a wide list of achieve¬
ments in motion pictures, one as great
as the other, for he pioneered and is

responsible for the following: He was
the inventor and designer of the Eidolo-
scope camera and projector and the in¬
ventor of the so-called “Latham Loop”
while working with Latham and the
indispensible second sprocket, still an
essential element in the modern projector,
which for years was a patent litigation
that marked the early history of the
film industry.

Following his invention of the Eidolo-
scope camera, he was associated with
the American Biograph and Mutoscope
Company for several years, and while
there and about the year 1900, he made
his first great light valve and also made
experimental drawings and designs,
which have for the most part been lost.
I have no intention of making this a
technical treatise of the Work of Eugene
Lauste, for I am only interested in the
man and his achievements.

I knew him in his late years and he
was a very tired and weary man, having
faced many hardships. He was many
times close to poverty, yet he held on
to hope. Few could see the future as he
did, for had others gone along with him
then, the sound motion picture would
have been yours to enjoy, many years
earlier. Lauste had faith and the pa¬
tience of a saint. He went back to Eng¬
land to continue and while there, his
work was interrupted because of Eng¬
land’s entry into the first World War. He
came back to the United States in 1916,
hoping to find new capital here for
the commercialization of his invention,
but here he met with a similar situa¬
tion, for it was not much later that we
entered the war.

I prided myself for having been one
of the early cameramen in the com¬
mercialization of prize fight films, but
now I am taken back, for in my re¬
search into Eugene Augustin Lauste’s
life, I have found that he photographed
the Griffo-Barnet prize fight on the

Eugene Augustin Lauste, who was a frequent visitor
to the studio of Irving Browning, is shown here with
Mr. and Mrs. Browning.

roof of the Old Madison Square Garden
which was shown in a tent on Surf
Avenue, in Coney Island about the time
the stork was looking for an address
and a chimney in which to drop me.

In the year 1926 the sound motion
pictures was introduced by Warner
Brothers via the phonograph disc and
it was not until two years later that
the sound motion picture came into its
own via the combined picture and sound
track, on the same film strip.

The entry of sound brought many
new people into the field; sound tech¬
nicians, engineers, editors, dialogue di¬
rectors, stage directors, a new crop of
actors and actresses, new apparatus,
new manufacturing plants all turning
out the machinery needed for the pro¬
duction and reproduction of sound. Then
came the 16mm. sound, which brought
new manufacturing, new apparatus, new
ideas, now playing a great part in this
war for the education of our Army,
Navy and Air Forces and for the edu¬
cation of our children. It brought new
languages into our homes. It makes
possible the study of sound to scientists,
physicians, psychologists and psychia¬
trists; it has become a world teacher
and it is yet young and the depths of
its scientific achievements has a long
way to go. Yes, much has been gained
since the introduction of sound on film.

Eugene Augustin Lauste has been hon¬
ored in documents in the Society of Mo¬
tion Picture Engineers. His apparatus
in the museums of the Bell Telephone
Laboratories, the Smithsonian Institute
in Washington are conclusive evidence
of his work. There is no doubt that
many have and will benefit by its proc¬
esses, but Eugene Augustin Lauste and
his immediate family, received only a

28 January, 1945 • American Cinematographer

meager remuneration for his inventions
in spite of his patents, in spite of his
hope that he would some day receive his
part for his efforts, he died leaving his
widow who still lives in the little house
at 12 Howard Street, in Bloomfield, New
Jersey.

Today her dearest one’s invention of
the sound motion picture can be heard
on any screen. She, the hopeful one,
sits beside a window, looking out toward
the little shack where her Eugene labored
in his laboratory always working to keep
his invention up to date with the chang¬
ing of the years, for she remembers his
promise that success would be theirs
when sound on film will be given a
hearing.

Note: All rights reserved by the auth¬
or, including the right to reproduce this
article or portions thereof, in any form.

Government Accepts Optical
Training Films

Over a year in the making, a series of
six visual aid units on optical crafts¬
manship, produced for the United States
Office of Education by the Bell & Howell
Company, has just been formally ac¬
cepted in Washington. Each unit com¬
prises a sound film (running time of
from 20 to 30 minutes), a silent filmstrip
(40 to 70 frames in length), and a 16-
page illustrated instruction manual.

The series was produced in collabora¬
tion with the U. S. Navy, which has un¬
der way a similar group of eight films
dealing with the grinding and polishing
of flat surfaces. The Bell & Howell series
is confined to sperical surfaces, and was
produced at the company’s new Lincoln-
wood optical plant. Professional produc¬
tion values prevail throughout, Terry-
toon and Knowledge Builders studios did
the animation; Action Films, the photog¬
raphy; Reeves, the recording. Wm. F.
Kruse, head of the Bell & Howell Films
Division wrote and directed the entire
series.

The formal preview was held in the
screening room of the Office of War In¬
formation, with Navy, State, Agriculture
and other government departments rep¬
resented. British, Russian and Chinese
government representatives have ex¬
pressed interest in getting prints for
their own optical industries.

These films form part of the nearly 500
war training films produced by the USOE
under the direction of Floyde Brooker.
They are used daily in a large scale
craftsmanship training program at the
Bell & Howell plant, not only for the
instruction of job specialists, their pri¬
mary purpose, but also to give a broad
grasp of the entire lens production proc¬
ess to craftsmen and executives alike.
Other USOE films also find a place in
this training program, which is expected
to be applied also in many other plants.
This series, like all the USOE and Army-
Navy pre-induction films, can be rented
and purchased through the Bell & Howell
Filmosound Library, with rental charges
credited against purchase price of films
bought within 30 days of original rental

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American Cinematographer • January, 1945 29

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and the Future

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shooting.”

. Poor Mr. Henkler! He solved all the
problems. We got all the credit.

Power Lack Stalls
French Theaters

French theatres are in extremely diffi¬
cult circumstances for lack of power to
operate their equipment and light their
auditoriums, OWI officials report. Al¬
though theatres operating there are fea¬
turing both OWI and Hollywood films,
not more than half are open every day.
There is widespread showing of OWI
documentaries on America and our part
in the war, OWI overseas director Ed¬
ward Barrett said, as well as of Holly¬
wood features. Reception of these films
by the French is clear indication that
that country will provide an important
post-war film market. The French wel¬
come the American product as if it were
their first meal after a long fast.

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What A.S.C. Members
Are Now Filming

S this issue goes to press the fol-
A\ lowing pictures were in produc-
**• tion jn Hollywood. They are list¬
ed by studios, with the name of the
Director of Photography for each pic¬
ture :

COLUMBIA STUDIOS
“A Thousand and One Nights”, Ray
Rennahan, A.S.C.

INTERNATIONAL PICTURES
“Along Came Jones”, Milton Krasner,
A.S.C.

METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER STUDIOS
“Hold High the Torch”, Len Smith,
A.S.C.

“Our Vines Have Tender Grapes”,
Robert Surtees, A.S.C.

“Weekend at the Waldorf”, Robert
Planck, A.S.C.

“Twice Blessed”, Ray June A.S.C.
“The Hidden Eye”, Lester White,
A.S.C.

“Her Highness and the Bellboy”,
Harry Stradling, A.S.C.

PARAMOUNT STUDIOS
“The Lost Weekend”, John Seitz,
A.S.C.

“The Affairs of Susan”, David Abel,
A.S.C.

“The Virginian”, Harry Hallenberg-
er, A.S.C.

“Good Intentions”, Daniel Fapp,
A.S.C.

“Too Good to Be True”, Charles Lang,
A.S.C.

“Masquerade in Mexico”, Lionel Lin-
don, A.S.C

RKO STUDIOS

“The Invisible Aarmy”, Nick Muscu-
raca, A.S.C.

“The Spanish Main”, George Barnes,
A.S.C.

“Johnny Angel”, Harry Wild, A.S.C.
“Follow Your Heart”, Frank Redman,
A.S.C.

20TH CENTURY-FOX
“A Bell for Adano”, Joseph La Shelle,
A.S.C.

“Captain Eddie”, Joe MacDonald,
A.S.C.

“Col. Effingham’s Raid”, Edwai’d Cron-
jager, A.S.C.

UNITED ARTISTS

“A Walk in the Sun”, Russell Har¬
lan, A.S.C.

“G.I. Joe”, Russell Metty, A.S.C.
“Guest Wife”, Joseph Valentine,
A.S.C.

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
“A Night in Paradise”, Hal Mohr,
A.S.C.

WARNER BROS. STUDIOS
“The Big Sleep”, Sid Hickox, A.S.C.
“Hotel Bei'lin”, Cai'l Guthrie, A.S.C.
“Mildred Pierce”, Ernest Haller,
A.S.C.

30 January, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Japs Copy American
Aircraft Camera

The Japs have copied an American-
made aircraft camera, even to the model
number and the U. S. Navy’s inspection
insignia, an anchor, according to Fair-
child Camera & Instrument Corporation,
New York, manufacturer of the original.

The camera copied is the small, hand¬
held, manually-operated Fairchild F-8,
used for many years in both Naval
planes and by private aerial and news
photographers throughout the world.

But the Japanese were not content
with copying the main features of the
F-8, plus its model number and the an¬
chor insignia. They went further and
stole camera features fi’om the French
and Germans, incorporating them to
produce an instrument which, Fairchild
candidly admits, has some superior
points, although definite weaknesses.

The American original is a 15-pound
camera designed to meet military, naval
and commercial demands for a light, low-
priced aerial camera with a wide range
of versatility. It is particularly well-
suited for training and miscellaneous as¬
signments which do not require use of a
large, precision camera. It has a 15-
inch telephoto // 5.6 lens, a focal plane
shutter, and a negative size of 5" x 7",
and it can use either roll or cut film. In
the earlier models the Fairchild F-8 had
a speed range from l/35th to 1 /200th
second, and in the latest model 1/ 125th
to 1 /400th. There is a single slot curtain.

The Japs have made these changes:

They have borrowed the multi-slot
focal plane shutter curtain from the
French Gaumont camera, giving their
camera a speed range from l/35th to
1 /400th second, which is a definite im¬
provement.

A German cut film magazine has been
installed. It is superior to American
magazines available for this camera, ex¬
perts say.

Adjustable leather hand and shoulder
straps, undoubtedly necessary for the
fly-weight Jap photographers to hold the
camera steady in the slip stream, were
copied from a German design. The
straps are advantageous.

Heavier castings are used in the cam¬
era, increasing its weight to about 24
pounds. This is not good.

Fairchild’s camera has one level bubble,
for vertical pictures. The Japs have two
bubbles, one on the cover and the other
at the base of the magazine. Fairchild
engineers can’t figure the purpose of the
extra bubble, view it as superfluous.

Tokyo has put a most elaborate view¬
finder on the camera. Instead of a glass
lens it consists of an open wire frame
with three upright guide sights. Its large
size makes it seem possible that it would
get in the way when shooting from close
quarters. It also hides a considerable
portion of the center of the target, ana
appears generally inferior to photog¬
raphers who have tried it out.

Claridge Honored

Master Sergeant William W. Claridge,
above, laboratory supervisor of the 4th
Signal Photographic Laboratory Unit,
now stationed on New Caledonia in the
South Pacific, was recently awarded a
special commendation by Major General
Frederick Gilbreath, Commanding Gen¬
eral of the South Pacific Command. He
was given the citation for “outstanding
professional ability and superior devo¬
tion to duty in setting up and operating
a motion picture laboratory at New
Caledonia. Although faced with seem¬
ing insurmountable obstacles such as
lack of highly technical equipment, in¬
adequate temperature control devices
and unsuitable buildings, you neverthe¬
less by an excellent display of initiative
and resourcefulness succeeded in estab¬
lishing a processing station capable of
developing a considerable amount of
combat negative when these pictures
were vital to the war effort.”

Before going into the service M/Sgt.
Claridge was laboratory supervisor at
the Technicolor Laboratories, Holly¬
wood.

W. E. Will Produce
Television Equipment

Western Electric Company plans to
manufacture television transmitting
equipment in the postwar period, accord¬
ing to an announcement by F. R. Lack,
vice president in charge of the Com¬
pany’s radio division.

Mr. Lack pointed out that during
peacetime Western Electric is the manu¬
facturing and supply unit of the Bell
System and a leading manufacturer of
radio broadcasting equipment. Since
Pearl Harbor, he said, the Company has
become the Nation’s largest producer of
communications and electronic devices
for the Armed Forces, including ampli¬
tude modulated and frequency modulated
radio transmitting equipment.

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American Cinematographer • January, 1945 31

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WAR BOND

Nation s Children Still Get School
Movie Equipment

Above, left to right, R. R. Hutchinson, Pullman, Wash.,
special representative of the Bell & Howell Company,
and J. M. Tewinkel, assistant superintendent of schools
in Spokane, Wash., inspect the eight new Filmosound
motion picture units recently alloted the Spokane
public school system by government priority.

School children in Spokane, Wash., will
continue to enjoy a high standard of
education even though there’s a war on.
By virtue of a government priority allot¬
ment, J. M. Tewinkel, assistant superin¬
tendent of Spokane’s public schools, re¬
cently accepted delivery on eight brand
new Filmosound movie projection outfits
for use in the city’s visual education pro¬
gram.

Through the combined foresight of
the equipment manufacturers — most of
whose efforts currently are devoted to
vital war work — and the W.P.B. — whose
officials realize keenly the necessity of
allotting equipment to educational activi¬
ties — American youth today is enjoying
the most well-rounded learning facilities
in the nation’s history.

Nelsen Appointed Ampro
Educational Sales Director

Ampro Corporation announces the ap¬
pointment of Ervin N. Nelsen, for five
years supervisor of Visual Education in
the St. Louis Park Schools, Minneapolis,
Minnesota, as Educational Sales Director
of the company.

This is in line with Ampro’s policy of
offering constant assistance and service
to the various educational dealers
throughout the country and its plan to
set up the best possible educational sales
organization for the distribution of its
products.

Mr. Nelsen comes to Ampro with a
vast knowledge and understanding of
the field of visual education in the ele¬
mentary and secondary schools of the
country and a keen appreciation of the
future possibilities of visual education
and hte vital part it does and will play
in both the industrial and educational

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His background suits him well for the
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ual aids materials.

32 January, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Camera vs the
Microphone

(Continued from Page 16)

ing attention for some time, but mostly
in relation to studio use. If all training
films could be produced under controlled
studio conditions, the present equipment
would be adequate. This is seldom the
situation confronted, however. What stu¬
dio could arrange space and accommo¬
dations to handle a battleship or a battle
force, an army or an air force, even
if it could get them ? Since the moun¬
tain cannot be moved to Mahommet,
Mahommet must be moved to the moun¬
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all types is needed to make this move
easier and to insure that it is made.

The extensive application of light
metal alloys in camera and accessory
equipment will take some of the curse
off the handling of equipment. Lighter
cameras, tripod heads, tripods, battery
cases, and so on, would free cameramen
and their crews of the sometimes kill¬
ing weight of equipment that has to be
moved. Collapsible, lightweight mag¬
nesium dollies and tracKs would aid in
making it possible to move the camera
in and out, to permit it to be used as
a pointer. Perhaps a spring-suspended
gyrostabilized camera head can be de¬
signed which would permit moving the
camera on locations where track cannot
be laid. Lightweight collapsible camera
platforms would be of considerable use.
If these were fitted with detachable pneu¬
matic tires they could be used to move
the object into and away from the cam¬
era in situations where it would be
difficult to move the camera smoothly.

Because the photography involved in
making training films must be done
under handicaps not found in studio
work, attention should be directed at
making the camera as mobile as pos¬
sible. The pen is mightier than the
sword. Freeing the camera would make
it mightier than the pen and subse¬
quently the microphone. Paraphrasing
an old saying, it is “every camera to it¬
self and may the microphone take the
hindmost.”

Women Producers
On the Increase

The list of women entering the produc¬
tion field is taking on sizeable propor¬
tions, with Constance Bennett the latest
to join the group. She will launch “Paris
— Underground,” her first for United
Artists, this month.

Mary Pickford has announced “One
Touch of Venus,” from the Broadway
musical, to be done in Technicolor. Vir¬
ginia Van Upp has just been handed the
biggest job ever held by a woman in the
industry, with her appointment as execu¬
tive producer at Columbia. This reward
came after producing pictures for the
company less than a year. She has re¬
cently completed “Together Again” and
now is preparing the Rosalind Russell
starrer, “Some Call It Love.”

Harriet Parsons might be termed the
dean of the women producers, having
started her production career making
shorts for Columbia, and graduating to
features with the making of two Judy
Canova pictures at Republic. She re¬
cently completed “Enchanted Cottage”
for RKO, and is now preparing “Prodi¬
gal Women,” with “Who Can Ask for
Anything More” to follow.

Joan Harrison produced “Phantom
Lady” last year for Universal and is
back to produce “Uncle Harry,” from
the Broadway stage play, which will be
one of the big shows on the company’s
current program. She holds a writer-
producer contract.

France and Belgium Get
16mm. Shows

A striking development of the Nazi
occupation of France and Belgium is the
widespread use of 16mm. projectors by
commercial exhibitors in both countries,
according to the latest OWI film survey.
In France, the October estimate of com¬
mercial exhibitors equipped to show
16mm. sound films was 4500. More than
90 Belgian movie houses were found to
be using 16mm. equipment in September.

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American Cinematographer • January, 1945 33

STATEMENT OF THE OWNERSHIP, MANAGE¬
MENT, CIRCULATION, ETC., REQUIRED BY
THE ACTS OF CONGRESS OF AUGUST 24.

1912, AND MARCH 3, 1933,

Of The American Cinematographer, published
monthly at Los Angeles, California, for October
1st, 1944.

State of California )

County of Los Angeles f ss’

Before me, a Notary Public in and for the
State and county aforesaid, personally appeared
Hal Hall, who, having been duly sworn ac¬
cording to law, deposes and says that he is the
Editor of the AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER
and that the following is, to the best of his knowl¬
edge and belief, a true statement of the owner¬
ship, management (and if a daily paper, the
circulation), etc., of the aforesaid publication for
the date shown in the above caption, required by
the Act of August 24, 1912, as amended by the
Act of March 3, 1933, embodied in section 537,
Postal Laws and Regulations, printed on the re¬
verse of this form, to wit :

1. That the names and addresses of the pub¬
lisher, editor, managing editor, and business
manager are : Publisher, A.S.C. Agency, Inc.,
1782 No. Orange Drive, Hollywood 28, Calif. ;
Editor, Hal Hall, 1782 No. Orange Drive, Holly¬
wood 28, Calif. ; Managing Editor, Hal Hall, 1782
No. Orange Drive, Hollywood 28, Calif. ; Business
Manager, Marguerite Duerr, 1782 No. Orange
Drive, Hollywood 28. Calif.

2. That the owner is: (If owned by a corpora¬
tion, its name and address must be stated and
also immediately thereunder the names and ad¬
dresses of stockholders owning or holding one per
cent or more of total amount of stock. If not
owned by a corporation, the names and addresses
of the individual owners must be given. If owned
by a firm, company, or other unincorporated con¬
cern, its namei and address, as well as those of
each individual member, must be given.) A.S.C.
Agency, Inc., 1782 No. Orange Drive, Hollywood
28, Calif., a non-profit corporation wholly owned
by the American Society of Cinematographers,
Inc., 1782 N. Orange Dr., Hollywood 28, Calif.
Officers of the American Society of Cinematog¬
raphers, Inc., are: President, Leonard Smith, 1782
N. Orange Dr., Hollywood 28, Calif. ; First Vice-
President, Joseph Walker, 1782 N. Orange Dr.,
Hollywood 28, Calif. ; Second Vice-President, Leon
Shamroy, 1782 N. Orange Dr., Hollywood 28,
Calif., Third Vice-President, Charles G. Clarke,
1782 N. Orange Dr., Hollywood 28, Calif. ; Sec¬
retary, Byron Haskin, 1782 N. Orange Dr.,
Hollywood 28, Calif., Execuitve Vice-President,
Treasurer and Business Manager, Fred W. Jack-
man, 1782 N. Orange Dr., Hollywood 28, Calif.

3. That the known bondholders, mortgagees, and
other security holders owning or holding 1 per
cent or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages,
or other securities are: (If there are none, so
state.) None.

4. That the two paragraphs next above, giving
the names of the owners, stockholders, and se¬
curity holders, if any, contain not only the list
of stockholders and security holders as they ap¬
pear upon the books of the company but ajso,
in cases where the stockholder or security holder
appears upon the books of the company as trustee
or in any other fiduciary relation, the name of the
person or corporation for whom such trustee is
acting, is given ; also that the said two paragraphs
contain statements embracing affiant’s full knowl¬
edge and belief as to the circumstances and con¬
ditions under which stockholders and security
holders who do not appear upon the books of the
company as trustees, hold stock and securities in
a capacity other than that of a bona fide owner ;
and this affiant has no reason to believe that any
other person, association, or corporation has any
interest direct or indirect in the said stock, bonds,
or other securities than as so stated by him.

5. That the average number of copies of each

issue of this publication sold or distributed,
through the mails or otherwise, to paid subscrib¬
ers during the twelve month preceding the date
shown above is . (This information is re¬

quired from daily publications only.)

(Signed) HAL HALL, Editor.

Sworn to and subscribed before me this 3<0th
day of September, 1944.

(Seal) G. HAGAN. N. P.

Notary Public in and for the County of Los
Angeles, State of California.

(My commission expires July 31, 1945.)

Transition Opportunities

To help American industry bridge im¬
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The new publication calls attention to
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“Transition Opportunities” was pre¬
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34 January, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Magnified 250 times, the separate
grains become more apparent . . .

Magnified 2,500 times, the indi¬
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And magnified 25,000 times, the
developed grains are shown to
consist of filaments. These fila¬
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same silver that started from the
vault at Kodak Park.

REMEMBER WAKE ISLAND?
It has been three years now since
that little band of Marines...
their last patched-up plane shot
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“The enemy has landed — the issue
is in doubt.” A stern example for
us at home. BUY-HOLD-MORE
WAR BONDS.

It’s pure silver that “gets the picture”
on Verichrome and other Kodak Films

MILLIONS of dollars in silver ingots — great
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Park.

Here is a hand truck loaded with ingots. Trv
to budge it — brace your feet and put your back
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Next to the U. S. Treasury, Kodak is the biggest
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for Kodak is a “special melt” refined to a purity
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It’s this pure silver — combined with certain
other substances in one of the most delicate, most
carefully controlled series of processes known to
science— that gets your pictures on Verichrome and
other Kodak Films. With the right treatment,
nothing else responds to LIGHT as silver does.

Silver is only the starting and finishing point.
In its life cycle between silver ingot and de¬
veloped photographic negative, its nature is re¬
peatedly changed. By the action of chemicals

it is broken into parts so tiny that only with
the wonderful electron microscope, magnifying
25,000 times, can they be clearly distinguished.

In that split second of exposure when you
press the button of your camera, the light-
sensitive crystals undergo a shock. Millions of
them reached by the light reflected by your
“subject” respond by forming a “latent” image.

To bring this latent image to life, the silver
must be freed from its chemical partners— must
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This is done by chemicals used in “develop¬
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there’s the negative of your snapshot! The grin
on that kid’s face, the gleam in his eye • it’s
all on silver!

Buried treasure that has come to light— that,
literally, is what you have in your negatives
made on Verichrome.

EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
ROCHESTER, N. Y.

Serving human progress through photography

American Cinematographer • January, 1945 35

FAMOUS

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(No. 3 of a series on the manufacture of Du Pont Motion Picture Film.)

Where the '"dope" gets squeezed • . •

Tested “dope” . . . the viscous
syrup from which the base
for Du Pont Motion Picture Film is
made ... is pumped from batteries
of giant mixers to this filter press.

Here, under tremendous pressure,
the liquid “dope” is “squeezed”
through layers of specially treated
filter paper and felt. It’s a double
cleansing that completely removes
any trace of foreign matter.

Blending is next, followed by a
second filtering. The “dope” is now
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Du Pont Motion Picture Film is

used by the country’s leading cine¬
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color balance and dependable uni¬
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E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.
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In New York: Empire State Bldg.
In Hollywood : Smith & Aller, Ltd.

Help pave the road to Victory . . . buy War Bonds regularly

DU PONT

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RE«- M.JI. PAT. or f.

38 February, 1945 * American Cinematographer

Landing on
Leyte

Buy War Bondi

• tVie Pacific

•NjeWs reprc5??1^ veteran Bell &

s«kk, n°«'sS pr'; S?wz“°-

So»’S““e'"°besidea

FOR Americans breathlessly awaiting news
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General MacArthur’s landing and much of
the fighting that followed.

This same Bell & Howell Eyemo was with
Don Senick at the bloody Tarawa landing,
the second assault at Saipan, the retaking of
Guam.

Previously the same camera was used at
Pearl Harbor and had followed the Fleet for
22 months in the South Pacific. It has been
doused in sea water twice. «#•

Ample evidence this, that Eyemo Cameras
have what it takes to do the tough jobs; and
it’s the explanation of why most newsreels
are Eyemo-filmed. Yes, Eyemo Cameras are
favorites with Don Senick and many other
ace cameramen who learned the hard way
that Eyemos always get their shots accu¬
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models with a w'ide range of accessories
mean that Eyemo is best fitted to do your
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Bell & Howell Company, Chicago; New
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OPTI-ONICS — products combining the sciences of OPTIcs e electrONics • mechanics

BELL & HOWELL COMPANY
7148 McCormick Road, Chicago 45

Please send information on Eyemo Cam¬
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Name

Street . . .

City

State .

AC 2-45

American Cinematographer • February, 1945

39

VOL. 25

FEBRUARY. 1945

NO. 2

CONTENTS

The Staff

Aerial Aces of the Camera (Major Elmer Dyer, A.S.C., and

Charles Marshall, A.S.C.) . By Hal Hall 42 and 43

The Documentary Film . By Irving Browning 44

Fact Films to the Front . By Ezra Goodman 46

The War of Russian Films . By Robert Joseph 48

Commercial Processing of 16mm. Variable Area. .By Robert V. McKie 50

Requirements of Educational Film Presentation. .By Oliver Bell, M.A. 52

Through the Editor’s Finder . 56

Among the Movie Clubs . 58

Artistic Titling Tips (Part 2) . By Glenn R. Kershner, A.S.C. 60

THE FRONT COVER: Director of Photography Milton Krasner, A.S.C.,
is filming a scene for “Along Came Jones,” starring Gary Cooper, who is
also producing the picture for International Pictures.

Stuart Heisler is the director.

as

EDITOR
Hal Hall

•

TECHNICAL EDITOR
Emery Huse. A.S.C.

•

ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Edward Pyle, Jr.

•

WASHINGTON STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Reed N. Haythorne, A.S.C.

•

MILITARY ADVISOR
Col. Nathan Levinson

•

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Mel Traxel

•

ARTIST

Glenn R. Kershner, A.S.C.

•

CIRCULATION AND ADVERTISING
Marguerite Duerr

•

ADVISORY EDITORIAL BOARD
Fred W. Jackman, A- S. C.

Victor Milner, A. S. C.

Alvin Wyckoff, A.S.C.

Farciot Edouart, A. S. C.

Fred Gage, A. S. C.

Dr. J. S. Watson, A. S. C.

Dr. L. A. Jones, A. S. C.

Dr. C. E. K. Mees, A. S. C.

Dr. W. B. Rayton, A. S. C.

Dr. V. B. Sease, A. S. C.

OFFICERS AND BOARD OF GOVERNORS
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

Leonard Smith, President Fred Jackman. Exec. V.-Pres. and Treas.

Joseph Walker, First Vice-President Leon Shamroy, Second Vice-President

Charles Clarke, Third Vice-President Byron Haskin. Secretary

George Folsey, Sergeant-at-Arms

John Arnold Lee Garmes Ray Rennahan

John Boyle Sol Polito John Seitz

Arthur Edeson Ralph Staub

AUSTRALIAN REPRESENTATIVE

McGill's, 179 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne,
Australian and New Zealand Agents

•

Published monthly by A. S. C. Agency, Inc.

Editorial and business offices:

1782 North Orange Drive
Hollywood (Los Angeles, 28), California
Telephone: GRanite 2135

•

Established 1920. Advertising rates on appli¬
cation. Subscriptions: United States and Pan
American Union, $2.50 per year; Canada, $2.75
per year ; Foreign. $3.50. Single copies, 25c ;
back numbers, 30c ; foreign, single copies 35e.
back numbers 40c. Copyright 1943 by A. S. C.
Agency, Inc.

•

Entered as second-class matter Nov. 18, 1937,
at the postoffice at Los Angeles, California, under
the act of March 3, 1879.

40 February, 1945 • American Cinematographer

he character of the

• •

7?i is important ? too

Ansco Supreme

Negative Fi LM

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& FILM CORPORATION

BINGHAMTON • HOLLYWOOD • NEW YORK

KEEP YOUR EYE ON ANSCO— FIRST WITH THE FINEST

American Cinematographer • February, 1945 41

AERIAL ACES

of Th<

MAJOR ELMER DYER, A.S.C.

IF the famous Luther Burbank had
not decided to develop a spineless
cactus it is entirely probable that
the motion picture industry might never
have heard about Elmer Dyer, A.S.C.,
who since 1927 has been one of Holly¬
wood’s outstanding aerial cinematog¬
raphers. As a matter of fact, Elmer
says he tips his hat to a cactus when¬
ever he sees one, for he thinks he owes
his photographic career to a cactus — -
and Luther Burbank.

Here’s how it happened. Elmer had
loaned a man some money to equip a
motion picture camera. The man couldn’t
pay it back, so gave the camera to Elmer.
He also told Elmer the names of cer¬
tain people to write to in order to make
money with said camera. It turned out
that Elmer, whose photographic experi¬
ence was confined to a box Brownie
camera, was to go out and make news¬
reel shots and then try and sell them
to newsreel companies.

Elmer had heard that Luther Burbank
was developing a spineless cactus to feed
cows. So he went over to see him and
arranged to make movies of the work.
The result was “Harvest in the Desert,”
the story of Burbank’s triumph, and
Elmer’s first film. He sold it to J. R.
Bray, and was on the road to a cine¬
matographic career.

“You see,” says Elmer,” you never
know what’s going to happen next in
this life, so you better keep your eyes
open and read the newspapers to see
what’s going on.

That cactus picture set Elmer up
proper. He became the western rep¬
resentative of Paramount Pictographs
and soon had made 40 subjects. He was
doing that when the first World War
broke out. He tried to join, but the
army turned him down because he was
married. All of which goes to show
you never can tell what will happen
during a war. For 25 years after the

army refused to take him because he
was married, it did accept him for the
present World War — and he still was
married.

But by now he had become a famous
aerial cameraman, and his service and
experience was needed. So he was com¬
missioned a Major in the Air Forces. He
was sent overseas where he directed the
photography of “Target for Today,” and
made an enviable record for himself. He
was retired from active service several
months ago, and now is back in Holly¬
wood again. As soon as he returned
he went to work on “Captain Eddie,”
flying an old pusher type plane.

Still a bit groggy from so much aerial
work in Europe, he decided he would
rest up a bit from the flying work after
finishing “Captain Eddie,” so he mourn¬
ed his camera on a tank and did special
work on Lester Cowan’s “G. I. Joe.”
He directed the photography on the sec¬
ond unit of the picture which made
battle scenes. Elmer says he would like
a few more ground jobs, but we bet he
will be back in the air the first time
he is called. He’s like that.

Getting back to a few historical facts
about Elmer, we inform you he was
born in Amarillo, Texas, on August 24,
1892. He moved around a bit, and at¬
tended public schools in Oklahoma City,
San Antonio, Texas, and Los Angeles.
It was when he was just 21 years old
that he acquired the motion picture cam¬
era we mentioned at the start.

When he was turned down by the
Signal Corps in 1917, he took a job
with Nat Spitzer and photographed
Texas Guinan in “Two Gun Woman.”
For three years he photographed a series
for Spitzer. Then the Whitman Ben¬
nett Studio sent him to Alaska on “The
Iron Trail.” He was there for seven
months. When he returned he went
with the Fox Studios where he photo¬
graphed the Van Bibber pictures. He
did “Last Man on Earth,” and then went
to Universal Studios where he photo¬
graphed films starring Arthur Lake and
Slim Summerville. While at Universal,
in 1927, they wanted a special scene
made from the air. The cameraman be¬
came sick. So Elmer told them he could
do it. He had flown down through the
Grand Canyon of the Colorado making
a newsreel picture before the first World
War. (Incidentally, he is probably the

(Continued on Page 68)

42 February, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Camera

By HAL HALL

IF any man ever seemed to lead a
charmed life it is Charles Alfred
Marshall, A.S.C., who for the last
nineteen years has been engaged in aerial
cinematography, and has nothing but
an occasional stiff neck in the way of
injuries.

BUT — Marshall has led a charmed
life, otherwise he would not still be an
aerial photographer. In fact, he figures
he really shouldn’t be alive to tell his
story. Three times he has faced death
while making motion pictures, and he
escaped even slight injury in two of
theta. In the other a leather cushion
which he held in front of his head prob¬
ably saved his life.

He was flying at Randolph Field dur¬
ing the filming of “West Point of the
Air.” His plane was at a great height
when his pilot turned its nose down
and went into a terrific dive. “Suddenly
planes appeared all around us,” explained
Marshall. “It was all over in a matter
of seconds. Then I learned that we had
dived right through a formation of 48
planes. How we missed them is a mys¬
tery to me.”

Another time Marshall was at March
Field making tests at dusk. Flares con¬
sisting of 65 pounds of magnesium were
carried up in the camera plane and
dropped in an effort to get certain effects.
As the camera ship was taxiing down
the field on the takeoff one of the big
flares exploded in the plane. Marshall
jumped out, along with the pilot, while
the ship was going fifty miles an hour.
Both saved their lives and escaped with
only scratches. The plane was burned
to a crisp. So was the camera.

The third narrow escape for Marshall
was in 1937 when he flew to Alaska to
photograph the expected rescue of the
Russian fliers who went down over the
North Pole. Fifteen miles out of Fair¬
banks, Alaska, the camera plane crashed
and landed upside-down in a swamp
four feet deep. When the crash seemed
certain Marshall grabbed a leather
cushion and held it in front of his face.
The cushion was cut in two pieces by
the impact, but all Marshall received
was an injured neck. He is still bothered
with that neck from time to time.

Marshall was born in Los Angeles on
July 21, 1898, and graduated from Hol¬
lywood High School. He had attended
Junior College a year and a half when
the first World War broke out. He im¬

CHARLES MARSHALL, A.S.C.

mediately joined the Air Service and was
sent to the School of Military Aero¬
nautics at the University of California.
At March Field he received his flying-
training. He was commissioned a Second
Lieutenant, but before he could get over¬
seas the war ended.

Charley got a job in the old Lasky
Laboratory in the printing room. He
worked there ten hours a day for two
years before being transferred to the
drying room. For this he received $45.00
per week. He left there and went to work
in the laboratory at the Goldwyn Studio
where he eventually got a chance as an
assistant cameraman under Andre Bar-
latier, at $25.00 a week. That was his
start.

He went as assistant to John Mescall
after the merger which resulted in the
forming of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Stu¬
dios. He became a second cameraman
there and remained at MGM for eight
years. Then he got into doing Akeley

work, and soon became an Akeley spe¬
cialist.

In 1926 he started doing aerial pho¬
tography, and in 1928 made the first big
air picture “Flying Fleet” at Metro-
Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. He left Metro-
Goldwyn-Mayer in 1929 and did free
lance Akeley and Aerial work. But he
was back at MGM again in 1931 doing
aerial photography on “Hell Divers.” In
1932 he was on “Sky Bride” at Para¬
mount. In 1933 he was one of the aerial
cinematographers on “Night Flight” at
MGM. His experience in flying over the
Rockies at 14,000 feet with no oxygen
he says was one he’ll not forget.

In 1934 Marshall was on “West Point
of the Air” — that was when his ship
dived through the formation of 48 planes
by accident. “13 Hours by Air” was
Charley’s next in 1934. That was for
Paramount. He got a slight scare on that

(Continued on Page 68)

American Cinematographer • February, 1945

43

THE DOCUMENTARY FILM

By IRVING BROWNING

FOR some time now, I have had my
opinion regarding an old trend of
film production. The past fifteen
years have brought to the fore a new
classification for them, the “Documen¬
tary.” The question whether the record¬
ing of an incident on the spot is docu¬
mentary or whether it can be re-enact¬
ed by actors or non-actors, directed, cap¬
ably edited, with special mus'cal score
is also “Documentary.”

Many fine and some poor films have
been cloaked behind the word “Docu¬
mentary.” Low production cost is one of
its attributes but not one of its assets.
I have made films which were docu¬
mentary, therefore in preparation of th's
article, I did some research, discussed
and even argued with writers, producers
and editors, regarding the documentary
film, so here I present proof with my
viewpoint. Is it a new trend or is it
just a silent film like those of the silent
era ?

I have found that some of the “Docu¬
mentary” producers have had little ex¬
perience in film production, journalism,
or creative arts, but they do have an
abundance of intest'nal fortitude and am¬
bition. The paint, pomp, oversized sets,
glamourous stars and polished dialogue
is not the fare of the documentary pro¬
ducer; he uses the background of our
common folk, the most natural material
for dramatic filming. A classic example
of such material, as Hollywood would
make it, is Erskine Caldwell’s “Tobacco
Road.”

I can cite an incident in a film of
mine, entitled, “City of Contrasts,” which
I made in 1930 and was presented by Sol
Lesser. I made several scenes on River-
s:de Drive in New York City. This
street facing the Hudson River is well
known as one of wealth. At that time,
a^ng the water front, on Riverside
Drive, a group of men, because of the
depression, colonized there, setting up a

squatters’ camp, governed by their own
Mayor and his Committee. This was
a sorrowful scene, yet it was on Riverside
Drive. If I were to tell a one-sided
story of New York, I would make a
close-up of the lamp post showing “Riv¬
erside Drive” and then make some 'shots
of the “colony” with its squalor but that
would not be the truth, neither would it
be the truth if I had shown the side of
wealth alone. Here I could have easily
created a distortion of incident.

To me, the documentary film must tell
the unadulterated truth, made on the
spot. Having characters re-enact the in¬
cident which happened some time earlier,
could create color, as by the editor’s
hand, flavored by special music, tainted
by the dramatic tongue of the narrator,
for when all are combined, make for the
same effect that Hollywood obtains in
the drama.

Now, I bet I am in a hell of a jam
with ye producer, ye writer, ye editor,
ye musical director and ye cameraman
who make the documentary film, but I
am going to stick to my opinion and get
going further into my story. First, I
shall open Webster’s dictionary and take
from it, the definition of the word “Docu¬
mentary.” As Webster defines “Docu¬
mentary” — “pertaining to written evi¬
dence; consisting in documents, as docu¬
mentary evidence.” If a film of such
classification were brought into a court
of law, it would have to be a true, un¬
adulterated fact or it would never stand
up as “Documentary” evidence.

The power of the film as a political
force is far reaching, greater than the
newspaper, yes, even greater than the
spoken word. That entertainment is a
morale builder, has been clearly defined
centuries ago; it provides that which
every human seeks, reality or escape. It
puts into instant action our stagnant
senses. In most instances, it is accepted
without condition. Before the film, we
found our escape in books, lectures and
the theatre; the film came forward with
a greater force because it could re¬
create that which we are able to en-

vision from books and newspapers. Ra¬
dio too, excites our imagination as will
television when we can see as well as
hear.

When the film was first put in motion,
the true documentary material was its
first source. This eventually led to the
newsreel, the travelogue and the ex¬
ploration film. The necessity for mak¬
ing a paying venture of the film, brought
on the melodrama, comedies, historical
films and so forth. To me, this film fits
into three categories, FACT, FICTION
and FANTASY. The FACT film would,
of necessity be the “Documentary;” the
FICTION film is a creation by an author;
the FANTASY film, such as Shake¬
speare’s “Midsummer’s Night Dream,”
the cartoon and others of that class. The
newsreel, the very oldest of our docu¬
mentary films, still is a very important
parcel of every motion picture program;
it is proof of the necessity of presenting
the facts, at least in even proportion to
fiction and fantasy. It is important for
us to come out of our world of fantasy
and view the real world we live in.

Whether or not we agree with the use
of Webster’s definition of the word “Doc¬
umentary” and whether or not a doc¬
umentary film should be re-enacted by
actors or non-actors from a story writ¬
ten for special emphasis, with music
composed or selected to create a dra¬
matic effect and with dialogue created
specially for the drama, if this be called
“Documentary” film, then I do not agree,
for to me it compares to the early silent
film, put to music, but a silent film it
is and in that class, it should compete.

I should like to cite another instance
of a simple distortion of incident. Julien
Bryan, a foremost documentary film pro¬
ducer, and a very close friend of mine,
told me that while he was in Poland
covering the German invasion, the Ger¬
mans seized his films and still pictures,
to view for censorship. They finally
returned the films and pictures and es¬
pecially complimented some shots of the
German soldiers smilingly looking at the
camera. “When you show these fine
films,” they told Bryan, “do not fail to
mention what strong, healthy, smiling
men the German soldiers are.” This he
agreed to do, but by the time he pre¬
pared his films for his lecture tour, the
Germans had already laid waste of Po¬
land, Czechoslovakia, France and Bel¬
gium. Bryan in his lectures then referred
to these particular sequences as “The
German barbarians, laughing at the atro¬
cities they committed to life, home and
liberty.” What a different face the same
pictures presented with just a slight
change in dialogue. If ten writers were
to caption a single photograph, there
probably would be ten different expres¬
sions of enthusiastic comment, with ten
different meanings.

A re-enactment alone can alter a story
favoring a particular slant, then add ro
it music and the editor’s creative effect
and you have a distortion. Preparation
for the production of a documentary
film compared to the Hollywood film,

Picture top left on op¬
posite page shows the
entire cast of "Growing
Americans". The chil¬
dren did a splendid
job of playing them¬
selves in the film.

Top right on opposite
page is an informal
shot of the filming of
a scene of "Growing
Americans".

Photo on bottom of
opposite page was
made by Julien Bryan.
It shows the Nazis
marching "just for
fun" before the big
push to conquer the
world.

Photo top right on this
page is a scene that
makes for the true
Documentary film, says
the author.

Bottom photo on this
page is also described
as another true Docu¬
mentary scene.

makes very little difference except for
the cost, the cast, and the artisans who
produce them.

Let us take for example the case of
two films such as “The March of Time”
and “This Is America.” These two series
should, under the present circumstances
be called “Documentary.” Are they Doc¬
umentary ? Both films are re-enacted
sometimes by actors, sometimes by non¬

actors; both are highly seasoned by the
director, cameraman and editors’ dis¬
tinctive imprint and both use, to a great
extent flash-backs, of “real” documentary
scenes from newsreel libraries. Both re¬
create important news and political view¬
points, yet, if we dig deep down to the
core, they could never be termed true
“Documentaries.”

(Continued on Page 64)

VHV p* a ™

i **- a— « — -i tVHHEj

f-*> wBML

FACT FILMS TO THE FRONT

Three pictures or, this page show life of the men
aboard "The Fighting Lady". At mess; in the engine
room, and at worship.

By EZRA GOODMAN

MUCH has been written and rea¬
soned about the documentary film.
In England, men like John Grier¬
son and Paul Rotha have theorized about
fact films and also produced some su¬
perlative examples of them. In this coun¬
try, moviemakers like Robert Flaherty
and Pare Lorentz have been pioneers in
this realm. Recently, emphas's upon the
documentary film has been brought about
by the war. The stress of current events
has accentuated the documentary, and
pictures like “Desert Victory,” “Memphis
Belle” and “The Fighting Lady” have
met with popular and critical acclaim.

The last named of these pictures is
noteworthy in more ways than one. Not
only is it one of the finest examples of
the documentary technique, but it marks

the first time that a major American
studio has entered into documentary pro¬
duction and distribution on a full-fledged
scale. The producer of “The Fighting
Lady” is Louis de Rochemont, founder
and for nine years head of the March
of Time. The studio is Twentieth Cen¬
tury-Fox, which is producing a series
of non-fiction films, of which “The Fight¬
ing Lady” is the first.

De Rochemont himself prefers not to
designate his picture with the word
“documentary.” He likes phrases like
“screen journalism” and “fact films” bet¬
ter. It is his contention that the word
“documentary” has a forbidding sound
about it, with overtones of the precious
and aesthetic. He believes that a dis¬
service has been done to the non-fiction

film by some of its past practitioners,
who have been interested more in theory
and technique than in subject matter.
Some of these documentary makers have
gone overboard on “arty” camera angles,
in the bad sense of that word, and have
stressed style to the disadvantage of
communication. De Rochemont argues
that a good many of these documentary
producers have not made the necessary
contact with the broad base of their
audiences by failing to speak out more
directly and by neglecting to insure the
widest possible distribution for their pro¬
ductions.

De Rochemont is confident that he will
not fall into either of these two pitfalls.
His theory of moviemaking is that the
screen can be the counterpart of a news¬
paper reporter or of the non-fiction
branch of a publishing house, as well
as purveying regular fiction films. And
Twentieth Century-Fox is providing the
complete facilities of its distribution set¬
up for these non-fictional releases.

“The Fighting Lady” is an authentic
record of an American aircraft carrier
in combat. Every scene in the picture
was photographed in zones of combat by
units of Navy cameramen organized by
Captain Edward J. Steichen, U.S.N.R.,
assisted by Lt. Commander R. L. Mid¬
dleton, U.S.N., Lt. Commander Dwight
Long, U.S.N.R., and Phillipe De Lacy.
The narration, written by John Stuart
Martin and Eugene Ling, is delivered by
Lieut. Robert Taylor, U.S.N.R. “The
Fighting Lady” was originally photo¬
graphed in 16mm. technicolor and then
blown up to 35mm. in Hollywood.

The picture is unique in that it blends
the documentary technique with the best
Hollywood methods of moviemaking. The
spectacular combat footage in the film
is combined with the human element of
characterization of the carrier’s crew.

Above, men of "The Fighting Lady" relax with a card game. Top right,
surgeons perform operation on crew member.

Bottom left, a view of the fight deck of "The Fighting Lady," showing some

of the planes she mothers.

Bottom right, fighter plane pilots get their instructions before taking off

to hit the enemy.

The Navy cameramen worked from a
preconceived scenario and took all of
these shots as planned. “The Fighting
Lady” leads up to its battle scenes in
methodical fashion. There are close-ups
of the men on the ship and of life aboard
the carrier. By the time the action
scenes are reached, the audience has a
total sense of participation in the event.

“The Fighting Lady” is being dis¬

tributed in theatres throughout the coun¬
try on the same bill with “Sunday Din¬
ner for a Soldier.” Reports received
from exhibitors thus far indicate that
audiences are as partial to the non¬
fiction film as to the fiction film. Prior
to “The Fighting Lady” the top gross
for a documentary film that was sold to
theatres was “The Ramparts We Watch,”
produced by de Rochemont for the March
of Time in 1939. The picture, augmented

by a heavy advertising and publicity
campaign, grossed $700,000. “Desert
Victory,” the British documentary, was
distributed by Twentieth Century-Fox
in the United States on a regular com¬
mercial basis, and grossed $500,000. Pic¬
tures like “Tarawa” and “Memphis
Belle” were given gratis to exhibitors.
They played widely and helped condition
audiences for other documentaries.

(Continued on Page 66)

The War of Russian Films

By ROBERT JOSEPH

IN TWENTY-SEVEN years of Rus¬
sian Soviet Union history, motion
picture films have been one of the
most powerful of all propaganda and
educational weapons. Beginning with
first Soviet films like “Potemkin” and
“Ten Days That Shook the World” the
Soviet Republic has used the screen as
a medium for educating its citizens into
what the Russian revolution stood for,
what it was trying to accomplish, and
what it meant in the everyday life of
Soviet citizens. By 1939 the Russian
motion picture industry had reached
a high level of screen excellence, and
many of the films which were shown
to audiences in this country were found
enjoyable and on a par with some of
the best which we had to offer. Films
like “Serge Nevsky” and “Peter the
First,” based on the stories of Russian
national heroes of antiquity are con¬
sidered by critics the world over as
among the finest examples of motion
picture entertainment.

When Germany attacked Russia on
June 22, 1941, Russia continued its pro¬
gram of moving its important industries
east across the Urals to Central Asia
and Siberia on a stepped up plan. En¬
tire industries, factories, complements
of workers had been moved during the
middle and late thirties from the west¬
ern-most portions of the Soviet Union
to far-off places like Uzbekstan and
Kazakstan, thousands of miles to the
East. Among the industries which be¬
gan moving out of Moscow and Lenin¬
grad on June 22, 1941, was Russia’s all-
important motion picture industry.

The site selected for the continuance
of Russia’s gigantic motion picture pro¬
ducing program— -the Soviet Union has
thousands of stationary and mobile the¬
atres — was Alma-Ata, capital of- the Ka¬
zakh Soviet Socialist Republic. Other
minor studios were also located in Trans¬
caucasia, Tashkent, Ashkhabad and Sta-
linabad. The problem of transportation
in those dark days of the summer of
1941 were almost insurmountable. Yet
Soviet leaders realized the importance
of preserving as much of the vitality of
the Russian film industry as possible.
There were training films to be made,
films for civilian morale, and the neces¬
sity to preserve a record of the progress
of the war against the Germans.

Yet the move was made, and Russian
film companies continued to turn out pic¬
tures on the same important scale as
before. The spirit of heroism which was
so evident in spectacles made before
1941 was as strong as ever, and films
like “General Suvorov” and “War of
1812” and “Ivan the Terrible,” as three
examples of Soviet spectacles made after
the Nazi invasion, were produced on
the same gigantic scale.

Russ:a’s greatest contribution in the
field of war-time films was its realistic
program of front-line documentaries.
American audiences have seen some of
these films — -“One Day of War,” “The
Russian Front,” “The Battle of Mos¬
cow,” and other pictures which have
been shown in American theatres during
the last several seasons. Among some
of these tremendous documentaries “Se¬

Left to right, Roman Karmen, one of Russia's top
cameramen. A. Dovzenkho, one of Soviet's most
famous directors. V. Pudovkin, Soviet author and
film director who has directed some of Russia's
finest wartime films.

vastopol” must stand alone. “Sevasto¬
pol” has been considered one of the fin¬
est of all war films, a milestone in re¬
cording breath-taking front-line war.

The day following invasion in June
of 1941 Russian cameramen and techni¬
cians were in uniform, assigned to spe¬
cific front-line jobs. Within a matter of
days they were hardened masters in the
art of recording the war. “Sevastopol,”
according to their own account, is the
culmination of the best experience in
shoot’ng war-front battle scenes. The
following by Roman Karmen, Russia’s
ace cameraman, is a front line account
of shooting this most interesting of all
Soviet documentary films:

“Sevastopol. Years will pass, but Se¬
vastopol’s glory will remain undimmed.
At the Black Sea Naval Base Soviet
cameramen worked under the bombing
of thousands of planes, under hurricane
shelling. Vladimir Mikosha, Dimitri
Rymaryov and others kept the camera
going without a stop, recording the de¬
fence of Sevastopol. Our descendants
will see the blood-smeared, noble faces
of machine gunners in the trenches at
Sevastopol’s approaches, which all ex¬
press the one thought: ‘Only over my
dead body can the Hitlerite scum enter
Sevastopol.’

“The months of war rolled on; the
cameraman turned into a soldier. There
was no sector on the Sevastopol front
without the man with a camera. New
forces kept coming to this ‘Kinokronika’
(Soviet newsreel): young students from
the State Institute of Cinematography.

48 February, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Assistant operators became full-fledged
operators. There were not enough cam¬
eras; sometimes film was lacking; but
there was never a shortage of men. Hun¬
dreds of applications to the Sevastopol
front were filed by the Cinematography
Committee.

“We lost many comrades. They died
a soldier’s death on the battlefront. Many
a time in action the cameraman had to
put aside his apparatus and take to a
rifle or machinegun. Each of us now
has three and a half years war experi¬
ence behind him. The cameraman is
thrilled beyond words when he shoots
victorious battles at a place where three
years ago he was recording the bitter
episodes of retreat. In those bitter days
we knew our work would not be in
vain. We knew that the shots of the
first days of the war would someday go
into the film of victory. We didn’t lose
heart; we worked with dour perserver-
ance and without rest. And only death in
action stopped us. I saw Cameraman
Lozovsky shoot a tank attack. He went
in with the leading Soviet tank, and he
kept his camera working until three
shells had hit his tank. The third set it
ablaze. With blood streaming down his
face he jumped from the burning tank
hugging the film to his breast. That
eagerness to shoot the film, come what
might, epitomizes the Soviet camera¬
man.”

Shooting the siege of Sevastopol had
something of a national crusading spirit
to it. Cameramen in all parts of the
Soviet Union vied with each other for
this assignment.

With the Russian victory at Stalin¬
grad and the resurgence of Soviet Armies
westward toward Germany, Soviet film
industries have been moving back to
their former studios in Moscow and Len¬
ingrad. But studios in Transcaucasia,
Alma-Ata and other Central Asian cities
are still in operation. There has been
time and opportunity during the past
several months for a somewhat more
leisurely pursuit of film production, and

(Continued on Page 69)

Top left, a scene from
"Bogdan Kimelnitzky-
Ukraine Hero", one of
Russia's great wartime
films.

Although in the midst
of war, Russia's film
industry made the his¬
torical film, "Russia's
First Printer", a scene
of which is shown at
top right.

Right center is a scene
from "Sukha Bator —
Warrior of Asia", a
great spectacle film
made during the war.

Below, a scene from
"Tankmen”, one of
Russia's realistic films
of the war.

_ _ MMM PROCESSING CHARACTERISTICS

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Commercial Processing of 16mm

Variable Area

By ROBERT V. McKIE

RCA Victor Division of Radio Corporation of America

THE problems of processing control
for 16mm. film are basically the
same as the problems of proc¬
essing control for 35mm. film. The proc¬
essing control of 35mm. variable-area
sound track has been successfully estab¬
lished by the cross-modulation method.1
This method was also adopted to estab¬
lish the processing tolerances for vari¬
able-area track on 16mm. It has taken
us many years to establish adequate con¬
trols for 35mm. film and many improve¬
ments in developing, printing equipment,
and technique have been necessary. Lab¬
oratory equipment for 16mm. has not
kept pace with the improvements in
35mm. equipment, hence we found more
difficulty with 16mm. processing at this
time than we now experience with 35mm.
processing.

Nevertheless, the increased activity in
the 16mm. field makes it necessary to
establish commercial processing toler¬
ances for 16mm. film. This increased ac¬
tivity. results from the fact that the
greater part of the pictures being pro¬
duced by Hollywood studios is reduced
to 16mm. for war activities, either by
rerecording or by the photographic proc¬
ess.

Note: The above article was reprinted from the
December issue of the Journal of the Society of
Motion Picture Engineers. — The Editor.

These pictures are distributed to the
Army and Navy for projection at vari¬
ous camps overseas. From 65 to 75
composite prints are made on each pic¬
ture and, including the many training
films being produced at this time, the
total 16mm. film being processed will
average millions of feet per month.

Two types of measurements were de¬
sired. First, measurements to determine
processing controls and, second, meas¬
urements of distortion on 16mm. sound
track properly processed.

A “family” of 16mm. negatives was
recorded at 60 per cent amplitude, each
negative consisting of (1) 400 cycles for
reference level, (2) 4000 cycles for meas¬
uring high-frequency loss, and (3) 4000
cycles modulated in amplitude at a 400-
cycle rate for cross-modulation measure¬
ments. The 400-cycle section of the test
was used to obtain the data for the dis¬
tortion measurements.

Using a Corning 384 filter, EK5372
fine-grain recording stock was exposed
as a negative material over a density
range from 1.80 to 2.15. This nega¬
tive was developed at a pre-established
speed for variable-area sound track nega¬
tive determined by a series of exposure
tests in a print-type developer. A fam¬
ily of contact prints was then exposed
with unfiltered mercury-vapor light cov¬

ering a density range from 1.00 to 1.40
using EK5302 as a positive material.

A review of the quality of recording
equipment showed that even a better
than average commercial 16mm. repro¬
ducer would be unsatisfactory for meas¬
uring these tests. Accordingly, a special
16mm. reproducer of the “grindstone”
type was set up and used for the meas¬
urements subsequently discussed. The
tests were measured through the special
film measuring channel by running the
film in the form of a loop.

Fig. 1 shows the cross-modulation
curves plotted against print density. It
has been established by numerous fre¬
quency tests and by practical experience
with music and dialogue recordings that
30-db cancellation of the 400-cycle com¬
ponent in the cross-modulation test is
satisfactory for all types of material,
and density tolerances have been estab¬
lished at this value. From Fig. 1 the
print density tolerance for a negative
density of 2.15 is 0.92 to 1.42.

However, experience has proved that
owing to variations in exposures and
emulsions it is more practical to main¬
tain the print density within the smallest
possible tolerance, and to allow the maxi¬
mum variations in negative density. All
laboratories now have a well-established
control department, and tests covering
the entire process are made at definite
intervals so that the variations which
do occur can be controlled easier in the
laboratory than during actual produc¬
tion, where the sound tracks are record¬
ed under varying conditions of tempera¬
ture that may effect the emulsion and
cause changes in the density of the
sound track negative.

This method of maintaining the print
density within the smallest possible tol¬
erance and allowing the maximum vari¬
ations in negative density, requires the
least number of timing corrections. Nega¬
tive densities can easily be maintained
within the wide tolerance permissible for
a given optimum print density under
reasonable processing conditions. This
method eliminates unnecessary handling
and timing of each scene of the nega¬
tive when sent to the laboratory, or the
necessity of keeping elaborate records on
the density of each scene. Only negative
variations, which do not fall within the
wide negative tolerance as indicated by
the cross-modulation test, need be noted.

Fig. 2 shows density tolerances for a
combination of negatives and prints hav¬
ing 30-db cancellation and indicates a
negative density range of 1.92 to 2.45
for an optimum print density of 1.20 to
0.10.

The 400-cycle section of the test re¬
cording was used for distortion meas¬
urements. The grindstone was used as
a means of running this film. For any
given negative or print density covered
by the density range, as indicated above,
the distortion measured from 2.5 per
cent to 3.5 per cent using a General
Radio distortion factor meter.

(Continued on Page 70)

50 February, 1945 • American Cinematographer

BRULATOUR

SERVICE

EASTMAN

FILMS

Requirements of Educational
Film Presentation

By OLIVER BELL M. A.

Director, British Film Institute.

MOST people will pay lip service to
the idea of the using of films for
educational purposes. But having agreed
the principle, the matter only too fre¬
quently ends. On the one hand, the edu¬
cational world asks why it should buy
this relatively expensive apparatus
when there is nothing very much to show
on it. On the other, the commercial film
maker asks what is the use of making
films which are rarely shown and on
which he will never get any return for
his money. That is a deadlock which has
been one of the principal objects of the
British Film Institute to solve.

Our efforts have mainly been directed
at the educational people. We have used
every means in our power to persuade
them that apparatus for the projection
of visual material ougth to be just as
much a normal piece of school and class¬
room equipment as a wireless set or a
blackboard.

It has not been an easy task, yet prog¬
ress has been made. Roughly ten per
cent of the schools in England now have
projection apparatus. Had it not been
for the war, it is my personal belief that
that number would have been doubled.
As soon as supplies of projectors again
become available there is, I am certain,
an immediate demand for 5,000 to be
filled. Within a period of ten years there
should be a total of at least 20,000 in¬
stalled. As electricity becomes available
and bad premises are rebuilt, there
should be between 30,000 and 40,000. It
would seem, therefore, that the mere re¬
placement of ordinary school machines
should form a pretty solid basis for a
flourishing manufacturing industry.

These calculations take no account of
exports to Europe and our Colonies, nor
of that most important market of all —
the home user.

Scope of Substandard Film

The sub-standard film has come to
stay. I can see it being used by Govern¬
ment Departments for making known
their policy. I am sure it will again be
used (and perhaps more intelligently

The above paper was read to the British Kine-
matograph Society last April. It is reprinted here
from the Journal of the British Kinematograph
Society because it presents a wealth of information
that should be of benefit to our makers of edu¬
cational films, and gives a fair idea of what the
outlook is for the distribution of sub-standard
equipment when the war is ended. — The Editor.

used than before the war) by the big
commercial interests either for direct ad¬
vertisement, in the case of branded prod¬
ucts, or for general public relations work
in the case of trade associations. Volun¬
tary societies and political organizations
will use films in connection with ther
ordinary propaganda work. In the world
of direct instruction films will naturally
be used in adult education, in the Uni¬
versities, in the Technical Colleges, in
the Youth Organizations, in the Young
People’s Colleges, in the Junior Tech¬
nical Schools, in Secondary education
and in Primary education. In short, just
as the effect of the last war was to bring
radio into the normal life of the world,
I think it is not too much to say that one
outcome of the present conflict will be to
put Film into its rightful place.

The manufacturers of sub-standard
apparatus on both sides of the Atlantic
are well advanced in their plans. Proto¬
types are coming off the test benches;
sales campaigns are under consideration.
But what of the supplies of films that
are to be shown on these machines? See¬
ing a possible, nay probable, market, the
renters, I am led to believe, are more
ready than they were in the past to
reduce to 16mm. the money-spinning
features of yester-year. But what of the
world of education? Can anything be
done to provide material for that? Will
the audience of ll/2 million school chil¬
dren ever be great enough to pay for
normal commercial production as in the
case of the publishers of educational
text-books? Or shall we always have to
look forward to a hand-to-mouth philan¬
thropic existence?

I admit that the onus of equitable
payment is on the educational world.
Nevertheless, the ultimate cost of using-
films in education must bear some rela¬
tion to the other costs of educational
material. It is, indeed, only the most en¬
lightened authorities that make adequate
allowances for the hire of films to schools
owning projectors. The result is that
the unhappy possessor is forced to use
the free sources of films. Advertising
or publicity films do not make the best
classroom teaching films — nor even the
best general educational films.

Types of Film

As a result of painful experience, the
British Film Institute Committees can
now say with a certain assurance the

qualities which are wanted for an edu¬
cational film. But before we go into
that, let us consider one or two other
factors, such as the types of film, which
the schoolmaster wants.

First of all, there is the very short
length which is almost a moving lantern
slide. He wants it to illustrate just one
point of what he is saying. It may be a
thing like a street scene in a foreign
country which he wants in connection
with a geography lesson. If it had nat¬
ural sound it would be so much better,
though it can be used silent; but it
should never have a commentary. It
may be a slow motion of how a sheep,
cow or horse feeds. It may be a rhyth¬
mic action, such as different forms of
electrical circuit, or the passage of light
through a prism. In existing films there
are large numbers of short sequences
which, if taken out of a film and cata¬
logued as “illustrational films,” would
be very valuable to all types of schools.
These short lengths of film, depending
on the subject, might run for anything
between one and five minutes.

The supply of such films is very small
indeed; I think because, except to Dance-
Kaufmann with their cyclic films and to
Elder Dalrymple with their simple jun¬
ior films made for the Glasgow Educa¬
tion Authority and in the case of a few
G.B.I.’s, it never occurred to anybody
that there was a use for this type of
stuff. From the trading point of view
such little illustration films ought to be
so cheap that they could be sold out¬
right, and so cut down the costly over¬
heads of distribution.

The second type of film which teachers
want is the Lesson film. This film, which
can be up to 15 minutes’ running time,
forms the kernel of a lesson to be given
by the teacher. The number of such
films is legion, but the number that have
any merit is small in the extreme. The
technique of using such a film is simple.
The teacher consciously moulds his
scheme of teaching to allow it to fall
naturally into place in one of his peri¬
ods. The class is, therefore, prepared
for what it is going to see. After the
film has been shown the teacher, by
questioning them, discovers if the pu¬
pils have seen what they were intended
to observe. Some teachers point the
moral by stopping the film as it is run¬
ning through the machine and holding
a still on the screen so that the exact
details may be memorized by the class.
Others run the film through a second
time to make quite certain that it is im¬
pressed on the children’s minds.

The third type of film which the
schools want is the Background film.
This is a film which may be used for
giving an introduction to a subject, for
revision purposes, or for giving the child
general information about the world in
which he lives. The child is not ex¬
pected to remember every detail of the
film. It should interest him and stimu¬
late his imagination. It should make
him anxious to talk about it and by

(Continued on Page 54)

52 February, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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American Cinematographer • February, 1945

53

Requirements of Educational
Film Presentation

(Continued from Page 52)

other means, such as the school or pub¬
lic library, to learn more about the
subject.

There is almost an adequate supply of
this material, and especially of the gen¬
eral information type. Most of the out¬
put of the sponsoring bodies, such as the
Ministry of Information, the British
Council, the Gas and Oil interests, and
quite a number of the more serious fea¬
ture films, conforms to this pattern.
Much of it is admirable.

Sound or Silent?

The lesson film raises the question of
sound or silent, I think that the answer
is that two versions of each film are
needed. And when I say versions, I
mean versions. A muted sound film is
not a silent film. I think the silent pro¬
jector will continue to be used in schools
for quite a while to come. From the
Education Authority’s or purchaser’s
point of view, it is considerably cheaper
than the sound machine. From the
teacher’s point of view, it is light and
easily moved about. The threading is so
simple that even the unmechanically
minded are not afraid of it.

From the point of view of method,
many teachers claim that the silent film
is much more flexible. Every class dif¬
fers and no two classes need exactly the
same points underlined. This means, say
they, that with a silent machine they
are able to teach better than with a
sound film, when a strange personality
comes into the classroom, and that per¬
sonality in substance and diction may
not necessarily fit the class. This is very
true with younger children. They are
not good listeners, as anybody who has
attended a children’s matinee will bear
witness. If they have a dialect of their
own, they find a strange voice hard to
understand. They are also slightly con¬
temptuous of an accent that is not like
their own; it is not like theirs, there¬
fore the speaker is not like their own
teacher and, therefore, so runs their
argument, what he says can be disre¬
garded.

The point accordingly emerges that
the film-maker should have a very
shrewd idea to what age group he is ad¬
dressing himself. This will also affect
the content and the tempo of the film.
If I might venture a comment on many
otherwise excellent films, they have been
made by people who have had higher
education, advised by people who have
enjoyed similar privileges. They have
not got down to the level of the nine-
year-old — the group which can most
benefit from the educational film.

Music and Credit Titles

Perhaps at this point I might call at¬
tention to what I consider to be two un¬
necessary adjuncts to the direct teach¬
ing film. I refer to background music

and credit titles. Both of them are bale¬
ful reminders that entertainment is the
basis of the screen’s conventional idiom.
A musical introduction, or music to
cover the end title, let alone all through,
is wholly out of place.

Credit titles are just such another an¬
noying intrusion into the normal atmos¬
phere of the classroom. The child neither
knows nor cares what company made
the film, who directed it, who photo¬
graphed it, or whose is the golden voice
of the commentator. Relegate the
maker’s name to the end title and the
other information to the Teaching Notes,
when they will be seen and absorbed by
the only person whose opinion really
matters, that is to say, the teacher. You
save footage and gain the teacher’s re¬
spect at one and the same time.

Content and Tempo

Far too many films try to cram far too
much in for them to stand any chance
of being remembered. Because of this
teachers are reduced to endless shifts of
putting paper-clips in the sections of
film they want to show and then run¬
ning the projector with their hand over
the lens, talking the while until they
reach the next clip. I would say then :
Don’t be afraid of simplicity.

This cramming of material leads to
the tempo of the film being far too fast.
Film editors should assume nothing
when dealing with younger children.
They all would do well to have a look
at the products of the Colonial Film
Unit if they want to see how slow a
tempo can be used and be appreciated
by an audience. Our own children, hav¬
ing been to the pictures on a Saturday
ever since they were old enough, are
quicker in the uptake and more respon¬
sive to screen conventions and screen
idiom than the Africans as yet. But if
they are to learn from the film, it must
move more slowly than the average the¬
atrical Western.

The educational film is all unfamiliar
country. Probably the child has seen
nothing like it before. What is worse,
from his point of view, is the fact that
the teacher expects him to look at it
with concentrated attention — in itself a
difficult task needing a supreme effort
of will — and to remember what he has
seen and what it all means.

The child’s mind is simple and direct
and the films he wants are simple and
direct. Avoid photogenic frills like the
plague. The Teaching Notes, which
ought automatically to accompany every
reel that is sent out, can suggest to the
teacher the trimmings which might be
put in. Furthermore, any teacher who
is worth his salt will be able to amplify
the film, verbally adjusting his com¬
ments to the mental capacity of his
class.

Use of Stills

I would also commend to film makers
the need for taking out a still camera
when they are out on location or when¬
ever they are shooting. It is my opinion
that still pictures will play a larger role

than heretofore in the classroom. The
efficient diascope and the efficient film
strip-cum-film slide projector has only
recently been perfected. Before the war
its use was comparatively small; but
after the war I think it will be one of
the commonest instruments in schools.
It has the advantage, I understand, of
being easily susceptible to mass produc¬
tion. There is, indeed, talk of being
able to sell such a machine with plastic
lenses and a high light-output for be¬
tween £5 and £6. In addition, it is easy
for an amateur photographer to make
his own slides, and the teacher who, as
you know, prides himself on his sturdy
independence, delights in making his own
material. Even if it does not come up
to professional standards, that doesn’t
matter. As Touchstone said of Audrey:
“A poor thing but mine own!”

There is much to be said for making
a film strip of each film put out. In¬
stead, as at present, of the teacher stop-
ing the film as it is running — thereby
harming that section of the film as well
as getting only an indifferent image on
the screen — he will run the film straight
through and emphasize the points he
wants to make by refrence to the stills
in the film strip.

One day, too, I hope that an enter¬
prising educational publisher will co¬
operate with a film company, and the
text book with its accompanying films
and film strips will be published simul¬
taneously.

And that brings me to another point.
One isolated film on a particular subject
is of little value. The teacher has, so to
speak, to make a detour in his ordinary
scheme of work in order to include it.

It is far, far better to make a series,
so that the teacher can plan his course
to take in films at regular intervals.

Requirements of Higher Age-Groups

So far we have been considering the
film from the point of view of the
younger age ranges of children. The
same principles still apply as the chil¬
dren get older. More and more, how¬
ever, they can be addressed in adult
language as their knowledge of the
world and their mental stature in¬
creases. This, in tui’n, means that the
tempo of the film can be speeded up
and the factual content increased and
the length can also be greater as the
ability of the student to concentrate
improves.

I do not think the educational film
should ever reach the quick cutting of
the ordinary entertainment film, for
these educational films have still ulti¬
mately to be remembered in detail. I
would maintain this even in the case of
the “introductory” or the “revision”
film. In this type of film a rapid survey
of the subject is made. In the first
place, the film can seiwe to give the
student a general grasp of the subject
into which he can fit detailed knowledge
as he acquires it through reading or
other means. In the second, the course

(Continued on Page 62)

54

February, 1945 • American Cinematographer

with Removable Head

Illustrated below are: (1) I he new Baby Krotes-
sional Junior" Tripod, all metal, for low shots; (2)
The "Professional Junior" Tripod Head which fits
all our tripods; (3) the top portion of the standard
"Professional Junior" Tripod and (4) the "Hi-Hat"
low-base adaptor, underneath which is shown the
finger-grip head fastening nut that firmly holds the
Tripod Head onto any style of tripod base in the
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all of the several tripod bases made by us. The large pin and trunnion assures
long dependable service. A "T" level is attached. The top-plate can be set for
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adjustment knobs.

(3)

(4)

THROUGH the EDITOR S FINDER

THE many friends of A1 Gilks, one
of the best liked members of the
American Society of Cinematographers,
will be happy to know that he has been
promoted to the rank of a Commander
in the Navy.

Commander Gilks, USNR, was called
to active duty in September, 1941, with
the rank of Senior Lieutenant. In 1943
he was promoted to Lieut-Commander.
In January, 1945, he was made a full
Commander. Congratulations, Comman¬
der Gilks, from Ye Editor, who knows
you deserve the promotion !

AGAIN we bring up the subject of
more recognition for the Cinema¬
tographers of the American motion pic¬
ture industry.

From where we sit, it would seem
that the Cinematographers work is be¬
coming more and more important, and
the Cinematographers are playing a big
part in the turning out of successful mo¬
tion pictures.

Yesterday, for example, in the Holly¬
wood Reporter there appeared a review
of Universal’s “Her Lucky Night,” which
must have cast a pall of gloom over
those folk who get credit in the adver¬
tisements and individual credit titles on
the screen. In part the Review says:
“To break it as gently as possible, this
is a pretty sorry affair . . . the story
is stupid and impossible and the script
is worse . . . The direction is no help
either . . . The cast struggled as best
it could with the feeble material at its
disposal, but it was pretty much of a
hopeless task from the start . . . The
best thing about it is the photography of
Hal Muhr, which is excellent.”

You see, the Cinematographer didn’t
fall down on his job.

In the same issue appeared another
review of “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,”
which was made by 20th-Century-Fox.
It was a glowing review of an excellent
picture, which read in part: “ ‘A Tree
Grows in Brooklyn’ is one of the truly
fine pictures of this or any year. In many
respects it possesses the qualities of
greatness ... As a directorial effort,
this is a triumph for Elia Kazan . . .
Leon Shamroy’s photography is of the
finest.”

A few days ago, also in the Hollywood
Reporter, was a review of Columbia’s
“A Song to Remember,” photographed
in Technicolor by Tony Gaudio, A.S.C.,
and Allen M. Davey, A.S.C. That review
read in part: “This glorious picture is
a major event in film history. It is one
of the finest and most beautiful screen
productions yet given to the world . . .
It took the vision, understanding and

great writing of Sidney Buchman who
wrote the screenplay and followed
through on the production, and the vi¬
sion, understanding and great direc¬
torial ability of Charles Vidor, who in¬
terpreted it, aided by the finest of tech¬
nical talent in every department, to
bring about this superb result . . . Tony
Gaudio and Allen M. Davey achieved a
masterpiece of Technicolor photography ,
perfectly keyed to every mood of the film,
always vivid, warm and rich in beauty.”

The fact stands out that whether the
story, acting and direction is good or
bad the work of the Cinematographer
stands out because of its excellence.

This writer hopes the day will come
when the Cinematographer is given the
same recognition as the writer and the
director.

OUT of the midst of the war in
Europe came a delightful letter the
other day from one of the oldest mem¬
bers of the American Society of Cine¬
matographers. When we say “oldest” we
mean in point of years of membership.
It was from John Dored, who for many
years was with Paramount News in Rio
de Janeiro.

“I have been covering the war in
Europe from the past year,” he wrote.
“It is a great life, and I enjoy it.
Chances are you might have seen a
number of stories in the News Reels
covered by me.”

That is typical of John. He is enjoy¬
ing being in the middle of the war!

He wrote his letter on December 19,
and in it wished all of his friends in
America “a very happy and prosperous
New Year.”

That is typical, too, of John. Right
in the midst of the fighting he thinks
about sending greetings to his friends.
Thanks, John, and good photographing.

TREES

AS this issue goes to press it is in¬
teresting to note that members of
the American Society of Cinematograph¬
ers are photographing 33 feature pictures
in the Hollywood studios.

At Columbia Rudy Mate is filming
“Over 21,” Charles Lawton, Jr., is shoot¬
ing “Kiss and Tell,” and George Meehan
is filming “Boston Blackie Booked on
Suspicion.”

At Samuel Goldwyn .Studios Lucien
Andriot is shooting “Ten Little Indians.”

At Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Rob¬
ert Planck is shooting “Weekend at the
Waldorf,” Harry Stradling is filming-
“Her Highness and the Bellboy,” Charles
Rosher is on “Yolanda and the Thief”
and George Folsey is shooting “The Har¬
vey Girls.”

At Paramount Studios Charles Lang
is shooting “Too Good to Be True,” and
Lionel Lindon is filming “Masquerade in
Mexico.”

At PRC Studios Marcel LePicard is
shooting “Enchanted Forest,” Jack
Greenhalgh is shooting “Undercover
Girl,” and James Brown is filming
“Stranger in the Family.”

At RKO Studios Nick Musuraca is
handling cinematography on “The In¬
visible Army,” George Barnes on “Thet
Spanish Main,” Ted Tetzlaff on “Those-
Endearing Young Charms.”

At 20th Century-Fox Studios we find
Joe MacDonald shooting “Captain Ed¬
die,” Leon Shamroy doing “State Fair,”
Norbert Brodine shooting “Two-Faced
Quilligan,” Clyde DeVinna on “Carib¬
bean Mystery,” and Ernest Palmer shoot¬
ing “The Dolly Sisters.”

At United Artists Joseph Valentine is
photographying “Guest Wife,” Lee
Garmes is shooting “Paris-Under¬
ground,” and Archie Stout is filming
“Captain Kidd.”

At Universal Studios Charles Van En-
ger is shooting “That’s the Spirit,” Hal
Mohr and W. Howard Greene are film¬
ing “A Night in Paradise,” Virgil Miller
is shooting “Invitation to Death,” George
Robinson is filming “The Naughty Nine¬
ties,” and Elwood Bredell is shooting
“Lady on a Train.”

At Warner Bros. Studios Ernest Haller
is filming “Mildred Pierce,” Arthur Edi¬
son “Three Strangers,” and Carl Guthrie,
is shooting “Too Young to Know.”

56 February, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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American Cinematographer • February, 1945

57

AMONG THE MOVIE CLUBS

L A Cinema Club

OLLOWING are the prize winners
in the Los Angeles Cinema Club’s
Annual Contest for 1944:

First Prize, “Vancouver Island,” by
Carl Thomsen.

Second Prize, “The Desert,” by Guy
Nelli.

Third Prize, “Pink Elephants,” by Ed¬
win E. Olsen.

Fourth Prize, “W yoming Cattle
Ranch,” by Mildred Zimmerman.

Fifth Prize, “Elizabeth Park,” by Paul
Zerrahn.

Sixth Prize, “Guatemala,” by Harry
E. Parker.

Seventh Prize, “Autumn in Utah,” by
W. L. Easley.

Eighth Prize, “Scenic Arizona,” by
William J. Millar.

All the films are in color, and per¬
centage ratings were made according to
merit of subject, composition, interest,
titles, panning, clarity, etc.

San Francisco Club

HREE reels of unusually beautiful
Kodachrome pictures highlighted
the January meeting of the Cinema Club
of San Francisco. The films were made
by Walter C. Johnson of the Westwood
Movie Club. They were:

“Land of Scenic Surprises.”

“Yosemite in. Spring.”

“Rambling in Yosemite,” filmed in
the Autumn.

Also on the program was a 400-foot
Kodachrome film, “The Pageant,” which
was photographed by John Smurr, Russ
Hanlan and C. D. Hudson at the Shrine
football game in San Francisco on Janu¬
ary 1, 1944.

M.M.P.C.

HE January meeting of the Metro¬
politan Motion Picture Club was de¬
voted to the screening of films submit¬
ted for the club’s Novice Contest. We
would have liked to have printed the
names of the winners, but the club’s
publicity department apparently failed
to function.

Philadelphia Cinema Club

4 NGELS Are Made of Wood” and
“Ten Pretty Girls,” both on
8mm., highlighted the January meeting
of the Philadelphia Cinema Club.

This club celebrates its tenth anni¬
versary in April. Plans are now under
way for an anniversary program that
will top all programs of the club’s ten
years of activity.

La Casa Movie Club

HE La Casa Movie Club of Alham¬
bra, California, started the new year
with two 35mm. and two 16mm. films
featuring the January meeting. And, as
usual, the place was packed with movie
enthusiasts. The La Casa Club will have
to hire a theatre pretty soon, if attend¬
ance continues to increase as it did dur¬
ing 1944.

Films shown at the meeting were:

“Native Life, in Tibet,” photographed
by Dr. David Tennant, who is now serv¬
ing as a British Army Doctor. Not long
before the start of the war Dr. Tennant
made a trip through Tibet. Under very
trying conditions he made his film.

“Southern California Views,” by mem¬
ber Earl Martin.

“Wild Flowers,” by William F. Axt-
man.

“Hawaiian Islands,” by member Dr.
Almon Balkins.

Brooklyn Club

CHARLES Benjamin is already start¬
ing to beat the drums for the Fifth
Annual Gala Nite of the Brooklyn Ama¬
teur Cine Club, which will be held at
the St. Felix Playhouse, Brooklyn, N.Y.,
on the night of April 13th. The price
of ticket, Mr. Benjamin says, is seventy-
five cents, tax included, and they may
be obtained from Herbert Erles, 252
Ninety-sixth Street, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Saint Louis Club

THE Amateur Motion Picture Club
of Saint Louis held two meetings
during January. At the January 9th
meeting Jim Bialson gave an interesting
talk on editing, titling and splicing.

January 23rd was the night of the
club’s big party and fun show, which is
reported to have been quite a success.

New York Eight

THE January meeting of the New
York Eight was held at the Hotel
Pennsylvania. Three films featured the
program. They were:

“Home from the Aleutians,” by Mau¬
rice Krakower.

“Le Petit Cinema” and “Random Rec¬
ollections,” by George Valentine.

8-16 Movie Club

THE Board of Directors of the 8-16
Movie Club of Philadelphia are plan¬
ning an interesting meeting for Febru¬
ary. One of the features will be the re¬
showing of the winning pictures in the
Gold Cup Contest, at which the produc¬
ers of the films will explain the prob¬
lems they faced in filming them. They
will also answer questions relating to
them.

Arrangements are also being made to
have a speaker from the Armed Forces
who has actually made pictures during
combat. Should be an interesting meet¬
ing.

MOUNTAIN FASTNESS

58 February, 1945 • American Cinematographer

JUJtHEN peace returns we, the living, must take renewed in-
414® spiration from him who wanted the nation and the world
to be free; who saw that only through education and training
could government of the people, by the people and for the people
survive on earth . . . Lincoln, who learned by firelight with a
board for a slate, a coal for a pencil, had the vision . . . Will we,
with the great tools of education and training now at hand, fail
to use them?

For Freedom . . .
— An Extra Bond

In rebuilding a new world 16mm films and Victor Sound Motion
Picture Equipment can and will take a great part — speeding
and advancing training and teaching, presenting to a receptive
world the methods, achievements and meaning of Democracy.

I

Victor Animatograph Corporation

Home Office and Factory: Davenport. Iowa
New York (18). McGrow Hill Bldg., 330 W. 42d St. • Chicago (1). 188 W. Randolph

American Cinematographer • February, 1945 69

Hone, moe ^
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Artistic Titling Tips

By GLENN R. KERSHNER, A.S.C.

( Part Two )

SOME time ago an enthusiastic
16mm friend invited me over to
see a picture he had filmed around
Thanksgiving Day. It was entertaining
and well photographed. I was happy to
note that his exposure for color was
perfect. BUT — the titles were terrible!
Some were crooked. Some glistened be¬
cause the lights had not been placed
far enough back to eliminate reflection.
A few were off balance. The thing that
bothered me most, however, was the fact
that every title was made with the same
small white letters on a perpetual black
background.

As I sat there watching the picture,
feasting my eyes on beautiful scenes . . .

flower-covered deserts that swept to
snowcapped mountains — blue skies . . .
tumbling clouds . . . then — I suddenly
found myself staring into black night
followed by those pesky little white let¬
ters on the title card. The next and the
next and the next were the same. It was
awful on the nerves.

When the lights were switched on at
the finish we discussed the picture and
I mentioned the titles. My friend ad¬
mitted that he had made them in a
hurry for a showing at his club. Just
temporary titles. However, he had wasted
film and time in order to be foolish
enough to show his picture in that condi¬
tion to picture-wise folk.

Knowing how much good titles mean
to the success of a picture, I worked
with him for the next three evenings
making new ones in time for his club
exhibition. When the picture was shown
my friend received many compliments.
This is the way we made those new
titles:

First we projected the picture again.
Then we wound it by hand several times,
making notes as to the titles, their
length, nature of the scene, fade-ins and
outs, etc. We gave each title and scene
a number and scratched it onto the first
frame of each scene to assist in cutting
the titles in later. Then we carefully re¬
checked for errors.

Fortunately, my friend had made many
Leica shots of all these scenes and we
had no trouble in picking suitable ones
for each scene to enlarge for the back¬
ground of the title.

It might be well to digress for a
moment to explain how to pick photo¬
graphs for a background. First — when
you are making the photographs you
should avoid too much detail such as
windows, white tree branches, reflections
and contrasty objects where the titles
will be. It is very confusing when black
letters or shadings are lost in the shad¬
ows or white letters blend into the high
lights. But should you have too many
high lights you can diffuse the light
with small sticks or little branches.

We made the enlargements on matte
paper and colored them (not too vivid).
We found many suitable pictures in mag¬
azines, travel folders, etc., etc. For some
we even selected pieces of artistic col¬
ored silks. We also mixed plaster of
paris, made designs with our hands and
painted them in colors. For a couple of
titles we made little miniatures and
painted them in color.

In the mean time we had a regular
title man set up the titles with selected
types with the first letter of each title
painted in color, large and quite fancy.

(Continued on Page 67)

DEPTH OF FOCUS *

1 INCH LENS— 16 mm. CAMERAS

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CHART A

60 February, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Look At Me, Daddy!

RE-LIVE your youngsters’ fleeting
childhood days through all the
years to come. Capture their amusing,
endearing traits in motion pictures. It’s
surprisingly easy to do — even with the
simplest equipment — if your camera is
loaded with Triple S Pan Reversible
Film.

Ansco Triple S Pan is a remarkably fast
film, ideal for making movies indoors
with photoflood lamps, or outdoors
when the light is poor.

Not only that — but its fine grain, full
panchromatic color sensitivity, and well-
balanced contrast insure sparkling, life¬
like results.

Triple S Pan Film has wide latitude,
too! A quality which helps you get good
pictures even when your exposures are
something more or less than perfect.

Make sure you ask for Ansco Triple S
Pan Reversible Film. Available for both
8 and 16mm cameras — in 100- and 50-foot

rolls for 16mm and in 25-foot (double¬
width) rolls for 8mm. Ansco, Bing¬
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General Aniline & Film Corporation.

Ansco

8 and 16mm
TRIPLE S PAN
FILM

KEEP YOUR EYE ON ANSCO — FIRST WITH THE FINEST

American Cinematographer • February, 1945

61

Requirements of Educational
Film Presentation

(Continued from Page 54)

having been taken, it is useful to see
such a film again so that his store of
knowledge can be re-adjusted by seeing
the whole range of the subject again.

Introductory or revision films are on
the borderline of the background film. I
have already said that this is a very
valuable type. The general method of
approach has already been worked out
successfully by the documentary group
of film makers. To use the metaphor of
the newspaper, it corresponds to the
leading article. A certain number of
facts are stated and from them certain
conclusions are drawn.

Another type of background film is
the travelogue, preferably without the
musical accompaniment or the wise¬
cracks. I have indeed seen many the¬
atrical films which, had they not been
marred by cheap witticisms, would have
been admirable background and even
classroom films.

Subjects of Films

And now let us leave the types of film
and their different uses to what subjects
films should be about. Really, there is
scarcely one that is not susceptible to
film treatment. As yet, however, many
have only received scurvy treatment at
the hands of those who put out films.

Of all the subjects that have been
mishandled, I suppose Geography is the
worst. Only too often, owing to the cost
of having proper films made, firms have
been too content to take the product of
an amateur on holiday in some part of
the world, give it a superficial dose of
reediting and put it out as a teaching-
film. Another type of film which, be¬
cause it is free, is often used for Geog¬
raphy teaching is the tourist film lead¬
ing up to the excellence of an hotel or
the comfort of a cruising liner or the
railway facilities in a certain country.

Geography

It will probably be more expensive to
make first-class Geography film than
any other. A special unit has to be sent
to distant parts. The unit must have
considerable knowledge of what is really
wanted. For no matter how carefully
the script is worked out before, it will
have to be adjusted on arrival. The
cameraman must resist the temptation
to take a shot just because it is a good
shot. The Director must be like a good
journalist and in a short time get be¬
neath the surface and spot the really
significant facts. The backers must be
prepared for a high proportion of waste
material, as overshooting is essential if
the editor is to have enough material at
his disposal to produce an effective re¬
sult. Once the unit has returned there
is no change of a retake.

Probably the greatest mine of as yet
unquarried material lies in the vaults of
the feature makers. For many feature
films, units have been sent overseas on

location and brought back thousands of
feet of material of which only a frac¬
tion was ever used. Often they took out
a sound van also, and got the natural
sounds. What a boon it would be if,
despite the tiny profits, if any, that
could be made, these companies as a
philanthropic gesture paid a small fee
to a good teacher to go through the ma¬
terial in their possession. Then if his
advice was in the affirmative, they would
get an editor on to the job in coopera¬
tion with the teacher.

Biology Subjects

The supplies of films on biological and
zoological subjects all reach a high level
of excellence. Even the amateur makes
a reasonably good job of it, as his ma¬
terial is moving in itself. The profes¬
sionals, especially when they are using
slow or speeded-up photography, or when
they use micro-photography, almost al¬
ways turn out magnificent material. My
only comment is that much of it is still
a little too far advanced for the younger
children for whose needs I am making a
special plea tonight.

Oddly enough a closely related sub¬
ject, Physiology, has been rather neg¬
lected. All children are far more inter¬
ested in the workings of their own

bodies than in that of a worm, an ant
or a rabbit. Whether the matter is
looked at from the point of view of good
health or sex education, there would
seem to be a tremendous field here

awaiting exploitation. Much of the stuff
would obviously have to be diagram¬
matic, but skilful use of the X-ray could
blend diagram into actuality, as was
done in a German film on Breathing
which I saw before the war.

(To Be continued in the March Issue)

"Doubtful Dollars"

WO new motion pictures have been
produced by the safety education
department of the Aetna Life Affiliated
Companies in cooperation with the Unit¬
ed States Secret Service, Treasury De¬
partment, and will form vital parts of a
nationwide crime prevention campaign
being conducted by that agency.

The films are: “Doubtful Dollars,”
which calls attention to the specific faults
which usually distinguish counterfeit
from real money; and “Check and Dou¬
ble-check,” which is aimed at curtailing
the forgery of government checks, mil¬
lions of which are now being sent to
dependents of men and women in the
armed forces. This latter film was pro¬
duced in cooperation with the American
Bankers Association, as well as the
Secret Service.

In making these films, Aetna Life tech¬
nicians chalked up a number of “firsts.”
Special permission had to be obtained
from Treasury Secretary Morgenthau to
photograph, for the first time, both good
and counterfeit money in full color for
a motion picture. This was important

New S.V.E. Picturol Catalog

A new Picturol Catalog, which lists
many new slidefilms, has been announced
by the Society for Visual Education.
The catalog includes, among other slide-
films, an entirely new series of Picturols
on the National Parks of the United
States.

Another new slidefilm of timely inter¬
est is “Romance of the Alaska High¬
way,” a picture story of the building of
the Alcan Highway to supply the ti-oops
in Alaska and the Aleutians. In contrast
are two new slidefilms on the life and
scenic attractions in the Virgin Islands.

Other educational slidefilm additions
include “Elementary Meteorology” (three
slidefilms); “Origin and Basic Definitions
of Algebra” (two slidefilms); “Mathe¬
matical Instruments” (4 slidefilms pre¬
senting different types of instruments
and their use); “Theory of Flight” (4
slidefilms).

Many other interesting and instruc¬
tive slidefilms have been added to the
extensive S.V.E. Picturol library. Some
are accompanied by teacher’s manuals,
and others include full infonnation in
the titles and subtitles of the slidefilm.

Copies of the new S.V.E. Picturol
Catalog are furnished free upon request
to the Society for Visual Education, Inc.,
100 East Ohio Street, Chicago 11, Illinois.

New Slidefilm on Air
Transportation

“Air Transportation . . . Jobs and
You,” second in a series of slidefilms
presented by United Air Lines, is de¬
signed primarily to explain the various
jobs in the field of air transportation.
This slidefilm was prepared by the De¬
partment of School and College Service
of United Air Lines and is distributed by
the Society for Visual Education.

This fifty-six frame slidefilm is de¬
signed for use in junior and senior high
schools and junior colleges. It will an¬
swer any of the questions asked today
concerning the employment possibilities
in the new and rapidly developing field
of air transportation. The slidefilm and
its new type of fully illustrated teacher’s
manual present an accurate picture of
the wide diversification of jobs in com¬
mercial aviation, and indicate clearly the
requirements for employment and the
numerous advantages to those who have
qualified as employees. The film and
manual provide excellent assistance to
those who are confronted with the prob¬
lem of presenting the complete story of
aviation as an industry.

The manual which accompanies the
slidefilm is unique in presenting frame
by frame exactly the illustrations used
in the slidefilm. This enables the instruc¬
tor to prepare for presentation without
actually projecting the various pictures
in the slidefilm. The manual is also used
extensively for further study by stu¬
dents, and in some instances where pro¬
jection equipment is not available.

62 February, 1945 • American Cinematographer

"Arcs and film go hand in hand for fine photography"

—James Wong Howe , A.S.C.

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American Cinematographer • February, 1945

63

Ampro Executive

Ervine N. Nelson, new Educational Sales Director
for Ampro Corporation.

The Documentary Film

(Continued from Page 45)

Here again is a simple example of
the preparation of a documentary film.
Like myself, most producers, have a
great desire to create an outstanding
photographic film. An exterior would never
be done without the sunlight at a par-
t'cular angle. An addition of reflectors
to help lighten a darkened area. Even a
scene in its natural surroundings is spiced
with lights for that photographic effect.
This creation of eye appeal draws audi¬
ence reaction to its artistic value and
in most instances weakens its intended
purpose. So often, there is an anxiety
to favor a cultural audience with this
fare, that the facts become terrifically
distorted by the time all hands have
made their contributions.

I was cameraman on a film titled,
“Growing Americans” directed by Gene
Martel, director of talent and screen tests
for Paramount Pictures in New York,
who has been connected with the pro¬
duction of documentary films for many
years. This film was made for the Co¬
ordinator of Inter-American Affairs, to
be used for the betterment of our rela¬

tions with the South American coun¬
tries. This story, a re-enactment by two
boys, is a true story of their occupation
in their spare time. No make-up was
used, and the film was produced on their
own chicken farm, on their home
grounds, with their neighbors acting in
the picture with them. As authentic as
it possibly could be, it is a story re-told
and re-enacted and it can easily be made
to favor a particular point; with a wee
bit of good editing and music to glide
over the silent and unspoken portions;
but, IS THIS A DOCUMENTARY
FILM?

I am not against films of this type,
rather I am for them, but if I were
put on a jury and cross examined, I
would demand facts. I would not accept
a re-enactment as a document. A news¬
paper editor or a judge would ask for
facts, are re-enacted films facts ?

I have a profound respect for the film
produced by Paul Strand, Robert Flah¬
erty, Julien Bryan, Willard Van Dyke,
Pare Lorenz, Joris Ivens, John Grierson,
Herb Kline, Julian Roffman and Ralph
Steiner and the films they have contrib¬
uted of places and people. Space does
not allow an elaboration of their par¬
ticular films, but if you have seen, “Na-
nook of the North,” “The River,” “The
Plow That Broke the Plains,” “The City,”
“Native Land,” “Lights Out in Europe,”
“The Forgotten Village,” then you have
either accepted them as documentaries
or as pure entertainment. If they be
true documentary, then what about the
films made daily, by these men; they are
perhaps unfamiliar to you, they are:
Neil Sullivan, Larry O’Reilly, Jack Pain¬
ter, A1 Mingalone, Doug Dupont, Jimmy
Pergola, Bob Donahue, Lou Hutt, U. K.
Whipple, Tommy Craven, Roy Edwards,
Jimmy Lyons, Max Markman, Willard
Van Der Veer, Norman Alley, Joe Gib¬
son, A1 Gold, Jack Kuhne, Carl Larsen,
Leo Rossi, Harry Harde, Dave Oliver,
Irving Smith, Capt. Fred Fordham,
George Doran, Capt. Teddy Rickman,
Frank du Paty, Harry Tugander, Ariel
Vargis, Harold McCracken, Joe O’Brien,
Howard Winner, Johnny Lapanne, Walter
McGinnis, Ferdinand Delgado, men who
make such films as, “The Magic Carpet,”
“Fitzpatrick Travelogue,” “This Is Amer¬
ica,” “The March of Time,” Pathe News,
Movietone News, News of the Day, Uni¬
versal News, Paramount News, Eugene
Castle’s “Seeing America.”

I have worked side by side with many
of these men and I know that they
have covered the globe and have photo¬
graphed documentary evidence of news
events of important historical signifi¬
cance, of places and people. Many of
them are now covering special assign¬
ments as war correspondents; some have
been wounded, some have given their
lives in bringing to you “real” docu¬
mentary films. Little publicity is given
these men, they do not seek it. They
are the unheralded “Documentary Film”
producers who have been making these
films for from twenty to thirty-five
years. I have the ambition, if I had the
time, I could write a book about these

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64

February, 1945 • American Cinematographer

m®

Fred DuVlhi* DeVRY-

y® S* <** a"d

DeVRY Equipment Gets Around

From Noumea, New Caledonia, comes another page for the long record of
DeVRY motion picture cameras used to film events where the first shooting
is the only shooting — where there are no rehearsals and no retakes. At
Noumea, Cameraman Fred Dunn used a DeVRY to film ceremonies commem-

rating the centenary of the landing of Roman Cath-
olic Missionaries — an event of considerable historic
significance— a record of which was desired for the
continent. In Peace as in War, DeVRY 35mm.
and 16mm. motion picture cameras are relied upon
by newsreel men, by professional cinematographers,
to come through the toughest of conditions with the
best possible of filmed records of the event to be
filmed: witness — “DESERT VICTORY,” “TUNI¬
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Film of Leyte Invasion

Lytle Heads Bureau

men and their tales that would excite
your every fibre.

I would like to especially make a
point of the film, “The Forgotten Vil¬
lage,” produced by Herb Kline, from the
script by John Steinbeck. I particularly
mention this film, for, when the expedi¬
tion was in preparation, I was instru¬
mental in supplying some of the photo¬
graphic equipment which was used on
this film. I saw the film about a year
or so later and may I say from the
standpoint of production, photography,
dramatic content, music and narration,
it was excellent, but, IS THIS A TRUE
DOCUMENTARY FILM?

I quote this from an item by a London
correspondent, in the New York Times
of June 28, 1944, “When the film opened
in London at the Academy Cinema,
after having had a stormy passage with
the censors,” the reporter says, “The
intelligentsia are descending like a storm
of bees on ‘The Forgotten Village.’ Box
office receipts have been solid at a mo¬
ment when most West End show busi¬
ness in slumping. ‘The Forgotten Vil¬
lage’ may be, as a representative of the
Mexican government confided to us after
the premiere, ‘A Hollywood Dream,’ but
Steinbeck, who knows intelligentsia al¬
most as well as he knows his peons,
certainly seems to have been dreaming
with his eyes open.”

Then too, I want to particularly com¬
mend the wonderful documentary films
being made in recording the war by our
Army, Navy, Signal Corps, Maritime
Service, Air Forces and Marines and
the work of our Allies.

I take exception to a letter written
by a civilian to the editor of the New
York Post, some time ago, in which he
criticized a film he saw on the “Inva¬
sion of Sicily,” in his local theater. This
film made by men, some of whom prob¬
ably have given their lives was criti¬
cized for its lack of artistic photography
(he compared it to Hollywood made pro¬
ductions) he further criticized the poor
quality of color, (it was photographed
on 16mm. Kodachrome and enlarged to
35mm. by Technicolor for theatrical re¬
lease) and that little attempt had been
made in artistic editing. Here, we have
criticism of a “real” documentary film,
made by men who do their fighting
with a camera, in face of danger to life;
many of whom have made the extreme
sacrifice in recording these facts of the
war for us. Why anyone should expect
entertainment from a source such as this,
is more than I can understand.

I put the facts before you, is a film
a “Documentary” because it tells a story
about real people in original locations
regardless of the addition of actors,
music, narration and dramatic editing,
as long as it satisfies and entertains
us, or, is it a “Documentary” when it
presents original facts. What do you
think ?

NOTE: All rights reserved by the author, in¬
cluding the right to reproduce this article or por¬
tions thereof, in any form.

The historic American invasion of
Leyte island in the Philippines has
been recorded in an action-packed docu¬
mentary film called “Going North,”
made by a Netherlands East Indies film
unit, according to Aneta, Netherlands
News Agency. The Australia press hailed
it as one of the best authoritative Pa¬
cific war pictures yet made.

The picture portrays the American
soldiers leaving their invasion barges
and going ashore under the terrific bar¬
rage of the warships. The bombardment
and its results are also photographed.

Alfred Y. Lytle, a member of the mo¬
tion picture bureau of the Aetna Life
Affiliated Companies since 1940, has been
named supervisor of this bureau accord-
in to an announcement by Stanley F.
Withe, manager of the advertising and
publicity department. Mr. Lytle succeeds
Frederick W. Bright, who has resigned.

Experienced in both the technical and
dramatic phases of motion picture pro¬
duction, Mr. Lytle takes over the super¬
vision of the motion picture bureau at a
time when expansion of its facilities is
in prospect in the fields of educational
and sales promotional films.

American Cinematographer • February, 1945

65

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Fact Films to the Front

(Continued from Page 47)

De Rochemont points out that the
documentary technique is no screen
novelty. The first pictures ever made,
in the screen’s infancy, were fact films,
recording scenes of actuality. In recent
years, pictures like “The Grapes of
Wrath,” “How Green Was My Valley,”
and “Wilson” have utilized documentary
elements. The tremendous circulation
given newsreels and government films
during the war has furthered this trend.
Today there is less of a gap between the
fact and fiction film than before. Short
subjects like the March of Time, This
Is America and The World in Action
series have had widespread circulation.
The latter series stems from Canada
where John Grierson, who founded the
British documentary movement, is now
building up a powerful documentary
school.

De Rochemont’s next production will
be “Now It Can Be Told,” based on the
activities of the F.B.I. J. Edgar Hoover
has thrown open all of his facilities to
the producer. Part of the picture will
be re-enacted by little-known actors, but
all of it will be solidly based on fact,
and will utilize real settings wherever
possible. There will be a regular story
line concerning the war against enemy
espionage. As his third production, de
Rochemont plans to make “Boomerang,”
and afterwards a feature-length film
dealing with the newsreel business, its
history, highlights and methods.

De Rochemont himself is a veteran
newsreel cameraman. He has been en¬
gaged in making movies since he was 15
years old, when he sold free-lance film
to the newsreel companies. In 1923 he
joined the Fox newsreel where he ob¬
tained valuable experience in the busi¬
ness of transferring the raw stuff of
reality to film.

The famous Indian race riot films, tak¬
en by Fox Movietone in 1930-31 in Bom¬
bay — footage which is still used today in
most screen depictions of India — was
smuggled out of that country by de
Rochemont. He put the exposed film into
empty cans, and put the unexposed film
into the riot film cans. The police con-

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fiscated the latter and de Rochemont put
on a good show of pi’otesting. Meanwhile,
he gave the exposed film to a British
nurse who was sailing for Marseilles.
He labelled the film as a travelogue,
“Poona Festival,” and ultimately the en¬
tire 2000 feet of riot film reached New
York. There it was placed in a vault,
under the impression that it was simply
travelogue film. It was finally retrieved
from the vaults and hit the nation’s
screens like a bombshell.

On another occasion, a screen show¬
man purchased the exclusive newsreel
rights to the Zev-Papyrus race in 1925.
All other cameramen were barred from
the track. Fox Movietone decided to
scoop this producer. There was a soft-
drink truck at the track with a big mug-
on it. De Rochemont constructed a plat¬
form inside the mug and placed his
cameramen there. He also made a deal
with the U. S. Navy to teach a niimljfer
of gobs how • to operate the Sept hand
camera, which was a novelty then, and
which ran only 30-40 feet of film. The
sailors were placed at strategic places
around the track and all of them got
shots of the race, which de Rochemont
subsequently used. This maneuver was
instrumental in putting an end to the
business of selling exclusive newsreel
rights to any one company.

When de Rochemont was head of the
March of Time he had occasional scraps
with the Axis governments. He once
wanted to obtain a full, unexpurgated
copy of “Blitzkrieg in Polen,” the Ger¬
man propaganda film of the invasion of
the Low Countries. The German em¬
bassy would only give de Rochemont its
edited, propaganda version. De Roche¬
mont had a copy of the film secretly
made. This was smuggled to Canada and
then smuggled across the border to New
York. But first the Canadian Mounted
Police were tipped off by de Rochemont
and they confiscated the film at the bor¬
der as alien property. Afterward, de
Rochemont was able to purchase the
film from them for $1, and the Germans
were powerless to interfere. De Roche¬
mont later showed the film to Ulrich von
Gienanth, the first Secretary of the Ger¬
man Embassy in New York. He rigged
up a microphone secretly in the projec¬
tion room and recorded von Gienanth’s
muttered comments: “Germany is no
longer a small nation and does not have
to put up with such things.” Fritz Kuhn,
leader of the Bund, also saw the film
and exclaimed: “If Hitler sees this I’m
ruined!”

De Rochemont, it is apparent, is no
executive who operates from behind a
big desk. He is typical of the newsreel
cameraman in that he is ingenious, has
a nose for news and the ability to get it.
His experience is now proving useful in
his new position as producer of non¬
fiction films for Twentieth Century-Fox.
All of de Rochemont’s pictures will tell
a story and attempt to be entertaining,
but in terms of reality and not of fic¬
tion. His films will not grind any propa-

(Continued on Page 70)

66 February, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Mobile jeep picture unit, using a DeVry model "XD" 35mm. semi-portable theatre sound projector, brings
a laugh and memory of other days to Australian troops in New Guinea. It is eguipment like this, plus
the production of secret electronic devices for the Navy, that have brought the DeVry Corporation its

fourth Army-Navy "E" award.

Artistic Titling Tips

(Continued from Page 60)

We then marked the title number,
symbols and footage required in the up¬
per right hand corner and they were
ready for shooting.

A long table top furnished the work
bench. Down the center we drew a line
and six inches each side of it we fastened
a piece of one by two board forming-
guides for two pieces of board, one foot
wide and two feet long. On one we built
the title frame. On the other a table to
hold miniatures, larger pictures, etc.
By this method we could slide them back
and forth, knowing at all times they
would be square with the camera, and
the cross lines on the frames would be
exact with the center of the lense.

We had the titles made to cover an
area of 7 x 10 inches on a board 12 x
14 inches. This gave us a two foot focus
with the one inch lense. The miniatures
were made for a 16 x 22 area with a
focus of five feet, so that we could make
them easier as well as having the depth
of focus and room for lighting.

With everything ready, the camera
loaded and in it’s place, and fastened
down solid to the table, we took up a
foot of negative for safety sake and set
the counter at zero. We now took out
the lens and through the aperture we
made and X with pen and India ink on
the film. We then replaced the lens,
turned on the lights, consulted our dia¬
gram and by following it perfectly,
checking off each operation as made, we

made the backgrounds. After the last
background was made we ran an extra
foot and made another X on the film
through the aperture, rewound to the
beginning and checked to see if the
little cross mark was in the aperature
at zero.

It is well to remember when making-
backgrounds to keep them soft. Do not
light too heavily, and do not stop your
lens down very far; only enough to
carry depth of focus. This you can check
on chart “A.” But when you make the
titles, give them plenty of light and
stop down so as to make them more con¬
trasty.

The titles were now dropped one at a
time in the title holder, the title set at
two feet. We took our meter readings as
before and checked continuously with the
footage meter on the camera to see that
we were correct. At the finish, we were
happily surprised when we checked with
the aperture to find the X at the end
within three frames, which was very
satisfactory.

On the backgrounds we had used 75
watt special coil filament projection
lamps, and 100 watt on the titles. On the
miniatures we used a number of them to
give us the desired effects, being care¬
ful at all times to keep the light well
shaded from the lens.

In closing, here is a table that will
help you in making backgrounds and
titles. A one inch lens will cover 3% x
5 inches at one foot; 7 x 10 inches at 2
feet; IOV2 x 15 inches at 3 feet; 14 x
20 inches at 4 feet, and 17V2 x 25 inches
at 5 feet.

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American Cinematographer • February, 1945 67

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Aerial Aces of the Camera
Elmer Dyer, A.S.C.

(Continued from Page 42)

first cameraman who photographed the
Grand Canyon from the air). So Uni¬
versal executives sent him up. He made
the scenes successfully, and was launched
on a new photographic career.

Fox Studios sent him to do the “Air
Circus.” From then on it was aerial
photography for Dyer. Since then he
has done more than forty air films, as
well as two years of aerial photography
for the Air Service in the present war.
He followed “Air Circus” with “The
Great Air Robbery,” “Young Eagles,”
“The Winged Horsemen.” In 1928 he
worked on the famous “Hell’s Angels.”
He followed this with “Flight.” On his
long list appear “The Dawn Patrol,”
“Dirigible,” “Lilac Time,” “Going Wild,”
“Suicide Fleet,” “Air Devils,” “Cock of
the Air,” “The Death Squadron,” “Cen¬
tral Airport,” “White Sister,” “Air Hos¬
tess,” “Today We Live,” “Night Flight,”
“Hell in the Heavens,” “Bright Eyes,”
“Murder in the Clouds,” “Air Mail,”
“Lost Squadron,” “Devildogs of the Air,”
“West Point of the Air,” “Air Fury,”
“Wings Over San Antonio,” “Tailspin,”
“Women of the Winds,” “Wings of the
Navy,” “Shadow of the Wing,” “Only
Angels Have Wings,” “Flying Deuces,”
“Flight Command,” “I Wanted Wings,”
“The Bride Came C.O.D.,” “Dive Bomber”
with Charley Marshall, “Captains of the
Clouds” with Charley Marshall, “Keep
’Em Flying,” “Air Force” also with
Charley Marshall, and his greatest
achievement — “Target for Today,” made
for the Air Service.

Elmer’s an interesting character. He
has his own laboratory and some $20,000
worth of cameras, lenses and equipment.
He also has a talking parrot. When
its yelling becomes too loud, Elmer takes
the parrot out of his cage, carries him
outdoors and puts him up in a banana
tree. Then the parrot is happy. So
is Elmer.

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Aerial Aces of the Camera
Charles Marshall, A.S.C.

(Continued from Page 43)

one, for while he was flying over Salt
Lake City in a transport plane a short
circuit filled the plane with smoke. He
says he was a bit worried until he knew
everything was all right. In 1936 he did
“20,000 Men a Year” for Fox. He had
to fly down through Zion Canyon to
shoot some of that. Then he did “Men
With Wings,” first big Technicolor air
picture.

His next air assignment was “Test
Pilot” for MGM, starring Clark Gable
and Myrna Loy. This was followed by
“Too Hot to Handle.” Charley says he
guesses it was to hot to handle, for his
camera plane cracked up in a ditch at
Long Beach. Two Bell & Howell Cameras
flew by him and grazed his head. When
he crawled out of the plane he had sev¬
eral broken ribs and a slight back in¬
jury. But the Marshall luck held, and
he soon was as good as new.

In 1939, he did “Eternally Yours”
for Walter Wanger. In 1941 he went on
contract with Warner Brothers Studios
and worked on “Dive Bomber” and “Cap¬
tains of the Clouds” along with Elmer
Dyer, A.S.C. This was followed in 1942
with aerial work on Warner’s “Air
Force,” also with Dyer.

In 1943, he spent practically the entire
year with the Navy in Florida and Nor¬
folk, Virginia, where he made “We’ve
Never Been Licked.” In 1944 he did more
confidential work for the Navy and did
the aerial photography on “God Is My
Co-Pilot.”

“While working on that picture,” said
Marshall I photographed a horrifying
accident. Two planes crashed head-on
directly in front of my ship. I got the
entire crash on my film. It was really
awful.”

Charley has been married since 1928.
He’s a quiet, likeable chap, and one who
has been forced to talk about himself.
We like men of his type.

Navy Commendation Given
to Visual Training Corp.

A special commendation for good work
has just been extended to Visual Train¬
ing Corporation, Detroit training and
promotion service specialists, by the
Navy Department through Rear Admiral
D. C. Ramsey of the Bureau of Aero¬
nautics.

This commendation was based in par¬
ticular, said Genaro A. Florez, head of
Visual Training, on the company’s work
in connection with the Packard Marine
Engine training program for the opera¬
tion and maintenance of the 4M-2500
Navy marine engine, used in motor tor¬
pedo boats.

68

February, 1945 • American Cinematographer

New Ampro Booklet

Republication in booklet form of Stan¬
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will happen in the movies the clay War
is over . . is announced by the Ampro
Corporation of Chicago. This stimulating
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The War of Russian Films

(Continued from Page 49)

this new freedom, possible because of
the distance of front-line fighting, has
turned Soviet attention again toward ex¬
perimentation in motion picture produc¬
tion.

In this connection the Soviet Union has
announced two important advances in
“three-dimensional cinematography,” the
result of the work of Russian scientist
Semyon Ivanov, 35-year-old inventor.

Within a few months Moscow audi¬
ences will, it is claimed, see their first
three-dimensional motion picture film.
The first showing of this system was
held in Moscow in February, 1941. Until
recently the exigencies of the war cur¬
tailed experimentation and invention.
Essentially Ivanov’s method consists of
shooting films from two different angles,
and subsequently projecting them simul¬
taneously on a special screen. This sys¬
tem does away with the need of the
two-colored spectacles which formerly
gave depth to vision on the screen.

Ivanov is also experimenting with
what he calls the “integral screen.” For
three years Ivanov has been working on
experimental screens as a solution to the
three-dimensional problem. The first
screen Ivanov designed consisted of
30,000 strands of fine wire. His latest
has 6,000 additional strands and is
backed up by a reflecting surface. These
changes minimize the number of dark
lines that previously obscured parts of
the screen, and also serve to increase
luminosity one and a half times. At the
same time the inventor has worked on
the problem of increasing the luminosity
from a new angle. The design is a light-
power screen consisting of a mirror
glass with several thousand tiny lenses
glued to it. And as distinct from the
usual spherical or cylindrical lenses,
those on Ivamov’s screen are conical.
There are 20 such screens on order to be
used in leading houses in the Soviet
Union.

At present the Russian motion picture
industry is back to what one might call
a normal footing. Because of its impor¬
tance to national life the Soviet film in¬
dustry has a top priority on both sup¬
plies and man-power. An interesting fea¬
ture of the current production program
is the inclusion of a number of pure en¬
tertainment films. We have seen one
of them in this country: “Leningrad
Music Hall,” a variety show of some of
the Union’s finest dancing and singing-
artists. Television is the subject of in¬
tensive research at present in Russia
indeed as it is here in the United States.

But first and foremost, Russia’s films,
as the films of this country, have as then-
first duty — the winning of this war.

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American Cinematographer • February, 1945

69

Fact Films to the Front

(Continued from Page 66)

ganda axes. They will be equivalent to
full-length news reports by a competent
journalist. Darryl Zanuck and his asso¬
ciates will continue to turn out regular
fiction films for the studio, while the
de Rochemont unit will devote itself to
non-fiction films under the Zanuck aegis.
The success of “Wilson,” with its docu¬
mentary ingredients, served to confirm
Zanuck’s theories which hark back to
such semi-documentary endeavors as
“Public Enemy,” “I Am a Fugitive from
a Chain Gang,” “Wild Boys of the
Roard,” and “They Won’t Forget.”

It is de Rochemont’s belief that the
documentary film has not received a
fair chance to prove itself in this coun¬
try. By combining the qualities of reality
with the advanced technique of Holly¬
wood production, the documentary film,
in his estimation, can be a dynamic force
in American moviemaking. The time is
now ripe for pictures reporting to movie¬
goers about the epic events of our time.
The de Rochemont unit hopes to make a
beginning in that direction.

Commercial Processing

(Continued from Page 50)

Under adequate control the sound
quality depends largely upon the me¬
chanical performance of the printer and,
to some extent, upon the type of de¬
veloper used by the laboratory.

The processing conditions under which
these tests were made represent com¬
mercial practice and may not represent
the optimum conditions for processing
16mm. film. They do, however, repre¬
sent the average and the distortion fig¬
ures as indicated in this paper, even
though they may not represent the ab¬
solute minimum, appear to be about the
right order of magnitude for the average
commercial recording.

It should be remembered that the dis¬
tortion figures include the distortion of
the recording and reproducing systems,
as well as the distortion of the film it¬
self. We do not know of any satis¬
factory method for separating these dis¬
tortions. Under existing circumstances,
we do not consider this magnitude pre¬
sents a serious problem.

REFERENCE

1 Baker, J. O., and Robinson, D. H. : "Modu¬
lated High-Frequency Recording as a Means of
Determining Conditions for Optimal Processing,”
J. Soc. Mot. Piet. Eng., XXX (Jan., 1938), p. 3.

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DE BRIE ALL METAL CAMERA MODEL H,
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camera and magazines. Price $625.00. G. O.
RUSSELL. 2977 Remington St., Jacksonville 5,
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HELP WANTED

OLD ESTABLISHED, CENTRALLY LOCATED
Producer of Industrial Motion Pictures and
Slide Films is seeking an experienced production
manager. Do not apply unless you have actually
worked on productions— breaking down scripts
for shooting — planning schedules- and supervis¬
ing the many details which are essentially a
part of every film production
If you are not doing exactly this type of work
at present but if your background is such that
you think you can qualify, we want to hear
f rom you.

You can write in full confidence with the as¬
surance that only the firm’s principals will
read your letter.

Give all details that you think would be of
interest to us.

AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER, BOX 1018.

MISCELLANEOUS

HOME MOVIE FANS, JOIN MOTION PICTURE
Educational Society. Free valuable information.
Box 875, Reading, Pa.

COLLECTO R— INTERESTED CONTACTING
OTHERS. WILL BUY, SELL OR TRADE OLD
MOVIE EQUIPMENT. IRVING BROWNING.
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CAMERAS AND ACCESSORIES

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BUY A WAR BOND TODAY

70

February, 1945 • American Cinematographer

The “shorts” she sees at the movies are a The non-stop War Bond and Stamp drive Many a WAC made up her mind

big help to the family purchasing agent. by exhibitors has brought in millions. to enlist . . . "at the movies."

Informational "shorts" remind the housewife
that kitchen fat is indispensable to victory.

The movie houses of America sent thou¬
sands of blood donors to the Red Cross.

The movies "sell" the kids on getting in the scrap
— and, what's more important, keep them sold.

WE’VE all been in this war so deeply, and for so
long, that it’s hard to remember back to the days
when we thought that wars were fought by fighting men
alone. One of the most important and most effective of
the "recruiting officers” who are making this everybody’s
war is the motion picture exhibitor.

Hundreds of hours of theater time have been contrib¬
uted to the showing of films designed to enlist men and
women for the war plants ... to recruit for the armed
services, the merchant marine, and similar organizations
. . . to help fight inflation ... to keep the scrap tin coming
in, and the kitchen fat and waste paper rounded up.

Millions have been collected for the War Funds. And
when it comes to selling War Bonds and War Stamps,
the exhibitors, their cashiers, and their volunteer work¬
ers not only have smashed quotas right and left during
the drives, but have kept the money rolling in when the
going is toughest — in between the drives.

Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N.Y.

J. E. BRULATOUR, INC., Distributors
FORT LEE CHICAGO HOLLYWOOD

Every war drive
counts heavily
on the exhibitor

°ne of a series of
advertisements by
KODAK testifying to

the achievements of
the movies at war

American Cinematographer ° February, 1945

71

HERE’S a 16mm. magazine-loading
motion picture camera that’s
popular with both beginners and ad¬
vanced amateurs. Beginners like it be¬
cause it is easy to use right, hard to
use wrong. Advanced movie makers
like it because it is designed to keep
pace with their ever-expanding re¬
quirements. And every user benefits
from these three important features,
which were first offered to movie mak¬
ers by Filmo Cameras:

1 Slide-in loading. Simply slide in a 50-
foot film magazine and close the door.
Because the door is at the rear, you can
reload even while the camera is on a
tripod. You can change from black-and-
white to color film in mid-reel — without
fogging a single frame.

2 Built-in, POSITIVE view finder. What
you see, you get. No "amputated” pictures
like the upper and lower ones in the
accompanying diagram, because Filmo’s
exclusive, positive finder is accurate even
though you fail to look through the center
of the eyepiece. Further, this finder is

Buy and Hold More War Bonds

Products combining the sciences of OPTlcs • electrONics • mechanics

fully enclosed within the camera, where
it is safe from damage.

3 Five operating speeds. Your choice
of two speed ranges: 8, 16, 24, 32, and
48 frames per second; or 16, 24, 32, 48,
and 64 frames per second. Both ranges
include the important intermediate
speeds, essential for filming athletic
events and other fast action.

LIFETIME GUARANTEE

Like all Filmo Cameras and Projectors,
the Auto Load carries a lijetime guar¬
antee against defects in materials and
workmanship. This guarantee is
backed by the makers, for 38 years, of
the world’s finest equipment for home
and professional motion pictures.

For information on Filmo Auto Load,
or on other Filmo 16mm. or 8mm. Cam¬
eras, or on Filmosound and silent Pro¬
jectors, see your Bell & Howell dealer or
send the coupon. Bell & Howell Com¬
pany, Chicago; New York; Hollywood;
Washington, D. C.; London. Estab. 1907.

BELL & HOWELL COMPANY

7148 McCormick Road, Chicago 45

Please send me information on : ( ) Filmo Auto Load ;

( ) Other Filmo 16mm. Cameras; ( ) Filmo 8mm.

Cameras and Projectors; ( ) Filmosound Projectors.

Na

me

\dd

ress

City

State

AC

2-45

Distinguished by three
famous Filmo "firsts”

{No. 4 of a series on the manufacture of Du Pont Motion Picture Film.)

Birth of the iilm base

THIS PICTURE shows a work¬
man examining the newly
plated surface of one of the huge
“casting” wheels, which converts
“dope” into film base in the Du
Pont film plant.

In the casting house this wheel
and others like it revolve slowly
and steadily in a gentle counter-
current of conditioned air. The
“dope” — a viscous, syrupy solu¬
tion — is cast upon the highly
polished surface of the revolving
wheel.

Introduction of heat evapo¬
rates part of the solvents; and
before one turn of the wheel is
complete, the skin of “dope” has
become sufficiently strong to be

peeled from the surface. Thus the
crystal-clear nitrate base of Du
Pont Motion Picture Film is born.

Here is a film used by out¬
standing Cinematographers. Its
notable ability to retain the la¬
tent image ... its wide exposure
latitude . . . color balance and de¬

pendable uniformity of speed and
contrast are highly approved
characteristics of this fine film.

E. I. du Pont de Nemours &
Co. (Inc.), Photo Products De¬
partment, Wilmington 98, Del.

In New York: Empire State Bldg.
In Hollywood : Smith & Aller, Ltd.

Buy War Bonds regularly . . . help support our fighting forces!

DU PONT

MOTION PICTURE FILM

BETTER THINGS FOR BETTER LIVING
...THROUGH CHEMISTRY

*!ES. U. s. PAT. OFF-

74

March, 1945 ® American Cinematographer

JVIaking moving pictures of battle action is an important part
of the Signal Corps’ job in this war. In planning new actions,
in analyzing a campaign, in showing the folks at home just
how tough things really are, the camera is an important piece
of equipment.

A cameraman’s job is often dangerous, dirty, and filled with
split-second action. That’s why cameramen swear by their
Bell & Howell Eyemos. When you’re "shooting the shooting”
you’ve got to have equipment that can stand rough and tumble
conditions. You’ve got to have a camera that ignores falls,
mud, jars, shocks, and vibration. And that describes Eyemo.

Seven standard Eyemo models
plus a complete selection of cor¬
related accessories make Eyemo
a personal instrument, tailor-
made to your own specific needs.

Precision-built by the makers of Hollywood’s preferred studio
equipment, Eyemos are working today with Signal Corps men
and newsreel cameramen all over the world. These men know
from experience that they’ll get clear, sharp pictures. They
like Eyemo’s simplicity — its ease of loading and handling.
They know that what they see, they get. Bell & Howell Company,
Chicago; New York; Hollywood; Washington, D. C.; London.
Established 1907.

OPTI-ONICS — products combining the sciences of OPTIcs • electrONics • mechanics

Buy War Bonds

AND KEEP ’EM

BELL & HOWELL COMPANY
7148 McCormick Road, Chicago 45

Please send information on Eyemo Cam¬
eras and accessories.

Name.

Street.

City & State.

American Cinematographer • March, 1945 75

VOL. 26

MARCH, 1945

NO. 3

CONTENTS

as

Aces of the Camera (James J. Seeley, A.S.C.) . By Hal Hall

Where Will You Fit in Television? . By Irving Browning

Production Designing . By Ezra Goodman

Congo Goes to War . By Robert Joseph

Photographing Tokyo from the Air .

Requirements of Educational Film Presentation. By Oliver Bell, M. A.

Through the Editor’s Finder .

Among the Movie Clubs .

Transitions . By Lorus J. Milne

79

80
82
84
86

87

88
92
94

THE FRONT COVER: Director of Photography Arthur Miller, A.S.C.
films a scene on one of the streets of Pai Tan in the 20th Century-Fox
production, “The Keys of the Kingdom.” Central figure in clerical garb is
Gregory Peck, who plays Francis Chisholm. John M. Stahl was the director.

OFFICERS AND BOARD OF GOVERNORS
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

Leonard Smith, President Fred Jackman. Exec. V.-Pres. and Treas.

Joseph Walker, First Vice-President Leon Shamroy, Second Vice-President

Charles Clarke, Third Vice-President Byron Haskin, Secretary

George Folsey, Sergeant-at-Arms

John Arnold Lee Garmes Ray Rennahan

John Boyle Sol Polito John Seitz

Arthur Edeson Ralph Staub

The Staff

•

EDITOR
Hal Hall

•

TECHNICAL EDITOR
Emery Huse, A.S.C.

•

ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Edward Pyle. Jr.

•

WASHINGTON STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Reed N. Haythorne, A.S.C.

•

MILITARY ADVISOR
Col. Nathan Levinson

•

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Mel Traxel

•

ARTIST

Glenn R. Kershner, A.S.C.

•

CIRCULATION AND ADVERTISING
Marguerite Duerr

•

ADVISORY EDITORIAL BOARD
Fred W. Jackman. A. S. C.

Victor Milner. A. S. C.

Alvin Wyckoff. A.S.C.

Farciot Edouart. A. S. C.

Fred Gage, A. S. C.

Dr. J. S. Watson, A. S. C.

Dr. L. A. Jones. A. S. C.

Dr. C. E. K. Mees, A. S. C.

Dr. W. B. Rayton, A. S. C.

Dr. V. B. Sease, A. S. C.

•

AUSTRALIAN REPRESENTATIVE
McGill's, 173 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne,
Australian and New Zealand Agents

•

Published monthly by A. S. C. Agency, Inc.
Editorial and business offices:

1782 North Orange Drive
Hollywood (Los Angeles, 28), California
Telephone: GRanite 2135
•

Established 1920. Advertising rates on appli¬
cation. Subscriptions: United States and Pan-
American Union, $2.60 per year ; Canada, $2.7i
per year ; Foreign. $3.50. Single copies, 26c ;
back numbers, 30c ; foreign, single copies 36e,
back numbers 40c. Copyright 1945 by A. S. C.
Agency, Inc.

•

Entered as second-class matter Nov. 18, 1937,
at the postoffice at Los Angeles, California, under
the act of March 3, 1879.

76

March, 1945 • American Cinematographer

06

Houston’s new Model 7 offers you immediate
and growing opportunities for profit in the 16
mm. processing field. This latest, portable
Houston fills every demand for this operation.

Model 7 operates, under white light, in a com¬
plete mechanical cycle. Exposed film feeds into
machine at one end— emerges at other, devel¬
oped, washed, dried, reeled, ready for projec¬
tion— at the rate of 180 to 420 feet per hour with
development time of 3 to 7 minutes.

Every processing step is under constant, pre¬
determined machine control; so finished results
are uniformly good. You can take care of your
customers while the Model 7 takes care of your
16 mm. processing work.

COMPLETELY SELF-CONTAINED UNIT

Requires no additional equipment • Top frictional drive with floating
bottom elevators for uniform film tension • Precision-built • Compact:

16 MM. NEGATIVE , POSITIVE
OR REVERSAL FILM PROCESSOR

MODEL 7

Write for descriptive folder

50" long, 24" wide, 41" high; 850 lbs. • A.C. 220 volts; 6 K.V.A.

Packaged chemicals numbered and color-coded for easy mixing.

Hi

Houston

THE HOUSTON CORPORATION

11801 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles 25, Calif.

American Cinematographer • March, 1945

77

r

MEET CLEO MOORE who has been christened the blonde bombshell from Louisiana . . . After
she had studied photography in New Orleans she decided she would head for Hollywood . . .
Now she has laid photography aside and seems destined for a career as an actress. She
says she figures she ought to make the grade . . . Well, she seems to have the figure.

(A Hollywood Press Syndidate Photo)

78

March, 1945 • American Cinematographer

ACES

of

the

CAMERA

James J. Seeley

A, S. C,

By HAL HALL

NOT so long ago a subscriber to
th’s magazine wrote me asking if
an Ace of the Camera could be
found only in a Hollywood studio. He
said he had noticed that all of the Aces
written about were in Hollywood, and
he was just curious — wanted to know
if we in Hollywood have a corner on
these gentlemen.

Due to the fact that most of Amer¬
ica’s motion picture making is done in
Hollywood, here is where most of the
Camera Aces are located, but there are
others in various sections of the world.
Take for example, James J. Seeley,
A.S.C., who works for that famous news¬
reel organization, News of the Day.
James has his headquarters in New York
City, but you might find him and his
cameras almost anywhere — depending
upon what news is breaking.

Seeley, although he devotes his time
to photographing news, can well be
called one of our best Aces of the Cam¬
era. In his field, he is tops, and has a
record that is absolutely spectacular and
enviable. Seeley has the knack of being
on the job when the most unexpected
and spectacular news events occur.

Take for example, the horrible ex¬
plosion and burning of the German
Zeppelin, the Hindenburg, at Lakehurst,
New Jersey, in May, 1937. Jim filmed
that awful event from the moment of
the first flash of flame until the huge
airship had been consumed by flames.

“As the Hindenburg arrived at Lake¬
hurst,” says Seeley, “I was set up on
the ground for what I anticipated would
be a routine assignment similar to others
I had covered from time to time. No
one ever , had any idea the Hindenburg
would explode.

“I focused my camera on the big ship
as she approached the mooring mast,
and started grinding away. Two land¬
ing ropes uncurled and fell to earth.

Sailors and civilians grabbed them and
made them fast to other ropes leading
to the mast.

“I was panning my camera across the
body of the ship when the terrific ex¬
plosion took place near the stern. Sud¬
denly flames leaped hundreds of feet into
the air. I was stunned by what I was
witnessing, but the training of every
newsreel man gets to hold his ground
stood me in good stead. By pure reflex
action I kept grinding, even while pas¬
sengers and crew were spewed out of
the cabin windows of the monster and
scrambled from beneath the mass of
flaming fabric, their figures silhouetted
against the background of seething fire.
Not until my film ran out did I cease
grinding. Then I knew I had the pic¬
ture of the Century. I ran to a telephone
booth and notified my office that I had
‘got it,’ and then rushed to New York
by automobile. One hour later I was
looking at it on the screen. It really
was a horrible experience.”

Seeley made newsreel history when he
secured a newsreel scoop of the tragic
Akron disaster in 1933. No matter how
difficult the situation, when Seeley is
there he always gets his pictures . . .
that is, unless he is knocked unconscious
as he was on Labor Day, 1939.

On Labor Day, 1939, Seeley went
along with Federal agents to take pic¬
tures of them destroying a gigantic
bootleg distilling plant they had dis¬

covered in a p’ne forest near Malaga,
New Jersey. But let him tell it.

“The first blast was Okay; just an
explosion such as I had photographed
many times before,” says Seeley. “The
second blast was on the big vats that
held the mash. When that went off a
couple of pieces of flying debris hit me
on the head and right hand. The con¬
cussion threw me through the air about
twenty feet. The legs of the tripod were
sheared off. I was hauled away uncon¬
scious to a hospital. Three days later I
woke up and saw a beautiful blonde
nurse bending over me. I didn’t know
whether I had died or not, so said:
‘Hello, Angel.’ When she smiled and
answered I knew I was still alive.

“Well, I have always been glad I was
injured and taken to that hospital, for
I married that beautiful blonde nurse.”

Seeley calls Atlantic City his home
town, and it was there he got his start
as a cameraman. In fact, in the early
twenties he used to get in the hair, and
in the way, of policemen and firemen in
Atlantic City every time there was any
kind of excitement. He had a camera of
his own, and was busy at all times try¬
ing to find subjects to film which he
could sell to the newsreel companies.
That eai'ly training, when he only got
paid when he got a subject the newsreels
wanted, taught him a lot of things that
have stood him in good stead ever since.

(Continued on Page 104)

American Cinematographer • March, 1945

79

Left, televising Mr, and Mrs. Arthur Murray at the
DUMONT studio.

Where Will You Fit In Television?

By IRVING BROWNING

FOR a long time, many eyes have
been cast in the direction of an in¬
dustry where promised employment
runs into six figures, Television. For
a long time, the newspapers have car¬
ried items about television, such as:
“Television pictures held to be near,”
“Live talent versus films in television,”
“Theatre television to be a reality,”
“600,000 to be employed in television.”

In New York City, we are so near
to television and radio that we hear a
lot of tall and short talk regarding who

will “take over” when television gets the
signal to go ahead. Will it be Video
(live shows) or will it be film, or a
combination of both? That question is
most annoying to those presently em¬
ployed in television; while film people
just keep mum and look on. With that
question unanswered, I got the idea to
look into the matter for the purpose of
doing an article on the subject for to
those of you who are looking to the
television scanner with the hope of
working in this field I thought it would

k fi

Hip' ~

Ml" 1 H ■

i ‘ A

■ A

f j

i i

^3

*

wj

be interesting to see and hear what was
going on, and so here, I present my
findings.

Radio, the theatre, and motion picture
techniques have come up from the bot¬
tom. WILL TELEVISION DO THE
SAME? I hope not, for television must
pass up much experimentation and pick
from the best of the other fields of en¬
tertainment if it is to survive its be¬
ginning. At present, television is pre¬
sented to a minority audience at great
expense to its sponsors who are work¬
ing on a non-profit basis. Until it
gets the OK from the Federal Com¬
munications Commission, television can¬
not charge for the entertainment pro¬
grams they are presenting. I spoke
to an executive of a television station
some years ago and he told me that
up to that time, it had cost television
some $15,000 per television set, receiving
unsponsored entertainment. While it ex¬
periments with advertising media, it re¬
ceives no compensation whatsoever and
television is now a costly experiment
until it really gets going.

To get this story, I decided to talk to
radio writers, directors, producers, tech¬
nicians and executives of television, ra¬
dio, motion pictures and the theatre, and
I have found that opinions vary. Some
talk with assuredness; some with reser-
vations, but they all want to talk about
television.

On December 14th, 1944, I attended
a meeting of the American Television
Society and became a member before
their January meeting because I felt
that here would be a good place to listen
and talk to men and women in the
allied arts, for this organization func¬
tions as a laboratory where new ideas,
methods, inventions, technical and edu¬
cational practices are threshed out.
Here is a program of a season’s activi¬
ties:

October 12, 1944 — Television and Gov¬
ernment.

November 16, 1944 — 30 Million Television
sets — when and where.

December 14, 1944 — Television and sports.
January 11, 1945 — Seeing is believing —
Television in advertising.

February 15, 1945 — Scenic design —
Stage — Screen — Television.

March 15, 1945 — Television at home or
at the theatre.

April 12, 1945 — Camera technique —
Screen and Television.

May 12, 1945 — 'Television and the visual
arts.

These meetings, conducted as forums,
have exhibits of everything from radio,
motion pictures and television, highlight¬
ed by speakers from all branches of
the entertainment field. It was particu-

Left, New York Times' "Fashions of the Times" being
televised over CBS television station WCBW-N.Y.

larly interesting to me to listen to Bill
Slater, at the meeting of December 14th,
tell of his problem in radio and the
problem which he knows he will en¬
counter when he goes on the air in tele¬
vision. Slater now has four assistants
working with him because it is impos¬
sible for him to note all details which
are necessary for him to tell his audi¬
ence in any game of sport. In football
when a man makes a “run,” what dis¬
tance was that “run,” who stopped who,
who fumbled and who picked up ? He
sits atop the grandstand and when a
play is made, all he can see is the num¬
ber on the back of the player but one
of his assistants, whose job it is to
check numbers with players names, pre¬
pares to hold up a chart with the play¬
er’s name and number and pointing to
it, while Slater takes up the cue and
passes it on to the listening audience
and is ready to watch the game again.
When a particular gain is made, it is
the job of one of his assistants to hold
up his chart while pointing out the
distance lost or gained so that when
Slater gets to tell of that detail, all
he does is look over his shoulder, see
the chart and call out the distance. The
other two assistants serve in similar
capacities and, as a crew, they all work
at feverish speed the whole time they
are on the air.

Now, says Slater, comes the rub. Co¬
ordinating the work of the cameraman
who is to get the visual, while he sup¬
plies the mental. That is going to be
something. Any newsreel cameraman
will agree that it is some job to follow
action of a football game to perfection.
There’s only one chance to get it, it
cannot be done over again as in produc¬
tion, so the cameraman must be good.
Imagine a fine descriptive patter com¬
ing over the air, but the eye misses the
play. Here, you will get an unfavor¬
able combination of reactions.

Slater favors film in television, he says
that it will play an important part in
sports especially. Take for instance a
horse race. Radio can put an announcer
with a microphone in many places and
fill in the alloted time before and after
the race. Television cannot have many
cameras in many places to cover a race
in the same manner. He says that the
newsreel library will be a busy place,
for television will depend on the mo¬
tion picture film library for the prepa¬
ration of material, as in the case where
a horse is the favorite and a former
winner. The film library can prepare a
film made up from those former races
which will be shown before the start
of the race. This film gives such a
sports event human interest and the tele¬
vision camera and announcer give it
the thrill of the race to follow. This

Right Top, Everett Holies, news analyst on CBS Tele¬
vision Station WCBW-N.Y.

Right, Dumont Television televising "The Crime Quiz"
for WNEW Television Workshop over Station WNEW.

■; '■ - •

point of enlightenment, which Bill Slater
has cleared for us on the use of film,
will give you some idea on other uses
of films in connection with political, in¬
dustrial, advertising and travel pro¬
grams.

I heard a speaker on fashions com¬
plain that she hoped that television would
not make the demands on the fashion
experts that the motion picture does.
She made reference to colors, claiming
that she would never be interested m
designing for motion pictures because
of such demands. But what I have
seen of television makes me feel that
she will have her wish. If television
will have better lighting systems, then
it will be entirely up to the director of
photography to get the best results, for
the only demands on color separation in
black and white photography are the

separation of certain colors that photo¬
graph the same. We know that blue
will photograph dark on pancromatic
film, while red will photograph light and
we get the reverse tones when using
ortho films.

My admiration for the wise words of
Paul Raibourn. Mr. Raibourn is an
economist for Paramount Pictures, who
is heading their television interests and
he says, “These definitions should make
it clear that we are not necessarily talk¬
ing about antipathetic elements. Sound
motion pictures is a term which could
be used to describe the valuable program
content in both television and motion
picture film. It is a term which can
also include a large number of elements
which are not covered in the definitions

(Continued from Page 90)

IK .

Hvi. • r a

i Ip i

Production Designing

By EZRA GOODMAN

THE name of William Cameron
Menzies listed as production de¬
signer on a motion picture is just
another unknown quantity as far as the
average cash customer is concerned. The
moviegoer usually goes to a picture to
see a certain story or his favorite stars,
and his or her interest usually stops
at that point. In the trade, however,
Menzies is a name with which to con¬
jure. He has been a motion picture de¬
signer for more than a quarter of a

century and he has contributed much to
such superior productions as “Gone With
the Wind,” “Our Town,” “The Devil
and Miss Jones,” “Kings’ Row,” “Pride
of the Yankees” and “For Whom the
Bell Tolls.”

As production designer, Menzies is
concerned with the visual over-all ap¬
pearance of a picture, a function which
puts him in particularly close touch
with the cameraman. Menzies has worked
with some of the best lensmen in the

business, like George Barnes, Gregg To-
land, Rudolph Mate, Ernest Heller,
and James Wong Howe. Long before
a picture goes into production Menzies
is at work “pre-staging” it in terms of
sketches that encompass mood, char¬
acter, background and camera setup. He
may work from an unfinished script,
or sometimes from a book, like “Gone
With the Wind” and “For Whom the
Bell Tolls,” that has not yet been broken
down into scenario form. He keeps in
touch with the producer, director, art
director, scenarist and cameraman, and
is on hand when actual production gets
underway. Menzies defines his own job
as a kind of “pre-staging.” He says
that there is a spot between the scenario
and the direction that an artist, trained
in film fundamentals, can usefully fill.
His production designs are, in that sense,
an intermediate process between the
printed word and its visualization on
celluloid.

Today there are other men who are
known as production designers, but Men¬
zies was the first and is still the fore¬
most of them. Born in New Haven,
Conn., 49 years ago, of parents who
came from Scotland, he returned to Scot¬
land with his mother when he was six
years old and received his early school¬
ing abroad. He was illustrating chil¬
dren’s books when George Fitzmaurice,
the pioneer Pathe producer and director,
became interested in his work. Fitz¬
maurice wanted an artist to create the
illusion of a palm grove on a tropic isle
for a picture. Menzies solved it simply,
by taking two big palm-leaf fans, carv¬
ing them into a semblance of nature, and
projecting their shadows on a back¬
ground. As a result, he got a job with
Fitzmaurice, and that was the origin
of the unique Menzies method of set de¬
signing.

Menzies was art director for many pic¬
tures, including Lubitsch’s first Ameri¬
can production, “Rosita,” and Fairbanks’
“The Thief of Bagdad,” as well as “Dark
Angel,” “Coquette,” “Taming of the
Shrew” and “The Tempest.” The latter
won him his first Academy Award for
art direction. All the while he was put¬
ting his own ideas about movie-making
into effect in his drawings. His first
opportunity to really demonstrate his
developed technique came with Gold-
wyn’s “Bulldog Drummond” in 1929. For
this picture he established the technique
of doing a complete layout of every
camera setup, which he has been doing
ever since.

He was art director with United Art¬
ists for twelve years and then directed
several pictures for Fox, always doing
a production-design continuity. For
Paramount he directed “Alice in Wonder¬
land,” and then went to England for

The illustrations on these two pages are reproductions
of the original sketches made by Mr. Menzies for the
opening sequence of "The Greatest Gift," and are
indicative of his method of preparation of a produc¬
tion design.

Alexander Korda where he directed “The
Shape of Things to Come.” He came
back to Hollywood for David Selznick
and was production designer on “Noth¬
ing Sacred,” “The Adventures of Tom
Sawyer,” “Made for Each Other,” “Inter¬
mezzo” and “Gone With the Wind.” In
recent years he was associated fairly
consistently with Director Sam Wood on
some of his best pictures. After pro¬
ducing and directing “Address Un¬
known,” he has now signed a long-term
contract at RKO whereby he will pro¬
duce and direct pictures for that studio.

For the average picture, Menzies
makes from 1200 to 1400 ditferent
sketches. “Gone With the Wind” ran
to 2500 drawings. There is a sketch
for every individual camera setup that
will be seen in the finished film. Work¬
ing from the script, he first draws nu¬
merous thumbnail sketches that indicate
the lighting and pattern of a scene
bi'oken down into its component ele¬
ments. For key scenes he will do a big
sketch in detail. If these could be
skimmed rapidly before the eye they
would add up to a sort of preview of the
motion picture in question.

Take as an example Menzies’ current
stint at RKO. This will be his last
straight job as a production designer,
for he will next direct and design a
picture on his own. His present assign¬
ment is a forthcoming Cary Grant pic¬
ture, “The Greatest Gift,” which Clifford
Odets is writing and directing. Menzies
took on the assignment because the pic¬
ture provided him with broad scope for
his talents. The film will be a dramatic
fantasy, with heavenly sequences. Odets’
conception of heaven, however, is not
one of clouds and choirs. The opening
shot calls for “a pleasant, neat street,
lined with old fashioned trees and sev¬
eral comfortable residence houses about.”
A four-year old girl is shown walking
towards the camera. By subtly delineat¬
ing everything out of proportion, Menzies
has instilled an eerie quality into the
sequence. The girl is shown as too small,
and the trees a little too big. The
scene is overstaged. In later, realistic
sequences, Menzies is able to capitalize
on the contrast between the two types
of scenes in the picture.

Menzies has definite ideas about the
visual side of a motion picture. He
likes to compose with the camera frame,
instead of inside it. In other words,
Menzies’ sketches reach to the borders
of the frame instead of falling within
the frame. Menzies does not believe
in composition for its own sake. There
has to be a reason for every shot and
every shot has to contribute to the story
that is being told. He particularly dis¬
likes to waste space and he likes to
keep his people and backgrounds clari¬
fied. Normally he keeps his action close
to the camera. He uses long shots for
mood or violent action. Closeups are
for the punctuation of a face or char¬
acter. He believes in cutting and not
in the moving camera, for he holds
that the latter wastes footage, that the
cameraman has less control of composi¬

tion and that the audience is disturbed
by it. He likes pan shots because he
finds them natural.

Menzies uses the low camera a good
deal, but he seldom places a camera
setup under table or desk height. He
finds that with a lower camera, the
background evolves into plain surfaces
like sky or walls, and the people stand
out more clearly. Usually people are
the important things and Menzies pre¬
fers to stress them. He holds that the
face is the all-important part of a per¬
son, unless there is good reason to shift
the camera’s attention elsewhere. In
closeups, the face, eyes, nose and mouth
are all that matters, according to Men¬
zies. Sometimes he uses no chin or

hair in his facial closeups. A camera¬
man once said to him, “Let’s pull back
to a long shot now and show the chin
and hair.”

Menzies’ theories, in other words, hark
back to the great directors and theoreti¬
cians of the silent era in his emphasis
on cutting and detailed camera setups.
He says that the director who influenced
him most was Murnau, creator of pic¬
tures like “The Last Laugh” and “Sun¬
rise.” He also mentions the visual
strength and integrity of “Variety,” and
the pictures of the Russian masters.

Menzies likes to use the wide angle
lens for deep focus shots. He points
out that this amounts to a long shot
(Continued on Page 100

Qonqo t)0^A Jo li)ah

By ROBERT JOSEPH

A FRICA is one of the proving grounds
f-\ of this war, for it is on the “Dark
Continent” that we can best judge
to a limited degree what kind of pro¬
gram the victorious nations have planned
for the world after the war.

Africa’s history, as any school boy
can tell you, has been one of plunder
and neglect; a race for markets and
raw materials; a continent that has been
the pawn for empire and conquest for
many centuries; a continent that in the
Algeciras Crisis of 1912 almost precipi¬
tated a world war that was to come two
years later; a continent that in the
Ethiopian conquest by Italy proved to
be the prelude to World War II.

Today Africa’s importance, both as
a background for battle and as one of
the stakes in the conflict, has been even
greater. The Nazis and Italian fascists
were thrown out of Africa after many
dark and perilous months. The shame of
Ethiopia has been eradicated. Liberia
and Haille Sellasie’s Empire have taken
their rightful places in the council of
nations. And the citizens of that vast
continent are beginning to awake from
the restrictions and injustices of cen¬
turies.

The might and potentialities of Africa
come to light in the Belgian Govern¬
ment’s official documentary, “Congo,”
produced and directed by the talented
young film craftsman, Andre Cauvin, an
official of the Belgian Government In¬
formation Center Film Mission. Cauvin,
a recent visitor to these shores, spent
over a year traveling more than twenty
thousand miles in the interior of the
Belgian Congo to record the daily lives
and habits of the native Congolese; to
photograph a dramatic four reel sub¬
ject of what the heart of Africa is do¬
ing for the war effort.

The problems confronted and the phys¬
ical hardships for this motion picture as¬
signment were many. Cauvin and his
troupe reached parts of the Congo where
few white men had ever been before.
Problems of provisioning the outfit were
almost insurmountable. This was no easy
safari for big game hunting. Problems
of actual shooting were many and re¬
quired the most careful study months
in advance.

But Cauvin had behind him an out¬
standing record as a film producer for
both 16 and 35mm. subjects. His docu¬
mentary films on subjects, as varied as

“World Art Pieces — The Works of Van
Eyck” and “Belgian Housing Projects,”
are indicative of Cauvin’s wide interests
and talents as a documentarian. He also
worked with several world-renowned
physicists and chemists in their work,
and was named as the outstanding docu¬
mentary film pi’oducer on the continent.
His pictures were shown and won awards
at film exhibitions in Barcelona, Brussels
and Venice, where he won first prize for
one of his motion picture subjects. In
1940 he was appointed Film Counselor
to the Belgian Government and joined
the Belgian Army during the 1940
Spring campaign in the lowlands. After
the Belgian capitulation Cauvin joined
the underground and worked with anti-
Nazi forces until his escape to London.
On numerous later occasions he para¬
chuted back to Belgium to show the
underground and resistance forces Brit¬
ish and American war films and docu¬
mentaries, one of the important factors
in keeping alive the resistance move¬
ment. He made his way back to London
after each of these assignments.

In London in 1942 he was appointed
head of the Belgian Film Mission by the
Government-in-Exile, and was assigned
to make a documentary about the Congo.
He spent a year in Africa, returning
only when his mission was completed. At

Upper left shows native working in cotton mill.
Upper right is scene in school for mechanics, at
Leopoldville. Lower left is shot of women dancers,
and shot below is from "Congo."

present he is writing an official account
of the Belgian resistance movement, a
story which he plans to photograph in
documentary fashion after the war is
over. As an eye witness to many of the
Nazi’s crimes, and a participant in the
underground struggle, Cauvin is admir¬
ably suited for this special task. An¬
other project he has in mind is a full-
length eight or ten reel feature docu¬
mentary, “Children of Europe,” a film
which Cauvin will photograph with the
official cooperation in all of the lands
liberated from the German yoke. The
assignment should take him from the
Baltics to the Balkans, and from North
Africa to Scotland in his project to show
what years of war have done to the
world’s youngest generation.

Belgian Congo, Cauvin states, is the
Ruhr Valley of Africa. This rich colony
abounds in tin and copper, to mention
two of the Congo’s more important prod¬
ucts. Cauvin found a great number of
historical contradictions. Housing proj¬
ects, hospitals and planned farming were
in the heart of the Bantu district, a
tribe of fantastically tatooed, thoroughly
primitive peoples. The most modern
equipped hospitals were organized for
natives who but a generation before had
been head-hunters and cannibals. Fac¬
tories, hotels, radio stations rise over
the memory of mud huts. In Leopold¬

ville, formerly the native village of Kin-
chassa, one finds a modern metropolis,
the site of the powerful radio station,
Radio-Leo, transmission point for pro¬
grams between England and America.

Cauvin recorded an Africa at work.
White men and black are cooperating to
make the sinews of war. Wherever the
Belgian producer traveled, whether by
plane, boat, auto caravan or pirogue
men were working and talking about
“apres la guerre . . .” for there, too, he
found hope and aspirations. The natives
are training for war at Watsa with the
latest mechanized equipment, combining
native jungle stealth with a knowledge
of armored equipment to make fighting
men who have already received the high¬
est commendations from continental-
ti'ained officers and commanders.

Africans who have as much at stake
in this war, in terms of freedom and
the l'ight to a dignified way of life, are
shown to be considering their future, a
bright change from portraits of the past
which shows them as a benighted, almost
unworthy people. Cauvin’s “Congo” is
as much a public service for them as it
is for the Europeans and Americans who
have controlled their destinies in the
past.

“Shooting ‘Congo,’ ” Andre Cauvin
says, “was not an easy job. We started
to have trouble even before we left

Upper left, old women of Ubangui tribe. Such lip
stretching no longer is done. Above, native being
taught how to fight sleeping sickness. Bottom, three
shots from "Congo."

Europe, for our cameraman took ill just
as we were ready to leave. And when
we arrived in the Congo we had to
send him back and go on without him.”

Cauvin, originally a still photographer,
handled the camera himself from that
point on. In addition to shooting the
picture he shot some two thousand stills
in both color and black and white. He
worked with three cameras: Vinton (the
British equivalent of a Mitchell,) a New¬
man Sinclair, and a Bell & Howell. The
outfit also had its own generator which
was used throughout the jungle journey.

“The sun,” Cauvin reports, “in the
tropics is very deceiving, and at Stan¬
leyville, Congo, right on the equator it¬
self, the sun rises quickly and after a
few hours of sunlight shadows are de¬
stroyed. As a result, a permanent use
of reflectors was necessary, and most
of the closeups were shot that way.
Chauffeurs and pack carriers were
trained to handle the converters until
they were adept enough to work in
studios.”

The company also built a “dolly,” the
only dolly, Cauvin states, ever built in
the African jungle. The equivalent was

(Continued on Page 101

Photographing Tokyo
From The Air

By R. H. BAILEY

ONE of the outstanding photo¬
graphic jobs of World War II, a
job that brought decorations for
the 11-man crew of a Super-Fortress,
was done this winter in three flights
over Tokyo that paved the way for U. S.

Army Air Forces’ ensuing bombings of
the Jap capital.

At the time of the photo missions, the
Army announced nothing about the cam¬
eras that took the pictures which pro¬
vided the intelligence necessary to plan
the bombings, but it has now been re¬
vealed that the plane carried the largest
of all aerial cameras, the Fairchild K-18,
which takes photos 9" x 18". Bigger
cameras have been custom-built, cam¬
eras with multiple lenses, but no other
takes such big pictures as the K-18, a
70-pound instrument with a 24" tele¬
photo lens.

Developed specifically as a military
camera for obtaining large-scale photo¬
graphs from extremely high altitudes,
the K-18 has a magazine which accom¬
modates a 150-foot roll of 914" film to
give 95 9" x 18" exposures. Operating
automatically from remote controls,
these cameras click off their giant nega¬
tives at intervals ranging from 1 to 120
seconds, according to the wishes of the
crew, and as needed to give proper cov¬
erage according to altitude.

Here are the crew of Tokyo Rose, who photographed
Tokyo in preparation for B -29 raids. L. to R.: S/Sqt.
W. O. Starks, S/Sqt. W. J. Arnette, S/Sqt. H. W.
Clark, T/Sqt. W. C. Marvin, T/Sqt. M. M. Johnson,
T/Sqt. F. H. Hutchins, Sqt. H. L. McCommon, Lt.
C. G. Hart, Lt. J. R. Burko, Lt. C. L. Stambaugh,
Capt. R. D. Steaklev. (Official Photo, USAAF). At
bottom of page is the Fairchild K-18 aerial camera.

For the thorough serial mapping need¬
ed for concentrated bombing of a popu¬
lous, strategic area such as Tokyo, a
plane flies its camera back and forth
over the territory, with one photo over¬
lapping the next, so that mosaics that
result when the photos are laid together
show the sharpest detail, and when two
overlapping photos are put side by side
under a magnifying stereoscope third-
dimensional details are shown.

The value of the K-18 is that far
less pictures need be taken at a given al¬
titude because of the larger area cover¬
age, and thus precious minutes of flying
time when the enemy is sending up a
barrage of flak, are saved.

As an example, the Fairchild Camera
& Instrument Corporation, which has
designed and built most of the aircraft
cameras for the Army and Navy, has
prepared this comparative data on the
use of a K-18 and a standard aircraft
camera with a 7" x 9" negative:

Focal length, both 24 inches; altitude,
25,000 feet; scale, 1/12,500; coverage,
length, 7" x 9" 7,291 feet, and 9" x 18"
9,375 feet; coverage, width, 7" x 9"
9,375 feet, and 9" x 18" 18,750 feet;
coverage, area, 7" x 9" 2.6 square miles,
and 9" x 18" 6.3 square miles; minimum

(Continued on Page 103)

Requirements of Educational
Film Presentation

By OLIVER

Director British

(Continued from

Science and Mathematics

So far as the Natural Sciences are
concerned, there is a good deal of scope
for new material. Practical work is the
essence of chemical and physical teach¬
ing. It is no use, therefore, making
films of what students can do them¬
selves, nor is it worth while making a
film of an experiment which any dem¬
onstrator can perform for himself. What
does seem to me to be suitable for new
films is, firstly, the Theory of Matter. I
would like to see, for example, some
films on Intra-Molecular Physics or Elec¬
tric Conduction. These are concepts
which are hard for the child to grasp
through verbal description, and ordinary
wall or blackboard diagrams are unsat¬
isfactory as they are static, whereas the
phenomenon is dynamic.

Another group of Science films which
I should like to see, and which should
be easy to get made, is one which shows
the relation between the small scale and
the large scale, between laboratory and
factory experience. It is one thing to
make, shall we say, Prussian blue or a
naphthalene dye in quantities of a few
grams, but it is a completely different
kettle of fish to make them by the ton.
The same principles are involved but
other factors, including those of engi¬
neering, unnoticed in the test tube, make
their appearance in the factory.

Certain aspects of Mathematics are,
to my mind, filmic material. At one
time, I thought that films would be val¬
uable right up to the limit of mathe¬
matical teaching. I have now revised
my opinion. In this, as in any other ab¬
stract subject, there comes a time when
the concrete medium of the film, even
when using involved symbolic presenta¬
tion, is unable further to keep in touch
with the subject. In the earlier stages,
however, it is both practicable and de¬
sirable. I was once told that an amateur
film dealing with the Differential Calcu¬
lus was able to introduce that subject to
boys at 15 instead of the normal age of
16. Such films would be for Post-Pri¬
mary pupils, but there is room for them.

The above- article is the second installment of a
paper read to the British Kinematograph Society last
April. It is reprinted here from the Journal of the
British Kinematograph Society because it presents a
wealth of information that should be of benefit to
our makers of educational films, and gives a brilliant
picture ot what to expect of sub-standard films in
the post-war era. — The Editor.

BELL M. A.

Film Institute.

February Issue)

History as Film Material

And now History. What an oppor¬
tunity and how lamentably fulfilled! The
only successful History teaching films
that I have seen are those of a diagram¬
matic character. The film is able to
cover the wide sweep of History and
show events in their proper proportion
better than any other medium. Though
as yet I have not seen it used in this
manner, except in the recent American
“What We Are Fighting For” series, it
could be used to show the process of a
campaign, or of a battle like that of
Trafalgar, Jutland or Oudenarde. That
would be one type of film of general
utility value to all types of school.

Another group of History teaching
films are those which try to reconstruct
the past. We do not seem to have pro¬
gressed much farther in this respect
than that a screen star whose appear¬
ance and characteristics are already
well known, deigns to appear from time
to time as an historical character and
give that character the same attributes
as his audience has learned to expect
from him after seeing the other films he
has made. Some Historical films I have
seen have taken cut-outs of battle scenes
and have then tried to foist them on the
unsuspecting teacher as a film of the
Battle of So-and-So. The result has
been worse than useless, as generally
they are not even accurate in detail of
costume or armor, let alone giving any
coherent story of historical facts.

I should like to see an experiment
with a sort of Disney animation of a
medieval manuscript, or a renaissance
wood-cut. Another would be a film of
existing survivals among primitive peo¬
ple to illustrate the development of man¬
kind. Take the Bedford Book of Hours
in the British Museum there are some
charming little thumbnail illustrations
of the farming operations of the dif¬
ferent seasons of the year. Suppose
these were animated to show the every¬
day life of the people. I think they
would be both popular and interesting.

The other type of History film I have
mentioned is one which illustrates the
past by reference to the suiwivals of the
present day. Say, for instance, that one
wished to show the developments of
roads and transport, it could be done by
showing the primitive tracks used even
today in some parts of the world, and
how by slow degrees transport and road
development have reached the standards
of the present day.

Economic and Industrial Subjects

Economics is one of the most neg¬
lected, and at the same time one of the
most important subjects. I know that
about economists as about historians, the
Latin tag: quot homines, quot sententia,
is true. But there is, I understand, a
certain common denominator of agree¬
ment. Even though money, so different
from the days of Mr. Micawber, has
temporarily lost its value, there are cer¬
tain principles based on the law of sup¬
ply and demand which could be simply
stated by film.

One last class of films may I mention?
Technical training has lately received a
fillip. Instructional films on how to do
things and how to use tools are urgently
needed. Their value has already been
proved in the Services.

There is also needed a series of back¬
ground films showing the relation of
the part to the whole. A bricklayer’s
mate, a plumber’s boy, going to a Junior
Technical College would be a better
workman if he saw his own job in rela¬
tion to the whole contract. I should like
to see, for example, a film showing the
building of a house and the part the
different trades have to play and the
point at which their different skills are
brought in. In the same way, I should
like to see a series of films on factory
operations showing where and why dif¬
ferent groups of people work.

Color and Emotion

Natural Color, like natural sound,
holds the mirror more closely up to real¬
ity. Apart from the ease with which a
visual impression is retained in every¬
body’s mind as opposed to the mental
translation of the written word into vis¬
ual terms based on one’s own sometimes
limited experiences, the second value of
the use of the film in education is that
verbal description becomes unnecessary.
Ideas can, therefore, be presented to
children who by reason of age or slight
mental deficiency cannot grasp them if
presented by word of mouth.

Finally the film, as witness its effect
in the ordinary theatre, is an emotional
instrument. In my view teaching should
be emotional too. History can be as dry
as the dust of ages; but again it can be
made exciting and emotional. That is
why I have introduced this thought at
this point. Let our History teaching
films have emotion in them provided it
is not induced by wrong methods. Let
them not be the old catalogue of facts.

Planning for Film Education

Let me conclude by outlining shortly
what I consider to be the ideal scheme.
On the apparatus side, I see every class¬
room equipped with a film strip projec¬
tor. Between every three classrooms
there will be a silent film projector. In
every school there will be a sound pro¬
jector. In schools catering for older stu¬
dents the proportion of sound to silent
machines will be much lighter. Local
Authorities will probably hold a number
(Continued on Page 102)

American Cinematographer • March, 1945

87

THROUGH

THE 17th Annual Awards of Merit
of the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences are just around
the corner. The awards will be presented
at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Holly¬
wood on the night of March 15th.

To camera enthusiasts, the most im¬
portant awards of the night will be
those given for cinematography in both
black-and-white and color. This year
ten black-and-white pictures have been
nominated for the black-and-white cine¬
matography award, and six have been
nominated for honors in the field of
color. As usual, all the cinematographers
whose work has been nominated are
members of the American Society of
Cinematographers. George Folsey has
the unusual distinction of being nomin¬
ated, for a black-and-white and a color
picture. Following are the picture nomi¬
nated and the cinematographers who
photographed them :

Black-and-White Cinematography

“Double Indemnity,” John F. Seitz.
“Dragon Seed,” Sidney Wagner.
“Gaslight,” Joseph Ruttenberg.

“Going My Way,” Lionel Lindon.
“Laura,” Joseph LaShelle.

“Lifeboat,” Glen MacWilliams.

“Since You Went Away,” Stanley Cor¬
tez and Lee Garmes.

“Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo,” Robert
Surtees and Harold Rosson.

“The Uninvited,” Charles B. Lang, Jr.
“The White Cliffs of Dover,” George
Folsey.

Color Cinematography

“Cover Girl,” Rudy Mate and Allen M.
Davey.

“Home in Indiana,” Edward Cronjager.
“Kismet,” Charles Rosher.

“Lady in the Dark,” Ray Rennahan.
“Meet Me in St. Louis,” George Folsey.
“Wilson,” Leon Shamroy.

WE have been reading very care¬
fully the reviews of motion pic¬
tures in metropolitan news¬
papers throughout the United States,
and are happy to note that more and
more they are beginning to recognize
the Cinematographer and his work.

In the largest cities, especially, the
reviewers in many cases are paying
glowing tribute to the camera artists for
their part in making the pictures, Some
reviewers, who seem to be quite well
versed in photography, even go into con¬
siderable detail in their comments about
the photography.

If the nation’s best critics recognize
the value of the photographer, it would
seem that those responsible for the
screen and advertising credits would
soon begin to recognize the photog¬
rapher and give him equal billing with
the director and the writer of the pic¬

the EDITOR S FINDER

ture. We have been harping on this sub¬
ject for some time, and only hope that
in the end our harping will bring the
proper results — better credit to the men
who photograph either a good story or
a bad one equally well.

EACH year more and more publica¬
tions try to ape the Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
by presenting awards for best acting,
directing, etc.

To date only in addition to the Acad¬
emy, one has seen fit to pay honor to
the technical experts of the film indus¬
try who play such an important part in
the making of American motion pictures.
That was Look Magazine which this year
gave its award for Cinematography to
Leon Shamroy, A.S.C., for his work on
“Wilson.”

Why these various agencies, with the
exception of the Academy, fail to recog¬
nize the value of the technical geniuses
is something this writer cannot under¬
stand, and leads us to believe that
these organizations which ape the mag¬
nificent Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences are doing it only to grab
off a lot of publicity for themselves.
Their awards are not based on achieve¬
ment, but rather upon purely popular¬
ity polls or box office returns, which, to
our way of thinking, is not the way to
select the best in artistic and technical
achievement.

The Academy has the right idea, in
that the Academy Awards are given
solely on the basis of artistic achieve¬
ment and creative effort on the part of
actors, directors, cameramen, writers,
producers, film editors, special effects
experts, sound recording, art direction,
short subjects, and music. The only
people who can authentically judge the
merits of the artists and technicians are
other creative artists and technicians.
Who is better equipped than an actor to
say which acting performance is the
best? Who can judge the best cine¬
matography better than a cameraman?
Can the general public recognize the
best film editing better than a film edi¬
tor ? Those who guide the Academy

wisely make their selections the tops
of the world by having Hollywood’s own
workers select the winners.

SO you may know what your favorite
Cinematographer is doing, here is
the Hollywood schedule of films in
production as we go to press, together
with the names of the Cinematographers
who are filming them.

At Columbia Studios Rudy Mate is
doing “Over 21,” Charles Lawton, Jr.,
is on “Kiss and Tell,” George Meehan
is filming “Surprise in the Night,” and
Burnett Guffey is shooting “Blonde from
Brooklyn.”

At Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer Studios
Charles Rosher is shooting “Yolanda
and the Thief,” George Folsey is filming
“The Harvey Girls,” Harry Stradling is
doing “Early to Wed,” and Karl Freund
is photographing “Dangerous Partners.”

At Paramount Studios Charles Lang
is on “Cross My Heart,” Lionel Lindon
is doing “Masquerade in Mexico,” John
F. Seitz is filming “The Well Groomed
Bride,” Daniel Fapp is shooting “You
Came Along,” and Fred Jackman, Jr., is
filming “Follow That Woman.”

At Samuel Goldwyn Studios Lucien
Andriot is shooting “Ten Little Indians,”
and Lee Garmes and Edward Cronjager
are filming “Paris-Underground.”

At RKO Studios Nick Musuraca is
filming “The Invisible Army,” George
Barnes is doing “Those Endearing Young
Charms,” Harry Redman is shooting
“Man Alive,” Jack MacKenzie is on
“Mamma Loves Papa,” and Harry Wild
is doing “First Man Into Tokyo.”

At 20th Century-Fox Studios Joe Mac¬
Donald is filming “Captain Eddie,” Leon
Shamroy is doing “State Fair,” Norbert
Brodine is filming “Two-Faced Quillan,”
Ernest Palmer is doing “The Dolly Sis¬
ters,” Charles Clarke is filming “Junior
Miss,” Arthur Miller is shooting “Dra-
gonwyck,” and Glen MacWilliams is do¬
ing “Within These Walls.”

For United Artists release, Archie
Stout is filming “Captain Kidd.”

At Universal Studios Hal Mohr and
W. Howard Greene are filming “Night in
Paradise,” George Robinson is doing
“The Naughty Nineties,” Elwood Bre-
dell is shooting “Lady on a Train,” and
Paul Ivano is doing “Men in Her Diary.”

At Warners Studios Ernest Haller is
filming “Mildred Pierce,” Arthur Edeson
is shooting “Three Strangers,” Carl
Guthrie is doing “Too Young To Know,”
Sol Polito is shooting “Stolen Life,” and
Wesley Anderson is shooting “Danger
Signal.”

It is interesting to note that all the
big pictures are filmed by A.S.C. mem¬
bers.

88 March, 1945 • American Cinematographer

BRULATOUR

SERVICE

EASTMAN

FILMS

Where Do You Fit
In Television . .

(Continued from Page 81)

above. Motion picture film, as can tele¬
vision, can be used for advertising, for
direct selling, for propaganda, for edu¬
cation and for any form of transfer of
intelligence and information from one
person to another. We thus arrive at
the conclusion that basically, it is mo¬
tion picture film versus electrical tele¬
vision which represent intrinsically dif¬
ferent media and that if there is any
real question of ‘who’ will shove ‘who’
around, it is a problem of Eastman
Kodak, Dupont and Ansco as against
the Telephone Company, Radio Corpora¬
tion, General Electric, Philco and Du¬
Mont rather than broadcasting companies
as against so-called motion picture com¬
panies. These two latter groups are
probably more likely to help each other
than to hurt each other as they build
talent for each other and make it popu¬
lar. Motion picture companies may
make films for television and television
may supplement feature film fare in
theatre programs. On the other hand,
television might displace 16mm. movies
in the home or schools in a reasonable
period of time and thereby destroy the
dream of the film manufacturing com¬
panies of an ever-expanding market. It
permits simultaneous viewing and hear¬
ing in many places of a single event, at
the time that event is taking place.
Where an event is important because of
its emotional impact depends on rivalry
or personality, everyone would like to
view and hear it as it happens. Tele¬
vision alone, can allow them to do that.
It cannot allow them to see it later.
Film can record it and allow it to be
seen later. Time of viewing can be
selected; as examples, there are tw^
groups of events which have had very
definite influence on theatre attendance.
The first of these is world champion¬
ship fights; that reaction will, I believe,
be quite understandable to you all. The
other is more esoteric. When President
Roosevelt made his original fireside talks,
the drop-off in theatre attendance on
the nights of the talks was extraordi¬
nary. It is possible as has already
been announced by one company, that
the motion picture studio turning out
this type of film will make them for
television or even that television may,
to some extent, take the place of them
in the theatre. The best hours for show¬
ing can be chosen with ease, either on
the East Coast or West Coast, or even
for repetition if it is found advanta¬
geous.”

I agree with many of the statements
made by Paul Raiburn, but the state¬
ment that television will displace the
16mm. motion picture, I cannot agree
with. Not as long as a daddy can pick
up his camera and make some film of
his little ones and his family and photo¬
graph places of interest to him, will
16mm. movies be displaced by any other

process; no, not even in the school, for
television could not bring into the class¬
room the lesson of the day. Since 16mm.
sound has gained such popularity, I pre¬
dict it will forge ahead faster after
the war.

Here, I want to quote a paragraph
from the text of an article by a tele¬
vision director with whom I thoroughly
disagree, for he says, “We are beginning
to discover that television is neither
radio nor motion pictures, nor a com¬
bination of both; it is a separate art,
but contains some elements of both the
camera and microphone and countless of
additional problems not common to ei¬
ther. Being a new art, it will take time
to develop producers capable of turning
out consistently good shows, technicians,
experts in the photographic possibili¬
ties of the camera, performers conscious
of its dramatic scope and directors sen¬
sitive to its emotional capabilities.”

I for one, disagree, because experience
has taught me that a well equipped
technician from motion pictures can take
over a similar job in television with
ease.

He further says that, “the director of
television (as he knows him) will not
try to compete with Hollywood, for he
will know that he cannot duplicate in
twenty-four hours or even twenty-four
weeks, what it has taken the motion
picture fifty years to develop.”

How do you like that? All I have to
say to that is that it will be wise for
television to pick out the good stuff from
the motion picture and copy, brother,
copy! I wouldn’t think it wise to spend
fifty years only to find oneself caught
up with the movie which will at that
time be fifty years further ahead.

This reminds me of an incident which
took place some years ago when I had
an idea that I would like to try out a
project which I developed from motion
pictures for television. So, I hied my¬
self into the luxurious offices of the
head of one of the New York large tele¬
vision stations, and got a hearing. I
sat in with a group of men and stated
my case. My idea was for a film to be
produced especially for television, which
would reduce the expense of costly sets
and produce a film to compare with the
fifteen minute radio serial. I felt that
this was the kind of film to take the
place of the electrical disc transcription.
I told my story and those gentlemen
listened patiently, then out of some¬
where in the room, I heard a voice
challenge me, “You, like others of motion
pictures, have an idea that you are
dealing with a motion picture, because
you don’t know television. This is a
different medium. It caters to an entire¬
ly different audience from that of radio
and the motion picture.”

I didn’t know exactly who the gen¬
tleman was who made that statement
but I didn’t give a darn! I turned to
him and said: “Mister, there is no dif¬
ferent audience for good entertainment.
I don’t care if the medium is film, the¬
atre or television.” I later found out

that the statement was made by a man
who was the head of production for
that station. I had the right answer and
he expected me to agree with him. 1
couldn’t, because I did not believe that
he was right. P.S. — I did not get the
job, and I am glad of it, now!

I haven’t exactly run into many who
would agree with me, but I did have
the pleasure of meeting one gentleman
in the person of Wyllis Cooper, a former
writer at Twentieth Century Fox who
was a guest speaker at the meeting of
January 11th of the American Televi¬
sion Society. Mr. Cooper, a former film
man, is now associated in television af¬
fairs for the Compton Company, one of
the major advertising agencies in this
city. Cooper minced no words in his
challenge to television. He said that
television will be entirely dependent on
the motion picture. He said that the
basic idea of television is motion pic¬
tures, and that unless it accepts motion
picture technique, it will not get to first
base and will fail at its start. He also
said that the best a television director
can produce at the present time, after
sweating a group of actors for all they
are worth for twenty-four hours, would
be equivalent to a play, equal to the
best of a 1910 silent motion picture.
Television misses the continuity, the
camera angles, the flashbacks which we
are so used to in films. Mr. Cooper
says that the make-up of a television
program will be entirely dependent on
the film editor. Television like motion
pictures lies in the expertness of the
film editor.

I do not believe that Hollywood will
have much time for the production of
films for television, but there will be
a lot of room for films and, when tele¬
vision gets started, many will enter the
field of production. The present small
film companies must have a good back¬
ground in motion picture production to
compete. I am certain that every bit
of available studio space will be taken
up with productions, and motion pic¬
ture cameramen, like other technicians,
will be able to enter other branches of
film production, such as direction, edit¬
ing, and organization in television.

I have heard many arguments against
the high cost of Hollywood production,
and here television cannot compete be¬
cause it has no money to spend on pro¬
duction. But I do not believe that tele¬
vision will try to produce the same fare
which Hollywood produces for the mo¬
tion picture theatre, for Hollywood has
a definite income from the motion pic¬
ture theatres and it will never be pos¬
sible for television to profit from such
expensive film production.

I recently attended the presentation of
a half hour play in television. This took
place in a station in New York City.
Everything done for this production was
taken from the motion picture, starting
with the introductory titles and introduc¬
tion of the characters with a musical

(Continued on Page 102)

90

March, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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AMONG THE MOVIE CLUBS

Si. Louis Club Solves Its
Financial Problems

The Amateur Motion Picture Club of
Saint Louis was faced with a situation
which possibly exists in other clubs. The
club worked out the problem happily,
and Lon Waxman, the club’s secretary,
suggests that their solution to the dif¬
ficulty might be of value to other
clubs, so here it is in Len’s own words:

The problem confronting the Board
of Directors of the club was one of a
financial nature. Years ago when the
club was organized the dues were set
so low that it was almost impossible to
meet expenses on the amount received.
We therefore decided last year to give
a show charging admission. This year
was our second annual show. Our pro¬
gram was composed of two parts. The
first half of the show was given over
to the screening of old time movies — -
Wrn. S. Hart in “Every Inch a Man”;
Mary Pickford and Lionel Barrymore in
“Millie the Arcadian Maid”; and Ru¬
dolph Valentino in “The Great Lover.”
Every effort was made to recapture the
atmosphere of the old time movie. A
piano player was employed to play ap¬
propriate music, lantern slides were used
to advertise the local dealers, a quar¬
tette was used to sing with the slides
on the screen. The ushers dressed in
loud checked suits, derbies and bro¬
caded vests. Popcorn was sold in the
aisles and several plants were placed '
in the audience to cheer the hero and
hiss the villian.

The second half of the program was
given over to the showing of films made
by our own members. These were accom¬
panied by recorded music played on dual
turntables and carried through the P.A.
system of the house. The amateur films
were:

“Bohemian Baloney,” by Werner
Henze. This film won Honorable Men¬
tion in the Hiram Percy Maxim Award
Contest for 1944.

“Trial and Error,” by Lon Wadman.
This film placed 3rd in the Scenario Class
of Home Movies 1944 Contest.

“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” by S.
James Bialson. Cup winner of Amateur
Motion Picture Club of St. Louis for
1944.

“Victory Vacation,” by Vernon Ras¬
mussen. Cup winner of Amateur Motion
Picture Club of St. Louis for 1943.

The profits realized from this project
were sufficient to augment our treasury
so that our meetings can be held at a
nice hotel and to buy equipment for the
club to use.

A lot of interest was generated in
amateur films and we had a number
of applications for membership. The
show was received enthusiastically and
received press notices in St. Louis and
all surrounding territories.

I recommend this procedure highly
to any club that needs to step up its
finances since we have found it to be
“Sure Fire.”

At left is Board of Directors of the Amateur Motion
Picture Club of St. Louis, as they appeared at the
club's second annual show. Left to right: President
Ben Betts, Barney Sullivan, Warren Becker, Neil But-
tieger, Secretary Lon Wadman. Front row: Leslie
Easterday, Treasurer Frank Serka and Walter Michener.

Philadelphia Cinema Club

Close to 100 members and friends at¬
tended the last meeting of the Philadel¬
phia Cinema Club to witness the judging
of films entered in the club contest by
its members. The prize winning films
were:

First Prize, “The Christmas Tree,”
by Walter Bruner.

Second Prize, “Not Wisely but Too
Well,” by Arthur Hurth.

Third Prize, “Paintings by Jack Frost,”
by Alva Hirst.

Fourth Prize, “Cine Wanderings,” by
Leon Bardfeld.

Fifth Prize, “Chess Nuts,” by Con¬
rad Picofsky.

An added feature of the program was
the showing of two excellent films from
the library of the American Cinema¬
tographer, “Empire Builders” and “I’d
Be Delighted.”

M. M. P. C.

Outstanding film fare was offered the
members of the Metropolitan Motion Pic¬
ture Club at its February meeting.

Joseph F. Hollywood’s 8mm. film,
“Headlines,” opened the bill. It was
based on news of the day, and was in¬
teresting.

“Letter to Daddy,” by Sidney Moritz,
was in second place.

Virgil Almazar then presented “1944
Holiday Ice Revue,” a charming 300-
foot subject in Kodachrome.

Frank Gunnell then gave a brief talk
on titling, using Kodachrome slide of
titles he has made to illustrate the talk.

Fred D. Koehler of the Staten Island
Cinema Club then presented “Chimo,” a
400-foot Kodachrome subject.

The program concluded with Sidney
Moritz’s pedal pushing film, “Under
Your Own Power.”

Syracuse Club

Both February meetings of the Syra¬
cuse Movie Makers were devoted to tech¬
nical talks and discussions. One took up
the subject of various types of films,
and the exposures necessary for each.
Nedford Olney gave an interesting and
instructive talk on this subject. The
other meeting was given over to a talk
on continuity and composition by Archie
Rodgers, followed by a round table dis¬
cussion.

(Continued on Page 98)

92

March, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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American Cinematographer • March, 1945

93

JjlMl&iilMldu

By LORUS J. MILNE

IN THESE days when the supply of
film is small, many home movie mak¬
ers are getting around to re-editing
and titling their old films and finding
that with very little footage (but a large
amount of time and patience), highly
satisfying results can be obtained. Fancy
introductory titles, animations, maps and
running gags can be inserted to im¬
prove the audience-rating of films on
hand. Perhaps the most appreciated fea¬
ture which can be added is a series of
interesting transitions. These may be
between titles, between scenes, between
title and scene, etc., but the more elabo¬
rate ones are properly reserved for in¬
troductory titles.

When one considers the many fancy
lap dissolves, trick wipes and other com¬
plicated transitions used by the profes¬
sional movie makers in previews of films,
it becomes very obvious that these prod¬
ucts of the optical printer have a known
commercial value in attracting theater¬
goers to the box office on subsequent
nights. The attraction of such preview
films is usually in their novelty and un¬
predictability, and fancy transitions are

used to enhance these changes to an¬
other. In a complete feature picture, spe¬
cial effects one after the other are
usually confined to the introductory
titles, where they greatly increase the
percentage in the audience who give heed
to the credit lines and similar text in
the titles. Many amateurs wish they
could duplicate to even a small extent
such attractive, interesting transitions
for home made introductory titles. Most
of them do not realize how much can
be done with a little planning and pa¬
tient shooting.

Where the 16mm. camera is provided
with a single frame release, backwind
and perhaps a frame counter, very at¬
tractive titles can be filmed without more
equipment than a title board, the printed
or hand lettered title cards, and a supply
of flat (matte) black showcard board
which can be cut into wipe forms and
animated frame by frame. As an ex¬
ample, let us consider one of the sim¬
plest wipe forms, in which a straight
vertical line crosses the screen from left
to right, erasing one title and uncover¬
ing the next as it goes. Suppose we plan

Left, six consecutive frame enlargements by the
author.

this transition to occupy ten frames
(about second). We must prepare a
series of black cardboard cutouts which
can be held in some definite position on
our title board, covering the title. The
first of the series must have a rectangu¬
lar hole, exposing all of the title except
the left hand l/10th; call this Dl. The
second must have a rectangular hole
which leaves visible all but the left hand
1 / 5th of the title; call it D2. The third
must conceal all but the left hand
3/10ths; call it D3; etc., etc., to D9 which
will hide all but the right hand l/10th
of the title. DIO would be an all black
card and is not needed; just leave the
frame unexposed. If we are clever, these
nine cards will be of such a shape that
we can turn them around, and with D9
cover all but the left hand l/10th of the
title, with D8 the left hand l/5th, etc.
Now we can proceed. After sufficient
footage has been shot for one title, we
stop the camera, place Dl over the title,
expose a frame, replace Dl with D2, ex¬
pose a frame, replace D2 with D3, ex¬
pose a frame, etc., etc., replace D8 with
D9, expose a frame, then cover the lens
and rewind the film eight frames. Un¬
cover the lens, put the second title in
the title board, turn the transition card¬
boards so that they are ready for the
second run, place D9 in position to hide
all but the left hand l/10th of the new
title, expose a frame, replace D9 with
D8, etc., etc., finally shooting the proper
amount of film to enable the audience
to read the second title.

The wipe cardboards should be saved
for future use. The set just described
can be used for wipes left to right or
right to left. Similar sets can be pre¬
pared for up to down, or diagonally, or
at any angle, or sweeping around like
a fan, etc. If the wipe is wanted with
an angular or curved edge, such can be
prepared with scarcely more trouble,,
but since the curved or angular form
will not match when turned around, a
second set (an “E” series) is usually
necessary to uncover the second title.

If care is used, transitions need not
start at the edge and progress across
or around, but can have beginnings any¬
where in the field. Thus the E series may
have a diamond-shaped hole at the cen¬
ter of the field, which becomes progres¬
sively large until the whole title is un¬
covered, while the corresponding D series
was simply a number of diamond-shaped
cards matching the E series holes, and
placed carefully over the first title,
starting at its center and ending by
concealing it altogether. Instead of a
diamond, the hole may have an irregu¬
lar “shell burst” form, and the increase
or decrease in size need not be regular
in any one direction. The only require¬
ment is that the D series and the E
series correspond perfectly, i.e., for
every D there is an identical shaped and
sized E.

(Continued on Page 96)

94

March. 1945 • American Cinematographer

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those you make yourself, still possess unique advantages that assure their
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when peace-time production is resumed.

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hear these important facts in mind:

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American Cinematographer • March, 1945

95

Transitions . .

(Continued from Page 94)

So much for transitions between titles.
They are easy, fun to make, gratifying
in audience response, and the sky is the
limit in styles which can be prepared.
Transitions between scenes or between
scenes and titles require much more
work and a little gadgeteering. The
camera must be used as a printer. Ac¬
tually this is much simpler than most
amateurs would believe. Let us first con¬
sider the general needs for printing in
the camera, and then introduce our
transition problems.

In the darkroom, a camera spool of
100 feet capacity is loaded with up to
50 feet of unexposed film and a corres¬
ponding length of movie negative of
which a print is to be made. The two
film lengths are wound on the spool to¬
gether, emulsion to emulsion, the back
of the unexposed film out, the back of
the negative film toward the spool. They
are threaded together over the sprockets,
through the camera gate and fastened
to the takeup spool. If they have been
wound tightly (without cinching!) in the
darkroom and if provided with adequate
loops in the camera, the motor will drive
both simultaneously, the back of the
negative toward the lens and the emul¬
sions in good contact with each other
over the whole frame area. The camera
must then be focused on an evenly il¬
luminated surface (white card, screen,
sheet, cloud or sky), the diaphragm set
as determined by a little experimenting,
and the film run through the camera.
The exposed film is processed to a nega¬
tive and you have a positive print. Or
if the processed film used in printing
was a positive itself, the raw film ex¬
posed in printing should be reversed to
yield a duplicate (“dupe”) positive. In
exposing the sandwich of film, an iris
opening should be tried which is IV2 to
2 stops larger than that indicated by
the light meter for the illumination pro¬
vided and the unexposed film emulsion.
If the negative used is of more than
average density, the print will be thin
unless a still larger stop is used, while
with a thinner negative giving a dense
print, a smaller stop should be tried. In
reversal work, a thin dupe indicates
overexposure, while a dense print sug¬
gests that the diaphragm was closed too
far. Thus printing in the camera cor¬
responds to the uncompensated “one-
light” print from a commercial step
printer.

To use the camera as a printer in
making fancy transitions, it should be
possible to operate the camera with the
cover off. To avoid fogging the film,
it then becomes necessary to work in
the darkroom. But light must be avail¬
able for printing, and yet this light must
not illuminate the darkroom or the open
camera. A large wooden box can be
made light tight and provided with a
single opening near the bottom at one
side, through which the titling board
can be inserted. The title board should

be so placed that the camera fastened
to it is outside the wooden box, while
the lights and title card frame are in¬
side. The space between the wooden
box and the camera lens should be closed
carefully with black cloth so that when
the title board lights are on, no light
can escape from the box into the dark¬
room, yet the camera lens is focused on
a white card on the title stand. If the
photographer has no title board, a cor¬
responding device can be constructed —
the only essentials are the white, evenly
illuminated screen in focus for the cam¬
era lens, inside a light tight box into
which the camera lens fits while its
film chamber is open (or can be re¬
moved) for manipulation.

Suppose a transition is wanted between
two scenes which the movie maker has
in negative. It makes no difference
whether the scenes are on the same
length of film or on two. If on one,
they should be cut apart. The length
of the two scenes must be known accu¬
rately in frames, not feet, from the
beginning of the first scene to the end
point of the transition planned, and from
the beginning of the transition to the
end of the second scene. If the total
of the two scenes is less than ten feet,
it is not worthwhile to load the film
into the camera; it can be handled easily
if wound on spools hung on nails in
a board just behind the camera. For
greater lengths, the raw film and the
beginning of the first scene should be
fed into a takeup spool and wound on,
emulsion to emulsion. Additional raw
film should be added to the takeup spool
until the needed footage has been sup¬
plied (equal to or greater than the
total footage of the two scenes and the
transition). The end of the raw film
should then be placed in a camera spool
and rewound onto it, raw film emulsion
in. When the end of the first scene is
reached, its negative should be care¬
fully interleaved, still emulsion to emul¬
sion, back of the negative in, and the
two wound on together. At completion,
the camera spool should have the begin¬
ning ends of raw film and negative free
together. They must be loaded through
the sprockets, the gate and to the takeup
spool, being careful to know the exact
number of frames between the nega¬
tive in the gate and the beginning of
the transition. With the title board
lights on and exposure previously de¬
termined by a short test strip, the film
is exposed frame by frame, keeping ac¬
curate count, until the transition is
reached. The commonest transition be¬
tween scenes is the lap dissolve. A good
one can be produced by closing the iris
diaphragm by known amounts or by
decreasing the intensity of the title board
lights with a rheostat (again by prede¬
termined steps). Wipes can be used if
their form is desirable. The wipe pro¬
cedure is as before, with black cards in
front of the white one in the title stand.
After the iris is closed or the title board
lights out or the wipe all the way across,
the raw stock and negative are removed
from the sprockets and gate, being very

careful to keep track of the frame of
raw stock which was in the gate itself.
A paper clip can be slipped into its
sprocket hole to identify it. The raw
film is unwound from the takeup spool
enough to allow the second scene to be
interleaved with it, the beginning of the
second scene exactly at the beginning
of the transition (a known number of
frames from the paper clip). This frame
is inserted in the gate, the negative and
raw stock fed through the sprockets and
loops. The take up spool may be un¬
rolled to free the negative of the first
scene, and the raw stock rewound and
the spool turned snug. The feed spool
should be unrolled to a point correspond¬
ing with the end of the second scene
and the second scene negative and raw
film wound on, the filled spool placed
in the camera. We are ready to shoot
the second half of our transition and
print the second scene. It takes longer
to describe the movements than it does
to make them. If the raw stock is a
slow film such as positive emulsion, con¬
siderable safelight illumination can be
used so that eyes can direct fingers in
handling the films.

To make a successful lap dissolve
one must know the latitude of the raw
film emulsion. Specifically, we must
know how much we have to close the
diaphragm before the film registers “no
light.” Trial is the only sure way to
obtain this information. Actually the
range of iris openings between normal
exposure and that at which the film
receives too little light to cause a re¬
action, is only half the latitude of the
film; the other half is between normal
exposure and the iris opening which
causes the film to be completely fogged,
with no visible detail.

Suppose our trial exposures for de¬
termining the film latitude show that
normal exposure (best print from an
average negative) requires a lens stop
of f:2.8, while there is no recognizable
print on frames exposed a f:ll. We
refer to our table of lens stops:
f :1.4 2.0 2.8 4 5.6 8 11 16

1.8 2.3 3.5 4.5 6.3 9.1 12.5 18

F:2.8 and f:ll are four full stops apart,
and we refer to our table of relative ex¬
posures:

1 2 4 8 16 32 64 128 256

1.5 3 5.6 11 22 45 90 180 360

A difference of four full stops is a
difference of 1:16 in exposure, i.e., the
normal exposure is sixteen times that
which gives no reaction on the film.

Suppose that we wish to make our lap
dissolve in nine frames. The first frame
will be exposed at f:2.8, the ninth at
f:ll (or unexposed since it makes no
difference), the fifth (midway in the
series) at f:8 (since f:8 is one-eighth
the exposure of f:2.8, i.e., halfway to
one-sixteenth the exposure of f:2. 8, name¬
ly f:ll). The third frame will be ex¬
posed at f:5.6 (since f:5.6 is one-fourth
the exposure of f:2.8, i.e., halfway to

(Continued on Page 104)

96

March, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Your Kodak Film

in the making is "coddled beyond belief "

WHAT A WONDERFUL DAY!”. . . that’s
true any day in the year, if you
work in the big buildings where the
famous Verichrome and other Kodak
Films are made.

The temperature is 70°, the humid¬
ity 50%, the air washed clean . . .

If you work in one of the film “coat¬
ing rooms,” the facilities of a fine club
are at your disposal. After your show¬
er, you are provided fresh clothing
“from the skin out”— laundered free
of charge. Your outer garments, from
head to foot, are snow-white lintless
fabric . . .

For these garments must not shed
lint — not even a “microscopic” speck
of lint or dust can be permitted to
touch the film coating.

These are only obvious safeguards.
Kodak has compiled— from experience
over the years— a “million dollar book
of film allergies”. . . page after page
of weird, “unreal” influences which

can affect film in the process of manu¬
facture.

For instance, the treatment of a
worker’s scratched finger — the
medicine applied— can be “poison”
to film in the making.

This is an example of the many
strange “allergies” which, during the
manufacture of film, might affect its
photographic qualities.

Knowing these influences, and
guarding against them, have contrib¬
uted much to Kodak Film’s outstand¬
ing performance as an important mili¬
tary tool.

EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
ROCHESTER, N. Y.

REMEMBER THE FOXHOLES ON
BATAAN?— How, three years ago, against stag¬
gering odds . . . fighting knee-deep in filth . . .
under a blistering sun . . . with little food, water,
drugs . . . and under incessant bombings, our
boys and the Filipinos fought off the Japs those
tragic weeks? A stem example for us at home.
BUY-HOLD-MORE WAR BONDS.

"INCUBATOR BABY". ..This is the critical
moment when a Master Roll of film base stock,
produced and cured under glass, is first exposed
to the outer air. The giant roll, 2000 feet long
and 50 inches wide, is severed by the attend¬
ant from the endless ribbon in production, and
enclosed in a “cradle” in which it rides to the
coating rooms. There, in darkness, the light-
sensitive emulsions are applied.

Serving human progress through photography

American Cinematographer • March, 1945

97

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The Machine That Cannot Break Your Film’’

Among the Movie Clubs

(Continued from Page 92)

St. Louis Club

Six films were on the program at the
February meeting of the Amateur Mo¬
tion Picture Club of Saint Louis. Films
shown were, “Vacation Days,” by Frances
Ulrich; “The Boss Comes to Dinner,”
by Mr. and Mrs. Ryne Zimmerman of
Milwaukee, Wisconsin; “Heckled Holi¬
days,” by Mr. and Mrs. Lon Wadman;
“How to Make Good Movies”; “Happy
Landings,” by Mildred Caldwell of Long-
Beach, California; and “Home Sweet
Home,” by Forest Kellogg of Long
Beach, California.

San Francisco Club

Chief feature of the February meeting
of the San Francisco Cinema Club was
a 1,600-foot 16mm. .film called, “Bottoms
Up.” It was in Kodachrome and was a.
magnificent picture of a trip down the
Colorado River, featuring some exciting
and dangerous trips shooting the rapids.

New York Eight

“The Silent Alarm,” by Ernie Kremer,
and “Ice Follies Revue,” by Fred Evans,
featured the February meeting of the
New York City 8mm. Motion Picture
Club.

L. A. 8MM Club

“San Diego Zoo,” by Robert Hadley,
and “Ceramics,” by Lorin Smith of the
Long Beach Cinema Club, highlighted
the February meeting of the Los An¬
geles 8mm. Club. Also on the program
were films made by club members Her¬
bert Abel, Herman Hack and Dr. Regi¬
nald Petter.

Southern Cinema Club

The annual banquet of the Southern
Cinema Club of South Gate, California,
proved to be a gala affair. After the ban¬
quet the new club officers were installed
and the winning pictures in the club’s
annual contest were announced. New of¬
ficers are:

Ben Gale, re-elected president; R. L.
Paige, vice-president; Walter F. Jarvis,
secretary; Arnold Hellbusch, re-elected
treasurer.

Prize winning pictures announced
were:

First Prize, “Super Man,” by Ruth
Helstowski.

Second Prize, “Fishing in 1944,” by
Walter Cummins.

Third Prize,” Vacation at Arrowhead,”
by Vernon Larson.

La Casa Club

Capacity attendance has become the
rule at the meetings of the La Casa
Movie Club of Alhambra, California.
February meeting was jammed to the
roof, figuratively speaking.

The movie fare served consisted of
the following:

“Southern California,” by J. P. Glass-
ner.

“Just the Desert,” by Guy Nelli.

“Progress of Animation in Color,
Sound and Music,” a film shown through
the courtesy of Walt Disney Studios.

“Canada’s Radiant Rockies,” by Ralph
Taylor.

“Travel Scenes,” by Dr. L. D. Whiting.

“California Scenes,” by Dr. Harold R.
Lutes.

Los Angeles Club

The Los Angeles Cinema Club is con¬
ducting a drive for new members, and
hopes to make the club one of the larg¬
est in the United States, according to
President Harry E. Parker.

The club’s February meeting scored
a ten-strike by the presentation of “Com¬
bat America,” the picture that Major
Clark Gable supervised in the European
theatre of war.

J. D. Mohler, head of the Photolamp
field service for the General Electric
Company, gave an interesting talk on
lighting home movies, and the meeting
concluded with the showing of “Eliza¬
beth Park,” one of the recent winners
in the club’s annual contest.

98

March, 1945 • American Cinematographer

RED CROSS WAR FUND

Keep your Red Cross at his side.
Never was this more important
than today. Long after swords have
been beaten into plowshares the
Red Cross will have much to do.

Even after the last gun has been
fired many a month will pass be¬
fore all our fighting men are home.
Some will be confined in hospitals
for long periods of recovery. Tra¬
ditional Red Cross service for these
men who have sacrificed so much
must continue unabated. It is a
sacred obligation delegated to your
Red Cross.

No less sacred is the obligation
to stand by with all necessary aid
while veterans of this war, now be¬
ing returned to civil life, adjust
themselves to new conditions, pre¬
pare to take their rightful place
in field and factory.

The welfare of the families of
our men in uniform, their wives
and children, their aged parents,
must be guarded to see they do
not suffer want in these trying
times.

The refugees and waifs of war
need help — help such as only the
Red Cross is prepared to give in
a war-scarred world.

Those essential and humanitar¬
ian services which at home have
characterized the Red Cross
through the years must be con¬
tinued: disaster relief, home nurs¬
ing instruction, nurse’s aide train¬
ing, the many volunteer services,
and other activties.

Though the roar of guns may
cease, human needs remain. The
Red Cross can meet these only
with your continued generous sup¬
port. The President has designated
March as Red Cross Month, the
period in which the 1945 Red Cross
War Fun will be raised. Red Cross
activities are financed solely from
voluntary contributions and gifts.
We all must do our part.

New Filmosound Releases
Announced by B. & H.

CRAZY HOUSE (Universal)

No. 2555 8 reels Rental $17.50

A mad, merry tale of how not to
make a motion picture, and whom to ex¬
clude if you do. Top executives and staff
of Universal Studios fail to prevent pro¬
duction! (Olsen and Johnson, Martha
O’Driscoll, Patric Knowles, Leo Carrillo,
Grace McDonald, Andy Devine) Avail¬
able from April 8, 1945 for approved
non-theatrical audiences.

OPTICAL CRAFTSMANSHIP
(Navy Group)

An additional series of eight sound
films, made for the purpose of training-
optical craftsmen to meet vastly ex¬
panded war and postwar needs, is being
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Flat Surfaces

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Fine Grinding and Polishing (Flat) —
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General

Introduction to Optics — No. 5531.

Beveling, Grooving and Rounding —
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Inspection Methods — No. 5553.
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American Cinematographer • March, 1945

99

Production Designing

(Continued from Page 83)

and a closeup at the same time. In
“Our Town,” for instance, one of the
memorable moments was the shot in
the graveyard with the mother’s head
in the immediate foreground, and the
daughter’s full figure in a white dress
in the background. As a matter of fact
this shot had to be accomplished with
a split screen by cameraman Bert Glen-
non because no lens could carry so deep
a focus. When he worked with Rudolph
Mate on “Address Unknown,” Menzies
vowed that he would not indulge in the
obvious, overdone device of showing ac¬
centuated swastika armbands on his
Nazis. In order to do this and appear
natural at the same time, he used a
simple trick. The storm troopers were
handed electric lanterns which they used
in their search for the quai’ry. When¬
ever they came close enough to the
camera so that their swastikas might
be seen, the glare of the lanterns into
the lens blotted out the Nazi insignia
on their arms.

In “Kings Row,” working with Jimmy
Howe, Menzies played a whole scene in
lightning, going from intense blackness
to flashes of light. After each light¬
ning flash, the characters moved closer
together. In this case, the lightning
amounted to cuts. In “North Star,”
again with Howe, the low hoi’izons em¬
phasized the flatness of the Russian
plains. In “The Adventures of Tom
Sawyer,” in the body-snatching scene,
the main character stood dynamically
through the dead center of the screen
with the two men on either side of him
digging in the graveyard. This was
the strongest and strictest visual com¬
bination that Menzies could evolve. “The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer” was in

color, as were “Gone With the Wind”
and “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” Men¬
zies prefers to work in color, since it
offers more problems and greater possi¬
bilities. His use of color for dramatic ef¬
fect in “Gone with the Wind” — the child¬
birth scene with the woman’s black sil¬
houette against the torrid orange back¬
ground is an outstanding instance — won
him a second Academy Awai’d.

Menzies’ ambition was once to become
a theatrical kind of painter — a muralist.
Today he strives for the utmost fluidity
in designing a motion picture. He em¬
phasizes the fact that his drawings are
only short-hand sketches for entrances,
first groupings and effective finishes for
a scene. It is impossible to plan every¬
thing on paper. To avoid woodenness and
a static quality, particularly in longer
scenes, much must be done in the actual
'photography on the set, and that is
where the cameraman, whom Menzies
holds in such high esteem, comes in.
Fx-equently, alternate sketches will be
prepared to cope with conditions during
shooting, and the final result will be a
compilation of a number of ideas that are
cemented on the set. Menzies prefers to
collaborate with the cameraman during
the production designing stages, and he
has made a point of doing so on all of his
own productioyis. He says that he became
a producer and director chiefly to pro¬
tect his interests as a production de¬
signer.

To achieve fluidity, Menzies resorts
to all kinds of devices. He may fade
out on a big closeup of a head and
fade in on a tiny head in the same posi¬
tion. If the preceeding coixxposition
dovetails into the following shot there
*\dll be an imperceptible blending that
is easy on the eye.

But, for a man who is interested in
theory and technique, Menzies is wise
enough to realize the pitfalls into which

Above is another of Mr. Menzie's sketches.

they may lead. He espouses the cause
of movie mechanics, but only insofar as
it makes for a more effective depiction
of the human element on the screen.
He believes that his contribution to a
picture is good if it helps the story,
acting and direction. Today he is a
px-oducer and director himself, but he
will always adhere to the principles of
production design. “The whole secret
of motion picture making is in prepara¬
tion,” he says. “What comes after that
is hai’d woi’k.”

Sinclair Oil Presents
"Planning For Tomorrow"

“Planning for Tomoi’row,” pi’esented
by the Sinclair Refining Company, is a
25-minute dramatic motion picture vis¬
ualization of the advantages of Sin¬
clair’s “TBA” program (tires, batteries,
accessories) for filling station opei’ators,
particularly in “planning for tomorrow.”

The picture tells the story of how two
gas station partners who have more or
less let things slip during the war, due
to the shortage of help and supplies, get
onto themselves thi’ough the pi’ogres-
sive leadership of a Sinclair agent,
spruce up the station, put in a new sys¬
tem, take on a line of Goodyear tires,
batteries and accessories, and as a re¬
sult, win back buyers. The picture is
played by a New York cast and has
been produced in black-and-white with
direct sound recording by Visual Train¬
ing Corp., Detroit ti’aining and promo¬
tion specialists. Address requests to
Publicity Dept., Visual Training Corp.,
815 Bates St., Detroit 26, Mich.

100

March, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Congo Goes to War

(Continued from Page 85)

built by Cauvin and his assistants, head¬
ed by Mrs. Hevery-Meurisse, in Leo¬
poldville, capital of the colony. The dolly
was a platform some ten yards long on
which rested a truck with four large,
oversize rubber wheels. Natives who
accompanied the mission were trained
as grips and soon learned how to roll
the dolly without losing momentum or
smoothness of operation. At first the
natives considered dollying a sort of
game, but after a while they caught
on to the urgencies of the work and
really made for what Cauvin describes
as a great camera crew. The platform
and dolly which followed the group dur¬
ing its thousands of miles of travel
weighed over half a ton and used the
facilities of one small truck by itself.

The caravan consisted of two five ton
trucks, and one small ton and a half
truck, as well as a car for the personnel
of the expedition. Natives used were,
with the exception of a houseboy, all
Congolese soldiers and were trained in
advance to take over all the technical
duties of a motion picture troupe. The
itinerary inside Belgian Congo started
out by boat from Leopoldville, center
of operations, to Stanleyville, a thous¬
and miles distant. From Stanleyville the
expedition traveled by plane for the
most part. Stopovers in any one native
village were never for less than a day
and often lasted a week to ten days.

There were a fortunate minimum of
mishaps. Losing the chief cameraman
at the very beginning of the expedition
created a hardship. On another occasion
while driving across the sun-hardened
terrain of Northern Congo, a front axle
of the lead car cracked and sent the
auto careening end over end toward a
deep ravine. The car perched over the
edge perilously with all its occupants
until they were rescued. On another
occasion the lead car got lost in the
thickest part of the African jungle veldt,
and the troupe was finally located and

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rescued by the Congolese soldiers, trained
to jungle life. Until they were rescued
the motion picture troupe, under the ex¬
pert guidance of the native houseboy,
fed on jungle bark and flora and fauna.

Cauvin has nothing but the highest
praise for the natives who demonstrated
an extraordinary skill in learning the
film-makers’ techniques in shooting pic¬
tures. They became expert car mechan¬
ics, grips, electricians and even camera
maintenance men when the occasion
called for it, and showed an unusually
high level of intelligence. There are
quite a few motion picture houses in the
Congo — in Leopoldville, Stanleyville,
Watsa and Matadi among other settle¬
ments. As far as the Congo is con¬
cerned, Andre Cauvin’s “Congo,” will be
the “Gone With the Wind” and “Going
My Way” of Africa at the box office for
years and probably generations to come.

The

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American Cinematographer • March, 1945

101

Requirements of Educational
Film Presentation

(Continued from Page 87)

of spare pieces of apparatus which will
be available to meet any sudden demand.
The l'ural authorities will also probably,
for a period at least, have one or more
mobile vans able to take films to iso¬
lated communities and schools who, for
one reason or another, have no projec¬
tion apparatus of their own. Each Au¬
thority will have its own maintenance
service. I expect that it will, however,
continue for purely political reasons to
buy through the local dealer rather than
through a more economical central or¬
ganization.

On the side of supply, I fancy that
the Local and Regional Library system
will develop, supplementing a Central
Library in London. In essence it should

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be as easy for a school to get a film on
demand as it is to get more dusters for
the blackboard or a new electric light
bulb. One solid virtue of the decentrali¬
zation of supply is that the manufac¬
turer can sell copies of films outright
and in that way get back his capital
outlay quicker than through the expen¬
sive method of individual hirings. More
copies sold, the quicker the turnover,
and the easier to keep up a steady out¬
put of new films. If between 20,000 and
30,000 schools were equipped with pro¬
jection apparatus and able to borrow
films without direct cost to themselves
(though in order to reduce film damage,
school funds should be made to bear the
cost of repairs or replacement), I see
no reason to doubt that 500,000 school
periods each week and over 40 millions
a year will provide such an annual re¬
placement figure as to render it possible
to see one’s money back within three
years on a popular film.

As to choice of new subjects for films,
I think that the great teaching organiza¬
tions could play a large part. It is also
from their ranks that the film makers
would recruit their advisers without
whom and without attention to whose
advice, most films would continue to be
foredoomed to failure.

I would even go so far, in the initial
stages at least, to ask that companies
making educational films whose ideas on
fresh subjects and their treatments had
been approved by the Board of Educa¬
tion or its advisers, should be indemni¬
fied against loss. I think this is the only
way to encourage speculative as ap¬
posed to sponsored production.

In this connection, may I say that I
am more than a little nervous of the ef¬
fects of high-class sponsored films of an
educational nature. It is not the fact
that they are sponsored that fills me
with qualms, but the fact that if the
sponsors put high-class films — educa¬
tional or semi-educational — on to the
market free to all users, it may be fatal
to the prospects of successful commer¬
cial production.

To sum up my sentiments, therefore,
in the smallest possible compass, I would
say: Films and other visual aids, espe¬
cially film slides and film strips, will be

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increasingly used in the schools of this
country. If they are to be effectively
used, on the one hand teachers must ad¬
just their methods to suit these new in¬
struments. On the other, in making
films there should be far closer co-opera¬
tion between teacher and film-maker
than in the past, and the teacher’s voice
and opinion receive more prominence
than it has in the past. Given true co¬
operation, I see no reason why the inter¬
national reputation of British educa¬
tional and instructional films should not
be maintained and even advanced.

Mr. Bell's paper was illustrated by
the following films, shown by courtesy
of the respective companies:

“Marine Models" (British Instruc¬
tional Films).

“ H ammers , Punches and Drifts"
(Brent Laboratories).

“ Pacific ” (made by G.B. Instructional
for the British Council), and

“A Ride with Uncle Joe” (made by
Verity Films for the Royal Society for
the Prevention of Accidents).

Where Do You Fit
In Television . .

(Continued from Page 90)

background. I spent a few moments in
the studio before the start of the pro¬
gram. Then I went into a room where
I saw the play on a tele scanner. This
presentation appeared to me like a
movie, television or no television, with
no cut-backs, with distorted long shots,
spotty picture. This will eventually be
corrected, for when television is com¬
mercialized many changes will be made.

Much has been done to make ready
for ‘T’ day, for then television will come
into its own and will create many new
jobs. New stations will open in many of
the large cities throughout the world.
The department store and others are
looking forward to television and are
ready to spend a lot of money for ad¬
vertising. Larger stores will have their
own studios, then they will always be
ready to go on the air with their own
prepared show and they will be able to
show anything from furniture to dia¬
monds.

Television will pick its talent from ra¬
dio, motion pictures and the theatre.
New opportunities will be presented for
a new crop of technicians of all sorts.
New jobs will open with the manufac¬
ture of television sets and talent will
find new opportunities. The success of
television will depend on its presenta¬
tion of good entertainment. Good en¬
tertainment will draw large audiences.
As soon as television gets down to seri¬
ous business, we will get all the correct
answers to the problems which I men¬
tion here. If you have any intention of
becoming a contributor, think it over,
“Where will you fit in television?”

Note: All rights reserved by the author, includ¬
ing the right to reproduce this article or portions
thereof, in any form.

102

March, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Herman C. Sievers, who has been elected a vice-
chairman of the Board of Directors of Eastman
Kodak Company.

Photographing Tokio

(Continued from Page 86)

number of photographs to cover area 20
miles by 20 miles in size allowing 60%
forward overlap and 40% side overlap,
7" x 9" 703, and 9" x 18" 290; minimum
number of flight strips to cover area
20 miles wide, allowing 40% overlap, 7"
x 9" 19, and 9" x 18" 10; minimum
number of photographic miles to cover
area, 7" x 9" 380, and 9" x 18" 200;
minimum flying time at 120 miles per
hour, 7" x 9" 3.16 hours, and 9" x 18"
1.66 hours.

How many thousand photographs of
Tokyo were taken, the altitudes flown,
flight speeds, an the area covered on the
three trips are censor-shrouded statis¬
tics, but it was announced that on the
third trip the cameras clicked steadily
for two hours and 40 minutes.

From a photographic standpoint, the
K-18 not only takes bigger pictures than
other cameras, but it has an excellent
lens, perfected by a U.S. optical works,
which provides extremely sharp pictures.
The camera also has the Fairchild be-
tween-the-lens aerial shutter, designed
especially to eliminate distortion and
sharpness. Because of the clarity, nega¬
tives can be enlarged to three or four
diameters and the pictures are still with¬
out the faintest blur and loss of detail.

The plane that carried the cameras
over Tokyo was sarcastically named the
“Tokyo Rose” for the notorious woman
announcer of the Japanese radio who
had boasted so long that the reconnais¬
sance photos we needed of Tokyo would
never be taken.

Perley S. Wilcox, who has been elected a vice-chair¬
man of the Board of Directors of Eastman Kodak
Company.

B. & H. Offers Employees
Course in Optical Technique

Unusual interest marked the recent
opening of Bell & Howell’s School of
Optical Manufacturing, which is meeting
in the company’s modern optical shop
at Lincolnwood, Illinois. Offered only
to 25 employees at a time so as to in¬
sure thorough understanding between
students and instructors, the course ’S
based on an effective program of actual
shop periods and seminars. Already more
than 100 applications are on file from
foremen, bench and machine operators,
process and methods experts, and top
supervisory personnel in many of the
company’s divisions and departments.

One of the more appealing features of
the course is that upon completion of
it each pupil will have made his own
Galilean telescope from beginning to
end, working to the close tolerances
characteristic of high-grade optical man¬
ufacture. Thus Bell & Howell employees
who may necessarily have had to con¬
fine their previous shop activity to the
operations or processes for which they
were best qualified now are obtaining
a sound working knowledge of every
step in lens-making. Already the better
understanding between departments
which has resulted from the school is
making itself felt along the production
line, according to company officials.

Fly Light Bulbs To Italy

To beat the black market in Italy the
Red Cross recently shipped 2,500 light
bulbs by air and 7,500 by boat for use
in its servicemen’s clubs. Shipments of
100 small pianos for Red Cross hospital
recreation rooms have also been made
to Italy.

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American Cinematographer • March, 1945

103

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Transitions . .

(Continued from Page 96)

one-eighth), the second frame at f:4,
etc. The complete series of nine frames
will then be:

#1 2345678 9

f :2.8 4 5.6 6.3 8 8.5 9.1 10.0 no exp.
This will be the D series of our lap
dissolve. The lens will be covered (at
f : 1 1 according to our calculations it
makes no difference whether the lens
is capped or not, but it is a lot safer
to cover it!), and the film readjusted
for the E series in the lap dissolve. The
E series will run in the reverse order,
f:10.0 on frame 2, f:9.1 on frame 3,
etc., f:2.8 on frame 9 and for the suc¬
ceeding title or scene.

Another use of the camera as a print¬
er for the production of special effects,
employs a negative of a title or an ani¬
mation (black letters or lines on a clear
field) through which is photographed
a scene taken with the camera lens.
Since the negative holds the raw stock
away from its usual position in the gate
by the thickness of the negative, com¬
pensation must be made in the focusing
of the lens so that the image will be
sharply delineated in the plane of the
raw stock emulsion. Again a little ex¬
perimental work is called for. With the
camera so prepared, the film sandwich
containing a title negative, the lens fo¬
cused on a scene, the subject is shot.
If developed in the ordinary way, the
print will be a negative with white
lettering, or if reversed in processing,
the scene will provide a moving back¬
ground for black lettering or animation.

Once a few of these interesting transi¬
tions have been attempted, the home
movie maker is likely to become an ad¬
dict, and will dream up more and more
complicated special effects to try out.
He will probably experiment with nega¬
tives of particularly complicated wipes,
photographing scenes through such neg¬
atives, hurrying to the darkroom or
changing bag to adjust the film before
taking the next scene. The ingenuity
of the photographer is the principal limi¬
tation on tricks which can be performed
in transitions. Good luck!

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Aces of the Camera

(Continued from Page 79)

He got his big “break” when the Iro¬
quois Hotel caught fire in 1923. As usual
he was on the job with his camera, and
the motion pictures he secured of the
fire landed him a job with Fox.

Atlantic City really should give Jim
a medal, for he has given that famous
resort more screen publicity than any
other single newsreel man. There was
one period when newsreels of the nation
used a total of 150 different subjects of
Atlantic City in ten consecutive years—
all made by Seeley.

In his years as an Ace newsreel cam¬
eraman he has covered most every type
of event; Presidential inaugurations,
football, baseball, horse racing, cham¬
pionship fights, riots, fashion parades,
and the countless other events that we
see on the screen.

At present most of his work is with
some part of the Armed Forces. He has
been to sea with the Navy and Coast
Guard; has photographed burning and
torpedoed ships, and many things he is
not allowed to mention.

Yes, Jim is really a Camera Ace. And
among those who know him he is an
Ace Gentleman, too. He has a peculiar
aversion to owing bills. In fact, he hates
to receive bills. Maybe that’s why he
always pays his dues in the American
Society of Cinematographers a full year
in advance.

1944 Visual Review
Is Announced

Featuring the story of the develop¬
ment of visual education over a period
of twenty-five years, the Silver Anni¬
versary edition of the Visual Review is
announced by the Society for Visual Ed-
ducation.

Included in the new issue is the in¬
teresting history of S.V.E., which was
founded by a group of forward-looking
educators twenty-five years ago. The
problems and methods used to lift visual
education from the “realm of fad to the
realm of faith” together with the story
of the subsequent development of the
Society for Visual Education, Inc., is
told by Nelson L. Greene, editor of the
Educational Screen magazine.

In “Twenty-five Years of Progress,”
Ellsworth C. Dent, nationally known au¬
thority on audio-visual education, traces
certain advances in audio-visual educa¬
tion during the past quarter century,
particularly stressing the development in
the production and distribution of slide-
films and related training aids.

Other feature stories of the important
part played by visual education in avia¬
tion education, training in the Armed
Forces, and in various educational and
religious fields, are authoritatively pre¬
sented.

104

March, 1945 • American Cinematographer

DeVry Gets New
Government Contract

DeVry Corporation, Chicago, already
a 4-time Army-Navy “E” award winner,
has received further official endorsement
of its craftsmanship in the form of a new
government contract for motion picture
sound equipment for the U. S. Navy and
Marine Corps.

The equipment specified in the latest
DeVry contract is to be used for com¬
bined training and entertainment pur¬
poses and is additional to the specialized
“hush-hush” training equipment DeVry
has been building for the synthetic train¬
ing program of the Bureau of Aero¬
nautics, U.S.N.

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New National Carbon
Company Vice-President

C. O. Kleinsmith has been elected a
vice president of National Carbon Com¬
pany, Inc., a unit of Union Carbide &
Carbon Corporation. Mr. Kleinsmith was
formerly general sales manager for the
company’s “Eveready” Products. Prior
to his appointment to that position, two
years ago, he was sales manager for
Eastern United States. He joined the
company in 1919.

Mr. Kleinsmith announced the appoint¬
ment of D. B. Joy as general sales man¬
ager for Carbon Products. Mr. Joy joined
National Carbon Company in 1923 after
graduating from Massachusetts Institute
of Technology. He was made director of
the company’s Process Engineering
Laboratory at Fostoria, Ohio, ten years
ago, and in 1941 became assistant super¬
intendent of the Fostoria factory. He
was made product manager last year.

Mr. Kleinsmith also announced the ap¬
pointment of R. P. Bergan as general
sales manager for the company’s con¬
sumer and related products.

Photographers Put Good
Neighbor Policy On Job

Aided by the Photographic Society of
America, amateur photographers of the
United States, Canada, and Mexico are
entering prints in 1945 South American
salons. Three PSA representatives are
receiving the prints at New York, Mon¬
treal, and Taxco, and will ship them to
South American contacts who will enter
them in the salons of the Sixth Foto
Club Concordia, Argentina, Sept., 1945;
Second Foto Club Bandeirante Sao
Paulo, Brazil, Nov., 1945; Second So-
ciedad Fluminense de Fotografia of Rio
de Janeiro, Jan., 1946; Second Foto Club
Rosario, Argentina, March, 1946; and
Club Fotografico de Chile, Santiago,
Chile, date unannounced.

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American Cinematographer • March, 1945

105

A Fascinating
Realistic Story
Of The South Seas

The Author of "BROWN BAR-
RIERS" spent many years in the
South Seas; long enough to know
the natives and the islands inti¬
mately. He selected the inspiring
island of Bora Bora, one of the So¬
ciety Group, for the background
of this intensely interesting and
authentic travel novel.

It was here in 1856 that a small
boatload of men and a lone wom¬
an, survivors from the wrecked
clipper ship Norbert K., worked
their way through the opening in
the foaming reef to what destiny
held in store for them — Love,
laughter, hate and romance told in
gripping dramatic style.

A FINE GIFT
ANY TIME

Author's limited autographed First
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Stiff covers bound in rich brown
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34 1 pages, S1/^ x B1/^.

Illustrated with 71 pen drawings by
author.

Complete glossary.

Privately published. Supply limited.
Price $3.50 Prepaid.

GLENN ROBERT KERSHNER

4245 BALDWIN AYE., CULVER CITY, CALIF.

FOR SALE

BASS SAYS: Here are some juicy items! On
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106

March, 1945 • American Cinematographer

The Movies...

Community Rallying Point

°ne of a series of
advertisements by
KODAK testifying to

the achievements of
the movies at war

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audiences a vital factor in winning the war.

Yes, throughout the nation, one of the most effective rallying points
has proved to be "the movies.”

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J. E. BRULATOUR, INC., Distributors
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W 7 E’RE at the wind-up end of
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Here, the film base emerges
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As the film base is slowly wound
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110

April, 1945 • American Cinematographer

4000 MILES AGO

~fko

NEW GUINEA

U. S. Signal Corps men were in the
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with their Bell & Howell Eyemos.

But, that’s part of the Corps’ all-
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Precision-built by the makers of
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AC 4-45

American Cinematographer • April, 1945

111

VOL. 26 APRIL, 1945 NO. 4

CONTENTS

Joseph LaShelle, Leon Shamroy

1944 Academy Award Winners . By Hal Hall 114

Filming “Western Approaches” . By Jack Cardiff 116

Julien Bryan, Film Reporter . By Irving Browning 118

A Cinematographer Speaks . By Ezra Goodman 120

An All-Friction Drive for Developing Machines. .By W. G. C. Bosco 122

Aces of the Camera (Henry Sharp, A.S.C By W. G. C. Bosco 124

New Film Script Technique for Amateurs . By F. C. Moultrie 126

Among the Movie Clubs . 128

Close-Up King . By T/5 George Justin 130

THE FRONT COVER: This scene might be termed “18th Century Rug
Cutters”, for it is a scene showing the dancing of the lovely minuet in
Paramount’s new film, “Kitty”, starring Paulette Goddard. Director of
Photography, Daniel Fapp, A.S.C., is photographing the picture, which

is directed by Mitchell Leisen.

<®

OFFICERS AND BOARD OF GOVERNORS

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

Leonard Smith,

President

Fred Jackman. Exec. V.-Pres. and Treas.

Joseph Walker,

First Vice-President

Leon Shamroy, Second Vice-President

Charles Clarke,

Third Vice-President

Byron Haskin, Secretary

George Folsey,

Sergeant-at-Arms

John Arnold

Lee Garmes

Ray Rennahan

John Boyle

Sol Polito

John Seitz

Arthur Edeson

Ralph Staub

The Staff

•

EDITOR
Hal Hall

•

TECHNICAL EDITOR
Emery Huse. A.S.C.

•

ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Edward Pyle. Jr.

•

WASHINGTON STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Reed N. Haythome, A.S.C.

•

MILITARY ADVISOR
Col. Nathan Levinson

•

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Mel Traxel

•

ARTIST

Glenn R. Kershner, A.S.C.

•

CIRCULATION AND ADVERTISING
Marguerite Duerr

•

ADVISORY EDITORIAL BOARD
Fred W. Jackman, A- S. C.

Victor Milner, A. S. C.

Alvin Wyckoff. A.S.C.

Farciot Edouart, A. S. C.

Fred Gage, A. S. C.

Dr. J. S. Watson, A. S. C.

Dr. L. A. Jones, A. S. C.

Dr. C. E. K. Mees, A. S. C.

Dr. W. B. Rayton, A. S. C.

Dr. V. B. Sease, A. S. C.

•

AUSTRALIAN REPRESENTATIVE
McGill's. 173 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne.
Australian and New Zealand Agents

•

Published monthly by A. S. C. Agency, Inc.
Editorial and business offices :

1782 North Orange Drive
Hollywood (Los Angeles, 28), California
Telephone: GRanite 2135
•

Established 1920. Advertising rates on appli¬
cation. Subscriptions: United States and Pan
American Union, $2.60 per year ; Canada, $2.76
per year ; Foreign. $3.50. Single copies, 26c ;
back numbers, 30c : foreign, single copies 36c.
back numbers 40c. Copyright 1945 by A. S. C.
Agency, Inc.

•

Entered as second-class matter Nov. 18, 1937.
at the postoffice at Los Angeles. California, under
the act of March 3, 1879.

06

112 April, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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LEON SHAMROY, A.S.C., receiving an "Oscar" from Bob Hope for

best color photography of 1944.

THE 17th Annual Awards of Merit
of the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences is now a mat¬
ter of history. The famous awards, high¬
est honors that can be bestowed upon
the artists and scientists of the motion
picture industry, were presented the
evening of March 15th, 1945, at Grau-
man’s Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, be¬
fore two thousand of the film industry's
outstanding celebrities.

To those interested in motion picture
photography the highlight of the evening
was the announcement of the winners of
top honors in black-and-white and color
cinematography. These two awards went
to two members of the American So¬
ciety of Cinematographers — to Joseph
LaShelle for the best achievement in
black-and-white cinematography, and to
Leon Shamroy for the best color cine¬
matography. LaShelle’s award came for
his photography on “Laura,” for 20th

Century-Fox, and Shamroy’s was for
his Technicolor photography on “Wil¬
son,” also for 20th Century-Fox. Thus,
these two artists were crowned kings of
the cinematographic world for 1944.

While the presentation of the awards
to these men was an outstanding event
in their lives, this writer is of the opin¬
ion that another event, which took place
on the night of March 26th, probably
made an even deeper impression on them.
That occasion was a dinner given in
honor of the two winners by their fel¬
low craftsmen and fellow members of
the American Society of Cinematograph¬
ers. At that dinner all the other top
cinematographers of Hollywood gathered
to pay honor to the two men who have
topped their work during the past year.
Among the cameramen attending the
dinner were sixteen men who were
among the nominees competing for the
Academy Awards. And those sixteen

Joseph LaShelle.

1944 Academy

losers were the loudest in their praise
of the work of LaSalle and Shamroy —
which shows the stuff of which our cine¬
matographers are made.

Even though we did print the names
of all the nominees for cinematographic
honors in last month’s issue, we will
print them again, for being a nominee
is a great honor. Here are the other
nominees, and the pictures for which
they were nominated: Black-and-white
cinematography — John Seitz, “Double
Indemnity”; Sidney Wagner, “Dragon
Seed”; Joseph Ruttenberg, “Gaslight”;
Lionel Lindon, “Going My Way”; Glen
Mac Williams, “Lifeboat”; Stanley Cor¬
tez and Lee Garmes, “Since You Went
Away”; Robert Surtees and Harold Ros-
son, “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo”;
Charles Lang, “The Uninvited”; George
Folsey, “The White Cliffs of Dover.”

Color cinematography: Rudolph Mate
and Allen M. Davey, “Cover Girl”; Ed¬
ward Cronjager, “Home in Indiana”;
Charles Rosher, “Kismet”; Ray Renna-
han, “Lady in the Dark”; George Fol¬
sey, “Meet Me in St. Louis.”

Other important awards in the scien¬
tific field included those for best achieve¬
ment in Special Effects, and for best
sound recording. The award for special
effects went to “Thirty Seconds Over
Tokyo.” A. Arnold Gillespie, Donald
Jahrous and Warren Newcombe did
the photographic effects, Douglas
Shearer the sound effects.

The best sound recording award went
to E. H. Hansen of 20th Century-Fox
for the recording on “Wilson.”

Special Scientific, Awards were pre¬
sented to the following: To Stephen
Dunn and the RKO Sound Department
for the design, and to Radio Corpora¬
tion of America for additional develop¬
ment of the Electronic Compressor-
Limiter. This is a unique variable-gain
amplifier, the design of which is based
on the logarithmic characteristics of
hearing and their specific relation to the
reproduction of sound at theatre levels.
Use of the compressor-limiter in a re¬
cording system provides automatic con¬
trol of intensity ratios whereby the am¬
plification and reproduction of sound,
particularly speech, is accomplished with¬
out the phenomenon of exaggerated and

114 April, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Leon Shamroy

Award Winners

By HAL HALL

unnatural volume surges. This device
achieves a volumetric smoothness and a
general increase in intelligibility not pre¬
viously obtainable and is considered in-
dispensible by all users of variable area
sound systems.

To: Linwood Dunn, Cecil Love, and
the Acme Tool Manufacturing Company
for the design and construction of the
Acme-Dunn Optical Printer.

The Acme-Dunn Optical Printer is the
first such semi-automatic, electrically
controlled equipment designed and engi¬
neered for trick optical printing, in¬
corporating features previously used
with many simple and fast-operating de¬
vices of new radical design into a com¬
pact, streamlined unit. This machine ex¬
emplifies technical advancement neces¬
sary to keep pace with the ever increas¬
ing scope of the motion picture art.

To: Grover Laube and the 20th Cen¬
tury-Fox Camera Department for the
development of the Continuous Loop
Projection Device.

The Continuous Device is the result
of several years of experimentation on
this type of equipment and is the first
such device that will handle loops of
over 1000 feet over a long period of time
without film mutilation or erratic opera¬
tion. It is simple, inexpensive, and ef¬
ficient and can be quickly installed on
any standard projector. In operation the
device meets all the requirements of the
most exacting operator for continuous
loop projection for re-recording pur¬
poses.

To: Western Electric Company for the
design and construction of the 1126-A
Limiting Amplifier for Variable Density
Sound Recording.

The use of the Western Electric 1126-
A Limiting Amplifier provides, without
distortion, automatic and instantaneous
limiting of the sound volume in variable
density recording. Its use simplifies the
recording operations, prevents overload¬
ing of the modulator and thus provides
improved release prints.

To: Russell Brown, Ray Hinsdale, and
Joseph Robbins for the development and

JOSEPH LaSHELLE, A.S.C., receiving an "Oscar" from Bob Hope
for best black-and-white photography of 1944.

production use of the Paramount Float¬
ing Hydraulic Boat Rocker.

The Paramount Floating Hydraulic
Boat Rocker is a completely self-con¬
tained unit, without a rigid gimble or
guy lines, permitting an unhampered and
natural flow of buoyancy which con¬
tributes to an action comparable to a
ship actually under way at sea. One of
the most unique features of its design
is its ability to pick up its own anchor¬
age so that it may be floated to any de¬
sired position in the tank. The results
are an increased realism on the screen
with an ease and speed of operation
which decreases costs by reducing pro¬
duction time.

To: Gordon Jennings for the design
and construction of the Paramount No¬
dal Point Tripod.

This tripod is so arranged that the
camera body swings horizontally and

vertically for panning or tilting shots
on a fixed pivot point directly at the
photographic lens of the camera. This
pivot coincides with the rear nodal point
of the lens. When the camera swings on
this point as a center, the entering and
emerging field angles corresponding with
the objects at different distances from
the camera remain conjugate to one an¬
other and the accurate line-up of minia¬
ture and action or background objects
is preserved.

To: The Radio Corporation of Amer¬
ica and the RKO Radio Sound Depart¬
ment for the design and construction of
the RKO Reverberation Chamber.

This is the first reverberation cham¬
ber specifically designed and constructed
to provide the re-recording process with
realistic and effective reverberation suit¬
able for innumerable pictorial situations.

(Continued on Page 137)

American Cinematographer • April, 1945

115

Filming Western Approaches

\ r

By JACK CARDIFF

THE Crown Film Unit, as every¬
body knows, adheres stauchly to
realism in its films. Such studio
requisites as make-up, model shots, back
projection, etc., are anathema to them;
so I was not surprised to learn that on
“Western Approaches” we had to shoot
many lifeboat scenes in a real sea and

not in a studio, but my stomach rumbled
nervously, for I am probably the worst
sailor in the world. When, however, I
was told that these scenes were to be
shot with sound, physical apprehension
turned to dismayed incredulity, for this
foretold many problems. The bare idea
of using our Technicolor blimp in a life¬

boat is uproariously funny to those who
are acquainted with it; but to those who
have not seen this Technicolor Titan I
need only compare it in size and weight
to a four-foot square steel safe, for them
to see the joke. In its place we had to
use an auxiliary lightweight blimp which
is generally used for crane shots, or ex¬
terior scenes where the regular heavy
but efficient studio blimp is impracticable.
This emergency blimp is the bete noire
of any cameraman who has ever used it,
as, being light and abbreviated for soar¬
ing on a crane or being carried up rocky
mountains, it is fitted in one piece, like a
hat, over the camera, and laboriously
strapped together. For the most trifling
operation like changing a view finder
matt, it all has to come off again. This
is fidgety enough on land, but at sea
in a rolling lifeboat . . .

Chuckling- in retrospect, I suppose, my
assistant, Eric Asbury, was, on the
whole, lucky to fall in the Irish Channel
only once!

This turned out to be only a minor
headache on a film which was the most
despairing struggle a film unit ever had.

For the lifeboat scenes our headquar¬
ters was at Holyhead, Wales, which
proved to be the mecca of film-struck
gremlins. The plan was, to tow our life¬
boat twenty miles or so out to sea by a
drifter.

It took many days for us to overcome
literally hundreds of minor problems, but
at last we went out to work. In our life¬
boat was crammed, every day for six
months, the director, myself and assist¬
ant, sound man, continuity girl. West¬
ern Electric sound gear, Technicolor
camera with its many boxes of equip¬
ment, reflectors, props for the boat, such
as a portable wireless transmitter, water
barrels, and boxes of sandwiches for the
day, and a flapping sail which swung
murderously around when one least ex¬
pected it. Oh, I forgot one other small
item: twenty-two merchant seamen! All
this in a 28-foot lifeboat.

I am x-elieved that this article is con¬
fined to photographic problems only
Anyone recording the problems of all
departments would rival Tolstoy!

My first major problem was one of
skies and exposure. Winter had been
rightly chosen to give the best dramatic-
environment typical of so many frozen
merchant seamen in this war. Now a per¬
son seen up against a summer’s blue
sky, bathed in radiant sunlight, is, to
use a technical term, a pushover; but
take away the radiant sun and blue sky,
and an unrecognizable silhouette is
smudged against the grey horizon. On
groups of seamen this was just right for
atmosphere; but on a closeup I could
not get enough exposure to see who it
was, unless I shot with the lens wide
open — but then that over-exposed the
sky behind. For instance, the sky alone
usually needed an exposure of five at

The pictures on these two pages are scenes from the
motion picture, "Western Approaches".

least, but the face was usually underex¬
posed even with the lens wide open. Con¬
sequently, the laboratory could have
printed on printer-point 1 for the face,
but that made the sky flare from over¬
exposure, so the scene should be printed
at printer-point 20. I could not use a sky
filter, as in black and white, for obvious
reasons, and for a few worrying days
“Western Approaches” looked like being
the mystery film of all time, until we
managed, after many difficulties, to get
a couple of lamps in our boat — yes, there
was only just room!— which were run
from a small generator on the drifter
towing us. This enabled me to put enough
light on the faces until I could give an
exposure of 5, and we were able to carry
on.

The next problem was continuity of
weather. Having started to shoot the
scenes of the seamen’s first day in the
lifeboat — a matter of several days’ work
— in dull, rainy weather, we had to con¬
tinue that way. But the next day would
be like blazing June, with blue skies
and that radiant sun again, so we de¬
cided that the second sequence would be
shot in fine weather. So, if dull, first se¬
quence; if sunny, second sequence; but
after the first few days we ran into a
much bigger headache — the continuity of
the seamen’s beards. After shooting in
four days’ fine weather on the second
sequence, the seamen would show four
days’ growth of beard. Then rain and
dull weather would come for a week, but
in order to return to the first sequence
the seamen should be cleanshaven !

I made an interesting experiment at
this stage, which enabled us to shoot
sunny scenes in dull weather. The lamps
I used were incandescent, and for nor¬
mal use had to have a blue filter to cor¬
rect the yellow light to white. By taking
the blue glass off, the face was much
too yellow for ordinary purposes, but
by over-exposing to clean the dirty grey
sky to a white one, and allowing for the
laboratory to print on the blue side to
correct the complementary yellow, so
making the white sky blue, I was able
to save waiting so long for sunshine.

When a rare sunny day did arrive in
the months of October onwards, the sun
was wan and orange, and always at
such a low arc that the usual ground
reflection was practically nil — but there
wasn’t any ground, only dark blue sea,
which was in complimentary opposition
and accentuated the jaundiced effect.
Reflectors in the shadow side were im¬
possible with the boat rocking so much
that the angle of reflection swung off far
too much for the most adroit counter
manipulation, and the inky gloom on one
side of the face would be intermittently
flared like a morse signal !

Winter sunlight is very yellow, much
more than is usually realized, and when
yellow faces are corrected by yellow’s
complementary, blue, the seas, which
are already blue, look fantastically un¬
real.

At the start of the film I was dis¬

mayed to see many faces over-sunburnt,
for a tomato face in Technicolor is not
very charming; but by the time winter
had been wearily passed there was very
little tan to be seen, and the difference
was another headache for the cutter as
well as myself.

Although our camera equipment was
covered with water-proof canvas, salt
water and salt atmosphere permeated
everywhere, corroding viciously. Nearly
every day the pungent smell of our ca¬
bles and plugs shorting, with smoke issu¬
ing from our electrical gear told us that
our salt water gremlins were having
fun again, and we must dry the connec¬
tions either by heating them with
matches or lighters, or clean them un¬

der a water-proof while spray splashed
in derisively.

The Technicolor camera is the swanky
apotheosis of movie machines, bred in
million dollar Hollywood, delicately col¬
ored, with superb high-precision machin¬
ery and a prism which is set to a fraction
of an inch and diligently watched for the
most microscopic speck of dust, which
would show as a large colored blob on
the screen. This prism is always placed,
with tense caution and bated breath,
into the camera, keeping a perfect bal¬
ance while doing so. This meticulous
operation was a sight to be remembered
in a lifeboat on stormy seas. Reloading
the camera with fresh film was always a
nightmare, with the ubiquitous gremlins
(Continued on Page 140)

Left, a scene from one of Julien Bryan's
films of Mexcio.

♦ # .

PffPgl

rxsi

Juiien Bryan, Film Reporter

By IRVING BROWNING

JULIEN BRYAN, explorer, photog¬
rapher, lecturer and author, whose
work can be classified as a Film
Reporter, started his unusual career from
a desire to travel to far off places, meet
people and study their existence. One
must accept the hardships of' the ele¬
ments and the ways of their life to col¬
lect the vast material which Bryan has
had the good fortune to amass in the
fifteen years he spent traveling, photo¬

graphing and collecting for his lecture
tours. His genial manner easily wins
him friends everywhere.

Julien was born in Titusville, Penn¬
sylvania, in 1899. Titusville was the
first town in the United States where
an oil well was drilled and was well
known throughout the world for develop¬
ing the best oil well drillers, for when
a driller was sought, Titusville was the
place to find him. Titusville is still an

oil town and many of its inhabitants
earn their livelihood from oil which
comes up from their back yards, yet,
for all this, Bryan became a film report¬
er and not a driller. The father of
Eli Culbertson was an oil driller in
Titusville and Titusville gave two fa¬
mous daughters to the world, Ida Tar-
bell, a writer and Helen Jepson, the
opera singer.

At the age of eight, together with
his brother, Julien started the “Bryan
Brothers Picture Puzzle Corporation,”
selling puzzles to his friends and rela¬
tives, constantly expanding their busi¬
ness, until one day, they received an
order for one hundred and fifty picture
puzzles which they were not geared up
to deliver, this large order stumped them
completely and they quit. Had he been
a mite older, we may yet have seen
that name today on puzzle packages.

Many find success by unusual circum¬
stances. Sometimes it is thrust upon
one; sometimes it is sought through
ambitious effort; sometimes it is found
of necessity and shear hardship, but it
is never a matter of luck, for nothing
comes to one who waits for lady luck.
So, with Bryan, he worked hard and
long for what he has attained.

Bryan’s father always wanted his boys
to meet people, and when a missionary
parish minister came to Titusville to
preach at the Presbyterian church where
the family attended, he stayed at the
Bryan home because there was no hotel
in town. It was under such circum¬
stances that Julien first learned the ways
of the old world.

In World War 1, Bryan as a youth
joined the American Ambulance Field
Service and spent six months driving
an ambulance for the French troops on
the Verdun and Argonne Forest fronts.
After the war, Bryan’s name came to
the fore in a book which he wrote from
his memoirs of the war titled, “Ambu¬
lance 464,” which the MacMillan Com¬
pany published. This book carried pho¬
tographic illustrations by Bryan which
were made under trying conditions, but
they were good enough to find a place
in the newspapers and magazines in this
country.

With these experiences behind him,
his adventurous leanings got the best
of him, for now he was old enough
to attend college and at Princeton, his
studies of history, medieval and modern,
gave him insight to recognize social in¬
justices in the world. Family tradi¬
tions, his early experience both at home
and in the war and his education all
combined to influence Bryan to enter
the ministry. He entered the Union
Theological Seminary, where he spent

Left, mother and child in the Caucasus, Russia, from
a film by Julien Bryan.

Right, Julian Bryan in Japan where he made a series
of films long before the present war.

three years and was graduated. Before
he completed the course, he decided not
to be ordained but rather to engage in
social work and for many years, he
served as a director of boys’ work in
a Brooklyn Y.M.C.A.

In 1930, Julien first toured Russia
on a vacation, in a party led by Maurice
Hindus. On this trip he took with him
a 16mm. camera and twenty rolls of
film. When he returned, he showed his
films privately and during these show¬
ings, he lectured, for there were eager
folk, who waited to know and see what
was going on in Russia. They had
heard about the Five Year Plan and how
Russia was evolving to a great nation.
Most of his showings were free, but
there were requests for his lectures and
films for which Bryan was paid. All
this was the beginning of Julien Bryan
starting on a career which was to bring
him renown and was to take him to
many countries; to meet people in all
walks of life; to be feted by royalty
and presidents; to be invited to lecture
at exclusive clubs, where he had many
engagements.

In 1932 Bryan again set out for Rus¬
sia. This time with a 35mm. Eyemo
camera, for had he had 35mm. film for
his 1930 vacation trip, he would have
traveled through the lecture halls of
this country as a professional. I first
met him when he returned from Russia
in 1932. A newsreel cameraman, Joe
Reid, with whom I had made some col¬
lege football films in Connecticut, met
Bryan in Russia. Reid was sent by
Universal Pictures to record the findings
of a group of university professors of
the work going on in the Soviet Union.
Reid was so thrilled and impressed by
what he saw, that upon learning that
Bryan had traveled farther into the in¬
terior of Russia, covering many more
places of this vast, interesting, rapid-
developing country, he told Bryan he
would like to meet him in the United
States and that he might be instrumental
in helping Bryan place his film for the¬
atrical release.

One day when Reid was in New York,
he dropped in to see me to tell me that
he had been to Russia, had made film
and had met Julien Bryan. He told me
about the wonderful films which Bx-yan
had made in the Soviet Union. Reid
so impressed me, that I went to Uni¬
versal Pictures and told the story of the
films of Julien Bryan, as Joe Reid had
related them to me. Neither Joe nor I
had seen Bryan’s films, but I managed
to arrange a showing. Here, I stepped
into the role of an agent, and oh, brother,
how I wish I hadn’t!

The day of the appointment for the
showing of the Bryan film arrived and

I took five reels up to the projection¬
ist and then seated myself in a nice,
easy chair in the projection room and
waited for the committee, which had the
authority to purchase independent pro¬
ductions.

The room darkened and the five reels
of over- and under-exposed film with
continuous panning to left and x'ight,
up and down, throughout the entire
film continued. When this showing was
over I sank deep into the chair, hoping
the committee wouldn’t find me. When
the lights went on, only the gentleman
with whom I arranged the showing, who
is a very good friend of mine, was in
the projection room. He came to me
laughingly and said: “The next time, you
come around with a film like this, it

might be the last time.” Later, I re-
turned these films to Joe Reid and gave
him a good bawling out for not having
arranged to see the film before he “sold”
me that wonderful tale about them. When
the film was returned to Bryan he was
not too disappointed, for he knew his
shortcomings. But he was an ambitious
go-getter who wanted to see it through
to success and from then on, Bryan was
at my doorstep desirious of learning
what he could to make better films. This
was the beginning of a long associa¬
tion and I became his advisor on cine¬
matic production and photographic prob¬
lems. It was then that he stai’ted as a
Film Reporter with camera and pad as
a sei’ious business.

(Continued on Page 136)

Right, a government operated nursery in Soviet
Russia's city of Moscow.

Left, Alexander Knox and Irene Dunne in a scene
from Columbia's "Over 21".

CL CinwuriAqhaphsih, SpsnkA, . . .

to be superior technicians. But I would
like to add, as a writer about motion
pictures, that some of the finest theore¬
ticians on the subject of moviemaking
to whom I have spoken have been cam¬
eramen. In the course of writing a
daily Hollywood column and doing a
number of magazine articles, I probably
speak to as many as 500 producers,
directors, performers, writers and other
studio people in the course of a year.
Looking back over the past few years,
I would say that among the most satis¬
factory interviews I have obtained have
been with cameramen like Jimmy Howe
and Rudy Mate. I call these interviews
satisfactory because they were well-
rounded both as to technique and the¬
ory. There are moviemakers who cre¬
ate superior pictures but who are un¬
able to articulate their methods. There
are others who are long on theory and
short on accomplishment. With men
like Howe and Mate the accomplish¬
ment is apparent, and they are further¬
more possessed of a critical faculty and
theoretical background that is all too
rare in Hollywood.

By EZRA GOODMAN

MOTION Picture Cameramen are
acknowledged to be the masters
of their craft. The lenswork is
usually the most predictable part of a
picture — it remains at a high level of
excellence no matter how much the
other phases of the film fluctuate. This
is probably so because of the inherent

ability of the cameramen as well as
the fact that there is less executive in¬
terference in that department than in
others, for the simple reason that it
takes quite a bit of technical knowl¬
edge to interfere in so specialized a
craft.

Cameramen are generally granted

This story started out as an interview
with Mate on the technical problems of
his current assignment, “Over 21,” which
he is photographing for Columbia. Some¬
where along the line the interview veered
into less technical channels. Personally,
I found Mate’s observations extremely
enlightening, and I pass them along to
you in the conviction that theory is
the touchstone of technique, and that the
comments Mate made have their ulti¬
mate relevance in terms of arclights,
camera angles and lenses.

Mate’s work on “Over 21,” which is
being adapted to the screen from Ruth
Gordon’s Broadway success, has its
share of photographic problems. For ap¬
proximately 80% of the film’s footage,
he is working in the most constricted
space limitations with which a camera¬
man has probably ever been confronted.
The setting for most of the action is an
ordinary bungalow near a Florida train¬
ing camp that is typical of housing ac¬
commodations during wartime. In a
living room that measures exactly 12 by
15 feet and contains chiefly a small
divan and table, Irene Dunne, Alexander
Knox and Charles Coburn go through
most of the comic incidents of the plot.
In the background is a kitchenette that
is 4 by 2 feet, and there is a small bed¬
room that is shown occasionally. The
smallness and ordinariness of the bun¬
galow is integral to the comic convolu¬
tions, and producer Sidney Buchmarr
and director Charles Vidor have made
no attempt to glamourize or alter the
set in any way. The picture’s action is

Left, this picture gives an idea of the cramped quar¬
ters in which Cinematographer Mate worked in film.

Right, another shot showing small space in which
cameraman had to work on "Over 21".

supposed to cover a time period of 42
days, but Mate estimates that 60 days
of shooting time were spent in the liv¬
ing room, and 15 days in the bedroom
alone, aside from exterior shots.

The use of wild (or movable) walls
helped facilitate camera setups. Lights
were arranged in banked tiers above the
set in order to make use of every avail¬
able foot of space. Mate is using less
than the average number of lights be¬
cause of his space problems, 3 light
units on the floor and 5 or 6 above.
Most of the shots are of necessity close
and from an eye-level height. As a
result there are almost no full-figure
shots, with the camera usually cutting
off the actors at the waistline. Since
‘‘Over 21” is a comedy, the camerawork
has to be clear and cleancut, and be¬
cause of the close quarters, the set and
the action have to be lit at the same
time. In larger sets, the actors can
be lit from one source and the back¬
ground from another. This is imprac¬
tical in the current case, thereby con¬
tributing to Mate’s problems.

But Mate dismisses all of these prob¬
lems as incidental ones. He points out
that “Over 21” is a well known stage
play, and that in this case the story
is the thing. The emphasis is on plot,
dialogue and acting, and not on lens-
work. “We would ruin the story with
camera tricks and glamour,” he says.
“The camerawork is a compromise be¬
tween glamour and realism. Miss Dunne,
of course, has to look good, but the
set itself is simple and dull. From the
standpoint of camera mechanics, this is
the most difficult picture I have ever
worked on, because there is no scope for
the camera. If nobody speaks about
the photography in a picture like this,
I will have done a good job.”

Mate’s admission of the relative un¬
importance of camerawork on this type
of picture is a tribute to his com¬
prehension of moviemaking. For the
man who guided the camera pyrotechnics
of “The Passion of Joan of Arc” and
“Vampire” in France and who, during
his 11 years in Hollywood, has photo¬
graphed such superior productions as
“The Pride of the Yankees,” “Address
Unknown,” “Sahara,” “Cover Girl” and
“Tonight and Every Night,” realizes
that there is variety in picture produc¬
tion as well as in real life. Not every
picture can be a “Joan of Arc,” offer¬
ing the cameraman extraordinary op¬
portunities for visual effects. Successful
pictures of a more theatrical and liter¬
ary character, like “Watch on the Rhine,”
are also part of the screen scene. Mate’s
predilection is, naturally, for the films
that are founded on visual principles,
both because of his practising craft as a
cameraman, and because of his belief
in the theory that movies should move.

Right, Irene Dunne, Jeff Donnell and Loren Tindall
in a scene from "Over 21".

“The silent pictures,” he says, “forced
the director and cameraman to develop
original and imaginative ideas. There
was no speech then, and so the movie¬
makers had to devise visual methods of
getting across their points. Now it is
so much easier to talk about something
than to show it. The screen has lost
some of its individual qualities and
taken over many of the aspects of the
stage. We are not showing enough
today and we are talking too much
about things.”

Born in Poland and educated in Buda¬
pest, Mate got his screen start in Vienna.

He did his major work abroad in France
where he photographed more than 75
pictures. The two most noteworthy of
these were done in collaboration with
director Carl Dreyer, who is today living
in retirement in Sweden — “The Passion
of Joan of Arc,” made in 1928, one of
the memorable movies of the silent
screen, and “Vampire,” a talking picture
made in 1929, that is regarded by many
critics as one of the finest horror films
ever produced. Both pictures were shot
with a DeBrie camera and with primi¬
tive equipment. Dreyer and Mate worked

(Continued on Page 132)

An All -Friction Drive For
Developing Machines

By W. G. C

MOTION picture developing ma¬
chines designed on a friction
drive principle that for all prac¬
tical purposes eliminates film breakage
and damage from mechanical causes, has
brought an enviable reputation and
world-wide business to the manufacturer,
The Fonda Machinery Company of Holly¬
wood.

. BOSCO

This company, which has been in pro¬
duction for nine years, has perfected an
entire drive on film-carrying rollers with
the power applied directly to the outer
and upper edges, but which only applies
when there is normal tension on the film.
This unique driving action is achieved by
creating a light constant drag or tension
on the film all through the machine, with

■ ■

|j ' ** I

U I

t;

C <T

||| m

i

4 ; ||

J

Top left: this Fonda developing machine has a
capacity of 35 ft. per minute with a 3-minute develop¬
ing time for positive. The all-stainless steel construc¬
tion is standard.

Bottom left: here is the same installation with the
electrically operated hoist fully extended for ease
and simplicity of servicing and cleaning.

the resultant tension being relieved in
the following manner: the film-carrying
rollers are mounted on a shafting which
is mounted yieldably downward on sad¬
dles carried on springs, and when the
film drag, or tension, exceeds the amount
determined by the spring adjustment
these upper film-carrying rollers are
drawn downward and away from the
driving rollers until sufficient slack is fed
up to relieve the tension, which then per¬
mits the spring to draw the film-carry¬
ing rollers into contact again with the
driving rollers. This drawing downward
action takes place almost constantly
throughout the machine, but is notice¬
able only in the dry box where film
shrinkage is added to the drag set up in
the machine. On the take-off end the
friction roller keeps the tension constant
to the rewind.

At the first entrance of the film into
the machine a speed is established which
remains constant throughout the develop¬
ing and drying process unless changed
by the operator.

The driving rollers are directly over
the upper film-carrying rollers, and all
driving mechanism is out of tanks and
solutions. The upper film-carrying rollers
are mounted so that they may engage or
disengage the driving rollers automati¬
cally.

All film-carrying rollers in the wet
end are mounted individually free, and
in turn are all mounted on free-turning
tubing or shafting. All film-carrying
rollers in the drive-box, in addition to be¬
ing individually free, are mounted on
tubing which in turn is mounted with
ball-bearings on shafting, the entire unit
being free to rotate or to slide laterally
on the shaft, thus becoming self-align¬
ing. At no place does the film pass over
a tight roller.

With the Fonda system there are no
sprockets to pull or tear the film, and
no elevators are necessary to regulate
tension. Speed and safety cooperate in¬
stead of limit each other, and the ten¬
sion of the film remains virtually con¬
stant throughout the machine.

Built to specifications for any film
capacity, and with a wide range of
speeds, Fonda developing machines are
built to both 35mm or 16mm standards;
or, equipped with rollers that handle
both film sizes. The same machine will
process one or the other without the
necessity of making mechanical changes.

These machines are proving them¬
selves not only in the major Hollywood
labs of Consolidated and Technicolor, but
also in places like India and the Egyp¬
tian Sudan where the most adverse con¬
ditions of water temperature and humid¬
ity exist — conditions specifically designed

(Continued on Page 132)

Again and Again!

EASTMAN FILMS

FOR OUTSTANDING PHOTOGRAPHIC ACHIEVEMENT

IN COLOR

LEON SHAMROY, a s c.

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

“WILSON”

20th Century-Fox Production

PETE CLOWER

Assistant Cameraman

BUD MAUTINO

Operative Cameraman

FOR TECHNICOLOR— JOHN GREER and EDW. PLANTE

Technician Assistant

IN BLACK AND WHITE

JOSEPH LaSHELLE, a. s.c.

Director of Photography

1 1

LAURA”

RAY MALA 20th Century-Fox Production LLOYD AHERNE

Assistant Cameraman Operative Cameraman

FOR SOUND RECORDING
20th Century-Fox Sound Department

E. H. HANSEN

Sound Director

( i

WILSON”

J. E. BRULATOUR, INC.

Distributors

EASTMAN FILMS

SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL AWARDS OF MERIT BY THE
ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES

ACES of the CAMERA

Henry Sharp, A.S.C.

bara Fritchie”, featuring Florence Vidor
and Edmund Lowe; and with George
Archinbaud as director, was in produc¬
tion on “Enticement”, which featured
Mary Astor, when Thomas Ince met his
untimely and tragic end.

Fairbanks had been Henry’s ideal
from the beginning, and it had always
been his ambition to photograph the man
professionally. But always, he felt, it
would remain an aspiration rather than
a realization. Fate, however, works in
devious ways, and Fairbanks’ interest in
Mary Astor caused him to look at the
“Enticement” footage shot by Henry
Sharp. And so, as film history records,
he not only took over Miss Astor’s con¬
tract from the Ince interests, but was so
impressed by the deft camerawork, he
took up Henry’s contract also.

Henry’s first picture with Fairbanks
was “Don Q, Son of Zorro”, directed, and
acted in, by Donald Crisp. That was the
story in which Doug played a dual role;
in which the script called for him to fight
“himself”. And, with no trick depart¬
ment, the acrobatics of the volatile Doug
made it necessary for the cameraman to
really know his business. But Doug was
always most considerate of the camera¬
man. Every scene that involved those
violent exertions for which he was
famous were always worked out by him
with the cameraman, in detail, before¬
hand.

After “Don Q” he started work with
Doug on “The Black Pirate”; the first
major production in the then new Tech¬
nicolor two color process. In association
with George Cave, who was the Techni¬
color cameraman on the picture, he con¬
ducted tests for four months. With no
light meter thousands and thousands of
feet of film were shot to test, and re¬
test, every costume, make-up, and color
to be used on the sets.

By

W. C. C. BOSCO

THE late Doug Fairbanks of happy
memory was possessed of one of
the most electric, most scintillat¬
ing and most charming personalities ever
to have brought credit to the screen.
The joyous vitality by which he cap¬
tured the imaginations of millions
through the medium of the motion pic¬
ture had its counterpart in his personal
life in which he won for himself count¬
less friends, especially among those with
whom he worked. His energy and agil¬
ity was prodigious, and the joi cle vivre
which lent so much color and verve to
his screen portrayals was truly a re¬
flection of his real character. “Life is
always wonderful,” he once told Henry
Sharp, A.S.C., “always exciting, if you
see it as a great adventure.”

It isn’t often that cameramen have a
personal cinema hero, but Henry makes
no bones about the fact that he so es¬
teemed the great Doug. “I never for¬
got what Doug said to me that day,”

Henry reflected, “It changed my whole
point of view. Life is exciting if you
see it as a great adventure.”

It’s easy to see that Henry isn’t kid¬
ding. With one of the longest careers as
a top-ranking cameraman in Hollywood
to his credit, he is still as interested in
the possibilities latent in a new assign¬
ment, still as excited about the prob¬
abilities of hitting a photographic high-
spot, as an ambitious newcomer. There’s
a freshness about him and an eagerness
of approach that belies the fact that he
made his bow as a cameraman with the
late Thomas Ince.

Becoming a first man for Ince in ’24,
after having served the usual appren¬
ticeship as an assistant, Henry soon had
rolled up to his credit some of the most
distinguished films of that era: the orig¬
inal “Anna Christie”, which starred
Blanche Sweet and Bill Russell; “Lorna
Doone”, with Madge Bellamy and John
Bowers; a series with Fred Niblo; “Bar¬

Even today, after so much film has
gone through the cameras, “The Black
Pirate” is remembered as an outstand¬
ing picture. If everything else has been
forgotten people still remember the fa¬
mous scene in which Doug thrust a knife
into the sail, and, in one of those spec¬
tacular jumps, leapt from the rigging
to the deck, slitting the sail asunder.

Henry thinks that Fairbanks’ com¬
panies were as happy as any with whom
he has worked. “There was always an
air of expectancy,” he said. “Everyone
was always bright and on their toes.
People on the set were buoyed up with
Doug’s infectious good humor. And no
matter what little difficulties we ran into,
no one ever lost his temper in meeting
them.” He remembered an incident dur¬
ing the filming of “The Black Pirate”.
An orchestra, as was the custom in the
silent days, was playing appropriate mu¬
sic during one of the takes when sudden¬
ly there was a gasp, a grunt, and a
great slithering followed by a resounding
crash and the splintering of wood. Dur¬
ing the deathly silence that followed, and
while work was suspended, it was dis¬
covered that some nameless person had

(Continued on Page 139)

124 April, 1945 • American Cinematographer

NEGAT/y,
“ ,ivtt PROCESSING

. .. -V

T' -

'

The Houston Corporation proudly an¬
nounces the new Model 10 Film Processor.
Embodying time-tested principles of opera¬
tion plus the latest advances of Houston
engineering, this machine brings new speed,
ease and simplicity to 35 mm. film processing.

A completely self-contained unit, Model 10
requires no additional equipment. It does the
entire job automatically, with controlled
highest-quality results that please customers
and build business. Two developing tanks—
one for the negative solution; the other for
positive— make possible the processing of

either negative or positive film by simply by-passing one or the
other tank.

Compact, portable, streamlined— built to highest precision stand¬
ards— Model 10 Houston offers you the ultimate in dependable,
profitable performance. Write for complete specifications.

SPEED: 600-1200 ft. negative film an hour at developing time of 6-12
minutes; 1200-2400 ft. positive film an hour at developing time of 3-6
minutes.

COMPACTNESS: 168" long, 82" high, 3-4" wide. Approximate weight
4500 lbs.

DRYING by infra-red lamps; temperature manually controlled.

TOP CLUTCH DRIVE with floating bottom elevators assuring uniform film
tension throughout processing.

OPERATED on single, two or three-phase current. A. C. 220—
12 KVA load.

Houston

THE HOUSTON CORPORATION

11801 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles 25, Calif.

American Cinematographer • April, 1945

125

New Film Script Technique For Amateurs

By F. C. MOULTRIE

THERE is an outstanding problem
ever confronting amateur film
makers, particularly , although by
no means exclusively, affecting those
who like to engage in the making of
amateur photoplays. It is the “sound vs.
silent” problem. Although this writer
believes that films made by the “silent”
technique may actually be preferable for
certain types of stories to a fully syn¬
chronized sound-film, this view is not
commonly shared, and we have to face
the fact that audiences have for the
past fifteen years been sound-film
trained, and make their judgments on
the question of movie entertainment
accordingly.

While there are ways of satisfactorily
synchronizing sound on disc and even
though sound-on-film recorders are, per¬
haps, not beyond the means of large
schools and colleges or clubs, most ama¬
teurs will find such equipment beyond
their abilities either to obtain or to han¬
dle, for a considerable time to come.

This suggestion is offered to those who
may possess only a simple disc recorder,
or perhaps nothing more than a record-
player and amplifier, into which a micro¬
phone may be “plugged,” the mutual
volume ratio between voice and/or music
and sound effects being suitably con¬
trolled by means of a “mixer.” The pro¬
posal is one which, if properly carried
out, would result in a film very closely
approximating a regular “talkie,” and
it hinges upon the preparation and use
of a special type of script.

While the nucleus of this script con¬
sists of the narration which will be
used in final presentation of the film,
it is prepared in such a manner as will
fit it also for use as a shooting script,
thus reversing the more common proce¬
dure of first producing the film and

later attempting to provide a timed dis¬
sertation, and/or sound effects and
music. One may reasonably ask, “What
advantage is claimed for the suggested
scheme?” The answer is that the ad¬
vantages are manifold. At times it be¬
comes very difficult to deliver an ade¬
quate or well rounded-out discourse as
an accompaniment to a film that has
been made by use of the regular “ac¬
tion” type of silent-film script. Scenes
will often flash past before the words
relating thereto can be spoken.

Thus, gaps will occur, since the brev¬
ity of some scenes may be such as to
make it impossible to render even the
most stilted description. Where such is
necessary, the insertion of a title would
be the only way out. Conversely, other
scenes may be of such length as to
stretch beyond all reason any spoken
account thereof. Cutting AFTER-
WARDS, to fit a post-made speech, may
involve one in disproportionate tempo
considerations.

The recommended system will prede¬
termine the speech, music and sound ef¬
fects, as well as the length of a scene.
Thus the total running time of the
film may be very closely ascertained
ahead of it’s production. It is advisable
to plot each scene so that it’s running
time will extend several seconds be¬
yond that of it’s relevant accompani¬
ment. This is to allow for slight dis¬
crepancies in projector speeds, sound
and speech delivery, etc., and to permit
limited latitude in editing, cutting, and
so on. If you have no governor on your
projector and such cannot be fitted, a
small neon lamp and a stroboscopic disc
should be used, to provide a means of
checking speed frequently and maintain¬
ing it at sixteen frames per second. It
is proposed presently to give detailed

examples of the types of narration that
would lend themselves for usage as in¬
dicated and deal with the manner in
which they should be prepared.

While styles may vary quite widely,
in accordance with the authors’ tastes
or natural gifts, it appears that they
should be all alike in at least one respect,
namely, they should be fully descriptive
as to scene and action, in order to avoid
extensive subsidiary script notes for
camera and direction, and should be
composed with full appreciation of the
construction of a film in respect to fre¬
quent changes of scene, camera view¬
point, and so on. For this reason, it is
unlikely that many “ready made” write¬
ups could be discovered which would
be found suitable. Suppose, then, we
prepare our story in a style such as the
following:

“It was cold and intensely dark. The
weird night sounds were all about me
and I must confess that I felt a nause¬
ating fear it was difficult to control, as
I stealthily crept around the old house,
seeking a means of entry. The shutters
were all nailed fast, and I possessed no
tools with which to pry them open. I
realized that, even if I found one shutter
that was comparatively loose, it would
be utterly beyond the power of my
numbed fingers to release it. I earnestly
hoped to find an unlocked door.”

As one examines the foregoing, it be¬
comes apparent that it might easily be
subdivided into sections which would
clarify it for use as a “shooting script”
while at the same time preserving it’s
continuity for later rendering as the
film is projected. Having thus written
our story, it is now necessary to han¬
dle it a second time and arrange it in
a form similar to the following:

And now, for the sake of any who may
wish to try out a “ready made” script
of this type as a “test-piece,” the writer
has prepared a short comedy, given
hereunder, and which should absorb an
even 100-ft. of 16mm film (or 50 ft.
8mm). Fine details, as usual, are left
to individual directing ability and facili¬
ties.

TITLE

Page

of . pages

Camera Direction
and Scene

Story Commentary

Scene of action not MUSIC

fully described or sound effects .

CUT TO

Med. shot No. 16

CUT TO

Med. close up No. 17
PAN TO CLOSE UP
No. 18

— It was cold and intensely dark. The weird night
sounds were all about me and I must confess I
felt a nauseating fear it was difficult to control as
I stealthily crept around the old house, seeking a
means of entry. The shutters were all nailed fast,
and I possessed no tools with which to pry them
open.

“Dance Macabre”

soft during speech

CUT TO

No. 19

PAUSE

IN

VOICE

Man feels in pockets for MUSIC LOUDER
knife or implement.

CUT TO

No. 20

— I realized that, even if I found a shutter that
was comparatively loose, it would be utterly be¬
yond the power of my numbed fingers to release it
and I earnestly hoped to find an unlocked door.

Man’s demeanor indicates music
frustration of attempts to dimin.
enter via windows, etc.

Man recedes from view
around corner of house.

(Continued on Page 134

126

April, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Mm***

C „ Wjm

Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N. Y.

. BRULATOUR, INC., Distributors
E CHICAGO HOLLYWOOD

°ne of a series of

advertisements by
KODAK testifying to

the achievements of
the movies at war

We get to know
each other better
at the movies...

At a “Good-Neighbor” film showing

jj /

THE indispensable first step in getting along with a neighbor . . . across the fence
1 or across an international boundary line ... is to get to know each other better.

The movies are doing a lot to help the Latin Americans to know us better, and
more and more films from below the Rio Grande are coming this way to help us
know them better. It works both ways.

For our country’s part, feature pictures, short subjects, newsreels, industrial
films, agricultural films, health films ... in English, Spanish, Portuguese ... all are
helping our neighbors to see us as we really are. At the movies, they are learning
something of our culture, our history, our daily lives . . .

And in wartime, growing good will among all the American peoples has taken
on new importance.

American Cinematographer • April, 1945

127

AMONG THE MOVIE CLUBS

The Editor Crabs

Elsewhere on this page we explain, at
the expense of the Utah Cine Arts Club,
the reason we have no news about that
organization in this issue. We didn’t
like to do it, but maybe it will help solve
a problem that faces this harassed edi¬
tor . . . That is, getting in the club news
when it is still news.

While, we understand, some maga¬
zines are cutting down on the space
devoted to club news, we are happy to
expand it in the Cinematographer. But,
unless the club secretaries and publicity
representatives take the time and inter¬
est to get the news to us we can’t print
it. Take the case of the Amateur Motion
Picture Club of Saint Louis, for example.
Their February meeting was held on
February 13th. On February 26, our
friend Lon Wadman wrote us telling
the events on the program. That reached
us a few days after the March issue was
off the press. We can’t very well use it
now, but we have no news about the
March meeting, either, Lon can’t get sore
at us for writing this, for we gave his
club a big spread in the March issue,
which proves we are trying to serve
every club in America that wants serv¬
ice.

If your meeting is scheduled for late
in the month, just send us an advance
notice so it will reach our office by the
15th of the month preceding publication
date. Come on, now, you clubbers, send
in the news and news photographers, too.
We’ll print both.— H.H.

Syracuse Club

Three meetings were on the schedule
of the Syracuse Movie Makers during
the month of March.

On March 6th Ned Olney gave an in¬
teresting talk on lenses and filters.

Or. March 13th the regular business
meeting was held.

On March 20th Lyle Conway gave a
valuable talk on editing.

Utah Cine Arts Club

This will probably upset our good
friend A1 Morton no end, but we can’t
report the March meeting in this issue
because we have not yet received either
an advance notice or a report on what
took place. We did receive a program
of the February meeting, but it didn’t
arrive until we were well into the prepa¬
ration of the April issue of the maga¬
zine.

However, we do want to congratulate
Club Secretary Bill Lovelace on the ex¬
cellent job he is doing in preparing the
club’s monthly Cinemagazine. It’s really
good. Now, if we can only get it in our
editorial office sooner, we’ll be happy.
—H.H.

San Francisco Club

Topping the March meeting of the
Cinema Club of San Francisco was a
showing of colored slides called “Ram¬
bling in California.” They were made by
Leon Gagne, who is really an expert.

Three interesting films were also on
the program. They were:

“Grasshopper Vacation,” filmed by
Eric Unmack.

“Early One Morning,” an extremely
interesting 16mm. subject in black-and-
white with sound. It was filmed in Swe¬
den at an old Swedish church one Christ¬
mas morning, and was loaned the club
through the courtesy of Mrs. A. 0.
Olson.

“Billy, Our Baby,” in color and black-
and-white. This was filmed by President
and Mrs. Charles D. Hudson of the
Cinema Club of San Francisco.

New York Eight

The March meeting of the New York
City 8mm. Motion Picture Club fea¬
tured a revival program, showing Joe
Harley’s “Auntie in Moccasins” and
Brit Boice’s “Bermuda.”

In the monthly bulletin of the NY8
is an item that might well be read by
all members of every amateur movie
club in America. We take the liberty
of reprinting it here:

“8mm. Artists, Attention! Mabel Sca-
cheri in her ‘Your Camera’ column of
the N. Y. World-Telegram makes this
suggestion: Paste this definition of Art
by Andre Oliveroff on your camera.
Exactly this, to reveal poignantly and
recognizably the meaning and beauty,
the joy and tragedy of human life . . .
has been the aim and the partial accom¬
plishment of all great creative artists, in
whatever field they may have worked.”

Westwood Club

More than one hundred members and
guests of the Westwood Movie Club, of
San Francisco, attended the annual ban¬
quet and installation of officers for the
coming year.

Officers installed were: George Loehr-
son, president; Fred Harvey, vice-presi¬
dent; Joseph Pissott, secretary; Dee
Gobar, treasurer.

Three medals and a trophy, awards for
the 1944 contest films, were presented to
the following members: The trophy and
first medal went to Edward Franke, win¬
ner of the 1941-42-43 and 1944 West-
wood contest, for his production, “The
Home Front,” 8mm. in color. Second
medal went to Walter Johnson for his
16mm. color film, “Yosemite in Spring.”
Third medal was presented to George
Loehrson for his 8mm. color film, “Color¬
ful San Francisco.”

Philadelphia Cinema Club

Remarkably unusual was the March
program of the Philadelphia Cinema
Club. It featured the screening of three
excellent films made by amateurs and
three professional films of many years
ago. The contrast was terrific. The ama¬
teur films shown were:

“To the Ships of Sydney,” a Grand
Prize winner loaned the club from the
film library of the American Cinema¬
tographer.

“Night Life,” a film packed with the
very finest amateur trick photography.

“The Christmas Parade,” a 200 ft.,
8mm. Kodachrome filmed by member
Conrad Picofsky.

The old time films shown were:

“Gay Nineties Live Again.”

“His Trysting Place.”

“Cast Adrift and How.”

There will probably be more such
showings, judging from the reaction of
those present at the showing.

L. A. 8mm. Club

If the members of the Los Angeles
8mm. Club didn’t know a few things
about titling at the conclusion of the
March meeting of that group, it was
not the fault of Fred Evans, who ar¬
ranged and conducted the program. A
total of seven talks and seven demon¬
strations on every phase of titling was
given. Here’s the program:

Titling the Easy Way . Bill Millar

Hand-Lettered Titles.... W. D. Garlock

Centering Your Titles . Bill Wade

Double-Exposed Titles . John Walter

Special Title Effects . Fred Evans

Available Titling Equipment .

. Irwin Dietze

Exposure and Question Forum .

. George Cushman

Topping all this was the screening of
Midge Caldwell’s film, “In Our Garden.”

M.M.P.C.

Featuring the March 8th meeting of
the Metropolitan Motion Picture Club,
of New York City, was a 1400 ft. Koda¬
chrome film called “Romance of the Hy¬
brid Orchid.” This unusual film was made
by A. M. Zinner, and was among the
“ten best” selections of the Amateur
Cinema League for 1943. Mr. Zinner’s
film traces the life of hybrid orchids
from seed to full flowering. It is an ex¬
ample of magnificent camera work, and
is said to be not only a labor of love,
but an important contribution to the
available information about orchid grow¬
ing.

On the program also were “The Little
Soldier,” an excellent one reel film by
Mrs. Mary Jessop; and “Land of My
Dreams,” by Joseph J. Harley. This film
was the winner of the 1942 MMPC An¬
nual Contest.

128 April, 1945 • American Cinematographer

. . . > . —

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With Victor, servicing the thousands of pre-war Victor
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your post-war projector of tomorrow. Schools, Institutions,
Business and Industry depend on Victor to maintain their
irreplaceable 16mm motion picture equipment. Victor and
Victor distributors have not failed them. Even under present
conditions, when the demand for Victor production for war
is so great, Victor parts and Victor service are available where
ever Victor equipment is used. The unexcelled performance

of old and new Victor 16mm equipment is being maintained.

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American Cinematographer • April, 1945

129

By T-5 GEORGE JUSTIN

WE were grown men and yet we
went to school together. Danny
and I were classmates, or GI
mates, or call it what you will, in the
same Signal Corps motion picture cam¬
era class. He, Danny, was a tall, fairly
good-looking guy with black, curly hair
and a little black moustache. He also
had a wonderful smile.

Danny could never understand why
he had been assigned to become a cam¬
eraman. Time and again he would say
to me: “I told that dumb kid who in¬
terviewed me that I like to paint pic¬
tures . . . But I’m an ai'tist . . . not a
photographer . .

He was a good artist too. After I got
to know him, he took me out to his home
in Rutherford and showed me a lot of
his canvases. Perhaps that kid at the
classification desk had not been so dumb
after all. A guy who could paint as well
as Danny did, would learn to paint pic¬
tures with the camera.

I was a long way from home and
therefore spent several Sundays with
Danny and Danny’s family. From the
first visit, it was evident that he was a
kind of a God to them. In every corner,
on every wall, of every room— the moth-
. er, the father, the sister and the young¬
er brother had proudly displayed, some
one of Danny’s paintings. To them this
talent, this ability to create, to paint
pictures, was the divine miracle; some¬
thing to be cradled and fostered and
worshipped. And they paid homage to
it. He would rarely ever discuss his
work with me. Sometime, however, after
we had eaten a big spaghetti dinner and
had sipped a lot of sherry wine and we
were all seated around the family table
and there was a little time left before
catching the last train back to camp,
his father might say: “Danny, can I buy
you some more brushes . . .?” or the
mother: “After the war, Danny will be a
famous painter . . .” Then, he might open
up and talk about his paintings and
what painting meant to him and what
he hoped someday to achieve. It was in
these few, rare moments that I saw the
portrait of the artist that was Danny.

He had enlisted in the army because
he believed in the war and he wanted
to be a good soldier and a good soldier
does as he is told and Danny was told
to become a cameraman.

Some of the GIs used to call him The
Wop; but I didn’t. He spoke with a very
slight, clipped Italian accent and when
he couldn’t understand some mechanical
device on the camera he would fling out
something that sounded like “mama mia”

or “sapristi.” I called him Danny; but
later I referred to him as the Close-Up
King.

For a guy who had never handled any
kind of camera before, Danny got along
amazingly well. After a while, he could
load and unload film as fast as any of us :
his hands flew around in the changing-
bag and his face would light up and he
would smile and we knew that the job
was done. So it was with everything:
lenses, filters, exposure, caring for the
camera. He listened, he asked questions,
he tried, he made mistakes, he yelled
mama mia, and he learned. Danny was
a good soldier and he learned every¬
thing he was taught about this small
thirty-five millimeter camera which the
army has found most practical for front¬
line combat photography.

At school, the officers used to pound
away at us: “Long shot, Medium-shot,
Close-Up! It will be dangerous when
you go over, but remember, you haven’t
got a story without a close-up . . .” The
words became sacred to Danny: close-up
. . . Close-Up . . . CLOSE-UP.

In the seventeen weeks I knew and
went to school with him, we were as¬
signed to cover many stories together:
parades, ball-games, morning calisthen¬
ics, the rifle range, infiltration course,
and even visiting generals. And always
he would say to me: “You get the long
and medium shots; I’ll get the close-ups.
I’m fast . . . I’ll get the close-ups.”

“ You've got to be fast. You have no
control over the subject. This is strictly
off the cuff photography. The picture is
here noiv, gone a minute from now.
You'll never get the Nazis and Japs to
pose for you. You've got to be fast.”

At first he missed plenty of shots. He
was fast, very fast, but couldn’t coordi¬
nate this speed with everything he had
learned about the camera in so short a
time. He forgot to change focus, he ran
out of film on important shots, he jam¬
med the camera. But he always knew
what he wanted to get; he was in there,
very close, his camera two and three feet
away from a general’s face or the muz¬
zle of a gun.

At the end of each day, just before
chow time, the class would be taken into
the projection room and we’d be shown
all the previous day’s shooting. The of¬
ficers would comment and criticize. Their
voices in the projection room would say:

“Privates Davis and Piller, you haven’t
got a story; just a lot of shots. Get in
close.”

or

“Steiner, you’re overexposing.”

or

“DeTita, your shots are too long; stop
wasting film.”

or

“Manheim, you’re not holding the cam¬
era steady enough; see the flicker.”

And then, sooner or later:

“Look at that close-up. That’s what
we mean by a close-shot. Fine work . .

Fine work, Danny.

He was very fast and he became very
accurate and was soon the king of the
close-up.

All of this was some time ago.

I’m still here, in the states, waiting to
go over. There are a lot of us GIs run¬
ning around here with cameras : on ma¬
neuvers and trial flights and photograph¬
ing training films for other GIs and cov¬
ering secret conferences.

Danny — I’ve had all kinds of V-mail
from Danny since those school days:
Casablanca, Tunisia, Cassino . . . Those
horrible, wonderful close-shots you’ve
seen in the theatres — so much of that
was Danny’s stuff.

He’s done a lot of running around —
painting pictures. Only the painting is
done.

Danny was there when our side started
to clean the Nazis out of Aachen. They
say he never stopped moving in — closer
and closer. Close-ups of hand to hand
street fighting, close-ups of machine-gun
nests being blown to nothingness, close-
ups of all those buildings being smashed
to the ground. Great, big close-ups; the
kind they loved in the projection room.
And then, when there were no more
close-ups to be had, Danny dropped back,
way back for one long shot of the whole
works. He never got that long shot. Some
sniper must have been watching for
Danny. The curly-headed guy with the
big smile will run no more. The king is
dead.

130 April, 1945 • American Cinematographer

a

worthy co-star
in any
production !

SUPREME

NEGATIVE FILM

distinguished for its
superior quality and
uniform dependability .

KEEP YOUR E Y E ON AN S CO
E I R ST WITH THE E I N E S T

Ansco

* A DIVISION OF GENERAL ANILINE
& FILM CORPORATION

BINGHAMTON • HOLLYWOOD • NEW YQRK

American Cinematographer • April, 1945 131

An All-Friction Drive
For Developing Machines

(Continued from Page 122)

to thwart the best efforts of even the
most conscientious lab man, particular¬
ly on 16mm stock — and yet, with their
almost fool-proof operation are perform¬
ing with astounding efficiency.

Because there are no precision parts,
and the simplicity of the design calls
for fewer parts in its manufacture, The
Fonda Company claim for their machines
a lower initial cost, and maintenance
costs of one-tenth of that considered
normal for other installations.

Under any circumstances these ma¬
chines embody a principle that should
provide the modern laboratory with bet¬
ter means for performing its important
function.

Right, rear view of the Fonda developing machine
showing the stainless steel mixing tanks, circulating
pumps that circulate the developer through stainless
steel coils for temperature control, and the agitation
pumps which provide vigorous agitation to eliminate
directional development.

A Cinematographer Speaks

(Continued from Page 121)

in close collaboration and, since these
films were made as individual enter¬
prises, were able to allow themselves
lengthy shooting schedules. “The Pas¬
sion of Joan of Arc” was noteworthy for
its realism and its epic quality. Falcon-
etti, a well known French actress, who
played Joan, wore no makeup. The cam¬
era angles were mostly very low (the
camera was dug into the ground most
of the time) and as a result the figures
loomed large on the screen against sky
or masonry; or, conversely, many of the
shots were made from high angles shoot¬
ing down. Interiors were shot in a
vacated garage near Paris. Mate used
the deep-focus shot in that picture, a
technique which was “re-discovered” by
Gregg Toland notably in “Citizen Kane,”
and which is in wide use today. One
shot in “The Passion of Joan of Arc,”
for instance, showed a pair of big feet
in the foreground and, shooting between
them, in the background were seen the
crowds running during the execution
scenes.

“Vampire” was shot in and around a
real, old castle. Mate rigged up all kinds
of gadgets for the camera, including
different kinds of heads for unusual pan
and moving shots. The DeBrie was light
enough to be lifted by hand if neces¬
sary. The weird, slow-motion shots from
unusual angles around the cornices of
the castle and through its dark corridors
were extremely effective. The camera,
at one point, was placed in the coffin,
representing the body of the vampire,
and the result was startling, to say the
least. The horror film today is one of
the last outposts of imaginative pho¬

tography in Hollywood, but even horror
photography, Mate argues, is becoming
stereotyped in its adherence to fixed
forms and techniques.

“Our camera equipment when we made
‘The Passion of Joan of Arc’ and ‘Vam¬
pire’ was deficient by Hollywood stand¬
ards,” he says. “But I have always
maintained that the brain is more im¬
portant than the camera. In Hollywood,
we have the most perfect technique in
the world. We have the finest cameras
and equipment. But the story is lack¬
ing here, and technique is valueless
without the proper story approach.

“When an art becomes big business,
it is likely to suffer in its experi¬
mental, imaginative qualities. The fixed
pattern is the great enemy of the screen.
For example, our conception of femin¬
ine beauty is standardized. It is my job
as a cameraman to study women. Every
woman has her favorable and unfavor¬
able points. We can accent the former
with setups or lights. The result is that
there is too much similarity between
faces. I would like to see every face
different. Today all faces have the same
makeup, shading, color and shape of
lips, hair tint and lighting.

“Too much emphasis is put upon pro¬
duction value and stars. Freedom in

space does not necessarily mean a big
set, but how you approach it. Some
of the rooms in the castle in ‘Vampire’
were even smaller than in ‘Over 21.’
We had only 3 sets in ‘The Passion of
Joan of Arc’ — the chapel, prison and tor¬
ture chamber. Often the stars in our
Hollywood pictures are as much of a
liability as an asset. They are such a
big investment that story and photo¬
graphic values have to be sacrificed to
them.”

Mate’s great interest now is color
photography. His first color picture was
“Cover Girl” in which he worked with
the help of a Technicolor specialist. He
was up for an Academy Award for
his photography in that picture, par¬
ticularly the double-exposure dance that
Gene Kelly did with his after ego. “To¬
night and Every Night” was his second
color assignment, and he experimented
with colored light and black-and-white
photography methods in that film. He
made closeups with incandescent light,
normally used for black and white pho¬
tography, in order to obtain muted and
more realistic effects. In the outdoor
blackout scenes, he used blue light, paint¬
ing his set and cast with the light itself.
He lit a bedroom with blue light and

(Continued on Page 1 4 1 )

132 April, 1945 • American Cinematographer

\\\tv Efyr

1917

“THE GULF BETWEEN"

(first TECHNICOLOR feature)

TECHNICOLOR MOTION PICTURE CORPORATION

Herbert T. Kalmus, President and General Manager

New Film Script Technique for Amateurs

(Continued from Page 126)

TITLE: “Crescendo! Pianissimo! By F. C. Moultrie. Page

Camera Direction
and Scene

MAIN TITLE AND
CREDIT TITLES.
CUT TO

No. 1

MED. SHOT

CUT TO

CLOSE UP No. 2

TRUCK BACK to

Med. Shot No. 3

LAP DISSOLVE TO
Long Shot No. 4

CUT TO

Long Shot No. 5

LAP DISSOLVE TO
Same as Shot 3 No. 6

CUT TO

MONTAGE Shots No. 7

CUT TO
Reversion to Shot

No. 3 No. 8

CUT TO

Med. Shot No. 9

Montages optional.
Otherwise retain shot of
our hero appropriately
demonstrating emotions.

TRUCK TO

Medium Shot No. 10

Pan and truck to

Med. Close No. 11

CUT TO

Med. Shot No. 12

CUT TO

Med. Shot No. 13

CUT TO

Med. Shot No. 14

Slight panning of neces¬
sary, to take in move¬
ments.

CUT TO

Med. Close Shot No. 15

(Note: Cigarette smoke
puffed in slow wisps
across camera lens will as¬
sist in this effect)

LAP DISSOLVE TO
Med. close No. 16

CUT TO

Medium Shot No. 17
CUT TO

Close Up No. 18

Story Commentary

NO VOICE

It was night. The great Musician wearily sank
into a chair.

He glanced at his hands.

It was hard to believe those slender, almost fem¬
inine fingers had held tens of thousands spell¬
bound, tense, enchanted!

But now, with the plaudits of his last concert
ringing in his ears they were to be stilled forever !
Bitterly he pondered the years of patient struggle
which had secured him his present enviable repu¬
tation.

“THE GREAT MASTER”

“STRELLINI THE SUPREME,”

“Guest Artist, THE GREAT STRELLINI,” were
examples of the news captions that greeted him
everywhere.

Alas ! He was unlike other men . . . free to
move about his tasks quietly and unknown.

“There’s Strellini” had only begun as a whisper
but soon broke into a roar and then would fol¬
low the usual round of

INTERVIEWS!

DINNERS!

SPEECHES!
and more headlines!

He was just a martyr — sacrificed to the ART
of which he was the very living SOUL — the
greatest living exponent! But now he had decided
to end it all.

Stoically he braced himself before the mirror.
One last gaze at that aesthetic countenance which
would so soon be lost from among men !

He cast around to see that all his affairs were in
order then groped dazedly, stumblingly on to the
street. The hour was late. Only a dim street-
lamp witnessed his departure.

Down among the dingy wharves, to the secret
no prying eye would brand him a coward.

Down among the dingy wharles, to the secret
place he had marked out!

The eerie waterside mists swirled about him.
What an ignominous end !

Yet how peaceful!

For there was music, albeit of another kind —
NATURE’S MUSIC! It actually seemed as
though the sound of the lapping water vied with
the reverberations of his beloved Steinway that
he would touch no more.

Bravely he drew himself up, then, with but SIX
PACES TO GO

PLUNGED

INTO

The little DOCKSIDE BARBER Shop!

THE END

of

Scene or action not
fully described

Apartment. Long hairec
musician enters. Closes
door and goes to easy
chair.

Portion of audience, tense.
Then loud applause.
Stage. Our artist rising
from grand piano and
bowing.

Crowds gathering as our
artist alights from taxi;
besiege him for auto¬
graphs, etc.

Musician rises and rest¬
lessly paces room, still in
attitude of thinking.

Goes toward mirror.

Front street.

Murky waterfront scene.

Lapping, dark.

Small Barber Shop
entrance.

MUSIC

or sound effects
CONCERT

MUSIC

with

prominent

piano lead

throughout,

with

volume

controlled

to suit.

Music

dimin.

background

Street noises
Fade out to
faint piano
classics.

Piano
music of
dramatic
character

SILENCE

water with sounds,
music fading out
merging with pianc
completely

134 April, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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Unit of Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation

[ CARBON Products Division, Cleveland 1, Ohio |l|m New York, Pittsburgh, Chicago, San Francises

The modern arc,
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American Cinematographer ® April, 1945

135

fulien Bryan

(Continued from Page 119)

Before his 1933 jaunt he came to me
and we discussed his trip. I advised
what he should use to better his pic¬
tures, how to go about getting the best
continuity and the importance of the use
of a tripod. I especially cautioned him
that if he panned his camera without
reason, that I never wanted to see his
films again. For many years after that
Bryan continued to roam, especially to
the USSR. Four times he went into
almost inaccessible regions of the Cau¬
casus, Siberia, Manchukuo, Japan, China,
Turkey, Poland, Finland and Nazi Ger¬
many.

By 1933 Burton Holmes had learned
of the Russian films made by Bryan and
invited him to tour with him and co¬
ordinate their lectures. Though the en¬
tertainment business was then at a low
ebb, crowds packed the houses for their
joint program, “Russia as It Was — Rus¬
sia as It Is Today.” I attended one of
Bryans lectures at Carnegie Hall in New
York City, and at this writing, I clearly
recollect the quality of Bryan’s films and
the steadiness of his pictures. Bryan
has a flair for reporting and covering
all questions asked by his audiences, for
his audiences take his material seriously,
which is good reason for his success.

The films are carefully prepared for
his lectures because if the audience has
the faintest suspicion that what he is
showing is anything but actual incidents
and honest reporting, he is terifically
challenged. Challenges thrust upon him
by his audiences have taught him just
what people want to learn and what
they will and will not accept.

For his own work, Bryan says, “I
have learned one thing from my trav¬
els, whatever the dictators and militar¬
ists of the world may desire, the vast
majority of all populations, the common
people like ourselves, want peace and
are bitterly opposed to war; so, I speak
for them, the common people in foreign
lands, in my lectures here in America.
In my motion pictures, I show the peo¬
ples of all countries as human beings,
not as political symbols. As I come
back each year with new pictures to
show with my lectures throughout Amer¬
ica, it is my hope that I may be giving
to my own people a truer understanding
of how these other races live, work and
play and thus perhaps in some small
way to counteract those unjust preju¬
dices which so many of us still harbor
toward people in other lands.”

Bryan’s film material grew to such
importance because he brought out of
the countries the answer to the ques¬
tions being asked by people everywhere,
for Bryan had documentary proof as evi¬
dence of his statements. All of Bryan’s
earlier films were pure documentaries,
for they were simply edited, of neces¬
sity to shorten them to time limit.
There was no music added, only Bryan’s
voice coming from the stage. His lec¬
tures are prefaced with a ten or fifteen

minute talk. Then the motion pictures
are shown while he lectures in the form
of a running commentary, and explana¬
tion, which is followed at the end, by
a question period. The question period
gives the public an opportunity to oppose
Bryan or accept his views, for here you
will find the critical, comparing his re¬
marks with statements found in books,
newspapers and those made by com¬
mentators on the radio.

Julien Bryan’s film “Siege,” which
reached the theatrical screens about
1940, is one of his best works in which
he gives an account of his experience
in Warsaw, Poland. He was the only
photographer there throughout the Nazi
bombardment of the Polish capital and
anyone who has seen this film or read
his book, published at the same time,
will remember the terrific impression
the beast called Nazi made on one.

“Siege” was distributed by RKO-Pathe,
as were several of his later works, such
as “I Saw It in S. A.” The March of
Time also released much of Bryan’s
films in earlier years, using of his Rus¬
sian material, Vol 1, No. 4 and Vol. 2,
No. 2, for which Bryan never received
any screen credit. His material is in¬
teresting to audiences both theatrical
and non-theatrical as it helps make for
better relationships between our gov¬
ernment and the governments of other
countries.

When World War II, came along, our
government found it necessary to create
a film board for producing of films for
showings in South America and so came
about the organization for the Coordi¬
nator of Inter-American Affairs for
whom Julien Bryan became a contributor
and producer. For this work, he had to
enlarge his organization, for it was nec¬
essary for him to produce films in sev¬
eral South American countries and Mex¬
ico. Because of time limits he had to
send other cameramen and writers to the
South American countries because his
programs called for completed films with
date limits, and he therefore found it
necessary to get to as many countries
as time could allow him and to send
others to the places he could not go.
The films he produced for the Coordi¬
nator are as follows: “Americans Ail,”
“Good Neighbor Family,” “Schools to
the South,” “Argentina Primer,” “Co¬
lombia, Crossroads of the Americas,”
“Venezuela Moves Ahead,” “Peru,”
“Lima,” “Lima Family,” “Housing in
Chile,” “Atacama Desert,” “South Chile,”
“Found in Chile,” “Bolivia,” “La Paz,”
“High Plain,” “Uruguay,” “Montevideo
Family,” “Young Uruguay,” “Roads
South;” there are twenty-one Latin
American films which he produced. Eng¬
lish versions of these films were placed
by the Coordinator’s Office in all im¬
portant film centers in the United States,
including colleges, university centers
and branches of the Y.M.C.A. Of the
hundred and one centers in the forty-
eight states listed by the Coordinator,
one or more are within the reach of any
school or other user. Any of these
films can be borrowed from the center

without charge other than transportation
and sometimes a small fee to cover the
cost of booking and handling at the
center. Every exhibitor is asked to fill
out a brief report card sent with each
film.

When I anticipated writing this article
for the American Cinematographer, I
phoned Bryan and told him that I should
like to see some of his late films. I at¬
tended one of his recent lectures at a
meeting of the Society of Motion Picture
Engineers in New York, of which I am
a member. I also attended a private
showing of several of his films and I
want to state that they were delightful
and informative. I want to say a word
of praise for his staff of writers and
photographers who have contributed to
the series for the Coordinator; especial¬
ly to Miriam and Jules Bucher for their
splendid contribution in teaming as writ¬
er, director and cameraman to produce
several of the Bryan series. They have
done a brilliant job and I have asked
Bryan for the privilege of including some
of these films in my personal library.

Julien told me that one question which
people invariably ask of him is, “Why
do you give your people who help make
films, screen credit, when they are really
unknown to us?” To this, Bryan re¬
plies, “When my first film was released
theatrically, I did not receive screen
credit and when I told people that the
film in such and such a series was mine,
I don’t think they believed me and that
was always a sore spot for me for my
having to tell people about my own film.
It was then that I resolved I would never
take screen credit for the work of oth¬
ers and damned if it doesn’t work out
better that way.”

Bryan’s earlier efforts were pure docu¬
mentary films but the films he produced
for the Coordinator are not documentary
in the true sense of the word, since it
was necessary to make re-enactments,
add music and special narration. These
were produced from special scripts either
written in this country before the crew
ventured south of the border, or written
on the spot of filming. Quoting from
one of Bryan’s books on the documentary
films by him, he says, “The documentary
film’s only ‘actors’ are those actually
living their parts, unaware that they
are being photographed, perhaps indif¬
ferent and sometimes camera shy but
never acting in the theatrical sense.”

The list of lecture halls on whose
stages the shoes of Julien Bryan have
trod to tell the many thousands who come
to listen to him, are long and varied and
vast as any one man could possibly hope
for. They include almost every large
city in the United States.

NOTE: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BY THE
AUTHOR INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO REPRO¬
DUCE THIS ARTICLE OR PORTIONS THERE¬
OF, IN ANY FORM.

The moon, when full, gives off about
nine times as much light as it does when
at the quarter.

136 April, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Academy Award Winners

(Continued from Page 115)

The chamber is constructed of concrete
blocks and is divided into two rooms of
different volumes. All interior surfaces
are smoothly finished and non-parallel.
Great flexibility is achieved by the use
of double microphone and speaker cir¬
cuits and by a remote-controlled sound¬
proofed door pivoted between the two
rooms.

To: Daniel J. Bloomberg and the Re¬
public Sound Department for the design
and development of a Multi-Interlock
Selector Switch.

This device consists of a six-pole s'x-
position switch for use in Selsyn Inter¬
lock systems, which eliminates the usual
cumbersome multiple patching plugs and
cable connections which prevail through¬
out the industry. Economics in setup
time and operation of Interlock systems
are derived, resulting in an increased
production efficiency.

To: Bernard B. Brown and John P.
Livadary for the design and engineering
of a Separate Soloist and Chorus Re¬
cording Room.

The design of a Separate Soloist and
Chorus Room, and the engineering of as¬
sociated equipment introduces a more
flexible and economic method of scoring
and permits greater realism in the
screening of vocal numbers.

La Casa Movie Club

Four films made up the program of
the La Casa Movie Club of Alhambra,
California, at the March meeting. They
were :

“Flowers and Animals,” 8mm., by C.
K. Le Fiell.

“Mexico,” 8mm., by Dr. K. I. Lewis.

“India,” 8mm., by Miss Lillian Stevens.

“Our High Sierras,” 35mm., by Lloyd
Austin.

Del C. Gardner Joins Staff

Del C. Gardner, who has been en¬
gaged in the field of industrial elec¬
tronics for the past 18 years, formerly
connected with U. S. Naval Ordnance
and General Motors, has joined the staff
of Visual Training Corporation, Detroit,
as a technical writer. Mr. Gardner has
specialized in developing logical reason¬
ing processes for localizing electronic
faults, and has also done extensive
work in methods of preventative main¬
tenance for electronic equipment.

mase'lJP’

Separate amplifier and speaker
provides portable P. A. facilities.

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with DeVRY 1 6 mm. sound-on-film
equipment. Photography that gives
you the best in black and white or
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the infinite detail of the most difficult
scene . . . and sound that’s always
"Nature Real. ” DeVRY Corporation,
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“E” award for mo¬
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equipment.

Dewy

ORIGINATORS & IMPROVERS OF PORTABLE MOTION PICTURE EQUIPMENT ... SINCE 1913

To: Paul Zeff, S. J. Twining, and
George Seid of the Columbia Pictures
Laboratory for the formula and for the
application to production of a Simplified
Variable Area Sound Negative De¬
veloper.

In the processing of variable density
sound track negative, the need has been
felt for a developing formula that would
insure great stability of the solution and
thereby create greater consistency in the
process. This new formula, through the
elimination of certain oxidizing agents,
has accomplished the desired results.

To: Paul Lerpae for the design and
construction of the Paramount Traveling
Matte Projection and Photographing
Device.

The Paramount Traveling Matte Pro¬
jection and Photographing Device facili¬
tates the making and accurately photo¬
graphing of mattes, traveling mattes,
and effects. The use of such a device
makes it possible to photograph scenes
which would otherwise be impossible.
Used in conjunction with a split screen,
this device makes it possible for a
player, in a dual role, to cross screen,
even in front of himself.

Armor Plate

Homogenous armor plate differs from
face hardened plate in that it has uni¬
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American Cinematographer • April, 1945

137

CHAMPION CLOSE-UP — Hollywood's all-time closest
close-up is illustrated here. Subject of this remark¬
able camera feat is Ray Milland's eye in Paramount's
"The Lost Weekend." Above is the closeup as it
appeared on the film. At upper right we see Camera¬
man John Seitz, A.S.C., making the shot. For the
unique shot the lens was only six inches from the star's
eye. Note that the camera was so close that the
edge of the finder rested on Milland's forehead
during the filming.

Wine Use Doubles

Consumption of California wines
throughout the nation has doubled in
the last 10 years and is expected to
double again in the next decade, accord¬
ing to Horatio F. Stoll, of the California
Wine Institute.

Dr. Cantril Retained
for Audience Survey

Dr. Hadley Cantril, Director of Public
Opinion Research for Princeton Univer¬
sity, has just been retained as head of
the Audience Survey Section of The
Princeton Film Center, of Princeton,
New Jersey.

In making announcement of the new
affiliation, Gordon Knox, Executive Direc¬
tor of The Film Center, said, “The req¬
uisite to the successful use of motion
pictures for special purposes is to de¬
termine in advance of production the
interests, preferences, and tastes of the
audience to be reached with a film.

New Filmosound Library
Releases Announced
by B&H

HIS BUTLER’S SISTER (Universal)
No. 2556 9 reels

Young singer finds her brother a but¬
ler, instead of millionaire, as she had
been led to believe. But he becomes
unwilling stepping stone to audition with
his boss, and the girl finds happiness
at last— the annual “Butlers’ Ball.” (De¬
anna Durbin, Franchot Tone, Pat
O’Brien). Available from May 26, 1945,
for approved non-theatrical audiences.
YOU’RE A LUCKY FELLOW, MR.
SMITH (Universal)

No. 2595 6 reels

Marriage of convenience, between will¬
ful heiress and young soldier, proves
highly inconvenient when hubby intro¬
duces some much-needed reforms. Very
funny, much of action takes place in
Pullman car, side-tracked because of a
fictitious measles scare. (Allan Jones,
Evelyn Ankers, Billie Burke, Patsy
O’Connor — a real new juvenile star).
Available from April 22, 1945, for ap¬
proved non-theatrical audiences.

Fleming Promoted

Appointment of Ira L. Fleming to a
newly created position as chief field en¬
gineer of DeVry Corporation, pioneer
Chicago inventors and developers of mo¬
tion sound equipment, is announced by
William C. DeVry, president of the com¬
pany.

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138 April, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Aces of the Camera

(Continued from Page 124)

fallen down a flight of stairs and, de¬
spite every effort to allay or divert his
fall, had landed right on top of the bass
fiddle.

When the big bass fiddle player looked,
with homicidal intent, at the intruder
seated amidst the remains of the instru¬
ment, a hushed expectancy fell over the
people on the set. A1 Parker, the direc¬
tor, raising his voice to address a slew¬
footed electrician, the unwilling cause of
all the disturbance, called out: “That’s
all right, Joe, if that guy had had his
fiddle up under his chin, where it be¬
longs, this would never have happened”.

After “The Black Pirate”, Doug took
one of his extended trips and Henry went
to M.G.M. on a five year contract. For
Leo he made a series starring Lon
Chaney, and for King Vidor, that classic
of its day, “The Crowd”, starring James
Murray and Eleanor Boardman.

Those with long memories will recall
that “The Crowd”, made of course be¬
fore the days of transparencies, was a
notable photographic achievement in its
realistic, almost “documentary” use of
people. And the crowds were the real
thing. Photographed on location in such
populous places as the front of the
Equitable Life Insurance Bldg., the New
York entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge,
and achieved only after infinite patience,
they gave the picture a simple magnifi¬
cence seldom approached on the screen.

Before completing 'his term with
M.G.M. Henry was loaned out to Fair¬
banks for the lensing job on “The Man
in the Iron Mask”, and, upon comple¬
tion of his contract, associated himself
once more with Doug in the filming of
that super travelogue, “Around the
World in 80 Minutes”.

The assignment for the latter picture
started with a phone call when Doug
called him and asked him — as casually as
he might ask him around for a drink — if
he could get away for a trip around the
world. When Henry opined that perhaps
he could, and asked when he would have
to leave Doug told him “in four days”.

In four days Henry was ready. What
a hectic four days! And what a trip!
With Doug’s tireless energy, and his abil¬
ity to get into places, they saw every¬
thing worth seeing and were feted
everywhere they went. In Siam, King
Pradjadipok, who subsequently abdi¬
cated, entertained their party of four as
his guests in one of his splendid palaces
that might have come out of the Arabian
Nights. In Kuch Behar, a little Indian
Native State lying in the shadow of the
Himalayas, they hunted tigers from the
backs of elephants as the guests of a
beautiful Maharanee, ruler of a million
people and owner of three palaces. By
private train they toured the country and
saw the incomparable wonders and mys¬
teries with which it abounds.

Everywhere they went Henry had his
camera out, grinding away at some of
the most fascinating scenes it had fallen

to the lot of any cameraman to shoot.
Everywhere, that is, except in Japan.
In Japan, even in 1931, the little Sons
of Heaven must have had something up
their kimonos, because there were too
many things taboo to the camera, espe¬
cially around the waterfront.

Upon the return of the party Henry
signed up with Paramount. Under that
banner he directed the nhotogranhy of
such hits as “All the King’s Horses”,
“The Glass Kev”, “Alice in Wonderland”,
“Geronimo”, “Dr. Cyclops”, notable for
its technical achievement in color, the
Charlie Ruggles and Mary Boland series,
and had the satisfaction of working un¬
der the direction of Academy Award
winner Leo McCarey.

In 1935. still under the Paramount
banner, he boarded a plane with the pro¬
duction crew who headed east to Annap¬
olis to make “Annapolis, Farewell”. In
one of the worst tragedies in the history
of Hollywood the plane crashed near the
small town of Macon, Missouri. Five
were killed, and everyone else on the
plane was badly hurt including Capt.
Paul Wing, who was recentlv released
from a Jap prison in the Philippines,
Dick Wallace, the director, Billy Cap-
lan, and Pat Drew, an electrician. Henry,
with a broken back, spent the next ten
months in a hospital.

Henry’s wealth of experience and his
camera virtuosity is best expressed, per¬
haps, in a review of his current releases.
In this list almost every type of picture
is represented, and every budget. And
all of them are better pictures for the
considerate skill of an ace cameraman:
“National Barndance”, based on the fa¬
mous radio show; “The Man in Half¬
moon Street”, featuring Helen Walker
and Nils Asther, a story with the locale
in London and the fog of the Thames;
Fritz Lang’s “Ministry of Fear”, with
Roy Milland and Marjorie Reynolds. In¬
cidentally, these last two are playing on
the same bill. It isn’t often a camera¬
man gets a doubleheader.

“Tomorrow The World” is another
current release based on the famous New
York play and stars Frederick March;
and, for Republic, “Jealousy”, with
Karen Morley, Jane Randolph and John
Loder, and directed by Gustav Machaty
who made cinematic history when he
directed Mrs. Loder in “Ecstasy”.

Perhaps the strain of responsibility
shouldered year after year by directors
of cinematography forces some of them
to seek escape in ennui; in a detachment
that nullifies the value of their accumu¬
lated experience. But there’s nothing
jaded about Henry. He’s still the eager
beaver, richly mellowed by experience.
Life is still a great adventure to him.

For "Auld Lang Syne"

The most famous New Year song in
the world, “Auld Lang Syne,” was com¬
posed by Robert Burns in 1789 as an
example of an old Scottish song. The
words were set to the present familiar
tune in 1799.

a u r i c o ii

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American Cinematographer • April, 1945

139

Filming Western Approaches

(Continued from Page 117)

having glorious fun, making the boat
heave right over and throwing gallons
of water over us as we staggered drunk -
enly about, lifting the blimp off and
threading up the film somehow under
a flapping tarpaulin.

Seas, of course, were never the same,
either in character or color. On one day
the waves would tower monstrously in
the true Atlantic manner; then on the
next day the sea would be as flat as the
Serpentine, and the color changed every
few hours, from deep blue to grey-green.
One day fleecy, cumulous clouds; next
day a completely cloudless sky. All these
changes were typical of the everchang-
ing conditions at sea, but the difference
can be glaringly seen when assembled
together in the final cut film, with the
whole sequence only supposed to be of
five minutes duration.

The most deadly burden of all was sea¬
sickness. Even some of the veteran sea¬

men themselves were often horribly sick,
so it was not surprising that most of the
unit went through the ghastly misery
of nausea nearly every day for many
months. Sometimes our lifeboat looked
as though a machine-gun had raked the
whole crew down. Every wreched vic¬
tim — except the few who were never sick
— would lie inertly all over the boat or
hang limply over the side heaving spas¬
modically like captured fish in a bucket.
Our director was one of the heaven-
blessed; he was not seasick once, but
imagine how difficult it was for him to
direct a scene when nearly all his crew
were pathetically hors de combat.

With a sympathetic look around, he
would say: “All right, let’s try and get
this scene before the sun goes in.” Some¬
one points feebly to Roland, the sound
man, over the side, only his rear and
twitching legs to be seen. “Well, I’ll take
the mike,” says Pat. “Ready everybody?”

But my assistant hasn’t taken the
focus, only his tape measure is left
swinging dramatically from the side, and
a horrible choking vomit peculiar to
Eric, explains his absence.

“All right, I’ll take the tape out,” says
Pat desperately. “Five feet two inches,
is that right. Jack?”

I have just returned from the side,
and my head is sunk down on my chest
like a dead man; my blurred vision tries
to envisage Pat as I say something like,
“Egggmmmph.”

“Right,” says Pat grimly, “turn ’em
over.”

But now the actor-seaman himself sud-
dendy rises with a stifled gurgle and
falls purposefully over the side. We wait
listlessly. He comes back.

Eric returns, looking very white and
battered. Roland, the sound man, crawls
painfully back in position and buzzers
are pressed weakly for the recordist on
the drifter to set the machinery in mo¬
tion; but after a dreary, burping delay,
it is learned that Charlie, the American
recordist, who works down an evil-smell¬
ing hold on the drifter, is busily vomit¬
ing into a bucket which he brings down
with him every day.

In answer to feverish enquiries over
the ’phone, Charlie pants indignantly,
between heaving: “Can’t a guy have
time to puke once in a while?”

I also was a punctual sufferer, passing
every day at sea with my soul in limbo

and my stomach in the shades below,
while looking through my camera to see
that nothing except sea and sky were
ever in the picture, for we were supposed
to be on the Atlantic three thousand
miles from anywhere. This was always
difficult in the Irish Channel in war¬
time, with ceaseless convoys silhouetted
against the horizon, and the Irish mail
boat passing us four times daily herald¬
ed for miles with voluminous black
smoke and thousands of sea gulls; also
aeroplanes humming around all day ma¬
chine-gunning flying targets or mock-
battling. There were many buoys to
watch out for, and lighthouses, wrecks,
mine-sweepers, and, most ridiculous of
all on one occasion, thousands of oranges
floating by from a nearby wreck!

Apart from the thick rope used to tow
us, there was also a heavy electric cable,
and other cables for the microphone, etc.,
which, as they ploughed through the
seas, gave us endless induction troubles —
one of the million headaches that Kay
Ash the chief sound man, had to deal
with. The only way of getting the drifter
out of the picture was to let the drifter
steam ahead fast for a few minutes, then
slow right down and, if the wind was
strong enough, our lifeboat would sail
up level with it, the cables stretched
awkwardly at right angles and threaten¬
ing to capsize our boat at any moment.

For six weary months we struggled
through the lifeboat sequence, and when
at last our location came to an end, we
thought that Ihe worst was over and the
rest of the film would be easy; but I
should have known better.

Our next location was the real Atlan¬
tic, this time on a cargo ship to New
York. As there are only four Technicolor
cameras in this country, I was not al¬
lowed to take my camera over 3,000 miles
of sea with many U-boats lui’king
around, so Monopack was used on a black
and white camera.

Although it was midsummer, bad luck
still pursued us, for the weather was
very bad going out and coming back
from America, and fog nearly all the
time made us scramble many weeks'
work into a few days.

One evening, about 9:30, the ship in
front of us was torpedoed. It was carry¬
ing high octane petrol and was soon a
blazing hulk — a terrible sight which I
shall never forget. Many men were killed
that night, and I realized then, more
than at any other time, why Pat Jackson
was so sincere about making this film.

After the voyage to America we made
several trips out to sea in destroyers,
corvettes, and other escort vessels, get¬
ting authentic shots of convoy escort pa¬
trols.

By this time, having been over a year
on the film, I had given up the idea of
seas and skies matching, and fervently
hoped that the laboratories would match
the scenes up as near as possible.

One of the last remaining thrills was
on a submarine which has to be sunk in

(Continued on Page 142)

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April, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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1927 WEST 78™ ST. LOS ANGELES. CAL

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A Cinematographer Speaks

(Continued from Page 132)

used yellow light on Rita Hayworth’s
face. A room in the background was lit
with white light. In one song number,
when Janet Blair, wearing a green dress,
sang in front of a white curtain, Mate
colored the curtain with purple light.

“That way you have more freedom in
getting effects,” he says. “You can take
a normal set and paint it any color you
like with light. The use of colored light
is an unexplored field. I believe that
color photography will be the big thing
of the future.

“In real life we are subject psycholog¬
ically to light and shadow even more
than to color. And that is why I have
tried to adapt the method of black-and-
white photography to color shooting.
There is little difference in real life be¬
tween a beautiful day or a bad day.
The color is about the same. It is the
light and shadow that make for the ef¬
fect on the onlooker. By emphasizing
the light and shadow in color photog¬
raphy, I have tried to get the same sort
of effect.”

But Mate reiterates that photography
can be no better than the main body
of the film, which is its dramatic struc¬
ture. Asked as to what he thought the
best shot in “Sahara” was, he replied:
“The scene in which the Italian prisoner
stumbles after the tracks of the tank
in the desert.” That shot was a simple
dolly shot, but Mate holds that since
it was one of the most dramatic scenes
in the picture it was also one of the
most interesting photographically.

Pal Puppetoons Released
For Home Movie Fans

Release of three George Pal Pup¬
petoons, for sale for the first time in
the 16mm. home movie market, is an¬
nounced by Milton J. Salzburg, President
of Pictorial Films, Inc., RKO Building,
New York 20, N. Y.

These Puppetoons are unique, in that
they are animated puppets, perfectly
coordinated in sound and action. The
ancient legend of the Sleeping Beauty
and her Gallant Prince is told with a
modern swing twist in “SLEEPING
BEAUTY.”

The second Puppetoon, “CAVALCADE
OF MUSIC,” features a charming pot¬
pourri of music and dancing with Pal’s
puppets taking all the parts.

“THE BIG BROADCAST,” is a pro¬
fessional variety show of song and dance
from waltz to jive, including musical
selections from some of the United Na¬
tions.

Double Duty

One newer church in London is used
for religious services on Sundays and as
a motion picture theater the rest of the
week.

BUY

WAR

BONDS

THIS"EYE”SEES into
THE FUTURE

B&H Taylor-Hobson-Cooke
Cine Lenses do more than meet
current technical demands. They
exceed them — and their design
anticipates future improvements in
film emulsions. They are THE
long-term investment lenses.
Write for literature.

BELL & HOWELL COMPANY

Exclusive world distributors

1849 Larchmont Avenue, Chicago
New York: 30 Rockefeller Plaza
Hollywood: 716 N. LaBrea Ave.
Washington, D. C.: 1221 G St., N. W.
London: 13-14 Great Castle St.

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TO AO TO O'

Geo. W. Colburn Laboratory

Special Motion Picture Printing
995 MERCHANDISE MART
CHICAGO

MOVIOLA

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Used in Every Major Studio
Illustrated Literature on Request
Manufactured by

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Moviola Division

1449-51 Gordon Street Hollywood 28, Cellf.

FAXON DEAN

CAMERAS

KLIMPS-UOLLYS
FOR RENT

Day, HEmpstead 5694
Night, Hollywood 6211

1030 N. Fuller Ave.
Hollywood 46, California

American Cinematographer • April, 1945

141

BUY mORG BORDS

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LATEST MODELS

ini

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Many other hard to get Motion Picture

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a

Filming Western Approaches

(Continued from Page 140)

the film. My camera was tied on the
stern end, and the commander was asked,
on a pre-arranged signal, to make a
steep dive downwards, making sure that
the end my camera was on was still
above water. I started the camera on
the signal, and the submarine accord¬
ingly dived so steeply that it disappeared
rapidly, to my increasing concern, until
just my camera and the top half of me
were visible! Of course the submarine
was under perfect control, but I needn’t
say how relieved I was to see it surface
again.

So ended a film which I regard as the
most difficult film of my career so far.
Don’t misinterpret me; I am not making
us out to be heroes. It would be fatuous
to compare our hardships on this pic¬
ture with those of so many soldiers and
civilians in this shuddering war; but as
films go, although I have taken my
camera all over the world ; on live vol¬
canoes, in fever-ridden jungles, scorched
deserts, and on the perishing heights
of the Himalayas, I have never had a
job that was so onerous and nerve-break¬
ing. I think I agree with one of our sea¬
men who has been torpedoed already in
this war. He said, quite seriously, that he
would rather be torpedoed again and
really cast adrift in a lifeboat, than have
that film experience again.

Adhesives such as the kind that seal
cigarets or bind books, used over 150,-
000,000 pounds of corn starch and dex¬
trin in their composition during the last
year.

FOR SALE

WE BUY, SELL AND RENT PROFESSIONAL
AND 16mm EQUIPMENT, NEW AND USED.
WE ARE DISTRIBUTORS FOR ALL LEAD¬
ING MANUFACTURERS. RUBY CAMERA
EXCHANGE, 729 Seventh Ave., New York City.
Established since 1910.

CINEMATOGRAPHER HANDBOOK, $4.00; AU-
RICON RECORDERS, CINE SPECIAL CAM¬
ERAS, FILMOS, DOLLIES, TRIPODS— GEAR
AND FREEHEAD ; FINDERS, 16 AND 35MM.
SOUND PROJECTORS ; SPIDER BOXES,
500- 1000-2 000 W. SPOTLIGHTS, FRESNEL
LENSES; REWINDS, GRISWOLD SPLICERS,
DOUBLE CONSOLE TURNTABLE FOR
SOUND EFFECTS RECORDS AND MUSICAL
RECORDING, 78 and 33^ COMBINATION,
PRESTO RECORDERS ON PRIORITY, DE¬
BRIE, NEUMANN-SINCLAIR, AKELEY CAM¬
ERA WITH 35-50-100-150-300-425MM. LENSES.
5 MAGAZINES, MOTOR, TRIPOD, MANY
ATTACHMENTS, REBUILT LIKE NEW;
35MM. BELL & HOWELL STEP PRINTER.
EYEMO-DE VRY 100-FOOT CAMERAS. ASK
FOR CIRCULAR ON OUR CAMART TRIPOD
FOR CINE SPECIAL AND OTHER CAM¬
ERAS. WE BUY — SELL — TRADE STUDIO
AND LABORATORY EQUIPMENT. CAMERA
MART, AC, 70 WEST 45TH ST., NEW YORK
CITY.

COMPLETE BERNDT MAURER SINGLE AND
Double 16MM. Recording System ; 4 lens turret
camera ; tripod ; 2 studio recorders ; 2 amplifiers ;
extra motors ; magazines, etc. Cost $15,000.00,
now greatly reduced. Miles 16mm. Recorder,
amplifier, microphone complete, $150.00 ; Akeley
single system 35mm. soundfilm recording outfit,
3 lenses, galvanometer, amplifier, magazines, tri¬
pod. motor, microphone, etc.. $13,000 value, now
$6,995 00 ; Background projection outfit com¬
plete, $4,990.00. Send for listings. S.O.S. CINE¬
MA SUPPLY CORPORATION, NEW YORK
18, N. Y.

16MM. STUDIO RECORDING PRODUCTION
OUTFIT-^BERNDT-MAURER, MODEL D, RE¬
CORDER, AMPLIFIER— POWER PACK— 2-400
FT. MAGAZINES— ALL CABLES— 4 CASES—
2 FILM PHONOGRAPHS, AMPLIFIE R—
TRANSFORMER, MIKE BOOM ON WHEELS,
17 FT. EXTENSION ; PORTABLE DOLLY
WITH SEAT AND TRIPOD; 1000 w. BELL &
HOWELL SOUND PROJECTOR, SEPARATE
AMPLIFIER ; 12-200 w. FRESNEL LIGHTS,
CABLES ; SPIDER BOXES, COMPLETE,
READY FOR WORK. CAMERA MART, 70
WEST 45TH ST., NEW YORK.

EYEMO CAMERA S— 47MM. F2.5 COOKE
LENSES, KEY, CASE, 16-24 SPEEDS. $250.00.
EXTRA LENSES ON QUOTATION. CAMERA
MART, AC, 70 WEST 45TH ST., NEW YORK.

FOR SALE — WESTERN ELECTRIC-AKELEY
Single System Camera, 12-volt motor, two 1000-
ft. B&H magazines, 40mm., 50mm. 75mm. Astro
F.2.3 lenses with matched finder lenses ; friction
head tripod ; new variable intensity galvanome¬
ter, portable amplifier, vibrator B supply, Cables,
Cases and RCA microphone. Blue Seal Sound
Devices, 7 Giacie Square, New York City.

MISCELLANEOUS

HOME MOVIE FANS, JOIN MOTION PICTURE
Educational Society. Free valuable information.
Box 875, Reading, Pa.

WANTED

WANTED TO BUY FOR CASH

CAMERAS AND ACCESSORIES

MITCHELL B&H EYEMO DEBRIE AKELEY

ALSO LABORATORY AND CUTTING ROOM

EQUIPMENT

CAMERA EQUIPMENT COMPANY
1600 BROADWAY, NEW YORK CITY 19
CABLE: CINEQUIP

WE PAY CASH FOR EVERYTHING PHOTO¬
GRAPHIC. Write us today. Hollywood Camera
Exchange. 1600 Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood.

WANTED — TRANSACTIONS SMPE BEFORE
1930. State month, year, price. Lumley, 201
Webster, Syracuse, N.Y.

SOUND PROJECTORS, CAMERAS, TRIPODS,
STUDIO. LABORATORY OR RECORDING
EQUIPMENT. HIGHEST PRICES PAID
S.O.S. CINEMA SUPPLY CORPORATION,
NEW YORK 18.

30MM. F2.5 OR FASTER LENSES IN OR WITH-
out mount. 8-16-35mm. silent, sound projectors,
cameras, lenses. Mogull’s 57 West 48th' St., New
York 19, N. Y.

16MM. R.C.A. SOUND CAMERA. SAM’S ELEC¬
TRIC SHOP. 35 MONrlOE STREET. PASSAIC,
NEW JERSEY.

WANTED — 35mm. silent motion picture camera
with electric or spring motor. Private party.
F. A. Freeman, 8264 Melrose, Los Angeles 46.
Phone: Walnut 7905.

142 April, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Quality Control
had a long
head start
at the

©Ik

Camera Works

For well over half a century Kodak
has delivered “more quality for your
money.” That’s a head start not to be
discounted . . .

It wasn’t overlooked when America’s
productive capacity was converted to
war. To Kodak was assigned produc¬
tion of a large number and wide va¬
riety of fire-control instruments— as
well as production of cameras for the
Army and Navy.

Kodak had much to build on, in men,
equipment, and methods. Precision
manufacture was the lifelong practice
of the Kodak Camera Works. Quality
Control— with an entire department

A CAMERA RANGE FINDER, in es¬
sence, is two telescopes, and employs
the same optical principles that are
used in directing artillery fire. This
technician is adjusting the range find¬
er used on a Kodak Ekfra . . . without
reservation, the world’s most distin¬
guished camera.

built for this responsibility — was an
established fact.

Advance -model Kodaks were as¬
signed to Military Photography. Kodak
lenses became the “eyes” of our bomb-
sights and artillery range finders.

Kodak precision, which had won
and held the largest following among
America’s camera buyers, was an im¬
portant factor in destroying the legend
of German supremacy in “optics.”

In the stress of war, Kodak learned
as well as accomplished. New skills
were developed from long established
skills. New, quicker precision methods
grew out of more laborious precision.
It had to be done.

Result: Kodak precision, always an
ascending spiral, was accelerated — it
has reached an all-time high.

“On sight,” you’ll know that the new
Kodaks are masterpieces — when you
see them after the war. In action — in
the pictures they make — they will
prove it over and over again.

EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY

ROCHESTER, N. Y.

REMEMBER THE FIRST TOKYO BOMBING?
How, 3 years ago, our flyers took off from the car¬
rier “Hornet”— 740 miles off the Japanese coast
. . . into a gale, with limited fuel . . . knowing
they would probably never reach China — and
safety? . . . And how eight of the men— captured
by the Japanese— were barbarously treated . . .
reported executed? A stem example to us at
home. BUY-AND HOLD-MORE WAR BONDS.

Serving human progress through photography

American Cinematographer • April, 1945

143

I*

FAMOUS

SPORTSTER

i: :

■

Bell & Howell Filmo Cameras and Projectors
have been first to bring movie makers many
important improvements.

That fact is doubly significant to you. Sig¬
nificant because you can expect Bell & Howell
to continue to be first with innovations you’ll
want. And significant because in postwar
Filmo Cameras and Projectors you’ll find the
original, B&H-engineered designs of valuable
features ... of such features as these famous
Filmo Camera firsts:

Spring drive. Eliminates hand cranking; assures
unvarying camera speeds.

Spyglass viewfinder. Excludes extraneous light;
makes sighting easy and accurate. What you see,
you get — with Filmo.

3

4

Hand-held. Eliminates use of tripod.

"Drop-in” loading. To close the film gate, you
simply close the Filmo 8mm. camera door.

i

A handsome, precision •‘built 8mm. camera

Anyone can take superb movies with
this fine camera, either in true-to-life full
color or in sparkling black-and-white.
Scarcely larger than the palm of your
hand, the "Sportster” offers four film
speeds including s-l-o-w motion, a sin¬
gle-frame exposure device for anima¬
tion work, a built-in exposure guide,
and a fast F 2.5 lens which gets the pic¬
ture even when the light is poor. Extra,
special purpose lenses are .
instantlv interchangeable.

EVEN BETTER FILMOSOUNDS
ARE COMING

When they again become avail¬
able for home use, B&H Filmo-
sound 16mm. sound-on-film pro¬
jectors will be even better than
before. Incorporating combat-
tested improvements resulting
from our war-accelerated research
and engineering in OPTI-ONICS,
they will set new high standards
of performance.

Bell & Howell Company, Chicago;
New York; Hollywood; Washing¬
ton, D. C. ; London. Estab lisbed 1 907.

Products combining the sciences of OPTIcs • electrONics • mechanics

Buy and Hold
More War Bom

BELL & HOWELL COMPANY
7148 McCormick Road, Chicago 45

Please send me information about: ( ) improved
Filmo Cameras and Projectors for ( )8mm.( )l6mm.
film; ( ) improved Filmosounds.

Name

Address

City

State

AC-4-45

mor/on

% ■

[ A

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Myyjm MW&k

4*s.

W A v;'Yf Jy

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(No. 6 of a series on the manufacture of Du Pont Motion Picture Film)

Film base marks time

This stopping-off place for film
base is an intermediate stor¬
age room . . . one of many such
vaults in the Du Pont film plant.

Large quantities of clear base,
ready for coating with sensitized
emulsions, are held in these vaults
for use in manufacturing many
different types of Du Pont Mo¬
tion Picture Film. The label at¬
tached to each roll is a “pedi¬
gree” . . . the complete history of
its production.

The storage vaults are fire¬
proof and spotlessly clean. Air
conditioning keeps them dust free
and maintains temperature and
humidity at the proper levels.
The film base is further protected
by Cellophane, which gives the
rolls the crinkled appearance that

they have in the picture above.

Throughout the manufacture
of Du Pont Motion Picture Film
every precaution is taken to as¬
sure users of a superior product.

Leading cinematographers like
this fine film. They agree that its
characteristics help assure per¬
fection. They approve its ability

to preserve the latent image . . .
its wide latitude . . . color bal¬
ance . . . dependable uniformity
of speed and contrast.

E. I. du Pont de Nemours &
Co. (Inc.), Photo Products De¬
partment, Wilmington 98, Del.

In New York: Empire State Bldg.
In Hollywood : Smith & Aller, Ltd.

ARE YOU INVESTING IN VICTORY? BUY WAR BONDS REGULARLY AND KEEP THEM

DU PONT

MOTION PICTURE FILM

BETTER THINGS FOR BETTER LIVING
...THROUGH CHEMISTRY

146 May, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Eyemo fights, too. Members of Camera Combat Unit F go aloft for their first
aerial photographic flight armed with Eyemos. Official Army Air Forces Photo.

_ .e) CllPtR'

SWOOP**

jAloft, Eyemo films sharp, clear, accurate
records of enemy defenses . . . spots gun em¬
placements . . . points out hidden landing
strips . . . discovers how many enemy men
are where in the combat area.

In the hands of well-trained, capable
youngsters like the two above, Eyemo also
films battle actions . . . helps keep a con¬
tinuous history of the way we’re winning
the war on every front.

It’s natural that Eyemo should be entrusted
with these vital wartime tasks. It’s always
been the camera for men of action. It’s al¬
ways been the camera that gets the scene . . .

that can take the punishment of constant
knockabout use . . . because we designed and
built Eyemo as a newsreel camera ... to be
used by men who must film the news fast,
accurately ; . . who must depend on their
cameras to get the shot the first time . . .
or not at all.

And today Eyemo is the first choice
of seasoned news cameramen wherever
news happens from New Guinea to New
England.

Bell & Howell Company, Chicago; New
York; Hollywood; Washington, D. C.;
London. Established 1907 .

Trade-mark registered

FOR 37 YEARS MAKERS OF THE WORLD'S FINEST EQUIPMENT FOR HOME AND PROFESSIONAL MOTION PICTURES

American Cinematographer • May, 1945

147

VOL. 26

MAY. 1945

NO. 5

CONTENTS

The Staff

Smith Heads A.S.C. for Third Year . 150

The Adel Color Camera and Surgiscope . By W. G. Bosco 152

Junket to Albania . By Sgt. Peter Furst 154

Aces of the Camera (Joseph LaShelle, A.S.C.) . By Hal Hall 155

University Film Courses . By Irving Browning 156

Television and Motion Pictures . By Richard Hubbell 158

Post-War Motion Pictures . By Ezra Goodman 160

Among the Movie Clubs . 164

Modernizing Your Old Projector . By Dr. F. D Napolitani 166

THE FRONT COVER shows Director of Photography David Abel, A.S.C.,
preparing to shoot a scene for “The Affairs of Susan,” which William
Seiter is directing, with Joan Fontaine in the top feminine role. This film
is a Hal Wallis production for Paramount release.

OFFICERS AND BOARD OF GOVERNORS
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

Leonard Smith, President Fred Jackman. Exec. V.-Pres. and Treas.

Charles Clarke, First Vice-President Joseph Walker, Second Vice-President

Arthur Edeson, Third Vice-President Ray Rennahan, Secretary

George Folsey, Sergeant-at-Arms

John Arnold Byron Haskin John Seitz

John Boyle Sol Polito Leon Shamroy

Lee Garmes William Skall

EDITOR
Hal Hall

•

TECHNICAL EDITOR
Emery Huse. A.S.C.

•

ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Edward Pyle, Jr.

•

WASHINGTON STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Reed N. Haythorne, A.S.C.

•

MILITARY ADVISOR
Col. Nathan Levinson

•

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Mel Traxel

•

ARTIST

Glenn R. Kershner, A.S.C.

•

CIRCULATION AND ADVERTISING
Marguerite Duerr

•

ADVISORY EDITORIAL BOARD
Fred W. Jackman, A- S. C.

Victor Milner, A. S. C.

Alvin Wyckoff, A.S.C.

Farciot Edouart, A. S. C.

Fred Gage, A. S. C.

Dr. J. S. Watson, A. S. C.

Dr. L. A. Jones, A. S. C.

Dr. C. E. K. Mees, A. S. C.

Dr. W. B. Rayton, A. S. C.

Dr. V. B. Sease, A. S. C.

•

AUSTRALIAN REPRESENTATIVE
McGill's, 173 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne,
Australian and New Zealand Agents

•

Published monthly by A. S. C. Agency, Ine.
Editorial and business offices:

17S2 North Orange Drive
Hollywood (Los Angeles, 28), California
Telephone: GRanite 2135

•

Established 1920. Advertising rates on appli¬
cation. Subscriptions: United States and Pan-
American Union, $2.50 per year ; Canada, $2.75
per year ; Foreign. $3.50. Single copies, 26c :
back numbers, 30c ; foreign, single copies 35c.
back numbers 40c. Copyright 1945 by A. S. C.
Agency, Inc.

•

Entered as second-class matter Nov. 18, 1937,
at the postoffice at Los Angeles. California, under
the act of March 3, 1879.

148 May, 1945 • American Cinematographer

66

y CA/V TAKE

m the

BEAT//VG- " i

J-

mmmmm

"Guts”, they call
goes for machines, too! In rain, mud, snow and ice
. VICTOR can take it. Letters from G. I.’s the

it in men

world over attest this. One letter specifically states, "Victor
is the one projector that can take the beating.”

Such performance and stamina isn’t just happenstance . . It’s the result of 22 years’
experience. Victor started to build "guts” into its 16mm equipment on that day when A. F. Victor
produced the first Victor projector and led the way in its practical application for teaching
in schools and churches . . . speeding production in Industry and training and enter¬
ic taining the Military. Yes, Victor Equipment is truly 16mm Magic!

Invest In Victory — Buy More War Bonds

AN I MATO GRAPH CORPORATION

Home Office and Factory: Davenport, Iowa
New York (18) — McGrow Hill Bldg.. 330 W. 42nd St.
Chicago (1) — 188 W. Randolph

MAKERS OF I6MM

EQUIPMENT SINCE 1925

American Cinematographer

• May, 1945 149

A.S.C. SMITH HEADS FDR THIRD YEAR

IEONARD Smith, President of the
American Society of Cinematogra-
phers for the past two years, was
re-elected President for another year at
the Society’s annual election last month.

Fred W. Jackman, Executive Vice-
President and Treasurer for the past

year, and Executive Vice-President for
the past two years, was also re-elected
to the dual post for another year.

Other officers named at the election
were: Charles G. Clarke, First Vice-
President; Joseph Walker, Second Vice-
President; Arthur Edeson, Third Vice-

Here are the officers
of the A.S.C. Top left
this page is President
Leonard Smith. Top
right is Fred Jackman.
Bottom left is George
Folsey.

On opposite page: Top
lett, Charles Clarke.
Top right, Joseph
Walker. Bottom left,
Arthur Edeson. Bottom
ricjht, Ray Rennehan.

President; Ray Rennahan, Secretary;
George Folsey, Sergeant-at-Arms.

The newly elected Board of Governors
consists of: John Arnold, John Boyle,
Charles G. Clarke, Arthur Edeson,
George Folsey, Lee Garmes, Byron Has-
kin, Fred W. Jackman, Sol Polito, Ray
Rennahan, John Seitz, Leon Shamroy,
Leonard Smith, William V. Skall and
Joseph Walker.

The re-election of Smith and Jackman
had long been anticipated, for under
their enthusiastic leadership the ASC
has become the most important organi¬
zation in the American motion picture
field. Both men are inspiring leaders
and have the confidence and trust of not
only every member of the society, but of
the motion picture industry’s key execu¬
tives.

“It is difficult for me to put into words
the deep feeling of gratitude I would
like to express to my fellow members
for this signal honor of being chosen
as their president for the third year,”
says Smith. “If I have done a good job
it is because I had the cooperation of all
the officers, the members of the Board
of Governors, and the members of the
society themselves. Especially I want to
express my appreciation for the great
help that has been given me by Fred
Jackman, Miss Marguerite Duerr and Hal
Hall, the editor of our magazine. With¬
out this trio of hard workers my job
would have been a difficult one.

“Since the day I took office the first
time I have attempted to keep the

.society on the high pedestal on whir*1'
it has stood for so many years. The
American Society of Cinematographers
is a great institution. It fosters progress
in the cinematographic art. It stands for
honesty, sincerity and helpfulness toward
our fellow craftsmen. While I am its
president my every effort will be directed
toward keeping the organization one that
is a credit to cinematographers all over
the world.”

President Smith is one of Hollywood’s
ablest cinematographers. For many years
he has been one of the top cameramen
at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.
It was he who did that magnificent job
of photographing “National Velvet.” He
is now photographing “The Yearling.”

Fred Jackman for many years was one
of the top trick cinematographers of
Hollywood. For ten years he headed the

process and special effects department at
Warner Brothers Studios. He has been
retired from active photographic work
for several years, during which he has
devoted most of his time to the handling
of the problems of the ASC.

Charles Clarke, Joseph Walker, Arthur
Edeson, Ray Rennahan, George Folsey,
John Boyle, Lee Garmes, Sol Polito, John
(Continued on Page 168)

The Adel Color Camera
and Surglscope

By W. G. C. BOSCO

INDICATIVE of the photographic
magic that will be within the reach
of everyone in the post-war world
is the Adel Color Camera and Surgi¬
scope, now in production by the Adel
Precision Products Corp., Burbank, Cali¬
fornia, tested in many Army and Navy
hospitals all over the country.

Designed to do a specific job in the
field of surgical photography, the Adel
Camera reflects this company’s plans
for a post-war camera for general use.
The fundamental principles around which
it has been designed and built, provide
the basis for a camera which will per¬
mit even the most inexperienced to

Left is the heart of the Surgiscope — the Adel Color
Camera. Here it is set up for general photographic
purposes. For use in the Surgiscope the reflector
and flash bulb can be instantly removed.

taxe color or black and white pictures
of unusual quality.

To one, familiar with all the para¬
phernalia and involved problems gen¬
erally regarded as prerequisite for a
photographer, the foregoing statement
might seem an exaggeration; but, when
it is possible for the public to view, as
this writer has done, the amazing re¬
sults achieved by the rankest of photo¬
graphic amateurs, and even by children,
with this camera, it will be realized that
exaggeration is difficult.

H. Ray Ellinwood, President of Adel,
whom camera men will remember as de¬
signer of movements in several leading
motion picture cameras, is a man whose
industrial daring and mechanical vir¬
tuosity has already made him the sub¬
ject of Saturday Evening Post, Life, and
Time articles. This company set about
the task of creating a camera to meet
the unusual conditions present in clin¬
ical photography. Because of the limi¬
tations of clinical procedure imposed by
standard methods, they discarded most
of the well-known formulas and even
went so far, in some instances, as to
go completely opposite to the dictates
of established photographic authority.
They have succeeded brilliantly. And
in so doing have opened up new possi¬
bilities for the post-war photographer.

The Adel Color Camera and Surgiscope
has created a new photographic tech¬
nique in the operating room and clinical
laboratories and opened up exciting pos¬
sibilities in the field of surgical and
clinical photography previously limited
by the requirements of asepsis in many
departments of the modern hospital.

Prior to the development of the Surgi¬
scope there were several published ways
to procure actual photographs of oper¬
ating procedure through an arrangement
of suspended or correctly placed mir¬
rors or reflectors over or near the op¬
erating table in conjunction with the
camera, flash or photoflood equipment.
But these arrangements require the use
of a telephoto lens with the camera
being located remotely from the im¬
mediate surgical area. While this method
offers a means of permitting surgical
photography, it can not be considered
completely desirable because the photo¬
graphic operator’s ability to procure
satisfactory photographs, particularly in
color, depends on the movements of the
surgeon and his assisting staff. Precious
time is consumed in placing the equip¬
ment in a satisfactory position, the
extra activity is not helpful to the pa¬
tient, and no one but the operating sur¬
geon knows when the precise moment

The Surgiscope permits actual color photographs of
surgical procedure. The operation of the Surgiscope
at left is so simple that it is unnecessary for fhe
surgeon to possess any photographic experience.

Right is a flash picture taken by the operator of
his own eye with the Adel Camera at a distance
of 6 inches. Note the fine detail of the vein structure
in the eye and the iris, also the skin texture.

is at hand to record photographically
the operation procedure. And surgical
photographs, to have any value at all;
must be of excellent quality.

Extensive surveys were made by the
Adel Precision Pi*oducts Corp. under
the direction of Gordon B. Pollock and
Howard R. Trissel in cooperation with
key surgeons in many of the large hos¬
pitals in the United States. Elements
of timing, simplicity of camera manip¬
ulation and the necessity of maintaining
an atmosphere of asepsis were consid¬
ered, and formed the basis on which
development of the Adel Color Camera
and Surgiscope proceeded. From this
original research it was determined that
to be satisfactory for the taking of
surgical and medical photographs the
camera would have to be instantly avail¬
able for quick action, since the life and
safety of the patient could not be con¬
sidered secondary to the need for ob¬
taining medical photographs. To be com¬
pletely satisfactory a surgical camera
would have to produce reliable photo¬
graphs with an absolute minimum of
manipulation. It would have to approxi¬
mate pointing the camera and pressing
a button. To maintain the atmosphere
of asepsis the camera would have to be
actually a sterile instrument in the
hands of the operating surgeon or his
assistant, available for instant use when
he saw the need for actual photographic
record.

To the best of our knowledge, no
camera equipment has been developed
that can be subjected to the sterilization
of the standard hospital autoclave. It is
doubtful whether such a camera could

ever be produced. Therefore, the only
answer to the problem of producing a
photographic mechanism that could be
used as a surgically sterile instrument,
was the placement of a camera — precise
in its functioning, simple in its opera¬
tion, containing flash mechanism, and co¬
ordinating the use of color film — within
a sterilizable housing. All these require¬
ments have been met by the Adel Color
Camera and Surgiscope.

While the Color Camera and its Surgi¬
scope housing are two distinctly sepa¬
rate units, they are integrated into a
functional unit that permits the taking
of an unsterile camera into the operat¬

ing room within its sterile housing. In
order that the equipment may be readily
handled, weight had to be considered;
therefore, the Surgiscope was made of
light weight aluminum alloy and stain¬
less steel, machined with utter simplic¬
ity of lines, streamlined in fact, allow¬
ing no crevices, no hard-to-clean areas,
no complicated construction. The unit
has to be comparatively small to be
placed in a standard hospital autoclave
for complete sterilization. Inside the
housing, shielding the camera and the
flash bulbs, is a sealed partition of heat
resistant glass. The viewing window is
(Continued on Page 168)

The housing of the Surgiscope is placed in the
regulation hospital autoclave, right, to assure asepsis
and is subject to the same sterilization as the
surgical instruments.

Below: The Surgiscope light unit. Contained in this
device is a film metering arrangement which con¬
trols the movement of the film and the firing of a
single flashbulb for each of the eight film exposures.
The Color Camera is mounted in the bracket on
top. Batteries for firing the bulbs are contained
inside the camera.

1 : 1

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1 .

SSPlwpS

JUNKET TO ALBANIA

By SGT. PETER FURST

WHAT impresses you first about
Tirana airport is how large it is
for so small a country. The next
thing is its international quality. In one
of the hangars stand three small motor¬
less Italian and German bi-planes, their
wings ripped and their fuselages mere
skeletons. Another hangar houses two
Russian C-47s which are being repaired
after cracking up on the field. A French
advanced trainer has flown in by short

NOTE: Sgt. Peter Furst, who was a regular
contributor to the CINEMATOGRAPHER before
entering the army, is now on the staff of STARS
AND STRIPES. The above article by him is re¬
printed from that publication, and the pictures
were sent to us direct by Sgt. Furst. Many sub¬
scribers have written us asking why Furst isn’t
writing for us any more. This is an interesting
reason. — The Editor.

hops all the way from Paris. British
transports lumber in now and again with
supplies and equipment for. the British
and American missions to the Partisan
government.

Aside from that, it’s not an impressive
place. The buildings are in ruins, and
only because the Partisans took the field
before the Germans had a chance to be¬
gin proper demolitions was the concrete
runway saved. So far, engineers have
removed 1,200 mines, each consisting of
five, 100-pound high explosive bombs.

From the airfield, you travel into town
along a crowded dusty road, past vast
Italian - constructed military barracks.
Long lines of civilian men wait outside

(Continued on Page 171)

Top left, old German cemetery in Tirana. Above,
partisans on the march. Below, Albanian and his
friend.

Bottom left, Albanian children play soldier, wearing
captured German helmets. Center, partisan leaders.
Below, Sgt. Furst interviewing a Yank.

ACES

of the

CAMERA

Joseph LaShelle

A. S. C.

By HAL HALL

WHEN Joseph LaShelle, A.S.C.,
won the Academy Award for
best black-and-white cinematog¬
raphy for 1944 there were some in Hol¬
lywood who immediately declared that
long years of experience are not neces¬
sary to make a man a top cameraman.
They pointed out that LaShelle has been
a Director of Cinematography for only
two years — and has won top honors. So,
they said why aren’t other newcomers
given a chance to be Directors of Cine¬
matography.

What those people forget, or do not
know, is the fact that it took Joe TWEN¬
TY YEARS to reach the point where he
won that Academy Award . . . twenty
years of hard work . . . twenty years of
study and effort. Joe isn’t a newcomer
. . . he is a seasoned cameraman who
spent twenty years of his life learning
to be a top cinematographer. Then he
proceeded to make good in a big way
with his magnificent photography on
“Laura” for 20th Century-Fox Studios.

“It was a long haul,” said Joe to this
writer. “I spent twenty years learning
the business. The last fourteen years
I worked with that really great cinema¬
tographer and truly great teacher,
Arthur Miller. It is to Artie that I at¬
tribute whatever success I have had, for
he taught me everything I know, and
gave me the chance throughout the
years to develop ideas of my own. You
don’t work FOR Artie Miller . . . you
work WITH him. And I must say that
if I couldn’t learn a lot about cinema¬
tography working first as assistant and
then operative cameraman with Miller
for fourteen years I should have been
dumped into the Pacific Ocean. I took
the ‘Oscar’ at the Academy Awards, but
Artie Miller deserves the credit for giv¬
ing me fourteen years of wonderful ex¬
perience.”

There you have an indication of the
sort of man Joe is. Quiet, unassuming,
a bit bashful, and, above all, a deeply
appreciative and grateful man. He is
also a serious student of his art . . .
always has been . . . always will be.

“I feel,” explains Joe, “that when a
cameraman reaches the point where he
thinks he knows it all he is lost. If I
am in the profession another twenty
years I shall still be studying and search¬
ing for new ideas and methods to ad¬
vance the quality of my work.”

Born in Los Angeles, and educated in
the Los Angeles public schools, LaShelle
planned to become an Electrical En¬
gineer. He finished his preparatory train¬
ing at Polytechnic High School and was
all set to go to Stanford University
when he secured a summer job at the old
Lasky Laboratory. That ended his Elec¬
trical Engineering desires.

It was in 1921 he secured that job in
the printing room of the laboratory. He
made rapid progress in the laboratory
and eventually became superintendent
of the printing room at the new Para¬
mount Laboratory. It was in 1925 that
Cameraman Charles K. Clarke, A.S.C.,
decided that LaShelle ought to become a
cameraman. He sold Joe on the idea, so
he quit his seventy-five-dollar-a-week
laboratory job and became Clarke’s as-
a week. And that was his beginning of a
twenty-year grind to reach the top.

After three months as an assistant
cameraman, Joe was advanced to the

position of a second cameraman and left
Paramount for the Metropolitan Studio.
It was then Joe became the proud owner
of a Bell & Howell camera. It was his
pride and joy — almost his sorrow, for he
took it to Alaska to shoot a picture with
George Melford and dropped it into the
ocean off Sitka. It was a dark moment
for Joe, but the camera was finally res¬
cued and dried and was made as good as
new.

“I was transferred from Metropolitan
to Pathe shortly after that,” says Joe,
“and while at Pathe began my long and
happy association with Arthur Miller —
broken only by interludes when Arthur
retired to the hospital for one of his
frequent digressions from the artistic
heights to the lowlands of surgical ex¬
ploration. It was during one of these
interludes that I went to the South Seas
with Clyde DeVinna on “The Pagan.”
On the way home the ship stopped a few
times for mechanical difficulties, and
after reaching San Francisco safely, pro¬
ceeded to sink in mid-ocean on its next
sistant at a salary of twenty-five dollars
trip out. I figured we were lucky.”

The next exciting episode in LaShelle’s
career happened right after he had pur-
(Continued on Page 170)

American Cinematographer • May, 1945 155

Prof. Robert Gessner showing his students a photo¬
graph demonstrating the elements that go into a
motion picture production.

University Film Courses

By IRVING BROWNING

I HAVE often thought of the young¬
sters who live in the cities and small
towns all over the country, who de¬
sire to enter the motion picture industry
with a view of making it their career.
I have thought, too, of the many ques¬
tions they would ask on how to go about
getting into this work and so I made
this the basis of my article.

Too often, youngsters leave home for
the film colony, taking for granted that
all they have to do is go up to the door,
knock twice and enter “easy street,” yet
they would never think of applying the
same method in any other industry. The
glamour and life of luxury which con¬
tinually appears in the movie magazines
and, incidentally, on the screen, captures
their imagination and they’re off for
Hollywood.

I remember vividly my youthful days
in motion pictures. The going was hard
and rough and I did not find it too
friendly. I made up my mind to “stick it
out” and I have found that more im¬
portant than what you get out of a line
of endeavor, is what you contribute to it;
this being the difference between success
and failure. Too many have rushed in
and sadly walked out. Many get in, stay
a long time, make no progress because
they do not have “what it takes”; while
some get in through influential relatives
or friends.

I have keenly observed the upward
climb of many, and I have met ambitious
youngsters and grownups who wanted
to be cameramen, directors, writers, edi¬
tors, actors and actresses. To get into
the movie industry today, one cannot

just start at the bottom and work up.
One can start as an editor or writer, but
how does one become an editor or writer?
As for the technical work on film, one
stepping stone is getting into the guilds
and the unions. To become a member of
these organizations, it is necessary to
have many years experience and recog¬
nition in the industry and that in itself
is something to acquire. But don’t let
that deter you. If you have that “some¬
thing it takes” and the willingness to
work, you can make the grade.

In New York City, our three univer¬
sities have presented film courses for
many years and I have had the good for¬
tune to be acquainted with the curricu¬
lum. I hope that this article will not
encourage those who want only to earn
a lot of money, for this is not the key
to any pot of gold. This article is sin¬
cerely written to encourage those who
have talent and ambition and want to
make motion pictures their life work.

I knew that I could get all the in¬
formation necessary from the three uni¬
versities in New York, but to those far
from New York City, who cannot come
here to study film production, I took it
upon myself to write to several univer¬
sities in different parts of the country,
including New York, and get detailed
data, so that everyone who wanted fur¬
ther information could write to the uni¬
versity nearest them and ask for a
brochure with specifications for qualifi¬
cations and admission to any or all of
the courses they present.

The universities I wrote to are as
follows :

Columbia University, New York; City
College of New York, New York; New
York University, New York; University
of Colorado; Northwestern University,
Evanston, Ill.; University of Chicago,
Chicago, Ill.; Bucknell University, Lewis-
burg, Pa.; Duquesne University, Pitts¬
burgh, Pa.; Indiana University, Bloom¬
ington, Indiana; Cornell University,
Ithaca, New York; Boston University,
Boston, Mass.; University of Arizona,
Tucson, Arizona.

The questions I asked are as follows:

1. Type of film course available, costs,
etc.?

2. Type of student in attendance?

3. Length of courses?

4. Instructors, their experience and
backgrounds?

5. Does the university follow through
on application the student makes of
their knowledge after completing the
course?

6. What percentage of students taking
these film courses get placements in the
film industry?

Ten of the universities answered my
letter and they had this to say:

Northwestern University ... no film
courses.

University of Arizona ... no reply.

University of Chicago ... no regular
film course . . . have a motion picture
course for teachers on problems of pro¬
duction and distribution of class room
films. At present very little is done with
production.

Bucknell University ... no film courses.

Duquesne University ... no regular
film courses.

Indiana University ... no film course
at present, preparations are being made
for the commencement of two or three
courses on both the appreciation of mo¬
tion pictures and the production of mo¬
tion pictures with emphasis in the case
of the production courses on educational
films.

Cornell University . . . while Cornell
has a fine course in drama and theatre,
they have no regular film training
course; they have a considerable pro¬
gram of film showings in connection with
the theatre work. They have a special
interest in establishing at some later
date a course on motion picture appre¬
ciation and criticism along with some
elementary understanding of technical
processes.

Boston University ... no reply.

University of Colorado ... no regu¬
lar film course, only teachers courses in
visual aids.

It did not surprise me to learn that
most of the universities do not offer a
Bachelor of Arts degree in film study,
because most of the cities represented by
the universities are not film centers like
Hollywood or New York, and they could
hardly afford to draw a staff of instruc¬
tors from the motion picture industry.
In New York, we have close at hand
much of the technical apparatus, film
libraries, studios, and so forth which are

I

156 May, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Right, Prof. Robert Gessner, of New York University,
shows a film to a class taking a film course.

visited by the classes, therefore affording
the best set-up, outside of Hollywood for
motion picture instruction.

The following is a reply to my let¬
ter to Columbia University, New York,
which is self explanatory; it is signed
by Frances Taylor Patterson, Instructor
in Charge, and is as follows:

Dear Mr. Browning:

Your inquiry concerning the course in
Motion Pictures offered by the Univer¬
sity has been referred to me. Our course,
I believe is the pioneer course in the field.
It has been offered since 1915. The ap¬
proach is primarily from the point of
view of writing and composition, con¬
tinuity, dialogue, screen treatments,
synopsis, comedy methods, character, de¬
lineation, pictorial composition, cinema
journalism and reviewing, technical
methods, as far as they effect story con¬
tent, methods of directors in handling
screen narrative, the history of the in¬
dustry and psychology of audiences, are
among topics treated.

The Course has always been carried
on in close cooperation with the indus¬
try. Leading directors, producers, story
editors, technicians, actors and critics
have addressed the student group from
time to time and have acted in an ad¬
visory capacity. Films are exhibited and
analyzed and scripts are studied in con¬
nection with current films. We have an
excellent collection of scripts and stills
for student reference.

There is no particular type of student
in attendance; there are many types,
such as teachers interested in teaching
films, people in the industry interested
in bettering their positions, writers in¬
terested in selling their material for
screen presentation, graduate students,
business men, any number of people.

There are no statistics available on
what the students do after leaving the
University, but we do know that many
former students hold important positions
in all departments of the industry.

The course is given both in the Winter
term and the Spring term, each of which
is fifteen weeks long. The class meets
weekly for an hour and forty minutes
with other seminars and conferences
arranged. The fee is $37.50 with the ad¬
ditional university fee of $5.00.

I trust these details will be helpful.
Very sincerely yours,

Frances Taylor Patterson
Instructor in Charge

The next on my list is City College of
New York. I found that Irving Jacoby
is Supervisor on leave, so I contacted
Hans Richter, the Instructor in Charge
at present, and he had this to say about
the film courses at the University. They

■ ■ '

have six groups and have a workshop
for the beginner and the advanced stu¬
dent which is as follows:

1. The Fundamental class. Two hours
per week — fifteen weeks. Hans Richter,
Acting Supervisor.

2. The Workshop. Four hours per
week — fifteen weeks.

3. Advanced Workshop — Four hours
per week — fifteen weeks.

4. Film Writing — Two hours per week
— fifteen weeks.

5. Film Editing. Four hours per week
— fifteen weeks.

6. Motion Picture Photography. Four
hours per week — fifteen weeks.

The Fundamental class is where the
student gets complete information on
the production of films from script to
recordings.

In answer to my question regarding
type of students who qualify, his reply
was that “fifty percent are actually in¬

terested in taking the complete course
with an aim at entering the profession.
The other fifty percent take the course
as a form of expression. At present there
are one hundred and sixty-six students
taking either complete courses or one or
more of the group of subjects. At the
beginning of the war, sixty percent of
the students taking the course went into
various branches of film work with the
government.”

For the student who had no training
in film, but wishes to make it his life’s
work, the Fundamental course prepares
the student for the advanced courses.

In the Advanced Workshop, the stu¬
dent enters the stages of sound cutting
and editing, recording and writing nar¬
rations. The entire instruction is cen¬
tered around the production of documen¬
tary films and all the actual production

(Continued on Page 172)

*

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m

m

1

I-

1

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Group of students receiving instruction from Irving
Hartley in film editing.

Television and

By RICHAI

THEATRE people may think of tele¬
vision in terms of the theatre, and
radio people in terms of old-fash¬
ioned, blind radio, but motion-picture
people and the general public are likely
to think of it in terms of motion pictures.
It is a natural reaction. Both are “mov¬
ing pictures”; both use cameras, micro¬
phones, lights, and studios which look
specifically alike.

Motion pictures were made technically
ready for commercial and artistic devel¬
opment nearly a half century ahead of
television. Edison made his first “movie
camera” in 1877, and twelve years later
he shot a motion picture on his first strip
of Eastman-Kodak film. This was the fa¬
mous sneezing sequence acted by one of
his assistants, Fred Ott. The commercial
birth of the motion-picture industry is
usually pegged around 1894, but pictures
of that era remained pretty much on
the primitive side. Technically and artis¬
tically, motion pictures did not reach
maturity until the third decade of this
century.

Television was under scientific devel¬
opment during most of these years, but
it was not technically ready to make its
debut until the last part of the 1930’s.
A few tentative bows were made at that
time — notably by the British Broadcast¬
ing Corporation. The American excur¬
sions into television programming were
for the most part on a limited, amateur¬
ish basis. There was little serious effort,
particularly when viewed in terms of the
accomplishments of BBC television from
1937 to 1939 — a time when the American
television companies were bickering as
to whether or not television was ready.
Almost all experimental program devel¬
opment was ended by the war, so that
for practical purposes the beginning of
serious commercial development of the
art of television programming may be
pegged around the middle of the 1940’s.
This will be roughly three thousand
years after the birth of the theatre, half
a century after the commercial start of
silent pictures and a quarter of a cen¬
tury after its artistic flowering, two
decades after the commercial sprouting of
radio, and fifteen or sixteen years after
the commercial and artistic beginnings
(on a large scale) of sound pictures. In
terms of technical perfection, however,
television will be roughly about as far
along as talking pictures were in 1930.

Both television and motion pictures
are based on science; without the accom¬
plishments of science neither could exist.
Both are industries as well as arts, with
motion pictures one of the largest of
American industries and television giv-

NOTE: The above article is a chapter from an
interesting and informative book, “Television Pro¬
gramming and Production,” which is soon to be
published by Murray Hill Books. It is authored
by Richard Hubbell, who is well known for his
book, “4000 Years of Television.” — The Editor.

Motion Pictures

!D HUBBELL

ing every indication that it will be even
bigger within a decade. Like motion pic¬
tures, television depends for its suc¬
cess on the cooperative efforts of many
artists, technicians, and businessmen. It
is too vast in scope, too complex, for an
individual artist to create and produce
an entire program by himself — all of
which leads inevitably to a high degree
of specialization, such as we find in mo¬
tion pictures and in radio.

The danger in this is obvious, and the
radio and motion-picture industries are
full of living, walking, breathing illus¬
trations of the danger. People tend to
specialize on one job and never learn
about the rest of the business. This puts
an artificial limit on the development of
the technician or artist, as well as on
the medium itself — tending to result in
a mass-produced “art” product without
individuality or distinction.

This danger is no more acute in mo¬
tion pictures than in television. In the
former there is a long period of time
elapsing between the moment a film is
“shot” and the time the audience sees it.
A great many different people can do a
great many things to the film after it
has left the director’s hands, and in
many cases he has nothing to do with
the editing, which is the basic process of
the film. In television the entire produc¬
tion is created and distributed at the
same time. The director has a much
greater opportunity to put his own
stamp on the show, and after it leaves
his hands no man alters it. By the same
token every cameraman, soundman,
and artist exercises a direct control on
the program. If he is expert, a camera¬
man can put his own stamp of individual
artistry on a production. Conversely, if
he is inexpert or unreliable, one man can
destroy an entire production.

In the production of motion pictures,
teamwork, cooperation, and efficiency are
necessary in order to avoid excessive
production costs. In television these
qualities are necessary for the same
reasons and are vital if the destruction
of a program’s effectiveness is to be
avoided. Good television demands even
more than teamwork, cooperation, and
efficiency. It demands a perfect working
harmony between all members of a pro¬
duction crew, in precisely the same way
that this is demanded of a bomber crew
—and for precisely the same reason: if
one man slips, the venture is finished;
there are no retakes.

On the other hand, the dangers of mass
production on unimaginative formulae
are as real in television as they are in
radio. Television, will use many more
hours of entertainment than the motion-
picture industry distributes, perhaps as
much as standard radio, and a good
many of these programs will undoubt¬
edly slip into ruts just as radio has done.

One of the surest ways for a techni¬

cian or artist to avoid the dangers of
stagnation through lopsided development
is to get a thorough grounding in all
branches of television before specializ¬
ing in any one branch. Now that would
seem to be a perfectly obvious thing to
do. It is a procedure followed in most
schools, but unfortunately very few peo¬
ple have the inquisitiveness or opportu¬
nity to follow this practice after they
leave the campus. Let the reader take
any business, for example, whatever oc¬
cupation he may have, and figure out
how many of his associates have tried
to learn everything they can about all
phases of their business. The chances
are that the percentage will be low.

The problem is particularly acute in
television today, for the simple reason
that there has been almost no oppor¬
tunity to learn about television pro¬
gramming. All of which leads to the con¬
clusion that prospective television broad¬
casters will find it a highly profitable
investment to set up on a large scale
laboratory studios in program develop¬
ment for the training of their future
program workers on a professional basis.

Checking through some of the more
obvious similarities between motion pic¬
tures and television, we find that both
appeal to the same senses, seeing and
hearing, via moving pictures and electri¬
cally reproduced sound. In both, the pic¬
ture system is monocular and the sound
system monaural. Motion pictures started
out by being entirely monochromatic,
with color pictures gradually introduced
at a later date. Television seems to be
following the same pattern.

The motion picture reaches the audi¬
ence as a varying pattern of light re¬
flected from a flat white screen. Since
the theatre auditorium is usually dark¬
ened, the ordinary picture has a screen
brilliance of about 12 foot-lamberts.
Television receivers are usually observed
in a partially lighted room and there¬
fore need a brighter picture. With the
prewar television system the picture
could sometimes have a brilliance up to
about 20 foot-lamberts, and it reached
the viewer either as a varying pattern
of reflected light (in a projected picture)
or as a varying pattern of direct light
(in a direct-viewing or mirrored tube).

The contrast range of the television
picture — in the varying shades between
white and black — was comparatively re¬
stricted on prewar receiver tubes when
compared with the contrast range of mo¬
tion pictures. However, with continually
improving equipment it is possible to get
a contrast range comparable to what is
normally in motion pictures.

The same situation applies to the sen¬
sitivity of the television camera. Prewar
cameras needed very intense illumina¬
tion, especially if any satisfactory depth
of focus was to be obtained. To get a
really good picture one needed somewhat
more light than was necessary in mo¬
tion pictures, but newer cameras are.
progressively more sensitive to light. The
problem of flicker is unimportant in mo-

(Continued on Page 162)

158 May, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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American Cinematographer • May, 1945

161

Television and Motion Pictures

(Continued from Page 158)

tion pictures and in television. Silent
pictures were projected at a frequency
of 16 pictures per second. Below that
frequency the eye could detect an objec-
tional flicker. When sound pictures came
in, the picture frequency was raised to
24 per second — or 90 feet of film per
second. This change was made primarily
because good quality sound could not be
recorded on the amount of space avail¬
able in the sound track of 35mm. film
when projected at 16 frames (60 feet
per second). In television the picture
frequency is considerably higher: 60
“half-pictures” per second interlaced to
form 30 complete pictures. This figure
was selected for American television
primarily because most electric current
supply in the United States is 60 cycle.
In England, where current is 50 cycle,
the television system has 50 “half-pic¬
tures” interlaced to form 25 complete
pictures per second. And in any country,
television — like motion pictures — depends
upon persistence of vision to achieve the
illusion of motion.

In definition, the amount of detail in
the picture in prewar television was
theoretically capable of a picture better
than 16mm. film but not as clear as that
of 35mm. film. Detail in ordinary 16mm.
motion pictures is roughly comparable to
a 375 line television picture. A 35mm.
film is about the same as a 700 or 800
line picture might be. Television stand¬
ards, as set in 1941, call for a 525 line
picture, but most transmitters and re¬
ceivers operating during the wartime
period could not reproduce a picture of
more than 350 to 400 line definition.
Many prewar sets were designed in 1937
or 1938 and by the end of the war were
pretty well worn out, some of them giv¬
ing no more than the equivalent of about
a 250 line picture.

Since the amount of detail in a pic¬
ture is governed by the number of pic¬
ture elements in it, it might be noted
here that the average 16mm. motion
picture contains about 125,000 picture
elements. A 525 line television picture,
on a 6 megacycle channel, can have
about 250,000 picture elements, and a
35mm. motion picture has approximately
500,000. It should be noted also that
there is a point at which the human eye
does not appreciate added detail — a law
of diminishing returns applies. When the
television picture was raised from 343
lines to 441 in the mid-1930’s there was
a much more noticeable improvement in
the picture than when it was raised from
441 to 525 lines in 1941. The improve¬
ment in going from 525 lines to some¬
where around 700 lines would presum¬
ably be slight, almost unnoticeable to the
human eye unless the picture is viewed
at very close range, or unless it is viewed
on a large motion-picture theatre screen.
(Screens of this size obviously will not
be used in homes. Most home receivers
have screens ranging up to not more
than 3 by 4 feet).

The shapes of the television pictures
and the motion picture are the same.
Each has an aspect ratio of 3 by 4,
which means it is three units high by
four units wide: i.e., 3 feet high by 4
feet wide, or 18 inches high and 24
inches wide, or 15 by 20 feet.

The production methods of television
and motion pictures look alike in still
photos. Both have cameras, lights, micro¬
phones on booms, and both are housed
(or should be) in large, flexible stages,
the walls of which are covered with
acoustically dead material to absorb
sound reflections.

A motion-picture camera exposes rolls
of celluloid film, which are later de¬
veloped in laboratories. The television
camera uses no film, except in specialized
cases which we can disregard here. It is
entirely electric1, as is the human eye,
and it is “seeing” all the time — no need
to take time out to change a reel of film.
Since television is not a photographic
process, it entails none of the bothersome
details of handling film, chemical proc¬
essing, fire precautions, storage condi¬
tions, distribution in cans.

For these reasons actual television
camera work can, in one respect, be
simpler than in motion pictures. All con¬
trol of cameras and microphones is ac¬
complished as in radio, by turning a few
knobs or throwing a few switches. By
merely pressing a button here and there
one can get superimposures (double ex¬
posures) and other visual effects which
are difficult and costly in film work.

On the other hand, television equip¬
ment cannot yet do all visual tricks as
perfectly as motion pictures can. For
example, on early equipment when one
made a video “board fade” — that is,
faded out the picture by turning down
the camera control, or video gain — the
picture faded out but in its place one
often saw five or six diagonal white lines
across the front of the television screen.
Undoubtedly this defect and many other
minor ones will be eliminated as televi¬
sion broadcasting goes ahead.

From a practical point of view there
are certain very strong points which
favor the extensive use of film in the
early years of television. Perhaps the
strongest of these is the fact that it
takes time to build extensive television
network facilities so that one program
can be broadcast in all parts of the coun¬
try at one time. Until such facilities are
ready in any given area, films offer the
easiest method of syndication, a “cellu¬
loid network.” Another very practical
reason why films have been widely used
during television’s first years, when
equipment and good studios were scarce
and skilled personnel even more so, is
that entertaining programs can be filmed
with regular motion-picture techniques.
The public prefers the most entertaining
material available, and the chances are
that established film companies will be
able to compete successfully on this score
for some time to come.

Then, of course, there are certain uses
of motion pictures which are standard
practice, just as there are certain fixed
uses for electrical transcriptions and
recordings in radio. Programs can be
transcribed on film for reference pur¬
poses as well as for later rebroadcasts
in different time zones, or they may be
even flown to Europe or South America
by airplane to establish a form of inter¬
national television before such networks
can be built. Films can also be used to
record news events which may happen
at odd hours of the night, when there is
little or no audience looking in. These
films are then telecast at a time when
the audience is tuned in.

Perhaps it all boils down to this: mo¬
tion pictures are going to play an im¬
portant part in television no matter how
one looks at it. The obvious conclusion is
that their use parallels that of electrical
transcriptions and records in radio. Some
stations may be primarily film-playing
telecine stations. Perhaps, as in radio,
these may be the smaller, independent
stations. Other television stations, affili¬
ated closely with networks, may tend to
broadcast more and more “live” shows
with each passing year. In short, film
can be transmitted over television, just
as easily as a “live” program. But, al¬
though motion pictures can provide a
permanent record for television, they
cannot transmit television in its true
sense — cannot retain its speed of com¬
munication, its immediacy .

Fundamentally, television exists only
at the instant of its transmission and
then is gone forever. In this it is like
the human eye and ear, without per¬
manence, without memory, for in human
beings it is the brain which does the re¬
membering. Motion pictures differ from
television in this respect, since film con¬
tains a permanent record of what has
been seen and heard — a record which
can be taken out of the storehouse and
repeated at any time. Television can ac¬
quire a “memory” by being recorded on
motion-picture film either at the point of
origin or directly off a receiving set.

Because television can use films, stills,
or motion pictures to repeat things which
have happened in the past, it is not re¬
stricted to “live” programs, which must
progress without interruption from start
to finish with the production of one se¬
quence following another. The fact that
previously prepared and photographed
material can be inserted at any point
just as in motion pictures gives televi¬
sion a potential scope and flexibility
which equals or exceeds that of the film.

There are various psychological as¬
pects of motion pictures which seem to
hold true in television. For instance, we
cannot concentrate our attention on more
than one thing at a time. This means, in
television production, that at any given
instant one must have the audience’s at¬
tention focused on either the visual or
the aural part of the program, but not
equally on both. (Since television is pre¬
dominantly a visual medium, the atten-
(Continued on Page 177)

162 May, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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AMONG THE MOVIE CLUBS

Milwaukee Club

Second Annual Gala Show of the Ama¬
teur Movie Society of Milwaukee proved
an eventful affair, with six outstanding
films on the program. They were:

“Land of the Free,” by William Ver-
burgt.

“It Runs in the Family,” by Mrs. Erma
Niedermeyer.

“Wish You Were Here,” by Elmer
Mohaupt.

“The Boss Comes to Dinner,” by Ryne
Zimmerman.

“Ten Pretty Girls,” by A. O. Jensen.

“Honey Harvest,” by W. W. Vin¬
cent, Jr.

Philadelphia Club

A combination of amateur silent film,
professional sound film and music made
the April meeting of the Philadelphia
Cinema Club one of the most well-
rounded in its history.

“Mighty Summits,” a 1600-foot all
color picture, filmed by club member
Robert W. Crowther, brought enthusi¬
astic applause. It was a beautiful film
of the Rockies.

“Check and Doublecheck” and “Doubt¬
ful Dollars,” from the U. S. Secret Serv¬
ice, proved very interesting.

A musical interlude followed with Miss
Elizabeth Jervis, guitarist, and Miss
Claire Rasch, mandolinist, contributing
enthralling musical entertainment.

The meeting closed with the showing
of a professional comedy cartoon.

Los Angeles Club

The camera work of three Doctors
featured the April meeting of the Los
Angeles Cinema Club. They were Dr.
E. Leslie Eames, Dr. Roy E. Gerstenkorn
and Dr. Leslie E. Smart.

Dr. Leslie thrilled the members with
a showing of beautiful Kodachrome
transparencies made in the Navajo, Hopi,
Old Laguna and Acoma districts.

Dr. Gerstenkorn presented an unusual
film made on a trip up the Yangtze River
which crosses China.

Dr. Smart took the members on a
Kodachrome tour of South America.

L. A. 8 mm. Club

Two excellent amateur films and an
educational technical discussion made up
the program of the April meeting of the
Los Angeles 8mm. Club.

First on the program was Midge Cald¬
well’s “In Our Garden.” This was fol¬
lowed by “A Glimpse of Yosemite Na¬
tional Park,” photographed by Mr. and
Mrs. Cliff Youngquist. It proved to be
an interesting travelog in color.

New York Eight

Annual Guest Show of the New York
City 8mm. Motion Picture Club on April
27th featured an impressive list of pic¬
tures. Films were:

“The Heavens Declare the Glory,” by
S. G. Lutz, Washington, D. C., a study
of clouds in motion.

“The Silent Alarm,” by Ernie Kremer,
a story of First Aid.

“Turf Tales,” by Leonard Bauer of
the 8-16 Club of Philadelphia, a story
of horse racing.

“The Boss Comes to Dinner,” by Ryne
Zimmerman of Milwaukee, Wis.

“Calumet’s Christmas Contest,” by
Mrs. Earl Holbrook of Los Angeles, a
film described as the best of the best on
the Pacific coast.

M. M. P. C.

Five films were screened at the April
meeting of the Metropolitan Motion Pic¬
ture Club, held at the Hotel Capitol,
New York City, on April 12.

“Summer Rhapsody,” by Charles J.
Benjamin, featured the 1944 gala show
of the Brooklyn Amateur Cine Club.

“Back to the Soil,” by George Mesaros,
dealt with victory gardens in an inter¬
esting manner.

“Hail, British Columbia,” by Leo. J.
Heffernan, delighted all. It won the
Hiram Percy Maxim award in 1941.

“In the World of Sports,” by Harry
Groedel, was unique in that Mr. Groedel
approached his sport’s subject in a man¬
ner quite different from the usual sport
film.

The program concluded with “Weary
Willie’s Waterloo,” by A. Sonneborn.

St. Louis Club

Regular April meeting of the St. Louis
Amateur Motion Picture Club was held
at the Hotel Roosevelt on April 10.

Frank Sperka screened his Koda¬
chrome film, “Spring Mill Trails,” with a
beautiful musical score. The film, 400
feet in length, and on 8mm., is a strong
contender for the annual club contest.

Other films on the program were
“Lynn Carol’s Fifth Birthday,” and “Cir¬
cus Daze.” The educational feature of
the evening was a talk on “Editing,
Titling and Splicing” by Lon Wadman.

San Francisco Club

Highlighting the April meeting of the
Cinema Club of San Francisco was a
screening of slides of the disastrous San
Francisco Earthquake and fire. Other
subjects screened were four hundred feet
of 16mm. Kodachrome of Shanghai, by
George McCarty, and four hundred feet
of 8mm. Kodachrome of Yellowstone Na¬
tional Park, by Lloyd Littleton.

Westwood Club

Five pictures were featured on the
April meeting program of the Westwood
Movie Club of San Francisco. They were:

“Jerry’s Taffy Pull,” 8mm. Koda¬
chrome by Edna Allen.

“Breakfast Is Ready,” 8mm. black-and-
white by Harry Berman.

“Aussie Oddities,” 16mm. sound, Aus¬
tralian animal picture.

“Golden Gate Park,” 16mm. Koda¬
chrome with music background by Karl
Gitschel.

“Westwood’s 1945 Dinner Picture,”
8mm. Kodachrome by Eric Unmack.

The entire May 25th program will be
given over to the club’s Fifth Annual
Title Night activities. In the past, this
night has been a great success.

La Casa Movie Club

Attendance figures at the meetings of
the La Casa Movie Club of Alhambra,
Calif., are still going up. At the last
meeting 234 persons attended, which is
something for the club to be proud of.

Five films were shown at the April
meeting. They were:

“Southern California,” by R. Kiels-
meier.

“Industrial Designs,” by Frank Knaus.

“Alaska,” by Dr. Almon Balkins.

“Wild Animals of Africa,” by R. L.
Johns.

“Yosemite,” by Florence Ritzman.

Brooklyn Club

April fourth meeting of the Brooklyn
Amateur Cine Club featured three in¬
teresting films. They were:

“Land of My Dreams,” by J. J. Har¬
ley, who won the 1944 Hiram Maxim
award for his picture, “In His Judg¬
ment.”

“The Steam Locomotive,” by Fred
Beach.

“World’s Fair,” by Ralph Smiley.

The April 18th meeting was devoted
to a talk on exposure meters by W. A.
Weedy of the Weston Exposure Meter
Company.

Thank You!

Sometimes it is necessary to remind
folks of deadlines and such. Our little
bit of crabbing in the April issue about
lateness of receiving club news has re¬
sulted in a happy reaction on the part of
the club secretaries. This month the news
really came early, for which we are
really grateful. And we received a per¬
fectly priceless letter from Lon Wadman
of the St. Louis Club in which he de¬
clared he had never hoped to be bawled
out on a “national basis.” He should
have said “international basis,” for this
magazine has readers in more than
twenty foreign countries. — H. H.

164

May, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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American Cinematographer •

May, 1945

165

Modernizing Your Old Projector

By DR. F. D. NAPOLITANI

HOFF GENERAL HOSPITAL, SANTA BARBARA. CALIFORNIA

THE projector depicted on these
pages is about twenty-five years
old, an old Kodascope C, and it is
seeing action almost every day where
silent films are being used as part of
the treatment of returned nervous pa¬
tients. The use of the sound projector
was not felt adequate enough to achieve
the purpose which this old timer is doing
in helping to soothe “battle reactions”
by the use of travel, comedies, and ed¬
ucational films. Also, since all mention
of war is absent, the soothing effect is
present.

When it was found that this type of
film could be utilized, the only projector
being on hand being the writer’s, it was
studied from all angles to modernize it.

1. A cooling system was added, so
that stronger bulbs could be used.

2. A rewind system which made it easy
to rewind.

3. Rewiring and simplifying the switch
system.

4. Attachment of a pilot light.

5. Accessory compartment, rewiring
plug in cord, so that it was simple to
push the pilot light and cord into acces¬
sory compartment and closed door.
Here’s how the modernizing was done:

1. Cooling system: An old hair dryer
was obtained in town, and a three-inch
hole, in diameter, was cut about the
height where the bulb hits it’s brightest
illumination. There are two screws which
attach to the hair dryer at this point, and
after the unattached grid or screening
(of the hair dryer) was welded to the
lamp container, the rest of the hair dryer

was hooked on to it, and it was found to
suspend itself without difficulty. One of
the wires was cut into, and a second
connection was made at two point switch
in base (wooden compartment box) and
switch marked cooler, so that it turned
cooler on or off. This enabled us to use
as high as 300 watt tubes instead of cus¬
tomary 100 watts (which are difficult to
obtain) .

2. Most projectors of pre-war type
have system whereby the roll of film is
removed from No. 1 (see photo) and
placed at extention arm No. 3, then re¬
wound. By cutting an extra arm, as
marked rewind (in photo), and attach¬
ing a ball bearing type of gear, it was
a simple matter to merely hook on the
film back to the reel from whence it
had just come, attach the lower spring
to the pulley marked rewind, then turn
motor on, cut off light, and rewind.

3. Rewiring — this was done after the
accessory compartment was built, and
switches placed from inside, so that all
loose wiring was placed inside. Amateur
gadgeteers are generally adept and skil¬
ful at many things, so that a little re¬
wiring will not be so difficult. However,
this may help. A push button switch was
connected to the motor, and placed on top
of the motor (see photo). This merely cut
into the wire which came from the motor
to light the bulb. By pressing the switch
on or off the light could be saved when
motor was used for rewinding. A rheo¬
stat was connected directly to the motor,
which made it easy to determine correct
speed.

A wire from the wall plug came di¬
rectly into the compartment and was first
turned on and off as marked by two-way
switch, MOTOR. This turned on the
current for everything. The pilot light
was next connected to the motor switch,
and a hole the diameter of the plug in
female socket was inserted into the side
of the compartment. When not in use,
small pilot light and its switch could be
removed and placed into compartment
(these bulbs and base can be found in the
dime stores). The wire then continued
to connect to the switch which turned
the hair dryer on or off, and was marked
cooler switch (see photo). When running
film the switch could be turned on. The
current of air carried and cooled the
bulb so that its life was materially
lengthened.

4. The pilot light. We can add that it
is a great help in turning it on when
there is some difficulty present, and will
make it easier to run the machine, and
makes it easier on your guests. An extra
socket can be re-inserted here so that
a lamp connected at this point can be
managed to light up the room when the
picture is over, thereby placing respon¬
sibility of operating lights upon projec¬
tionist, and making your guests enjoy
the program better.

5. Accessory compartment — this was
made the same size as the metal base of
the projector, and extended about six
inches in depth. In the rear a door was
made with two nails being utilized above
and below to enable the door to swing
in and close. A screw was used as a door
knob, and a small piece of wood inside
prevented the door from swinging inside
completely. On operator’s right side the
pilot light, motor switch and cooling
switch were placed, making it easy to

(Continued on Page 168)

166

May, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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room. This is not a dream — not a promise! It is
something that is here now! Vast libraries of
16 mm. sound films augmented by unprece¬
dented war-time production — are awaiting release.
Efficient, easy -to -operate sound projectors —
which were perfected before the war, refined and
proved during the war, will be available when
the demands of the war program are filled.

* * * *

To keep in touch with 16 mm. motion pictures — keep
in touch with Ampro. In this connection, an unusually
interesting and informative story entitled "What
Will Happen in the Movies the Hay War is Over.
is being distributed in attractive booklet form hy the
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SI ZZ73*

American Cinematographer • May, 1945

167

The Adel Color Camera

(Continued from Page 153)

of the same material, and the entire
housing so constructed that it will with¬
stand the sterilization process along
with the surgical instruments.

When removed from the autoclave and
ready for the operating room, a sterile
attendant handles the Surgiscope hous¬
ing, permitting the unsterile attendant
to place the properly set and pre-focused
camera into the top section. The cam¬
era and flash bulb unit assembles easily
into its sterile housing. The unsterile
attendant has absolutely no contact with
the Surgiscope housing — he touches the
camera only.

After the camera has been slipped
into place, the sterile attendant closes
the hood and the camera is ready to
be taken to the operating room for
placement on a sterile table within reach
of the surgeon. The camera and Surgi¬
scope together weigh little more than
the average flash gun equipped camera.

The Surgiscope now being within easy
reach of the operating surgeon or his
assistant, all that is necessary to ob¬
tain perfect color reproduction of the
operating field, or any unusual condition
that might present itself during the
surgical procedure, is to pick up the
Surgiscope by its two handles, place the
balancing plate against the forehead,
which permits a three-point suspension,
view the field through the large glass
window and place the bottom of the
Surgiscope within approximately three
inches of the operating field. When the
picture area is selected a mere pres¬
sure on the release button located near
the bottom of the left handle completes
the operation. In this manner, a fool¬
proof, flash bulb picture, with a pre¬
selection of either color or black and
white film, can be taken within a few
seconds. There is no dangerous time
lag.

Eight consecutive flash bulb pictures
may be taken without reloading. The
dial control on the side of the housing
automatically indicates the picture and
the flash bulb sequence. An ingenious
device locks the shutter after each take,
thus eliminating the risk of double ex¬
posure, and the mechanism that moves
each new frame into place locks auto¬
matically when the film is in position.

The Adel Color Camera and Surgi¬
scope provide a combination instrument
which may be used inside and outside
the operating room for the production of
color records under controlled conditions.
The camera may be used without the
Surgiscope in general photography, with
or without photoflash, where sterile con¬
ditions need not be maintained. When
the camera is used in conjunction with
the Surgiscope, it provides medical ster¬
ility with a simplified photographic tech¬
nique which allows color reproduction
of the surgical field to be made by the
surgeon or his assistant with a mini¬

mum of time, and without the require¬
ment of photographic knowledge on the
part of the surgeon.

When the camera is separated from
its surgical housing, it becomes a gen¬
eral purpose camera, so simple in its
operation that it permits the operator
to concentrate on the composition of
his subject without need for auxiliary
equipment, except for filters adapted to
certain atmospheric conditions and vari¬
ous inexpensive diopter lenses for ex¬
treme close photography, as applied to
eye, ear, nose and throat records. It is
small and compact, and can be held in
the palm of the hand. Built of light
weight aluminum alloy with a flash bulb
mechanism that is an integral part of
the camera and mechanically timed with¬
in the camera, the camera was designed
with the aim of making professional
results possible for the average amateur
camera enthusiast. All the mechanics
required for perfect color or black and
white photographic results are contained
within the camera itself. Only two sim¬
ple dial settings are required before
exposure of the picture is made. In
addition to lense focus and f stops,
it also is calibrated in exposure feet.
The variable of the human factor has
been reduced to a minimum.

The camera is a marvel of ingenuity
and simplicity in design. It is a true
reflex camera which permits viewing
an image through the photographic lens
with no parallax error. The unique
construction of the optical system per¬
mits the viewed image to be of constant
brilliance through the entire f. value
range, regardless of the lens aperture.
The image viewed compares most favor¬
ably with the vision of the unaided eye.

Designed primarily as a photoflash
camera, it carries its own batteries with¬
in the camera case. Quick detachable re¬
flectors are provided for the camera
which enables the operator to take color
flash pictures with the miniature re¬
flector up to a distance of eight feet,
which is normally sufficient for clinical
use. A larger reflector, operates ef¬
ficiently with Kodachrome and flash in
the 4 to 20 foot range. Black and
white flash pictures can be taken at
increased distance with either of the
reflectors, depending upon the speed of
film employed.

The camera is designed to use either
the No. 5 or SM type of photoflash
lamp. When the flash bulb has been
used, the burned out bulb is ejected by
pressing a small button at the top, right
side of the camera.

The camera is also designed for two
sizes of film — Kodachrome or black and
white in the No. 828 Bantam size or
No. 127 in black and white. The picture
field matte covering the two sizes of
film aperture are shown in the viewer.

This camera offers wide application as
an aid to visual education. It is obvious
that educators in the medical field have
felt the need for visual slides as an
adjunct to their classroom lectures, and
it is conceded that color slides of actual

operating techniques, shown in conjunc¬
tion with classroom lectures, provide vivid
impressions and memories of the sub¬
ject concerned. The use of color films
in recognizing tissue changes, areas of
discoloration, inflammation, abnormal
growths and all other pathological con¬
ditions is a tremendous field in visual
education. Dermatology is another im¬
portant field where color studies of vari¬
ous skin diseases will be a vital asset
to the instructor. This is a particularly
interesting possibility now that global
war has made direct information of
tropical and geographical diseases im¬
perative in both private practice and
education as these diseases fall into the
dermatosis field. Complete techniques
and various surgical procedure can now
be photographically documented even in
the delicate and difficult branches of
oral surgery. It is realized that color
film records of all major surgical pro¬
cedures in our hospitals will be a part of
the basis to form the hospital records.
There have been many occasions when
litigation has been avoided by possession
of photographic records, keyed to case
history. Therefore, because of its flexible
use the Adel Color Camera assumes
value as a laboratory camera. Its sim¬
plicity provides ready assistance for all
types of photography and routine labor¬
atory procedure and in research develop¬
ment.

Smith Heads A.S.C.

( Cont inued from Page 151)

Seitz, Leon Shamroy (Academy Award
Winner for best color photography for
1944) and William Skall are all among
the top cinematographers of the world.
John Arnold is head of the camera de¬
partment at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Stu¬
dios, and Byron Haskin, for years a top
process expert, is now under contract to
Hal Wallis as a production executive,
director and supervisor of cinematog¬
raphy for his company releasing through
Paramount Pictures.

Modernizing Your
Old Projector

(Continued from Page 166)

operate. When not in use, the cord and
pilot light were placed in the compart¬
ment. The box itself was attached to the
projector permanently, holes being drilled
into the metal base, and screws attach¬
ing the compartment solidly.

6. Use of experimental chipped lens
increased the size of the picture upon
the screen, but normal lens used can
be kept, and latter is not necessary.

Careful perusal of the photographs
will indicate how you can utilize the
changes to your eight or sixteen. The
pleasure in simplified operation makes it
more enjoyable when you know that you
made this possible. Try it. You’ll get a
kick out of it, same as we did.

168

May, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Ak s you may not know, a fine Kodak lens consists
of a series of lens elements — sometimes as many as
seven — all their surfaces ground and polished within
Vz light wave— 1/100,000 of an inch — of perfection.

These elements are then assembled in a lens mount
and inspected for “teamwork”— ability to perform to¬
gether. In this inspection, “the stars come out”. . .

Rays from a pinpoint of light, about 200 feet away,
pass through the lens on the inspection bench. Exam¬
ined through a powerful microscope, they appear as
a star.

The good star shown above was formed by a Kodak
lens at 11° “off Axis.” If a lens fails to bring the light
rays into good focus at all points, the star lacks sym¬
metry and definition — the faults seen in the “bad”
star at the right.

When, and only when, the stars are “good” at every
point, the lens moves on to its future in a Kodak
Ektra, let us say, a Kodak Medalist — or a Cine-
Kodak to be used, these days, bv an Army or Navy
cameraman. But it must pass this exacting test first.

The good stars simply mean, in the end, that the cam¬
era equipped with such a lens from Kodak can be
counted on for a superb photographic performance.

EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, ROCHESTER, N. Y.

REMEMBER BASTOGNE -“the
hole in the doughnut”? How its he¬
roic garrison — outnumbered 4 to 1 —
held this vital road center for 8
gruelling days against 8 German
divisions? How the wounded— with¬
out medics, nurses, drugs — begged

“Don’t give up on account of us”?—
And how, told to choose between
surrender and “annihilation,” our
commander sent hack his historic
reply, “NUTS”? Such spirit is a
stern example to us at home. BUY—
AND HOLD-MORE WAR BONDS.

Serving human progress through photography

169

American Cinematographer • May, 1945

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When you need rush prints?

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Aces of the Camera

(Continued from Page 155)

chased a brand new Mitchell camera —
Number 230 — which he took to Arizona
for the filming of a Bill Boyd film, “The
Painted Desert.” He set up his camera to
film a stampede of six hundred enraged
steers. The steers altered their course
during the stampede and headed for La-
Shelle and his camera. Joe managed to
get out of their way, but there was
nothing left of the camera but broken
pieces after the steers had passed over it.

An emergency call was flashed to the
studio for another camera, and David
Abel sent his brand new Mitchell, which
had never been used. This was set up
behind a perfectly safe barricade in front
of a mountain that was to be blown up
for a scene in the picture. The moun¬
tain blew up all right, but with much
more vigor than was anticipated. The
result was that two men were killed, a
large number seriously injured and Abel’s
new camera was completely demolished.

Shortly after that calamity Arthur
Miller and LaShelle moved over to the
20th Century-Fox studios. There LaShelle
was operative cameraman for Miller on a
long and noteworthy list of films. Among
these were “The Little Colonel,” “The

White Parade,” “Brigham Young,” “To¬
bacco Road,” “The Rains Came,” “How
Green Was My Valley” and lastly, “The
Song of Bernadette.” It was while he
was working with Miller on “Bernadette”
that Joe was advanced to Director of
Photography on “Happy Land.” He fol¬
lowed this with “The Eve of St. Mark,”
directed by John Stahl; “Laura,” his
Academy Award winning picture;
“Hangover Square,” and just completed
is “A Bell for Adano.”

“In my work,” explained LaShelle, “I
feel that a different technique is neces¬
sary for every picture. You don’t stick
to one lighting trick just because it was
effective in one film. Each picture has a
very definite mood to portray and calls
for an effort on the part of the photo¬
grapher to project a message photo¬
graphically. For instance, in ‘Happy
Land’ the feeling and friendliness of a
small town had to be shown, together
with the hopeless emptiness of a dear
one lost forever.

“In the case of ‘The Eve of St. Mark,’
among other things, it was necessary to
portray the growing realization that
there would be no returning home — but
a determination to carry on to the end.
‘Hangover Square’ was a picture calling
■for sheer terror with mental lapses into
the beauty and harmlessness of music.

In ‘Laura’ all the heat and sophistica¬
tion of New York City, merged with a
mystery motif, had to be photograph¬
ically interpreted.

“In ‘A Bell for Adano’ the extreme
contrast of Sicily, as well as the destruc¬
tion of war and the native simplicity
was depicted. In that picture we did the
unusual by using no make-up at all on
anyone. This did not constitute a grave
problem because the male members of the
cast were supposed to be very definitely
the ‘he-man’ type. However, denying
even elementary make-up to the beauti¬
ful Gene Tierney called for a bit of di¬
plomacy and moral courage. But the re¬
sults were most gratifying, and the time-
honored theory that photographing wo¬
men without make-up was impossible was
proven false.”

“I don’t believe that a man can safely
attempt to photograph a motion picture
unless he has had many years of experi¬
ence working with master craftsmen.
After all, when a studio is planning a
production that is to cost a million dol¬
lars, there is a lot of responsibility
placed upon the shoulders and the ability
of the cameraman who is to place it on
the film. If I were a producer I would
hesitate a long time before I would en¬
trust a million dollar picture to an in¬
experienced man, no matter how great
was his ambition. I know that I would
have been afraid to tackle a picture like
‘Laura’ or ‘A Bell for Adano’ unless I
had had the long years of schooling and
experience that I had working with a
man like Miller.”

LaShelle touched upon a very impor¬
tant point in that last statement. Photo¬
graphing and lighting a motion picture
is not a job for an amateur. A fortune
is at stake on each film. Many times the
fate of an actor or actress rests upon
the photographic skill of the Director of
Photography. That is why the cinema¬
tographers who have been “tops” for
many years still remain “tops,” except
in cases of men like LaShelle who have
had years of experience. Joe came up
the hard way, but the way that will now
keep him where he belongs — a real Ace
of the Camera. \

Official Films Opens
Chicago Branch

Phineas T. Bluerock, General Sales
Manager of Official Films, Inc., an¬
nounces the opening of a Chicago branch,
with the appointment of Mr. Harold
Heyward as Manager of the mid-western
office. Headquarters will be located at
8 So. Dearborn St., Chicago, Ill., from
where Mr. Heyward will cover ten states.

Mr. Heyward is former Camera Buyer
for Sears Roebuck Chicago Stores, where
he successfully organized numerous home
movie departments, and as a result,
brings with him a keen insight into the
problems and needs of the home movie
user.

170

May, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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66

The Machine That Cannot Break Your Film 99

Junket to Albania

(Continued from Page 154)

the barracks, while others, assorted
weapons slung over their shoulders,
march up and down the road learning
to keep in step. They will go into the
Liberation Army as replacements for
women, old men and men whose families
need support. They have been recruited
from the fields, the towns and the moun¬
tains. They sing as they march and they
carry their weapons with assurance, if
not finesse. A loaded Sten gun in the
hands of a novice can be disconcerting.

Everywhere you look, soldiers are
saluting. They salute everybody, officers
or not. Guards, walking slowly in twos
by the side of the road, greet you with
eyes left or right. Those posted at build¬
ings present arms. Some of the soldiers
give a hand salute much like our own.
No longer do you see the old Commu¬
nist, clenched fist salute, which was
abandoned when the National Liberation
Front was expanded to include all politi¬
cal opinions and factions.

Tirana, Albania’s capital, is a battered
city. During the three-week battle for its
liberation many buildings were smashed
or burned to the ground. Shell bursts
have scarred Skenderbeg Square, named
after Albania’s national hero who helped
save Europe from the Turks in the 15th
Century. Rruga Square’s 15th Century
mosque bears the marks of 88 fire. Re¬
pairs are underway at King Zog’s ultra¬
modern, slightly damaged palace over¬
looking the town, but it isn’t likely to
house a king again. It may be turned
into a university or tourist’s hotel.

To a visitor from Italy, the biggest
surprise which Tirana offers is the fact
that the overly-populated city of 100,-
000 is without a black market, without
prostitution, without thievery and all the
other sorry by-products of wai’-ravaged,
liberated countries. There are good rea¬
sons.

Even before the war, which began for
Albania on Good Friday, April 7, 1939,
the country’s food supply was probably
the lowest in Europe. One of the small¬
est, most primitive countries on the con¬
tinent, Albania never has known a high
standard of living. Thus, even though
six years of foi’eign occupation and
guerrilla warfare have damaged the na¬
tion’s economy still more, Albanians
have not felt the pinch of poverty as
much as they might. They are used to
doing without. Such a condition is not
encouraging to black mai'keteers.

To an American educated the hard
way to the use of locks and chains on
jeeps, the honesty of Albanians is stag¬
gering. You can leave a jeep filled
with rations, blankets and gasoline cans
standing anywhere unattended. No one
will touch it.

It well may be that the fear of Par¬
tisan bullets, rather than inherent hon¬
esty or wealth, are keeping Albanians
on the straight and narrow, just as the
Tirana jail appears to be by far the most
effective preventative for prostitution.
The fear of bullets for black market

operators may not be founded on fact,
but there appears to be no one daring
enough to find out for himself.

There is no apparent tobacco or ciga¬
rette shoi’tage here. People will politely
accept an American cigai’ette, but they
will not go out of their way to get one.
Smokers use either the popular brand,
“Tirana,” or Bulgarian cigarettes of
which there seems to be an abundance.

For a foreigner, the big difficulty is
buying anything. In addition to the fact
that the only authorized Allied curx-ency
for this part of the world is the British
Military Authority pound, Albanians do
not readily accept Allied cash. It isn’t
so much that they don’t trust it but that
they simply don’t know its value.

The American dollar, for example,
which would fetch up to 300 lire on the
Italian black mai'ket, brings about 60
cents in Albania. The only type of money
the Albanians look for is gold — the
French gold Napoleon or the British gold
sovereign. Ordinarily, these bring about
15 dollars, but they have three times
that value in Albania. A camera might
cost ten gold pieces but 500 dollars in
American money. This does not apply in
the south of Korce, where some 50 per¬
cent of the people speak English and 25
percent have been to the United States
and know the value of the American
dollar.

(Continued on Page 173)

American Cinematographer • May, 1945

171

University Film Courses

(Continued from Page 157)

work is done with 35mm. film. As an
example of the advanced work of the
students, Hans Richter told me that the
classes had written, produced, photo¬
graphed and edited complete productions
for the O.P.A. which are shown in non¬
theatrical institutions by the O.P.A. Peo¬
ple come here from all walks of life,
they are cooks, stock brokers, subway
conductors, lawyers, students and house¬
wives. Approximately twenty-five per¬
cent are working in some branch of the
motion picture industry and take the
course so that they can advance them¬
selves into better positions.

The members of the Faculty of City
College of New York, film courses are:
1. Fundamentals, Paul Faulkenberg. 2.
Workshop, Hans Richter. 3. Advanced
Workshop, Hans Richter. 4. Film Writ¬
ing, Lt. Sidney Kaufman. 5. Film Edit¬
ing, Paul Faulkenberg. 6. Motion Picture
Photography, Jules Bucher, now with
O.W.I. as director and photographer.

The present plans, as viewed for the
post war period I learned, is not to ac-

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counters with 10-400 foot daylight loading
magarines. In two sturdy waterproof cases.
With following color corrected lenses:

28 mm
35 mm
50 mm
75 mm
100 mm
150 mm

Pan-Tachar F 1.8
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cept new students who have no knowl¬
edge or experience in any branch of the
film industry. It is the purpose of the
Supervisor to make these courses avail¬
able to men and women who are at
present employed in film work and to
those in the Armed Forces, who are also
engaged in film production. The Super¬
visor feels that to accept students who
have no knowledge of film work is only
to over crowd an industry and cause
much unemployment.

New York University, the third on my
list of film training courses in New York,
presents a four-year course on the art
and science of motion pictures, and offers
a Bachelor of Arts degree. It is a liberal-
arts course with specialization in motion
picture writing and production.

I have attended several of the lecture
sessions and I found them most enlight¬
ening. Heading the film course is Pro¬
fessor Robert Gessner who in 1935-1936
co-authored the screen play “Massacre”
from his own novel by the same name,
and who has also written in collabora¬
tion with G. W. Pabst for Frontier Films.

In reply to my letter, Professor Gess¬
ner had this to say:

1. Our courses range from the study
of the motion picture as an art form to
the practical laboratory use of the mo¬
tion picture as an industry.

2. Inasmuch as we are the only Uni¬
versity offering a Bachelor of Arts de¬
gree in motion pictures, we have at¬
tracted students from the high schools
who plan careers in motion pictures. We
have had a fairly representative number
of students transferred to us from other
colleges. Also, during the war, approxi¬
mately fifty percent of our students
were non-metriculating, that is, inter¬
ested in only one or two courses for
their practical value and not interested
in securing a degree.

3. A major in Motion Pictures takes
the usual length of time, four years in
college or a total of eight terms. Each
course may run a full year or one term.

4. The Faculty consists of Professor
Robert Gessner — script writing, and pro¬
duction; Mr. Irving Hartley who has
his own recording studio; Mr. Lewis
Morton, an assistant editor of the Story
Department of Twentieth Century-Fox,
is a member of the staff on leave. Mr.
Morton received his B.A. at the Univer¬
sity of Minnesota and his M.A. at the
University of Iowa.

5. The University is not an employ¬
ment agency and we do not guarantee
jobs, nor do we follow through on our
students. However, we have an incom¬
plete record supplied us by the students
themselves.

6. On the basis of the above statement
I can only venture a guess. I think it
is rather high, considering individual
qualifications and individual talents.
Somewhere around twenty to twenty-
five percent.

After two years of instruction, many
of the graduates now are in military and
civilian motion picture work. The record
of accomplishment, all the way from

combat cameraman to Hollywood cutter,
lists as follows: Some are in the photo¬
graphic center of the Signal Corps in
Long Island. Some are in the photo¬
graphic division of the Air Corps. Others
are film editors in the Navy, the Marines
and the United States Office of Strategic
Services. For the United Nations, many
have gone to work in the film depart¬
ments for the Belgium government, and
for the Russians at Artkino Pictures.
Some are working for producers and sub¬
contractors on film for the Army, Navy,
U. S. Office of Education and the Coordi¬
nator of Inter-American Affairs.

Irving Hartley, who runs his own pro¬
ducing company, has at various times
employed the students. Some have gone
to work for the major studios at Metro-
Goldwyn-Mayer, in Culver City; for
Metro in New York; at the Paramount
Laboratory; at Universal Newsreel; at
Twentieth Century-Fox in exploitation;
at Columbia Pictures in exploitation and
publicity.

In the brochure on the motion picture
course, New York University emphati¬
cally explains: First, this program is not
designed to prepare photographers, cam¬
eramen or other technicians nor to train
actors. Problems of photography will be
considered throughout the courses in pro¬
duction, with one senior elective course
devoted to this topic, and students will
act in the screen plays which they write
and produce, but such acting and the
treatment of photography will be inci¬
dental to the major interests in writing
and production.

Second, in certain fields ambition, in¬
terest, and a capacity for hard work will
go far to assure success. In the creative
arts, including motion picture writing
and production, these qualities are essen¬
tial but in themselves insufficient. For
success in these fields one must have also
a certain talent or special FLAIR, for the
particular art. In recognition of this
fact, admission to the third year and
fourth year motion picture courses is
made conditional on “the consent of the
instructor”. Such consent will be given
only to students who, during the work
of the first two years, have given evi¬
dence of some measure of this special
talent. Students not admitted to the
third year and fourth year motion pic¬
ture courses may transfer to other pro¬
grams offered in the college.

Thirdly, the competition of this pro¬
gram does not, of course assure place¬
ment in the motion picture field or the
acceptance of any script. A number of
established motion picture writers, script
editors and executives in the industry
have been consulted in the formulation
of the program and have expressed in¬
terest in it and confidence in its value,
and several script editors have indicated
willingness to read recommended scripts
produced in this program and so inter¬
view recommended graduates; but in
general, graduates will have to make
their way on their merits in competition
with all comers, aided only by the knowl¬
edge they will have gained of motion pic¬
ture techniques and their student experi¬
ence in writing and production.

172 May, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Junket to Albania

(Continued from Page 171)

But any hasty impression that Albania
is well-off because its capital has avoided
the wartime pitfalls into which other
European cities have fallen or because
its people are loathe to accept American
money is entirely false. Tirana is not
Albania.

Albania never has boasted a well-de¬
veloped highway system. The country’s
few dust-choked roads have been torn
up by the treads of Nazi panzers. Mines
still are exploding. The bridges, without
which the towns and mountain commu¬
nities are completely isolated, are for
the most part destroyed. Thousands of
civilians have been forced from their
homes by the enemy. Albania’s total
population now is just about a million.
But with 900,000 Albanians in Greece
and Bulgaria alone, there actually are
more Albanians living outside the coun¬
try than within its borders.

In the snow-covered, giant mountains
the people are freezing and starving.
Typhus is rampant. Countless of Al¬
bania’s citizens are waiting for the snow
to melt, the roads to open, the bridges
to be reconstructed. They are waiting to
get back to what may be left of their
homes. Thousands have been killed in air
raids, in German reprisals. Not only
Tirana but other towns stand partially
ruined in the wake of heavy fighting.
Albania, never strong, is weaker than
ever now, and Albanians look to the
Allies for economic aid.

The leaders of the liberation move¬
ment have set themselves an enormous
task. First, they must rebuild what has
been destroyed, and because of the de¬
plorable state of the country’s communi¬
cations system, the bridge building pro¬
gram takes definite priority over any
other part of the vast rehabilitation
problem. The government has set a defi¬
nite time limit for the bridge builders.
By May, most of the important bridges
must be completed.

But over and above the physical re¬
pairs, the government must create an en¬
tirely new nation out of a heritage of
medieval customs, illiteracy, feudalism,
corruption — and the intense sectionalism
of the mountaineers. Even while rehabil¬
itation goes on, some 20,000 Partisan
soldiers — ill - clothed, ill - fed and ill -
equipped — are fighting the Germans far
to the north, near Sarajevo in Yugo¬
slavia.

Albania is not a vital cog in the ma¬
chinery of international politics, but it
is a true part of the Balkans, with all
the traditional Balkan problems. Unlike
any other occupied nation, it has liber¬
ated itself completely from enemy occu¬
pation Without the aid of invading Allied
troops. Its new leaders, like Col. Gen.
Enver Hoxha, are men who have di¬
rected its fortunes in battle; now they
must carry over into peace that same
enthusiasm, that same driving force.
They are men who hail the new Yugo¬
slavia no longer as Albania’s most bitter

and imperialistic foe but as another
country striving for a federation of the
Balkan nations.

These are the people who overcame a
strongly armed Nazi garrison in Tirana
in three weeks. These are the people who
buried the dead Germans in mass graves
around the city — after first removing
their boots, which were turned over to
Partisan soldiers who carried the fight
against the occupants into Yugoslavia.
They are like the chubby-faced, 15-year-
old veteran, singing Partisan songs on

a transport plane or the 18-year-old
soldier-wife of a Partisan colonel, her
hair cut short like a boy’s to deceive the
Germans if she were captured while
fighting in the mountains.

The new government of Albania may
not be “democracy,” as we know it. But
neither is it the despotic rule of former
years, when Albania was merely a pawn
in Balkan power politics, coveted by Bel¬
grade, Athens and Rome. For a little
country, Albania has taken some big
steps.

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American Cinematographer • May, 1945

173

Gerber Company Retains
Visual Training Corp.

New Aerial Camera for Fighter Planes

RENTALS SALES SERVICE

The Gerber Products Company of Fre¬
mont, Michigan, and Oakland, California,
producers of Gerber’s Baby Foods, has
retained Visual Training Corporation of
Detroit, as training and market devel¬
opment consultants.

Plans will be prepared for complete
training of the Gerber marketing or¬
ganization, the retail merchandising of
baby foods, and consumer education.

Visual Training is currently respon¬
sible for the development of a number of
Army and Navy training programs. Re¬
cently, special commendation was re¬
ceived from the Navy Department on
one of these major training assignments.

Rapid reconnaissance photography has
become an added task for U. S. Army

would have to be mounted so as not to
interfere with the plane’s flight behavior
or its ability to bomb and strafe. It
should not add any additional duties
for the pilot, nor reveal to the enemy
by special markings, windows and the
like, that the fighter was so equipped.

After several experimental installa¬
tions, photographic officers and techni¬
cians on the Italian front mounted a
Fairchild K-25, 24-volt camera in a
special bracket fixed to the jack pad
and the bomb shackle sway brace (as
shown in USAAF Photo). This bracket
was shock-padded with sponge rubber
and its top half had an arm extending
forward to hold an adjustable clevis
which enabled the camera to be raised
or lowered for bore sighting. Every
precaution was taken to hold the cam¬
era rigid and to eliminate all movement
and vibration. A special faring was
constructed, held to place by three fast¬
eners, and here again the camera was
mounted in sponge rubber.

The K-25 was developed and the in¬
itial delivery was made in a 30-day
period by Fairchild Camera & Instru¬
ment Corporation for use on Jimmy
Doolittle’s “30-second” raid over Tokyo.
The camera is an automatic version of
the famed K-20 camera, smallest of
aircraft still cameras, and Doolittle’s
men had the K-25 mounted in the tail
of the planes to take record shots of
bombing. The K-25, operated by a
push-button control from the cockpit,
clicks off 50 4" x 5" negatives in 20.8
seconds.

• Contax

• Leica

• Graphic or

• Miniature

• Camera

Send it in .
postpaid if

. merchandise returned
not entirely satisfied.

Air Forces fighters in close air-ground
cooi’dination on fluid battle fronts. Pre¬
viously the job fell to the tactical re¬
connaissance and photo reconnaissance
planes, but orthodox procedures could
not keep up with the constant scene
shifting of ground wai’fare. Nor could
the tiny Fairchild machine gun cam¬
eras (16mm. movies) with which all
fighters are equipped be of much assist¬
ance, because the film is too small and
the focal length of the lens is too short
to permit good enlargements.

The only solution to the problem,
therefore, was to install a standard
small automatic aerial still-picture cam¬
era into the fighters and let them photo¬
glyph their own strikes. The camera

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174 May, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Television and Motion Pictures

(Continued from Paqe 162)

tion will usually be on the video.) The
moment both audio and video become
equal in importance the audience be¬
comes distracted and confused.

Think how many times you have been
watching a motion picture and have sud¬
denly become conscious of the music. If
you will recall, the chances are your at¬
tention was flitting back and forth from
the sound to the picture, causing you to
be confused and breaking the mood of
the story. In early television a particu¬
larly noticeable example has been found
in sports programs, when a typical radio
sports announcer handles the commen-

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tary. Accustomed to working in a blind
medium, he rattles on describing every¬
thing. Unfortunately the audience can
see all this before the announcer can be¬
gin to talk about it — and the effect is
confusion and irritation. The most suc¬
cessful sports announcers of television
are those who know when to keep quiet;
in most cases these more successful an¬
nouncers have been able to watch both
the television screen and the actual
events as they talked.

In Chapter 4 it was pointed out that
one of the basic differences between the
stage and screen is the difference be¬
tween “actions” and “reactions.” In the
theatre the audience identifies itself with
the actor, who builds up that indefinable
“give-and-take” between the audience
and himself by his direct actions and
words. In motion pictures the “give-and-
take” is built up when the audience
identifies itself with “the person acted
upon the screen, and not with the per¬
son acting,” to quote motion-picture
writer Dudley Nichols.

In discussing this point in his preface
to “Twenty Best Film Plays,”2 Mr.
Nichols sagely points out:

At any emotional crisis of a film, when
a character is saying something which
profoundly affects another, it is to this
second character that the camera in¬
stinctively roves, perhaps in close-up;
and it is then that the hearts of the
audience quiver and open in release, or
rock with laughter or shrink with pain,
leap to the screen and back again in
swift growing vibrations. The great
actors of the stage are actors; of the
screen, re-actors.

If anyone doubts this, let him study
his own emotions when viewing a good
film. . . .

Mr. Nichols recalled that he had re¬
cently checked on this theory by experi¬
menting with some friends after seeing
Noel Coward’s “In Which We Serve.”
All were most profoundly moved by re¬
actions rather than action. Particularly
effective, he found, were such scenes as
the shot of a woman as she receives
word that her husband has been killed,
and the face of an officer as he learns
that his wife is dead. He is writing a
letter to his wife when the news is
brought to him by the radio operator,
and the reaction shot is continued beyond
the usual facial expression, for he goes
on deck, looks over the rail, and lets the
unfinished letter flutter down into the
water — extending reaction into action.

Another highly moving scene was the
final one in which the captain says good-
by to what is left of his crew. We saw
the faces of the men as they came for¬
ward to shake hands, and we heard their
tired voices. This appeared to be straight¬
forward action, whereas Mr. Coward ac¬
tually staged it as a reaction shot. It
showed the reaction of the men to their
harrowing experience, all summed up in
their weary faces and laconic speech.

Although Mr. Nichols did not note the
fact, it is interesting to observe that

(Continued on Page 178)

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American Cinematographer • May, 1945

177

Television and Motion Pictures

(Continued from Page 177)

these most effective scenes were all close-
ups or medium close-ups. Obviously, to
show clearly the reaction of an actor to
a given situation, the scene must be a
close-up. Now the most effective shots of
early television have all been close-ups.
Undoubtedly this was due, in part, to the
fact that early television receivers gave
small-size, imperfect pictures in which
small figures did not stand out clearly.
However, this may also have been due
to television’s qualities of intimacy and
effective transference of personality.
Television directors should find it profit¬
able to investigate thoroughly the possi¬
bilities of the television close-up. The
close-up may continue to be our most
effective shot, and perhaps we shall find
ourselves learning a great deal more
about its potentialities.

The fact that “live” television pro¬
grams require a continuous and sus¬
tained performance, with no retakes and
leisurely editing over a period of weeks,
is not necessarily a handicap. On the
contrary, it will undoubtedly prove to be
a most important factor in making a new
art form out of television. It is physi¬
cally impossible to imitate motion-picture
technique beyond a certain point. This
will make us develop new techniques
which suit the demands of television.
Cameras, lights, microphones, and
studios themselves leave much to be de¬
sired. New designs are needed to pro¬
vide more flexible cameras, microphones,
and lights. But beyond this we must look
for new kinds of program material which
television can do to perfection. We must
look for more expert acting than is
called for in either theatre or motion
pictures. The actor must be able to sus¬
tain a performance from start to finish
and at the same time adapt his tech¬
nique for the moving camera, now in
close-up, now in long shot. And most of
all we must evolve a new technique for
handling the video and the audio, a tech¬
nique which will be built according to
the essential nature of television.

1 See “4000 Years of Television,” pp. 5-6,
108-166.

2 Edited by John Gassner and Dudley Nichols.
Crown Publishers, New York, 1943.

D'Arcy Promoted

Appointment of E. W. D’Arcy to the
post of chief engineer of DeVry Corpora¬
tion is announced by President William
C. DeVry. Formerly research engineer
of Essanay Film Corporation, D’Arcy
joined DeVry in 1940 in a similar ca¬
pacity. In this post he contributed ma¬
terially to design and production develop¬
ments in the manufacture of motion pic¬
ture sound, radar navigating and gun¬
nery training equipment for the armed
forces.

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178 May, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Movies help smooth the rough road back

°ne of a series of
advertisements by
KODAK testifying to

the achievements of
the movies at war

'C’lLMS that helped our boys prepare for the toughest of life’s
jobs . . . today are being matched by a wide variety of “re¬
habilitation films.” These special pictures are shown before
appreciative audiences in hospitals and convalescent centers.

Because of the part played in these new films by men who
were themselves hurt in mind or body, they prove that, with
pluck and patience, handicaps can be overcome to a remark¬
able degree.

These “rehabilitation films” help to lift the spirits of boys
who have been eating their hearts out in hospital beds . . . make
them say to themselves: “I can do it, too.” They help smooth
the rough road back — to an extent that we whole ones can
never fully appreciate.

Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester 4, N. Y.

J. E. BRULATOUR, INC., Distributors
FORT LEE CHICAGO HOLLYWOOD

American Cinematographer

May, 1945 179

IN PERFORMANCE
IN DEPENDABILITY

IN EASE OF USE...

There Is No Substitute for a B&H

Filmosounds excel! Typical is the new, cooler Filmosound
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Only the finest materials go into a Filmosound 179 .

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AGAIN ACCEPTED

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(No. 7 of a series on the manufacture of Du Pont Motion Picture Film )

Farewell to daylight!

THIS large roll of film base is
being moved aboard a trans¬
fer car to the coating section of
the Du Pont film plant. There
the base will receive its coating
of light-sensitive emulsion. This
and all further manufacturing
operations will take place in
total darkness or the faint illumi¬
nation of specially designed safe-
lights.

Note that the roll still carries
the label that gives the written
history of its production up to
this point. Additional entries will
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America’s leading cinematog¬
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182

June, 1945 • American Cinematographer

• .Vie Pacific
Bei1*

Buy War Bonds

FOR Americans breathlessly awaiting news
of the Leyte campaign, Eyemo recorded
General MacArthur’s landing and much of
the fighting that followed.

This same Bell & Howell Eyemo was with
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the second assault at Saipan, the retaking of
Guam.

Previously the same camera was used at
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American Cinematographer • June, 1945

183

VOL. 26

JUNE. 1945

NO. 6

CONTENTS

Aces of the Camera (Harry Perry, A.S.C.) . By Hal Hall 187

A Method of Film Conservation in Motion Picture Photography,

Processing and Reproduction . By S/Sgt. N. V. Mardovan 188

Harman Unveils New Animaction Unit . By W. G. C. Bosco 190

Kine-Micrography in Biological Research . By R. McV. Weston 192

The Television Camera . By Richard Hubbell 193

Movement in Movies . By Ezra Goodman 194

Membership Roll of the American Society of Cinematographers . 195

Industrial Film Review . By Ed Pyle 198

Among the Movie Clubs . 200

Timely Tips for Wartime Vacations . By James R. Oswald 202

THE FRONT COVER shows Director of Photography Arthur Miller,
A.S.C., preparing to shoot a scene with Tallulah Bankhead and William
Eythe in “A Royal Scandal” for 20th Century-Fox Studios. Miller is the
man in a felt hat behind the camera.

OFFICERS AND BOARD OF GOVERNORS
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

Leonard Smith, President Fred Jackman. Exec. V.-Pres. and Treas.

Charles Clarke, First Vice-President Joseph Walker, Second Vice-President

Arthur Edeson, Third Vice-President Ray Rennahan, Secretary

George Folsey, Sergeant-at-Arms

John Arnold Byron Haskin John Seitz

John Boyle Sol Polito Leon Shamroy

Lee Garmes William Skall

The Staff

EDITOR
Hal Hall

•

TECHNICAL EDITOR
Emery Huse, A.S.C.

•

ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Edward Pyle, Jr.

•

WASHINGTON STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Reed N. Haythome, A.S.C.

•

MILITARY ADVISOR
Col. Nathan Levinson

•

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Mel Traxel

•

ARTIST

Glenn R. Kershner, A.S.C.

•

CIRCULATION AND ADVERTISING
Marguerite Duerr

•

ADVISORY EDITORIAL BOARD
Fred W. Jackman, A- S. C.

Victor Milner. A. S. C.

Alvin Wyckoff, A.S.C.

Farciot Edouart, A. S. C.

Fred Gage. A. S. C.

Dr. J. S. Watson, A. S. C.

Dr. L. A. Jones, A. S. C.

Dr. C. E. K. Mees, A. S. C.

Dr. W. B. Rayton, A. S. C.

Dr. V. B. Sease, A. S. C.

•

AUSTRALIAN REPRESENTATIVE
McGill's, 173 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne.
Australian and New Zealand Agents

e

Published monthly by A. S. C. Agency, Inc.
Editorial and business offices:

1782 North Orange Drive
Hollywood (Los Angeles, 28), California
Telephone: GRanite 2135

Established 1920. Advertising rates on appli¬
cation. Subscriptions: United States and Pan-
American Union, $2.60 per year; Canada, $2.7$
per year; Foreign. $3.60. Single copies, 26e ;
back numbers, 30c ; foreign, single copies 35e,
back numbers 40c. Copyright 1946 by A. S. C.
Agency, Inc.

•

Entered as second-class matter Nov. 18, 1937.
at the postoffice at Los Angeles, California, under
the act of March 3, 1879.

184 June, 1945 * American Cinematographer

»>r»6

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American Cinematographer • June, 1945

185

HOMEWARD BOUND

Photo by A. J. Patel, F.R.P.S., F.R.S.A.
Bombay, India

186

June, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Aces

of the

Camera

HARRY PERRY

A. S. C.

By HAL HALL

HARRY PERRY, A.S.C., is the only
cameraman in Hollywood who can
claim the unusual distinction of
having slept in the swimming pool of
an ocean liner. Not only did he sleep
in the swimming pool, but he had as his
sleeping neighbor no less a celebrity than
Robert Montgomery.

No, it wasn’t a lark, and neither of
the above mentioned gentlemen had been
gazing at the bottom of a cup that
cheers. It was a situation brought about
by the war. Harry was in Monte Carlo
in 1939 making transparency back¬
ground shots for David O. Selznick’s
“Rebecca.” When the war broke out his
French camera crew stopped work im¬
mediately and reported for military duty
and he was forced to stop work and
start for home as fast as possible. After
many difficulties he found himself aboard
the S. S. Washington where he was as¬
signed a cot in the swimming pool. Mont¬
gomery was assigned the cot next to his.
Every square inch of space on the ship
was taken up with cots.

While Harry now goes quietly and
efficiently about his photographic wiz¬
ardry in the Transparency Department
at Paramount Studios, he has in the past
been one of the most globe-trotting
globe-trotters in the ranks of Holly¬
wood’s ace cameramen. He says he
hopes his travel days are over, and
hopes to devote the remainder of his
time to transparency work right in Hol¬
lywood.

Harry’s cinematic history is interest¬
ing. It was in December, 1918, that he
started on his first camera job. Alvin
Wyckoff, A.S.C., was then head of the
camera department at the old Lasky
Studio on Vine Street, Hollywood. Alvin
gave Harry a job as an assistant cam¬
eraman. For three years he was first
an assistant and then a second camera¬
man, and shot stills along with his other
work. ' Then Tom Forman was made
a director and the first thing he did was
to insist on my being made a first cam¬
eraman to shoot his first picture. Harry
was a bit nervous about it, for Thomas
Meighan was the star of the picture, and
Harry felt that he might not be good
enough to photograph so great a star.
He did the picture to the great satis¬

faction of everybody concerned. In fact,
he did it so well that he photographed
seven pictures in a row starring Meighan,
and directed by Forman.

It was while photographing these pic¬
tures that Harry started his travels. He
went to Long Island to make three of
them. Then to Boston and Maine to
make “Cappy Ricks,” to Ashville, N. C.,
to make “Conquest of Canaan,” and to
Sing Sing Prison to do “The City of
Silent Men.” Then he returned to Cali¬
fornia and left Lasky to go with B. P.
Shulberg’s producing company at the
famous Selig Studio on North Broad¬
way, Los Angeles, and at the old F.B.O.
Studios which is now R.K.O. Studios.

Harry photographed eleven feature
pictures for Shulberg. Among them were
“April Showers,” with Coleen Moore;
“Shadows,” with Lon Chaney; “The Vir¬
ginian,” with Kenneth Harlan and Flor¬

ence Vidor; and “The Broken Wing,”
with Harlan and Marion Cooper.

In 1925 Perry returned to the Lasky
Studio where he spent six months mak¬
ing preparations and building camera
mounts for airplanes. Then he was made
head cameraman on Billy Wellman’s
great air pictures, “Wings.” It took
more than a year to photograph that
picture, and Harry at one time had
ten first cameramen working under him.
Five months were spent in San Antonio,
Texas, with the Air Forces. All the
flying shots with the principals, Buddy
Rogers and Dick Arlen, were actually
made in the air, as process background
technique had not then been perfected.
Harry put in more than 300 hours in
the air on that film alone.

Perry followed “Wings” with another
air picture, “Now We’re in the Air,”
(Continued on Page 204)

American Cinematographer • June, 1945

187

Above, sample of positive composite strip developed
by the Mardovan Process on standard 35mm film.
Note the standard width 35mm sound trac’s corre¬
sponding with each picture sequence and additional
space for wider "scope" picture or addi ional full
width 35mm sound tracks for "stereophonic" effects.

A Method of Film Conservation
In Motion Picture Photography,
Processing and Reproduction

By S.SGT. NICHOLAS V. MARDOVAN

I8TH A. A. F. BASE UNIT (Motion Picture Unit)

MY invention relates to a method
of photographing, printing and
reproducing standard (conven¬
tional) 35 and/or 16 millimeter motion
picture film using simple and inexpensive
devices or attachments with existing 35
and/or 16 millimeter cameras, printers
and motion picture or television pro¬
jectors using either black and white or
color film.

There have been several methods of
attaining results similar to this inven¬
tion, but none of these completely cover
the entire art of producing motion pic¬
tures without the use of either specially
perforated film stock or specially built
equipment as I intend to differentiate
specifically herein.

The first object of my invention is to
conserve film by utilizing only standard
(conventional) 35 and/or 16 millimeter
motion picture film stock and equipment.
Thus, apart from the present chronic
shortage of film stock which will con¬
tinue for a considerable period even after
cessation of hostilities in Europe and
elsewhere, my process enables motion
picture, television and other users to cut
their footage and resulting cost of film
by practically fifty percent, particularly
on color films. Hence, my invention is
not just an idea evolved about some
special film or special apparatus, but re¬
lates to the result of years of careful
and definite planning, research and ex¬
perimentation to incorporate the use of
standard existing motion picture and
television equipment.

A further object of this invention is
to provide an improved method of pro¬
ducing motion pictures, in either black
and white or in color, in which the im¬
ages are photographed in such a man¬
ner that the film may run through stand¬
ard (conventional) 35 millimeter and/or
16 millimeter motion picture cameras,
standard printers and standard motion
picture and/or television projection ma¬
chines at standard speeds without alter¬
ing the conventional, present-day me¬
chanical methods of sound reproduction,
quality or effects, yet allowing ample
space for one or more additional standard
sound track or tracks running length-

Note: S/Sgt. Mardovan’s devices and attach¬
ments described in his paper are protected by
Patent Application No. 559006. His explanation of
his proposed method is presented here because the
“American Cinematographer” constantly strives to
be the first to print new ideas, methods and devel¬
opments in the technical field of motion pictures.
Quite naturally, this magazine is not responsible
for the statements or claims of authors, but gladly
presents them for study and consideration by the
readers. — The Editor.

wise, between and adjacent to each row
of sprocket holes on opposite sides of
the same strip of standard motion pic¬
ture film, in either the same or in op¬
posite directions to each other, without
altering the width or length (speed) of
a standard (conventional) 35 millimeter
sound track for stereophonic effects.

Another object of this method and/or
process is to provide a wider, lateral
“scope” picture, if desired, for panoramic
effects.

Another object of this method and/or
process is to eliminate the necessity of
rewinding the film after each reel has
run through a projector; thereby, ren¬
dering motion picture projection more
expeditious.

The method and/or process of my in¬
vention described herein, may be applied
with equal success to any standard (con¬
ventional) 35 millimeter and/or 16 milli¬
meter motion picture film or equipment.

The process photographs and/or prints
two images into the space ordinarily
occupied by one standard “Academy” 35
millimeter picture frame and portions
of its borders, that is, since the height
of one of these said reduced frames is
approximately .365 of an inch, the sum
of any two such picture frames would
equal the total of four complete, stand¬
ard, 35 millimeter sprocket holes in a
standard 35 millimeter film; allowing
about .009 of an inch for border spaces
between said reduced picture frames. Or¬
dinarily, the images are inverted to each
other and their shorter dimensions are
parallel to the film length. The images
also appear in the precise center of the
film width, or may appear in an off-
center position for special effects. There¬
fore, the images appearing in the up¬
right position on the film represent, for
example, reels numbers one, three, five,
etc., while the inverted images represent

Above, right, the Mardovan masking plate for Simplex
projector. Left, Mardovan mask for another type
projector.

188

June, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Right, S. Sgt. Mardovan

reels numbers two, four, six, etc. By
this means two thousand feet of picture
actually appear on only one thousand
feet of film; thus resulting in a saving
of up to fifty percent of film stock.

A most important factor of my inven¬
tion is that no mechanical changes are
required in the standard equipment used
either in photographing, printing or pro¬
jecting. The only accessories required
in photographing, printing and project¬
ing, are masking devices or attachments
with apertures approximately sixty per¬
cent that of standard 35 millimeter and
one-half the size of 16 millimeter pic¬
ture frames. These apertures are in
direct proportion to the height and width
(three to four ratio) to the standard 8,
16, 35 and 70 millimeter “Academy”
sizes.

To photograph with a standard (con¬
ventional) camera, a mask is inserted
into the camera aperture, which reduces
the “frame” or picture to a substan¬
tially^ smaller size. Alternate picture
frames are photographed, while the ac¬
companying sound track (in a single sys¬
tem camera) is also photographed or
recorded; being in proper alignment to
the standard sound recording head, and
remaining unchanged from standard size
track. When a roll of film in the said
camera reaches the last few feet, the
camera is stopped and a “notch” or a
similar indication is made on the film to
show the position of the film in the cam¬
era aperture at that time. The exposed
roll of film is then removed from the
take-up magazine of the camera, and,
using a dark-room or a loading-bag, is
reversed (turned over with the sides of
the spool in the roll of film facing in the
opposite direction), re-loaded and re¬
threaded in the camera with the “notch”
or mark moved one sprocket hole above
or below its previous position. The film
is then run through the camera a second
time, during which the alternate picture
frames, previously unexposed, will then
be exposed, and the sound track will
be impressed in proper alignment on the
film edge opposite to that previously
photographed or recorded.

With regard to laboratory procedure
in printing and developing, no changes
are necessary in the negative processing.

For the printing operation, the printer
should be of the continuous contact type,
and should be provided with masks which
will permit separate printing of each
sound track and sequence of pictures. No
other modifications are needed for this
type printer.

An especially arranged printer may
also be used in my method, comprising
two optical printing heads in combina¬
tion with magazines, so arranged as to
print two or more sound tracks and/or
picture sequences, simultaneously on the

same strip of 35 millimeter and/or 16
millimeter film.

For editing purposes, in cutting nega¬
tive film, it will be necessary to make
duplicate picture negatives of each set
of 35 millimeter and/or 16 millimeter
pictures.

If it is desired, the reduced picture
sizes of this invention can be enlarged
by optical printing to standard 35 milli¬
meter or reduced to 16 millimeter sizes
at the time duplicate picture negatives
or “master” positives are made.

Negative or positive duplicate prints
may be made from standard sized 35
millimeter or 16 millimeter film by op¬
tical printing to conform to the size
used in my process and/or method, either
in black and white or in color processing.

Sound track editing can be done from
separate 35 millimeter and/or 16 milli¬
meter sound track prints, according to
current standard practices.

To project, the only accessory needed
is a simple masking plate which can
be readily inserted into any projector
aperture retainer, and, after the first
series of pictures of my process is run
through the projector, all a projectionist
has to do is to remove the reel from
the projector take-up magazine, replace
it in the feeding magazine and re-thread
in the usual manner. This places the
proper sound track or tracks in the
standard and/or auxiliary sound aper¬
ture and/or apertures, and the second
set of pictures is ready for projection,
thereby, eliminating rewinding of reels.
This means much saving in labor and
time to the projectionist, and the elimi¬
nation of rewinding also tends to lessen
scratching of the film and prolongs its
life; for, instead of concentrating all
the wear and tear onto one side of the
sprocket holes, this wear and tear is re¬
duced by balancing the wear equally
onto both sides of the sprocket holes.
This, in turn, retards slipping, warping

and tearing of the film. I wish to point
out here, that since, in my process, al¬
ternate frames are masked-off from the
light in traversing through a projector,
the film is not exposed twice to the
projector light and heat as might er¬
roneously be assumed.

Because of the fact that the picture
and the projector apertures are reduced
in size in my process, the projected pic-

(Continued on Page 210)

Above, another example of the Mardovan processed
film, showing the picture sequences in "staggered"
position for special "stereoscopic" effects.

American Cinematographer • June, 1945

189

rSPB

On this page, left, front view of the Animaction unit. Above, rear view of the
unit showing the projection equipment, mirror, and dual projection plate.
On opposite page, top, Max Ising, Harman Productions camera chief, illustrates
the ease with which the Animaction unit is loaded. Right, bottom, is top view
of the Animaction unit platen area. All the controls are within easy reach of the
cameraman. This platen has a 360 degree rotation. Bottom, left, Leonard M.

Poole, designer and engineer of the Harman Animaction unit.

HARMAN UNVEILS NEW
ANIMACTION UNIT

By W. G. C. BOSCO

BRINGING new latitude to the tell¬
ing of screen stories, making it
possible to combine the talents of
live actors and animated characters in a
single scene with startling realism, open¬
ing up brilliant new vistas in the realm
of fantasy, and adding another mile¬
stone in the art and science of Motion
Pictures, is the new Animaction unit
recently revealed in the studios of Hugh
Harman Productions, Inc.

Adaptable to either black-and-white
or any color system now in use, the
Animaction unit has proven after ex¬
haustive tests to be so flexible in its
use, so versatile in its application and
to be capable of such high quality in
all the uses for which it has been de¬
signed that it threatens to revolution¬
ize the potentialities of motion picture
production and make obsolete much that
is today considered standard equipment.

Apart from the secret devices involved
in a new process for making travelling
mats — a process that seems to make all
things possible — for which patent appli¬
cation has been made, it can be revealed
that this Animaction unit combines live-
action with live-action in an advanced
form of split-screen, or the action of
flesh-and-blood actors with that of ani¬
mated characters, against either painted
or fabricated sets. As an optical printer

it is capable of a finer quality than
that usually associated with the best
optical printers; and in this respect pro¬
duces amazing results in blowing up
16mm. to 35mm., or reducing 35mm. to
16mm. It can be truthfully said that the
Harman Animaction unit is the most flex¬
ible and most technically advanced piece
of equipment of its kind in practical use
in the industry today. And while much
that it accomplishes is possible through
other means and methods, the Animac¬
tion unit, by providing an exact control
of the multiple elements involved, and
through the application of recent ad¬
vances in optics, produces excellent re¬
sults more simply.

Scenes combining live action and
drawn action have a life-like realism,
and appear to have the depth and focus
of normal vision. This is due in part
to the use of dual-plate projection which
eliminates the problem of the over-head
lights, needed to illuminate the anima¬
tion cells on the platen, from inter¬
fering with the light from the trans¬
lucent screen which carries the rear-
projected picture.

In straight animation, and in anima¬
tion which is combined with live-action,
a whole new field, freed from mechan¬
ical restrictions, is opened up. Pre¬
viously it was possible to have only

a few foreground planes of sight, the
rest was distorted or unreal. Now, with
the Animaction unit, it is possible to
combine live-action, animation, and mini¬
ature and achieve a realm more real
than the actual; always supposing that
it is possible to create the actual to
be able to film it. The control, which
is entirely automatic, is in the hands
of the cameraman with more than a
score of operations keyed to the con-
sole-like hand and foot switches at his
direction.

The idea for such a unit originated,
probably, as long ago as 1928 when
Harman-Ising, the predecessor of Hugh
Harman Productions, and one of the
pioneers of animated pictures, produced
the first subject in which live actors
and animated characters acted and
talked to one another; a production
which, incidentally and for the record,
constituted the first talking cartoon. The
present unit, however, was born of the
practical necessity for providing a means
by which training films for the armed
forces, dealing with complicated technical
subjects, could be more graphically por¬
trayed. In this important work the
value of the Animaction unit has al¬
ready been proven.

Credit for the design and development
of the Animaction unit, and the engi¬
neering ability that reduced its many
mechanical complexities and nuances to
its present practical simplicity, belongs
to Leonard Poole. Leonard entered the
motion picture business as an assistant
cameraman for Pathe News, in 1924,
and is distinguished for having antici¬
pated the coming of sound by building
the first independent sound equipped
commercial film laboratory, Associated

190

June, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Film Enterprises, Inc., and the first
independently produced single - system
sound equipment. His most notable
achievement, however, prior to the An¬
imation unit, was the designing and
development, for the J. P. Seeburg Corp.
of a coin-operated motion picture pro¬
jector which was selective, and which
synchronized the motion picture to a
record by means of an inaudible signal.
The commercial application of this de¬
vice was interrupted by the War.

“Nothing is impossible, and no scene
is to complicated for the Animaction
unit,” Hugh Harman pointed out. That
this needs to be true can be realized
from a reading of the scripts scheduled
for production as Harman prepares to
switch over from the Government films
that have engaged his company’s entire
attention for the last four years, to an
entertainment program relying heavily
on the Animaction technique. A brief
resume of two of the stories will give
some indication of the use to which the
Animaction unit will be put.

“Hollywood Story” is a rollicking, re-
mantic thing which will introduce a so¬
phisticated cartoon cat who has quit
starring in cartoons because he sees no
future in the business, and becomes in¬
stead business partner to a real live
plumber, and a talent agent on the side.
In the complications that follow the
audience will be treated to as weird and
as zany an assortment of antics as ever
appeared on the screen, as real, live
people walk on ceilings, run around
dressed in a bath-tub, and behave gen¬
erally in a manner usually reserved for
cartoon characters.

“King Arthur” is a totally different
venture. Into this story is woven all
the grandeur and charm inherent in
these legends that have lived for a
thousand years. Here is fantasy such
as has never been seen on the sci'een;
story-book castles, and fire breathing
dragons; the magic of Merlin, and the
evil sorceries of Morgana; the antics
of knights, and harpies, and bewitched
fawns against the tapestry of medieval
England.

ft * Hl

y k r - ■Bylft - vjjgur

XS ■: f

Rine-Micrography in Biological Research

By R. McV. WESTON, M.A., F.R.M.S., F.R.P.S.

T1 J HILE ordinary kinematography

VV is frequently used in biological

T " research, the combination of the
kinematograph camera is much less fre¬
quently employed.

This is unfortunate, as kinematog¬
raphy offers the biologist a valuable
method of control over the time-factor
affecting the problems in which he is in¬
terested. The names of Canti, Coman-
don and Loveland ai'e doubtless familiar,
and I believe Marey used this technique
in some of his work, carried out many
years ago.

The engineer frequently uses the high¬
speed kinematograph camera in order to
analyze the rapid motions of the ma¬
chines in which he is interested, and the
biologist can, if he wishes, use time-
lapse kine-micropgraphy to synthesize the
slow movements taking place in growth.
The technique is particularly valuable to
the cytologist, and in the study of the
growth and movement of living cells in
vitro.

Diminution of Time Factor

Many types of living cells can be seen
to show movement and change, by the
use of the microscope and visual obser¬
vation only, but the process is usually so
slow that much time is expended in
studying them and the work is very
tiring.

Visual observation frequently fails to
show what is actually happening, be¬
cause the mind finds it very difficult, and
often impossible, to sum up or synthe¬
size movements of small magnitude
spread over a long period of time. It
is very much like looking at a length
of kinematograph film. The individual
pictures can be seen easily enough, but
the impression of movement is absent.

Kine-micrography, on the other hand,
may show certain movements to be
rhythmic in character when visual ob¬
servation reveals only slight differences
in size or shape over, say, half an hour
or an hour.

Another valuable feature is that two
sequences, taken under the same condi¬
tions, may show differences in rate of
change which are otherwise very difficult
to detect.

A further important point is that any
movement is more clearly seen under the
microscope with the high powers. The
movement is magnified as well as the
object. If, in order to cover a wide field,
a medium or low magnification has to
be used for visual observation, movement
may be quite impossible to detect. Using

NOTE: The above article by Mr- Weston is re¬
printed here through the courtesy of the Journal
of the British Kinematograph Society. — The Editor.

kine-micrography, however, it is just
as easy to record movement under low
powers as with high powers.

Time-Lapse Apparatus

The control over the time-factor has
to be carefully considered in work of
this nature, as different taking speeds
have to be employed with different mag¬
nifications so that the movement, on pro¬
jection, is neither too slow nor too fast.

One of the great advantages of time-
lapse kine-micrography is that the ap¬
paratus can be made completely auto¬
matic in operation so that records can
be obtained of changes occurring over
periods of many hours, without any at¬
tention. One has to do some of this work
to experience the great satisfaction of
leaving the apparatus working all night
and in the morning finding the film half
made.

Since work of this nature is rather
specialized, commercial equipment is not
available, and the apparatus will have to
be made up. This is by no means difficult,
and perhaps some description of the
author’s equipment will be of interest.

The microscope is used in the vertical
position as this is usually most conveni¬
ent when living preparations are em¬
ployed. The microscope is supported on
an anti-vibration mounting consisting of
a steel plate measuring 18 inches x 13
inches x 2 inches. This weighs about 100
pounds, and is supported on soft rub¬
ber at the four corners.

The camera is a 16mm. Cine-Kodak
Special, but if expense is no considera¬
tion, a good 35mm. camera is to be pre¬
ferred for optical reasons.

The camera is supported above the
microscope by means of a 4-inch Drum¬
mond lathe-bed, mounted vertically, and
also standing on rubber. The handwheels
of the lathe then control the position of
the camera, in three dimensions, with
great precision. No part of the micro¬
scope, or its mounting, must be allowed
to touch the camera or its mounting.

Thermostatic and Optical Equipment

The microscope is housed in an incu¬
bator, to keep it, and the preparation,
at the correct temperature. While a
water-jacketed incubator is best, this is
not essential. The author’s incubator is
made out of thick card lined with sheets
of compressed cork. It has proved quite
satisfactory in use. Constant tempera¬
ture is maintained by means of carbon
filament lamps with blackened bulbs,
which are regulated by a thermostat
and a vacuum switch.

It is essential to have a watching eye¬
piece between the microscope and the

camera so that progress can be observed
from time to time and correct focus
maintained.

One of the most important points is
accuracy of focus on the film, and it is
the author’s experience that any method
of focusing depending on the use of
ground glass is quite useless. The fine
detail within the image will then be en¬
tirely lost. The only satisfactory method
is to observe the aerial image projected
by the microscope with a suitable mag¬
nifier.

The illuminating system is quite
straightforward, but a timing mechan¬
ism and sector shutter are provided to
make exposures at the appropriate in¬
tervals and to shield the preparation
from light during the intervals between
exposures. This unit was made with Mec¬
cano parts and is driven by a small syn¬
chronous clock motor. The timing mech¬
anism actuates the camera by means of
the standard electrical release, and at
the same time indicates the number of
exposures made on an electric counter.

Need for Filters

Attention should be given to the pro¬
vision of suitable filters, not to modify
contrast as in ordinary photomicrog¬
raphy, but to protect the specimen from
harmful radiations. Canti used a Pointo-
lite as his illuminant, and took precau¬
tions to suppress all infra-red radiation.
Since the Pointolite is, in effect, both
an arc and an incandescent source, ihe
presence of ultra-violet radiation has to
be borne in mind. This is usually over¬
looked, but if a spectrogram is made, it
will be found that the radiation emitted
goes as far down as 3,150A, and such
rays are likely to be more harmful than
the infra-red. Radiation of this wave¬
length will easily penetrate the glass
components of the illuminating system
and reach the preparation. To prevent
this, a Wratten No. 2A or a Leitz U.V.
filter should always be used. The in¬
tensity of the illumination is brought to
the proper level for correct exposure by
the use of neutral density filters.

Ten Top B.I.S. Films
Announced

The British Information Services
have found their ten most popular 16mm.
films to be:

Target for Tonight
Psychiatry in Action
World of Plenty
Before the Raid
Britain’s Paratroops

Desert Victory
D Day
Cherbourg
Pilot Is Safe
Road to Paris

Two on this list of the first ten most
popular films were made for and shown
almost exclusively to specialized groups.
Psychiatry in Action was booked over
2,000 times, largely by audiences inter¬
ested in the rehabilitation of returned
soldiers, while World of Plenty, dealing
with post-war food problems, is of in¬
terest to agriculturists and nutrition ex¬
perts. D-Day, Cherbourg and Road to
Paris are three of a series called “Act
and Fact” which uses combat footage
to record the war on the Western Front.

192 June, 1945 • American Cinematographer

THE TELEVISION CAMERA

By RICHARD HUBBELL

1IKE the human eye but unlike the
motion-picture camera, the televi¬
sion eye is always “seeing” when¬
ever any light reaches it. The motion-
picture camera “sees” only when it has a
strip of film in it, but the photosensitive
plate in the television camera generates a
signal constantly. (Whether or not that
signal is “seen” depends on whether the
camera is turned on, and whether the
control apparatus is amplifying the sig¬
nal and reproducing it on a screen.) The
camera is so sensitive to light that, when
it is not in use, a cap is placed over the
lens to exclude all light and thus pro¬
long its useful life. Excessive light can
“burn” a spot on the mosaic of the tube,
ruining it for broadcast usage.

Cameras in commercial use (1936-45)
were manufactured under RCA or Farns¬
worth patents, with the RCA types more
widely used for studio and outdoor pick¬
ups. Most cameras of prewar vintage
are built around RCA Iconoscopes, and
a few around RCA Orthiconoscopes, pop¬
ularly called Orthicons. The Farnsworth
type of camera tube is known as the
Image Dissector and has been used large¬
ly for picking up motion-picture film
telecasts.

Intense illumination is required to pro¬
duce a good picture with prewar Icono¬
scopes and Image Dissectors. In general
a greater amount of light is needed with
prewar models of these tubes than in
black and white motion-picture produc¬
tion, a minimum over-all lighting level
of 350 to 500 foot-candles being desir¬
able on all parts of a given scene. High¬
lighting and modeling lights are added to
this.

If sufficient light is not reflected from
all parts of the scene viewed by the
camera, the photosensitive mosaic is not
sufficiently activated by the underlit por¬
tions. The result is an “undermodulated”
picture which does not transmit well, or
a picture in which the edges suffer from
“edge flare.”

In 1939, RCA began to introduce a
few models of its improved type of cam¬
era, the Orthicon, which was four to
five times more sensitive to light than the
Iconoscope, although not capable of
transmitting as sharp a picture as the
Iconoscope because of lower powers of
contrast and resolution. During the war,
improvements in design made possible an
Orthicon with higher resolution and a
further increase of sensitivity, about
another 400 to 500 per cent.

Both the Image Dissector and the
Orthicon are free from a peculiarity of
the Iconoscope: the need for “shading”

Note: The above article is a chapter of “Televi¬
sion Programming and Production,” a new book
by Richard Hubbell, which is soon to come from
the press of Murray Hill Books. Mr. Hubbell is
noted for his book, “4000 Years of Television,”
and has graciously permitted the American Cine¬
matographer to present this preview of an inter¬
esting chapter to its readers. — The Editor.

of the picture by an extra engineer. In
order to control a technical quirk of the
Iconoscope, a special video engineer must
constantly be fiddling with knobs and
dials to keep the picture correctly shad¬
ed. The visible effect is the lighting of
an overly dark portion of the screen.

The high level of illumination needed
for prewar television cameras caused ex¬
treme discomfort for actors and studio
personnel, particularly in small, ill-ven¬
tilated studios equipped entirely with
hot, incandescent lights. Air condition¬
ing helped considerably but did not solve
the problem, which was to produce either
more sensitive cameras or “cold light.”
There are two types of “cold light” —
mercury vapor, and fluorescent — both of
which offer much promise for the fu¬
ture.

A camera takes pictures because light
waves enter it and effect a photosensi¬
tive surface. The human eye works in
the same way and so does the television
camera. Since the photosensitive surface
in any camera or eye has a fairly uni¬
form and constant degree of sensitivity
to light, and since most sources of light
can vary considerably from bright to
dark, some device is needed to regulate
the amount of light entering the cam¬
era or eye.

In the human eye the device is auto¬
matic. Look closely in the mirror at your
eyes, noting the size of the black spot
in the center. Suddenly increase the
amount of light shining on your eyes, and
notice how the spot becomes smaller.
Since the intensity of the light has in¬
creased, more light will enter your eye
and “overload” it unless the flow of light
is decreased. The black “spot” in your
eye does just that. It is called the pupil
and it is the opening through which the
light waves enter. It is automatically
closed down when the light increases.
Turn off the light and it will again be¬
come bigger in order to admit more light
so that you can see.

In a television camera, as in most
photographic cameras, there is a similar
device, usually called the diaphragm. In¬
stead of being automatic it is adjusted
by hand. If the lighting on a scene is
weak, its stop-opening is opened wide.
If the lighting is very strong the stop¬
opening is closed down.

Just as in measuring weight, or dis¬
tance, or time, we have standard meas¬
ures — pounds, yards, and minutes — so
some sort of universal measux-ing term
is needed to provide a guage of the
amount A)f light used in cameras. Such
a system has been worked out by photo¬
graphers and lens manufacturers all over
the world. The diaphragm of every lens
has a control lever or ring which is cali¬
brated with this standard measuring
unit — called stop numbers. These num¬
bers always mean the same thing, no

matter how big or small a lens may be.
A tiny, 8 mm. motion-picture camera
with its lens adjusted for stop number
11, and a television camera with a lens
ten times as big and set at stop number
11, get the same relative amount of light.
The numbers mean the same thing on all
lenses, regardless of their size.

These stop numbers are also known
as “f” numbers, because the letter “f”
is generally used to identify them — just
as the $ sign is used to indicate dollars
and the % sign is used to indicate per
cent.

Lenses are usually so calibrated that
each division indicates approximately an
increase of 100 per cent in the amount
of light which can pass through the
opening. The largest “f” number indi¬
cates the smallest possible opening of the
diaphragm, while the smallest “f” num¬
ber indicates the largest possible dia¬
phragm opening. (For example, the “f”
numbers of a television camex-a lens
might run f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/11, f/16,
with the latter the smallest opening of
the lens. No settings smaller than f/8
could be used on the prewar type of
cameras because of their low sensitiv¬
ity.) As the lens is opened up from f/16
to f/11, it will admit twice as much light,
and so on up the scale. Each division
admits twice as much light as the one
ahead of it, with f/2.8 admitting 32
times as much light as f/16, and so on.

Of course “f” numbers other than the
ones just listed are also used. Some
lenses may open up to f/2.7 — just a bit
wider than f/2.8. Or a “fast” lens might
open up to f / 1.9, which passes 100 per
cent more light than f/2.8, while a very
fast lens might go to f / 1.5, which is con¬
sidered about half a stop number better
than f/1.9 — and would therefore pass
about 50 per cent more light than f/1.9.

In general, lenses are identified by
their largest opening, which is called a
lens’ speed. A very fast lens, such as an
f/1.9 or an f / 1.5, is a more expensive
lens than a slow f/4 — assuming both
lenses are the same size. A fast lens can
take a picture of a scene with less illum¬
ination than a slow lens because a fast
lens can be opened up much wider.

The cori-ect stop number (lens open¬
ing) for most studio television programs
can usually be determined by the cam¬
eraman on the basis of previous opera¬
tions in that studio, but when any radical
lighting changes are made, or when
the cameraman is working in unfamiliar
suiTOundings, he will usually check his
lighting with an exposure meter. The
standai’d type of exposure meter uses
a photoelectric cell and gives a camera-
man an instantaneous and accurate read¬
ing of the intensity of light on any given
object. From this i-eading he can imme¬
diately determine the largest and smal¬
lest openings of the diaphragm which can
be used for that scene with each lens
of each camera.

Different types of lenses are used for
different purposes with any type of cam-
(Continued on Page 1 96 )

\

American Cinematographer • June, 1945

193

Movement In Movies

By EZRA GOODMAN

SLAVKO VORKAPICH is a rather
exotic name and the word “mon¬
tage” seems to be on the esoteric
side. But Vorkapich, the former M-G-M
montage expert, who has recently been
directing some of the best of the “This
Is America” series for RKO, is an out¬
spoken man who talks good common
sense about motion pictures. He has
now returned to Hollywood after a
stint in the East, and it is likely that
before long he will have a chance to
put some of his theories into practice
for a major studio.

Montage, in Hollywood, has a special
meaning. When Vorkapich was working
for M-G-M, he devised montages for
numerous pictures, mainly to get across
a point economically or to bridge a time
lapse. In a matter of moments, with
images cascading across the screen, he
was able to show Jeanette MacDonald’s
rise to fame as an opera star in “May¬
time,” the beginning of the revolution
in “Viva Villa,” the famine and exodus
of “The Good Earth” or the plague se¬
quence of “Romeo and Juliet.”

But the theory behind montage, ac¬
cording to Vorkapich, has wider applica¬
tions and can be used to tell an entire
screen story, not just an isolated moment
in it. This theory is the rather familiar
one that movies should move, that mo¬
tion pictures are a visual medium, and
that the camera is the means with which
the screen creator expresses himself. Al¬
though this theory has been set forth
frequently, it has too rarely been put
into effect. Most movies today, Vorka¬
pich contends, are merely extensions of
stage technique. They are based on
a theatrical use of dialogue, and the
camera, through no fault of the camera¬
man, records the action passively instead
of participating actively in the proceed¬
ings.

These are generalizations composed of
fairly big words. To get down to con¬
crete cases, Vorkapich avers that mo¬
tion pictures were initially devised to
record movement — whether of horses,
trains or custard-pie wielders — and that
the word “movie” is indicative of the
nature of the medium. Vorkapich’s the¬
ory is that movement arouses an in¬
voluntary visceral reaction in the spec¬
tator, and that different movements can
evoke different types of responses. An
upward movement, for instance, usually
represents aspiration or exaltation. A
descending movement is symbolic of
heaviness or danger. A circular, revolv¬
ing movement is emblematic of a cheer¬
ful mood. A pendulum movement con¬
veys monotony and relentlessness. And
a diagonal, dynamic movement stands
for the overcoming of obstacles.

These are physiological facts promul¬
gated by the behaviorist school of phil¬
osophy. Since becoming a part of the
picture industry in 1928, Vorkapich has
experimented with these various ideas
and has found them to be true. He wants
to make it clear that he does not be¬
lieve in motion for its own sake: too
many directors today use dolly and boom
shots simply to have so-called move¬
ment in a movie. Vorkapich says that
there must be a reason for each move¬
ment, arising out of the subject matter.
In the pioneer days of the screen, slap¬
stick comedies and Westerns made use
of a crude form of this technique. Vorka¬
pich wants to see it applied to more com¬
plex ends in order to convey subtleties
of mood, reaction and motivation.

In 1934, Vorkapich did two montages
for Hecht and MacArthur’s “Crime
Without Passion” at the Astoria studios
in New York. He cites one of these,
dealing with the symbolic unleasing of
the Furies, as a sort of master manual
of visual screen technique. This sequence,
in its original form, ran to only 300 feet
of film, but it encompassed most of
the things that can be done with a cam¬
era and film.

The sequence opened with Claude Rains
shooting Margo. The initial shot was a
full-screen closeup of one of Margo’s
eyes as she stared into the gun. Vorka¬
pich shot this closeup as a still picture
in order to have the reverse of move¬
ment with the resultant feeling of hold¬
ing one’s breath. Vorkapich points out
that the absence of movement can be
as important to an artist as movement
itself: all life is composed to contrasts.
From this static closeup, he dissolved to
a closeup of the muzzle of the gun in
an exact overlap that found the gun in
the same place on the screen as the eye
had been. He cut back to the eye, this
time showing a slight twitch. The next
shot was again of the barrel of the gun.
The shot of the gun was expressed vis¬
ually by a number of quick flashes, an
all-black frame alternating with a white
one. Each of these shots was held on
the screen for only two frames. In this
way, the rapid, volatile effect required
was attained visually.

Vorkapich adds that the sound of the
gun shooting was on the sound track, but
that the result was all the more power¬
ful for being a welding of the visual
and aural. He observes that the cre¬
ative use of sound is important to a
motion picture. Sound on the contem-
parary screen consists mostly of dialogue
or obvious sound effects. I remember
a picture Alfred Hitchcock made in Eng¬
land in 1937, called “The Woman Alone.”
In one scene Sylvia Sidney is shown
about to murder her husband, Oscar
Homolka, with a kitchen knife. There

is a deathly silence on the screen as
Miss Sidney picks up the knife, almost
without realizing it. Then, as she sees
that she is holding the knife, she lets
it fall back on the plate where it makes
a disproportionately loud noise. In this
case, Hitchcock manipulated sound just
as he did the camera with excellent
results.

To continue with the montage from
“Crime Without Passion”: the next shot
was of Margo’s eyes wincing in sudden
pain. The next shot was an out-of-
focus shot of smoke leaving the gun
and the man behind the gun. Vorkapich
explains that in an out-of-focus shot,
the spectator’s eye strains to bring the
picture into focus and that this effort
physically almost forces tears into the
observer’s eyes. Then there is a slow-
motion shot of the woman falling to the
ground in order to prolong the feeling
of agony. One of the things the screen
can do is to stretch time or compress
it for dramatic purposes. The march of
the police down the Odessa steps in the
Russian film “Potemkin” took perhaps
ten minutes to run on the screen. Ac¬
tually, such a march would have taken
only a few minutes in real life. Di¬
rector Sergi Eisenstein prolonged the
scene purposely in order to wring the
last drop of suspense out of it.

Before Margo was shown hitting the
ground in “Crime Without Passion,”
Vorkapich cut to a closeup of a drop
of blood hitting the ground. Then out
of the blood of the victim, the symbolic
Furies were shown rising and flying over
the city. Vorkapich shot this scene with
the Furies stationary and the camera
shooting from above and passing them
as it headed down. Since all space is
relative on the screen, the Furies seemed
to be in motion. When I was at the
Astoria studios where “Crime Without
Passion” was shot, I remember looking
at some of the sets stored away in one
corner of the studio. The sets were
flimsy and incomplete. Hecht and Mac-
Arthur, and Lee Garmes, the camera¬
man, had no use for expensive, cumber¬
some sets. They knew just what ef¬
fects they wanted to obtain and they
were able to get those effects easily
and inexpensively by using their in¬
genuity.

I cite this montage from “Crime With¬
out Passion” not because it is necessar¬
ily flawless, but because it represents
an approach to movie-making that has
been either forgotten or relegated to
the background in recent years. Most
of the shots I have quoted are quite
obvious ones, and the point I am mak¬
ing is almost a truism. This point has
been made many times before. I am
making it once more because no one
seems to pay any attention to what ap¬
pears to be the obvious thing. The
screen, as an artistic medium, has cer¬
tain inherent characteristics. It can
do things that other artistic mediums
can not. But these advantages of the
screen are rarely utilized today. It is
(Continued on Page 206)

194

June, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Membership Roll of

RESIDENT MEMBERS

L. B. Abbott
David Abel
Wesley Anderson
Lueien Andriot
Arthur Arling
John Arnold
Jerome H. Ash
Joseph August
Lueien Ballard
George Barnes
R. 0. Binger
Charles P. Boyle
John W. Boyle
Elwood Bredell
Norbert Brodine
James S. Brown, Jr.

Robert Burks
Dan B. Clark
Charles G. Clarke
Russell Collings
Ray Cory
Edward Cronjager
John Crouse
Russell A. Cully
Wm. H. Daniels
Allen M. Davey
Mark Davis
Faxon Dean
Robert deGrasse
Clyde DeVinna
E. B. DuPar
Max B. DuPont
Elmer Dyer
Paul E. Eagler
Arthur Edeson
A. Farciot Edouart
Max Fabian
Daniel L. Fapp
Ray Fernstrom
Frank Finger
Rolla Flora
George J. Folsey, Jr.

Ray Foster
Karl Freund
John P. Fulton
Glen Gano
Lee Garmes
Gaetano Gaudio
Merritt B. Gerstad
W. Howard Greene
Jack Greenhalgh
Loyal Griggs
Carl Guthrie
Harry Hallenberger
Ernest Haller
Sol Halperin
Edwin Hammeraas
Ralph Hammeras
Russell Harlan
Byron Haskin
Sid Hickox
James Wong Howe
Roy Hunt
Allan E. Irving
Paul Ivano

Fred H. Jackman, Jr.

Fred W. Jackman
Harry A. Jackson
H. Gordon Jennings
J. Devereux Jennings
Ray June
W. Wallace Kelley
Glenn Kershner
Benj. H. Kline
H. F. Koenekamp
Milton Krasner
Charles B. Lang, Jr.

Joe LaShelle
Ernest Laszlo
Charles C. Lawton, Jr.
Paul K. Lerpae
Marcel LePicard

the American Society

Lionel Lindon
Harold Lipstein
Walter Lundin
Warren E. Lynch
Joe MacDonald
Jack MacKenzie
Glen MacWilliams
J. Peverell Marley
Charles A. Marshall
Harold J. Marzorati
Rudolph Mate
George B. Meehan, Jr.

John J. Mescall
R. L. Metty
Arthur Miller
Virgil Miller
Victor Milner
Hal Mohr
Ira H. Morgan
Nick Musuraca
Harry C. Neumann
L. Wm. O’Connell
Roy Overbaugh
Ernest Palmer
Harry Perry
Gus C. Peterson
R. W. Pittack
Robert H. Planck
Franz Planer
Sol Polito
Gordon B. Pollock
Frank Redman
Ray Rennahan
Irving Ries
Irmin Roberts
Georee H. Robinson
Len H. Roos
Jackson Rose
Charles Rosher
Harold Rosson
Joseph Ruttenberg
George Schneiderman
Charles Schoenbaum
John Seitz
Leon Shamroy
Henry Sharp
William A. Sickner
Jack Smith
Leonard Smith
Edward Snyder
Wm. E. Snyder
Theodor Sparkuhl
Wm. V. Skall
Ralph Staub
Mack Stengler
Archie J. Stout
Harry Stradling
Walter Strenge
Karl Struss
Robert L. Surtees
Philip Tannura
J. O. Taylor
Ted Tetzlaff
Stuart Thompson
Robert Tobey
Gregg Toland
Joseph Valentine
James C. Van Trees
Josef von Sternberg
Sidney Wagner
Joseph Walker
Vernon Walker
Lester White
Harry Wild
Wm. N. Williams
Rex Wimpy
Alvin Wyckoff

NON-RESIDENT MEMBERS

Charles E. Bell
Georges Benoit
O. H. Borradaile
J. Burgi Contner

of Cinematographers

John Dored
Norman Dawn
Jos. A. Dubray
Frank L. Follette
Charles Harten
Reed N. Haythome
Charles W. Herbert
John L. Herrmann
Leo Lipp

Alfred Jacquemin
Don Malkames
Carl Pryer
James Seeley
William Steiner, Jr.

Prasart Sukhum
A1 L. Wetzel
Frank C. Zucker

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

Simeon Aller

Edger Bergen

Louis A. Bonn

George A. Cave

Ralph Farnham

Fred W. Gage

A. J. Guerin

Emery Huse

L'oyd A. Jones

Wilson Leahy

Sidney Lund

J. H. McNabb

Dr. C. E. K. Mees

Lewis L. Mellor

Peter Mole

Hollis Moyse

Dr. W. B. Rayton

Elmer C. Richardson

Park J. Ries

Dr. V. B. Sease

Dr. James S. Watson, Jr.

James R. Wilkinson

PAST MEMBERS

G. Floyd Jackman
Sam Landers
Douglas Shearer

HONORARY MEMBERS

E. O. Blackburn
J. E. Brulatour
A. S. Howell

Lt. Colonel David MacDonald
G. A. Mitchell

MEMBERS IN THE UNITED
STATES ARMED FORCES

Lt. Cdr. Philip Chancellor

Capt. Wilfrid Cline

Stanley Cortez

Major Floyd Crosby

Brig. General Edward Curtis

Wm. H. Dietz, USNR

Capt. Henry Freulich, USMC

Cdr. Alfred Gilks, USNR

John T. Hickson

Lt. Winton Hoch

David S. Horsley

Capt. Lloyd Knechtel

Capt. Arthur Lloyd

M/Sgt. Fred Mandl

Capt. Ted McCord

Lt. Wm. C. Mellor

T/Sgt. Wm. Rees

Lt. Cdr. Allen Siegler, USNR

Capt. Clifford Stine

Allen Q. Thompson, USNR

Capt. Leo Tover

Capt. Thomas Tutwiler

Lt. Paul C. Vogel

Capt. Gilbert Warrenton

Lt. Dewey Wrigley

Frank Young

American Cinematographer • June, 1945

195

The Television Camera . . .

(Continued from Page 193)

era, television or photographic. The “nor¬
mal” lens, the basic lens, is the one which
gives the camera — and hence the viewer
of the picture — the same perspective
and view he would get with his own
eyes.

Suppose you are watching a horse race,
and you can see everything quite well
with your own eyes — race track, crowds
of people, sky and clouds, and the
horses coming down the track. Now you
want to see the horses more clearly, so
you raise a pair of field glasses to your
eyes— or perhaps it is a small telescope
— and then you can see the horses clear¬
ly. They appear much larger to your
eyes, but you no longer see the crowds of
people and the sky. You have focused on
one part of the view and magnified it
for better seeing while excluding the
rest of the scene.

If you are using a camera on the
same race, you would be putting a spe¬
cial lens on the camera, which then
would magnify the part of the scene you
wish to photograph more clearly. This
lens will be longer than the ordinary
lens on your camera. It probably will
stick out several inches in front. In ad¬
dition to magnifying the view of the
horses, it will exclude the rest of the
over-all scene, just as the field glasses or
telescope did when you peered through
it. It has the effect of making the
horses seem much closer than they were
with the original, “normal” lens.

The value of having various types of
interchangeable lenses is that they in¬
crease the flexibility of your camera.
Without having your camera at all you
can get a variety of different shots of
the same scene, ranging from infinitely
long shots to extreme close-ups. The
same variety can also be achieved by
moving the camera back and forth, but
sometimes this is not practical or con¬
venient — as at a horse race. On many
occasions in studio programs it is desir¬
able to get an extreme close-up without
having to move your camera up to with¬
in a foot or so of the subject — thus dis¬
tracting the actors, getting in the way
of other cameras, and getting between
the lights and the subject, thereby cast¬
ing a shadow upon it.

The use of a close-up lens gives a
form of distortion to the picture, since it
shows the image with a spatial relation¬
ship different from that which the un¬
aided eye would perceive. Distortion by
close-up lenses, desirable because it can
be accurately controlled, is not the only
type of optical distortion available to the
television producer. It can be carried in
the other direction by using a lens
which, instead of decreasing the sense
of distance by magnifying the image,
increases the sense of distance — the ef¬
fect obtained when one looks through the
wrong end of a pair of opera glasses.

This type of lens, known as a very
short, wide-angle lens, exaggerates per¬
spective. It can make an ordinary room
seem like a long hall. If a person stand¬
ing before the camera raises his hand
toward the lens, it can be distorted into
a huge fist, bigger than anything else
in the picture. Some early television sta¬
tions with very small studios have ex¬
perimented with this type of lens — to
make their tiny studios seem larger.

In general, the more a lens magnifies
a scene, the greater it is in length. For
this reason lenses are designated by
their focal length — as well as by their
speed. Thus we might describe a tele¬
vision lens as having a focal length of
six inches and a speed of f/2.8. Imme¬
diately a cameraman will know what
sort of view the lens will give and the
minimum amount of light which can be
used.

The normal lens — comparable to the
human eye — varies with the size of the
camera. An 8 mm. motion-picture cam¬
era has a normal lens of one-inch focal
length; a 16 mm. camera uses a one-and-
a-half-inch length, and a 35 mm. takes
approximately a two-inch lens. Note that
in each case the increase in the length
of the lens is comparable to the increase
of the area of photosensitive surface of
the film; 16 mm. film is twice as wide as
8 mm., and therefore the area of each
frame is four times larger. To focus the
larger picture needed to cover this great¬
er frame area a 50 per cent longer lens
is required. The bigger the photosensitive
surface upon which the image must be
focused, the longer and bigger the lens
must be. For example, in prewar Icono¬
scopes, the photosensitive mosaic is quite
large, something like 3 by 4 inches. The
normal lens used with this camera has a
focal length of six or six and a half
inches — which would be a powerful, tele¬
photo length on a small motion-picture
camera.

If the basic, normal lens on this type
of Iconoscope is six inches in focal
length, then the magnifying close-up
lenses are correspondingly larger — nine,
twelve, and eighteen inches. Any lens
less than six inches would exaggerate
distance, by extra wide-angle. A twelve-
inch lens would include a picture area
half of that covered by the six-inch lens,
but this area would fill the screen and
thus be magnified two times. An
eighteen-inch lens would include only
one-third, of the picture area of the six-
inch lens, and would thus magnify the
subject three times. A thirty-six inch
telescope lens, which might be used at a
football game, would magnify the sub¬
ject six times.

Needless to say, lenses as big as this
are clumsy to handle and very expensive
— particularly if they are “fast,” and
prewar television cameras had to have
“fast” lenses. (Telephoto lenses are usu¬
ally not as fast as those of shorter
lengths, because it is difficult and costly

to make a lens which has both high
power of magnification and great speed.)
The trend in postwar cameras is to¬
ward smaller size, photosensitive surfaces
placed close to the lens, which will make
possible the use of smaller lenses.

The importance of focus is so elemen¬
tal that it needs little elaboration. If
the television camera is not kept in
focus, the scene is not clear — if it is seen
at all. That much is simple, but how to
keep the picture in sharp focus is an¬
other matter. Each shot cannot be care¬
fully measured off and triple-checked as
in motion pictures. The cameras of tele¬
vision are constantly moving and must be
in focus all the time. The cameraman
must be continually adjusting his focus¬
ing mechanism if the picture is to be
sharp and clean, and for this reason his
view finder — through which he sees what
the camera is picking up — must be con¬
nected with the focusing device. If the
camera is out of focus, so is the view
finder, and he sees the error and corrects
it immediately.

Fundamental to the problem of getting
a good focusing view finder is the prob¬
lem of depth of focus, a thorn in the side
of prewar television directors, which
went hand in hand with the low sensitiv¬
ity of cameras. Depth of focus means
simply that portion of the area in front
of the camera in which objects will ap¬
pear in sharp, clear focus, without ad¬
justment of the camera. It extends from
the closest point to the camera at which
an object will be in focus to the farthest
point. The distance between these two
points is the focal depth of a scene. In
most television studios it has been piti¬
fully small.

Depth of focus is determined by three
things in practical television produc¬
tion:

(1) The size of the stop-opening of
the diaphragm. The wider the opening,
the shallower the focal depth. Prewar
cameras, being very insensitive, needed
plenty of light on the scene, but that
illumination could be raised only to a
given point — beyond which it became too
hot to be endured by actors and studio
crew. Therefore in many prewar cameras
it was necessary to open the diaphragm
to a low “f” number, such as f/2.8 or
even lower. This resulted in such a shal¬
low depth of focus that production of
satisfactory programs was severely lim¬
ited, as was the case at the Du Mont
studio in New York. At the CBS studio,
where most of the lighting was “cold” —
mercury vapor and fluorescent — and it
was possible to use more light on the
set without discomfort to the actors,
lenses could be stopped down to f/4.5
and sometimes to f/5.6, which helped
considerably.

This problem will be eased by the
introduction of more sensitive cameras
which can operate at much smaller stop-
openings and thus give a reasonable focal
depth.

(Continued on Page 206)

196

June, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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A few thumbnail sketches starts the design.

Further refinement is accomplished with the pencil.

And then the airbrush is brought into play.

Industrial Film Review

By ED PYLE

Title: “Industrial Design.”

Producer: Frank Knaus, 2113 North
Parkside, Los Angeles.

Type: Educational. (Designing a ra¬
dio cabinet from first rough idea sketches
to the finished air-brush drawing.)

Length: 400 feet (11 minutes) 16mm.
silent Kodachrome, titled, with accom¬
panying typed commetary suitable for
preparation of sound track).

Availability: Address inquiry to pro¬
ducer.

This film is the first subject of a
seines of educational films on commercial
and industrial arts, intended for distri¬
bution to high schools, colleges and vo¬
cational schools.

It gives the observer an over-all un¬
derstanding of how a radio cabinet is de¬
signed, from the first rough pencil sketch
to the finished air-brush drawing. The
use of Kodachrome greatly supplements
the presentation, as all the subtle shad¬
ings of skillful air-brushing in color
would have been lost on black-and-
white film.

Excellent hand-lettered introductory
and end titles, with type set sub-titles
help to tell the story, and the well writ¬

ten typed commetary accompanying the
film could be recorded to convert this
fine one-reel subject into sound.

The film consists almost entirely of
close-ups showing only the hands of the
designer manipulating his pencils,
brushes and air-brush. Camera angles
and framing are well handled, with most
scenes photographed from over the de¬
signer’s shoulder. A few scenes were
filmed from the opposite side of the
drawing board, resulting in the subject
appearing upside down. This is some¬
what of a distraction. To enable a
change of angle occasionally to avoid
monotonous scene sequence, left or right
over the shoulder views would be pref¬
erable to the upside down effect. Also,
a medium shot now and then, showing
more of the designer would add a lit¬
tle interest to the continuity.

The producer, however, should be con¬
gratulated on this first reel of an in¬
teresting and useful series.

Note to Industrial and Educational film makers:
Reviewing industrial and educational films is a
service this magazine gladly offers free. We
shall be glad to have Mr. Pyle review your films,
if you send them in with all the necessary pro¬
duction data. If sufficiently interesting, photo¬
graphs or blowups from the film are sent with
your film, we shall be glad to use them in con¬
nection with the review. — The Editor.

With the airbrush a few highlights are applied
to add sparkle

And here is the finished radio design. These are some
of the details shown in the film.

Details are added with a hand brush.

198

June, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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AMONG THE MOVIE CLUBS

Westwood Club

Plans are already under way for the
annual contest of the Westwood Movie
Club of San Francisco, which will be
held on November 30. The following
members of the Picture Review and Con¬
test Committee have been announced:
Chairman Jesse W. Richardson, Henry
Biggio, I. C. Gobar and Ed Franke.

Rules governing the contest are:

1. Any subject photographed in black-
and-white or color may be submitted.

2. No minimum or maximum require¬
ments as to length of film.

3. Commercial titles will not be ac¬
cepted.

4. All entries must be in the hands of
the contest committee on or before No¬
vember 15.

5. No entry will be accepted that has
won any award in any previous West-
wood Movie Club Contest.

6. Any leader or trailer indicating
any award by Home Movies, Movie
Makers or any similar organization must
be cut from entry before submission to
the contest committee.

The contest will be judged by three
judges who will not be contestants, and
who will be appointed by the contest
committee, with the approval of the
club president.

L. A. 8mm. Club

Much technical discussion and very
little film featured the May meeting of
the Los Angeles 8mm. Club, held at the
Bell & Howell Auditorium on May 8.
Program consisted of:

“A Thumb-nail Sketch of Each Past
President,” by Larry Zeman.

“Composition,” an interesting talk by
A1 Leitch.

“Continuity,” also interesting talk, by
Bill Wade.

“Use Filters,” told by Claude Cadar-
ette.

“Sound on 8mm. Film,” explained by
Fred Evans.

“Transitions,” how to make them, ex¬
plained by Milt Armstrong.

“Technical Discussion,” supervised by
John Walter.

“Red Cloud Lives Again,” Interna¬
tional first prize winner in competition
with 8mm. and 16mm., screened by Dr.
Bob Loscher.

Syracuse Club

The month of May was a busy one
for the members of the Syracuse Movie
Makers. The members devoted five
nights to the work of shooting, process¬
ing and editing the new club film which
is being made in an elaborate manner.

Utah Cine Arts Club

Technical highlight of the May meet¬
ing of the Utah Cine Arts Club was a
demonstration by A1 Londema of the use
of positive film in making titles. He was
assisted by Cloyd Herridge. They filmed
titles and developed them right before
the audience, and then hung them up to
dry.

Next followed the screening of the
very interesting film, “Highlights of
1944” by A1 Londema, which was an ex¬
cellent 8mm. record of A1 and his fam¬
ily’s activities.

Second film shown was “Shots of
Yosemite and Carmel,” by T. R. Pope.
It was presented with complete recorded
commentary, background music and
sound effects, and was very professional
in all respects.

Next was “Back to the Soil,” a film
that was among the “Ten Best” in 1942.
It was photographed by George Mesaros.

The “surprise” picture of the evening
was a technical film from the Filmo-
sound Library, “How Pictures Move and
Talk.”

At the conclusion of the screenings
the title strips that had been photo¬
graphed at the start of the meeting
were projected.

San Francisco Club

Four films and a talk on “Exposure
for Kodachrome” made up the program
for the May meeting of the Cinema Club
of San Francisco. The exposure talk was
given by Dave Redfield. The films shown
were:

“Vanities of 1945,” by Adaline Mein-
ert, a film of the roller skating Vanities.

“Billy,” a particularly interesting film
made by Club President Charles D. Hud¬
son of his young son.

“The Devil’s Garden” and “Mission
Gardens,” both photographed by Leon
Gagne.

Due to unusually wet conditions at the
Stone Dam Picnic Grounds, the proposed
field trip of the club has been postponed
for a month or more.

Brooklyn Club

Three 8mm. films in Kodachrome fea¬
tured the May 2 meeting of the Brook¬
lyn Amateur Cine Club, with an unusual
16mm. slow motion film as the conclud¬
ing number. Pictures shown were:

“The Heavens Declare the Glory of
God,” by G. Lutz.

“The Boss Comes to Dinner,” by Ryne
Zimmermann.

“Land of My Dreams,” by J. J. Harley.

“Slow Motion Studies,” from the Bell
Laboratory, by J. J. Harley. This pic¬
ture was filmed at 4000 pictures per sec¬
ond.

“Hail British Columbia,” by Leo Hef-
fernan, was the feature of the 16

meeting.

Saint Louis

Two unusual pictures featured the
May meeting of the Amateur Motion
Picture Club of Saint Louis.

First, “Yucutan,” photographed by Dr.
and Mrs. Walter Jordan. It was a beau¬
tiful picture in Kodachrome of the an¬
cient ruins in the hidden cities of Chi-
chen Itza, Uxmal, etc.

Next was a film, also in Kodachrome,
of St. Louis, by George Hysore. This
film was shown for an admirable reason.
It has recently been suggested that the
club make a film of St. Louis, depicting
its life in all its phases. In other words,
make a film of St. Louis that would be
a permanent record of how the people
of the city live in 1945, a film that in
years to come would have historical
value. Mr. Hysore’s film was screened
to give the members an idea for the
start of such a club film.

M.M.P.C.

Five distinguished films made up the
program for the 12th Annual Gala Night
of the Metropolitan Motion Picture Club,
held at the Hunter Playhouse, New York
City, the evening of May 11.

Topping the list was “In His Own
Judgment,” by Joseph J. Harley. This
film won the Hiram Percy Maxim Award
for 1944.

The other films were: “Snow on the
Mountains,” by Robert P. Kehoe. This
film was named one of the Ten Best
in Movie Makers Contest of 1944. “Sun-
struck,” by Geoi-ge Mesaros. It was
given an Honorable Mention in the 1944
Movie Makers Contest. “The Little
Ones,” by George A. Ward. “Windjam¬
mer,” by Sidney Moritz.

La Casa Movie Club

Three 16mm. and two 35mm. films
provided the filmfare for the May meet¬
ing of the La Casa Movie Club of Al¬
hambra, California, which will celebrate
its eighth birthday this month. Films
shown were:

“Gadget Night,” by R. A. Battles,
16mm.

“Grand Canyon,” 35mm., by C. H.
Bodner.

“Vacation Days,” 16mm., by Mrs. L. L.
Conrad.

“Southern California Views,” 35mm.,
by Mrs. Pearl Hall.

“Eastern Ramblings,” 16mm., by
Ralph Taylor.

Philadelphia Club

New officers elected by the Philadel¬
phia Cinema Club are:

President, James R. Maucher.
Vice-President, William Brink.
Treasurer, G. C. Kugler.

Secretary, Adolph Pemsel.

200 June, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Thanks to Victor’s World Wide Service, new chapters
of "Maintenance” are being written . . . keeping pre-war
and war time projectors at the gruelling, vital war job of
training and entertaining on the Fighting Fronts. At
home, too, Projectors must be kept running.

The various branches of the Service, Schools, Industry
and Churches have learned the value and importance of
this outstanding service . . . have learned that the word
"Sold” does not carry a finality of interest in the dynamic
job that Victor Projectors are doing throughout the world.

Yes, even 10-year-old Victors are
still doing duty due to the unusual

s interested and

quality of Victor
continuing service.

In post-war too, look to Victor
for the most comprehensive under¬
standing of the word, "Service.”

Originators of 16mm Equipment

Invest In Victory — Buy More War Bonds

Home Office and Factory: Davenport, Iowa
New Yprk (18)— McGrow Hill Bldg., 330 W. 42nd St,
Chicago (1) — 188 W. Randolph

American Cinematographer • June, 1945

201

Timely Tips For Wartime Vacations

By JAMES R. OSWALD

WITH present travel conditions
pretty much the same, if not
slightly darker, than last year,
it looks as though adventure seeking va¬
cationists are again this summer going
to have to forget about their long-
awaited cross-country jaunt, ocean
cruise, or trip to that “cabin in the
pines.” And when I mention wandering
vacationists, I am speaking of movie
makers, for more than a few of these
lovers of the outdoors consider their
cine equipment an essential part of every
journey.

But of this group of traveling filmers,
many can only be classed as “luke
warm” camera enthusiasts, since their
picture taking interest seems to end
with the days en route. The remainder
of the year the cine camera remains
neatly tucked away in the corner of
some bureau drawer, cupboard shelf, or
other out-of-the-way place, forgotten.

Those who are of the opinion that
“there’s nothing worth taking around
home” are going to be sadly disappointed
this summer, unless they awaken to the
fact that movie making begins at home.
These folks might well be compared to
the person who “couldn’t find the woods
because there were too many trees.”
Now, if never before, they should ac¬
quaint themselves with the photographic
opportunities of their immediate vicinity.

What is there worth taking around
home? A look around your own commun¬
ity will best decide that, but the scenes
accompanying this article are typical of
the many possibilities within easy reach
of the pursurer, and may offer a few
suggestions.

Take for instance the local zoo. Ani¬
mals are natural born actors and their
amusing antics rate a high priority on
your movie “shopping list.” The bears,
especially, are always good for a laugh
and are very “obliging.”

The illustrations on this page are blow-ups from 16mm
vacation movies made by the author.

Then there are the neighborhood parks
and playgrounds. Such shots need not
be dull and lifeless, if photographed
from the proper approach.

Picnic gatherings are always a source
of merriment and movie making. One
doesn’t have to travel great distances to
join in the fun of this good old Amer¬
ican custom !

Beach parties . . . and this doesn’t
necessarily mean the usual “pin-up” and
“glamour girl” studies. Search beyond
the glimmer of glamour, and your ef¬
forts will be rewarded, for straying
from the “beaten path.”

Sporting events and games of all sorts
offer plenty of activity for the filmer
who is “on his toes.” If cleverly handled,
lots of enthusiasm and suspense can be
whipped up in such scenes, even if those
participating in the action are total
strangers, and the wide-awake camera¬
man will want to capture every thrill-
packed second.

And so it goes on down the line . . .
familiar sights and common place hap¬
penings frequently overlooked in the

(Continued on Page 211)

202 June, 1945 • American Cinematographer

From the log of the good ship "SIEVE"

WITH canny judgement, the
Skiff Skippers will “log” this
voyage on AnscoHy pan Reversible Film.

For no matter how simple your equip¬
ment is, Hypan is the ideal film for
movie makers. It’s fast enough for all
but the very poorest light, and yet has
the fine grain so desirable for home
projection.

Not only that ... its full panchromatic
color sensitivity and balanced contrast

virtually insure sparkling, lifelike results.

Hypan’s latitude makes errors in ex¬
posure much less critical, too.

Ansco Hypan Reversible Film is made
for both 8 and 16mm cameras — 100-
and 50-foot rolls for 16mm; 25-foot,
double-width rolls for 8mm. If it’s not
available at your dealer’s today, ask
again tomorrow. Ansco,Binghamton,
New York. A Division of General
Aniline & Film Corporation.

Ask for

Ansco

8 and 16mm.

HYPAN FILM

KEEP YOUR EYE ON ANSCO — FIRST WITH THE FINEST

American Cinematographer • June, 1945

203

Activities of A. S.C. Members

AS THIS issue of the Cinematog¬
rapher goes to press members
-of the American Society of Cine¬
matographers are photographing the fol¬
lowing films:

Columbia Studios

Tony Gaudio is filming “The Bandit
of Sherwood Forest,” Russell Metty is
shooting “Pardon My Past,” Franz
Planer is director of photography on I
Love a Band Leader,” Joseph Walker is
making “Some Call It Love.”

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Charles Rosher is photographing “Yo¬
landa and the Thief,” George Folsey is
filming “The Harvey Girls,” Harry
Stradling is shooting “Early to Wed,”
Joseph Walker is filming “They Were
Expendable,” Sidney Wagner is doing
“For Better, For Worse,” Charles Scho-
enbaum is filming “Abbott and Costello
in Hollywood,” Charles Salerno She
Went to the Races,” and Len Smith' is
on location shooting “The Yearling.

Monogram

Harry Neumann is filming “Sunbonnet
Sue,” and William Sickner is shooting
“Song of the Border.”

Paramount

Lionel Lindon is filming “Too Good to
Be True,” Charles Lang is shooting
“The Stork Club.”

P.R.C.

Ben Kline is shooting “Club Havana,”
and Jack Greenhalgh is filming “Check¬
mate.”

R.K.O.

Joseph Valentine is filming “Tomor¬
row is Forever.”

20th Century-Fox

Edward Cronjager is filming “Kitten
on the Keys,” Joseph LaShelle is shoot¬
ing “Fallen Angel,” Leon Shamroy is
photographing “Leave Her to Heaven,”
Harry Jackson and Joe MacDonald are
filming “The Enchanted Voyage,” and
Norbert Brodine is shooting “Now It
Can Be Told.”

United Artists

Lee Garmes is director of photogra¬
phy and production assistant on “Young-
Widow,” and Hal Rosson is photograph¬
ing “Duel in the Sun.”

Universal

Elwood Bredell is filming “Lady on a
Train,” Paul Ivano is shooting “Uncle
Harry,” Charles Van Enger is filming
“On Stage, Everybody,” and George
Robinson is filming “Frontier Gal.”

Warner Brothers

Sol Polito is filming “A Stolen Life,”
Arthur Edeson is filming “The Time,
The Place and The Girl,” James Wong
Howe is photographing “Danger Signal,”
Carl Guthrie is shooting “Janie Gets
Married,” and Peverell Marley is filming
“The Two Mrs. Carrolls.”

June, 1945

A. S. C. Men Record
Great War Events

That members of the American So¬
ciety of Cinematographers are playing
a part in the really big events of the
war is evidenced by the following let¬
ter just received from Captain Lloyd
Knechtel of the Signal Corps, who is an
ASC member. Knechtel writes:

To Fellow A.S.C. Members:

I thought you might be interested
in knowing back in the “old country”
that one of your absent members was
entrusted with the motion picture cov¬
erage of the Nazi surrender in Italy.

It was something that all of us over
here were looking forward to, and it
was really more dramatic than you
might imagine. As you may read in the
enclosed Stars and Stripes, the German
officer didn’t like us making movies of
him, and he had just cause for being
nervous about it. The exposed film was
rushed by special plane to London where
dupes were made for release in Great
Britain. Then the original was flown to
Washington for news releases in the
States.

Others of the A.S.C. have also record¬
ed historic events over here. Lt. Paul
Vogel covered the conference pictures at
Malta, and Stanley Cortez was in on
the photography of the Crimea confer¬
ence at Yalta, assisting Major Gaskill,
an ex-newsreel man from Boston.

All best wishes to the A.S.C. Keep
sending good movies to us overseas.
Lloyd Knechtel,

Captain, Signal Corps.

Greetings from Marine
Capt. Henry Freulich

The following letter from Captain
Henry Freulich, member of the Ameri¬
can Society of Cinematographers, and
now Division Photo Officer, 6th Marine
Division, has just been received:

Dear fellows:

Just a line to say “hello.” We are
now permitted to tell our whereabouts.
I have been on Okinawa Shima since
April 1st. No doubt you all read about
this important and successful operation.

Have 38 photographers in our photo¬
graphic section. A wonderful group of
boys who have done a great job. Thank
God, none of them has been killed — only
one wounded in the leg, and now back
with his regiment.

I forgot to say that we are 635 miles
from Tokyo.

Best wishes to all of you, and how’s
about hearing from some of you? Cer¬
tainly would appreciate some news from
home.

HENRY FREULICH.

Note: Henry’s address is: Capt. Henry Freulich,
Div. Photo Officer, Gth Marine Division, Fleet P.O.,
San Francisco, Calif.

/

American Cinematographer

Aces of the Camera . . .

(Continued from Page 187)

starring Wallace Beery and Raymond
Hatton. Then Howard Hughes hired
him and placed him in charge of all
exterior and aerial photography on
“Hell’s Angels.” He put in another 150
hours of flying on that picture.

Harry quit the air pictures then and
went with Multicolor Films, making one-
reel shorts for Educational Films. They
were called “Romantic Journeys,” and
Harry was off again on his globe-trot¬
ting. He shot Grand, Zion and Bryce
Canyons. Then he went to Africa where
he went from Casablanca to Tunis by
auto. Then he went to advanced posts
of the French Foreign Legion in tl\e
Atlas Mountains. Next he made a three
weeks trip over the Sahara Desert. From
there he journeyed to Paris, then on
to Germany, making pictures in Ba¬
varia, Munich and from airplanes over
the Alps. He went on to London where
he photographed that city from the air,
and then returned home.

Soon after his return he started mak¬
ing backgrounds for transparencies,
mostly exteriors. Shooting these back¬
ground scenes took Perry to many
places. In 1935 he went to England,
France, Spain, Italy, Austria and Switz¬
erland for Paramount. In 1936 he went
to Europe again to make scenes and
backgrounds for Samuel Goldwyn’s
“Dodsworth.” On the same trip he shot
scenes for Paramount and several other
producers. On that trip he worked in
Paris, Vienna, Venice, Naples, Capri,
London and Ireland. He was gone five
months.

In 1937 he went to Lake Placid for
Paramount for scenes for “I Met Her
in Paris.” He shot scenes from a bob¬
sled while it was going sixty miles an
hour down the sled run. In the same
year he went to ^Europe again for Para¬
mount, getting scenes for “Bluebeard’s
Eighth Wife” in Paris and on the Re-
viera. In 1938 he went to New York
to shoot scenes for Paramount to be
used in “Cafe Society” and “Invitation
to Happiness.”

The year 1939 found Harry first in
the Bahamas and Florida shooting back¬
grounds for Paramount’s “Honeymoon in
Bali,” and then in August he arrived in
Switzerland with a French camera crew
to make scenes for ‘'Rebecca.” With the
outbreak of the war he returned home,
as we explained in the opening para¬
graphs of this article.

He couldn’t seem to stay put in Hol¬
lywood, however, and in 1940 he went
to New York to do scenes for Para¬
mount’s “New York Town,” and to Flor¬
ida, Haiti and Grand Turk Islands look¬
ing for locations for Paramount. Then
he was off for Randolph Field, Texas, for
Paramount’s “I Wanted Wings.”

In 1941 he went to Palm Beach for
R.K.O.’s “My Life With Caroline;” to
New Orleans for “Sunny;” to Grand
(Continued on Page 214)

204

Preview of me new

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Your Cine-Kodak dealer has the full story

OTHER
EASTMAN
“FIRSTS” WILL
FOLLOW

KODAK is, of course, on war work almost exclusively; but
the Government has recently approved the production of a
limited number of the new Kodascope Sixteen-20’s, most of
which are being supplied on priorities to schools and busi¬
ness organizations. Keep in touch with your Cine-Kodak
dealer — you may be getting your Sixteen-20 sooner than you
think. Price — $174.50, with 50-mm. //1.6 lens and 750-watt
lamp. Five accessory lenses and 1000-watt lamp are available.

ROCHESTER

N.

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KODAK

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American Cinematographer • June, 1945

205

The Television Camera . . .

(Continued from Page 196)

(2) Focal depth is also determined
by the distance of the camera from the
subject. The greater the distance, the
greater the focal depth. On close-ups
the focal depth is very shallow. With a
prewar type of Iconoscope camera, using
a six inch lens set at f/2.8, the focal
depth on an extreme close-up may run
about two to three inches — not enough
to keep both nose and ears in sharp
focus! If the camera is moved back ten
feet from the subject, the resulting focal
depth would be perhaps eighteen to twen¬
ty inches. When the camera is moved
back to twenty feet, the focal depth in
a long shot might be about three feet.

(3) Focal depth can also be changed
without moving the camera by changing
the lens. If a long lens is substituted
for a short one, the focal depth of the
picture is decreased but the picture is
changed as well since the subject ap¬
pears to be larger and closer to the cam¬
era. And if a short lens is substituted
for a long one, the focal depth is in¬
creased but the subjects in the picture
appear smaller.

Perhaps the importance of focal depth
can be made clear by the following hypo¬
thetical situations in which an Icono¬
scope with a nine-inch lens set at f/4.5
is used:

Assume that you are directing a tele¬
vision show, and you wish to get a shot
of two people seated at a table. You line
up a picture which you think will be very
nice, shooting at an angle which should
make one person appear very large — be¬
cause he is close to the camera — and the
other person small and far away. This
seems nice and dramatic in your mind’s
eye, until you see the result on the
screen. If you have one person in sharp
focus, the other one is blurred and out
of focus — and vice versa. The shot ap¬
pears to be impossible, because your
depth of focus is too shallow. One per¬
son is six feet from the camera, and the
other one is nine feet — three feet farther
away.

“And you see,” says your cameraman,
“our depth of focus is only fourteen
inches.”

Possibly the shot still can be used, but
you will have to make one or more of the
following adjustments:

(1) Use a smaller stop opening on
your cameras. But to do this you will
have to (a) greatly increase the amount
of light on the set, or (b) get a more
sensitive camera, or (c) try to compen¬
sate for the loss of light by having your
control engineer raise the “gain,” in¬
crease the power of the circuits ampli¬
fying the picture. He will undoubtedly
object, because the picture may be too
weak and too washed out to transmit
the way he wants it to be transmitted.
Nevertheless, maybe he can squeeze just
a little bit more out of the system.

(2) Move your camera farther away
from the subjects, increasing your depth
of focus but also bringing other objects
into view — which may or may not upset
the purpose of the shot.

(3) Change lenses, if you cannot move
your camera back. Use a shorter, wider-
angled lens, which will include a greater
area in the picture, make the subjects
seem further away and give you more
depth of focus.

(4) “Split” the focus of your cam¬
era. Instead of trying to keep one
person in perfect, sharp focus at the
expense of losing the other, focus your
camera for a point midway between the
two, which may give you a reasonably
acceptable focus on both subjects.

(5) Change the position of your cam¬
era in relation to the subjects, or change
their positions with relation to the cam¬
era. In this way you can bring both of
them closer together and within the
focal depth of the camera — which, of
course, may make the shot look awfully
stiff.

Any summary of outstanding char¬
acteristics of early cameras should also
include the fact that the Iconoscopes and
Image Dissectors transmitted a reason¬
ably high amount of definition. The
Iconoscope, although more sensitive than
the Image Dissector, needs extra ampli¬
fying tubes in the pickup head itself,
which increases the size and weight of
the camera. In general, cameras of the
1935-45 decade were clumsy, heavy,
bulky, and awkward to handle because
of the heavy coaxial cable which links
the camera to the control room. They
were not often designed from a prac¬
tical cameraman’s point of view, focus¬
ing devices being awkward, view finders
unreliable and lacking in certain desir¬
able qualities, and seating arrangements
for the cameraman uncomfortable or
nonexistant. These characteristics intro¬
duced a problem of fatigue: if a camera¬
man kept his camera highly mobile, he
soon became physically tired and had
to be replaced.

These are the outstanding character¬
istics of the television camera, circa
1935-45. Now let us see how it can be
improved. What are some of the charac¬
teristics of the ideal television camera?

Movement in Movies

(Continued from Page 194)

a wonderful, vast field that has barely
been touched. As Vorkapich says, the
world of color is the domain of painting,
the world of tone is the province of
music, and the world of movement is
the characteristic of film. The full range
of movie movement — by means of cut¬
ting, dissolving, moving shots, pan shots,
slow motion, reverse action and the
many other things the camera can do —
can be used to probe the most com¬

plex and subtle moods and situations.
Movement does not have to deal only
with physical movement. It can deal
also with action within people.

Vorkapich says that the trouble with
motion picture scripts today is they
are written in terms of theatrical dia¬
logue. He would like to see a scenario
written in two sections. On one side of
the page would be the dialogue, and on
the other would be a detailed resume of
the action and camera manipulation. He
says that if the action does not speak
for itself, then something is lacking in
the script. Such a scenario technique
would require that the writer be thor¬
oughly trained in the A, B, C’s of mo¬
tion picture production before he sits
down at the typewriter. It would mean
that the writer would think visually in¬
stead of from a literary standpoint, and
would consult experienced cameramen,
yes, would practically collaborate with
cameramen in writing the action for his
story.

Another requirement Vorkapich makes
of a movie is rhythm. Not the kind of
rhythm that is musical or even, but an
over-all rhythm in a picture that arises
out of the juxtaposition of the different
shots. I will cite another instance, the
current picture, “The Clock.” To my
mind, the most moving scene in the pic¬
ture is one that is told solely in terms
of the camera and that could have been
only briefly indicated by the writers.
The boy and girl are in the park at
night. Suddenly, looking at one another,
they are drawn toward each other as if
by some inner compulsion. The director
and cameraman handled this scene al¬
most as if it were a ballet. By some
dexterous cutting and camera movement,
and without a word being spoken, the
couple move towards each other tremu¬
lously and gravely. It was not the
usual love scene that is seen on the
screen. Handled with talent and imag¬
ination, it had overtones that words
could not approximate. The result was
the over-all combination of the different
shots, the rhythm of the scene.

“Montage,” Vorkapich says, “is French
for any kind of mounting, assembling,
putting together. Like many other words
it has a general and a special meaning.
Thus, the making of a complete picture
(assembling and putting together of in¬
dividual strips of film) is Montage in its
general meaning. So far, the possibili¬
ties of montage have been barely touched
upon. Practically, it has proved to be
a valuable economical device in regular
productions. Artistically it could be¬
come a true filmic form of expression.
Montage is not just a jumble of camera
tricks. They are tricks only when they
are used for their own sake and not
as a most graphic means of expressing
something. Montage is in reality a film
style of its own, and a very elastic
one at that, which uses purely visual
means, including all the possibilities of
the camera, of movement, of rhythm,
and of cutting to express feeling and
thoughts to tell stories.”

206

June, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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American Cinematographer • June, 1945

207

New Repeating Flash Tube For

Night Aerial Photography Announced

Details concerning the electric illumi¬
nation of an astounding new photoflash
camera, now in use by the armed forces,
and designed to take clear bird’s-eye pic¬
tures by night from reconnaissance
planes has been revealed by Lamp De¬
partment of General Electric at Nela
Park. The new and revolutionary light
source has been designated as the G-E
Mazda Flash Tube.

The night aerial photoflash camera,
of which the repeating “flash tube” is
a part, played a significant role in the
success of the Normandy Invasion and
in subsequent operations in the European
theater. It is a complicated device which
required several years of development
on the part of Dr. Harold E. Edgerton,
professor of electrical engineering at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology;
technicians of the Photographic Labor¬
atory, Air Technical Service Command
headquarters, Wright Field, Ohio; and
engineers at the Nela Park laboratories.

Phenomenal feature of the “flying
flash camera” is its ability to “shoot”
earthward successive flashes, each as

Details of equipment of B-29 photo¬
graphic reconnaissance planes now in
action in the Pacific have been released
by the Army Air Forces at Wright Field,
Dayton, Ohio, as follows:

Designed by the Air Technical Serv¬
ice Command in conjunction with Fair-
child Camera & Instrument Corp., New
York, and Boeing Aircraft Company, Se¬
attle, the superfortress photo plane, des¬
ignated the F-13A, carries more cameras
than any other reconnaissance aircraft,
without sacrificing any of the B-29’s
deadly firepower.

It can deliver almost as much weight
of bombs as the B-29, and matches its
range and speed. It employs a complete
combat crew of 11, plus camera tech¬
nicians.

Its battery of six cameras makes
the F-13A the most versatile of recon¬
naissance planes. For photo-mapping ter¬
ritory, the F-13A has a tri-metrogon
installation of three Fairchild K-17 map¬
ping cameras mounted side by side, one
pointed down for vertical pictures and
the others flanking it, pointed toward
the horizon for obliques. The tri-
metrogen set-up photographs a strip 20
to 30 miles wide, depending on the alti¬
tude at which the plane is flying.

For highly-detailed reconnaissance and

brilliant as a bolt of lightning — and all
made possible at the touch of a button.

For proper operation, the G-E Mazda
Flash Tube is plugged into any one of
three rather complex electronic devices
designed for its use. Puipose of the
auxiliary system is to pile up a tre¬
mendous amount of electrical energy
which, when released suddenly into the
flash tube, results in a blinding “explo¬
sion of light.”

Although each flash of the new flash
tube is many hundred times as bright
as that from flash bulbs used by news
photographers, its duration is confined
to a mere one thousandth of a second.
So great, however, is the heat developed,
that a steady blast of air must be forced
through the jacket to cool the coil.

Accompanying each flash is a distinct
and startling “pop!” caused by the sud¬
den expansion (caused by heat) of sur¬
rounding air. Despite the forced cooling
of the light source, heat from the flash
is so intense that it chars wood at a
distance of a foot or so from the tube.

photo interpretation work, the F-13A
carries two Fairchild K-22 cameras in
a split vertical mount. These cameras
photograph particular targets, such as
railroad yards, harbor facilities, gun in¬
stallations or industrial plants. In con¬
trast to the tri-metrogon, the area cov¬
ered by split vertical cameras at 20,000
feet is only about two miles wide.

The sixth camera is a Fairchild K-18,
with an assignment similar to that of
the split vertical pair, but covering a
wider range and taking a larger nega¬
tive. It is used for close-ups of specific
areas mapped by the tri-metrogen, and
for photographing target areas which
do not require the pin-point detail of
the split vertical.

The F-13A can also be equipped — and
is, in many cases — with a Fairchild K-19,
designed for night photography with
aerial flash bombs.

The K-17, K-19 and K-22 cameras
make 9" x 9" negatives, and the K-18
has a 9" x 18" negative size. Film is fed
from rolls up to 390 feet in length in
special Fairchild magazines.

On routine missions, the F-13A’s cam¬
eras can take more than 5,000 separate
exposures, using enough film to make
7,500 rolls of film for ordinary box cam¬
eras.

Many Technical Papers Read
at S.M.P.E. Meeting

AMONG the many interesting tech¬
nical papers presented at the 57th
‘Semi-Annual Technical Conference
of the Society of Motion Picture Engi¬
neers, held in Hollywood May 14-18,
the most important to cinematographers
was the paper presented by Charles G.
Clarke, A.S.C., on “Practical Utilization
of Monopack Film.”

Clarke explained Eastman Monopack
use in the film of “Thunderhead” for
20th Century-Fox. He stated that every
scene, including interior sequences, proc¬
ess shots, special effects and all exterior
scenes were made on Monopack film. He
dealt with the problems encountered be¬
cause of variations in light conditions
and extremely wide range of background
material, and explained production tech¬
niques used and the benefits obtained
by using this method of making motion
pictures in color. Inasmuch as “Thunder-
head” is the first major studio feature
film shot entirely on Monopack, Clarke’s
paper was extremely important. (Note:
As soon as it can be arranged with the
S.M.P.E., Mr. Clarke’s paper will be
published in the American Cinematog¬
rapher. — The Ed.

Among the other papers read, the fol¬
lowing were of particular interest in the
field of cinematography: “The Printing
of 16mm. Kodachrome Duplicates,” by
R. M. Evans, Eastman Kodak Company;
“Machine Processing of Ansco Color
Film,” by J. L. Forrest, Ansco; “The
Filing and Cataloguing of Motion Pic¬
ture Film,” by C. M. Effinger, 20th Cen¬
tury-Fox; “The Projection Life of Film,”
by R. M. Talbot, Eastman Kodak Com¬
pany; “DuPont Fine Grain Sound Films,”
by N. W. Moyse, E. I. DuPont de Ne¬
mours & Co.; “A New Photographic De¬
veloper for Picture Negative,” by J. R.
Alburger; “An Intensity Scale Sensi-
tometer Based on the Dissipation of
Light Along the Sides of a Tube,” by
Paul Zeff, Columbia Pictures; “Positive
Vari-Focal View Finder for Motion Pic¬
ture Cameras,” by Dr. F. G. Back;
“Film — the Backbone of Television Pro¬
gramming,” by R. B. Austrian; “Tele¬
vision vs. Motion Picture Practices,” by
Klaus Landsberg; “The Recording of
Photographic Densities,” by J. G. Frane
and G. R. Crane, Electrical Research
Products Division, Western Electric Co.;
“Variable Area Release From Variable
Density Original Sound Track,” by John
Livadary and S. J. Twinning, Columbia
Pictures; “Cinemicrography in Biolog¬
ical Research,” by R. McV. Weston, Eng¬
land, and a demonstration lecture on
“The Problems of Amateur Color Pho¬
tography,” by R. M. Evans, Eastman
Kodak Company.

Beach-Head Canteens

Three hours after the initial landing
on Leyte, P. I., American Red Cross
men had established beach-head can¬
teens serving coffee and other refresh¬
ments.

Equipment of B-29 Photographic

Reconnaisance Planes Revealed

208 June, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Chicago Projectionists
Study Television

Definitely realizing the importance of
the picturization of current events and
incidents on the screen through televi¬
sion, moving picture operator locals in
key cities throughout the country are
expected to follow the lead of Chicago
local, No. 110, Moving Picture Opera¬
tors’ Union, which has authorized an
intensive study of radio-electronics and
television for its members.

More than 100 members of the Chi¬
cago local are included in the first class
now receiving instructions at DeFor-
est’s Training, Inc., Chicago, pioneer in
the teaching of industrial subjects with
the aid of motion pictures. One or more
additional classes will soon be formed.
Eventually all movie operators in the
Chicago area, numbering more than 300,
will take the course, according to Eu¬
gene J. Atkinson, business agent of the
Chicago local. DeForest for years has
included motion picture sound and tele¬
vision in its resident and home study
courses. More than 4,000 DeForest
trained technicians are operating mo¬
tion picture equipment, doing advanced
electronic work for the armed forces,
and holding key jobs in the industries
manufacturing critical radio, and elec¬
tronic equipment.

Motion picture union officials for sev¬
eral months have been studying the pos¬
sibility of television in metropolitan
theaters and the effect its adoption would
have on present-day operators. Finally
it was decided to prepare for this even¬
tuality by arranging for a course in tele¬
vision for every operator now employed
in the Chicago area.

After examining several radio-elec¬
tronic-television courses now available,
it was decided to ask DeForest’s Train¬
ing to outline a course in radio-elec¬
tronics in which the emphasis is to be
put on television. As a result of con¬
ferences with William C. DeVry, presi¬
dent of DeVry Corporation, and T. J.
LaFeber, general manager of DeForest’s
Training, Inc., union officials decided to
adopt the course prepared by DeForest’s
Training as the official course for Chi¬
cago union members. This course is pre¬
pared under the direction of Dr. Lee De¬
Forest, inventor of the Audion tube which
made radio possible.

The DeForest course covers a period
of 24 weeks. In addition to four hours
a week at DeForest’s Chicago labora¬
tory, each member of the class completes
a required amount of home work, which
includes motion picture training films,
in which method of industrial teach¬
ing DeForests is a pioneer.

Medical Kits For Prisoners

Red Cross medical kits for prisoners
of war contain standard preparations in
quantities sufficient for 100 men for one
month.

They Get Around

Two far-flung outposts of the motion
picture industry have recently acquired
new DeVry 35mm. projectors. Norman
Olsen, manager of DeVry Corporation’s
export department, announces the in¬
stallation of DeVry projectors in a new
theatre 'at Tananarive, Madagascar, and
in the Lyric theatre at Kodiak, Alaska.

Kansas On Screen

“Fertile Frontiers,” a new 16mm.
sound motion picture, in full color, is
now ready for distribution, on a nation¬
wide basis, by The Princeton Film Cen¬
ter, Princeton, New Jersey.

This 30 minute film tells an interest¬
ing and instructive story of the agricul¬
tural importance, the natural resources
and the industrial development of Kan¬
sas, one of the great states of the Mid¬
dle West.

Separate amplifier and speaker
provides portable P. A. facilities.

nature real

Clear black and white detail . . .
splendor of natural color . . . rock¬
steady reproduction that is kind to
the eyes . . . The ultimate of sound,
from the highest notes of the violin
to the deepest tones of the bassoon —
this you get "Nature Real" with a
DeVRY. See your films at their best
with a NEW DeVRY 16mm. Sound-on-
Film Projector . . . Shoot them with
a DeVRY camera. DeVRY Corpora¬
tion, I I I I Armitage, Chicago 14, III.

Only 5-time win¬
ner of Army-Navy
*"E” award for mo¬
tion picture sound
equipment.

DE\fey

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American Cinematographer • June, 1945

209

A Method of Film
Conservation

(Continued from Page 189)

ture will not appear as brilliant. This
reduction in light is compensated by the
use of a more efficient projector lamp
and/or lens of about an f:2.0 rating in
combination with a projector shutter of
the conventional type comprising two
adjustable shutter blades which reduce
or increase the shutter blade areas from
0 to 5 degrees; thereby transmitting a
greater amount of light onto the motion
picture screen. These shutter blades
may be adjusted and locked into proper
position individually.

In order to project these “reduced”
picture frames to standard, full screen
sizes, a standard (conventional) type
projector lens of a shorter focal length
is used which “blows-up” or enlarges

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the resolving power of films, and
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spectrum color processes. Write
for literature.

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the reduced pictures approximately forty
percent. It is assumed therefore, that the
grain effect on the screen will also be
increased, which an expert technician
might detect by comparison under or¬
dinary conditions, since graininess (on
the motion picture screen) appears in
the form of tiny, scattered specks that
dance about, giving a “boiling” effect;
particularly noticeable in the lighter,
middle-tone areas of uniform density.
The best solution to avoid graininess
then, is to choose a standard film of
slower emulsion speed and one with less
grain. Recent advances in emulsion man¬
ufacture have made it possible to in¬
crease the speed of an emulsion without
increasing its graininess. For example,
when a slow-emulsion, fine-grain film
with a resolving power of 110 or 150
lines per millimeter is used, graininess
is then far less apparent; and, even less
noticeable again, when an effective fine-
grain developer is used in the process¬
ing. With respect to color film, there
would be no grain problem involved.

It is generally accepted that Television
will assume tremendous proportions in
the post-war era, and since my invention
is ideal in every respect for telecasting,
because no enlargement is required in
telecasting, it offers Television com¬
panies as manifold advantages as it
does the motion picture industries.

Furthermore, it is my contention that
color may ultimately replace black and
white motion pictures as completely as
“Talkies” did silent pictures. Since
graininess is no problem with color film,
the economy effected by my invention
should open the door to a vast expan¬
sion in demand for color film by making-
color film available to innumerable users
of 35 and 16 millimeter equipment, other¬
wise heretofore unable to afford it, par¬
ticularly when several new and greatly
simplified “mono-pack” color films will
be available in the very near future.
Therefore, in producing colored motion
pictures with my method, standard
“mono-pack” type color film is preferred
in photographing, printing and project¬
ing, utilizing the identical methods and
procedures heretofore described.

An auxiliary, adjustable masking de¬
vice comprising two pair of metal leaves

arranged at right angles to each other,
which functions as an iris and yet main¬
tains a three to four ratio as to the
height and width of an 8, 16, 35 or 70
millimeter “Academy” picture frame,
and, which is mounted in or onto a pro¬
jector lens, is to be used in cases where
precision screen size “verniering” is re¬
quired or in cases where a projector de¬
sign will not permit a removable type
aperture plate.

An ordinary type of splice may be
used with any method and/or process,
but in order to eliminate the destruction
of any portions of the picture emulsions
by scraping away portions when splicing
in the customary manner, a special
“butt-end” type splice is employed. The
ends of the processed “reduced image”
film are placed end to end against one
another without any over-lap occurring;
then, the two ends of the films are joined
together by cementing a clear piece of
film embodying at least two or more
sprocket holes on either side of the piece
of clear film, with the non-emulsion sides
facing each other. A splice of this type
is very serviceable and may be re-spliced
without marring or destroying any por¬
tion of the picture or sound emulsion,
and usually without any added loss of
the film.

Should it be desired to keep the
alternate picture frames of the two se¬
quences in an upright rather than an
inverted position in relation to each
other, it will then be necessary to re¬
wind both the negative and positive
films.

New Filmosound Library
Releases Announced by B.&.H

NEVER A DULL MOMENT (Universal)
No. 2566 6 reels

A zany comedy with music — and very
well named. The “Three Funny Bunnies”
are supposed to double as jewel thieves
but fail to learn the crooks’ cues and
routines. (Ritz Bros., Frances Langford)
Available from May 19, 1945, for ap¬
proved non-theatrical audiences.

PHANTOM LADY (Universal)

No. 2560 9 reels

A casual, passing acquaintance has to
be found in order that an innocent man
be freed of a murder charge. (Ella
Raines, Franchot Tone, Alan Curtis)
Available from July 28, 1945, for ap¬
proved non-theatrical audiences.

SING A JINGLE (Universal)

No. 2559 6 reels

Ace radio crooner drops out of sight
when army “physical” rejects him after
big publicity build-up, and is re-discov¬
ered putting on morale show in war
plant, where he is regular employee.
(Allan Jones, June Vincent, Jerome
Cowan) Available from July 7, 1945, for
approved non-theatrical audiences.

RENTALS

SALES SERVICE

MITCHELL

BELL & HOWELL

Standard, Silenced, N. C.,

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(USED) (USED)

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35mm Double System Recording Equipment

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AMERA EQUIPMENT

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210

June, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Bell & Howell Service Craftsman Trailer Announced

First of a fleet of mechanically-
equipped service trailers which will pro¬
vide door-to-door service for users of
Bell & Howell Co. equipment was ex¬
hibited to the public in Chicago last
month.

The trailers are part of Bell & How¬
ell’s postwar program to provide skilled
maintenance service to schools, churches,
commercial firms, organizations, and
other users of its 16mm. sound and
silent movie projection equipment. The
trailers, each to be in charge of a gradu¬
ate of its training school, will operate
on a regular schedule so that equipment
can be serviced periodically.

The trailers also will be equipped
with a good supply of 16mm. film from
Bell & Howell’s rental library, as well
as equipment for film splicing and re¬
pairs.

Other trailer units will be added as
rapidly as postwar conversion will per¬
mit, according to J. H. McNabb, presi¬
dent. The company plans eventually to
have every section of the country under
its traveling trailer program.

First of the units has gone into serv¬
ice for Pictosound Movie Service of St.
Louis, and will be manned by a graduate
electrical engineer who has also com¬
pleted the service course at the Bell &
Howell factory. The territory of Picto¬
sound Movie Service includes Southern
Illinois, Eastern Missouri, and metropol¬
itan St. Louis. Its officials believe they
will need from three to five additional
trailers to properly service their terri¬
tory when the program is in full stride.

J. H. McNabb, right, President of Bell & Howell Co.,
and E. K. Stoeppelwerth of Pictosound Movie Service,
owner of first B&H Mobile Service Unit about to start
on its maiden trip.

Timely Tips for
Wartime Vacations

(Continued from Page 202)

movie maker’s quest for “adventure.”
Yet these scenes are the very ones that
“make” a movie, and hold their enter¬
tainment value indefinitely, if photo¬
graphed from a “human interest” stand¬
point.

Being able to judge worth while movie
material when one sees it comes from a
mixture of actual experience and good
common sense. Still life subjects, land¬
scapes, family groups, etc., belong in the
“snapshot” category. Lacking action, an
ordinary “still” camera will amply fill
the bill for such scenes, although once
in a while scenic views may be inter¬
mixed with action shots to good ad¬
vantage, especially when filming in Ko-
dachrome. So in spending your time
lolling around home this summer, above
all, don’t let your interest in movie
making be spoiled by a wartime vaca¬
tion.

Johnson to Fairchild

Oliver F. Johnson, who has been with
OPA as executive officer for field opera¬
tions, has joined Fairchild Camera & In¬
strument Corp., New York, photographic
equipment manufacturers. He will do
market research and postwar sales and
distribution planning.

American

a u r i c o n

ALTO-PARALLAX* VIE W-RANGE

A precision optical instrument,
the Auricon EIF-20 Camera Find¬
er combines range finder and view¬
finder; shows a large upright pic¬
ture, needle sharp and correct
right to left. Parallax is automati¬
cally adjusted while focusing, at all
distances from four feet to infinity.

Adaptable to any 35mm or 16mm
camera . . . uses inserted mattes to
cover lens fields from wide angle
to telephoto. Write today for full
information.

We design and manufacture motion
picture equipment to special or¬
der, for essential purposes. Your
inquiries are invited.

Auricon division

E. M. BERNDT CORP.

5515 SUNSET • HOLLYWOOD 28, CAL.

MANUFACTURERS OF SOUND-ON-FILM
RECORDING EQUIPMENT SINCE 1931

Cinematographer • June, 1945

211

Vanguard Sends Cameramen
to South America

Greg Toland, A.S.C., and R. 0. Binger,
A.S.C., are in Rio de Janiero photograph¬
ing background and production scenes
for Vanguard Films. They expect to be
there for at least a month.

GOERZ

★ ★

CirrWikjcm!’

— HIGH PRECISION —

PHOTO-LENSES

Professional Model Hollywood Viewer Is Announced

★

★

★

★

★

★

★

★

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FOR ALL BRANCHES OF PHOTOGRAPHY
AN AMERICAN PRODUCT SINCE

— 1889 —

W, are set for po*t-war production, and
announce the coming debut into the photo¬
graphic world of a new lens, the

GOERZ AMERICAN

APOGOR

the New

HIGH-SPEED MOVIE LENS

* speeds 1:1.8 and 1:2.3

^ standard focal lengths for 16 and 35 mm.
movie cameras. For definition, quality and

★ finest detail in black-and-white and color
movies.

This is one of our new American creations of
ic high standard.

^ Now reserved, exclusively for our Armed Forces.

Prices and literature for the civilian market

* not yet available.

★

★

The C.P. GOERZ AMERICAN

★ OPTICAL COMPANY

A Office and Factory

★ 317 EAST 34 ST., NEW YORK 16, N. Y.

★ ★★★★★★★★★★★ AC-6

A high quality ground and polished
lens, with extra large covering capacity
and extraordinary magnification, is a
feature of the new Professional Model
Hollywood Viewer just announced by
Craftsmen’s Guild, 1668 N. Van Ness
Ave., Hollywood 28, Calif. This lens is
so large that the entire picture appears
crystal clear, with no cutting of corners.

Another feature of this plastic viewer
is the precision with which the lens can
be focused by means of the spiral groove
molded into the lens mount. The viewer
will take any thickness of 2 x 2 inch
slides, in cardboard, glass or metal
mounts, and each viewer comes equipped
with three film tracks, for 35mm., 16mm.,
and 8mm. film strips.

35mm. transparencies, viewed in the
Professional Model Hollywood Viewer,
appear as large as they could if pro¬
jected to cover a screen eight feet wide
at a distance of ten feet. These little
viewers are extremely useful to color
slide enthusiasts; they also are in de¬
mand for school and college students
in visual education. Dentists use them
for showing full color views of their
products.

CAMERA SUPPLY COMPANY

ART REEVES

1515 North Cahucnga Boulavard

HOLLYWOOD Cabla Addran — Camaras CALIFORNIA

Efficient-Courteous Service New and Used Equipmnt

Bought — Sold — Rented

Everything Photographic Professional and Amateur

An unusually fine variety of basic photo chemicals always in stock.

DeVry Postwar Selling to Be
Mobile as Well as Audio-
Visual

Immediate adaption by DeVry Cor¬
poration, pioneer Chicago manufacturers
of motion picture sound equipment, of
postwar sales plans built around the use
of trailer-housed sales demonstrating
units is announced by William C. DeVry.
Thus, DeVry postwar selling will have
the advantage of maximum mobility as
well as that of sight and sound.

DeVry trailer units will be equipped
to give on-the-ground demonstrations of
all types of audio-visual teaching and
training equipment in remote country
schools, theatres, businesses, and other
organizations as well as those in major
cities. This equipment includes heavy
duty professional theatre projectors,
semi-portable and portable 35mm. the¬
atre and auditorium sound-on-film pro¬
jectors, 16mm. portable sound-on-film
and silent projectors, stationary and
portable sound systems, slide and film
strip projectors, stereopticons, micro¬
phones, turntables, projection screens
and related equipment and accessories.
The equipment also includes 35mm. and
16mm. motion picture cameras, as well
as a representative library of DeVry
16mm. educational and entertainment
films and DeVry Filmsets.

Whitmore Promoted

Will Whitmore, advertising super¬
visor of the Western Electric Company,
has been named advertising manager to
succeed H. W. Forster, deceased, accord¬
ing to an announcement today (May 1)
by F. B. Wright, the Company’s director
of public relations.

212

June, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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DeVry Gets Fifth Army-Navy
"E" Award

DeVry Corporation, Chicago, has been
awarded its fifth consecutive Army-Navy
“E” for continued excellence in the pro¬
duction of motion picture sound equip¬
ment and secret electronic training de¬
vices for the armed forces.

Previously the only manufacturer of
motion picture sound equipment to have
been awarded four consecutive “E” ci¬
tations, DeVry now joins the select few
among the nation’s producers of vital
war goods privileged to fly the coveted
5-star banner.

Eastman Announces It Has
No Television Program

Because of recent published reports
concerning the Eastman Kodak Com¬
pany and television activities, the East¬
man Company has issued the following
official statement clarifying its position:

“When Edison was working on a new
idea — motion pictures — he used Eastman
film for the completion of his invention.
Also, in building his motion-picture cam¬
era, Edison used parts of a No. 1 Kodak.

“When Roentgen discovered x-rays,
Eastman plates were quickly put to use
in recording the new shadow pictures.

“When other developments have oc¬
curred requiring photographic materials
or equipment, Kodak has studied the
needs and made supplies available.

“With television arousing new inter¬
est, it is appropriate to say that the
Eastman Kodak Company hopes to be
ready to provide whatever photographic
and optical supplies the television in¬
dustry may require. The present Kodak
relationship to the television field is an
exploratory one, with the company in
the stage of learning what film, ap¬
paratus, and lenses may be required.

“Contrary to recent published specula¬
tions on the subject, Kodak is doing no
development work on television equip¬
ment nor has it any ‘program’ along
that line; . . . but this company, as the
largest photographic manufacturer, is
keeping its eyes open to see how its
products may fit into the needs of the
new industry.”

"Flame Facts"

“Flame Facts,” a 16mm. sound motion
picture, has just been made available to
all types of non-theatrical film audi¬
ences by The Princeton Film Center,
Princeton, New Jersey.

Designed to teach the correct use of
fire extinguishers, in an emergency, this
20 minute film, in full color, explains
how to determine the three main types
of blazes, and how each can be ex¬
tinguished most effectively.

“Flame Facts” is a valuable fire pre¬
vention aid for schools and colleges; hos¬
pitals, hotels and public building em¬
ployees; fire departments, clubs, indus¬
trial plants and other adult groups.

8 Enlarged 1 /I Reduced Q
TO AO TO O

Geo. W. Colburn Laboratory

Special Motion Picture Printing
995 MERCHANDISE MART
CHICAGO

MOVIOLA

FILM EDITING EpUIPMENT
Used in Every Major Studio
Illustrated Literature on Request
Manufactured by

GENERAL SERVICE CORPORATION

Moviola Division

1449-51 Gordon Street Hollywood 28, Calif.

FAXON DEAN

CAMERAS

BLIMPS-DOLLYS
FOR RENT

Day, HEmpstead 5694
Night, Hollywood 6211

1030 N. Fuller Ave.
Hollywood 46, California

American Cinematographer • June, 1945

213

BUY mORG BOnDS

For Quick Selling Results Use
A Classified Advertisement

r

in

_

_ _ ... -

FOR SALE

MISCELLANEOUS

I

Aces of the Camera . . .

(Continued from Page 204)

Turk Islands and Nassau for Para¬
mount's “Bahamas Passage;” and he
also worked on “Fly By Night.”

In 1942 R.K.O. sent him to New York
and Miami to make scenes and back¬
ground shots for “Big Street.” That
finished they sent him on a similar
stint to New York and Newport, R. I.,
in connection with the film, “The Navy
Comes Through.” As soon as he fin¬
ished that he went to New Mexico and
Texas for flying shots for R.K.O.’s
“Bombadier.” In the summer of 1942
he went to Halifax, Nova Scotia, for
Universal shooting on “Corvettes in Ac¬
tion.” Incidentally, he saw some action
while on that assignment, making six
convoy trips on destroyers and corvettes
in the Atlantic.

By that time two of Harry’s sons had
gone into the service, so he decided he
wanted to stay at home with Mrs. Perry,
so he turned down several location trips
and accepted a steady position with
Farciot Edouart at Paramount on in¬
teriors, doing background process work,
at which he is an expert. Since start¬
ing the inside job he has worked on
background process scenes on “China,”
“So Proudly We Hail,” “The Uninvited,”
“Hour Before Dawn,” “I Love a Soldier,”
“Practically Yours,” “’Till We Meet
Again,” “And Now Tomorrow,” “Here
Comes the Waves,” “A Medal for Ben¬
ny,” “Salty O’Rourke,” “The Lost Week¬
end,” and “Our Hearts Were Young
and Gay.”

Harry is proud of his boys in the serv¬
ice. Harry, Jr., is in the navy. He has
been 28 months at sea in the Atlantic
where he is a Radar operator on a car¬
rier. Before entering the navy he was
a student at the University of Southern
California, where he was the Pacific
Coast Collegiate Diving Champion. Tom
was at Santa Barbara State College
when he enlisted in the Army Air Forces.
He had had more than 500 hours in the
air as flight engineer on a flying fort¬
ress. He is now in the Marianas with
a B-29 Bombardment Squadron, and has
been in the service two years. Harry’s
third son, John, is only 15 years old,
and is in high school at Beverly Hills.

Perry is a very quiet man whose
worst fault is modesty. Trying to get
him to talk about himself is a real proj¬
ect. Maybe that’s why he has been so
successful in his work. Could be.

Helps Prisoners

The International Red Cross Commit¬
tee watches over the welfare of war
prisoners of all countries that have rati¬
fied the convention covering this phase
of warfare. The Committee’s delegates
make periodic visits to prisoner of war
camps, inspect housing and food, talk to
the prisoners’ chosen representatives in
privacy, ascertain physical and spiritual
needs, and see that they are properly
cared for.

WE BUY, SELL AND RENT PROFESSIONAL
AND 16mm EQUIPMENT, NEW AND USED.
WE ARE DISTRIBUTORS FOR ALL LEAD
ING MANUFACTURERS. RUBY CAMERA
EXCHANGE, 729 Seventh Ave., New York City.
Established since 1910.

CONTINUOUS CONTACT 16MM PRINTERS,
PICTURE, TRACK OR BOTH. $1,375.00: Miles
16mm Recorder Reproducer, $195.00 ; BERNDT
MAURER 16MM RECORDING SYSTEMS, latest
improvements, $1,995.00; Modernized Akeley
Newsreel Sound Camera, amplifier ; magazines :
3 lenses, matched finders: tripod: $13,000.00
value, reduced to $6,995.00. Send for Summer
Catalog. S.O.S. CINEMA SUPPLY CORPORA¬
TION, NEW YORK 18.

COMPLETE 16MM. STUDIO EQUIPMENT:
BERNDT-MAURER MODEL D, RECORDER,
FILM PHONOGRAPHS WITH SYNCHRONOUS
MOTORS, AMPLIFIER: LIGHTS, BELL &
HOWELL SOUND PROJECTOR, BOOM.
DOLLY, DOUBLE CONSOLE TURNTABLE
FOR SOUND EFFECTS, RECORDS AND
MUSICAL RECORDING, 78 AND 33 1/3 COM¬
BINATION. AURICON RECORDER. MICRO¬
PHONE BOOM, EXTRAS. TWO BARNEY
BLIMPS FOR 35MM CAMERAS. CINEMA¬
TOGRAPHERS HANDBOOK, $4.00. CINE
SPECIAL, BOLEX, FILMO CAMERAS, DOL¬
LIES, TRIPODS, GEAR AND FREEHEAD :
SPIDER BOXES, 500-1000-2000 WATT SPOT¬
LIGHTS, FRESNEL LENSES ; REWINDS,
GRISWOLD SPLICERS ; PRESTO DISC RE¬
CORDER, NEW. 78 and 33 1/3 RPM, MICRO¬
PHONE AND STAND, COMPLETE. AKELEY
FULLY EQUIPPED, DEBRIE, NEUMANN-
SINCLAIR CAMERAS. 35MM. BELL &
HOWELL STEP PRINTER. EYEMO, DEVRY
100 FT. CAMERAS. WRITE FOR CIRCULARS
ON CAMART TRIPOD FOR CINE SPECIAL
AND SPRING DRIVEN CAMERAS. WE BUY,
SELL AND TRADE.

CAMERA MART, DEPT. AC

70 W. 45TH ST. NEW YORK

FOR SALE — WESTERN ELECTRIC-AKELEY
Single System Camera, 12-volt motor, two 1000-
ft. B&H magazines, 40mm., 50mm. 75mm. Astro
F.2.3 lenses with matched finder lenses ; friction
head tripod ; new variable intensity galvanome¬
ter, portable amplifier, vibrator B supply, Cables,
Cases and RCA microphone. Blue Seal Sound
Devices, 7 Gracie Square, New York City.

HOME MOVIE FANS, JOIN MOTION PICTURE
Educational Society. Free valuable information.
Box 875, Reading, Pa.

BRITISH ENGINEER, WIDELY EXPERIENCED
sound movies. Cinema and sub-standard, en¬
tertainment, educational and commercial, desires
agencies for equipment and films in Italy after
release from present military duties. Personal
and local capital and highest credentials avail¬
able. AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER. Box
No. 1021.

WANTED

WANTED TO BUY FOR CASH
CAMERAS AND ACCESSORIES
MITCHELL B&H EYEMO DEBRIE AKELEY
ALSO LABORATORY AND CUTTING ROOM
EQUIPMENT

CAMERA EQUIPMENT COMPANY
1600 BROADWAY, NEW YORK CITY 19
CABLE: CINEQUIP

WE PAY CASH FOR EVERYTHING PHOTO¬
GRAPHIC. Write us today. Hollywood Camera
Exchange. 1600 Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood.

WANTED De BRIE, UNIVERSAL, PATHS,
Wilart, Russell, 35mm. poor to junk condition,
but complete, not rusted. Must be very cheap,
describe fully. Lumley, 201 Webster, Syracuse 5,
New York.

16MM PROJECTOR. ANY TYPE SOUND OR
silent, private party. Sam’s Electric Shop,
35 Monroe Street, Passaic, New Jersey.

SOUND PROJECTORS, CAMERAS, TRIPODS,
studio, laboratory or recording equipment. High¬
est prices paid. S.O.S. CINEMA SUPPLY COR-
PPORATION, NEW YORK 19.

214

June, 1945 • American Cinematographer

There’s a “ G. I.” projectionist
right behind them . . .

OFFICIAL U. S. COAST GUARD PHOTO

°ne of a series of
advertisements by
KODAK testifying to

the achievements of
the movies at war

BeHIND the tanks and booming guns,
the amph-tracks and the jeeps, you’ll
find G. I. movie-projection men . . . set¬
ting up shop to bring the boys a few
bright hours on ''Main Street”. . .

"Movies tonight!” Ask any morale
officer or — more to the point — ask any
Yank what that means. You’ll learn
how really important movies are when

men are lonely and tired and a long
way from home . . .

And it all adds up to this: The job
being done by G. I. projectionists —
movie-trained — is just about as big a
contribution to military morale as can
be imagined. The best evidence is
written on the boys’ faces . . . when
they hear that call of "Movies tonight!”

Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester 4, N. Y.

J. E. BRULATOUR, INC., Distributors, Fort Lee, Chicago, Hollywood

YOU’LL find these original Filmo Firsts
in the Sportster 8, plus many extras like
single-frame exposure device for animation
work . . . built-in exposure guide . . . four
film speeds including slow motion.

The Sportster 8 is small and light, easily
hand-held with perfect steadiness. Its fast
F2.5 lens gets the scene even when lighting
is poor ... in true-to-life full color, or spar¬
kling black-and-white . . . and additional
special purpose lenses are instantly inter¬
changeable.

Like all Filmos, the Sportster 8 is precision-
built and so easy to use anyone can make
superb movies with it.

Drop-in Loading is quick and easy.
No sprockets to thread, no loops to
form. Closing camera door closes film
gate, and you’re ready to shoot!

2 The Filmo Governor and sturdy spring
drive assure uniform film exposure
through constant speed.

^ Built-in Spyglass Viewfinder is break-
proof, dirt-proof, excludes extraneous
light; sighting is sure and easy.

BELL & HOWELL COMPANY, Chicago; New York;

Hollywood; Washington, D. C.; London. Established 1907.

Boy and Hold More War Bonds

BETTER PROJECTORS BY BELL & HOWELL
ARE COMING, TOO

In fact, Filmosound 16mm. sound-on-film
projectors can be ordered now without a
priority. Of course, government and high
priority orders must be filled first, but
unrated orders will be handled according
to our ration system. To avoid unneces¬
sary delay, place your order with your
local Filmo dealer now.

OPTI-ONICS — products combining the sciences of OPTIcs • electrONics • mechanics

s

c//&

BELL & HOWELL COMPANY
7148 McCormick Road, Chicago 45

Please send me information about: ( ) Filmo Cameras
and Projectors for ( ) 8mm. ( ) 16mm. film; ( ) im¬
proved Fiimosounds.

P/CTURE

frwGftz/nE

*)(t y&Me, . . .

pes/7-How to Make Them

frvrij6i'

* 4

ffli ' V

'SiSfe't'i

P%

mor/on

THE

liPSllPp

■ - -

r "^V I

f i

i4$9U

Ti

{No. 8 of a series on the manufacture of Du Pont Motion Picture Film)

■

"Silver" kettle with a glass lining

THIS is one of a battery of glass-
lined “silver” kettles in the Du
Pont film plant. Here, in subdued
light, accurately determined quanti¬
ties of silver nitrate crystals purer
than “sterling” are made into a solu¬
tion for the emulsion of Du Pont
Motion Picture Film.

In total darkness this silver solu¬
tion is combined with other carefully
compounded substances. Timing and
temperature are extremely impor¬
tant . . . constantly controlled . . .
and the formula is followed with
stop-watch precision. From the glass-
lined kettles, semi-finished emulsion
is drawn into stainless steel contain¬
ers and placed in a chilling room,
where it jells to the consistency of
custard pudding.

Throughout these intricate opera¬
tions, Du Pont chemists and physi¬
cists test each batch of solution to
insure a product of distinguished
photographic qualities.

Cinematographers everywhere
heartily approve Du Pont Motion
Picture Film. Its ability to retain
the latent image . . . extremely wide

exposure latitude . . . color balance
and uniformity of speed and contrast
are welcome characteristics.

• • •

E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.
(Inc.), Photo Products Department,
Wilmington 98, Delaware.

In New York: Empire State Bldg.
In Hollywood: Smith & Aller, Ltd.

Paper packs a war punch . . . continue saving every scrap of it!

DU PONT

MOTION PICTURE FILM

BETTER THINGS FOR BETTER LIVING
...THROUGH CHEMISTRY

*£«-u. s. aat. or f

218 July, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Up Where the

//

IVIaking moving pictures of battle action is an important part
of the Signal Corps’ job in this war. In planning new actions,
in analyzing a campaign, in showing the folks at home just
how tough things really are, the camera is an important piece
of equipment.

A cameraman’s job is often dangerous, dirty, and filled with
split-second action. That’s why cameramen swear by their
Bell & Howell Eyemos. When you’re "shooting the shooting”

you’ve got to have equipment that can stand rough and tumble
conditions. You’ve got to have a camera that ignores falls,
mud, jars, shocks, and vibration. And that describes Eyemo.

Seven standard Eyemo models
plus a complete selection of cor¬
related accessories make Eyemo
a personal instrument, tailor-
made to your own specific needs.

Precision-built by the makers of Hollywood’s preferred studio
equipment, Eyemos are working today with Signal Corps men
and newsreel cameramen all over the world. These men know
from experience that they’ll get clear, sharp pictures. They
like Eyemo’s simplicity— its ease of loading and handling.
They know that what they see, they get. Bell & Howell Company,
Chicago; New York; Hollywood; Washington, D. C.; London.
Established 1907 .

OPTI-ONICS — products combining the sciences of OPTIcs • electrONlcs • mechanics

Buy War Bonds

AND KEEP ’EM

n

BELL & HOWELL COMPANY i
7148 McCormick Road, Chicago 45

Please send information on Eyemo Cam¬
eras and accessories.

Name .

Street .

City & State .

AC 7-45

American Cinematographer • July, 1945

219

VOL 26

JULY, 1945

NO. 7

CONTENTS

(®

Review of the Film News . 222

Aces of the Camera (Ira Morgan, A.S.C.) . By Hal Hall 223

A Director Who Recognizes the Importance

of Cinematographers . By Ezra Goodman 224

A Device with Which to Film a Fly’s Eye . By P. F. Ruckert 225

The Museum of Modern Art Film Library . By Irving Browning 226

“Wipes” — How to Make Them . By Raymond Palmer 228

The War and the Training Film . By N. E. Meltzer 230

Rerecording 35mm Entertainment Films for 16mm

Armed Forces Release . By P. E. Brigandi 232

Through the Editor’s Finder . 234

Among the Movie Clubs . 236

Shooting “Tulip Time in Holland” . By James R. Oswald 238

A Practical Cure for Convergent Verticals . 240

Weather, Biggest Problem of Aerial Photographers. .By J. W. Blank 248

THE FRONT COVER shows Director of Photography Harry Hallenberger,
A.S.C., preparing to film a spectacular scene in Paramount’s “The
Virginian,” starring Joel McCrea, Sonny Tufts, Brian Donlevy and Barbara
Britton.

OFFICERS AND BOARD OF GOVERNORS
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

Leonard Smith, President Fred Jackman. Exec. V.-Pres. and Treas.

Charles Clarke, First Vice-President Joseph Walker, Second Vice-President

Arthur Edeson, Third Vice-President Ray Rennahan, Secretary

George Folsey. Sergeant-at-Arms

John Arnold Byron Haskin John Seitz

John Boyle Sol Polito Leon Shamroy

Lee Garmes William Skall

The Staff

EDITOR
Hal Hall

•

TECHNICAL EDITOR
Emery Huse, A.S.C.

•

ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Edward Pyle. Jr.

•

WASHINGTON STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Reed N. Haythome, A.S.C.

•

MILITARY ADVISOR
Col. Nathan Levinson

•

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Mel Traxel

•

ARTIST

Glenn R. Kershner, A.S.C.

•

CIRCULATION AND ADVERTISING
Marguerite Duerr

•

ADVISORY EDITORIAL BOARD
Fred W. Jackman. A- S. C.

Victor Milner, A. S. C.

Alvin Wyckolf, A.S.C.

Farciot Edouart, A. S. C.

Fred Gage. A. S. C.

Dr. J. S. Watson, A. S. C.

Dr. L A. Jones. A. S. C.

Dr. C. E. K. Mees, A. S. C.

Dr. W. B. Rayton, A. S. C.

Dr. V. B. Sease, A. S. C.

•

AUSTRALIAN REPRESENTATIVE
McGill's, 173 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne,
Australian and New Zealand Agents

e

Published monthly by A. S. C. Agency, Ine.
Editorial and business offices:

1782 North Orange Drive
Hollywood (Los Angeles, 28), California
Telephone: GRanite 2135

Established 1920. Advertising rates on appli¬
cation. Subscriptions: United States and Pan
American Union, $2.50 per year; Canada, $2.75
per year; Foreign. $3.50. Single copies, 26e ;
back numbers. 30c ; foreign, single copies S5e,
back numbers 40c. Copyright 1945 by A. S. C.
Agency, Inc.

•

Entered as second-class matter Nov. 18, 1937,
at the postoffice at Los Angeles, California, under
the act of March 3, 1879.

220 July, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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Victor is built to take the rugged handling and unusual con¬
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ideal GI 16mm Sound Motion Picture Equipment.

If equipment were to receive honorable discharges on “points,”
many a veteran Victor would come home now to a well-earned
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American Cinematographer • July, 1945

221

REVIEW OF THE FILM NEWS

ONE of most important events of the
past month in the film industry
was the appointment of Donald
Nelson, head of the War Production
Board, to the presidency of the Society
of Independent Motion Picture Produc¬
ers. With Nelson as its head, the SIMPP
becomes an organization which may have
a far-reaching influence in the field of
motion pictures. Its membership is com¬
posed of practically all of the important
independent film producers such as David
O. Selznick, Samuel Goldwyn, Walter
Wanger, Sol Lesser, Edward Small and
many others. Large number of these
producers release through United Art¬
ists. They have long felt that the Hays
organization has not been doing the
right kind of a job for the industry.
Now they propose to do the job them¬
selves. Warner Brothers have resigned
from the Hays group, and Hollywood is
doing a lot of speculating about what
the future holds for the Hays organi¬
zation.

Color

The trend is still toward color, and
only the lack of facilities is preventing
more films being made in color. Dr.
Herbert Kalmus, head of Technicolor,
stated in his recent report to his board
of directors that the present demand
for color would seem to “warrant the
doubling of the company’s plant and
equipment, but such doubling of capac¬
ity would still only care for about one-
third of the entire motion picture in¬
dustry.” He went still further and added
that the present situation “poses the
question whether Technicolor might not
be healthier and happier if sound effi¬
cient competition arose to share with it
the program of serving the industry with
ever-improving color quality and stead¬
ily lowering costs.”

Some idea of color production may be
gained from the following list of pic¬
tures in Technicolor which are ready for
release in production and in prepara¬
tion. Ready for release are “Anchors
Aweigh,” MGM; “Bandit of Sherwood
Forest,” Columbia; “Blithe Spirit,” Brit¬
ish; “Dolly Sisters,” 20th Century-Fox;
“Henry V,” British; “Hold High the
Torch,” MGM; “Incendiary Blonde,”
Paramount; “Night in Paris,” Wanger-
Universal; “Nob Hill,” 20th-Fox; “San
Antonio,” Warners; “Son of Lassie,”
MGM; “State Fair,” 20th-Fox; “This
Happy Breed,” British; “Thousand and
One Nights,” Columbia; “Uncle Remus,”
Disney-RKO; “The Virginian,” Para¬
mount; “Western Approaches,” British;
“Where do We Go from Here?” 20th-
Fox; “Wonder Man,” Goldwyn-RKO;
“Yolanda and the Thief,” MGM; “Zieg-
field Follies,” MGM.

In production are “Caesar and Cleo¬
patra,” British; “Duel in the Sun,” Van¬
guard; “Early to Wed,” MGM; “Fron¬
tier Gal,” Universal; “Harvey Girls,”
MGM; “Kitten on the Keys,” 20th-Fox;
“Men of Two Worlds,” British; “Span¬
ish Main,” RKO! “The Time, the Place
and the Girl,” Warners; “The Yearling,”
MGM.

In preparation are American Guer¬
rilla,” 20th-Fox; “Blue Skies,” Para¬
mount; “California,” Paramount; “Can¬
yon Passage,” Wanger-Universal; “Cen¬
tennial Summer,” 20th-Fox; “Concerto,”
Republic; “Enchanted Voyage,” 20th-
Fox; “Holiday in Mexico,” MGM; “The
Kansan,” Columbia; “Kid from Brook¬
lyn,” Goldwyn-RKO; “Leave Her to
Heaven,” 20th-Fox; “My Wild Irish
Rose,” Rogers-UA; “The Robe,” RKO;
“Scarlet Lily,” Vanguard; “Smoky,”
20th Century-Fox.

A new color is expected from Ansco
and one from DuPont when the war
ends. These new color films may re¬
lieve the present situation which is
steadily growing worse, as more and
more companies are asking for color.

Raw Stock

The War Production Board has an¬
nounced an increase of nearly 10,000,000
feet of raw film to the industry for the
third quarter of this year. While that
sounds like a lot of film it represents
only an increase of not quite 4 percent
of the second quarter, which does little
to relieve the raw film shortage. Al¬
though the war is ended in Europe, the
Army and Navy were granted 74,100,-
000 feet, which is the same as they had
in the previous quarter when we were
fighting a two-front war. While every¬
one is speculating, no one knows what
the future holds in increase of raw
stock. Any man’s guess is as good as
the other.

J. Arthur Rank

Big question mark in American film
industry is J. Arthur Rank, the British
producer. All kinds of reports have
been published about what Rank plans
to do in the world film trade. He has
been reported as planning to produce in
the United States, build theatres in the
United States, block release of many
American films in England, and so on.
Latest statement, which seems most
nearly accurate, is that he will produce
in Canada. He has also refuted the
report he will build theatres in America.

Foreign Fields

At the moment it looks as though
American companies will make quite a
number of films on foreign soil in the
near future. 20th Century-Fox plans
sending a company to Puerto Rico to film
“An American Guerrilla in the Philip¬
pines.” Sol Lesser is going to make
“Paris Canteen” in Paris, Republic is
contemplating making films in Mexico
for Latin-American consumption, and
several other companies have asked State
Department for permission to make
films in Germany. While a lot of the
plans will probably end in just plans, it
is quite evident that there will be con¬
siderable filming abroad.

Foreign Releasing Problems

OWI Chief, Elmer Davis, has indicat¬
ed that the American film industry is
going to have plenty of headaches in
reopening its foreign markets. He says
troubles will come because of necessity
of dealing with government picture mo¬
nopolies. Particularly tough is the situ¬
ation in France, where firms have to
deal with FOUR government bureaus,
all of which have to clear American
films before they can get in. Davis
also indicated that Russia is posing a
problem by putting the pressure on coun¬
tries adjoining her to use Russian films.
Whole thing will probably straighten
out in favor of United States com¬
panies in time, because sooner or later
the theatre-going public in those coun¬
tries will yell so loud for good Ameri¬
can films that they will get them. Past
history has proven that John Q. Public,
no matter in what country, will patron¬
ize the good films and will stay away
from the bad ones — even if they are
a local product.

Chaff

Studio “white collar” workers have
been granted a 7 percent wage increase
which is retroactive to January 1, 1944,
in all but two studios. This gave them
total back pay of approximately $860,-
000 . . . Sound Technicians also were
given pay boosts averaging from 10 per¬
cent to 70 percent, retroactive to Janu¬
ary 1, 1944. Back pay totalled approxi¬
mately $700,000 . . . Film industry divi¬
dends this year are running behind those
of last year. Figures from Department
of Commerce show total dividends paid
stockholders in first four months of 1945
totalled $5,000,000 as contrasted with
figure of $7,000,000 for the same period
last year. Increased production costs,
due to war, is largely responsible. — H.H.

222 July, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Aces

of the

Camera

IRA MORGAN

A.S.C.

By HAL HALL

TO Ira Morgan, A.S.C., goes the dis¬
tinction of being the first Cine¬
matographer to use Panchromatic
film in the photographing of a feature
length motion picture. To Ira also goes
the distinction of being one of the few
cameramen of the industry who broke
into the field as a cameraman by simply
going out and buying a camera, and by
some miracle just naturally knew how
to use it. Actually, he never spent a day
as an assistant.

But Ira is the sort of individual who is
what you might call “diiferent”. For in¬
stance, he likes photographing low bud¬
geted pictures with a top shooting sched¬
ule of ten days. In fact, he says he
would rather shoot films for independ¬
ents and smaller companies such as
Monogram and P.R.C. than do films cost¬
ing over a million dollars, with shooting
schedules of three or four months.

“What I like about photographing a
picture for Monogram producers such as
Sam Katzman or the King Brothers, and
for the P.R.C. company is the fact that
every detail of production has been
ironed out in advance. There is no re¬
writing of the script from day to day;
no changing of the story when half way
through the production. The script
changes are all made before filming
starts. The picture is practically cut be¬
fore it is shot. Nothing is left to chance.
AND, they hire a Director of Photog¬
raphy whom they have confidence in, and
then let him assume the responsibility of
photographing the picture without try¬
ing to tell him how to do his work. When
they hand you a script, you can study it
and in your mind figure out just what
you are going to do, confident that you
will not have to change your whole plan
the day after filming starts. That’s why
those producers can turn out quality
films at a cost that would hardly pay for
a single big set used in some of the big
films made by a major studio.

“It’s really fun shooting pictures for
producers of this type. They have
thought of everything in advance. You
just go in and shoot at a speed almost
unbelievable. Actors in those films do
not muff their lines. They learn their
lines before starting the picture. In one

Photo by Ira Hoke

picture I recall that Edmund Lowe had
one scene running five hundred feet in
which he talked constantly — and he never
muffed a line. One ‘take’ was all that was
necessary.”

Ira was born in Fort Ross, California,
and was educated in San Francisco
where he studied to be an Electrical En¬
gineer. He started his career as a cable
inspector for Western Electric. He next
became a “trouble shooter” for the tele¬
phone company. From that he went to
Chicago to take a job repairing projec¬
tion machines for the Theatre Film Serv¬
ice. It was while working on the projec¬
tion machines that he decided he would
like to become a cameraman. Once he
had made his decision he quit his job,
bought a Gaumont camera, secured Ore¬
gon, Washington and Montana as his ter¬
ritory, and started shooting newsreels
for Pathe and Gaumont.

“I guess I was lucky,” explains Ira,
“or maybe I was born to be a photog¬
rapher, for my pictures were good
enough to satisfy the newsreel com¬
panies. That was back in 1911.”

One year later Ira quit the newsreels
and joined Essanay at Niles, California.
His first picture for them was a Bronco
Billy Anderson film. In the next two
years he photographed 250 Bronco Billy
pictures, sometimes shooting six pictures
in eight days.

In 1914 he joined the Pathe company
in Hollywood, and from then until World

War I broke out he was with Pathe and
the American Film Company. He joined
the Army as a Lieutenant in the Signal
Corps, and spent a year overseas photo¬
graphing the war.

In 1919 he joined King Vidor and
photographed a series of pictures, in¬
cluding “Jack Knife Man”. Then he
went with Cosmopolitan Productions
where he remained for six years, filming
all of the biggest films starring Marion
Davies; such films as “When Knight¬
hood Was in Flower”, “Little Old New
York”, “Janice Merideth”, etc.

“It was while filming ‘Janice Meri¬
deth’ that we decided to try out the new
Panchromatic film which Eastman Kodak
Company had just brought out,” said
Ira. “Everybody was a bit nervous over
trying something new, but we sent for
50,000 feet of it, and shot all our ex¬
teriors on the new film. That was the
first time Panchromatic film was used in
a feature film.”

Leaving Cosmopolitan Productions, Ira
spent the next five years at Metro-Gold-
wyn-Mayer Studios where he photo¬
graphed mostly films directed by George
Hill. He then decided to free-lance, and
made several films for Warner Brothers.
Then for Columbia he photographed
“Washington Merry Go Round”. For
Tiffany he did “Hotel Continental”. In
1933 for Phil Goldstone he did “Should
a Woman Tell?”, “Unwritten Law” and
“Vampire Bat”. He followed these the
(Continued on Page 225)

American Cinematographer • July, 1945

223

A Director Who Recognizes
Importance of Cinematographers

By EZRA GOODMAN

HERMAN SHUMLIN is an eminent
stage director (“Grand Hotel,
“The Little Foxes,” “Watch on
the Rhine”) and his first motion picture
effort, “Watch on the Rhine,” won New
York Film Critics’ Circle Award as best
picture of 1943. But Mr. Shumlin is in¬
herently a modest man and now that
he is directing his second film, “Con¬
fidential Agent,” for Warner Brothers,
he is not resting on his laurels. He
admits that he has much to learn about
motion picture technique and he is do¬
ing his best to obtain the most expert
advice on the subject, much of which,
he says, comes from the cameramen who
carry the initials A.S.C. after names.

“Watch on the Rhine,” as Shumlin
points out, “was not strictly speaking
a motion picture story. The acting car¬
ried the greater part of the burden of
the picture.” With that film, Shumlin
had the advantage of transferring to
celluloid a play that he had originally
produced in New York. He was fa¬
miliar with every detail of the drama.
Furthermore, several members of the
Broadway cast, including Paul Lukas,
participated in the picture. To assist
him on technical details, Shumlin had
as his director of cinematography Hal
Mohr, A.S.C., who has on occasion di¬
rected pictures himself. He also had
Warners’ Academy Award-winning film
editor, George Amy, standing by on the

set daily to advise on film editing, and
he accepted the advice of both men.

“Watch on the Rhine” turned out to
be a great success. Now Shumlin is
directing a picture that is quite dif¬
ferent, “Confidential Agent,” which many
critics deem Graham Greene’s finest
thriller. It is the story of a concert
pianist who becomes involved with a
spy ring in his efforts to obtain coal
for the Loyalists in Spain. Most of the
action takes place in England, and the
time is 1937. Graham Greene, whose
“This Gun for Hire” and “The Ministry
of Fear” have been turned into pic¬
tures, and who wrote the original story
for the excellent British film, “48 Hours,”
was once a professional motion picture
critic in England. There is much of
the Alfred Hitchcock technique in
Greene’s novels: he is a first-rate stylist.
But he differs from Hitchcock in that
his melodramas are rooted in a solid
social base and are not played as ab¬
stract cops-and-robbers stories. The vil¬
lains and the heroes of “Confidential
Agent” are real, identifiable people, and
not just characters in a thriller.

Robert Buckner, the producer and
scenarist of “Confidential Agent,” has
remained faithful to the body of Greene’s
story. The story is still about the Span¬
ish Civil war. The Loyalists, though,
are identified as the Republicans in
typical Hollywood fence-straddling. The

Left, James Wong Howe, A.S.C. , and Director
Herman Shumlin.

Fascists, however, are named Fascists,
which is a distinct improvement over
the vapidness of “Blockade” and the
vagueness of “For Whom the Bell Tolls.”
Now, almost a decade after one of the
great tragedies of modern times, and
after all the cards are on the table,
Hollywood is beginning to lose some of
its timidity about current ' events.

Shumlin, of course, is intensely inter¬
ested in the political aspect of the story.
But he is no less interested in its po¬
tentialities as a motion picture. “Con¬
fidential Agent” is a chase story, with
Charles Boyer and Lauren Bacall as
the leading characters. “I see this as
a typical motion picture,” Shumlin says.
“The book is written in terms of pro¬
gressive action.” Accordingly, “Confi¬
dential Agent” presents much more of
a technical problem than “Watch on the
Rhine.” The latter was a conversation
piece played in a limited number of
sets. “Confidential Agent” is melodrama
conceived in terms of wide-scope action.

Warner Brothers has given Shumlin
complete freedom in transferring the
book to the screen, and he emphasizes
the fact that if the picture falls down
in any respect it is entirely his fault.
His cameraman is James Wong Howe,
and cutter George Amy is again standing
by on the set daily. Howe and Amy
worked together on the powerful “Ob¬
jective Burma,” and Amy actually di¬
rected several weeks’ shooting on that
picture when director Raoul Walsh was
ill. They work well together as a team.
Shumlin, Howe and Amy are the tri¬
umvirate that are shouldering most of
the responsibility for the shooting of
“Confidential Agent.”

Several weeks before pi-oduction be¬
gan, Howe and Amy broke down the
regular shooting script into a tremen¬
dously detailed shooting script, specify¬
ing angles, camera setups and camera
movements. Thus a scene that might
run for six lines in the regular script
ran to as much as two or three pages
in its final, detailed form. In this way,
a specific blueprint was laid out for
the shooting of the picture. This mas¬
ter-plan was not inflexible, however, and
was altered whenever necessary during
shooting. “Confidential Agent” is note¬
worthy for this detailed script break¬
down and also for the fact that it is
being shot in continuity. Shumlin be¬
lieves that the result will justify the
method. Shumlin is also a great be¬
liever in lengthy rehearsals. He likes to
rehearse a motion picture cast for sev¬
eral weeks before shooting begins, and
he likes to rehearse his players daily
under actual production conditions and
not just sitting on the sidelines or in
a dressing room.

“I don’t find a very vast adjustment
from the stage to the screen,” says
Shumlin. “I recognize certain differ¬
ences, of course. Greater intimacy is
possible. What appears in the eye and
(Continued on Page 242)

224 July, 1945 • American Cinematographer

A Device With Which To
Film a Fly's Eye

By PAUL F. RUCKERT

THE two “gadgets” which I here¬
with describe may be of interest
to some of the readers of the
Cinematographer, so I pass them along.

The cost of these two gadgets is a
matter of a few shillings only, if made
in your own workshop. (You in America
can figure out the cost in your own
money). About two shillings for a few
inches of brass tubing with thread cut,
and one shilling for magnifying lens.

Although made for a Bolex camera
with turret head, they can be made for
any camera. The sketches are exact
size as gadgets. Fig. 1 shows a device
for photographing close-ups of such
minute things as a fly’s head, a small
ant, etc. Although I have fitted prism on
the gate of my Bolex I find it inade¬
quate for micro-photography, as it is not
possible to focus through Kodachrome
owing to heavy backing. I therefore
made a 3-inch extension tubing to take
screw mount lens at A, and to screw
into turret at B. C is an external han¬
dle connected to mirror D inside tubing
(shown by dotted line). E is magnifying
lens. F is eyeshade and viewing posi¬
tion when mirror is down. G is ground
glass screen, set exactly to match cam¬
era aperture.

When subject is found and focused
with mirror down it is just a matter of
flicking mirror up and shooting the pic¬
ture. The object is about V2 inch from
lens and must be brightly lighted. An¬
other 3-inch extension can be made to
screw into A. At Vs inch from the
lens a fly’s eye can be photographed
successfully with this extension.

Fig. 2 shows another device for not
so close subjects and will cover a com¬
plete fly, bee or very small flowers,
etc. A screws into turret of camera.
The lens screws into B. A wire frame
is extended to D, which is area lens
covers at this extension. Wire frame is
hinged at C to eliminate shadows when
shooting. This allows frame to fold
in and down out of camera field.

The success of these gadgets lies in
the careful setting when making. It
is imperative that the viewing field
matches exactly with camera aperture.
This is easily done by placing a piece
of matt film in camera gate and set¬
ting camera on a still object. Device
then can be made to coincide with
camera aperture.

NOTE: Mr. Kuckert, who devised the above de¬
scribed gadgets, is one of the many readers of the
American Cinematographer in Australia. He lives
in Brisbane. Mr. Ruckert doesn’t know it yet, but
he will soon receive a check for this interesting
item. Other readers are requested to send in de¬
scriptions of gadgets they have created, along
with drawings or pictures of the devices. They,
too, will be paid for items accepted. — The Editor.

A

! h 0 hts'V

Fie. l>

•3

Aces of the Camera

(Continued from Page 223)

next year with “The World Gone Mad”,
“Sing, Sinner, Sing”, “The Sin of Nora
Moran”, “Son of a Sailor”, “Curtain at
Eight”.

In 1936 he did “A Very Honorable
Guy”, “Jimmy the Gent”, and “Girl of
the Limberlost”. In 1937 he collaborated
on filming Charles Chaplin’s “Modern
Times” for United Artists, and did “I’d
Give My Life” for Paramount. Follow¬
ing that he photographed “Along Came
Love” for Paramount, “Three Legion¬
naires”, “The Girl Said No”, “The West-
land Case” for Universal, and collab¬
orated at Universal on “The Black Doll”.

Then he started shooting the top pic¬
tures for Monogram. Among them were
“Where Are Your Children”, “When
Strangers Marry”, and his most recent
one, said to be a really great film,
“Gregory”. He did “When the Lights Go
on Again” for P.R.C.

Recently the Federal Security Agency,
U. S. Office of Education, gave him a
special citation for his photographic ef-
fords in making a picture showing every¬
thing a machinist does in building a ship.

Ira likes to play around with color,
experimentally. He says he believes that
color will predominate in the motion pic¬
ture field after the war. And he praises
the production methods of the independ¬
ent producers wherever he can find a
man to listen. Monogram and P.R.C.
really should put him on their payrolls
as a special public relations man.

American Cinematographer • July, 1945

225

The Museum of Modern
Art Film Library

By IRVING BROWNING

DURING the past many months I
have written for this magazine
about motion pictures, motion
picture people and motion picture his¬
tory. In this article I am attempting to
present a verbal picture of an institu¬
tion which, perhaps more than any
other, is preserving for the future those
motion pictures which are a definite link
in the thread of motion picture progress,
technically, artistically, culturally and as
a recorder of vital history. I write of
the Museum of Modern Art Film Li¬
brary, which is situated in New York
City.

Undoubtedly motion pictures have
helped develop a new design for living

in many forms. Too few of us in the film
industry have bothered to study our
early efforts in picture making with the
same seriousness with which an artist
studies the Old Masters in the creation
of new art forms.

The Museum of Modern Art Film
Library has collected for posterity films
by which to further the growth of the
motion picture as an art. It is by this
medium that future generations of film
makers will benefit, and the world at
large will be knit in a closer common
understanding. I have attended screen¬
ings of several of the series of films
presented in the Museum’s auditorium,
and while there are many chuckles

among those viewing the early films,
one readily realizes these presentations
have an important message. Since the
foundation of the Film Library the Mu¬
seum continues to further the film as an
art with the same enthusiasm it extends
to its collection of paintings, sculpture
and still photography which are pre¬
sented in its galleries.

The Curator of the Film Library of
the Museum of Modern Art says that
the Film Library owes its existence to
the growing desire on the part of a few
people to see again those motion pic¬
tures through which, step by step, the
art of the films has developed. The Li-
brary has acquired to date some 17,730,-
848 feet of film which would take ap¬
proximately 3,300 hours to run or 412%
eight-hour days of continuous projec¬
tion. From these archives numerous pro¬
grams have been made up in series or
separately for showing at the Museum
and for circulation to other non-commer¬
cial institutions throughout the country.
In addition to the daily programs at the
Museum, 819 other organizations or
groups have shown its films. Of these,
451 have used the Museums’ programs
regularly; the others intermittantly.
Users include 58 universities and 83 col¬
leges, many Army camps, USO clubs,
churches, libraries, hospitals and prisons,
institutions as varied as the Interna-
tlonational Ladies Garment Workers
Union, Yale University School of Fine
Arts and Cornell University Theatre.

It is ten years since the Film Library
came into existence. Some account of its
origins and a critical glance at its activ¬
ities seems appropriate. Has it done
what it engaged to do ? A substantial
grant from the Rockefeller Foundation
made its establishment possible. This
was supplemented by other considerable
gifts of money from private sources. In
May, 1935, the Trustees, in announcing
the creation of the Film Library, stated
its purpose was “to trace, catalog, as¬
semble, exhibit and circulate a library

Top, left, a scene from "Cripple Creek Barroom", an
Edison film of 1898. Top right, Mary Pickford and
Owen Moore in "Caprice", made by Famous Players
in 1913. Bottom left, Mack Swain, Gloria Swanson
and the Sennett bathing beauties in film made in 1917.

of film programs so that the motion pic¬
ture may be studied and enjoyed as any
other one of the arts is studied and en¬
joyed.”

We in the motion picture industry
owe a debt of gratitude to the organ¬
izers of this Museum for the creation
of the Film Library because the Film
Industry itself has found little time for
the preservation of these valuable treas¬
ures and time alone will increase the
appreciation of our early efforts, as in
any other art.

Miss Iris Barry is Curator of the
Film Library. She was born and edu¬
cated in England and on the Continent;
is an American citizen, and has been
with the Museum twelve years, first as
Librarian of its art library and in 1935,
when the Film Library was founded, be¬
came its Curator.

Miss Barry was a founder-member of
the Film Society of London in 1925 and
was motion picture editor of the Daily
Mail, London, from 1925 to 1930, and in
that capacity spent some time in Holly¬
wood. She has written a number of
books, particularly on motion pictures,
and translated and edited A History of
the Motion Picture by Bardeche and
Brasillach in 1938.

The Museum’s director is John E. Ab¬
bott. On the executive committee are
John Hay Whitney, Chairman, Carl E.
Milliken, William S. Paley, Mrs. Charles
S. Payson, Edward M. Warburg. On the
Advisory Committee are Will H. Hays,
Chairman, Jules E. Brulatour, Stanton
Griffis, Sidney R. Kent, Dr. Erwin Pan-
ofsky, J. Robert Rubin and Dr. David H.
Stevens.

Looking back at fifty years of film,
we can now realize that we were pro¬
ducing important records of a series of
historical events and that everything
that was recorded theatrical or non-
theatri'cal was an expression of our ex¬
istence. The advancement has created
many changes, and only when we have
an opportunity to view these changes
from the Museum’s catalogued pro¬
grams can we appreciate how much ad¬
vancement has been made in such a rela¬
tively short time. It is important for the
artisans in the film industry who are
engaged in production to make every

effort to see and study the old films the
Museum has packaged, for while we
create what we believe to be new meth¬
ods and processes, we will find, some¬
where in the past, the invention of the
process and then we can see how pro¬
ficient we have become in its adaptation.
Like every other art form, the film is
to be studied for comparison and past
performance. Take for example a list¬
ing of “packaged programs” by the Mu¬
seum.

SERIES 1.

Program 1. The Development of Nar¬
rative (75 min.)

1895 — The Execution of Mary Queen of
Scots.

1896 — Wash Day Troubles.

1902 — A Trip to the Moon by Georges
Melies.

1903 — The Great Train Robbery by Ed¬
win S. Porter.

1910 — Faust, a Pathe Film.

1912 — Queen Elizabeth, with Sarah
Bernhardt.

Program 2. The Rise of the American
Film (110 min.)

1912 — The New York Hat by D. W.
Griffith with Mary Pickford and
Lionel Barrymore.

1914 — The Fugitive by Thomas H. Ince
with Wm. S. Hart.

1917 — The Clever Dummy, a Mack Sen-
nett comedy.

1914 — A Fool There Was, with Theda
Bara.

Program 3. D. W. Griffith (130 min.)
1916 — Intolerance, D. W. Griffith.

Program 4. German Influence (111
min.)

1928 — Hands by Stella Simon.

1927 — Sunrise by F. W. Murnau.

Program 5. The Talkies (118 min.)
1927 — Two Scenes from The Jazz
Singer.

1927— Movietone Newsreel.

1930 — All Quiet on the Western Front.

1928— Steamboat Willie by Walt Disney.
Program 5a. The End of the Silent

Era (95 min.)

1928 — Plane Crazy, the first Mickey
Mouse (Disney).

1928 — The Last Command by Josef von
Sternberg.

SERIES 2. — Some Memorable Ameri¬
can Films.

Top left, Pearl White and Crane Wilbur in scene
from Episode 2 of the famous "Perils of Pauline",
filmed in 1914. Right, William S. Hart and Bessie
Love in "The Aryan", produced in 1916 by Triangle-
Kay-Bee.

The programs in this Series are
planned as an extension to those in
Series 1 and should, as a rule, not be
shown unless the first Series has already
been given.

Program 1. The “Western” Film, (110
min.)

Program 2. Comedies, (125 min.)

Program 3. The Film and Contem¬
porary Life, (140 min.)

Program 4. Mystery and Violence,
(90 min.)

Program 5. Screen Personalities, (120
min.)

SERIES 3. — The Film in Germany and

the Film in France.

From 1895 to 1914 the development of
the film was to considerable extent in
French hands; important experiments
were also carried on in France in the
late silent and early talkie days. The
great German period which contributed
so much to the body of the film tech¬
nique and to the American studios in
particular was from 1919 to 1928.

The Film in Germany

Program 1. Legend and Fantasy (85
min.)

Program 2. The Moving Camera (105
min.)

Program 3. Pabst and Realism (100
min.)

Program 3a. The Sound Film (90
min.)

The Film in France

Program 4. From Lumiere to Rene
Clair (95 min.)

Program 5. The Advance Guard (85
min.)

Program 6. The Comedy Tradition
(85 min.)

Program 7. Transition to sound (90
min.)

SERIES 4.

The Swedish Film and Postwar
American Films

The Series opens with a program on
the Swedish film which played an im-

(Continued on Page 244)

American Cinematographer • July, 1945

227

Wipes' —How to Make Them

By RAYMOND PALMER

DURING the past few months many
requests have come in from ama¬
teur movie makers asking for in¬
formation on how to make “wipes,”
“fades” and “dissolves.” We hope the
following explanation of “wipes” will
be helpful to those amateurs who are
trying to improve their home movies.

When a “wipe” is used, one scene ap¬
parently pushes another off the screen,
and is quite effective. To use “wipes”
in 16mm. or 8mm. requires some special
items that are quite inexpensive.

A very simple “wipe” is one in which
a scene is wiped off the screen by an
opaque, black area, which in turn is
pushed off the screen by the following
scene. You can make this type of “wipe”
either directly in the camera, or on proc¬
essed film by chemical means. The
chemical “wipes” are made by splicing
the desired scenes together, masking off
the areas on each which are not to be
wiped by Scotch tape. Then dip the
section to be opaqued in the chemical
photo-fading solution until it has been
dyed black.

If you make your wipes in the cam¬
era you will have to use a fairly deep
sunshade or matte-box. To make the
“wipe,” simply slide a black card across
the outer end of this, blotting out the
scene. The card may be slid up, down or
crosswise, and it may have straight,
diagonal or curved edges. It is very im¬
portant that the card be placed far
enough from the lens so that its image
is sharp. It is also important that a
sunshade or matte-box exclude all light
between the card and lens so only the
edge of the card is photographed.

For smoothness and uniformity it is
better, as a rule, to make the wiping
gadget either a part of the matte-box,
or make it so that it can be bolted or
clamped firmly to it. If you do this,
a simple lever arrangement can be
used to slide the matte for the “wipe”
across the lens. Generally speaking, this
system will give you much smoother
movement than if you slide the matte
by hand. If you want, you may ex¬
tend this principle to get the “barn¬
door” wipe. In this a single lever
moves a matte-card in from each side
of the lens, closing in the middle, and
wiping off the scene from both sides
at once. If you make such a device
be sure the lever arms operating the
two cards are exactly the same length.
Otherwise the cards will not slide uni¬
formly.

If you wish to make true wipes, in
which one scene literally pushes the
other off the screen, you may use any
camera th^t either can be fitted or has
a hand crank shaft. There are com¬
mercially available gadgets that can be
used for this purpose. But if you are
mechanically minded, you can make your

own wipe device of this type. Gears
and shafts, or a flexible cable, from
the crank-shaft are used to make the
camera motor drive the wipe blade across
the scene, while a clutch permits start¬
ing the wipe, disconnecting the wiper
from the camera drive, at the desired
time. When the film is rewound as in
a lap-dissolve, and a wipe is made by
means of the same mechanism, the edges
of the two wipes should coincide per¬
fectly, and as the wiping blade is in
both cases driven by the camera mech¬
anism, the wipes should be made at ex¬
actly the same speed, and cover exactly
the same footage. If the wiping blades
are not perfectly synchronized in mak¬
ing the two wipes there is either a
black edged blend or a white edged one.
The black edge shows the blades over¬
lapped; the white edge indicates they
were behind the correct synchronization.

It is wise in making such a device
to construct it so that the blade will
be reversible, so “wipe-offs” and “wipe-
ons” can be made with the same blade.

In building a mechanical wiper, the
foundation of the device is a board which
serves as a sub-base between the cam¬
era and tripod. A 14 -inch socket is in¬
set in this to accept the tripod’s screw,
and a 14 -inch machine screw fastens the
camera to the base.

Naturally, the camera must be
equipped with a hand-crank shaft. From
this shaft extend a short shaft at the
end of which is a bevel gear. Run
another longer shaft along the edge of
the board at right angles to this, ex¬
tending forward. In the rear end of
the shaft cut a slotted keyway. This
slot must not extend quite to the end
of the shaft. Fit a bevel gear to this,
held loosely in place with a set-screw
that slides along the slot so that while
gear and shaft will always turn to¬
gether, the gear can slide freely along
the shaft.

A small lever, operating from a ful¬
crum fixed to the baseboard, can be ar¬
ranged to move the gear along the shaft.
Moved to the end of the shaft, it meshes
with the bevel gear on the camera shaft.
Moved back along the shaft, it is clear
of the driving gear. This lever and
the bearings that support the shafts can
be made from metal strips and angles
of a Meccano construction set.

At the opposite end of the shaft an¬
other bevel gear is firmly fixed, and
meshes with a similar gear on a third
shaft extending across the front of
the base-board, parallel to the driving-
shaft at the camera. This shaft is
fitted with a worm or helix. On this
helix a threaded carrier slides, carrying
the wipe-off matte. The carrier can be
made of two nuts threaded to fit the
worm, with a metal bar soldered to them.
On this can be clamped or bolted the
wiper blade.

The wiper blade must be made so it
can be fitted in two positions: for wiping
in or out. When it is on the right end
of its mount it is clear of the lens
field, and when the gears are engaged
it will move in, wiping the scene out.
To make the wipe-in, the blade is moved
to the left-hand position, so it covers
the lens, and when the gears are meshed
it will move, left, but out of the pic¬
ture, making a wipe-in. If the film is
accurately rewound between these wipes,
perfectly matched pushed-off wipes can
be made always.

In the August issue we will take up
the making of “fades” and “lap-dis¬
solves.” While it is difficult to send
individual explanations of scores of
problems to the many inquirers, we are
always happy to try to solve amateur’s
problems through articles that deal with
these matters. In this way many read¬
ers, who do not write for information
can thus obtain it. So, please send your
problems in, and we will try to take
care of all of them in the course of time.

Pasadena International Salon
of Photography Scheduled for
Sept. 15 Through Oct. 21

The 1945 Pasadena International Salon
of Photography, sponsored by the Foot¬
hill Camera Club, will be held at the
Pasadena Art Institute from September
15th through October 21st. Last day for
receiving prints has been announced as
Sept. 1, 1945.

Judges of the Salon are announced as
Fred R. Archer, F.P.S.A., Harvey W.
Brown, A.P.S.A., and Jack Wright,
A.P.S.A. The following are the condi¬
tions of entry:

1. Four prints may be submitted by
any contributor. Monochrome prints only
are eligible, and except for mounting
must be the sole work of the contributor.

2. The entry form with a fee of one
dollar should be properly filled out and
mailed separately from the prints to Wil¬
liam Reynolds, exhibition treasurer, 315
S. Catalina Avenue, Pasadena 5, Califor¬
nia, and must be received prior to Sep¬
tember 1, 1945. Entries from outside the
North American continent will be ac¬
cepted without entry fee.

3. All prints should be mounted on
white or light colored mounts of suitable
size. Maximum print size is 16 by 20
inches. Each mount should bear on the
back, plainly written, its number, title,
process (toning, etc.), and the name and
address of the artist to correspond with
the entry form.

4. Prints may be forwarded either by
parcel post or by express prepaid. All
entries should be packed with sufficient
protection for safe transportation both
ways.

5. Prints will be carefully handled,
but neither the camera club nor the Pasa¬
dena Art Institute assumes responsibility
for loss or damage while prints are in
transit or during exhibition.

6. Unless otherwise specified permis¬
sion to reproduce for the publicity of the
exhibition is assumed.

228 July, 1945 • American Cinematographer

The character
and quality

of

BRULATOUR

SERVICE

is consistent

and constant -

an ideal adjunct
to your preference
for

EASTMAN

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J. E. BRULATOUR, Inc.

FORT LEE • CHICAGO • HOLLYWOOD

The War and the Training Film

By NEWTON E. MELTZER

EDITOR, CANADIAN PARAMOUNT NEWS

THE emergence and exhibition to
the public within the last year of
a group of so-called Army Indoc¬
trination Films — notably, BATTLE OF
RUSSIA, REPORT FROM THE ALEU¬
TIANS and THE NEGRO SOLDIER—
has brought into focus for many film-
goers and interested onlookers the exis¬
tence of a great, new field of cinematic
endeavor. But the scope and dimensions
of the Army, Navy, Coast Guard and
Marine Corps training film program can
be scarcely guessed at from a glance at
the few titles which have reached civilian
theatres.

There are, within the Army Air Forces
alone, nearly seven hundred titles at
present, dealing with such diverse sub¬
jects as celestial navigation, interroga¬
tion of enemy airmen, how to land and
live in the Arctic, and venereal disease
control (THREE CADETS, the most
coldly unromantic love story ever
brought to the screen).

In addition to these and other films
made by branches of the armed services
themselves, there have been farmed out
to commercial producers (perhaps the
best-known being Walt Disney Produc¬
tions) several hundred related subjects
which can be handled safely and satis¬
factorily by contractual arrangement.

Each subject is a one-, two-, or three-
reel film, with music and dialogue or,
most frequently, an “off-screen’' com¬
mentary of some sort. They are released
in the non-theatrical 16mm width, to fit
the standard portable equipment avail¬
able almost universally at Army and
Navy bases and depots. The subjects are
numbered, classified and catalogued ac¬
cording to the branch of the services they
will benefit most, and are mounted in a
standardized way, with main and end
titles exactly similar for hundreds of
films.

But do not get the impression that this
means a training film is necessarily a
dull affair, welcomed by most G.I.’s as an
after-dinner siesta. It is not. For exam¬
ple, one recent film produced by the
Army Signal Corps and coldly numbered
TF 10-105, is entitled HOW TO GET
KILLED. It starts with an American
infantryman creeping through a dense
jungle on his belly, his M-l rifle held out
in front of him in one hand, a grenade
clutched in the other. No word of nar¬
ration explains where he is or why he is
doing this, and an excellent musical
background enhances the natural drama
of the situation. The sun glints dazzing-
ly on his bayonet. And fifty yards away,
a cleverly camouflaged Japanese sniper
in a treetop takes careful aim and fires.
The soldier jerks once and lies still.

The message is strikingly apparent: it
is fatal to expose any bright or reflecting
surface such as a bayonet when stalking
the enemy in close quarters. And the

sequence, with all the others in this par¬
ticular opus, is as realistic as any to
come off the Hollywood lots. Today’s
military training by motion picture has
come a long way since MANLTAL OF
ARMS, a fumbling, poorly photographed
effort from the first World War.

The introduction of sound since then —
commentary to crystallize the action on
the screen, music and sound effects to
point it up — has helped immeasurably.
But the picture remains the thing — 60%
of the message, in fact, says one visual
aids officer, with sound track the remain¬
ing 40%.

In such films as the Signal Corps’
SUCKER BAIT and BAPTISM OF
FIRE, and the Air Forces’ HOW TO
FLY THE P-39 (made commercially by
the Bell Aircraft motion picture unit),
live dialogue is used through much of the
action (that is, lines actually spoken by
the actors on screen, rather than an
anonymous off-screen voice). More and
more of late, the trend has been away
from the impersonal commentary and to¬
ward live dialogue, particularly in the
AAF subjects, produced in Culver City,
Calif.

The majority of Army training films
seen these days at training camps and
overseas bases originate either in New
York City, at the Army Signal Corps
Photographic Center; in Culver City,
Calif., at the 1st Army Air Forces Mo¬
tion Picture Unit, or at Wright Field, O.

The Signal Corps has taken over the
archaic Eastern Service Studios, once the
East Coast home of Paramount Pictures,
and has completely refurnished it. It now
teems with directors and cameramen in
officers’ insignia, and actors, writers and
film editors wearing the stripes of en¬
listed men (or, as frequently as not, no
stripes at all). The basement contains
three completely equipped sound stages,
an auditorium and a recording studio for
added music, sound effects and com¬
mentary.

The former Hal Roach Studios in Cul¬
ver City are now the stamping-grounds
for a variety of Air Forces film tech¬
nicians in uniform — under the super¬
vision of Lt. Col. Owen Crump, formerly
of Hollywood. In New York City on the
seventh floor of a lower Park Avenue
building is the Combat Film Unit of the
AAF, which edits, assembles and records
all scenes of air combat action recorded
by the various combat camera units (15
of them, in all sectors of the world).

With minor alterations, the thousands
of films now teaching fighting men can
be adapted to peacetime classroom use.
They cover a wide range of academic
subjects: mathematics, physics, elec¬
tronics, chemistry, machine shop prac¬
tices, blueprint reading. For the future,
the possibilities for instructional films
are limitless.

Keeping Up With A.S.C.
Members

AS this issue of the Cinematographer
/A goes to press members of the
American Society of Cinematog¬
raphers are filming pictures as follows:

Columbia

Joseph Walker, “She Wouldn’t Say
Yes;” George Meehan, “The Kansas;”
Franz Planer, “Snafu;” L. W. O’Con¬
nell, “The Paper Doll Murders.”

M-G-M

Harry Stradling, “Early to Wed;”
Charles Salerno, “She Went to the
Races;” Joe Ruttenberg, “This Strange
Adventure;” Karl Freund, “A Letter for
Evie;” Sid Wagner, “The Postman Al¬
ways Rings Twice;” Len Smith, in Flor¬
ida filming “The Yearling.”

Monogram

Ira Morgan “Gregory;” Harry Neu¬
mann, “Allotment Wives.”

Paramount

Lionel Lindon, “The Trouble With
Women.”

P.It.C.

Ben Kline, “Detour.”

RKO

Frank Redman, “Dick Tracy;” Gregg
Toland, “The Kid from Brooklyn” (Sam¬
uel Goldwyn Production).

20th Cent-Fox

Edward Cronjager, “Kitten on the
Keys;” Norbert Brodine, “Now It Can
Be Told;” Joseph LaShelle, “Fallen An¬
gel;” Harry Jackson and Joe MacDon¬
ald, “The Enchanted Voyage;” Leon
Shamroy, “Leave Her to Heaven;” Glenn
MacWilliams, “The Spider.”

United Artists

Lee Garmes, production assistant and
photography “Young Widow;” Hal Ros-
son, “Duel in the Sun;” Charles Laugh¬
ton, Jr., “Getting Gertie’s Garter.”

Universal

George Robinson, “Frontier Gal;” Hal
Mohr, “Alibi in Ermine;” Charles Van
Enger, “Once Upon a Dream;” Lucien
Ballard, “As It Was Before.”

Warners

Arthur Edeson, “The Time, the Place
and the Girl;” Sol Polito, “A Stolen
Life;” Carl Guthrie, “Janie Gets Mar¬
ried;” Pev Marley, “The Two Mrs. Car-
rolls;” James Wong Howe, “Confidential
Agent.”

Motion pictures, with their unique fa¬
cility for transmitting abstract concepts
and ideas without words, can be used
successfully to teach foreign languages.
They are an admirable means for the
teaching of history, of geography, of
geology, anthropology, biology, chemistry.

Undeniably, the war has been a fac¬
tor in bringing about the training film’s
new articulateness. The pattern has
been set. Television stands ready to
bring world enlightenment through the
vehicle of the instructional film. Where
we go from here is defined only by the
outer limits of man’s adaptiveness and
ingenuity.

230

July, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Covering the entire wide range from per¬
fume " 'fixatives ” to chemical weed killers ,
Kodak Research Laboratories provide more
than 3000 organic chemicals essential to
advancement of chemical knowledge. Illus¬
trated is the formula of a "fixative" . . .
used to make a perfume's fragrance lasting.

Research scientists turn to

for rare and costly organic chemicals

FROM our greatest research institutions to the
lonely scientist in his cubby-hole laboratory,
American research looks to Kodak for many of
the rare organic chemicals that are essential to ex¬
perimental work.

This is not a profit-making enterprise, in the usual
sense. It simply makes available, in small packages at
relatively small prices, the rare and costly ’’organ-
ics” without which original research can’t function.

EASTMAN KODAK CO., ROCHESTER 4, N. Y.

JS

Growing from this
“ labor of love”. . .
your future in color
photography!

After Kodak Research un¬
dertook to supply other sci¬
ences with the chemical
tools for research . . . came
Kodak’s own pioneer devel¬
opment of processes for
color photography. It was

speedily apparent that the synthesis of organic chem¬
icals, to create new dyes, was a critical factor . . .

REMEMBER GUADALCANAL — our first offensive action in
the Pacific, over three years ago? How, with the Japs threaten¬
ing our life lines to Australia, and Australia itself, we attacked,
despite greatly inferior naval and aviation forces? And how
the Marines, fresh from training, made their first landing . . .
fought battle after battle for 27 desperate weeks . . . wiped out
the Japs . . . and turned the whole tide of the Pacific war? A
stern example to us at home. BUY MORE WAR BONDS.

And Kodak had the experience necessary to
make them

This basic knowledge is reflected in the glowing
beauty of your Kodachrome home movies and
"stills,” your Minicolor and Kotavachrome prints . . .

And now in the most far-reaching of all, your
Kodacolor snapshots . . . full-color prints, on paper,
from Kodacolor Film used in your present camera . . .
limited now, but plentiful later!

Serving human progress through photography

American Cinematographer • July, 1945

231

Rerecording 35-mm Entertainment

Films for 16-mm Armed Forces Release

By P. E. BRIGANDI

RKO RADIO PICTURES. INC., HOLLYWOOD

PRIOR to the war, the few 16mm
sound prints RKO needed were made
by optical reduction from the origi¬
nal release negative. This provided a
convenient and inexpensive way to make
single prints, and the quality was con¬
sidered adequate for projection to small
groups. When RKO began releasing the
majority of their 35mm entertainment
films on 16mm to the Armed Forces, op¬
tical printing could not suffice as it was
too slow to provide the large number of
prints required. While 16mm contact
printing was more rapid it necessitated
making a 16mm negative, the first of
which was optically reduced from a fine-
grain 35mm print.

When prints of these negatives were
projected on an average 16mm repro¬
ducer the sound was not uniformly in¬
telligible or pleasant to hear. The three
main causes for this deficiency were (1)
the overloading and resonant peaks of
the projector speaker when reproducing
low frequencies, (2) the resultant sur¬
face noise and the noise of the projector
running in the room prevented the low
passages of dialogue from being heard,
and (3) the relative lack of resolution
in the film and variations in printer con¬
tact were causing the extreme high fre¬
quencies present on the track to inter-
modulate.

The only solution was to restrict the
frequency and volume ranges by a rere¬
cording. The simplest procedure was to
rerecord from a 35mm release print di¬
rectly to a 16mm negative. The alterna¬
tive of rerecording a second time to
35mm and making a 16mm negative by
optical reduction was discarded as it was
wasteful of 35mm raw stock and in¬
creased the cost. Using the original
units as prepared for rerecording the
35mm release negative was not neces¬
sary as the distortion introduced in re¬
recording from this rerecorded 35mm re¬
lease track was not sufficient to reduce
intelligibility.

RCA Recording Studios, having a
high-quality 16mm recorder and con¬
siderable experience in recording this
type of negative particularly for
“Soundie” 16mm releases, were glad to
cooperate in meeting the emergency.
However, the “Soundie” recordings in¬
volved only orchestral and small vocal
groups and were designed to be repro¬
duced on a standardized projector unit.
On the other hand, the 35mm entertain¬
ment films consisted of wide-range dia¬
logue, music and effects. Besides, the
16mm versions were to be reproduced on

Note: The above article is reprinted here
through the courtesy of the Journal of the Society
of Motion Picture Engineers, in which it originally
appeared in January, 1945. — The Editor.

various types of projection equipment
under possible adverse conditions. In
view of this and the objections men¬
tioned earlier, it was decided to attenu¬
ate the low frequencies, increase the
mid-range frequencies, sharply attenuate
the high frequencies, while drastically
limiting the volume range.

To produce a 16mm sound negative
having these characteristics a rerecord¬
ing channel was set up. This is similar
to a standard 35mm channel except for
four special units of equipment and
changes in one existing unit. The special
units consisted of a 16 mm pre-equalizer,
a 4500-cycle low-pass filter, a 16mm
monitor decompensator, and an RCA
16mm recorder equipped with a stand¬
ard bilateral variable-area modulator
and shutter type noise reduction system.

The 16mm pre-equalizer is used for
the purpose of overcoming the high-fre¬
quency loss inherent in 16mm sound
track. This does not equalize for the
total losses at the high frequencies in
16mm recordings, but is a compromise to
simulate some apparent high frequencies.

The 4500-cycle low-pass filter sharply
attenuates the high-frequency responsive
above 4500 cps. This attenuation is neces¬
sary for satisfactory 16mm release prints
and limits the amount of intermodula¬
tion produced in the reproducing system
and laboratory processing.

The 16mm monitor decompensator is
inserted before the regular 2-way moni¬
tor and the neon volume indicator. The
purpose of this attenuation is to give a
monitor characteristic similar to that
which may be expected in the field.

The electronic compressor used in the
35mm channel is adjusted to operate as
an electronic limiter. This limiting ac¬
tion is variable but usually compresses
17 db of modulation range on tbe 35mm
track into 3 db of modulation on the
16mm track, expressed as “17 into 3”.
By increasing or decreasing the attenua¬
tion (“ceiling control”) following the
limiter this compressing action may be
started at any desired level (“breakaway
point”) with respect to 100 per cent
modulation on the 16mm track. For the
majority of this work the attenuator is
set so the breakaway point is about 5 db
below 100 per cent modulation. This
automatically raises the low-level dia¬
logue to a higher level while maintain¬
ing protection against overload from the
louder dialogue and music passages.

Sixteen-millimeter operation of the re¬
recording channel is similar to 35mm
work, but is simplified by using the re¬
lease prints as the effects, dialogue, and
music are already combined. The aver¬
age volume range and frequency charac¬
teristic of the 35mm track is observed by

projecting one or two reels of the pic¬
ture to be rerecorded. A compression
ratio is then determined which keeps the
normal dialogue level some 3 db below
the loud music level. The very low-level
dialogue will then be kept to a level not
lower than 5 db below the normal. It is
necessary with this amount of compres¬
sion to change the ceiling control on
loud music and effects to prevent “squeez¬
ing”.

The negative stock used has been EK
5357 exposed with ultraviolet light. Re¬
cently, tests on the new EK 5372 ex¬
posed with incandescent light have shown
excellent results. Either stock is de¬
veloped to a high contrast (near gamma
infinity) and exposed with sufficient light
to give a track density of about 2.00.
Contact prints on EK 5302 are then de¬
veloped to normal picture contrast with
a track print density of about 1.50. Low
negative and positive fog coupled with
good printer contact and the elimination
of extreme high frequencies during re¬
recording provide rather broad process¬
ing tolerances.

The method outlined in this paper must
be considered a war emergency expedi¬
ent, as it is realized that the dramatic
values of certain pictures may suffer
with this treatment and that the total
distortion introduced is higher than de¬
sired. However, the main purpose is to
provide our Armed Forces with 16mm re¬
leases, having high intelligibility under
all conditions of projection.

Acknowledgement is gratefully given
to W. M. Dalglish of RCA Victor Di¬
vision for his pioneering in this field and
for assisting in the preparation of this
paper, and to Sid Kramer of RKO Radio
Pictures, for his cooperation in the pro¬
gram.

Du Pont Acquires Defender

Transfer of the business and assets of
the Defender Photo Supply Company,
Inc., of Rochester, N. Y., to E. I. du Pont
de Nemours & Company, Wilmington,
Delaware, has been announced. L. Dud¬
ley Field, since 1923 president of the
Rochester firm and George A. Scanlan,
general manager of the Du Pont Photo
Products Department, made the an¬
nouncement jointly, emphasizing that it
comes about logically because Defender
is chiefly a manufacturer of sensitized
paper while Du Pont mainly produces
film. Defender has distributed Du Pont
sheet film since 1927.

Defender business will be continued
as the Defender Division of the Photo
Products Department, E. I. du Pont de
Nemours & Company. No changes in
personnel and policies are contemplated.
Mr. Field and Karl T. Molin will con¬
tinue as division manager and assistant
division manager. Sales offices operated
by the 50-year-old New York company
will be maintained.

“The combined resources of the two
organizations should mean that our deal¬
ers and their customers will gain con¬
siderably,” Mr. Field pointed out. “New
and better photographic materials can
be expected in the future.”

232 July, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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the ideal taking medium for
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practical levels of illumination

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BINGHAMTON • HOLLYWOOD • NEW YORK

KEEP YOUR EYE ON ANSCO — FIRST WITH THE FINEST

American Cinematographer • July, 1945

233

THROUGH the EDITOR S FINDER

FROM a reader in Syracuse, N. Y.,
has come a letter that both pleases
me and makes me mad. It pleases
me because an individual not connected
with Hollywood recognizes the worth of
the Cinematographer in motion picture
production. It angers me because, neith¬
er critics nor production executives give
credit to the cameramen in a manner
such as is their due. The letter follows:

“The attached writeup from a local
paper burns me up.

“Since when did ‘directed by’, ‘pro¬
duced by’, and ‘Original Screenplay by’
ever make a gorgeous color picture ? A
rave notice on color photography and
never a mention of the A.S.C. member
to whom the credit should have been
given.

“I recall all the work the A.S.C. has
done to get recognition for their mem¬
bers, and I can’t understand how various
and sundry other studio workers get all
the credit for the photography. Half of
them couldn’t make a good snapshot.

“I think it was a marvelous piece of
color work by George Robinson.
“Sincerely,

(Signed) Rees Lumley.”

Apparently, Mr. Lumley is really
“burned up”, and one can hardly blame
him, for herewith is the review of
“Sudan”, from the Syracuse Herald-
Journal of June 1, 1945:

SUDAN COLOR GORGEOUS

“SUDAN”

Universal Pictures production, directed by John
Rawlins, produced by Paul Malvern. Original
screen play by Edmund L. Hartmann. Now play¬
ing at Keith’s.

THE CAST

Naila . Maria Montez

Merab . Jon Hall

Herua . Tuhran Bey

Nebka . Andy Devine

Horadef . George Zucco

Maatet . Robert Warwick

Color photography beyond the dreams
of the most sanguine photographer of
a decade ago is the high attraction of
“Sudan,” showing at Keith’s this week.

The fanciful tale of the Oriental
queen who is kidnaped, branded as a
slave, and falls in love with a bandit
who makes a business of freeing and
protecting enslaved human beings, is
something of a strain on the credulity
of modern movie goers, but the pro¬
ducer and director deserves high credit
for a gorgeous picture.

Filmed in the American desert, the
picture has been set on an elaborate
scale, with great attention to detail.
Desert and mountain, the palace of the
legendary queen, the hideout of the
slave band, sand dunes, and rocky cliffs
deserve a more adequate vehicle of ac¬
tion.

Maria Montez is an attractive queen
and demonstrates the ability to do some
real riding, hampered as she is by a
superabundance of drapery.

Turhan Bey as the bandit and Jon
Hall as the vagabond thief and trickster
contribute to the colorful warfare.

Best Shots — the landslide let loose
when the bandits see the queen’s hench¬
men approaching, and the free for all
horse race won by Queen Naila.

It does seem rather amazing that such
a review should not mention the name
of the Cinematographer. Perhaps the
reason the critic didn’t mention George
Robinsons’ name was because he had not
been able to detect it among the maze
of other wardrobe, sixth assistants and
associates names that were crowded
around his. Mr. Lumley did spot the
name, however. This writer has been
clamoring for years for greater credit
for the cameramen. Give them screen
credit the same size as the director and
writer, we say. Then, perhaps the critics
will mention the name of the photog¬
rapher who shot a picture whose photog¬
raphy was featured as the “high at¬
traction” of the film.

IT IS just two years ago this month
that this writer took over the edi¬
torial reins of the Cinematographer
when death suddenly called our long¬
time friend, William Stull, with a sud¬
denness that was shocking. At that time
I had no intention of continuing as edi¬
tor. I just jumped in to carry on in an
emergency for Bill. But here I am, still
carrying on in my own feeble way; at¬
tempting each month to present a maga¬
zine that will please all the subscribers.

I must admit that pleasing EVERY¬
BODY is a rather difficult task, because
we have such a variety of readers. For
example, there are the members of the
American Society of Cinematographers
which owns the magazine. These are the
top photographic geniuses of the motion
picture world. Then we have the profes¬
sional cinematographers in other parts
of the United States and in more than
twenty foreign countries. We have the
industrial and educational film makers
and laboratory experts. We have a vast
number of advanced amateurs, and a
a greater number of just good, plain
amateurs as well as people in the edu¬
cational field who are steadily turning
to films as a means to bring about
greater knowledge. Pleasing ALL of the
above mentioned groups month after
month is really quite an assignment — at
times quite a headache.

For two years your editor has done
his best to make this magazine one that
is interesting and worthwhile. There is
only one way we can learn whether or
not we are succeeding in our task. That
is by hearing from our readers. So at
this time I ask all our readers to write
me personally with your criticisms,
boosts and knocks. In short, will you
write me telling what you like and dis¬
like, what you want. If you like the
magazine, say so; if you don’t like it,
say so. We would like to have an inter¬
esting collection of letters to print. We’ll
print the critical ones along with the
others.

WE HAVE just received another
interesting letter from Captain
Henry Freulich, member of the
A.S.C., who now heads a Marine combat
photographic unit in Okinawa. It is so
interesting that we will quote those por¬
tions permitted by the censors.

“This is our 67th day on the island,”
writes the Captain. “As you know, we
are only 480 miles from Shanghai and
695 miles from Tokyo, and I’m sure that
the newspapers have fully informed you
of the campaign. Our photo unit con¬
sists of some twenty-odd combat pho¬
tographers — and I do mean combat. I
could go >n for many pages telling you
about these men, but Clyde DiVinna
said it all when he said: ‘They are the
finest group of men I have ever known
and worked with. They have done a
magnificent job, and all credit for the
results is due them.’ That’s just how I
feel about photographers in my unit.
Most of them are kids. Only four are
over thirty, and at thirty-nine I am
the Poppa. The majority of them are
under twenty-two. These men have been
through hell, but despite the horrors
they have seen and the hardships they
have endured, they did their job in the
true Marine Corps tradition.

“We have not seen any of the film
yet, but according to reports, it car¬
ries the same high standard as the work
done on Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan,
and Guam. We hope this is true, of
course. Many American lives have been
lost on this operation, among them four
photographers killed and eleven wound¬
ed. We are all pretty tired out and, at
the moment, we can hardly wait until
the word comes to go home. When that
will be, God only knows, but it doesn’t
keep us from wishing. The other day
Lieut. Dewey Wrigley came by to say
hello. You can imagine how good it was
to see him. We talked about old times
and the present, coming to the conclu¬
sion that while we wouldn’t have missed
this for anything, it will be damn fine
to be back with our loved ones. He was
in fine spirits and very jovial, and I
noticed that outside of getting a ‘mid¬
dle-aged middle’, he looks young as
ever.

“And that’s all I can tell you without
bringing down the wrath of the censors.
Best wishes to you all.”

You have to tip your hat to the
cameramen in this war. They are right
up front pitching, making an historical
record such as has never been made of
any war before.

As we were completing this piece we
received the news that Captain Freulich
and his entire photographic section have
received a letter of appreciation from
their Commanding General for their
“wholehearted cooperation and untiring
efforts and for their excellent work ac¬
complished during the Okinawa opera¬
tion.”

Nice going, boys. We’re proud of you,
too.

234

July, 1945 • American Cinematographer

a®s32&3a

with Removable Head

Acclaimed the finest for
every picture taking use.

The friction type head which is unconditionally guar¬
anteed for 5 years, gives super-smooth 360° pan and 80°
tilt action. It is removable, can be easily mounted on
our "Hi-Hat" low-base adaptor or Baby "Professional
Junior" Tripod base. The large pin and trunnion assures
long, dependable service. A "T" level is attached. The
top-plate can be set for 16mm. E. K. Cine Special, with
or without motor; 35mm. DeVry and B & H Eyemo (with
motor), and with or without alignment gauge.

The standard size tripod base is sturdy. "Spread-leg" de¬
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adjustments. Complete tripod weighs 14 lbs. Low height,
at normal ieg spread, 42". Extended height 72". All
workmanship and materials are the finest.

ADAPTABILITY: below are illustrated (I) the "Hi-Hat"
ready for the friction type "Professional Junior"* tripod
head (2) to be affixed. Under the ’Hi-Hat" is the finger-
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tripod head onto either the "Hi-Hat," standard tripod (3)
or "Professional Junior" Baby Tripod (4). Note the posi¬
tive-locking, fluted, height-adjustment knobs and tie-down
rings on the standard (3) tripod base. The Baby Tripod
has a "T" level, weighs lbs., ?s made of Aluminum,
with Dural legs having spurs. Extended height — 21 inches,
depressed — 16 inches. It's compact and sturdy. Quality
throughout.

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"Professional Junior"* Tripods, Baby Tripods, Developing Kits, "Hi-Hats"
and Shiftover Alignment Gauges made by Camera Equipment Co. are
used by the U. S. Navy, Army Air Bases, Signal Corps, Office of Strategic
Services and other Government Agencies — also by many leading News¬
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FRANK C. ZUCKER

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^ 1600 BRORDWfly \ new yoRKCiTy

among the movie clubs

Brooklyn Club

The following officers have been elected
for the coming year by the Brooklyn
Amateur Cine Club:

President, Charles Ross.

Vice-President, Francis Sinclaire.

Treasurer, Herbert Erles.

Secretary, Martin Pollack.

Board of Directors, Sam Fass, Charles
Benjamin, Irving Gittell.

Two meetings were held during June.
The first was on June 6, with a talk on
exposure meters by W. A. Reedy as the
feature.

Nine films provided the screen fare for
the meeting on June 20. Films shown
were:

“Northwoods”, by Herbert Erles.

“Fishing Blues”, by Horace Guthman.

“A Day in the Country”, by Sam Fass.

“Big Broadcast”, by Francis Sinclaire.

“H R H Marcia Lee”, by Irving Gittell.

“All in Fun”, by Dr. A. Gortz.

“Our Family”, by B. C. Rackett.

“David’s First Birthday”, by I. Flaurn-
enhaft.

“Carol”, by Mrs. M. Flaumenhaft.

This was the last meeting until next
Autumn.

Philadelphia Club

The June meeting of the Philadelphia
Cinema Club was largely devoted to
sound. John Campbell, professional
sound man, spoke on “Sound on Film”,
and demonstrated various types of sound
tracks and methods of recording. Carl
Finger had disc recording equipment on
hand and showed the various steps in
making a record. Robert Henderson,
with the assistance of James Maueher,
demonstrated his new RCA sound cam¬
era and recording equipment.

Three films were also screened. They
were :

“Ace of Darts”, by Dr. Robert E.
Haentze.

“Nantucket”, by Russell T. Pansie.

“Sahuaro Land”, by Frank E. Gunnell.

Lon Wadman of the Amateur Motion Picture Club
of St. Louis, receiving cup from President Ben Betts
as reward for making best film in Class A.

Saint Louis Club

The Ninth Annual Banquet of the
Amateur Motion Picture Club of St.
Louis was held on Tuesday, June 12,
1945, on the Congress Hotel Roof. After
a delicious Turkey dinner, President Ben
Betts conducted a short business meeting
ana the Directors for the coming year
were elected.

A five act floor show was presented
with Mrs. Lon Wadman acting as mis¬
tress of Ceremonies.

The climax of the evening was the
judging of the films for the annual
awards. Dr. Horst W. Janson, of Wash¬
ington University; Mr. Charles Nagel,
Jr., of the St. Louis Art Museum; and
Mr. C. L. Harrod, of Laclede Power &
Light Co., acted as judges who previous
to the meeting picked the three top pic¬
tures in Class B and two top pictures in
Class A. They were as follows:

Class A — “Closeups” by Werner Henze;
“Trial and Error” by Lon Wadman.

Class B — “Lynn Carol’s Fifth Birth¬
day” by Leslie Easterday; “Yachting
Season in Wisconsin” by Frank Sperka;
“Behind the Eight Ball” by Jos. G. Ep¬
stein.

These pictures were shown at the ban¬
quet and a top winner in each class was
picked by popular vote of the club’s
membership. “Trial and Error” was
judged winner for the Class A award
and “Behind the Eight Ball” was the
winner for the Class B award. Appro¬
priate trophies were presented to Mr.
Wadman and Mr. Epstein.

Ninety-five members were present
which is almost the entire membership of
the club.

M.M.P.C.

Officers chosen for the coming year by
the Metropolitan Motion Picture Club of
New York City are:

President, Joseph J. Harley.

First Vice-President, Frank E. Gunnell.

Second Vice-President, John R. Hefele.

Treasurer, Sidney Moritz.

Secretary, Alice L. Burnett.

Three films that were honored in 1944
were on the program of the June meet¬
ing. They were “Follow the Girls”, by
Oscar Horovitz; “Glamor vs. Calories”,
by Charles Carbonaro, and “The Silent
Alarm”, by Ernest Kramer. First two
were named among the “Ten Best of
1944”, and the last one was given hon¬
orable mention.

La Casa Club

Members of the La Casa Movie Club
of Alhambra, California, celebrated the
organization’s eighth anniversary on
June 18 with a birthday cake and the
screening of short films by 13 members
of the club. Those showing selected
short reels were: A. J. Zeman, L. W.
Lantz, A. S. Litch, J. H. Clay, R. L.
Johns, J. P. Glassner, Ralph Ingham,
Mrs. L. S. Conrad, Miss Monda Taylor,
H. A. McHenry, John Van Aalst, Dr.
H. R. Lutz and Guy Nelli.

(Continued on Page 240)

Members of the Amateur Motion Picture Club of St. Louis gathered at that organization's Ninth Annual

June 12th.

Banquet, at the Congress Hotel, St. Louis, the evening of

236 July, 1945 • American Cinematographer

ThriWngty

Natural Sound

for Home Movies

&ond<i

16mm. sound-on-film has effected a revolu¬
tion in home motion pictures. To the sight
and action of silent films it brings the rich
beauty of music, the drama of the spoken
word, the lifelike atmosphere of actual sound
effects. Rapidly expanding libraries of 16mm.
sound films open new and fascinating vistas
of entertainment and education for the aver¬
age home.

Fortunately, 16mm. sound projection equip¬
ment for home use has kept pace with this

new development. Compact, easy-to-oper-

ate, moderate priced projectors such as
Ampro can bring professional quality sound
motion pictures right into your living room.
Perfected before the war, tested and im¬
proved during the war, Ampro sound pro¬
jectors will be available just as soon as the
urgent war needs are filled. In the mean¬
time, an interesting and informative story
entitled "What Will Happen in the Movies
the Day War is Over . . .” is being distrib¬
uted in attractive booklet form by the Ampro
Corporation. Write today for your FREE copy.

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American Cinematographer • July, If'

Shooting Tulip Time in Holland"

By JAMES R. OSWALD

IT WAS a beautiful May morning
when my chief assistant (my
brother), and I set out on the 150
mile journey to cover in Kodachrome one
of the country’s most colorful spectacles
. . . the celebrated “Tulip Time” festival
at Holland, Michigan. Little did we real¬
ize then we were about to film what was
to be acclaimed the greatest screen play
ever to emanate from the studios of
JRO Productions, Unincorporated. While
the subject matter is somewhat exclu¬
sive, our experiences in filming this
travelog closely parallel those encoun¬
tered by the average arpateur in similar
circumstances, and therefore these ex¬
periences are set forth for what they
may be worth.

With the usual enthusiasm of a news¬
reel cameraman about to tackle a new
assignment, we made ready for the
momentous occasion which was to be
ours. After a careful check up of equip¬
ment, we packed our movie parapher¬
nalia in the camera car, our trusty Ford,
and were on our way. Not having wit¬
nessed the festival before, we were at
a loss to have a planned scenario to shoot
from, but in accordance with the policy
of JRO Productions, one thing was quite
certain: “To this we would hold fast . . .
make this film surpass the last.” And
that is exactly what we did!

Holland is an enterprising little vil¬
lage, whose place on the map rises from
oblivion to gain the spotlite of national
recognition, during the festivities. Its in¬
habitants, as might be imagined, are pre¬
dominantly of Dutch ancestry, and to
them “Tulip Time” is definitely more
than a “come on” slogan hashed up by

an over active chamber of commerce.
These folk like to set aside this time
each year for one gala occasion in re¬
membrance of their native land ... to
relive the strange traditions of days gone
by ... to don its quaint, gaily colored
costumes, complete to the wooden shoes.

Holland takes great pride, and justly
so, in its several tulip farms, which out-
skirt the town proper. Thereon are
raised the greatest array of tulips I
have ever laid eyes on . . . and with the
typical Dutch windmill in the far corner
. . . truly a magnificent spectacle . . .
and one certainly not to be overlooked by
an itchy “trigger” finger on the exposure
button of a camera loaded with Koda¬
chrome !

But this was to be just a sidelight of
what was to come. The main, action
packed events of the celebration hadn’t
even begun! A quick glance at an offi¬
cial “Tulip Time” program was well in
order, for it informed us of major at¬
tractions upon which to focus our at¬
tention . . . and our cameras. Not the
least of these, we learned, was the open¬
ing parade, which was destined to play
a very prominent part in our finished
production.

With the crowds swarming in droves
to choice vantage points, we hastened to
our own carefully selected spot, from
which to film the parade sequences to
best advantage. Mere words alone can¬
not adequately describe the quaintness
of the occasion. Tiny tots in their color¬
ful Dutch costumes . . . wooden shoe
dancers going through their capers . . .
drum majorettes in sparkling uniforms
. . . all added up to give our film a re¬

Pictures on this page are blowups from the 16mm
film "Tulip Time in Holland".

quired twist. Anxious days were ahead
as we waited to view the rushes of this
never-to-be-forgotten spectacle of spec¬
tacles !

But with the breaking up of the pa¬
rade, our mission was far from com¬
pleted. We realized a few interesting
sidelights could make or break this film.
And if you’ll pardon my ego, they made
it! The little Dutch children surrounded
by a bed of tulips . . . the tiny youngster
by the white picket fence, daring to pick
one of the precious blooms . . . and other
catch-as-catch can shots give the neces¬
sary uplift so essential to a well-rounded
screen play.

As we gathered up our belongings in
preparation for the trip home, we were
reluctant to leave this land of three mil¬
lion tulips . . . this land that spells peace
and contentment . . . this color fans’
paradise. We were going to miss beauti¬
ful Centennial Park, where we had been
whiling away the last remaining hours
of our joyous holiday. But, “mission ac¬
complished,” we needed to be on our way,
back to the grind of everyday life, away
from this photographic dreamland. There
was but one consolation . . . we had cap¬
tured forever on film one of the most
colorful pageants of our movie making
career ... to be relived at will in all the
magnificent splendor of Kodachrome!

While there are, or have been, before
the war, many captivating celebrations
of one kind or another, scattered through¬
out the country, such as the Mardi Gras
. . . Tournament of Roses . . . Cherry
Blossom festival . . . etc., there is only
one “Tulip Time in Holland.” And if by
chance you think I’m prejudiced, you
may recall that even Hollywood, which
is inclined to turn a deaf ear to mere
trifles, recently filmed an entire feature
(Continued on Page 243)

• t

238 July, 1945 • American Cinematographer

\

Season of contrasts

SUMMER lighting ranges from
deepest shade to brightest high¬
light, from the almost velvet blackness
of shadows to the full glistening brilli¬
ance of sunlight on water and white sand !

That’s reason enough to choose Ansco
Hypan for your summer movies!

For this great film has the range to
cover such extremes of lighting — to
preserve the sparkling contrast and
subtle gradation of your movie scenes.

And for indoor shots, and scenes on dull

days and in deep shade, it has the speed
you need for brilliant, well-exposed
movies.

Plus, of course, the panchromatic color
balance that gives pleasing rendering —
and lends itself with unusual aptness
to filter work of every type.

All this — and fine grain, too! Try
Ansco Hypan soon — for better motion
pictures. Ansco, Binghamton, New
York. A Division of General Aniline &
Film Corporation.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON ANSCO — FIRST WITH THE FINEST

American Cinematographer • July, 1945

239

A Practical Cure For

Convergent Verticals

IN NEGATIVES taken with a camera
which is pointed either upwards or
downwards, verticle lines, such as the
sides of a building, are not parallel, but
converge to a greater or less degree de¬
pending on the angle of tilt. It is well
known that parallelism can be obtained
in enlarging by tilting the easel in the
required direction, but this invariably
results in an elongated picture. The
elongation is somewhat reduced if the
negative can be tilted in the opposite
direction, an adjustment which also as¬
sists in obtaining sharp focus over the
whole area of the picture. With these
two adjustments only it is impossible
to obtain full correction of the horizon¬
tal and vertical magnifications and main¬
tain focus at the same time. If, however,
the enlarger is also fitted with the
means for sliding both the negative and
the easel sideways, as shown in Fig. 1,
complete correction can be attained.

The enlarger must be capable of tak¬
ing larger negatives than the ones to
be used in order to permit of the side¬
ways movement. The negative carrier is
illustrated in Fig. 2. It is only 3/ 16th
inches thick, so that it slides easily
through the slot in the enlarger and has
an inner frame which lifts out for load¬
ing the negative. By means of pivots
at one end and a thread which winds on
the spindle shown, the inner frame can
be made to tilt downwards when in posi¬
tion in the enlarger. The sideways move¬
ment is accomplished by simply sliding
the whole carrier in the slot.

With the negative carrier flat, the
easel is tilted until the verticals are
parallel. The negative is then tilted un¬
til sharp focus is obtained and the easel
is readjusted to restore the parallelism
lost in the process. Sliding the negative
and easel over to position B (Fig. 1)
now redupes the relative height of the
image without altering its width or the
parallelism of the verticals. The diffi¬
culty is to decide when the correct ad¬
justment for relative height has been
achieved.

For negatives as close-up studies in
which the camera has been pointed
downwards, a simple method of deter¬
mining the amount of shortening re¬
quired is to include a vertical scale at
one side of the picture where it can
be easily trimmed off the enlargement.
A pointer, or paper clip, in the middle
of the scale will not be in the middle of
the negative, but is brought to the mid¬
dle in the projected image when the
sideways movements of negative and
easel are sufficient.

NOTE: The above article is a synopsis of a
paper by David Charles, F.R.P.S., delivered be¬
fore the Royal Photographic Society, and is pub¬
lished through the courtesy of the Society’s
Photographic Journal. March-April issue, 1945.

— The Editor.

For architectural subjects, a dupli¬
cate negative can be made at the same
time with the camera held level. Part
of the subject may be missing, but the
relative horizontal and vertical dimen¬
sions will be correct. A pale enlarge¬
ment from this, or even a pencil tracing
of the projected image can then be used
on the easel as a guide to the correct
adjustment. Alternatively, it is sufficient
to note the angle the top of the sub¬
ject makes with the horizontal from the
point at which the photograph is taken.
This can be done with the aid of a
simple protractor fitted with a pendu¬
lum pointer. The focal length of the
camera lens multiplied by the tangent
of this angle gives the distance between
the top of the subject and the lens
level line that would be recorded on a
correct negative, and the ratio of this
to the corresponding distance on the
actual negative can be determined. If
this distance is also measured on the
projected image with the negative and
easel flat and multiplied by the ratio
found, the true distance to which the
image should be adjusted is obtained.
Care should be taken to place the lens
level line across the axis screws of the
tilting easel.

Fig. I — Tilted easel showing elongation of image.
Height is altered, while width is kept constant, by
operating the "push-pull" adjustments.

Among the Movie Clubs

(Continued from Page 236)

L. A. Cinema Club

Twenty-four hundred feet of film was
screened at the June meeting of the Los
Angeles Cinema Club, and Dr. H. O.
Barnes showed special Kodachrome slides
pertaining to Plastic Surgery. Disap¬
pointment of the evening was inability of
scheduled chief speaker Glenn R. Kersh-
ner, A.S.C., to deliver his talk because of
a program mixup.

Films shown were:

“Pre-war Germany”, by Mrs. Mildred
Zimmerman.

“Notables of the Past”, by J. C. Mulli¬
gan.

“Wild Life in Yellowstone National
Park”, by Mel Lincoln.

L. A. 8mm Club

Unusual highlight of the June meeting
of the Los Angeles 8mm Club was the
personal appearance at the meeting of 33
gorgeous, glorious feminine models who
were photographed by members of the
club at the Ambassador Hotel last April.
First, the movies of the girls were shown
and then each model was introduced. It
proved to be quite a novel event as each
girl was a beauty.

From the Editor

We give Ernest Miller a pat on the
back for the very attractive monthly
bulletin he is editing for the Metropoli¬
tan Motion Picture Club. The bulletin
reflects careful thought on the part of
Miller in trying to present a piece of
work that will please the eye as well as
inform the mind.

While on the subject of Editor Miller
we would like to suggest that every mem¬
ber of his club might do well to resolve
to be as painstaking in his filming as
Miller is in his editing. Judging from
the way members of the MM PC land
their pictures among the “Best Ten”, it
is quite possible that Miller might have
taken a leaf out of the members’ books.
— HH.

Orthochromatic

Orthochromatic materials possess sen¬
sitivity to green, in addition to the ultra¬
violet and blue-violet.

240 July, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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American Cinematographer • July, 1945

241

"Target — TB", Important

Health Film, Completed

Any step taken to help in the fight
against Tuberculosis is an important
one, and that is why “Target — TB,” a
ten-minute sound film, recently com¬
pleted by Willard Pictures for the Gen¬
eral Electric X-Ray Corporation, can be
classed as important to millions of
Americans.

This film has been endorsed by the
National Tuberculosis Association and by
the United States Public Health Service.
It is to be used nationally to help fight
tuberculosis, a dread disease which an¬
nually takes a terrific toll of lives. City,
county and state health departments will
present the pictures in schools, clubs and
industrial plants in advance of the ap¬
pearance of a chest X-Ray survey unit
in the community.

The picture explains the importance
of treating tuberculosis in its early
stages, and shows how easy it is to have

one’s chest X-Rayed. It is also designed
to allay fear that the X-Ray process
might be painful or troublesome.

William Steiner, A.S.C., photographed
the film, and did an excellent job from
the point of view of composition and
lighting. In fact, many makers of edu¬
cational films would do well to see this
film and observe how good photography
makes a better educational picture.
William M. Nelson directed with real in¬
telligence. All in all, it is a film of
which the producers may be proud, and
one which should be of great help in the
fight against Tuberculosis. Prints may
be obtained from General Electric X-Ray
Corporation, 2012 Jackson Boulevard,
Chicago 12, Ill. — H. H.

Top, scene from "Target-TB”. Bottom, Director of
Photography, William Steiner, A.S.C., lines up a
shot for "Target-TB”, which was produced by Willard
Pictures for General Electric X-Ray Corp. Mr. Steiner
is one of the well-known non-resident members of the
American Society of Cinematographers.

A Director Who Recognizes
Importance of
Cinematographers

(Continued from Page 224)

the face in a closeup can reveal what
is in the mind. Action in a picture is
much more discernable than on the
stage where it has to be projected with
gesture and voice. These are obvious
differences.

“But I think that as a result of these
differences, many pictures fall into the
fault of underplaying. An emotion has
to be depicted visally as well as ut¬
tered in a picture. This is where the
camera comes in. I believe in taking
advantage of the mobility of the cam¬
era beyond its factor as an agent in
introducing intimacy into a film. But
I also believe that all camera move¬
ments should be governed by the story.
When a director introduces a camera
movement for its own sake he obtrudes
himself between the screen and the audi¬
ence and depreciates the drama. The
best motion picture director is one who
takes full advantage of the flexibility
of the camera, but who only moves the
camera when the action and the story
dictate it. The same is true, in a
different sense, in the theatre. If a
spectator seeing a play says, ‘My, that’s
good direction,’ then the director has
failed because the audience has become
conscious of his direction.”

Working with Howe and Amy from
the master breakdown of the script,
Shumlin is able to devote most of his
attention to the story line, the acting'
and direction, and to leave the technical
details in the hands of his associates.
As a result of the painstaking prelim¬
inary rehearsals, much time is saved
on the set. And because Howe and Amy
have practically worked out a rough
cut of the picture in advance, much
less film is shot than on the average
picture. Only those setups that are
required are made.

I was on the set when Shumlin was
shooting an action scene outside an Eng¬
lish roadhouse. The last time I had seen
this set, it had been an American road¬
house for “The Big Sleep.” Now Lauren
Bacall, who was in that picture, was
driving up to the roadhouse with Charles
Boyer. The original script had said
only that Bacall and Boyer were to
drive up to the building and come to
an abrupt stop as their car had a flat
tire. Howe and Amy had broken down
this generalized instruction into specific
camera setups. Fix-st there was a me¬
dium shot of the car coming into the
scene. Then a dolly shot from a dif¬
ferent angle as the car approached,
moving to a closeup of the pei’formers.
Some slight alterations had to be made
in the planned camera setups to cope
with actual problems on the set, but
these were only minor ones.

Shumlin not only is glad to accept
advice from Howe and Amy, but asks
for it. Once he wanted a moving shot

242 July, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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to follow Bacall. Howe pointed out
that this type of shot would not be as
effective as a pan shot. Shumlin read¬
ily assented. According to Howe, “Shum¬
lin is a very fine person. He knows
his business about story and acting, but
he is not entirely familiar with the
camera. He is willing to listen and to
understand and in that way to acquire
a sense of movie mechanics. However,
his lack of familiarity is helpful, too.
We in the movie business have developed
a number of formulas over the years
and we stick to them in most every
picture. Shumlin comes to his job with
a fresh point of view. He is tops in
his own line, and therefore we must be
receptive to new ideas that he might
have.

“Shumlin wanted to play his scenes
continuously instead of breaking them
up into dozens of different camera set¬
ups. That is why we are using the
moving camera a good deal. But we
are moving with the actors and so the
audience will not be conscious of the
camera. We are not going to have the
usual over-the-shoulder shots and cliche
closeups in ‘Confidential Agent.’ I agree
with Shumlin that the average picture
is cut up too much into separate scenes
that have no particular point. We will
try to tell our story by moving the
camera unobtrusively and by cutting
from one shot to the other on a move¬
ment so that the transitions will be
fluid.

“The action dictates the camera move¬
ment. There was one scene we had
at the beginning of the picture in which
Boyer and Bacall walk along a foggy
railroad station. We made no attempt
to interrupt the continuous medium dolly
shot that followed them. As they talked
we did not cut to closeups or different
angles, but maintained the same moving
shot. I believe it worked out better
this way, although most directors would
have preferred to break up such a long
moving shot. I think a close shot where
a person is shown moving or walking
distracts from the illusion of motion.
In a closeup, most of the background
disappears and the audience, therefore,
has almost no sense of movement. This
is only one example of what I mean
by a fresh and dynamic approach to
motion picture mechanics.”

To sum up, Shumlin is what might
be called “a cameraman’s director,” for
he recognizes the knowledge of the
cinematographer and wisely uses it, and
is not afraid to tell the world that his
cameraman and his film editor and him¬
self work together as a team.

Fog Density

Fog density is the density of the unex¬
posed but developed and fixed-out nega¬
tive material. Fog increases but slightly
within the recommended development
time. The density of the base should not
be confused with fog, since base density
is constant and does not affect contrast.
Base plus fog is the minimum negative
density or starting point of the charac¬
teristic curve for any material.

Shooting "Tulip Time"

(Continued from Page 238)

with a “Tulip Time” locale. To brush up
on your memory, this Metro-Goldwyn-
Mayer hit was released under the title
“Seven Sweethearts.”

Although JRO Productions cannot
hope to compete with MGM, at least our
version is more authentic! And inci-
dently, just in case you’ve been wonder¬
ing, if you haven’t already guessed, the
JRO part of JRO Productions is derived
from the writer’s initials.

New Photoflash Lamps

G.E. Lamp Department announces that
its Mazda Blue Photoflash lamps have
been improved to give 40 percent more
light output and to be 45 percent more
effective photographically. Lamps af¬
fected are the No. 5B and No. 21B.

Production on these superior lamps,
it is expected, will be underway at an
early date. To aid in the identification
of packages containing the improved
lamps, both lower corners of the con¬
tents label will be plainly clipped.

Improvement in the blue flash lamps
is attributed to marked improvement
by Lamp Department laboratories in the
lacquer for these photolamps.

American Cinematographer • July, 1945

243

Dual Purpose Strong Zipper
Changeover

The Strong Zipper Changeover,
adopted by the Government as standard
equipment on all DeVry 35mm. projec¬
tors supplied to the navy for the past
three years, has now been selected as
standard equipment on Brenkert projec¬
tors, it is announced by the Essannay
Electric Manufacturing Co., Chicago.

Designed 25 years ago by L. D.
Strong, a member of Local 110, IATSE,
Chicago, and an active member of the
Society of Motion Picture Engineers, the
Strong Zipper Changeover is now in
daily use on more than 20,000 projectors
in the United States and foreign coun¬
tries.

Dating back to the early wall models,
Strong changeovers have continuously
undergone important design changes to
keep them in step with progressive pro¬
jector practices, and are now available in
three standard models. These are the
“Special,” the “Zipper” and the “Dual
Zipper.”

The “Special” is installed over the
port hole of the projection room and can
be used in conjunction with any pro¬
jector.

The “Zipper” is mounted on the pro¬
jector head at the aperture, and not only
is a changeover but also provides addi¬
tional fire prevention.

The “Dual Zipper” is a combination
sound and vision changeover which not
only changes the picture but the sound
as well, acting as follows: The armature
of the double solenoid coil actuates a
built-in switch to close the sound circuit
simultaneously with the closing of the
picture shutter; and as both changes are

simultaneously controlled by one opera¬
tion of the treadle foot switch, perfect
synchronization of the sound and picture
changeover is accomplished. Built to
withstand twice the power load required
by government specification, it has al¬
ready completed three years of service
under battlefront conditions which sur¬
pass any laboratory tests that could be
devised. The new model “Zipper” will
be known as the “Dual Purpose Strong
Zipper Changeover.”

The Museum of Modern
Art Film Library

(Continued from Page 227)

portant part in the development of the
motion picture between 1917 and 1925;
it shows work by the two great Swedish
directors, Victor Seastrom and Mauritz
Stiller, followed by two programs illus¬
trating the later work of Seastrom and
the actress Greta Garbo after they came
to America. The remaining programs
consist of additional outstanding exam¬
ples of the growth of the American Film.
SERIES 5.: — The Work of D. W. Griffith.

Undisputed master of the motion pic¬
ture, D. W. Griffith between 1909 and
1916 contributed to the medium much of
its techniques and its expressiveness.
His Birth of a Nation and Intolerance
remain classic and their influence can
be seen not only in subsequent Ameri¬
can Film production but in the work of
Gance in France and of Eisenstein in
the USSR. These programs trace his
career from the time he first entered
a studio to the waning of his era of

productivity some time before the rise
of the talking film.

SERIES 6. — Non-Fiction Films.

It was as an instrument for imparting
information and not as a dramatic or
narrative vehicle that the motion pic¬
ture was first admired; the subjects
listed below illustrates some of the ways
in which it has been so used.

1922 — Nanook of the North, written, di¬
rected and photographed by Rob¬
ert J. Flaherty.

1925 — Grass, photographed and directed
by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest
B. Schoedsack.

1926 — Rien que les Reures, directed by
Alberto Cavalcanti, 4 reels.

1926-7 — Berlin, the Symphony of a
Great City, directed by Walter
Ruttmann.

1926 — Moana, photographed and direct¬
ed by Robert J. Flaherty.

1927 — Chang, photographed and directed
by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest
B. Schoedsack.

1935 — Baboona, an aerial epic over
Africa produced by Mr. and Mrs.
Martin Johnson.

1935-1939 — The March of Time.

1937 — Tzar to Lenin, assembled and
produced by Herman Alexbank
and edited by Max Eastman.

Documentary and Instructional Films

These subjects, selected as good ex¬
amples of their kind, represent various
types of films made in Europe and
America in recent years with the pur¬
pose of imparting information. They in¬
clude instructional films, for classroom
use or adult education, and documen¬
tary films made to publicize services
(Continued on Page 249)

244 July, 1945 • American Cinematographer

R. P. S. Honors John I. Crabtree

The Royal Photographic Society of
Great Britain has approved the recom¬
mendation of the Scientific and Tech¬
nical Group Committee to honor John I.
Crabtree, assistant superintendent in
the Kodak Park Research Lab, with the
Henderson Award of 1944.

The award was established in 1907
and is presented annually for “the most
useful discovery in, or essay on, photo¬
graphic chemistry.”

In his letter, the secretary of the
Royal Photographic Society stated the
award was based on Crabtree’s recogni¬
tion, appreciation and contributions to
“photographic processing operations and
especially recent papers (with George
Eaton and Lowell Muehler, also of the
Research Lab) on hypo elimination and
the washing process.”

Since joining the Company as a re¬
search chemist in 1913, Crabtree has
been author and co-author of 75 or more
papers. Muehler and Eaton collaborated
with Crabtree in seven recent publica¬
tions pertaining to the removal of hypo
and silver salts from photographic ma¬
terial as affected by the composition of
the processing solutions. Among the pub¬
lications was one entitled “Washing
Photographic Films and Prints in Sea
Water,” which the armed forces have re¬
ceived with interest.

Recently, two publications, “How to
Fix and Wash for Permanence” and
“Fixing and Washing for Permanence,”
were released by the trio. They are
more popular versions of the booklet,
“The Removal of Hypo and Silver Salts
from Photographic Materials as Affect¬
ed by the Composition of the Processing
Solutions.”

Because of wartime restrictions, the
medal will not be awarded at this time,
but official and public notification has
been made.

Free Brochure of World
War Two

Just off the press, and available free
to all projector owners, is an interest¬
ing brochure covering the most import¬
ant events of World War II — as present¬
ed in Official Films series of 8mm.-
16mm. News Thrills.

This leaflet describes and illustrates

the struggles and sacrifices of nations
at war — listing the highlight events
from the dark days of ’39 to V-E Day
. . . all of which may be seen on your
home movie screen! This listing covers
a complete record of the war in Europe
. . . as well as in the Pacific. Copies
of the brochure may be obtained free
by writing Official Films, Inc., 625 Madi¬
son Ave., New York 22, N. Y.

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American Cinematographer • July, 1945 245

Geometry Film

Knowledge Builders Classroom Films,
are releasing a series of Geometry teach¬
ing films in 16mm. sound, under the
title of “Practical Geometry.” As the
company feels that the number of films
needed to thoroughly cover the subject
of geometry is practically unlimited, no
set number of separate films to be in¬
cluded in the series has been decided
upon. The first subject in the series, now
available, is:

Lines and Angles — designed to aid the
student in his understanding of the
mathematical applications of basic ge¬
ometry. Beginning with the erection of
a perpendicular, the film illustrates the
relationship of the perpendicular with
the ordinary plumb-bob, level and square.
Shows how angles are created by inter¬
secting lines and how angles are meas¬
ured in terms of degrees by means of
a protractor.

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Kodak Exposure Indexes for Use With Meters

One of the things in the past which
has tended to confuse and complicate
picture taking has been the multiplicity
of speed systems, such as H and D, Din,
European Scheiner, American Scheiner.
Most of the speed systems in the past
have not truly represented the actual
camera performance of the film. It was
obviously desirable that a single system
be used, but important too that it be
the right system.

The research Laboratories of Eastman
Kodak Company in Rochester did exten¬
sive research experimental work which
resulted in a new sensitometric system
for measuring film speeds and which
has been used for several years in con¬
nection with the quality control of its
photographic materials. Coincidentally,
the standard method which has been
adopted by the American Standards As¬
sociation for measuring the “speed” of
amateur black-and-white negative ma¬
terials very closely conforms to the
method used in Kodak Laboratories. In
this connection, the values now pub¬
lished by Kodak for use with exposure
meters will be termed “exposure in¬
dexes” and determined according to the
standard method adopted by the Amer¬
ican Standards Association. These ex¬
posure indexes apply to the present day
Weston and G. E. meters and others
similarly calibrated and it is expected
that the system will apply to most
postwar meters.

In a recent communication sent to
its representatives, Kodak said in part,
“We are satisfied that this method gives
the basic value which represents the

minimum camera exposure which would
yield an excellent picture as a final
result. This basic value, the ASA “speed”
does not apply to existing exposure me¬
ters, but serves as a starting point. For
application to picture taking, this ASA
“speed” is modified by a safety factor
to give more than the minimum exposure
as well as the fact that it will satisfy
the requirements of exposure meters.
The new Exposure Indexes now appear in
the new edition of the Kodak Films Data
Book. The Exposure Indexes will also
appear on the instruction sheets packed
with those sensitized products to which
they apply.

“The new Kodak Exposure Indexes ap¬
ply to black-and-white, continuous-tone
negative materials, that is roll films,
film packs, miniature camera films, sheet
films, and plates not of the process type.
Although the present American Stand¬
ard does not cover sheet films and
plates, Kodak, considering the conven¬
ience of the trade, will publish Exposure
Indexes for these materials neverthe¬
less.”

“No American Standard exists as yet
for reversal and color films,” so con¬
tinues Kodak’s communication. “In view
of the shorter latitude of these mate¬
rials as compared with black-and-white
negative material, we do not see fit, at
least as yet, to publish single values for
such materials. It may be that further
research may show that this is possible.
Meanwhile, we shall continue to give
separate meter settings for the Weston
and G.E. exposure meters for Cine-
Kodak black-and-white films, and Koda-
color Films.”

Gamma

The slope of the straight-line portion
of the characteristic curve, or tangent
of the angle it forms with the horizon¬
tal, is shown as gamma. It is a measure
of negative development contrast or de¬
gree of development.

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New Filmosound Library
Releases Announced
by B. & H.

CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK
(Universal)

No. 2561 — 8 reels

Teen-age son of Navy family falls in
love with youngest member of famed
stage dynasty and eventually liberates
her in fine style. Clean uproarious com¬
edy with good music and dancing. (Don¬
ald O’Connor, Peggy Ryan, Ann Blyth,
Helen Boderick, Arthur Treacher, Patric
Knowles, Quiz Kid Joseph Kupperman).
vailable from August 25, 1945 for ap¬
proved non-theatrical audiences.

WEEK-END PASS
(Universal)

No. 2563 — 6 reels

Champion shipyards worker wins bonus
and week-end vacation. He yearns for
peace and quiet and gets, instead, a mix-
up with a girl uncertain of whether to
join WACs or WAVEs. (Noah Beery,
Jr., Martha O’Driscoll). Available from
August 18, 1945 for approved non-thea¬
trical audiences.

246 July, 1945 • American Cinematographer

$10,000 In Prizes For

Best Amateur Films

Announcement has been made by
International Theatrical and Television
Corporation, through George A. Hirli-
man, President, that IT&T this month
will launch a national contest consist¬
ing of eleven prizes which will include
a $10,000 award in cash to the best ama¬
teur film production submitted on any
subject, and ten additional prizes, the
awards for which will be commercial dis¬
tribution by IT&T of these subjects, with
each of the ten winners receiving cash
revenue through a percentage of their
picture’s earnings. Negotiations are now
under way to choose a Board of ten
judges, five of whom will be chosen from
Hollywood’s important personalities and
the other five chosen from authorities in
the substandard field.

In launching this contest, which has
been the subject of long study and de¬
liberation on the part of IT&T execu¬
tives, Mr. Hirliman stated:

“In our research of the substandard
field we have found that amateur pro¬
duction in a few cases compares favor¬
ably with the work done by professional
people and organizations. The tremend¬
ous interest in production as a hobby
by amateurs has resulted in many in¬
genious types of productions evidencing
fresh and interesting approaches to pro¬
duction. In an effort to encourage fur¬
ther experimentation, it is IT&T’s aim

to give recognition in a substantial man¬
ner to those individuals or amateur or¬
ganizations aiming to develop higher
standards in substandard production. In
sponsoring this contest it is our belief
that it will not only aid in developing
higher standards for amateurs but will
influence additionally, higher standards
of professional substandard field.

The contest encompasses the entire
field of substandard production including
entertainment, vocational, educational
and religious films, etc. As such it allows
for inclusion of any type of film pro¬
duced by nonprofessionals.

The contest will be international in
scope and will, we believe, not only help
stimulate more ambitious production
plans by amateurs, but will serve also
as an important and objective goal for
all those interested in substandard pro¬
duction.”

According to the rules of the contest,
and in consideration of its rules, IT&T
will have all rights and title to the pro¬
duction awarded the $10,000 prize, while
as stated above, the next ten best pro¬
ductions will be distributed nationally
by IT&T with a percentage of the gross
accorded to each of these next ten best
winners on the receipts each individual
picture receives. The contest will con¬
tinue for one year through June 30, 1946.

Above, officers and members of Chicago local, Motion Picture Operators' Union, attending a class in
radio-electronics-television in preparation for advent of television into nation's motion picture theatres. They
are studying at DeForest's Training. Seated left to right, E. T. Atkinson, business agent of the union, and
Clarence Jalas, assistant business agent. Standing, Pat Gigante, Edward Halliday, W. N. Littlewood, Larry
Strong, Wm. C. DeVry, president of the DeVry Corp., and Albert Hopkins.

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American Cinematographer • July, 1945

247

Resolving Power

Resolving power refers to the ability
of an emulsion to record fine detail
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Sharpness

Weather, Biggest Problem of
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SOMEWHERE IN THE PACIFIC—
Chief problem of aerial photographic
units covering widespread Marine and
Navy combat action isn’t the enemy;
it’s the weather.

“That’s the only thing that stumps
them,” declared Harrison L. Currey of
42-65 77th Street, Elmhurst, N. Y., tech¬
nical representative for the Fairchild
Camera & Instrument Corp., Jamaica,
N. Y., now on his second tour of over¬
seas duty as a photographic equipment
maintenance man.” “And like people,”
he added, “although they’re always talk¬
ing about the weather, they don’t suc¬
ceed in changing it any.”

Except that it’s still impossible for
an aerial cameraman to get good pic¬
tures when there’s a layer of clouds
between his plane and the earth, Currey
believes the men of the photo squadrons
and the “tech reps” have circumvented
nearly every other problem which the
muggy atmospheric conditions of the
tropics have imposed.

“Photographers have learned to be as
ingenious as other branches of the fight¬
ing forces,” he said. “If they don’t have
what they need they improvise. As each
new quirk develops they work on it
until they have it licked. And taking
a tip from the ground crews, they’ve
become adept at ‘cannibalizing’ (i.e.,
stealing parts from someone else’s equip¬
ment) to keep their cameras in service.”

This inventiveness, he thinks, is one
of the reasons why photo reconnaissance
and photo-mapping are responsible for
at least 90 percent of military intelli¬
gence in World War II. Also, new
methods and equipment are continuously
improving technique. Use of color films
and night photography have been boons
in the planning of ground campaigns
and naval and aerial strikes.

After serving at nearly every base
in the Pacific war theater, Currey is
convinced there is no substitute for
continuous inspection. Several “dope”

CAMERA SUPPLY COMPANY

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Efficient-Courteous Service New and Used Equipmnt

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Everything Photographic Professional and Amateur

An unusually fine variety of basic photo chemicals always in stock.

preparations have been developed by
Fairchild and government scientific re¬
searchers to combat jungle damp and
fungus which attacks photographic gear
as well as all optical and electronic
equipment, but none seems to work un¬
der all conditions.

One protective method which Currey
helped develop in the field is now wide¬
ly used by photo units of all services.
Hermetically - sealed chambers, heated
with electric light bulbs to keep hu¬
midity at a minimum, were constructed
for the storage of the aerial cameras,
which weigh up to 100 pounds apiece and
are up to four feet in length.

On the other hand, the only known
method of keeping film from deteriorat¬
ing in the tropics is refrigerated storage.

A shortage of film dryers resulted in
a very serviceable one being devised
with a galley stove and a 50-gallon
drum as the component parts. At an¬
other base, manpower was at a premium.
Suggestions were pooled and a fully au¬
tomatic contact printer to handle the
long rolls of aerial camera film, which
range up to 400 feet, came into being.
It was built from a standard printer,
bladder, oxygen bottle and electric mo¬
tor rigged with micro switches to sup¬
ply the automatic feature. One man
could operate it, where two had been
necessary before.

Russian Production Notes

According to special cabled news from
the Press Service of the Soviet Infor¬
mation Bureau in Moscow, comedies will
largely dominate the film productions in
Russia for some months to come.

Grigory Alexandrov, producer of
“Jolly Fellows,” “Circus” and “Volga,
Volga,” is working on a new comedy
entitled “Spring” with ballerina Par-
galina Ulanova, singer Nadezhda Obu¬
khova and Lyubov Orlova in the lead¬
ing roles. Music for the film is being
written by I. Dunayevsky, noted Soviet
popular song writer. Writers A. Raskin
and N. Slobodskoi are doing the script.
It is planned to adapt the film scenario
for a stage production at the Cinema
Actors Theatre which will be opened in
Moscow this coming Autumn.

Among the more serious pictures,
Mikhail Room is at work on scenario
of a new film based on post-war theme.
He also intends making a picture based
on Gogol’s “Inspector General,” and one
on Dostoyevsky’s “Karamazov Brothers.”

Color Sensitivity

The color sensitivity of an emulsion
defines the degree of its photographic
response to light of various wave
lengths or colors.

248 July, 1945 • American Cinematographer

BUY MORE

WAR BONDS

FOR SALE

Bel! and Howell

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Good as new.

Price: OPA ceiling.

For information ivrite

Box 1022, American Cinematographer

RUBY CAMERA EXCHANGE

Rents . . . Sells . . . Exchanges

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PRODUCTION & PROJECTION

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Museum of Modern
Art Film Library

(Continued from Page 244)

performed by government and industry.
All of them present not actors but ordi¬
nary citizens in their normal walks of
life.

SERIES 7. — The Russian Film.

SERIES 8. — The Films of Douglas Fair¬
banks.

SERIES 9. — Forty Years of American
Film Comedy.

This is but a part of the great pro¬
gram of films the Museum offers, for it
has arranged a cycle of 300 films dating
from 1895 to 1941. Iris Barry says, “Pub¬
lic education and guidance in film ap¬
preciation has been so slow to develop,
however, that people sometimes com¬
plain they do not ‘like’ all the films
shown, forgetting that these are not
shown as diversion or entertainment,
but for the pleasure of comparisons,
analysis and study. A few make a small
nuisance of themselves by rather osten¬
tatiously tittering at the outmoded
dresses, obsolete slang, old-fashioned
moral values of films ten or twenty
years old. This, it must be said, is habit
fostered by certain sections of the film
industry itself through the revamping
of ‘Old’ films to turn them to ridicule.
But it is interesting to observe that
films which are old enough do not pro¬
voke that reaction. It is very evident,
too, that laughter at the death of Ca¬
mille, played most expertly, though in
an obsolete style, by Sarah Bernhardt,
or at the dresses of Greta Garbo in
Susan Lennox, is fraught with shock at
the sudden disruption of the time sense
rather than with merriment. As audi¬
ences gain the habit of looking at films
as something more than a transient dis¬
traction, the tendency to ridicule dimin¬
ishes noticeably, but its existence sug¬
gests some curious conclusions on the
impermanence of standards of taste.”

New films are fast becoming the Mu¬
seums valuable acquisitions. One can
well visualize that some time in the fu¬
ture, it will be possible again to see and
enjoy such films as The Lives of a
Bengal Lancer and Mutiny on the
Bounty, made in 1935; The Life of
Emile Zola, Captains Courageous, The
Good Earth, made in 1937; Love Finds
Andy Hardy — 1938; Destry Rides Again
— 1939; Sergeant York, How Green Was
My Valley, The Maltese Falcon, made in
1941, or Going My Way, the 1944
Academy Award Winner.

Miss Barry further states, “but the
first and most immediate task lay in the
collection of the necessary films and
here it was, of course, a case of first
catch your hare. How were the neces¬
sary films to be obtained ? It is not
widely realized that a motion picture
cannot usually be bought or otherwise
procured as can a book or a painting

(Continued on Page 250)

8 Enlarged f /C Reduced O

TO ID TO O

Geo. W. Colburn Laboratory

Special Motion Picture Printing
995 MERCHANDISE MART
CHICAGO

MOVIOLA

FILM EDITING EQUIPMENT

Utad In Every Major Studio
llluitratad Lltaratura oa Raquaat
Manufactured by

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1449-SI Gordon Street Hollywood 2B, Calif.

FAXON DEAN

CAMERAS

BLIMPS-DOLLYS
FOR RENT

Day, HEmpstead 5694
Night, Hollywood 6211

1030 N. Fuller Ave.
Hollywood 46, California

American Cinematographer • July, 1945

249

■ ■■■ m\f> i ■! i i m, 1

BUY filORG BOnDS

For Quick Selling Results Use
A Classified Advertisement

Museum of Modern
Art Film Library

(Continued from Page 249)

«

or that, even if a print of a film be so
obtained, its physical possession does
not necessarily entail the right to its
use or showing.

“The situation proved quite other in
regard to films of later date. Most of
the motion pictures made since 1912-14
are the property of producer or pro¬
ducer-distributor firms who rent but do
not sell prints for commercial exhibition
through their own or other distribution
companies. Used prints eventually re¬
vert to them and are destroyed. Owner¬
ship and consequently the right to ex¬
hibit such films remains firmly in these
hands. Obviously then, in order to gain
access to such material, it was imme¬
diately necessary to enlist the sympa¬
thetic support of the film industry as a
whole. This the Film Library conse¬
quently attempted to do. Happily its
creation, and the fact of its support by
such an institution as the Rockefeller
Foundation, had received a good press.
People generally approved the idea. And,
equally happily, among the Trustees
and friends of the Museum were several
who made immediate interests of one
sort or another in the motion picture
industry.”

The Motion Picture is an art. Only
when it is especially sought for pre¬
servation do we appreciate its value as
such. For myself, I virtually live in
Museums and whenever I travel, it is
the Museums that attract me more than
anything else a city has to offer.

The Museum of Modern Art has taken
on a tremendous task and a worthy one,
if they had not assumed the responsibil¬
ity to start this Library, when they did,
it might have been a lost cause, for the
old films were slowly disappearing and
the only survivors would have been
those historic films which now and then
appear on the screen to “ridicule” for
commercial profit. The Museum’s collec¬
tion are prints from both original nega¬
tives and reproductions but they are
left in their original state as intended
by the producer.

NOTE: All rights reserved by the author, includ¬
ing the right to reproduce this article or portions
thereof, in any form.

DeVry's First Portable
Projector Is Honored

More than 30 years ago this spring,
the late Dr. Herman A. DeVry emerged
from the basement of his humble Chi¬
cago home with the world’s first portable
motion picture projector.

Today, this original “suitcase projec¬
tor” as it was then called, is on its way
to Washington to take its place in the
Smithsonian Institute along with other
outstanding mechanical contributions to
the progress and profit of mankind.

FOR SALE

WE BUY, SELL AND RENT PROFESSIONAL
AND 16mm EQUIPMENT, NEW AND USED.
WE ARE DISTRIBUTORS FOR ALL LEAD
ING MANUFACTURERS. RUBY CAMERA
EXCHANGE, 729 Seventh Ave., New York City.
Established since 1910.

CONTINUOUS CONTACT 16MM PRINTERS.
PICTURE, TRACK OR BOTH, $1,376.00; Miles
16mm Recorder Reproducer, $195.00; BERNDT
MAURER 16MM RECORDING SYSTEMS, latest
improvements, $1,995.00; Modernized Akeley
Newsreel Sound Camera, amplifier ; magazines :
3 lenses, matched finders ; tripod ; $13,000.00

value, reduced to $6,995.00. Send for Summer
Catalog. S.O.S. CINEMA SUPPLY CORPORA¬
TION, NEW YORK 18.

COMPLETE 16MM. STUDIO EQUIPMENT:
MAURER MODEL D, RECORDER; 2 FILM
PHONOGRAPHS WITH SYNCHRONOUS MO¬
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FOR SOUND EFFECTS, RECORDS AND

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HAND BOOK $4.00. CINE SPECIAL, BOLEX,
FILMO CAMERAS, DOLLIES, TRIPODS,
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WE— BUY— SELL— TRADE.

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FOR SALE — WESTERN ELECTRIC-AKELEY
Single System Camera, 12-volt motor, two 1000-
ft. B&H magazines, 40mm., 50mm. 75mm. Astro
F.2.3 lenses with matched finder lenses ; friction
head tripod ; new variable intensity galvanome¬
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Cases and RCA microphone. Blue Seal Sound
Devices, 7 Gracie Square, New York City.

MISCELLANEOUS

HOME MOVIE FANS, JOIN MOTION PICTURE
Educational Society. Free valuable information.
Box 875, Reading, Pa.

BRITISH ENGINEER, WIDELY EXPERIENCED
sound movies. Cinema and sub-standard, en¬
tertainment, educational and commercial, desires
agencies for equipment and films in Italy after
release from present military duties. Personal
and local capital and highest credentials avail¬
able. AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER. Box
No. 1021.

WANTED

WANTED TO BUY FOR CASH
CAMERAS AND ACCESSORIES
MITCHELL B&H EYEMO DEBRIE AKELEY
ALSO LABORATORY AND CUTTING ROOM
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CAMERA EQUIPMENT COMPANY
1600 BROADWAY, NEW YORK CITY 19
CABLE: CINEQUIP

WE PAY CASH FOR EVERYTHING PHOTO¬
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16MM PROJECTOR, ANY TYPE SOUND OR
silent, private party. Sam’s Electric Shop,
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SOUND PROJECTORS, CAMERAS, TRIPODS,
studio, laboratory or recording equipment. High¬
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250 July, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Meet the Men and Women
Who Turn Out Many
of the Navy’s Movies...

...THE TECHNICIANS
AT ANACOSTIA

XHEY were in the industry before the war ... in
the processing labs, or working with sound, ani¬
mating, editing ... in one way or another whipping
exposed film into finished productions. That’s what
they’re doing now in the Photo Science Laboratory
at Anacostia, D. C. Their peacetime productions en¬
tertained or sold. Now, their Navy-made movies
inform, inspire and instruct the officers and men of
our fleets. Anacostia’s technicians are an important
part of the Navy’s never-ending training program;
their movies help make and keep our Navy great.

I

OFFICIAL U. S. NAVY PHOTOS

~"e oi a series of
advertisements by
KODAK testifying to

the achievements of
the movies at war

. . . after a fault-finding preview, their
latest productions are OK’d for release

Here movie technicians whip this film
footage into finished productions.

They process . . . edit . . . title . . .

dub in speech, music, sound effects

to our ships and stations,
all over the world.

Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester 4, N. Y.

J. E. BRULATOUR, INC., Distributors, Fort Lee, Chicago, Hollywood

and rushes them back home to the
Photo Science Laboratory at Anacostia, D. C

The Navy makes movies wherever it goes.

PRECISION-MADE BY

s

d/(we££

Name.

. State.

• AC 7-45

r - - -

I BELL & HOWELL COMPANY
| 7148 McCormick Road, Chicago 45

® Please send, without cost or obligation: ( ) Information on
I the new, improved Filmosound 179; catalog on Filmo-
sound Library of ( ) recreational ( ) educational films.

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ENJOYMENT

FOR YOUR FAMILY

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ready arms.

Adorable family incidents like
this can be vividly yours . . . forever
. . . with home movies, a personal
film library built around a Bell &
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• Not only will a Filmosound show
your personal movies to best advan¬
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memories . . . but professionally
made sound films are also yours uj
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from the extensive B&H Filmosound
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In performance, dependa b^lity,
ease of operation, FilmosOunds
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sound-on-film projector offering
brilliant 750-watt illumination
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/

How to Get a Filmosound 179 for Home Use

Anyone is now eligible to purchase a
Filmosound 179 without priority ratings.
Of course, rated orders will continue to
receive first consideration according to

government regulations. But don’t let this
delay your placing an unrated order. Send
it immediately. Such orders will be filled
as soon as equipment becomes available.

Bell & Howell Company, Chicago; New York; Hollywood;
Washington, D. C.; London. Established 1907.

OPTI-ONICS — products combining the sciences of OPTIcs • electrONics • mechanics

mor/on PICTURE

Kt

If: . ' Jw

rm

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• -M

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■ 1

(No. 9 of a series on the manufacture of DuPont Motion Picture Film)

Ever see a sensitive "noodle"?

AFTER light-sensitive, raw emul-
sion for DuPont Motion Picture
Film has been chilled to a stiff gel,
it is put through a “noodle” press.
This converts the gelled cakes of
emulsion into “noodles”. . . expos¬
ing increased surface area to facili¬
tate washing.

“Noodling” and washing opera¬
tions take place in rooms where
safelights only are permitted for
illumination. Almost total darkness
prevails.

Following a thorough washing, the
“noodles,” in stainless steel contain¬
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ators. Blending and tests come next
to insure uniformity, then the emul¬
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Every step of the procedure is
carefully controlled, with the result
that Du Pont Motion Picture Film
meets the exacting requirements
of America’s foremost cinematogra¬
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exposure latitude, color balance, fine

grain and dependable uniformity.
Try it with confidence.

• • •

E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.
(Inc.), Photo Products Department,
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In New York: Empire State Bldg.
In Hollywood: Smith &• Aller, Ltd.

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DU PONT

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254 August, 1945 • American Cinematographer

NEW GUINEA

Where the shooting was thickest,
United States Signal Corps men were
there with their B&H Eyemos.

But, that’s part of the Corps' all-im¬
portant job in this war: making clear,
sharp, battle-motion pictures, all-
revealing to the folks at home . . .
pictures that are invaluable aids to
analyzing campaigns, to planning
final Victory.

Eyemo’s /o b . . . affording simplic¬
ity, split-second loading, easy han¬
dling . . . "musts” to match war’s
lightning pace.

Eyemo’s job . . . operating flawlessly
in foulest weather, absorbing jolts
and jars, shocks and falls, earth-
shaking vibrations, and coming back
for more.

Eyemo's jo b . . . getting what its
handler sees.

Precision-built by makers of Holly¬
wood’s preferred studio equipment,
Eyemos are performing their jobs
every day with Signal Corps men and
newsreel cameramen the world over.
Bell & Howell Company, Chicago;
New York; Hollywood; Washington,
D. C.; London. Established 1907.

★ ★

Seven standard
Eyemo models
plus a complete
selection of corre¬
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make Eyemo a per¬
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tailor-made to your
own specific needs.

BUY WAR BONDS
AND KEEP ’EM

I BELL & HOWELL COMPANY
' 7148 McCormick Road, Chicago 45

OPTI-ONICS — products combining the sciences of OPTIcs • electrONics • mechanics

Please send information on Eyemo Cameras I
and accessories.

American Cinematographer • August, 1945

255

CONTENTS

The Stall

©

Review of the Film News .

Aces of the Camera (Archie Stout, A.S.C.) . By Hal Hall

Pictorial Cinematography . By F. W. Pratt

The Academy War Film Library . By Ezra Goodman

A Crumbled Movie Empire . By Irving Browning

Films in India . By Capt. F. Berko

Fades, Lap-Dissolves and Other Tricks . By Ransom Palmer

Great Gold Elephant . By N. E. Meltzer

Through the Editor’s Finder .

Among the Movie Clubs .

Take Your Cine Camera to the Beach . By J. R. Oswald

258

259

260
261
262

265

266
268
270
272
274

THE FRONT COVER: Director of Photography Lionel Linden, A.S.C., is
shown filming a scene for “Masquerade in Mexico,” the Paramount picture
starring Dorothy Lamour and Arturo de Cordova, who are shown making
love in this scene.

OFFICERS AND BOARD OF GOVERNORS
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

Leonard Smith. President Fred Jackman. Exec. V.-Pres. and Treas.

Charles Clarke, First Vice-President Joseph Walker, Second Vice-President

Arthur Edeson, Third Vice-President Ray Rennahan, Secretary

George Folsey, Sergeant-at-Arms

John Arnold Byron Haskin John Seitz

John Boyle Sol Polito Leon Shamroy

Lee Garmes William Skall

EDITOR
Hal Hall

•

TECHNICAL EDITOR
Emery Huse. A.S.C.

•

ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Edward Pyle, Jr.

•

MILITARY ADVISOR
Col. Nathan Levinson

•

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Mel Traxel

•

ARTIST

Glenn R. Kershner. A.S.C.

•

CIRCULATION AND ADVERTISING
Marguerite Duerr

ADVISORY EDITORIAL BOARD

Fred W. Jackman, A- S. C.

Victor Milner, A. S. C.

Alvin Wyckoff. A.S.C.

Farciot Edouart, A. S. C.

Fred Gage, A. S. C.

Dr. J. S. Watson, A. S. C.

Dr. L. A. Jones, A. S. C.

Dr. C. E. K. Mees, A. S. C.

Dr. W. B. Rayton. A. S. C.

Dr. V. B. Sease, A. S. C.

•

AUSTRALIAN REPRESENTATIVE

McGill's, 173 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne.

Australian and New Zealand Agents

•

Published monthly by A. S. C. Agency, Ine.

Editorial and business offices :

1782 North Orange Drive
Hollywood (Los Angeles, 28), California
Telephone: GRanite 2135
•

Established 1920. Advertising rates on appli¬
cation. Subscriptions: United States and Pan-
American Union, $2.50 per year; Canada, $2.7$
per year ; Foreign. $3.50. Single copies, 26c ;
back numbers, 30c ; foreign, single copies 36e,
back numbers 40c. Copyright 1945 by A. S. C.
Agency, Inc.

•

Entered as second-class matter Nov. 18, 1937,
at the postoffice at Los Angeles, California, under
the act of March 3, 1879.

256 August, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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TOP news of the month involving
motion pictures is also the dirti¬
est — Congressman John E. Ran¬
kin’s announcement that his committee
on Un-American Activities is to investi¬
gate the Hollywood film industry, pro¬
ducers, writers, actors, etc., on the
grounds that Hollywood’s film city is
a hotbed of Communistic folk who want
to overthrow the United States govern¬
ment. Group of Rankin’s sleuths are
now in Hollywood looking for evidence.

Hollywood is not worrying about Mr.
Rankin and his charges. Just before
Pearl Harbor another governmental com¬
mittee tried to smear Hollywood with
no success. And then, when the Japs
hit us below the belt at Pearl Harbor,
it was Hollywood that turned out the
training films which helped to quickly
train an army. Hollywood has been help¬
ing tremendously in the war effort ever
since; sending hundreds of top entertain¬
ers right to the fronts to bolster the
boys’ morale; sending the latest feature
films by the hundreds to every fighting
front. While Rankin’s investigators were
digging for dirt, Rear Admiral Miller,
chief of Navy public relations, made
public a statement on July 18 declaring
that the film industry’s contribution in
originating and developing the Navy
film program was “splendid and indis-
pensible.” Concensus of opinion is that
Rankin’s attack is merely an attempt to
get himself some newspaper headlines,
and that it will end with Hollywood
getting a pat on the back — and Rankin
a red face.

Illinois Libel Law

Announcement that Governor Dwight
Green of Illinois has signed the much-
discussed Illinois radio libel bill, a meas¬
ure providing penalties of up to a year
in jail or a $500 fine for persons par¬
ticipating in defamation of character
over the air, bears watching. It might
be the start of a movement to take
away freedom of speech, freedom of the
press, freedom of the picture industry
to make serious films dealing with vital
topics. Peculiar part of the new law
is that it exempts politicians during
political campaigns. The candidates are
allowed to call each other anything. That
law should be watched carefully.

Arthur Rank

Arthur Rank, British film magnate, is
still very much in the news. Preceded
to America by countless rumors of what
he plans, Rank still remained more or
less a question mark after he had visited
Hollywood. Day he left for England
one definite announcement was made —

he has closed a deal with RKO involv¬
ing both production and releasing in
England and America. While in Chicago,
Rank is reported to have conferred with
Bell & Howell executives, and is ex¬
pected to acquire British rights for
16mm. projection and reproduction pat¬
ents from the Bell & Howell Company.
If he gets the patents he will be in
manufacturing business as well as pic¬
tures.

Raw Stock

From Washington comes cheerful
word, at last, that abandonment of film
allocations for the fourth quarter of
this year appears almost certain. Drop
in military ‘requirements is the reason.
With normal raw stocks available, big
jump in independent film production may
be expected. More than a dozen inde¬
pendent producing companies with
finances available are waiting for lift¬
ing of film restrictions. A terrific burst
of independent production, giving great
opportunity to the free-lance camera¬
men will break with the ending of re¬
striction. . Some of the companies are:
Mervyn LeRoy’s Arrowhead Productions,
Preston Sturges Productions, William
LeBaron Productions, Robert Golden’s
Golden Pictures, Victor Saville Films,
Liberty Films, Inc., headed by Frank
Capra and Sam Briskin; Norman Z.
McLeod Pictures, and Robert Riskin
Productions.

Bretton Woods

Passage of the Bretton Woods inter¬
national monetary pact by the Senate,
should be a. new event of interest to the
picture industry, for when it is finally
passed by. both houses and signed by
President Truman the foreign market
for films will be much brighter. The
International Bank and the International
Stabilization Fund will aid in the rapid
recovery of war torn nations. The more
rapid their recovery, the sooner will
the foreign market for American pic¬
tures open up.

Disney and Russia

Walt Disney has been reported invited
by Russian delegates to the San Fran¬
cisco Conference to go to Russia and
teach health and sanitation ideas through
short film subjects similar to his “The
Human Body.” Russians are also said
to be interested in having Soviet-pro¬
duced cartoons, carrying propaganda,
made by Disney. Indications are that
Russia, after the Japs are licked, may
offer many opportunities to Americans
with ideas.

Hollywood Troupers

Report of the Hollywood Victory Com¬
mittee reveals that Hollywood actors
and actresses gave more than 5,000 per¬
formances for GI audiences on all the
war fronts during the first half of 1945.
Forty-nine stars went overseas, travel¬
ling a total of 100,000 miles to Europe,
Alaska, Panama, China, the Philippines
and other fighting zones. During that
period the players participated in 1,134
entertainment events. Eighty other en¬
tertainers made 937 appearances in serv¬
ice hospitals throughout the United
States, cheering the wounded. Enter¬
tainment is being increased.

Eric Johnston

News reports indicate that Eric John¬
ston, President of the United States
Chamber of Commerce, will not take over
the post of Will Hays as head of the
Motion Picture Producers and Distribu¬
tors of America, a post that has been
rumored he would accept for the past
few months. However, it wouldn’t be
surprising to see Johnston become a big
figure in the film industry in another
post. He has indicated that he might
be interested in a newly created job to
unify the entire motion picture indus¬
try in achieving its goal. “I am not
interested in a job,” he explained, “I
am interested in being of service to the
American people and in helping the mo¬
tion picture industry to realize its vast
power and influence in the world.” Don’t
count him entirely out of the film pic¬
ture.

35mm. Booth Equipment

News from Washington behooves stu¬
dios and theatres to keep their present
35mm. projection equipment in run¬
ning condition for an indefinite time.
Hope that there would be an increase
allowed in manufacture of such equip¬
ment has faded with the announcement
that there will be no increase in pro¬
jection equipment at least until fall.
Only 165 35mm. projectors per quarter
are being permitted manufactured for
civilian use, so theatre operators need¬
ing new machines will just have to get
along as best they can.

Odds and Ends

Samuel Qoldwyn is going to make a
film based on the life of General Eisen¬
hower . . . PRC has announced an am¬
bitious production schedule calling for
34 feature pictures and 16 westerns dur¬
ing 1945-46 season . . . Washington re¬
ports indicate that Italian market will
be opened any day to American made
films. ' H. H.

258 / August, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Aces

of the
Camera

ARCHIE STOUT

A. S. C.

By

HAL HALL

ONE day, away back in the “custard
pie era” of motion pictures, Mack
Sennett conceived the idea that he
could have a very funny scene in one
of his films if he could get a shot of
a pelican nibbling at the posterior of
Louise Fazenda. But getting a pelican
to do this peculiar bit of business posed
a question.

It seems that the California law stat¬
ed that a pelican could be captured and
used only after permission had been
obtained from the fish and game commis¬
sion, and then a representative of the
commission had to be on hand to see
that the Pelican was treated right. This
permission was secured and a game war¬
den named Archie Stout was assigned to
look after the welfare of the pelican,
and see that it was released at the
place it was captured as soon as the
photographic stint was over.

Stout enjoyed the whole thing im¬
mensely. In fact, he was so impressed
with the business of picture making
that he hung around the Mack Sennett
studio for several days, principally in
the company of Fred Jackman, then
head of the Sennett camera department,
and now Executive Vice-President of
the American Society of Cinematograph¬
ers. Jackman took a liking to Stout
from the first, and told him about a
problem he was facing. It seems that
Jackman wanted some background shots
of locations up in the High Sierras but
couldn’t spare a cameraman to go and
make them.

“Give me a camera. Show me how
to use it, and I’ll get your stuff,” said
Stout. “I’m going up there in a few
days.”

So, Jackman gave him an old camera,
showed him how to use it, and Stout
departed. On his return several weeks
later, he gave Jackman his exposed nega¬
tive and camera. When it was developed
a new cameraman came into existence,
for Stout had made some beautiful
scenes.

“He was a natural born cameraman,”
explains Jackman. “I gave him a job
at once as a Sennett cameraman.”

“I sure feel kindly toward all peli¬
cans,” says Stout. “And I sort of wish
I could locate that old pelican that
helped get me into the photographic
profession. I’d like to give him a nice
mess of fish as a reward for what he
did for me.”

It was just about 31 years ago that
Archie started as a cameraman. At this
writing he is filming his 500th picture
— an almost unbelievable number. His
present assignment is Jules Levey’s
“Abilene.” When he casually remarked
to Director Edwin L. Marin that he was
starting his 500th picture Marin stopped
all work and sent for coffee and cake.

Archie, long a member of the Ameri¬
can Society of Cinematographers, doesn’t
seem impressed with the amazing num¬
ber of films he has shot. He explains
that in the old days a one-reeler was
shot in two or three days, and as soon
as you finished one you started right
in with another. He figures roughly that
he made 300 pictures for Mack Sennett
and the Christie boys during his first
eight years in the business. The other
200 have been made during the last 23
years.

Archie is a veritable directory of the
motion picture business. He knows
everybody from office boys to producers,
and they all know him. He is friendly
and outspoken; quick to win the con¬
fidence and loyalty of those with whom

he works, and down through the years
he has acquired a technique for quiet¬
ing ruffled temperaments that is un¬
matched in Hollywood. Incidentally, he
says there was just as much tempera¬
ment in the old days as there is now.

At one time or other he has photo¬
graphed practically every star and fea¬
tured player of the last 30 years, and
he is a walking repository of anecdotes
starting with the Keystone Kops down
to date.

“Some of those fellows in the old
days got to be so gqod at slinging pies,”
says Archie, “that they could catch a
man or a bathing beauty full in the
face at a distance of forty feet. We
kept one bakery going full blast just
turning out pies for us to throw around
at each other.”

Without effort Archie reels off the
names of those old days that have found
prominent niches in Hollywood’s Hall
of Fame: Wallace Beery, Gloria Swan¬
son, Charlie and Syd Chaplin, Alice Dev-
enport, Mabel Normand, Alice Lake, Ros-
coe Arbuckle, Marie Prevost, Chester
Conklin, etc., etc. All of them, at one
time or another, were on the Mack Sen¬
nett payroll and came before Archie’s
camera.

“We didn’t have a script most of the
time in those old days,” says Archie.
“We just shot off the cuff. Everybody

(Continued on Paqe 283)

American Cinematographer • August, 1945 259

Pictorial Cinematography

By F. W. PRATT

Vice-President, Australian Amateur Cine Society

IT is an indisputable fact that com¬
position is one of the most important
factors in the making of a good
picture — whether it be a still picture
or a motion picture.

Restlessness of the human eye is one
of the reasons why composition plays
such an important part in photography.
Have you ever noticed while sitting in
a train how your eyes dart here, there
and everywhere as the landscapes pass ?
You get a general impression of the
passing show. Nothing to remember un¬
less your eyes rest on some unusual
scene. The eye pausing conveys the
scene to the mind, and makes a lasting
impression.

Although the eye is ever restless it
is the instrument through which im¬
pressions are conveyed to the brain and
the mind which grasps most readily
only one thought or emotion at a given
time. Since the mind comprehends most
clearly one thought at a time, it fol¬
lows logically that a photograph should
express only one thought, one emo¬
tion, one idea. Thus we get unity in a
photograph — the thing an artist refers
to when he says a picture “hangs to¬
gether.”

And so the vital reason for arrang¬
ing the details of a picture into some
kind of a composition is to attract the
eye, hold it, and have it lead in any
easy way over the picture area. In
other words, we control the eye by
moving it regularly along a combina¬
tion of lines, and the mind realizes

the character and description of these
lines and their relation to one another.

In a remarkable book, “The Elements
of Drawing,” John Ruskin puts the mat¬
ter clearly by saying “Composition
means literally and simply putting sev¬
eral things together so as to make
one of them.”

Summing up then, the first principle
of Composition is Unity. Out of Unity
comes Order. Then comes Balance. Bal¬
ance places the various features in a
photograph to give harmony to the
whole setting.

How do we get Unity and Order?
Any picture to be satisfying must have
a principle object or idea to which all
else is subordinated. A well known
artist has said there is only one rule
in Art — “Thou shall not paint two pic¬
tures on one canvas.” Which is the
same as saying there must be a main
object and supporting objects.

And so, the easiest way to achieve a
pleasing, orderly arrangement of details
is to select a viewpoint that permits
these details to fall into one of the
simple and familiar geometrical pat¬
terns such as the circle, triangle, rec¬
tangle, verticle and horizontal lines and
planes.

The direction and shape of the lines
in a picture are important. Whatever
form they take, they must carry the
eye back to the center of interest. A
predominate of straight vertical lines
will create an imposing atmosphere,
such as the vertical massive pillars of

Scattered interest in flower photograph.

The remedy by selection and simplifying.

Left, distant landscapes, although necessary at times,
do not add materially to the film. They should always
show something in the foreground. Note how much
more interesting the right shot is than the left.

buildings. Horizontal lines tend to sug¬
gest quietness and repose — landscapes,
for instance; while large curves (el¬
liptical construction) convey an air of
grace or beauty. Many of the world’s
greatest pictures are based on this con¬
struction. The formation is pleasing and
easy to follow. Triangular construction
suggests strength and stability, and the
Diagonal motif can be made most ef¬
fective in hilly landscapes and skiing
pictures.

All pictures to be worthwhile must
be built up on one of these foundations.

An entirely blank space has no power
of attracting the eye. The eye wanders
over it with no place to rest. But
the moment a spot is added (say in the
lower right hand corner) the eye rests
on the spot and remains there.

Now, if another spot is added in
the top left hand corner the eye travels
back and forth from one spot to the
other. Add a third spot in between these
spots, so as to make a curve, and the
eye travels over them impartially. Add
further spots in the same curved line
with the others there and the eye now
gets the idea of a sequence or order
of observation. Join them together. Now
we have a Sequence — the eye travelling
back and forward along the line. Now
join the ends of the curve with a straight
line and the eye travels over the entire
enclosed figure, and the composition
is complete.

These completed lines should have an
easy, pleasurable motion. They must
not be disconnected or broken. The eye
should travel up one end and move
easily down, without break or jerk. This
means that if your eyes are drawn over
a picture in a smooth, easy, pleasurable
motion we then get the Law of Con¬
tinuity, as Ruskin calls it.

After Continuity, a picture must have
Balance. The question of Balance is of
paramount importance. I have already
told you a picture must have a main
object and supporting objects. To get
Balance do not place your main object
in the center of the picture. This is
a weak position.

(Continued on Page 276)

260 August, 1945 • American Cinematographer

The Academy War Film Library

By EZRA GOODMAN

ALTHOUGH the average moviegoer
might be inclined to believe that
-*■ ^ practically every picture about
this war stars Sonny Tufts, John Gar¬
field or Alan Ladd, most of the film
footage shot of the present conflict is of
a more austere and educational nature.
The various United Nations have filmed
uncounted millions of feet of celluloid
about the war, much of it for the benefit
of men in uniform, or for official ar¬
chives, and most of it never exhibited
publicly. Out of this vast aggregate of
film, the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences has culled a repre¬
sentative collection which is the only
one of its kind. It is housed in the
Academy War Film Library in Holly¬
wood and contains reels from the United
States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia
and Belgium. As such, it constitutes
an invaluable record of the war.

The Academy’s annual awards, or Os-
its library, which is not necessarily an
index of their respective worth. The
library, which was established in 1936
by Mrs. Margaret Gledhill, who is
1936 by Mrs. Margaret Gledhill, who is
now executive secretary of the Acad¬
emy, consists of one section of books,
pamphlets, periodicals and production
records under the jurisdiction of Acad¬
emy Librarian Betty Franklin. The oth¬
er section, comprising war films, is su¬
pervised by Grace Gaunt. These films
are available to all studios, or to in¬
dividuals working in the motion picture
industry. They have been shown in se¬
lected programs to the membership of
the Academy, which is composed of per¬
sons occupied in the film industry, and
the films are also used to authenticate
studio features dealing with the war.
The Academy makes no charge for these
reels, except for the service charge of
$3 per subject which barely covers ex¬
penses.

To house all of the film shot by the
United Nations during the war would
probably take a chain of warehouses.
The Academy does not pretend to col¬
lect all of this film footage, but it has
chosen a representative number of
films. They come from the Office of
War Information, the U. S. Navy, the
U. S. Army Signal Corps, the U. S.
Department of Agriculture, the U. S.
Treasury Department, the British Min¬
istry of Information, the Canadian Na¬
tional Film Board and other units. The
Academy has borrowed a print of each
picture it wants from these units and
is holding them in storage for the pur¬
poses or research and study. Some of
these pictures were made for military
purposes, others for civilian showings.
They range from 1 reel to 5 reels in
length and cover a variety of subjects.

The collection now totals approximate¬

ly 500 different films, dated from May,
1942, to August, 1945. Sample titles
are “Army Food/’ “Colleges at War,”
“Community Tx-ansportation,” “Fuel Con¬
servation,” “Paratroops,” “Negro Col¬
leges in War Time,” “Report from the
Aleutians,” “Power for Defense,” “Wom¬
en in Defense,” “The Changing Face
of India,” “Citizens’ Army,” “Common
Cause,” “Health in War,” “New Towns
for Old” and many others. Each film
is indexed with a record of its source,
manning time, and a factual description
of its contents. All of the pictures are
in 35mm.

Within the past year, more than 100
additions have been made to the col¬
lection. Studios borrow the films regu¬
larly to check backgrounds or action
for their own war pictures. If a studio
desires to use a portion of one of these
reels as backgi-ound material, it is re¬
quired to obtain the footage from the
unit that produced the film. Some of
the many Army, Navy, Marine and Air
Corps units occasionally boi’row reels
from the library in order to check on
a film shot by another unit. The li¬
brary has loaned films for showings
at San Quentin prison in order to keep
the inmates posted on the latest de¬
velopments in the war. And non-com¬
mercial groups have borrowed them for
showings.

Mi's. Gledhill describes the War Film
Library as “an extension of Academy
service to the Hollywood studios. It is
made possible through the coopei'ation of
the governments of the United Nations
with the Academy and the motion pic¬
ture industry. By agreement, use of
prints in the collection is limited to
studios, local photographic units of the
Army, and a small number of non¬
theatrical showings. These films serve
as a valuable source for increasing the
authenticity of Hollywood pi'oduction
and offer material for background and
insert footage.

“The Academy restricts its function
to securing prints and loaning them on
i-equest. It has no commei-cial interest
in the films and inquiries for purchase
are referred directly to the proper rep¬
resentatives of the government units
which produced them.

“Intended primarily as an aid to stu¬
dio production, the collection has a
unique value to Hollywood. It is a
visual report of mobilization, civilian
defense and expansion of the armament
industries of the Allies. It is a graphic
account of manpower problems; the
participation of women in industry and
the armed services; the story of ration¬
ing, the home front, and progress of
the various war bond campaigns. This
is a cumulative record of modern mech¬

anized warfare on land, sea and in the
air from battle fronts all over the
world.

“From a beginning of 25 war docu¬
mentaries in the spring of 1942, the
Film Library now contains more than
500 subjects. It is the only collection
of its kind anywhere, and is constantly
being expanded.”

Relatively few of these films, such
as the Frank Capra “Why We Fight”
series, have been shown publicly. Most
of them were made for purposes of
army oi'ientation, and a good many
are restricted films. To anyone who
has surveyed even part of this collec¬
tion, it is abvious that the documentary
moviemakers have done a much better
and truer job of recording this war
than the commercial studios. Operating
often under difficult battle conditions
and having to keep war censorship in
mind, they have nevertheless given a
more accurate porti'ayal of the wai'front
and the homefront than the regular
motion picture studios. It is too bad
that a representative selection of these
war documentaries cannot be shown to
motion pictui'e critics and to the public.

Skimming through some of the credits
on these documentaries, one runs across
many familiar names: Produced and su¬
pervised by Colonel Frank Capra; Pho-
togi'aphed by Pfc. Stanley Cortez; Nar-
x-ated by Major Anthony Veiller. Or
there are such familiar names in the
regular documentary field as Willard
Van Dyke, Irving Lerner, Alexander
Hackenschmied and many others. Most
of these men were px-oducers, dix-ectoi'S,
writers, photographers, cutters or actors
in Hollywood before they donned uni¬
form. The fact that they have been able
to view the war in adult fashion and in
terms of cinematic vigor pi'oves that the
job can be done. If it can be done for
men in uniform, it certainly can be
done for civilians as well.

Whatever their faults, these war reels
reflect a mature viewpoint. They speak
out on such important subjects as mi¬
norities, the roots of fascism, the war’s
demands on the sodlier and civilian.
They do not sugai'-coat their subject
matter, nor do they talk down to their
audiences. These documentaries have
gone a long way towards educating
the moviegoing public and Hollywood

too. After sitting thi'ough “San Pietro”
or “Attack! The Battle for New Britain,”
the cash customer is less likely to accept
a pallid imitation. The world is con¬
stantly moving ahead, and the sci'een

is doing likewise.

When the Hollywood moviemakers who
have been covering the war with their
cameras retui'n to the cinema city, it is
to be hoped that what they have seen
and learned will not be forgotten, and
that moviegoing audiences will not let the
motion picture industry forget. The

motion picture camera has discovei'ed

new and exciting prospectives in recent
years. The vaults of the Academy War
Film Library bear testimony to this
and comprise a brilliant record.

American Cinematographer • August, 1945

261

A Crumbled Movie Empire

By IRVING BROWNING

Left, the Paragon Studio and laboratory buildings at
Fort Lee. Here Jules Brulatour and William A. Brady
produced with Maurice Tourneur. Above, all that's
left of Solax Studio. The concrete foreground is the
former studio stage floor.

FROM my memory picture book I
sought to roam through its mem¬
orable pages, and before me stoo^
Fort Lee. Here was born the Keystone
comedy, Western film, Feature drama,
Serial and Spectacle. Yet when finan¬
cial help was needed, the bankers shied
away. To them, this industry was a
child with growing pains, but to me
who worked in it, I found it serious
business.

Here a Movie Empire stood where
movie kings and queens reigned with di¬
rectors, cameramen and other artists.
Here, mighty studios stood high in glass
and steel. Towns, villages and cities were
built in the fields by Laemmle, Brady,
Goldwyn, Selznick, Dittenfass, Steinert,
Powers and Fox. In those days, we
thrilled to watch events in motion and
see the results as each day ended. A
great industry was growing to greater
heights.

Then the kings and queens and direc¬
tors, too, moved away and left this place.
To Hollywood they went, to start anew.
The industry blossomed and grew, now

ranking fifth in the worlds great enter¬
prises. But the once thriving studios of
Fort Lee are now memories.

As I visualize Fort Lee, the picture
became action as in a movie; across my
imaginary screen moved incidents and
people I had known. There were friends
from the studios and the suburbs, Fort
Lee as I remembered it from early 1910.
I decided to make a pilgrimage to Fort
Lee and travel to the old sites and see
for myself, what was left of the once
famous movie empire.

I remember that going there in the
old days was a rough adventure. First,
we would take a street car, the elevated
or the Seventh Avenue subway, when
that was newly built, and go to 125th
Street and get as near to the Hudson
River as was possible. From there, we
boarded the Fort Lee ferry, went across
the Hudson River to New Jersey. Again
we took a street car which labored up a
very steep hill, making the first stop in
Grantwood. From there, we went on to
Fort Lee. I remember getting off the
car on the corner nearest the Willat

Studios, which was then owned by Fox
Films. Nearby were the Peerless, Solax,
Eclair, Paragon, and Universal Studios.
Going to Fort Lee in those days was a
tiresome undertaking, but how different
it is today! Now one can get on a bus,
drive or even walk across the George
Washington Bridge at 178th Street, in
New York City, and at the other end of
the bridge, step into the streets of Fort
Lee, within walking distance of the Fort
Lee Studios.

In the summer of 1944, my friend
Palmer, of Bell & Howells’ New York
office, and I decided to visit Francis
Doublier in Fort Lee. All three of us
drove out to look over the remnants of
that old movie empire. It was a bright
sunny day as we stepped out of the car
on the grounds of those mighty old
timers. Now and then we talked to a
neighbor whose curiosity was aroused, as
to our purpose in this adventure and
caused them to engage us in conversation
and old reminiscences. Older folks knew
of the work here, the youngsters just
looked on and said nothing. For me,
memory just raised them again, and I
stood there and looked, as it seemed to
come to life again. As we left an old site,
I would say over and over again, “Gee,
I’m sorry I didn’t bring a camera with
me, I would have liked to photograph
these old sites and do an article about
them”. Before we went home that even¬
ing, I made another appointment with
Doublier, to meet again on another bright
sunny Sunday and this time, I would
bring my camera and we could again
venture to these old sites so I could
make some pictures of them. A month
later we made our second visit.

We went to the Peerless Studio, for¬
merly operated by the World Film Cor¬
poration from about 1912 to 1921 by
William A. Brady, and Lewis Selznick.

Left, this is another shot of site of the old Solax
Studio. This once was a busy spot in the early silent
film days when Fort Lee was the center of the industry.

Above, site of the Evans laboratory next to Wi 1 1 at
studio. Here the New York Motion Picture Company,
Triangle Films, Keystone Comedies were started.
Top right, the World Peerless Studio, one of the
majors in 1914-20. In foreground lot once stood the
Eclair Studio.

Here such films as “Yankee Pluck”,
“Brand of Satan”, “Divine Sacrifice”,
“Maid of Belgium”, “Stolen Orders”,
“Swanee”, “The Heart of a Girl”, were
produced. Here, too, Clara Kimball
Young, Alice Brady, Vivian Martin,
Charles Ray, Hope Hampton, Barbara
Castleton, Arthur Houseman, Johnny
Hines, Kitty Gordon, Madge Evans,
Carlyle Blackwell, June Elvidge, Vera
Gordon, Montague Love, George Mc-
Quarrie, reigned supreme.

Among the directors on that roster
were James Young, Robert Thornby,
Tom Terris, Harley Knowles, Travers
Vale, Jack Adolphi, Del Henderson.
Among the cameramen I remember are
Phil Hatkin, Lester Lang, Lucien And-
wit, Max Schneider and George Peters.

On the weeded lot outside, some fifty
feet away, once stood the mighty Eclair
Studio; this site brought back memories
to Francis Doublier, of an incident which
happened about the time he was in
charge of the negatives and vaults for
that company. It was in March, 1914,
while production and laboratory were in
full swing and while on a picture headed
by Thomas Wise titled “The Gentleman
from Mississippi”, that Stella Whipple,
then playing a part in the production
saw flames shooting out of the wardrobe
room. The fire spread rapidly and she
saw Francis Doublier run through the
flames, into the film vault to rescue the
valuable negatives of some of the fin¬
ished productions. She did not see him
come out, so she called for help and to¬
gether with some actors they dragged the
already unconscious Doublier from the
film vault into the open and revived him.
The entire studio burned down that day
and with it went some of the famous
productions of that time, “The Ca¬

Right, site of the former Willat Studios, built by Doc
Willat and purchased by William Fox Film Enter¬
prises. Also one of the silent era majors.

balleros’ Way”, completed by the Ari¬
zona Company at a cost of $20,000;
“Protea” made in the Paris Eclair Studio
at a cost of $60,000 and several nega¬
tives made by the Fort Lee Eclair Com¬
pany. The loss was estimated to be in
excess of $750,000.

From here, just a few paces away, we
went to the former site of a really
mighty studio, known to us old timers
as the Willat Studio, originally built by
“Doc” Willat and later purchased and
becoming the first large studio of the
William Fox Film Company. Now, there
is only a large, heavily weeded field. I
can recall the days when there was much
activity here, in about the year 1916. I
believe the productions of “The Darling
of Paris” was made here with Theda
Bara featured, directed by J. Gordon
Edwards, from Victor Hugo’s “The
Hunchback of Notre Dame”. Out in the
studio yard, a village of early France
was built, for this production. Here was
to be reenacted the scenes of the French
Revolution with a mob of about one hun¬
dred nad fifty extras to do the fighting.
I being one of that mob. We were given
pitch forks, imitation Pole arms, swords
and clubs with which to do the fighting
scene. I volunteered to instruct the
extras who had been given swords, in
the art of the defense of the blade. I
knowing something about fencing, this

privilege was extended to me, for gratis.
The mob was eager to be taught, so, off
to the side we went and I first cautioned
them, emphasizing the importance of
each one to strike the other man’s sword,
never, never to swing a sword in back
of their heads for that would do fatal
damage to a friend who would be un¬
aware of that danger. After an hour of
practice, I was satisfied, I watched them
rehearsing and they were all serious
about their fighting. Then came the call
for everyone to get on the set, they
were given instructions and were asked
to make the battle scene as real as pos¬
sible, while being careful not to hurt
anyone. Then came the call for action,
and I watched my pupils let me down.
They swung high, wide and handsome.
They made it real alright, for when the
call to “cut” came, several of my pupils
had to be taken or dragged to tents to
be patched up for another take. There
were no real fatalities on that take, but
many were hurt.

Again I ventured to talk to my group
and took them to task. I warned them
again and told them I would be in the
scene with them shouting instructions ;
another call for action and we were off.
They fought like barbarians. They could
have been dressed as American Indians
and they would have fit the scene just as

(Continued on Page 276)

A production still from "Vale of Kashmire", an ambitious Indian film. Indian film producers are
now putting big production value in their films. This might well be a still from a big Hollywood
production. It was made by A. J, Patel, F.R.P.S., of Bombay, India.

264

August, 1945

American Cinematographer

Above, the author.

FILMS IN
INDIA

By CAPT. F. BERKO

AS far as mere physical factors,
such as equipment, are concerned,
a visit to any studio in India will
convince one that substantially the pres¬
ent war. The studios still are not prop¬
erly sound-proofed. They still need air
conditioning. The corrugated iron and
cement roofs, from which sacking is sus¬
pended to prevent echo, still remain.
And pigeons have to be chased out be¬
fore each “take.” There are lots of doors
and openings, and big fans blowing the
hot air and dust out are not exactly
ideal working constituents. The equip¬
ment, too, though in parts more modern,
is still scanty, especially as far as light¬
ing and camera are concerned — though
this now may be due to the exigencies
of war. The sets and properties will
still have to be much improved to even
approximate verisimilitude. But, in prin¬
ciple, there is everything modern studios
have anywhere, and it seems only a
matter of time until the differences are
levelled out.

Financial Situation

There is plenty of capital in India to
bring all these and plenty more studios
up to date. In fact, there is more capi¬
tal in India now than there was before
the war. Even if people were willing
to sink capital into such long-range in¬
vestments it couldn’t be done at the
present, and secondly and more signifi¬
cant, it is very unlikely that they would
be willing to so invest their money.
Reason for the latter is because the
people in the film industry want to
make as much money as possible and
as quickly as possible. That has al¬
ways been the trouble with the film
industry in India.

As a matter of fact, there never has
been a time when so much money was
being made so quickly and so easily in

Note: Capt. F. Berko — better known as just
Berko — is a still photographer, a cinematographer
and a director of distinction in India. Working
there since 1938, first in the Indian Film Industry,
then in his own studio and, since 1944, in Mili¬
tary Training and Recruiting Films, he has been
a contributor to this magazine since 1939. His
article “Handicaps Against India’s Film Produc¬
tion”, which appeared in two parts in the Febru¬
ary and March, 1940, issues of the CINEMA¬
TOGRAPHER, aroused a certain amount of con¬
troversy for its outspokenness. A part of it was
recently quoted by Beverly Nichols in his “Verdict
on India”. In the present article Berko reviews
the position of the Indian film as it is affected
by the war, and, incidentally, brings up to date
his “Documentaries Attaining Full Swing in
India” which we published in the November,
1940, issue. As in his previous articles, Berko,
by recognizing the weaknesses and dangers in the
present situation but not fearing to criticize, is
laying himself open to considerable potential
criticism by certain factors in India. But, he
is also aware of the face that the better elements
welcome the constructiveness of his criticism.

— The Editor.

Indian films as there is now. The in¬
crease in the spending population has
created an enormous demand for enter¬
tainment. Hence, in spite of the fact
there is scarcity of materials of all
kinds, in spite of the vastly increased
overheads caused by higher studio rents
and bigger salaries, the number of pic¬
tures turned out per year has actually
increased since the outbreak of the war.
True, the number of picture theatres
hasn’t appreciably increased, but com¬
pleted films are bought at high prices,
even if they have to be shelved for
the time being. So in spite of increased
production costs, pictures are a very
good business proposition. That is why
a license to produce a film — only given
by the Government to those who can
“prove” they were producers before the
war — are so valuable and, like everything
in this country, constitute an extremely
profitable piece of trading property.

Actors

This nieans also that the actors and
actresses are being extremely well paid.
Contracts to well-established names,
which a few years ago would have
seemed fantastic, 30,000 Rupees, 40,000
Rupees, even 90,000 Rupees and over per
picture, are not exceptional today. This
is one of the main items that go to bring
the cost of an average film from former
cost of 450,000 Rupees up to 1,200,000
and even 1,800,000 Rupees today — fabu¬
lous figures. In addition, most of these
people are working in more than three
films at one time — some even in five or
six — an extremely bad practice from
every point of view, and carried to the

heights of absurdity during the war.

It is interesting to note that although
a certain number of them spend their
money on “conspicuous consumption”
such as houses, cars and jewelry — if
available — but only a very few squander
it on racing, gambling and drinking.
Quite a few have turned producers. Most
of them, however, continue to lead the
same simple life they did when their
earnings were one-tenth of what they
are now. And although with the extra¬
ordinary variety of types that go to make
up this category, it is dangerous to gen¬
eralize, still one might say that the
very strong influence the family has in
most Indian’s lives does have a steady¬
ing effect in this respect.

Extras

The status of the extra players, on
the other hand, is still as confused as
it ever was. Their daily wages have
risen, too. Before the war they re¬
ceived two to three Rupees per day.
Now men receive from three to twenty-
five, and women get from ten to fifty
Rupees per day. There still is no
properly organized casting agency any¬
where in India. Extra players are still
being recruited more or less like coolie
labor, through middlemen or contractors.
These contractors who formerly didn’t
even have an office, take from 30 percent
to 50 percent from the extras, and some
of them are now making as high as
5,000 Rupees a month.

(Continued on Page 278)

American Cinematographer • August, 1945 265

Fades, Lap-Dissolves and

Other Tricks

By RANSOM PALMER

FADES and lap-dissolves do much
to help make a film more artistic
and more effective. They are both
comparatively easy to do.

There are various methods of making
fades. If you have a camera with an ad¬
justable shutter, which may be opened
or closed while the camera is running,
you make your fade by either opening
or closing the shutter. Some types of
cameras have full-closing lens dia¬
phragms which makes lens-fades a sim¬
ple matter. If your camera has neither
adjustable shutter nor full-closing dia¬
phragm, fades can be made with a fad¬
ing glass, i.e., a long neutral-density
filter graduating from clear glass at
one end to opacity at the other. If this
glass is slid across the lens it produces
a perfectly smooth fade.

A lap-dissolve is merely a fade-in
double-exposed on top of a fade-out. In
making a lap-dissolve you fade out on
the first scene, being careful to note ex¬
actly how much footage has been con¬
sumed in the fade. You rewind this foot¬
age and start your next scene with a
fade-in of the same footage. Be sure
your shutter is closed or the lens is
covered before you start rewinding.

If you really want to do something
fancy in the way of dissolves you might
try a “jig-saw” dissolve. It is quite
tricky, and requires patience and ac¬
curacy, and is designed for the purpose
of dissolving a new scene onto one al¬
ready photographed and processed.

You start by making an enlargement
of the first frame of the new scene.
Mount this on heavy cardboard and cut
't up into a regular jig-saw puzzle. Next,
place the camera on a vertical titler,
with the lens covering a field the same
size as the jig-saw enlargement you have
already made. Now put one piece of the
jig-saw puzzle picture in proper place
under the camera and expose just one
frame of film. Put in the next piece and
expose another frame, and so on until
you have put the entire puzzle picture
together. When your film has been proc¬
essed you simply splice the end of your
animated picture to the first frame of
the scene from which the enlargement
was made. On the screen the scene puts
itself together like a jig-saw puzzle
and then continues normally.

Today most of the professional fades,
dissolves, wipes and many other tricks
which once were done with the camera,
are made in an optical printer. If you
are mechanically minded, you can build
an optical printer for your 16mm. and
8mm. use in your own workshop.

Basically, an optical printer consists
of a camera which operates in step with
a lensless projector, and photographs

the film as it passes through the pro¬
jector’s aperture. As a rule, optical
printers are mounted on a lathe-bed,
which gives rigidity and permits vary¬
ing the distance between the camera
and projector heads to suit the needs
of the shot. Both movements must be
especially steady. A simple mechanical
linkage of shafts and gears can inter¬
lock their two movements so they always
move together. In making your printer
you must remember that when the cam¬
era head is running forward the projec¬
tor must run backward, and its film
must be threaded in backward, i.e., with
the top of the frame up instead of down,
so the image on the film in the camera
will be right-side-up. One electric motor
can be used to drive both mechanisms.
If the speed can be varied the device
will be more useful and will allow
greater control of exposure. The cam¬
era should provide means of focusing
visually through the lens on a ground
glass. The projector head should be able
to take two films: the positive being op¬
tically printed, and a matting film to
matte off the areas desired for double-
printed wipes, etc., etc.

“Glass Shots” are interesting for the
enthusiastic amateur, providing he has
the ability to paint, or has an artist
friend who will work with him. He also
must have a camera which permits
focusing the full frame through the lens
on a ground glass focusing screen. This
is because the alignment of the glass
scene and the actual scene must be so
precise.

In making glass shots, part of the
scene is real, and part is painted on a
pane of glass suspended in front of the
lens. The actual scene, the painted scene
and the camera must be so accurately
aligned that the real and the painted
parts of the picture merge into one, and
look as though they belong together.

If you have the patience, the equip¬
ment and the ability to paint, you can
have a lot of fun experimenting with
these shots. And you can make some
amazing scenes, too.

■ Perhaps you have been wishing you
could make some under water scenes,
but didn’t have equipment to make them
under water. If so, here * is a way to
make your under water scenes on dry
land. You stretch fine barbinette gauze
on wooden frames. Suspend two of these
screens close together, about six or eight
inches in front of the camera lens. To
get the proper effect, some light, com¬
ing preferably from the side of the cam¬
era, must strike the screens.

When shooting the scene the two
screens are moved slowly past each
other, in opposite directions. Your effect

depends on the relative movement of the
meshes of the two screens, and no in¬
crease in exposure is necessary. With
this trick you can make excellent mini¬
atures of submarines, sunken wrecks
and a multitude of other things. Sus¬
pend the miniatures on invisible wire,
place before the proper background, and
you will get under water illusions that
are perfect, and exciting.

Recently an amateur friend of mine
came to me with a problem. He said he
was planning to make an action film in
which he wanted to show a young man
dashing out of a house, with an irate
father chasing him. The boy was to run
to the street, jump into an automobile
and dash away with great speed. But —
my amateur friend explained that be¬
cause the average car will not accelerate
quickly enough to get over the effect of
the car starting at once and with great
speed. What to do, was his problem.

Well, if you have a camera fitted with
a governor that permits shooting at
speeds both below and above the normal
16 frames per second rate, it is simple.
It is common knowledge that the higher
speeds give the effect of slow motion,
while the slower speeds in taking give
the effect of increased speed on the
screen. If you want to show a man dash¬
ing out of a house, jump into a car and
careen madly away, all you have to do
is shoot everything normally until he
jumps into the car. Then, just as the
car starts drop your camera speed to
12, or even 8 frames per second, and
you’ll get the effect you want.

To do this your camera should be on
a tripod, so your hands and eyes will
be free to work the speed change. The
difference in exposure between 16 frame
and 12 frame speed is about a quarter
of a stop, providing the normal-speed
part of the scene is shot at f : 16, the 12-
frame part should be exposed at f:18.
Changing from 16 to 8 frames, however,
means a full stop less exposure must be
given. With most cameras this can best
be compensated by closing the lens down
a full stop, in this case from f:16 to
f:22, just as the camera speed is
dropped. It takes a little practice to get
used to doing this smoothly. But once
you get the hang of it you can use the
trick for many purposes. You can hurry
unimportant action, speed up horserac¬
ing or athletic games film to suit your¬
self.

IN MEMORIAM

Mrs. Bina Belle Dyer, mother of
Elmer Dyer, A.S.C., passed away on
July 29th as the result of injuries re¬
ceived from a fall two weeks previ¬
ous to her death. She was 88 years
old, was born in Parsons, Kansas, and
came to California forty years ago.
In addition to her son, Elmer, she
leaves a daughter, Mrs. Alice Winkler
of Long Beach, California.

266 August, 1945

American Cinematographer

It’s very difficult
to say anything new
about the World’s best
professional negative film
excepting the fact -

ALL

the best photographed
of all the best
Feature Motion Pictures
are on

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FORT LEE • CHICAGO

HOLLYWOOD

GREAT GOLD

By NEWTON

Editor, Canadian

COLONEL Melvin E. Gillette, now
overseas, used to keep a gold-
plated elephant near his desk at
the Signal Corps Photographic Center in
Astoria. It was white when the previous
tenant of the huge carbarn of a studio
presented it to the Colonel as a symbol
of its constant emptiness and disuse
during the last decade.

Colonel Gillette, a neat, keen-eyed fig¬
ure slightly past 50, says it reminds
him of the great change wrought in
Paramount’s first talkie-factory, where
once Valentino made torrid love to Vilma
Banky before the cameras, and Cheva¬
lier chirped for the American screen;
where Harpo Marx honked on his first
sound track. Today cameras and sound
recording units turn on as many as a
dozen sets daily, while chevroned direc¬
tors wave scripts at sweating private
actors. The Paramount-built studio, long
idle, has come into its own at last.

Nominally and literally, the Signal
Corps Photographic Center is a military
reservation, complete with gun-toting
sentries, side-armed officers of the day,
and military barracks for the enlisted
men living on the post (married men
may live at home, if they wish, and re¬
port for work daily at 8:30). That this
happens to be on two square blocks in
Long Island City’s war plant district
does not detract one whit from the new¬
comer’s impression of smooth-running
military industriousness.

Its sole function, made known to hun¬
dreds of thousands of draftees early in
their military careers, is to supply a
comprehensive motion picture program
covering every aspect of soldiering. In¬
doctrination begins all over these days
with a movie on the Articles of War,
followed shortly thereafter by a glib
film on Military Courtesy and a shocker
on Sex Hygiene which, brother, pulls no
punches.

Regardless of where the inductee goes
from his training or replacement cen¬
ter, whatever branch of the service he
finds himself in, a large part of his time
is spent in a darkened projection room
that is usually a mess hall by day, lis¬
tening to a newsreel-type commentator
and watching an elaborately prepared,
professionally manufactured motion pic¬
ture which will bring him face to face
with the weapon, vehicle or machine he’s
most concerned with. The whole idea
is that a good training film can, says
the Colonel, do so much more for the
individual than even the best-trained in¬
structor handling a class of fifty.

“It can,” he adds, “bring you up
closer than an instructor is able to do.
It can be more personal a vehicle of in¬
struction than a laboratory table or field
demonstration. And by means of skillful
animation or stop-motion photography,
it can demonstrate processes or happen¬
ings — inside high-calibre railway guns,

ELEPHANT

E. MELTZER

Paramount News

for instance — invisible to the naked
eye.”

All of this started less than six years
ago, when the Colonel was a Captain
trying to sell a skeptical War Depart¬
ment on the growing importance of vis¬
ual aids. A staff of six, housed in a
small building at Fort Monmouth, N.J.,
was the Photographic Center then. There
were three cameramen, two civilians and
Gillette himself; a sound recordist, two
animators, and a writer-production man
who are still on the job today. The
Astoria quarters aren’t large enough to
accommodate all the animators and
writers, and they have spilled over to a
second Photographic Center on East
32nd Street, in New York City. Most of
these men were drafted in Hollywood
and reached the film factory through
the Army’s various classification centers.

With one or two exceptions, the
Army’s scenario writers are enlisted
men, ranging from several plain buck
privates up to Master Sergeants. Like¬
wise for film editors and cutters. Cam¬
eramen are, most frequently, officers
with one or two silver bars on their
shoulders; among all categories are a
sprinkling of civilians too. Actors are
generally recruited from the location
camp where the film is made, as Signal
Corps policy forbids making stars or
featured players out of Army personnel,
even if not the reverse. “Name” actors
who do happen to be around are avoid¬
ed completely for the same reason.
They are detailed to camera or general
utility work, to make use of their tech¬
nical knowledge and experience, when
it is indicated. A great many such men
attend the Eyemo school at Astoria,
where they learn the operation of this
hand-held newsreel camera for future
combat photography overseas.

Back and forth from the projection
rooms on the upper stories to the sound
stages in the basement stream busy uni¬
formed men, some with makeup on their
faces, some carrying scripts or cans of
film. Informality and haste are the key¬
notes. From the day’s beginning until
shooting stops around six, one does not
see a salute inside the building: there
just isn’t time. When the lights are out
and the “dailies” are being run in Pro¬
jection Room ‘A’, the voices of privates
pop up in comment as often as those
of majors and lieutenant-colonels, al¬
though the “sir” is never left off.

The Signal Corps Photographic Cen¬
ter is probably the only Army post in
the country where someone dressed in a
Nazi Field Marshal’s green uniform and
peaked cap could strut around unchal¬
lenged, peek into a writer’s office and
cry “Achtung!” without causing a rip¬
ple of excitement. On some weeks Jap¬
anese soldiers (quite spurious, of course)
are no uncommon sight in the mess
hall, eating with men in the Army of

Activities of A.S.C.
Members

Forty-two films were before the cam¬
eras in Hollywood as this issue of the
CINEMATOGRAPHER went to press,
with members of the American Society
of Cinematographers filming the fol¬
lowing:

Columbia Studios

Franz Planer, “Snafu;” Ira Morgan,
“Jungle Raiders.”

M-G-M Studios

Len Smith, “The Yearling;” Joe Rut-
tenberg, “The Strange Adventure;” Sid
Wagner, “The Postman Always Rings
Twice;” Robert Surtees, “Two Sisters
from Boston;” Ray June, “The Hoodlum
Saint;” Henry Sharp, “What Next, Pri¬
vate Hargrove;” Charles Salerno, “Boy’s
Ranch;” Charles Schoenbaum, “Bad Bas-
comb.”

Monogram Studios

Marcel LePicard, “Frontier Feud;”
Jackson Rose, “Suspense.”

Paramount Studios

John B. Seitz, “Calcutta;” Daniel Fapp,
“To Each His Own;” Stuart Thompson,
“The Bride Wore Boots;” Charles Lang,
“Blue Skies.”

RKO Studios

Gregg Toland, “The Kid from Brook¬
lyn” (Samuel Goldwyn Production);
Harry Wild, “Cornered;” Joseph Valen¬
tine, “Heartbeat” (Hakim-Wood Produc¬
tion); Frank Redman, “Men Are Such
Liars;” Nick Musuraca, “Chamber of
Horrors.”

Republic Studios

Robert Pittack, “You’ll Remember
Me” (William Wilder Production).

20th Century-Fox Studios

Harry Jackson and Joe MacDonald,
“The Enchanted Voyage;” Leon Sham-
roy, “Leave Her to Heaven;” Charles
Clarke, “Smoky.”

United Artists

Ray Rennahan, “Duel in the Sun”
(Vanguard Films, Inc.); Charles Law-
ton, Jr., “Getting Gertie’s Garter” (Ed¬
ward Small Production) ; Russell Metty,
“Whistle Stop” (Nero Productions); Lu-
cien Androit, “Diary of a Chambermaid”
(Benedict Bogeaus Production); Archie
Stout, “Abilene.”

Universal Studios

Hal Mohr, “Shady Lady;” Charles Van
Enger, “Once Upon a Dream;” Lucien
Ballard, “As It Was Before;” Jerome
Ash, “The Royal Mounted Rides Again;”
Milton Krasner, “Scarlet Street.”

Warner Bros. Studios

James Wong Howe, “Confidential
Agent;” Arthur Edeson, “Never Say
Goodbye;” Sid Hickox, “The Man I
Love.”

the United States. If the script called
for Hirohito to appear, the make-up and
costume departments could manufacture
him out of Corporal Johnnie Doughboy
within a day. Desert outposts, huge
tanks and half-tracks, foxholes in the
Solomons or just plain close order drill
may be grist for the Army cameras’
mill in any one day.

268 August, 1945 • American Cinematographer

NO wonder this Kodak aerial lens dwarfs the wrist
watch shown with it for comparison. It’s roughly
1500 times as big and weighs about 1100 times as much.
You couldn’t use such a giant lens, yet what it is — what
it stands for — vitally concerns you.

"Big Boy” is an important weapon of war, for, when mounted
in the proper camera, it makes 9 x 18-inch pictures from great
altitudes — 30,000 or 40,000 feet — up where the flak is scarce.
They’re pictures of critical definition that reveal amazingly the
smallest details of military objectives.

What’s more, this lens is important to you because it embodies
the same lens wisdom you can expect from Kodak in your post¬
war picture-making equipment.

Kodak-Designed — Kodak-Made

Kodak is uniquely qualified for the production of lenses like
this great 48-inch // 6.3 Telephoto. It required a vast amount of
designing skill, resources, manufacturing ingenuity . . . plus the
sensational qualities of Kodak’s new rare-element glasses. And
this applies as well to other Kodak aerial lenses. When new types
were needed, the starting point was simply sets of extremely
exacting performance specifications. Kodak designed the lenses

Remember — in equipment it’s the lens that matters most

. . . manufactured them . . . delivered a total of many thousands
to our Armed Forces and those of our allies.

These aerial lenses constitute only one part of the complicated
optical jobs Kodak is contributing to the war effort. In all of
them Kodak is piling research upon research . . . experience on
experience. Remember this when you think about postwar photo¬
graphic equipment . . . because it’s the lens that matters most.

Better Lenses for War

. . . Better Pictures in Peace

You won’t have occasion to use a ' Big Boy.” You
may never need an aerial lens. But you can be cer¬
tain that in producing these objectives, along
with a variety of other vital military optical
equipment, Kodak has solved some of the
toughest lens-making problems in the
world ... So it’s easy to guess who
will have the most to offer you in
fine lenses after the war. , 4

Eastman Kodak Company
Rochester 4, N. Y.

American Cinematographer • August, 1945

269

THROUGH the EDITOR S FINDER

HAL WALLIS Product! ons, Inc.

presents

JENNIFER JOSEPH

JONES • COTTEN

witlx ANN RICHARDS

Screen Play by Ayn Rand • From the Novel by Chris Massie
Director of Plioto^ raphy Lee Garmes, A. S. C.

Directed by WILLIAM DIETERLE

OUR editorial hat is off to Hal
Wallis, head of his own produc¬
ing unit, releasing his films
through Paramount Pictures!

For the past two years this writer
has been campaigning steadily for bet¬
ter recognition of the cameramen who
photograph the great motion pictures.
We have been calling for better screen
credit and for credit in the advertising
of the films.

And now Hal Wallis, always a fear¬
less leader in Hollywood, steps out and
gives Lee Garmes, A.S.C., credit for his
photography of “Love Letters” in the
advertising, right along with the stars,
the director and the writers in full page
advertisements in the trade papers of
the industry. That section of the adver¬
tisement showing the credits is repro¬
duced above.

Mr. Wallis, or will you permit us to
call you Hal, you have made a great
step forward by your recognition of the
worth of the cameraman. We sincerely
hope that other producers in Hollywood
will follow your lead, for the director of
photography is worthy of more than his
hire — he is worthy of public recognition.

The publication of the story about
Ira Morgan, A.S.C., in the July issue
has brought to light a matter of un- .
usual interest.

In the story about Mr. Morgan we
stated that he was the first cameraman
to use Panchromatic film in making a
feature entertainment motion picture.
Now we find that Glen Gano, A.S.C.,
made a feature picture with home-made

Panchromatic film before Eastman had
brought its new Panchromatic film on the
market. Gano, during the first World
War, worked in the Photographic Re¬
search Department of the Bureau of
Standards. They had to have faster
film than was available, so the scientists
in the group went to work on developing
a fast film, along with experts of the
Eastman Kodak Company, according to
Mr. Gano, and turned their findings over
to Eastman.

When Mr. Gano returned to Holly¬
wood he says he took Orthochromatic
film and resensitized it, making it a
fast film. He then photographed “The
Silent Call,” starring the dog Strong-
heart. That film was released in 1921.
“Janice Merideth,” exteriors of which
were photographed on Panchromatic by
Mr. Morgan, was released in 1924. How¬
ever, Mr. Morgan still holds the dis¬
tinction of being the first cameraman
to use the commercial Panchromatic
film, made by Eastman, in a feature
picture. We hope, and feel sure, no¬
body’s feelings or prestige has been in¬
jured by this peculiar combination of
events as reported here.

WHILE reading the recent issue
of the Journal of the British
Kinematograph Society I was
greatly impressed with the remarks
made by President A.G.D. West of that
organization when he addressed the so¬
ciety on the occasion of his starting his
seventh term as its head. In discussing
the problems facing motion picture de¬
velopment, he laid before his fellow

members what he termed his “ten-year
plan” for motion picture advancement.

After pointing out the problems of
theatre acoustics, uniformity of sound
reproduction (with 100 per cent intelli¬
gibility), uniformity of screen bright-,
ness, maintenance of quality in picture
duping and sound dubbing, standardiza¬
tion in the use of push-pull recording
and improvements in 16mm. sound, he
came up with his 10-year plan idea,
which is well worthy of reproduction
here.

“I allot the first two years to the
problems of rehabilitation,” said Mr.
West,” with particular attention to the
subjects of acoustics and sound standard¬
ization (the talkie is fifteen years old
and it still has not learned to talk
clearly and intelligently). These two
subjects alone provide plenty of food
for thought; they should be tackled to¬
gether. The recording, laboratory and
reproduction processes by the various
systems need a degree of mutual stand¬
ardization, in terms of the average
acoustic conditions (if they would only
be average) of both studio and theatre.

“The next two years I assign to the
color situation, with the much hoped
for solution of the problem of stabiliza¬
tion of . screen brightness. We rely on
the chemists for the former and the
physicists for the latter, which will also
include the development of systems
(electronic in operation) for the auto¬
matic maintenance of standai’d and con¬
stant screen brightness (for example,
after the change-over of projectors).

“Then I give two more years by
which we should have developed a serv¬
iceable and commercial equipment and
system for large screen television in
the cinema. It is here that we find our
first departure towards equipment which
is fully electronic, involving camera
pick-up devices, cable or radio distribu¬
tion, and cathode-ray projection; with
the added problem for our commercial
people, to decide the best way of making
use of such a remarkable and far reach¬
ing method. (Be it noted that the brain
experts undoubtedly regard headaches
as coming within the scope of electronic
control.)

“A further two years should see the
completion of color television in the
cinema. It is already an engineering pos¬
sibility for the home, and the improve¬
ment in what might be called the greater
understanding of the picture by color
contrast is very considerable. It has
already been demonstrated in a limited
way on a theatre screen, but the perfec¬
tion of a black-and-white system is of
greater immediate importance.

“Lastly, I allow the final two years
for the achievement of commercial
stereoscopy on the large screen. It has
already been seen on a small screen for
limited viewing positions. I saw a good
demonstration once in Paris. It was cer-

(Continued on Page 279)

.270 August, 1945 • American Cinematographer

If. The tremendous ir crease in the use of microfilm and motion pictures
in modern business offers the owner of Houston Film Processing equip¬
ment a tailor-made opportunity right in his own community.

Department stores and banks use microfilm for copying, posting and
recording. Corporations use motion pictures, both 16 mm. and 35 mm.
for sales and training programs. These and many other users of micro¬
film and motion pictures need on-the-spot processing. So do studios and
photographic supply stores. In fact, you can probably name a score or
more prospects right in your community.

This field is wide open. It’s profitable— it’s permanent. And Houston
equipment can help you capitalize on it.

Processes 16 mm. negative,
positive and reversal film. Processing speeds up to

per min

Houston equipment offers fast , com plete and fully automatic film proc¬
essing. Machines are precision-built and completely self-contained. No
extra equipment needed. Write for illustrated folders and prices.

NOTICE

f |

Facilities for the

processing of 16 and 35

mm. film will be available

1 ' :

here on or about the

first of the month

MODEL 10

Processes 35 mm. negative
and positive film. Processing speeds up to 2400
feet per hour.

THE HOUSTON CORPORATION

11801 W. OLYMPIC BLVD. • LOS ANGELES 25, CALIF.

American Cinematographer • August, 1945

271

AMONG THE MOVIE CLUBS

Utah Cine Arts Club

Tri-City Club

La Casa Movie Club

Recent Gadget Night of the Utah Cine
Arts Club was an interesting affair, with
members showing numerous gadgets they
have cleverly perfected to improve their
picture making.

Dr. C. Elmer Barrett exhibited a home
constructed reflex finder which, although
made for a 35mm Leica, could possibly
be adapted to Cine use.

Bill Loveless displayed a control panel
whereby he can control projector and
room lights at will.

President George Brignand’s offering
was an alignment guage to eliminate
parallax on his Filmo. After viewing
the picture it enables him to slide the
camera up so that the lens occupies the
viewfinder position.

John Allein’s gadget was a many-in-
one proposition. It eliminated parallax
via the alignment guage method, and
supported a track or guide to hold masks,
wipe-off disc, scrolls, etc., for various
trick filming effects.

The patented Morton Remote Control
was demonstrated by its inventor, A1
Morton, who pointed out that sometimes
gadgets by amateurs offer commercial
possibilities. By placing it between the
camera and tripod, he was able to start
and stop the camera at will any distance
up to thirty feet. It operated on four
flashlight cells, and required no camera
alterations.

T. R. Pope brought his 16mm. Key¬
stone for which he had constructed a
turret head to hold three lenses with
matching viewfinders. Two of the lenses
were equipped with adapter rings to
make them the same size as the third,
so filters can be interchangeable. He had
also installed a backwind on it. He ex¬
hibited his Leica, too, which had a
bracket on it which carried a piece of
ground glass and clamp to hold movie
film so he could make negative copies of
frames from 16mm film.

Pete Larsen demonstrated his gadgets
in the showing of his picture, “Music
in the Evening.” His gadgets consisted
of a dualturntable outfit, a projector
stand and a stroboscope disc for his pro¬
jector sprockets, illuminated by the glow
from a small stroboscope lamp. By
watching the discs he could keep his pro¬
jector operating at a constant speed of
16 frames.

San Francisco Club

Leon Gagne was the highlight of the
July meeting of the San Francisco Cine¬
ma Club with a special showing of newly
made color slides of dazzling beauty.
His subjects consisted of a series of views
of Tioga Pass and the Tuolumne Coun¬
try, and Tahoe in Winter.

Club President Charles D. Hudson an¬
nounces future club meetings will be
held the third Tuesday of each month.

The following new officers were elected
at the final meeting in the 1944-45 sea¬
son of the Tri-City Cinema Club:

President, Miss Margaret E. West,
Davenport, Iowa.

First Vice-President, Tom Griberg,
Moline, Ill.

Second Vice-President, Roger Spitnas,
Moline, Ill.

Sec.-Treas., Elmer Jansen, Davenport,
Iowa.

Trustees: Mrs. C. D. Snyder, Peter
DeVos and Claire Smick.

Also on the evening’s program was the
awarding of the prize to the member
whose picture won the honors as the best
film of the year. This award, a year’s
subscription to the American Cinema¬
tographer, was given to Tom Severs of
Moline. The prize was offered by the
American Cinematographer.

Westwood Movie Club

Members of the Westwood Movie Club
are already busy on plans for the or¬
ganization’s big Exposition to be held in
September. All Northern California
movie clubs are being invited to share the
evening with the Westwood members.

Recent Westwood club program con¬
sisted of:

“Movie Club Picnic”, 16mm sound-on-
film by Ray Luck.

“Muharam”, 16mm Kodachrome by
Don Wallace.

“Sun Valley, Idaho”, Kodachrome by
Harold Boucher.

Talk by Ed Franke on “How I’d Make
a Contest Picture”.

The July meeting of the La Casa Movie
Club of Alhambra, California, was an
all-woman project, and was reported to
be an excellent program. Mrs. Lester
Conrad was chairman, and provided the
following:

“San Diego Zoo”, 16mm by Mrs. Fred
W. Gill.

“The Great Northwest”, 16mm by Miss
Monda Taylor.

“Friends”, 16mm by Mrs. Lester R.
Conrad.

“Yosemite,” 8mm by Mrs. Dorothy
Hill.

“Jasper National Park”, 8mm by Miss
Erma Donahue.

“Progress of 35 mm Slides”, 35mm by
Mrs. Pearl Hall.

“The High Sierras”, 35mm by Mrs. R.
L. Johns.

The club will hold a picnic on August
13th at the Arcadia County Park.

New York Eight

A short test film, made by Joe Holly¬
wood, proved so interesting to the mem¬
bers of the New York City 8 mm Motion
Picture Club recently that it was re¬
peated immediately upon insistence of
the members. Other pictures on the pro¬
gram were:

“Canadian Rockies”, by George Keller.

“The Midnight Guest”, by George Val¬
entine.

“It’s V-E Day”, by Terry Manos.

Fred Furman gave an illustrated talk
on “How to Plan a Film”.

272 August, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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Safety Film Trip — Positive film protection from
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Oversize Sprocket — Five teeth — not three — con¬
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" Dual Flexo” Pauls — Spring over films — do not
punch new holes.

"Spira Draft ” Lamp House — Assures much
longer lamp life and greater efficiency.

Your Victor investment is always protected by
Victor’s World Wide Service Organization.

An exciter lamp many times more powerful than that used in
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American Cinematographer • August, 1945

Take Your Cine Camera
To the Beach

By JAMES R. OSWALD

THERE are at least three good rea¬
sons why beach photography
should prove more popular this
year than ever. First, wartime travel
restrictions are going to produce more
“stay-at-home” vacationists . . . and
movie makers. Secondly, critical film
shortages leave but a few of the sub¬
standard brands on the market for civil¬
ian use, and being somewhat less sensi¬
tive than the more popular varieties, are
more ideally suited to brightly lighted
areas. And thirdly, the possibilities there
for the aggressive cameraman are plen¬
tiful.

Taking pictures at the beach, as re¬
ferred to here, needn’t suggest only the
common, and over-done “bathing beauty”
type of shot. Rather, it is the writer’s
intention to be concerned primarily with
something longer lasting, and with more
universal appeal.

Take a glance at the scenes repro¬
duced along with this article, for ex¬
ample. Sort of want to look at them
more than once, don’t you? And there’s
a reason. The little girl daring to go in
the water, yet just a wee bit afraid of
getting her “tootsies” wet . . . the three
youngsters busily engaged building cas¬
tles in the sand . . . the boys with the
shovels and pails, attempting to “move”
the lake . . . the child engrossed in the
art of “writing” in the wet sand . . . the
jubilant youths giving the girl friend
a “ducking” . . . the “framed” shot be¬
tween the trees . . . these are “human
interest” shots of the truest variety.

Not one of these scenes is dependent
upon “dazzling damsels” or “curvacious
cuties” to draw your attention, yet each
has what it takes to catch the eye . . .
and hold it. What’s more, pictures like
these will continue to “pack a wallop”

’till the sprockets wear out. Further¬
more, if they possess the desired
“punch,” they will prove equally enter¬
taining whenever and wherever shown,
even if those taking part in the scenes
are unknown to the audience, or even
the cameraman. Identity of the “actors”
is secondary in a movie with “snap.”

Warm summer suns and golden sand
. . . swirling water and splashing feet
. . . young America at play! There’s
plenty of action here, and that’s your
cue . . . heed it! Take your cine camera
to the beach!

—

All pictures on this page are blowups from 16mm
movie shots.

Syracuse Movie Makers

Sunday, July 22nd, was a day of fun
and frolic for the members of the Syra¬
cuse Movie Makers, for on that day they
staged their regular summer picnic.
Movies were shown, games played — and
there was the lunch period . . . always
important on picnics. Lisle Conway, who
expected to be in the army by now, has
been deferred indefinitely.

274 August. 1945 • American Cinematographer

or great photography :

SUPREME

NEGATIVE FILM

—its fine grain , smooth
gradation , and high
quality make the most
of your good work. •

Ansco

A DIVISION OF GENERAL ANILINE
& FILM CORPORATION

BINGHAMTON • HOLLYWOOD • NEW YORK

KEEP YOUR EYE ON ANSCO —

FIRST WITH THE FINEST

American Cinematographer • August, 1945

275

Pictorial Cinematography

(Continued from Page 260)

Scenic pictures are probably of most
importance to the average movie mak¬
er. Fig. 1 shows the picture space
divided into nine equal rectangles. The
dividing lines have four points of in¬
tersection, and it is generally found
that the main object or mass is best
placed about one of these points, while
a secondary balancing mass may fall
on one of the opposite points. The
horizontal “thirds” suggest approximate
positions for the horizontal line, visable
or imaginary. The horizon line should
not bisect the picture.

Many a landscape subject which looks
attractive to the eye is a failure on the
screen. It lacks main interest. The
“lead in” is usually to the extreme
right or left of the bottom third spaces.
The “lead in” may be cleverly disguised,
but is generally a track, road, river, log
and so on. So, “lead in” at the side,
and do not center your main object, but
place it about one of the intercepting
points according to requirements. These
are the elements of good shots. In dis¬
tant views there should be somebody or
something in the foreground. Open
views without foreground objects are
rarely successful. The simplest scenes
may often be rendered quite impressive
by this method.

Scenic pictures are mostly based on
elliptical or circular construction. Many
very successful pictures are on these
pleasing lines. The elliptical arrange¬
ment is a safeguard against the eye
wandering out of the picture, as can
easily happen with other more rigid con-

The triangle construction applies to human figures
and many other things. The idea is that the base
gives a solid foundation. The contour need not con¬
form too closely to look mechanical. This is illus¬
trated in the corrected flower picture on page 260.

struction. This is the reason why we
frame views with trees and branches —
they help keep the eye about the main
interest.

Avoid the use of eccentric stunt cam¬
era angles except when the viewpoint is
dramatically justified. It is easy to be
over-enthusiastic on the subject which
merely results in the bewilderment of
the spectator. If justified, a higher view¬
point will effect a better arrangement
of the subject. A high viewpoint will
subconsciously impress the spectator
with a pleasurable feeling of superiority.
On the other hand, a low viewpoint is
often useful when it is necessary to con¬
vey a scene of awe or uneasiness.

How can you learn more about com¬
position ? There are excellent books
on the subject in any public library.
There you will get the rudiments of
composition as well as advanced achieve¬
ments, and you will soon begin to see
everything pictorially.

Study good professional films. Study
the infinite variety of well-known pic¬
tures. Analyze them and find out the
reason why they impress you. As you
progress you will see your subject as
a pattern in lines and masses. Com¬
position can become a habit, like every¬
thing else, and the more one works at
it the easier it will become.

[The above article reprinted through courtesy
of the Movie News.]

A Crumbled Movie Empire

(Continued from Page 263)

well. Many were hurt and because I was
a very young man then, with a lot of
ambition and the visualization of spend¬
ing time in a hospital did not appeal to
me, I tried to get out of the mess. While
doing so, I heard a voice shouting at me,
“Hey, you Keystone Cop, why in hell
don’t you get in there and fight?” I
looked over at one assistant director who
was growling at me and swinging his
fists. My pride was hurt, I, who knew
how to fight, gentlemanly like, with a
sword, who wouldn’t make a spectacle
of myself. ... I, who volunteered to
teach the mob for gratis. ... I left the
place, went to the dressing room, changed
to my street clothes and left for home.
When I arrived home,' I found that I
still had the sword that was given to
me, for the film fight. . . . Honestly, I
didn’t even know I had it. . . . Keystone
Cop. . . . pffft!

From here, we drove over to the Para¬
gon Studios. At about the time the
Willat and Peerless Studios were in full
swing, Maurice Tourneur was director
and Clarence Brown as assistant and
film cutter. It was like walking into a
ghost city, seeing all the steel framework
and glass, much of it broken. The Para¬
gon Studio is now being used by a scenic
artist group for designing and painting
backgrounds and sets for the legitimate
stage plays destined for Broadway, and
the road. The studio was also used to
store obsolete scenery; the available
space here is probably cheaper than any¬
thing obtainable in New York.

Weeds have grown high where once
feet of many thousands trod when this
studio was in full production. Lewis J.
Selznick, head of Selznick Select Pictures
produced at the Paragon Studio. In his
fold were the following biggies of the
time, Olive Thomas, Martha Mansfield,
Conway Tearle, Elaine Hammerstein,
Winifred Westover and Earle Foxe.
Among his directors listed, Ralph Ince,
Hobart Henley, Allan Crossland, Robert
Vignola, Julius Steger, Henry Kolker
and Jack Noble. Among the pictures
that were produced that I remember are
the following, “Footlight and Shadows”,
“Out Yonder”, “Society Snobs”, “Coun¬
try Cousin” and “Bucking the Tiger”
made mostly between 1917 to 1920.

Just a stone’s throw from here, we
moved on to the old Universal Studio lot.
This property, now walled-in, once a
busy and active lot, is operated by the
Consolidated Laboratory. The laboratory
is all that is left of the Universal
Studios. When Universal operated the
studio and laboratory here, Sam Gold-
wyn produced quite a few pictures here
and I recall very well, “Polly of the
Circus”, with Mae Marsh, one of the
Goldwyn earlies; and “Puritan Girl”
starring Jack Kerrigan and Helen Green,
with Larry Windom directing, Joe (Von)
Sternberg assisting, and Roy Hunt and
Lester Lang at the cameras. “To the

(Continued on Page 279)

Probably 75 per cent of cine-amateurs pictures concern the doings of his family. He generally starts shoot¬
ing along the lines of the picture at left, which is decidedly inartistic. Get the family doing something as

in the second picture.

276 August, 1945 • American Cinematographer

The Hi-lite of Modern Photography is the Arc

RAY RENNAHAN, A.S.C.

Unit of Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation

General Offices: 30 East 42nd Street, New York 17, N. Y.

Division Sales Offices: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, New York, Pittsburgh, San Francisco

American Cinematographer • August, 1945

Films in India

(Continued from Page 265)

Technicians

The technicians, always the under¬
dogs in India, unfortunately cannot do
much for themselves. The general level
of their salaries has risen. But they
are still underpaid, although a trifle
less so than before the war when a good
sound or camera technician would have
to stay at 100, 150 or 250 Rupees for
a long time. Now anybody can start
off with 150 Rupees purely because it
is necessitated by the rise in living
costs, which are in an even greater pro¬
portion. Although there are a few top
salaries of from 1500 to 2000 Rupees
per month, the average technician’s pay
is still much too low considering the
work he does. Their union, feeble and
ineffective as it was, petered out some
years ago. Recently it has been reor¬
ganized and it now seems to be heading
in the right direction. It plans to build
on a broad basis, trying to raise funds
enough to send members abroad regular¬
ly, exchange with foreign technicians,
and become strong enough to effectively
put forward its demands. The difficulty
is that the technicians are not united
among themselves. Their own-interest-
first sort of business prevents a good
strong get-together and it may of course
not be easy for the few really well-paid
ones to resist the tendency to make
hay while the sun shines rather than
make sacrifices to support a long-range
policy.

Newcomers

Newcomers’ prospects, under the cir¬
cumstances, are quite good and will be
still better after the war. It is easy
to understand that, with the money in¬
volved in production, producers, always
a bit conservative in this respect in this
country, now are especially reluctant
to take any risks. That is why experi¬
enced actors and actresses and, occa¬
sionally, technicians are being paid so
much. The same goes, of course, for
directors who always have been quite
well-off, and are frequently producer-
directors. But, younger people do get
“breaks” from time to time, and then
get on quickly once they are in. Also,
the tendency that was quite strong be¬
fore the war of recruiting actors and
technicians from among the better classes
definitely continues. The prestige of the
profession is becoming nearly as high
in India as it is abroad. Of course
not only the glamour, but the more
substantial financial aspects are a big
attraction.

Training

It seems a great pity that there is
no proper training center right now
when production is more limited and ex¬
clusive than it will be after the war.
There have been some attempts in this
direction, but so far one can hardly
say that they have been hardly more
than efforts to recruit new, cheap la¬
bor for a producer or a particular

group of producers. A proper film in¬
stitute, sponsored by Government, is
the only answer. There should be a
film library containing books and all
outstanding films from all over the
world, as well as a collection of all
Indian films of historical interest (al¬
ready practically an impossible task).
There should be a complete staff of ex¬
perienced instructors in touch with all
the latest developments in the industry
abroad, so that all the various branches
of such a complex industry could be
taught, including script writing, direct¬
ing, acting, cinematography, make-up,
sound, laboratory, etc. Only when it is
built on a solid foundation — and an in¬
stitute of this kind, staffed with enthu¬
siastic, idealistic, uncorruptible instruc¬
tors not influenced by interests in the
film trade, would go a long way toward
building such a foundation— only then
will the general standard of the film
improve.

The Future

From the aforesaid, it seems a fore¬
gone conclusion that there is a big future
for the industry in India. As for the
foreign markets, they will not likely be
in any way comparable to the home
market. For, while it will be possible
to have an ever-increasing home con¬
sumption until most of the 400,000,000
people of India will be able to see
films, the number of Indians abroad —
even in Africa — is insignificant as far
as big money is concerned. It is inter¬
esting to see how the producers, realiz¬
ing that the number of theatres are
going to increase rapidly after the war,
are already making every effort to main¬
tain their golden status by trying to per¬
suade Government that there should be
more films produced after the war in
order to “avoid overproduction.” In short,
they are trying to consolidate their mon¬
opoly position caused by the licensing
system. While there is bound to be a cer¬
tain interest in ambitious, well-made films
for shipment abroad, the standard of even
the most ambitious of those will have
to be much improved if they are to
have anything more than just curiosity
value. It is no use pretending that
even the most ambitious productions so
far have been but jejune in subject mat¬
ter as well as treatment. Even the
English speaking productions, which are
increasing just now, will, I believe, con¬
tinue to be failures for a long time to
come. However, with the tremendous
possibilities of a country like India, and
the general interest in it, it is more
likely that it will be the short films
that might have success abroad.

Short Subjects

The continuation and expansion of
what the Information Films of India
are doing now plus, it is hoped, dozens
of small concerns comprised of enter¬
prising young men and women not pri¬
marily interested in money, seems to be
one of the most promising features at
the present. It is quite possible that,
like in England, the best brains and
the greatest talent will go into docu¬

mentary film production. Maybe they,
too, will have to be sponsored by far¬
sighted industrial concerns and Govern¬
ment branches until they have created
a market of their own. But, although
conditions are very different, more com¬
plicated, and, I’m afraid, more adverse
here than they were in England, there
is no reason why it should be assumed
that it is impossible to establish the
Documentary Film in India. And this
will certainly have a market abroad.
Thus far the following work has been
done:

1. Information Films of India — for¬
merly Department of Information and
Broadcasting, formerly Film Advisory
Board — started at the beginning of the
war in the face of violent opposition.
It seems to have settled down and found
its feet on the ground in the last two
years. Apart from the fact that peo¬
ple have simply become used to it and
that the internal and political opposi¬
tion has mostly been overcome, this is
also due to the fact that the standard
as a whole has kept rising slowly. It
has done very valuable work in get¬
ting people interested in short films
about themselves and their country — in
addition to giving political information
— and it seems it will be doing some
more valuable work by training young
people in their jobs and preparing post¬
war reconstruction films.

2. The Indian News Parade — starting
entirely from scratch, has managed to
bring out from its inception a reel every
week, which is no small achievement.
It, too, has vastly improved in quality,
and it will be responsible for turning
out a number of young men who have
learned to do jobs that formerly did
not exist in this country. Quite pos¬
sibly a number of them will join up
with the Documentary movement.

3. There also exists quite a large
group working in 16mm.; either filming
in 16mm. or reducing 35mm. to 16. This
group has its own market and distribu¬
tion and is ready to increase rapidly
as soon as the war is over. So far
its work has been mainly educational,
and it would be very desirable if it
stuck to it. Its mobile units have access
easily to the so-far untouched, remote
parts of the country. However, there
are signs that seem to indicate that the
lure of big profits will make them con¬
centrate on entertainment films rather
than on the educational ones which could
do such an estimable good to the wel¬
fare of this country by spreading in¬
formation. But with the development
of the Documentary film, and with a
Government keeping its eyes open, it is
just possible that in spite of the money-
grabbers’ invasion and exploitation of
this field, a great amount of good will
be done.

4. Finally, there are the manufactur¬
er-sponsored films. Here, too, a big
development can be expected. Even be¬
fore the war some of the more advanced
firms were more than just interested,
and a few advertising films were pro¬
duced. At the beginning of the war a
further few were turned into public-

278 August, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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relations films, while those that could
not be changed according to the new
regulations, along with projects for quite
a number of additional films, had to be
shelved for the duration. Not only will
there be a very definite interest and
demand, but the rudiments of the ma¬
chinery to deal with this demand will
already exist and will only need de¬
veloping.

Conclusion

Within all the various branches of
film production there is going to be a big
scope for enterprising men and women.
In o,rder not to have their work spoiled
by big business and personal interests
they will need protection, far-sighted
subsidies and regulations. But with
this, and a lot of enthusiasm and hard
work, the tremendous possibilities the
film has to offer in this country can be
realized, and the great social responsi¬
bilities it has in all its varied forms
will be fulfilled.

A Crumbled Movie Empire

(Continued on Page 276)

Highest Bidder” with Madge Kennedy,
Lionel Atwill, Selder Sears, directed by
Wallace Worsley with Joe Sternberg
assisting and George Peters and Lester
Lang at the camera. Other directors
were Hugo Ballin, Paul Bern, Edwin
Hollywood, Allan Dwan and Larry
Trimble.

Then Doublier and I started for the
Solax Studio, bordering at the foot of the
George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee.
All that is left here are the film vaults,
the laboratory and the cement floors of
the studio stages, the property and
scenic house, the electric power house,
costume department. There was the in¬
cline through which the studio tech¬
nicians had taken the scenery. This
studio was once a very busy production
center. In 1919 Albert Cappellani di¬
rected, “Oh Boy” with June Caprice and
Creighton Hale. In this studio, we were
closer to Coytesville, so we ventured on
to the site of the old Champion Studio.
This studio was built and operated by
Mark Dittenfass about 1909. How well
I remember some of the tales of the old
west being made here.

Most of the cowboys were Eastern
trained, being paid $3.00 per day for
man and costume, and $5.00 per day for
horse and saddle, if one owned a horse.
Real and home made Indians were al¬
ways among the groups.

Champion was one of the well known
trade marks on films of that time. This
company was one of the first operating
in the Fort Lee area. Here too, Kessel
and Bauman made the Bison and Tri¬
angle, Keystone Comedies and Kay-Bee
also, got their start. Close by was the
Rambo Hotel, then known to all in Fort
Lee for its Western like saloon where
the cowboy hitched his hoss. While the
Rambo was always known as a hotel, it
has but four rooms. Many stars ate
their luncheons there. The exteriors for

“The Perils of Pauline” with Pearl
White were made in this vicinity. Gus
Becker who used to manage it for its
former owners, now owns the Rambo
Hotel and lives in the upper rooms.

It’s been fun remembering those old
days when Fort Lee was the center of
the movie industry. But when I had
finished my tour of the now deserted
place I felt sad, for I had just visited a
Crumbled Movie Empire.

B <& H Gets 31 Universal Films
for Filmosound Library
Release

Thirty-one new “Universal” features,
becoming available for approved non¬
theatrical locations during the rest of
1945, are described in detail in the Bell
& Howell Filmosound Library catalog
supplement No. 37, just off the press.
Release dates are specified for the vari¬
ous types of 16mm. use, including “shut-
in,” armed forces, and general.

The supplement lists also 55 major
and independents on which prior loca¬
tion approval is not required, plus three
new features in color, and 30 Westerns.

Through the Editor's Finder

(Contiiiiied from Page 270)

tainly three dimensional, it might have
been four dimensional. But, judging
from all the patent applications going
through on this subject, much time and
thought is now being given it.

“That completes our ten years, and
by the end of that time we are likely
to find the cinema one hundred per cent
ELECTRONIC.”

Interesting, indeed, are those remarks,
particularly that part in which Mr. West
suggests that distribution in the future
may be by cable or radio. There may be
some who will call his idea a fantasy,
but it is excellent food for thought.

Blurred Images

Blurred images are usually caused by
movement of the camera or subject dur¬
ing the exposure or by improper focus¬
ing. A dirty lens produces a hazy image
lacking contrast, especially in the bright
areas. The nature of the blurring will
usually indicate the cause.

American Cinematographer • August, 1945

279

every week !

Meet John S . ami Mary I.) . •»

John works at an electronics plant on Long
Island, and makes $85 a week. Almost 10% of it
'goes into War Bonds.

Mary has been driving rivets into bombers at
an airplane plant on the West Coast. She makes
$55 a week, and puts 1 4 % of it into War Bonds.
7 John and Mary are typical of more than 27
million Americans on the Payroll Savings Plan
who, every single month, put half a BILLION
dollars into War Bonds. That’s enough to buy
one of those huUdred-miliion-dollar battleships
every week, with enough money for an aircraft
carrier and three or four cruisers left over.

In addition, John and Mary and the other
people on the Payroll Plan have been among the
biggest buyers of extra Bonds in every War
Loan Drive.

They’ve financed a good share of our war effort,
all by themselves, and they’ve tucked away
billions of dollars in savings that are going to
come in mighty handy for both them and their
country later on.

When this war is won, and we start giving
credit where credit is due, don’t
forget John and Mary. After the BUY *
fighting men, they deserve a place
at the top. They’ve earned it. BUY *

You’ve backed the attack— now speed the victory! buy:

THE AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER

This is an official U. S. Treasury advertisement — prepared under auspices of
Treasury Department and War Advertising Council

'Michael Strogoff" Secured
by Filmosound Library

By direct arrangement with its pro¬
ducer, J. N. Ermolieff, the notable film
spectacle based on the Jules Verne novel
“Michael Strogoff” is being released for
the first time in 16mm. by the Bell &
Howell Filmosound Library. The pic¬
ture was released theatrically, by RKO,
under the title “The Soldier and the
Lady.” For non-theatrical use the or¬
iginal literary title will be resumed.

MOVIOLA

FILM EDITING EQUIPMENT

Used in Every Major Studio
llluitrated Literature on Request
Manufactured by

GENERAL SERVICE CORPORATION

Moviola Division

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New Standards List

A new list of all American Standards
and War Standards approved to date
has just been published by the American
Standards Association and is available
free of charge. Requests should be
mailed to American Standards Associa¬
tion, 70 East 45th St., New York City.

There are aproximately 800 standards
listed in the booklet, covering specifica¬
tions for materials, methods of tests,
dimensions, definitions of technical
terms, procedures, etc., in the electrical,
mechanical, building, transportation, tex¬
tile, and other fields. For ready refer¬
ence, the standards are listed alpha¬
betically as well as by engineering fields.
There is also a separate list of the War
Standards — jobs carried through since
Pearl Harbor at the specific request of
Army, Navy, or industrial groups.

Judges Named for
Amateur Film Contest

The executive board of International
Theatrical & Television Corporation has
announced the following eight members
of a board of eleven judges to select the
prize winning films in the International
Amateur Movie Contest. Six of these
judges are well known Hollywood per¬
sonalities.

This committee to date consists of
Louella Parsons, Hollywood columnist,
Jesse Lasky, producer, Veronica Lake,
Paramount Picture star, Hal Mohr, A.S.
C., Universal cameraman, Bill Meikle-
john, talent and casting director for
Paramount Pictures, Mitchell Leisen, di¬
rector, and Norris Harkness, Photo¬
graphic Editor of the New York Sun, and
Executive Secretary of the National
Photographic Dealers Association, and
Russell Potter, Director of Institute of
Arts and Sciences, Columbia University.
The eleventh judge will be George A.
Hirliman, President of I. T. & T. The re¬
mainder of the judging committee will be
appointed from the 16mm field.

This judging body will not only select
the first prize winning film which will
receive the $10,000 award, but will also
select the additional ten films which will
be commercially distributed, and for
which the winners will receive a royalty
percentage that will be comparable to
that given to professional producers
throughout the country.

Out of the hundreds of films that I. T.
& T. will receive, approximately one hun¬
dred of the best will be selected by the
executive board of that company, and it
will be this group that will be shown to
the judges in both New York City and
Hollywood. The final selections will be
made from this break-down in entries.

Fairchild's Future Plans

The Fairchild Camera & Instrument
Corp., New York, has received many in¬
quiries from the press, and from dealers
and users of photographic equipment
about its post-war production plans. C.
A. Harrison, Fairchild vice-president,
answered these inquiries with the follow¬
ing statement:

“The Fairchild corporation’s two plants
are still almost 100 per cent in war pro¬
duction of aircraft cameras, aviation in¬
struments, and electrical and electronic
equipment, but it appears now we may
have some advanced amateur cameras
for dealers’ stocks in about 15 months —
possibly in time for the Christmas 1946
trade. Design work on these amateur
cameras has been started.

“Present expectations are that we will
offer still cameras for advanced ama¬
teurs, and cameras for professional, in¬
dustrial, medical and special fields. We
are now delivering one model medical
camera (the 70-mm. fluoro-record) , have
another near production, and a third in
design. Production quantities and deliv¬
ery dates depend entirely on the length
of the war and the status of Fairchild’s
government contracts.”

280 August, 1945 • American Cinematographer

"Filmo Slide Master"

The New York Color Slide club, com¬
posed of several hundred camera enthus¬
iasts whose special interest is in color
photography, has purchased its second
“Filmo Slide Master,” still projector for
showing color or black and white 35mm.
slides. This was revealed coincidental
with the announcement by Bell and How¬
ell Company, pioneer Chicago producers
of high-precision motion picture equip¬
ment, that the “Filmo Slide Master”
will be offered in the company’s line of
post-war products. Made in limited
quantities before the company converted
almost entirely to war production, the
projector had been Bell and Howell’s
first entry in the still projector field.

The projector has 1,000-watt illumin¬
ation and a TV^-inch, F.4.8 lens, provid¬
ing sufficient brilliance to permit audi¬
torium projection of 2" x 2" slides for
viewing by the club’s entire membership
at one time. It will be used for instruc¬
tional and exhibition purposes. The club
conducts a varied program of lectures,
field trips and contests for its members.

Features of the Slide Master include
use of a “base-up” lamp which may be
changed while hot without the use of
gloves; use of 500-, 750- or 1,000-watt
lamp without modification; a motor-
driven cooling fan, the speed of which
is automatically regulated to provide
proper cooling for the lamp being used;
double heat filters in the condenser as¬
sembly, and, optional interchangeable
lenses, 3V2- or 5-inch F 4.5, or 7%-inch
F 4.8. The r a c k - a n d-pinion focusing
mechanism is operated by turning a
large knurled knob, and the lens may be
locked in focus.

The slide carrier is of die-cast metal
which cannot warp or bend. It shifts
horizontally to permit change of slides
while one slide is being projected. Spe¬
cial air passages provide free circulation
of cool air around the slide, forced by
the fan.

Self-locking tilt mechanisms, front and
back, provide upward or downward tilt
up to 12 degrees, either way, from level.
Two convenient switches, one releasing
current to the entire projector while the
other operates only the lamp, are pro¬
vided. The lamp cannot be turned on
unless the fan is running. There is no
light “spill.” Light escapes only through
the lens.

The Slide Master operates on 100- to
125-volt AC or DC. It accommodates
both glass and paper-mounted slides.
Housed in rigid, non-warping aluminum-
alloy die-castings, it is finished in light
brown wrinkle enamel, with chromium
trim and control knobs of walnut bake-
lite. The carrying case has compart¬
ments for the projector, lenses, slide
carrier and the ten-foot cord, with spe¬
cial, covered compartment for slides.

John Boyle, A.S.C., Shooting
Color in Nebraska

John Boyle, A. S. C., writes from
Omaha, Nebraska with two messages.
First to inform us that he is shooting
color film in Nebraska. Second to say:
“Congratulations on the last (July) issue
of the Cinematographer.” (We think
you’re good, too, John. — The Editor.)

Separate amplifier and speaker
provides portable P.A. facilities.

THEATER-TYPE PROJECTION

Miracle of the new DeVRY 16mm. sound-on-
film projector is that you get theater-type pro¬
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your films . . . built into DeVRY 16mm.
equipment by craftsmen who build 35mm.
projectors and sound systems for the world’s
finest theaters . . .

And when they’re available again, you’ll want
either a DeVRY 35mm. movie camera — the
camera that filmed Academy Award winning
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American Cinematographer • August, 1945

281

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35mm Double System Recording Equipment

Virgil Miller, A.S.C.,
in Great Britain

A letter from Virgil Miller, A.S.C.,
written aboard ship, indicates that he
will be one of the busiest cameramen ex¬
tant during the next few months. In
part he writes:

“Spent a month covering Nova Scotia
and Cape Breton Island — 3500 miles. I
know it well by now. Eight days from
Halifax to Liverpool. Arrive there to¬
morrow. Making six pictures in Britain.
One each in Wales, England, Ireland,
Scotland, one in Isles of Man, Wight,
Guernsey, etc., another in the Hebrides
off Scotland. May also go to Germany if
plans go through. Back to the States by
September first, if possible.

“Give my best to all the boys of the
A.S.C. I will look up some of the Cinema
Technicians while here. Will have to use
a “First” cameraman as well as crew —
a condition we had to meet in order to
operate. The “first” will have to be
taught to use Monopack.”

Miller is photographing Fitzpatrick
Traveltalks.

Film Contest Winners

The American Humane Association,
from national headquarters at Albany,
N. Y., has announced winners in its
first annual Motion Picture Contest for
Amateurs, for which $300 in cash prizes
were offered. The contest will be repeat¬
ed next year, President Sydney H. .Cole¬
man of The American Humane Associa¬
tion, discloses in The National Humane
Review, official publication of the Asso¬
ciation. The 1945 contest winners and
titles of their pictures are:

Mrs. Warner Seely, 2171 Middlefield
Road, Cleveland, O., “Pets,” first prize,
$100.

John Larson, 196 Clinton Avenue,
Brooklyn, N. Y., “Bettas,” second prize,
$75.

Walter Bergmann, 30 Alto Drive, Mt.
Vernon, N. Y., “A Day at the Zoo,” third
prize, $50.

Helen Bornmann, 5888 Henry Avenue,
Philadelphia, “My Dog,” fourth prize,
$40.

George Ward, 91-61 193rd Street,

Hollis, L. I., N. Y., “The Last Review,”
fifth prize, $25.

Eugene H. Coon, 105 Fairway, Hemp¬
stead, N. Y., “Beckoning Trails and Sky-
blue Waters,” sixth prize, $10.

The judges were Dr. Grace Fisher
Ramsey, Curator of School Relations,
American Museum of Natural History,
New York, chairman; John TeeVan, New
York Zoological Park; Arthur Edwin
Krows, author of “Motion Pictures Not
for Theatres,” New York City, and Leo
J. Heffernan, president, Metropolitan
Motion Picture Club, New York.

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Antihalation base or backing is designed
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282 August, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Aces of the Camera

(ContinueJ from Page 259)

helped with the gags, and the main idea
was to get a big laugh and complete the
picture as soon as possible. We didn’t
give any thought to big production val¬
ues.” /

There were “doubles” and stunt men
in the old days, as now, but Archie says
many of the stars refused to let others
take risks for them.

“Mabel Normand,” says Archie, “took
all of her slapstick falls straight and
without benefit of proxy, and Charlie
Chaplin himself drove a Model T through
a bridge into a river below, all for the
sake of art.”

Archie was born in Iowa. Early in life
wanderlust got into his blood. He went
into the hotel business, and his journeys
took him to Honolulu and Japan. In
1909 he returned to America as execu¬
tive secretary to the commission in
charge of the Hawaiian exhibit at the
American Yukon Expedition. He then
went to Los Angeles for a fling at the
real estate business, and from there
went into the forest service, from which
he graduated to the profession of pho¬
tography.

It was Archie’s work with an Akeley
camera and a telephoto lens that took
him out of the field of slapstick comedy.
For a long time he wanted to shoot
drama, but found that he was “typed”
as a comedy cameraman. Archie decided
to do something about it, so purchased
what he claims was the first Akeley
camera in Los Angeles. He bought a
complete set of lenses, including a 17-
inch telephot lens. Then he started ex¬
perimenting with it. For some time no
one would give him a chance to show
what he could do with his Akeley. Then,
in 1923, Bert Glennon, who was camera¬
man for DeMille, decided to give him a
chance. Glennon told Archie to go ahead
and shoot whatever he wanted so long
as he didn’t get his Akeley in front of
the regular production cameras.

“I had only been shooting a couple cf
days,” relates Archie, “when an unusual
thing happened. One night DeMille was
looking at the rushes in the projection
room with his production crew. Sudden¬
ly one of my Akeley shots with a tele¬
photo lens came on the screen. It was'
so fuzzy you could hardly figure out
what it was. It sure was out of focus.
The voice of DeMille boomed out with,
■“Who made that shot?’

“Without hesitation, I said, ‘I did.
But it came out that way because my
camera was out of focus.’

“DeMille laughed uproariously and
exclaimed, ‘That’s the first time I ever
heard a cameraman admit he was re¬
sponsible for a bad shot.’ ”

A few minutes later another of
Archie’s closeups flashed on the screen.
It was beautiful, and as near a perfect
shot as one could ever get.

“Who shot that?” asked DeMille.

“I did,” said Archie.

“I want to talk to you after the
rushes are over,” said DeMille.

DeMille made Archie a “free agent”
cameraman on “The Ten Command¬
ments.” Told him to shoot how and what
he wished. Archie made a tremendous
number of unusual shots, and the upshot
was he was handed a five-year contract
with Famous Players-Lasky, and he said
goodbye to the film funnies.

“I feel very happy over the work I
did in those days with that Akeley cam¬
era,” says Archie. “For several years I
shot special scenes on every picture made
by Famous Players-Lasky. I actually
believe that my work with that Akeley
was the father of all dolly shots, for
until I made follow shots with that
camera, our cameras never moved. With
the introduction of camera movement,
cameramen had the opportunity of im¬
proving their art. Mobility of the camera
has done much for cinematography.”

Archie achieved his ambition of being
director of photography on a dramatic
picture when he photographed “Man
Slaughter.” This was Claudette Colbert’s
first picture. Since then he has photo¬
graphed many impressive productions.

Stout has had some thrilling experi¬
ences in his work. He was shooting a
picture for Director Victor Fleming down
in Texas. One day while peering through
his Akeley he- suddenly heard Fleming
say, “Don’t move you feet, Archie. Don’t
move you feet.” Suddenly he felt some¬
thing drag across his foot. Then he
heard a snap and looked around. A
rattlesnake had crawled between Archie’s
feet, and Fleming had reached down and
grabbed it by the tail and snapped its
head off.

Fleming also almost shot one of
Archie’s fingers off with a pistol. He
was a good shot and was doing some
trick shooting. Archie held a lighted
cigarette out for him to hit. Vic missed
the cigarette and the bullet split one of
Archie’s fingers.

His most exciting experience took place
in 1922 when he was “shot down” while
making pictures of San Quentin Prison
from the air. Permission was supposed
to have been obtained, but one of the
prison guards apparently had not been
informed, for he let drive at the plane
with a rifle. The pilot crash-landed the
plane on the tide flats of Mill Valley. The
plane was wrecked. The pilot broke
his leg, but Archie wasn’t hurt.

Among Stout’s most recent pictures
are “I Happened Tomorrow,” “Tarzan
and the Amazons,” “Summer Storm,”
“Dark Waters” and “Captain Kidd.”

A cloud of sadness hangs over the
Stout home where he and his charming
wife live quietly, because his only son,
Junius, a Naval aerial photographer,
was killed over the island of Jersey in
the English Channel in the present war.
It was a sad blow to Archie, and his
many friends share his sorrow.

But, typical of the man, he says noth¬
ing about it to his friends, and plunges
into his work with the same enthusiasm
he had when he started his first picture.
Archie is an Ace in more ways than one.

a u r i c o n

ALTO -PAR ALLANS VIEW-RANGE

(Camera FINDER

A precision optical instrument,
the Auricon EIF-20 Camera Find¬
er combines range finder and view
finder; shows a large upright pic¬
ture, needle sharp and correct
right to left. Parallax is automati¬
cally adjusted while focusing, at all
distances from four feet to infinity.

Adaptable to any 35mm or 16mm
camera . . . uses inserted mattes to
cover lens fields from wide angle
to telephoto. Write today for full
information.

We design and manufacture motion
picture equipment to special or¬
der, for essential purposes. Vour
inquiries are invited.

Auricon division

E. M. BERNDT CORP.

5515 SUNSET • HOLLYWOOD 28, CAL.

MANUFACTURERS OF SOUND-ON-FILM
RECORDING EQUIPMENT SINCE 1931

American Cinematographer • August, 1945 283

Utters,

In LOorld-OOuIg Us*

GRADUATED FILTERS - lor
Moonlight and Night Effects in
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WRITE FOR FOLDER TWinoaks 2102

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ORIGINATOR OF EFFECT FILTERS
1927 WEST 78™ ST. LOS ANGELES. CAL

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— HIGH PRECISION —

PHOTO-LENSES

Industrial Films Announces Expansion Under New Name

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FOR ALL BRANCHES OF PHOTOGRAPHY
AN AMERICAN PRODUCT SINCE

w.

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e are set for post-war production,
announce the coming debut into the photo¬
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GOERZ AMERICAN

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speeds f:1.8 and f:2.3

standard focal lengths for 16 and 35 mm.
movie cameras. For definition, quality and
finest detail in black-and-white and color
movies.

This is one of our new American creations of
high standard.

Now reserved, exclusively for our Armed Forces.
Prices and literature for the civilian market
not yet available.

The c. p. GOERZ AMERICAN

★ OPTICAL COMPANY

A Office and Factory

★ 317 EAST 34 ST., NEW YORK 16, N. Y.

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Industrial Films celebrated its second
anniversary as a production organiza¬
tion with an announcement of a change
of name and an enlargement of staff
and facilities. The group, which was or¬
ganized in 1943 with Stephen Bosustow,
Dave Hilberman and Zachary Schwartz,
all former Disney men, as co-partners,
has just taken over the entire top floor
of the Olesen Lighting Building, 1558
No. Vine St., Hollywood, and is now
functioning under the new name of
United Film Productions.

Under the new set-up, Bosustow takes
over as General Manager. Hilberman is
now with the Armed Forces in the Long
Island Photographic School and his in¬
terests in the new firm are being repre¬
sented by his wife, Libbie Hilberman,
who is in charge of bookkeeping.
Schwartz retains the supervision of all
art work. Robert Cannon, formerly with
Warner Bros., has been signed as head
of Animation; Ade Woolery, also former
Disney man, is new Production Man¬
ager; Mary Cain is supervising the Ink
and Paint Department. Ed Gershman,
formerly with Disney’s is Comptroller
for the new firm and Ben Lowell is in
charge of Sales and Promotion.

The Industrial firm was organized
originally to turn out the animated color
cartoon for the Roosevelt campaign

called “Hell Bent for Election.” This was
shown non-theatrically to approximate¬
ly ten million people. Thereafter, the
firm continued to turn out pictures for
the Army, the Navy, the OWI and for
various industrial firms.

With the new set-up and under the
new name, the firm is working on ani¬
mation films for both the theatrical and
non-theatrical fields and on live-action
films for the non-theatrical field. At
present, they are engaged in turning out
a 1000 foot animated cartoon in color on
“Races of Mankind,” and on a series of
films on “Flight Safety” which are be¬
ing produced for the Navy. United has
also just completed their first release for
theatrical distribution— a cartoon based
on the letters in the book “Dear Sir” by
Juliet Lowell. The firm has secured the
rights to the material in the book which
has been on the best seller lists for the
last six months, and to other material by
the same author. United plans to issue
this material in a monthly release. They
have also just completed their first live-
action industrial film for Higgins Radio,
in color.

Among plans for the future, United is
now considering a story treatment based
on an American classic to be made into
a full-length animated cartoon.

G-E Voltage Stabilizer Aids Color Printing at Ansco

Maintenance of constant color tem¬
perature during printing operations is
substantially aided by use of a General
Electric voltage stabilizer at Ansco’s San
Francisco Laboratories, and is regarded
by photographic experts there as the
most efficient means for eliminating one
of the most disturbing variables in the
processing of color transparencies and
color prints.

The stabilizer — a compact, automatic
device — is conveniently and readily in¬
stalled closely adjacent to the load. By
simply plugging it into any 115-volt out¬
let, a constant power supply is made
available for powering the filament of
the photo-enlarger lamp, regardless of
line voltage fluctuations up to ±15 per
cent.

Technicians at the Ansco laboratories
point out that constant voltage must be
maintained for accurate printing of color
values, and that the color content of the
lamp used in exposing and printing will

vary with changes in voltage. Use of the
voltage stabilizer to help provide illumi¬
nation of unvarying brightness was in¬
troduced as a part of their research to
simplify color printing to the point
where it can be done by photographers
in their own dark rooms. Ansco has
postwar plans for general distribution of
two new color products whereby color
prints can be made (1) by a single ex¬
posure using a color transparency in
positive form, or (2) through a nega¬
tive in complimentary color.

CAMERA SUPPLY COMPANY

ART REEVES

1515 North Cahuanga Boulevard

HOLLYWOOD Cable Addrei.— Camera* CALIFORNIA

Efficient-Courteous Service New and Used Equipmnt

Bought — Sold — Rented

Everything Photographic Professional and Amateur

An unusually fine variety of basic photo chemicals always in stock.

Second Chicago International
Color Slide Salon Announced

Announcement has been made by the
Chicago Color Camera Club that the
Second Chicago International Color Slide
Salon will be held next October at the
Chicago Historical Society, Chicago, Ill.

The Salon is sponsored by the Chicago
Color Camera Club, and slides will be ex¬
hibited through the facilities and co¬
operation of the Chicago Historical So¬
ciety. The Salon last year has been pro¬
claimed the leading color slide salon of
the season. It attracted top-notch color
slide photographers from not only every
state in the Union, but Canada, Mexico
and Italy. All accepted slides will be
awarded stickers, with medals and rib¬
bons being awarded to the best.

Slides will be displayed Tuesday,
October 9, Thursday, October 11, and
Friday, October 12. Entries close on
September 22, 1945. For entry forms
write to William Head Gray, Salon
Chairman, 7217 Division Street, River
Forest, Illinois.

284 August, 1945 • American Cinematographer

BUY MORE

WAR BONDS

FOR SALE

Bell and Howell

FILMO

MODEL 70 A

With I inch F3.5 lens and carrying case.
Good as new.

Price: OPA ceiling.

For information ivrite

Box 1022, American Cinematographer

RUBY CAMERA EXCHANGE

Rents . . . Sells . . . Exchanges

Everything You Need for the

PRODUCTION & PROJECTION

of Motion Pictures Provided
by a Veteran Organization
of Specialists

35 mm

1 6 mm.

IN BUSINESS SINCE 1910

729 Seventh Ave., New York City
Cable Address: RUBYCAM

TELEFILM

[incorporated

Direct 16 MM

SOUND

USED BY:

► Douglas Aircraft

► General Elec. (Welding Series)

► Boeing Aircraft

► North American Aviation

► U.S. Dept, of Interior

► U.S. Dept, of Agriculture

► Santa Fe Railroad

► Washington State Apple

Commission

► Standard Oil of Calif.

► Salvation Army

and Many Others

« J

A BETTER JOB FASTER-

MORE ECONOMICAL !

TELEFILM

INCORPORATED

4039 Hollywood llvd., HOLLYWOOD, CALIF.

Gladstone 5748

FATAL WOUND to this Ansco Memo camera
saved the life of Sgt. Louis B. Meyer of Detroit,
Mich. A medical corpsman. Sergeant Meyer was
evacuating wounded in Germany when a piece of
Nazi shrapnel lodged in the camera, which he
carried in the left breast pocket of his shirt.
In a letter to Ansco, Binghamton, N. Y., photo¬
graphic materials manufacturing concern, he said,
“I am positive the camera saved my life and per¬
mitted me to carry on my duties of evacuating
the casualties.” Shown with the camera is the film
cartridge also pierced by the steel fragment.

N. Y. Camera Club

June P.S.A. Winner

Results of the June contest in the
Continental Print Competition of the
Photographic Society of America place
leading camera clubs in both sections
within a few points of top position.

The Camera Club, of New York, N.Y.,
won the June contest in the “A” group
with 61 points. California Camera Club,
of San Francisco, Calif., was second
with 60 points. Cleveland Photographic
Society, of Cleveland, Ohio, was third
with 56 points, and St. Louis Camera
Club, of St. Louis, Mo., and Queen City
Pictorialists, of Cincinnati, Ohio, were
tied for fourth with 54 points each.

High score in the “B” group, also 60
points, was won by the Photographic
Society of San Francisco. Winnetka
Camera Association, of Winnetka, Ill.,
was second with 52 points. Germantown
Photographic Society, of Philadelphia,
Pa., was third with 50, and Missouri
Pacific Camera Club, of St. Louis, Mo.,
was fourth with 48.

"So Ends Our Night"
to Pictorial Films

Mr. Milton J. Salzburg, President of
Pictorial Films, Inc., of 1270 Sixth Ave¬
nue, New York City, announces the ac¬
quisition of the 16mm. sound film world
distribution rights for “So Ends Our
Night,” an excellent adaptation of the
famous Collier serial “Flotsam” by
Erich Maria Remarque.

Graininess

Graininess refers to that mottled ap¬
pearance which is characteristic of every
negative under sufficiently high magni¬
fication. It is caused by apparent clump¬
ing of the silver grains, rather than by
the individual grains themselves which
are visible only under high magnifica¬
tion.

/ want to buy your

• Contax

• Leica

• Graphic or

• Miniature

• Camera

Send It in . . . merchandise returned
postpaid if not entirely satisfied.

Camera Co.

179 W. MADISON ST
CHICAGO 2, ILL

8 Enl^ed 16 R<,TOed 8

Geo. W. Colburn Laboratory

Special Motion Picture Printing
995 MERCHANDISE MART
CHICAGO

BUY

WAR

BONDS

th/s"EYE"sees into

THE FUTURE

B&H Taylor-Hobson-Cooke
Cine Lenses do more than meet
current technical demands. They
exceed them — and their design
anticipatesfuture improvements in
film emulsions. They are THE
long-term investment lenses.
Write for literature.

BELL & HOWELL COMPANY

Exclusive world distributors

1849 Larchmont Avenue, Chicago
New York: 30 Rockefeller Plaza
Hollywood: 716 N. LaBrea Ave.
Washington, D. C.: 1221 G St., N. W.
London: 13-14 Great Castle St.

American Cinematographer • August, 1945

285

A Fascinating
Realistic Story
Of The South Seas

The Author of "BROWN BAR¬
RIERS" spent many years in the
South Seas; long enough to know
the natives and the islands inti¬
mately. He selected the inspiring
island of Bora Bora, one of the So¬
ciety Group, for the background
of this intensely interesting and
authentic travel novel.

It was here in I 856 that a small
boatload of men and a lone wom¬
an, survivors from the wrecked
clipper ship Norbert K., worked
their way through the opening in
the foaming reef to what destiny
held in store for them — Love,
laughter, hate and romance told in
gripping dramatic style.

A FINE GIFT
ANY TIME

Author's limited autographed First
Edition.

Stiff covers bound in rich brown
cloth embossed in gold.

341 pages, 8>/2 x 5y2-
Illustrated with 71 pen drawings by
author.

Complete glossary.

Privately published. Supply limited.
Price $3.50 Prepaid.

GLENN ROBERT KERSHNER

4245 BALDWIN AVE., CULVER CITY, CALIF.

FOR SALE

WE BUY, SELL AND RENT PROFESSIONAL
AND 16mm EQUIPMENT, NEW AND USED.
WE ARE DISTRIBUTORS FOR ALL LEAD
ING MANUFACTURERS. RUBY CAMERA
EXCHANGE, 729 Seventh Ave., New York City.
Established since 1910.

COMPLETE 16MM. STUDIO EQUIPMENT,
BERNDT-MAURER MODEL D RECORDER,
2—400 FOOT MAGAZINES, 2 VICTOR FILM
PHONOGRAPHS WITH SYNC MOTORS;
BELL & HOWELL 16MM. LARGE SOUND
PROJECTOR; 17 FT. MICROPHONE BOOM;
DOLLY ; DOUBLE CONSOLE TURNTABLE
FOR SOUND EFFECTS; 2000 WATT LIGHTS;
SELL AS A COMPLETE UNIT OR IN PART;
2 BARNEY BLIMPS FOR MITCHELL OR
BELL & HOWELL CAMERAS ; NEW LATEST
MODEL PRESTO DISC RECORDER, 78 AND
33 1/3RPM — AURICON RECORDER WITH
POWER PACK, MICROPHONE BOOM, EX¬
TRAS. COMPLETE DOUBLE SYSTEM RE¬
CORDING UNIT: BOLEX CAMERA 16MM.
200 FOOT MAGAZINE, SYNC MOTOR, CAM-
ART TRIPOD AURICON 200 FOOT RECORD¬
ER, AMPLIFIER, READY TO GO. VINTEN
GYRO TRIPOD ; 400 FOOT ROLLS HI-

RESOLVING RECORDING STOCK 16MM.
CINEMATOGRAPHERS HAND BOOK, $4.00;
NEW CRAIG PROFESSIONAL TRIPODS—
GEAR TRIPODS. 500, 1000, 2000 WATT SPOT¬
LIGHTS, FRESNEL LENSES, REWINDS, 16—
35MM. GRISWOLD NEW & USED SPLICERS.
AKELEY CAMERA COMPLETELY EQUIP¬
PED, ALL LENSES FROM 35MM. to 17",
DE BRIE MODEL L, NEUM ANN-SINCLAIR,
EYEMOS AND DEVRY CAMERAS; BELL &
HOWELL STEP PRINTER ; BELL &
HOWELL 70DA, 3 LENSES ; 70D, 2 LENSES,
CASES. BELL & HOWELL 16MM. SUPER
SPEED CAMERA, COOKE FI. 8 LENS. 128
FRAMES PER SECOND. WRITE FOR CIR¬
CULAR ON CAMART TRIPOD FOR CINE
SPECIAL AND SPRING DRIVEN CAMERAS.
BUY— SELL- TRADE.

CAMERA MART, DEPT AC
70 WEST 45TH STREET, NEW YORK

BACKGROUND PROJECTION OUTFIT WORTH
$10,000.00, now $4,990.00; latest RCA Photo¬
phone dry galvanometer vibrators, $375.00 ;
RCA ribbon microphones, $54.50 ; complete Re¬
cording Truck for studio or location, $7,975.00 ;
Recording Amplifier with condenser microphone,
$125.00 ; Newman-Sinclair 35mm camera, lenses,
magazines, tripod, motor, cases, accessories,
$1250.00 ; Continuous Contact 16mm. Printers,
Picture, Track or Both, $1,375.00. Send for
Summer Catalog. S. O. S. CINEMA SUPPLY
CORPORATION, NEW YORK 18.

FOR SALE— WESTERN ELECTRIC-AKELEY
Single System Camera, 12-volt motor, two 1000-
ft. B&H magazines, 40mm., 50mm. 75mm. Astro
F.2.3 lenses with matched finder lenses ; friction
head tripod ; new variable intensity galvanome¬
ter, portable amplifier, vibrator B supply. Cables,
Cases and RCA microphone. Blue Seal Sound
Devices, 7 Gracie Square, New York City.

EYEMO 71Q WITH STANDARD 50MM LENS
AND 24MM F2 SPEED PANCHRO LENS,
TURRET FINDER, CARRYING CASE, ALL
LIKE NEW. RUBY CAMERA EXCHANGE,
729 — 7th Ave., New York 19, N. Y.

1 145B STUDIO RACK AMPLIFIER CONSIST¬

ING OF:

1 — 160A Serial 101 — Preamplifier — 4 position
1 — 142A Serial M2 — Terminal Strip
1 — 141A Serial 102 — Variable Equalizer,

1 — 144B Serial 102 — Main Gain Amplifier
1 — 140B Serial 102 — AGN Amplifier

1 — 156A Serial 101 — Reproducing Amplifier

2 — 157A Serial 101 & 102 — Power Supply

1 — 137B Serial 102 — Four Position Mixer with
Weston Studio DB & Milliamp meters. Has
main gain control plus 4 separate input
controls each with high, low and middle
frequency attenuation and cut-off controls.

2 — 7 inch blank panels

1 — 143A Serial 102 Jack Strip (48 positions)

1 — Low pass filter — cut off at 7,500 — 6,000 —
4,500 cycles
136A— Serial 102

1 — Standard Model D Recorder — Serial G'141.

Optical System Serial 136 — negative recorder.
1— Standard Model D Recorder — Serial RD 119.

Optical System Serial G'171 — positive recorder
1 — A. C. Power Unit — 115V — 48-62 cycles
Model 120A — Serial 121
1- AGN Amp — 115V — 48-62 cycles
Model 130A — Serial 107
1 — Recording Amplifier
Model 120B — Serial 138
1 — Mixer — type 150C — Serial 102 — 4 position.

CORONET PRODUCTIONS, Palmolive Bldg.
Chicago 11, Illinois

MISCELLANEOUS

HOME MOVIE FANS, JOIN MOTION PICTURE
Educational Society. Free valuable information.
Box 875, Reading, Pa.

WANTED

WANTED TO BUY FOR CASH

CAMERAS AND ACCESSORIES

MITCHELL B&H EYEMO DEBRIE AKELEY

ALSO LABORATORY AND CUTTING ROOM

EQUIPMENT

CAMERA EQUIPMENT COMPANY
1600 BROADWAY, NEW YORK CITY 19
CABLE: CINEQUIP

WE PAY CASH FOR EVERYTHING PHOTO¬
GRAPHIC. Write us today. Hollywood Camera
Exchange. 1600 Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood.

16MM PROJECTOR, ANY TYPE SOUND OR
silent, private party. Sam’s Electric Shop,
35 Monroe Street, Passaic, New Jersey.

SOUND PROJECTORS, CAMERAS, TRIPODS.
STUDIO, LABORATORY OR RECORDING
EQUIPMENT. HIGHEST PRICES PAID.
S. O. S. CINEMA SUPPLY CORPORATION.
NEW YORK 18.

16MM CONTINUOUS CONTACT PRINTER —
Bell & Howell preferred or 35mm Bell & Howell
printer. Please state model, condition and price
when writing Hollywood Colorfilm Corp., 230
West Olive Ave., Burbank, California.

286 August, 1945 • American Cinematographer

OFFICIAL U. S

Movies ore “good medicine”...

Movies, in generous doses repeated frequently, are
valuable therapy. . .speed many a wounded man
through convalescence to recovery by taking his mind
off his understandable worries . . .

In hospitals abroad, and here at home, movies are
shown as often as possible . . . are flashed on ceilings to
entertain bed patients . . . are presented in lounges for
“ambulatory” cases. Literally, movies are “just what
the doctor ordered” — another noteworthy contribution
of the motion picture industry.

Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester 4, N. Y.

J. E. BRULATOUR, INC., Distributors
FORT LEE CHICAGO HOLLYWOOD

°ne of a series of
advertisements by
KODAK testifying to

the achievements of
the movies at war

Lhe first and only 16mm. maga¬
zine-loading movie camera with a
turret head . . . that’s the Bell &
Howell Auto Master.

Just a turn of the three-lens turret
means getting any scene right and
jast . . . viewfinder is automatically
matched to the lens in use.

Likewise, Auto Master and single¬
lens Auto Load embody the famous,
original Filmo Firsts: ( a ) constant-
speed spring drive, permitting hand
holding — shooting without a tripod;
(h) eye-level viewfinder for sighting
from the natural viewpoint.

Loading is easy and speedy be¬
cause 16mm. film magazines are used
. . . you can change from black-and-
white to color film even in mid-reel
without fogging a single frame. The
starting button can be locked to keep
camera running while operator steps
into the scene.

So be sure to include Filmo Auto
Master or Auto Load on your list of
photographic needs, and see your
authorized Bell & Howell dealer to¬
day to determine your need for any
additional B&H equipment when it
becomes available.

You Also Get These Features with Filmo
Auto Master and Auto Load

• Single-frame exposure control for animation work.

• Positive viewfinder which eliminates eye parallax, common cause of "ampu¬
tated” and poorly composed pictures.

• Fully protected viewfinder, safe inside the camera.

ANYONE NOW ELIGIBLE TO BUY THE
NEW, Improved FILMOSOUND 179

Buy and Hold Mora and Mora War Bonds I

Now anyone can purchase a Filmosound
179 without priority rating. Of course,
rated orders will continue to receive first
consideration according to government
regulations. But don’t let this delay your
unrated order. Send it immediately. Such
orders will be filled as equipment be¬
comes available, and will be placed in line
for shipment at the earliest possible time.
Bell & Howell Company, Chicago; New
York; Hollywood; Washington, D. C.;
London. Established 1907.

Complete built-in exposure guide covering any combination of outdoor
photographic conditions, film speed, and filter factor.

OPTI-ONICS — products combining the sciences of OPTIcs • electrONics • mechanics

r - 1

I BELL & HOWELL COMPANY *

J 7 148 McCormick Road, Chicago 45 |

• Please send without obligation, information on: J

I ( ) Filmo Movie Cameras; ( ) Auto Master; ( ) Auto g

j Load; () New, Improved Filmosound 179. I

I
I

Name . |

I I

Address . I

I

I I

J City . State . |

AC-3-45 |

(iVo. 10 of a series on the manufacture of DuPont Motion Picture Film)

Start of coating — first few feet of base pick up no emulsion in “V” area.

Where base meets emulsion...

This shows where transparent
film base — which has been sea¬
soned in air-conditioned vaults — re¬
ceives its coating of light-sensitive
emulsion.

Here the film base “kisses” the
surface of liquid emulsion and moves
upward with its newly acquired coat¬
ing to the chill box above.

With the emulsion “set” by the
low temperature of the chill box, the
film moves forward through totally
dark, air-conditioned drying cham¬
bers to a final inspection and
wind-up many hundreds of feet
away.

Speed of coating, viscosity of the
emulsion, and temperatures are care¬
fully controlled throughout, for they
govern the thickness and photo¬

graphic qualities of the emulsion.

This is still another example of the
careful manufacturing procedures
that produce Du Pont Motion Pic¬
ture Film. It explains why leading
cinematographers approve this film.
They appreciate its fine grain . . .
retention of the latent image . . .
extreme wide latitude . . . color bal¬

ance . . . speed, contrast and excel¬
lent flesh tones.

• • •

E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.
(Inc.), Photo Products Department,
Wilmington 98, Delaware.

In New York: Empire State Bldg.
In Hollywood: Smith & Aller, Ltd.

Invest in total p^ace . . . buy War Bonds

DU PONT

MOTION PICTURE FILM

BETTER THINGS FOR BETTER LIVING
...THROUGH CHEMISTRY

*««. U.i. PAT. Off

290 September, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Len H. Roos, A. S. C, F. R. P. S., staff war correspondent for Patbe News, shows his veteran Eyemo to jellow newsmen and South Pacific island natives.

happens jast out there . . . and a news¬
reel man does his stuff the same way . . .
or not at all! You don’t stop to figure angles and light¬
ing effects ... a battle is fought once . . . and no retakes
if you miss!

Newsreel cameramen can’t miss. That’s why they
choose Eyemo Cameras . . . versatile, rugged, practical
Eyemo Cameras . . . that get the picture rain or shine . . .
war or peace ... in New Guinea or New Hampshire!

A PROMISE TO EVERYONE WHO’S WAITING
TO BUY POSTWAR FILM EQUIPMENT

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American Cinematographer • September, 1945

291

VOL. 26

SEPTEMBER. 1945

NO. 9

CONTENTS

Review of the Film News . "... 294

The Production of Scientific Films for Biological and

Medical Purposes . By J. Yule Bogue, Ph.D., M.R.C.V.S. 295

Shooting Production Under Fire . By Sgt. Herb A. Lightman 296

Cradle of American Cinema . By Irving Browning 298

Cine-Chronized Sound on Wire

for Amateurs . By Lisle Conway, S.M.M.A. 300

Through the Editor’s Finder . 302

Sound and the Amateur . By Don W. Loomer 304

Among the Movie Clubs . 308

Making the Most of the Film Situation . By James R. Oswald 310

THE FRONT COVER is an informal shot showing Director of Photogra¬
phy, Joseph Valentine, A.S.C., preparing to film a scene for “Tomorrow Is
Forever,” starring Claudette Colbert (in center), Orson Welles and George
Brent. Irving Pichel is the director. The film is by International Pictures.

OFFICERS AND BOARD OF GOVERNORS
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

Leonard Smith, President Fred Jackman. Exec. V.-Pres. and Treas.

Charles Clarke, First Vice-President loseph Walker, Second Vice-President

Arthur Edeson. Third Vice-President Ray Rennahan, Secretary

George Folsey. Sergeant-at-Arms

John Arnold Byron Haskin John Seitz

John Boyle Sol Polito Leon Shamroy

Lee Garmes William Skall

The Staff

EDITOR
Hal Hall

•

TECHNICAL EDITOR
Emery Huse, A.S.C.

•

ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Edward Pyle, Jr.

•

MILITARY ADVISOR
Col. Nathan Levinson

•

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Mel Traxel

•

ARTIST

Glenn R. Kershner, A.S.C.

•

CIRCULATION AND ADVERTISING
Marguerite Duerr

•

ADVISORY EDITORIAL BOARD
Fred W. Jackman, A. S. C.

Victor Milner, A. S. C.

Alvin Wyckoff. A.S.C.

Farciot Edouart, A. S. C.

Fred Gage, A. S. C.

Dr. J. S. Watson, A. S. C.

Dr. L. A. Jones, A. S. C.

Dr. C. E. K. Mees, A. S. C.

Dr. W. B. Rayton, A. S. C.

Dr. V. B. Sease, A. S. C.

•

AUSTRALIAN REPRESENTATIVE
McGill's, 173 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne.
Australian and New Zealand Agents

•

Published monthly by A. S. C. Agency, Ine.
Editorial and business offices:

1782 North Orange Drive
Hollywood (Los Angeles, 28), California
Telephone: GRanite 2135
•

Established 1920. Advertising rates on appli¬
cation. Subscriptions: United States and Pan-
American Union, $2.50 per year; Canada, $2.75
per year ; Foreign. $3.50. Single copies, 26e ;
back numbers, 30c ; foreign, single copies S6e.
back numbers 40c. Copyright 1945 by A. S. C-
Agency, Inc.

•

Entered as second-class matter Nov. 18, 1937.
at the postoffice at Los Angeles, California, under
the act of March 3, 1879.

292 September, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Any Luck?

THE element of “luck” helps to
make fishing interesting.

Not so with movie-making!

For the pleasure and satisfaction you
get from your motion-pictures depends
on how well you can eliminate the
factor of luck!

One good way to do just that is to
standardize on dependable, time-proven
Ansco Hypan Film.

Hypan is fast enough for all but the
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gradation capture the life and sparkle
of the subject in pictures you’ll be proud
to show again and again!

Ansco Hypan Reversible Film is made
for both 8 and 16mm cameras — 100 and
50-foot rolls for 16mm, and 25-foot,
double-width rolls for 8mm. If your
dealer can’t supply you immediately,
please remember that war orders must
be filled first. Ansco, Binghamton,
New York. A Division of General
Aniline & Film Corporation.

Ask for

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8 and 16mm

HYPAN FILM

American Cinematographer • September, 1945 293

REVIEW OF THE FILM NEWS

^^VA^^^AA^^^^^AA^^^^^^VA^^^^^^^^^^W»V^^^VA^A^^V^AV/VV^^WA^VAWA^V^^VslVAVVW

BIGGEST news of the past month,
naturally, was the ending of the
war with Japan — although the in¬
troduction of the atom bomb may in time
to come prove to have been the biggest
news, not only of the past month but
perhaps of all time. Look for cycle of
films shortly dealing with the atom.

Influence of Television

Indication that motion picture execu¬
tives are already beginning to think of
the possibilities of television comes wich
the report that Director George Sidney,
in the selection of players for “Holiday
in Mexico,” is looking for players suit¬
able for both regular film projection and
television. It is pointed out that players
with nervous habits and inclinations to¬
ward the exaggeration of facial expres¬
sions will have to be especially shunned.
While films already demand greater re¬
pression than was ever typical of the
stage, television will require this quality
to an even greater degree.

Picture for Italy

It is reported that 20th Century-Fox
will set up a distributing outlet in Italy
for all major studios wishing to handle
product through pooling arrangements.
Deal is said to have received the okay of
the Psychological Warfare Branch, and
the arrangement is slated to go into
effect this month. Five companies are
reported thus far in the pool, but they
will maintain their own respective selling
staffs.

Wage Control Lifted

Of significant importance to everyone
in the film industry was the announce¬
ment by the Treasury Department of the
lifting of control over wages and salaries.
Now salary increases can be given, and
technical and other workers in motion
pictures can negotiate the salary prob¬
lems without having to submit them to
the Wage Stabilization division for ap¬
proval. Lifting salary controls will be a
boon to the free-lance cinematographers.

16mm Films for Europe

Interesting is the news from Europe
that America’s major film companies
are being forced to distribute 16mm
films in order to service the thousands
of small theatres equipped with 16mm
projectors installed by the Nazis during
their occupation. Decision to distribute

major films on 16mm stock was reached
after a survey in France revealed that
more than 5,000 theatres and screening
places in that country alone were
equipped only with 16mm projectors. A
large number of these theatres are in
rural districts, but in some regions all
the theatres in entire cities have only
the 16mm projectors. Many of these
were put in by the Germans to replace
wornout or destroyed 35mm equipment.
But in hundreds of places the Germans
established 16mm theatres in order to
get their propaganda before the people.
Use of 16mm equipment in theatres in
Europe was practically unheard of be¬
fore the war. ... It is possible that
16mm projection in European theatres
might lead to changes over here in the
future, especially since there undoubtedly
will be a large increase in educational
films here, made on 16mm.

Taxes

While wages and salaries will prob¬
ably go up, there is no definite indica¬
tion that taxes will go down in the near
future, despite rumors and wishful-
thinking stories that come out of Wash¬
ington. This applies both to individual
income taxes and theatre admission
taxes. Those in the know at Washington
say theatre admission taxes definitely
won’t drop before sometime in 1946.
While some Congressman, always think¬
ing in terms of potential votes, talk
about cutting income taxes, are propos¬
ing tax reductions, best guess is that
there will be no tax reduction for at least
another year . . . somebody has to pay
for the war.

Hollywood and Radar

Now it can be told that Hollywood
technicians played a vital part in the
success of radar in the war. It is now
revealed that the 18th AAF Base, Mo¬
tion Picture Unit, at Culver City, Cali¬
fornia, made films on radar that were
of inestimable value, especially in the
bombing of Japan. A minutely detailed
scale model of Tokyo and its environs
was built by technical experts directed
by Major Roy Seawright, Warrant Offi¬
cer John Glass and T/Sgt. Joe West-
heimer. This was used in filming a brief¬
ing short that was used to make all
pilots familiar with Tokyo before going
over to drop their bombs. Seventy-five
per cent of the men at the Culver City

base are from the Hollywood film stu¬
dios. . . Their skill was of untold value
to bombing pilots.

Films and Racing

Motion pictures will now be used to
promote clean horse racing. Hollywood
Park officials are going to film all races
this fall on 16mm from start to finish
of each race. Equipment has been in¬
stalled by means of which the film is
developed and ready for projection six
minutes after the finish of each race.
Cameras will have special magnifying
lenses, making it possible to observe dis¬
tinctly the movement of every horse and
every jockey. Thus, by viewing the film,
judges and stewards will be able to make
quick and just decisions in cases of
irregularity or contest. It is felt that
jockeys will not try any tricks when they
know the camera is trained on them.

Television Sets

It is reliably reported from Washing¬
ton that the present applications for 224
television stations now on file will be
acted upon within the next sixty days,
and that by Christmas transmission cf
television programs from new transmit¬
ting towers in Washington will be under
way. Representatives of companies pre¬
pared for television transmission predict
television sets will be widely distributed
within a year.

Here and There

Watch for decline of gangster films,
and other types which might give peoples
of foreign lands wrong impression of
American way of life. . . . Warner
Brothers Studios reported contemplating
making film on the life of Winston
Churchill ... if Churchill continues his
criticism of the United States for stop¬
ping lend lease it might not prove to be
a happy venture. . . . End of war was
barely announced when big manufactur¬
ers started drive for exploitation tie-ups
with film companies. Auto makers espe¬
cially want to get their new cars on the
screen in every picture possible. . . .
Film shortage headaches are ended with
lifting of government restrictions. . . .
Stanley Adams of the WPB in announc¬
ing the lifting, said “Motion picture
people have been more cooperative than
most. Generally speaking, I have found
they have been most willing to do their
part in our program.” — H.H.

294

September, 1945 • American Cinematographer

The Production of Scientific Films for
Biological and Medical Purposes

(On I 6mm Film Stock)

By J. YULE BOGUE, Ph D., M.R.C.V.S.

THE production of scientific films
for medical and biological pur¬
poses presents problems peculiar
to this field which necessitate modifi¬
cations of standard film technique. We
are, in fact, recording living phenomena
on film, and it is essential therefore that
the active producer and director should
appreciate the significance of the pro¬
cedures carried out in demonstrating
the mechanisms of living processes. He
must be fully aware of the fact that
living things are in a continual state
of change, and that the changing is due
to the adaptation of the living system
to changes in its environment. If the
system is to live normally, then changes
great or small in the external environ¬
ment must result in a series of reac¬
tions designed to keep the internal en¬
vironment of the tissue constant within
the very narrow range within which
life is possible. It is desirable, there¬
fore, that the director be medically or
biologically qualified.

The techniques used in the demonstra¬
tion of living processes must of neces¬
sity involve the introduction of new
variables and some degree of abnormal¬
ity, for example, anaesthesia. We at¬
tempt, therefore to control these vari¬
ables as much as possible. When, in
addition, the demonstration is to be
recorded on film, special attention must
be given to the additional variables in¬
troduced, such as the heat generated by
the lighting equipment.

For the purpose of this discussion,
the films will be classified into two main
groups: that which includes those which
do not make a new contribution to
knowledge, but present in a suitable
form knowledge which is at our dis¬
posal and which we wish to dissemi¬
nate; and that group in which the film
makes a new contribution to our knowl¬
edge of living processes or scientific
technique. These two groups may be
divided into two classes, that compris¬
ing a planned series of demonstrations,
each of which logically follows its pre¬
decessor, and that class made up of sin¬
gle films which do not form part of
a series.

Considering first the group in which
the film does not make any new con¬
tribution to our knowledge, but is used
to “put over” scientific knowledge in a
scientific manner. Anything which is
scientific implies an orderly presenta¬
tion of the facts in an objective man¬
ner. Unfortunately, many medical and

Note: The article by Dr. Bogue is printed through the
courtesy of the Photographic Journal, official organ
of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain.
—The Editor.

biological films are neither orderly nor
objective, and yet are labelled scientific.
This state of affairs is usually due to
a lack of knowledge of kinematographic
technique and to a lack of planning and
appreciation of the possibilities of the
film. It might be noted that poor films
have been produced on subjects which
should never have been filmed. I have
seen one which was nothing more than
a lantern slide six hundred feet long,
over half of which was made up of run¬
ning titles, while the remainder consist¬
ed of shots of stills.

There are two ways in which the
problem is usually approached. The pro¬
ducer, who is often a research worker
in a laboratory, may enlist the aid of
a colleague who is an amateur kinema-
tographer or call in his photographic de¬
partment to deal with the camera and
lighting. (Unfortunately the average
photographic department has little
knowledge of kinematographic tech¬
nique.) Alternatively, he will employ a
professional film unit; this is rarely
done. In my opinion the time has now
come when it is essential to utilize the
services of a professional film unit when¬
ever possible. It is regrettable that there
are no such units at present which are
experienced in this particular field,
though there are a number of skilled
individuals who, working on their own,
have produced some excellent work.
Even here, perhaps, the completed film
could have been better for a variety of
reasons. There are, however, quite a
number of long term experimental pro¬
cedures which do not lend themselves
to the help of a professional film unit,
if only on the grounds of expense. In
these cases, professional script assem¬
bly, titling, and other services can be
of great value.

These remarks, therefore, are ad¬
dressed to two groups of people; those
who are professional film makers with
little biological knowledge, and those
who are medically or biologically trained
and who are not really familiar with
the full scope and possibilities of the
film.

It is essential that all the prelim¬
inary work, writing of the script, cam¬
era position and angles, lighting and
exposure tests in difficult subjects, ex¬
perimental procedures and so on should
be fully completed before a single foot
of the actual film is exposed.

The procedure, therefore, is to write
the script, put on to paper what is to
be demonstrated and decide definitely
on the effect desired. The film may be
a complete demonstration in itself, or it
may be one of a series; if the latter,

then at least two, preferably three, of
the scripts should be worked out. Other¬
wise it is difficult to establish good con¬
tinuity in the series. Each film should,
however, be complete in itself and, at
the same time, be in such a form that
the succeeding films logically follow on.
When the series has been seen by the
student, he should carry away with him
a vivid memory picture and a good gen¬
eral knowledge of the field covered.

The subject should first be considered
from the viewpoint of its suitability for
film treatment. The purpose of any film
is to demonstrate motion or change. If
there is no motion or change, then, in
other than very exceptional circum¬
stances, it is better to use lantern slides
or charts, since they are much more ef¬
fective, cheaper and less trouble. Some
branches of anatomy can be taught very
effectively with suitable film treatment,
event though the structures may be
static. There are cases in which the use
of the film together with lantern slides
is much more effective than either alone.
This will be mentioned again later.

Having arrived at a favorable deci¬
sion on the use of the film, the method
of presentation must be decided. Here,
of course, a knowledge of film tech¬
nique is indispensable. It cannot be em¬
phasized too strongly that if the film is
to be an impeccable source of knowledge,
then the subject must be faithfully rep¬
resented and, further, it should be done
in as straightforward a manner as pos¬
sible. It should not be over-simplified,
but all unessential fields of view, e.g.,
apparatus, especially oscillating or ro¬
tating components, should be ruthlessly
eliminated from the screen, as they only
serve to distract the attention of the
audience from the very point you are
wishing to demonstrate. Trick or tech¬
nical effects might also be mentioned
here, though they will be dealt with
more fully later. A dissolve, wipe or
split screen, for example, should only
be used when it helps to clarify or con¬
nect a particular point; it should never
be used for the sake of the effect, since
the audience is more likely to be im¬
pressed by the effect and lose the thread
of the demonstration.

Before proceeding to the actual writ¬
ing of the shooting script, there is a
controversial problem on which a de¬
cision must be made as it influences the
type of script. The problem is — silent
or sound. In my own mind, there is no
doubt. In all cases where the teacher’s
opinion has to be considered — SILENT.
If, however, the film demonstrates the
discovery of a particular scientist, or is
used to demonstrate an applied tech¬
nique by an acknowledged expert in the
field, e.g., anaesthesia or plastic sur¬
gery, then most certainly SOUND. If
possible the commentary should be writ¬
ten, or, even better, both written and
spoken, by that authority.

In films dealing with the mechanisms
of living processes, there is much dif¬
ference of opinion on the interpretation
of detail. Therefore, these films should
(Confirmed on Page 318)

American Cinematographer • September, 1945

295

Shooting Production Under Fire

By SGT. HERB A. LIGHTMAN

U. S. Army Signal Corps

/IS a motion picture cameraman in
Europe with the 167th Signal
Photo Co. it was my job to get
on-the-spot combat newsreel coverage,
both for release in the States and for
tactical analysis by Army intelligence
officers.

But in addition to this mission, the
particular four-man photographic unit
of which I was a member received a
number of assignments to shoot docu¬
mentary feature productions at the
front. The purpose of these films was
to provide orientation features for our
troops, as well as informational films
for release on the civilian screen in
America.

Our commanding officer, Capt. Merle
H. Chamberlin, who in civil life is chief

of projection at M-G-M studios, had
consistently held to the theory that even
in actual combat it was possible to more
sharply portray the various facets of
war if careful pre-planning were utilized
along with as many studio production
techniques as were practicable under
the circumstances.

Hitherto, a cameraman on assignment
shot more or less haphazardly, using a
stereotyped formula and hoping that
when he had finished there would be
enough continuity to enable a coherent
story to be cut from his footage. Ac¬
cording to our plan, everything was to
be worked out on paper before a foot of
film was run through the camera, and
this diagrammed script would be fol¬
lowed as closely as the changing situa¬
tion would permit.

Our first chance to use this technique
came when Lt. Col. Eric T. Tebow, pho¬
tographic officer of the 12th Army
Group, called our unit into his office one
morning and told us that a request had
come through from SHAEF for a docu¬
mentary film to show in finest detail the
workings of an Army Civil Affairs team
in helping to bring a newly liberated
city back to normal life.

The assignment was a challenge. It
was easy enough to produce such a film
on the sound stages of the Signal Corps
Photographic Center at Astoria or at an
Army-leased studio in Hollywood. These
set-ups were geared for such filming,
but we proposed to turn out a film of
production quality in the actual locale
where the action was taking place, di¬
rectly under fire (since we would have
to move in with the Infantry just as the
city was falling), and using equipment

All photographs are official Signal Corps pictures
made in European war area. Top right shows prisoner
being brought in at night. Bottom left, is a produc¬
tion huddle. Upper left, at work.

that was designed for only the simplest
type of newsreel photography.

We set to work on our shooting plan.
We had been given free-rein on the
treatment as long as we brought out
certain definite points that the Army
wanted stressed. In addition, of course,
every detail had to be technically cor¬
rect — and that meant research.

Our first step was to interview all of
the high ranking officers of Army G-5,
the agency which controlled Civil Af¬
fairs and Military Government. We
asked questions, took notes, and absorbed
all kinds of technical data. This done,
we felt confident and “at home” in our
subject.

The next step was to decide upon a
“slant” for the film, some definite story
line that would tie our film narrative
snugly together and at the same time
give it audience interest. To show an
overall pattern of the Civil Affairs pro¬
gram would have been undramatic and
uninteresting, so we decided to select one
typical Civil Affairs team which was
about to move into a typical French
city, and to show every phase of its
activity from preliminary planning to
the final phase in which the city is
shown once more free and alive and pur¬
suing a normal course of affairs.

General Patton’s Third Army was at
that moment maneuvering into position
before the fortress city of Metz, draw¬
ing up in battle formation for the at¬
tack which was to liberate the city. We
decided that Metz was perfect for our
purpose.

Within the unit we planned to “spe¬
cialize” our jobs rather than to dupli¬
cate our efforts. S/Sgt. Gene B. Coogan,
former stunt-man at M-G-M, who later
became 1st Sgt. of our company, was
operating cameraman. Gene was known
as the most dare-devil cameraman in
the E.T.O. He would go anywhere and
do anything for a picture, whether it
meant hanging by his ankles from the
side of a cliff or dodging enemy bullets
for a shot that would add that authen¬
tic combat touch where needed.

v

My job in the unit was to do the writ-
ing, direction, and the planning of in¬
terior lighting set-ups. In addition we
had two still cameramen, T/4 Walter
MacDonald and T/5 Stanley Slevin, who
were to shoot set and production stills,
as well as action stills for release to the
photographic pool.

I started to work on the shooting
script. It was written in the finest de¬
tail to be sure that we would record cor¬
rectly all phases of the subject that had
to be shown. Yet enough leeway was
allowed to provide for the filming of
unforeseen situations which we knew
would arise. Action was the keynote of
this script. We wanted to show rather
than tell our story. We wanted it to
have the human touch and to show the
“behind-the-scenes” phase of battle which
we knew our audiences back home were
eager to know about.

In order to give a general scope to the
film and to imply that this particular
Civil Affairs team was just one of hun¬
dreds that had gone into liberated cities
with our advancing armies, we started
the script off by writing in a montage
that began with the D-Day invasion,
showed the battle across France, the hu¬
man misery and suffering in the wake
of war, and the efforts of Civil Affairs
to restore order. The script then nar¬
rowed down to our one specific team and
brought out every detail of its work in
Metz.

The script was submitted to 12th
Army Group and was approved without
revision. We began to pack our equip¬
ment. A Mitchell silent camera and a
Wall single-system sound camera were
available in the company. But since we
had planned on dubbed sound effects and
off-screen narration, and since we knew
we would be shooting under very pre¬
carious conditions, portability of equip¬
ment was very important. So, instead
of the heavy cameras, we took with us a
standard spider-turret, motor -driven
Eyemo with 400 ft. magazine. Our lenses
varied from a 1-inch wide-angle to a 12-
inch telephoto.

For off-the-cuff shooting which we
knew would be the only way to catch

certain sequences we took along a single¬
lens, 100 ft. Eyemo of the “bomb-spot¬
ting” variety. We had extra batteries,
magazines, and a supply of DuPont
Type 2 film.

Sixty per cent of the scenes called for
in the script were interiors, which meant
that we would need lights. The lights
issued by the Army were of the large
“dish-pan” type which took a No. 4 pho¬
toflood and were useful for general illu¬
mination. Each of these had adjustable
barn-doors to allow some measure of
control. In addition we rigged up some
spots using sheet-metal and tin cans for
condensers and using Eastman reflector-
spot lamps. We ended up with four of
the photofloods and two spots.

Electrical current was a problem. We
couldn’t depend upon local current be¬
cause many of the power stations had
been bombed out of action. So we took
along our own current in the form of
two small 25 kilowatt generators which
we mounted on a trailer and hitched
onto our jeep. We added a “gaffer” to
our crew to act as general utility man
and to work the generators.

When equipment and personnel were
all present and accounted for we set off
to join our Civil Affairs team in the
town of Thionville, France — which at
that moment was very much the combat
zone. The Moselle River cuts this in¬
dustrial town into two halves and we
arrived to find one half rather uncer¬
tainly held by American forces, while
German troops were firmly intrenched in
the other half. Both sides were shelling
each other furiously.

In a building a scant 200 yds. from
the river and very near a park which
for obvious reasons the doughboys bad
dubbed “Purple Heart Square,” our
Civil Affairs team was busily minister¬
ing to the needs of the liberated half of
the town, as well as preparing for their
entrance into Metz when that city should
fall.

Top left, army jeep is their camera dolly. Other two
photos show crew at work.

We introduced ourselves to our “cast”
and started shooting immediately. For
“sets” we used the actual offices being
used by the team. Lights were set up,
props arranged, the camera was placed
in position, and we were ready for action.

Here, just a word about our lighting.
As I have pointed out before, our main
objective was to make every foot of
film, even though partly re-enacted, as
realistic as possible on the screen. This
applied to lighting as well as to camera
movement and action. Each scene had
its own diagram of light placement, cam¬
era angle, and approximate composition
in the frame.

In designing the lighting we were
very careful to avoid anything that was
“arty” or of the Hollywood glamour va¬
riety. We strove for a sharp, documen¬
tary effect, which meant that we dupli¬
cated source lighting as nearly as pos¬
sible. If a character were sitting at a
desk so that his face were strongly illu-

(Continued on Page 306)

Left, a scene from "The Great Train Robbery," di¬
rected and photographed by Edwin S. Porter for the
Edison Company in 1903.

QhadisL oft. tiiTWiicmL (JiiiomcL
By IRVING BROWNING

DO you remember the days of the
“Nickelodeon” when a nickel ad¬
mitted an adult or two childx*en
to a moving picture show ? When half
of the admittance ticket permitted you
to stay for an extra show ? When the
projection machine broke down or there
was a change of reels and a slide ao-
peared reading, “One Minute, Please”?
When advertising slides were shown?
When the show was interrupted with a
slide reading, “Madam, Your Baby is
Crying Outside,” and many of the

women edged their way by you, rush¬
ing up the aisle, going to the street to
find out if it was their baby ? Do you
remember when the lights went on be¬
tween shows and an attendant walked
up and down the aisle spraying per¬
fumed disinfectant over your head which
you didn’t mind, because you liked the
odor ? Do you remember such slides as
“Do Not Spit on the Floor — Remember
the Johnstown Flood,” or “Ladies, Please
Remove Your Hats,” or when the film
appeared upside down and when the

audience stamped their feet and whistled
to let the operator know that something
had gone wrong, he would show a slide
that read, “Please Don’t Whistle cr
Stamp on the Floor” ?

Those were the days when I saw my
first moving picture in a nickelodeon.

I was one of the two kids who went
in to see the show for a nickel, about
the year 1908. Then and there I sought
the owner of the store nickelodeon and
began asking a lot of questions. “What
makes the movies move”? “How were
they made”? “Who makes them”? “Are
they real people”? In fact, I asked
many questions the owner could not
answer. The only information he could
offer was that he booked his films in
Union Square; that real people were in
them, and if I went to Union Square I
could find out more about them. At that
time I lived in Harlem, New York City,
and a trip to Union Square was quite
an adventure. But I had to know about
the movies, so I made the trip which
was my introduction to motion pictures.

I learned that a good deal of the film
was made in studios close by, in the
Union Square area. The Majestic and
Reliance Film Companies were in Union
Square. The Biograph was at 14th
Street, near Fifth Avenue, and much of
the film was made in other parts of the
city, in open air stages and in New
Jersey.

In a remote street in the Bronx,
Thomas Edison built a large studio espe¬
cially for the production of moving pic¬
tures to be shown on the screens in this
country and in Europe. This Edison Stu¬
dio is situated at 2826 Decatur Avenue,
Bronx, New York, and is now known as
The Filmcraft Studio. There is a brass
placque hanging between the reception
room and hall on the main floor with the
inscription, “In Memory of a Great
American, Thomas A. Edison, Who on
This Site, in the Year 1904 Erected New
York’s First Motion Picture Studio.” The
present Filmcraft Studios has a new
concrete front added to the original
building. The glass top has been re¬
moved, which was so necessary in most
of the studios of the early years. Close
observance of the illustrations of the
original Edison Studio and the present
Filmcraft Studio will reveal that change.

The Edison Studio cost $100,000 to
build. It had a large glass top and the
building measured 100 feet in length,
sixty feet in width, and forty-five feet
in height. It had an area of twenty-four
hundred square feet, and there was a
water tank built into the concrete floor
stage with a capacity of 130,000 gallons
of water for filming aquatic scenes.
Prior to this studio, Edison manufactured

Left, an interior of the stage in the Edison Studio
in the Bronx. Note the Aristo arc lights hanging in
the rear, and the two units working so close together.

Right, the famous Black Maria — the first motion pic¬
ture studio in the United States, built at West
Orange, N. J., in 1893.

films for the Kinetescope Peep Show
machines, which were produced at West
Orange, New Jersey, in the experimental
studio, made of wood and tar paper,
known as “The Black Maria.” It was
built in 1893 at a cost of $637.67. The
“Black Maria” was abandoned because
the Peep Show was unsuccessful finan¬
cially. It was necessary to show the mov¬
ing pictures to a greater number of
people for financial profit. By 1894, the
first projected film was shown by Edi¬
son in New York, after which, regular
production started.

In the original Edison studio photo¬
graph is a bus which was known as “The
Merry Widow.” It had a round seat in
the back which on location, was tented-
in and used for a dressing room. The
lights used in the studio were Aristo
arcs. Studio floor space was sectioned
off in two stages known as Stage 1 and
Stage 2. Ed Porter was then studio man¬
ager, and Jack Thiess, now with Du¬
Pont Film Company, was head camera¬
man, though he did not actually handle
a camera. It is said that the interiors
of the most exciting film of 1904, known
as “The Great Train Robbery,” was
made at the Bronx Edison Studio. There
have been many conflicting stories, but
the writer believes these to be authentic
facts.

In those days it was difficult to entice
legitimate stage performers into the
film studios, but there was one thing
that did bring them into the fold. That
was the salary of $50.00 per week and
three square meals a day, compared to
the “legit” theatre salaries of $30.00
per week and two meals a day. Among
the first actors known to have performed
in the Edison Studio was Marc McDer¬
mott, and the first director was J. Searle
Dawley.

Edison published a bi-monthly booklet
known as “The Edison Kinetogram,”
and on the fly leaf, alongside his photo,
were the words, “Thomas A. Edison, to
whom the world owes the Moving Pic¬
ture Idea.” In the Kinetogram of Au¬
gust 1, 1909, announcement was made
as follows: Miss Cecil Spooner has been
employed to enact the difficult dual role
of Tom Canty, the pauper boy and Ed¬
ward, the boy Prince of Wales, in the
film production of Mark Twain’s cele¬
brated story, “The Prince and the Pau¬
per.” Maude Adams has declined an offer
of $50,000 to give a performance of her
Joan of Arc for a moving picture firm,
to be exhibited all over the country. She
does it because she thinks more of her
art than of money making. Artistically,
she may be right, so far as her own
feelings are concerned and particularly
so far as elevating and instructive in¬
fluences are concerned, she is wrong.

Right, the original Edison Studio at 2826 Decatur
Avenue, Bronx, New York, built in 1904 for the pro¬
duction of theatrical movies. (All photos courtesy of
Museum of Modern Art Film Library.)

August 20, 1909, Edison released a
600-foot subject called “The Wright
Brothers Aeroplane” — A Film of
Achievement.

Released September 14, 1909 — “Little
Sister,” length 975 feet, listed as dra¬
matic, written especially for the Edison
Company by Edward W. Townsend and
listing a cast of characters as:

Little Sister . Miss Ethel Browning

Dicky, her brother. . .Mr. Bertram Yost

Mr. St. Clair . Mr. Tefft Johnson

Mrs. Manning . Miss Josephine Fox

Mrs. McGlinn . Miss Maggie Weston

In the October 1, 1909, issue of Kineto¬
gram, the editor took the pleasure of in¬
troducing the first of the gallery of

players to the readers of Kinetogram.
William J. Sorello, an actor of fifteen
years training and standing high in his
profession, having been connected in
the dramatic profession with Faversham,
Savage, Jefferson, E. H. Sothern and
Robert Mansfield.

October 15, Kinetogram introduced
Herbert Bostwick, hailed from the crit¬
ical eye of the wizard of the stage, David
Belasco.

November 1, Mile. Pilor Morin was in¬
troduced and she in her interview tells
of the value of the silent Drama or
Pantomime in Acting.

(Continued on Page 316)

1 a $ & 1 3 a ‘3

r / \ i

/(? |$ x'y

Cine-Chronized Sound On Wire

For Amateurs

Description of numbered parts of G.E. Model 51
Magnetic Wire Recorder.

I. SUPPLY SPOOL. Holds about two miles of 4 mil,
medium carbon steel wire, grease covered for
rust prevention.

2. TAKE-UP SPOOL WITH STROBOSCOPE
MOUNTED IN POSITION. This spool is identical
in construction with the supply spool. It revolves
at 400 r.p.m. at rated line voltage of 115 volts,
60 cycle, alternating current. The stroboscope
disc shown, is designed for 500 r.p.m. operation
due to abnormal voltage operating conditions
when picture was taken.

3. "LEVEL WINDING" LACING DEVICE for supply
and take-up spools. These move back and forth
across the spools similarly to the level winding
mechanism of a fisherman's casting reel.

4. "ANTI-CHATTER" PULLEYS act to smooth out
vibration of the wire before reachinq the record-
reproduce head and after leaving it.

5. RECORD-REPRODUCE HEAD. This head performs
the operation of magnetizing small sections of
wire passing throuqh its slot (in the top) in di¬
rect relation to the frequency and intensity of
the signal the microphone picks up. On "play¬
back," the head becomes a reproducer and re¬
verses the procedure, feeding the amplifier and
speaker.

6. "ERASE" OR "WIPE-OFF" HEAD. During re¬
cording operations this head erases or wipes off
magnetically any signal on wire passing through
it before it gets to the record head.

7. AUTOMATIC TIMING DEVICE will stop the re¬
corder at any preselected point on the wire, or
will stop the supply spool before it runs out of
wire. It reads time in seconds and minutes.

By LISLE CONWAY, S.M.M.A.

8. MICROPHONE INPUT for the high impedance
Turner dynamic microphone furnished with the
recorder as standard equipment.

II ^ ITH the ending of the war will.

come an almost entirely new de-
" ^ vice for the amateur movie
maker and the professional cinematog¬
rapher to experiment with— the “sound-
on-wire” or the magnetic wire recorder
and reproducer. This device, the de¬
velopment of which has been spurred by
the exigencies of war, has come to the
fore as an important means of quickly
and easily obtaining sound recordings
from almost any location that 110 volt,
A.C., power can be had. Even without
this power source the recorder can be

r

operated in the field from a battery
vibrator power supply.

The combination recorder and repro¬
ducer is a complete, self-contained unit,
weighing only a little more than the
average portable typewriter and but
slightly larger in size. Microphone, mi¬
crophone cable, amplifier, recording and
reproducing mechanism, along with a
built-in speaker and power cord are
complete in one case.

Essentially the recorder performs the
operation of magnetizing small sec¬
tions of wire flowing through its re¬
cording head. These sections are mag¬
netized in proportion to the frequency
and intensity of the sound wave which
the microphone picks up. The wire used,
only .004" in diameter and loaded on a
3% inch spool, is about two miles in
length. It will record over a half hour
of speech and music continuously when
run at normal speed. However, when
recorded at half speed over an hour of
speech may be recorded with some re¬
duction in quality. After recording and
rewinding, the wire is run through the
combination recorder - reproducer head
and its magnetized sections furnish the
magnetic energy, which in turn, operates
the amplifier and speaker to render a
reproduction of the sound originally
recorded. This recording may be played
back over and over again without any
apparent loss of quality. When the re¬
cording is no longer desired it may be
wiped off or “erased” while a new re¬
cording is made on the same section of
wire simultaneously. Recordings may
be made and played back indefinitely >n
the same wire.

(Continued on Page 312)

9. FIRST STAGE INPUT. This jack may be used to
feed the recorder from an outside source other
than the microphone furnished. It is a high im¬
pedance input and may be used as a "bridging"
input — although the use of a matching trans¬
former* with a bridging primary and 50,000 ohm
secondary is recommended for this purpose.

10. OUTPUT JACK. A V/j ohm speaker may be
driven externally from this jack, or through the
use of a matching transformer any P.M. speaker
or line may be fed from this point. When this
jack is used, the built-in speaker (18) is discno-
nected from the circuit.

11. ADDITIONAL SPOOL OF WIRE. Additional spools
of wire may be used interchangably by slipping
off the regular supply and take-up spools and
slipping on new supply and take-up spools.

12. METAL SHIPPING CAN. This metal can. bearing
a label and a place for stamps may be used for
storage of recordings or for shipment of same
from point to point.

13. IMPEDANCE MATCHING DEVICE (UNIVERSAL).
This device, designed and constructed by the
author, enables the recorder to record from
either a 500 ohm line or a 50/250 ohm micro¬
phone in addition to the regular high impedance
microphone furnished with the recorder. Through
the use of this device the recorder will also feed
from its V/i ohm output into multiple, three
windinq transformer so that P.M. speakers of 4,
6, 8, 16, and 500 ohms may be fed (by usinq
selector switch) in addition to a 500 and 250
ohm line.

14. FRONT COVER OF WIRE RECORDER. The front
cover releases by a spring tension button on its
lower right hand side and lifts off similarly to
a typewriter cover on a portable.

15. TURNER MODEL 22D HIGH IMPEDANCE
MICROPHONE furnished as standard equipment
with the recorder. Approximately ten feet of
microphone cable is also included.

16. DESK STAND FOR MICROPHONE also included
with recorder.

17. NEON GLOW LAMP used to indicate overloads
of signal during recording by flashes.

18. BUILT IN SPEAKER Utah 5". P.M. type, 3'/2 ohm-
voice coil for monitoring on playback purposes.

300

September, 1945

American Cinematographer

WE THANK YOU -

for

your patience
your understanding
your friendly helpfulness
in our difficulties of
the past four years —

WE PROMISE YOU

from this time forward —

A complete and extended program

of

Brulatour Service

with

EASTMAN FILMS —

J. E. BRULATOUR, Inc.

— Distributors —

THROUGH the EDITOR'S FINDER

THANK God, the war is ended! Let
us all pray that we will never have
another. Let us pray that we will
never have to drop another atomic bomb;
that the slaughter of women and children
will vanish from the earth; that men will
learn to be men and not savages; that
greed and hatred will disappear from the
hearts and minds of everyone; that out
of all the suffering, slaughter and de¬
struction will arise a new world in which
all men will have an equal right to live
a life of freedom and happiness.

But while we pray, we also wonder —
wonder whether or not the leaders of
the many countries that have been in¬
volved in massacre and bloodshed will
have the welfare of just their own coun¬
tries at heart, or the welfare of an entire
world. Already there are bickerings that
could easily lead to more war in many
of the countries that have been practi¬
cally exhausted by the struggle. In
China there is a possibility of civil war.
In Greece, Poland, Romania and many
other spots politics and greed have raised
their heads before the blood of millions
has become dry on their streets. Even
Winston Churchill has publicly criti¬
cized the United States of America for
stopping lend-lease; has criticized a
country that has provided food and arma¬
ments for almost an entire world in the
fight to wipe out those who wanted to
destroy England as well as all other na¬
tions that believed in democracy.

Not until all men educate themselves
to the point where the good of the entire
world comes before their own desires
will we cease wax-ring. Please God, may
that time come soon, for if another world
conflict comes our entire civilization
stands to be wiped out.

WE have just received another
letter from our good friend John
Dored, esteemed member of the
American Society of Cinematographex-s,
and War Correspondent in the European
area for Paramount News ever since the
start of hostilities. We wrote him some
time ago asking him to tell us something
about his experiences, but John is too
modest to give us much. He says he is
now in Norway and adds:

“It is difficult for me to tell things
about myself. If I told you the truth
about those experiences they might
sound like boasting. The fact remains,
however, that since I became a newsreel
war correspondent, beginning from Anzio
beachhead and up to V-Day in Germany,
I am known as a real ‘front-work’ man,
sticking always with the most forward
units with the deep-in-my-heart-admirod
and respected G-I’s. If one does not stick
with the forward fighting units he gets
no pictures that show what war really is.
I did my bit of that kind of stuff. Have
covered the fighting in Italy before the
fall of Rome, and then on up to Leghorn
with the Fifth U. S. Army. Then the in¬

vasion of South France, with the 7th
Army. Then with the U. S. 6th Army
Group thx-ough Rhone Valley, Vosges,
Alsace and into Germany. Crossing of
Moselle River and cx-ossing of the Rhine
at Woi-ms (both rather hot jobs!). Then
the conquering of the Saar, piercing the
strongest part of the Siegfried Line, and
later with the 9th U. S. Armored Di¬
vision, the captox-s of the Remagen
bridge, sweeping into Germany up to
Checko-Slovakia. Am mighty glad the
war is over.”

That’s it, as related by John. We bet
he could tell some really thrilling stox-ies
of his adventures, if he would.

IT IS our sad duty to inform our
readers of the untimely death of
Chief Photographer’s Mate Jack Mac¬
kenzie, Jr., who photographed a lax-ge
part of “The Battle of Midway” safely,
but who was killed recently in an auto¬
mobile accident while returning from a
very dangerous lxxission at the Muroc
Army Base. Also killed in the accident
was Photographer’s Mate 1st Class Ed
Roach. Severely injured was Photo¬
grapher’s Mate Herbert Wolf. All three
formerly worked in the Hollywood film
industry and enlisted in the Navy and
were assigned to photographic work.

Mackenzie enlisted in the summer of
1941. At the battle of Midway he stood
on the roof of a power plant and calm¬
ly photographed the battle while Jap
planes dropped bombs all around him.
For sonxe time he has been working with
the National Defense Research Commit¬
tee and scientists at Califox-nia Institute
of Technology on an important new
rocket weapon.

E. C. Watson of the California In-
titute of Technology paid Jack and Ed
a beautiful tribute in a letter sent to
Commander A1 Gilks, under whom they
worked. It read in pax-t: “I hope you will
inform the families not only that our
sincere sympathv goes out to them, but
that their loved ones did not live in
vain. Their contribution to the winning
of the war was no small one, and they
will continue to live in the beautiful and
valuable filixxs which they took so skill¬
fully and so daringly. The lives of those
of us who labored with them have been
enriched by their work and the lives of
many others have been saved by the
accomplishments in which they had so
important a pax-t.”

ONE of the most interesting activ¬
ities of the American Society of
Cinematographers is the monthly stag
dinner held in the organization’s club¬
house. These dinners are interesting be¬
cause following the dinner outstanding
speakers talk on technical problems, new
photographic methods are revealed and
discussed, and unusual films are
screened. An advanced amateur would

find such a meeting to be something he
had always dreamed of but had never
experienced.

One of the most largely attended of
these dinners was that of August 27th.
More than one hundred of the top di¬
rectors of cinematography of Hollywood
were on hand. Following the dinner, Em¬
ery Huse of the Eastman Kodak Com¬
pany, an authority on color, gave a talk
on color from its inception to the
present. It was one of the most interest¬
ing talks ever given at these meetings.

AMERICA’S millions of radio listen¬
ers should send a message of thanks
to the famous Masquers Club of Holly¬
wood next month.

Ever since the beginning of commer¬
cial radio broadcasts weary and patient
listeners have had to listen to whatever
a sponsor has wanted to give them in
the way of a radio program. This writer
has often turned from one side of the
dial to the other in an effort to find
some program that would be interesting
— then turned the radio off and has gone
to bed cursing radio programs.

But the Masquers Club, composed of
three hundx-ed of Hollywood’s leading
personalities, has conceived another
type of radio program which should
gladden the hearts of all radio listeners.
The program will be built from the re¬
quests of radio listeners throughout the
United States and Canada. It will be
called “Request Performance,” and is
being sponsored by the Campbell Soup
Company. It will be heard from coast-
to-coast each Sunday evening, starting
October 7th, at 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.,
Pacific Time.

All you have to do is write “Request
Performance,” CBS, Hollywood 28, Cali¬
fornia, telling what motion picture, radio
or stage star you want to hear on the
program, and also telling what you want
that star to do. Pi’esident Charles Co¬
burn of the Masquers says, “We will do
the rest. We will fill every request hu¬
manly possible.” Each progx-am will be
made up from the requests. So the lis¬
teners now can ask for what they want
—and get it, according to Mr. Coburn,
who is one of Hollywood’s most brilliant
actors and an Academy Awax-d Winner.

This writer, for one, is happy about
this idea and congx-atulates the Masquers
and Campbell Soup Company for giving
the public a chance to build its own
radio show.

ONCE again we are being asked to
give — and give generously — to our
Victory Chest which now more
than ever needs the help of every person
in America. The fighting has ended, but
the effects of the war remain ... to cause

(Continued on Page 319)

302

September, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Houston Film Processing Equipment is designed and built by men
who know the needs of this industry. Fully automatic, compact and
completely self-contained , these machines require no extra equip¬
ment. Write for illustrated folder and prices.

Houston

FILM PROCESSING EQUIPMENT

Model 10 — Processes 35 mm.
negative and positive film. Processing speeds up to
2400 feet per hour.

THE HOUSTON CORPORATION

11801 W. OLYMPIC BLVD. • LOS ANGELES 25, CALIF.

‘rtyoU4t<W FILM PROCESSING

EQUIPMENT IS THE ANSWER

TODAY'S business operations are being speeded and simplified by
the use of microfilm and motion pictures. By offering facilities
for fast, local processing of such film, the owner of Houston Film
Processing Equipment can build a profitable, permanent business.

Users of film are everywhere. Mercantile establishments, financial
institutions, government agencies and others use microfilm for
copying and recording. Manufacturers and sales organizations use
both 16 mm. and 35 mm. motion pictures for training and sales.
Studios and photographic supply stores constantly need film
processing.

To these and scores of other users of film the Houston owner offers
a needed service— a service becoming increasingly necessary to every
community. Houston equipment is the proven answer.

'rtyoudfart Model 11 — Processes 1 6 mm.
negative, positive and reversal film. Processing speeds
up to 20 feet per min.

American Cinematographer • September, 1945

303

SOUND AND THE AMATEUR

By DON W. LOOMER

Los Angeles 8mm Club

SOUND has had its place with motion
pictures, almost from the advent of
the motion picture itself. Since the
days when the old so-called silent pictures
came into being as an industry, sound
in one form or another has been prog¬
ressing along with the cinema art itself.
We all can remember the first movies
we saw, with some magician of the key¬
board pounding out a piano obligato to
a potent love scene dripping with
“Hearts and Flowers” or a stirring
chase of the villain through a rocky gulcii
accompanied by a whirlwind rendition of
parts from “The William Tell Overture.”
No, sound is not new, it has just grown
up. It grew from a barrel-house piano,
and its many variations through the four
and five manuals of magnificent pipe or¬
gans into recorded sound. Vitaphone pre¬
sented sound on discs, synchronized to a
high degree, in which stage it remained
until the sound was recorded on the film
itself, at which point it now stands in a
near-perfect form.

With this brief background, it is easy
to understand why the advanced amateur
and many beginners in the practice of
making home movies have turned their
eyes and ears to sound as an added fea¬
ture to their hobby.

In the amateur field, the sound pos¬
sibilities have progressed to the stage
of sound on film also; but since very
few amateurs may ever hope to be
equipped to operate on this basis, we
will confine our comments to sound as
it may be applied through the use of
recordings.

Anyone who possesses a phonograph
attachment, or one built into his radio
at home, may enjoy the addition of
sound to his pictures simply by selecting
standard recording which fit the mood
or tempo of the pictures to be projected.
A careful selection of records played
with your movies will add immeasur¬
ably to their appeal and effect. Since the
equipment required for this simple han¬
dling of the sound problem is readily
available already in many of your homes,
why not take advantage of it?

Those amateurs who are fortunate
enough to have a dual turntable unit on
which to play their records may elabo¬
rate on the previously outlined arrange¬
ment by being able to provide an unin¬
terrupted sound accompaniment as well
as being able to intercut portions of
several records at the appropriate time,
such as special sound effects that might
be needed to enhance certain scenes.

For the more advanced worker, the
addition of facilities for the cutting of
records will provide an almost unlimited
scope to the sound field. For now he will
be able to re-record the various parts of
melodies he wishes to use, and by adding
a microphone to his equipment he can
add the spoken word in the form of nar¬

rations. An ideal setup for this work is
three turntables. Two of the tables to
be used for playing the records to be
re-recorded and the third table equipped
with a recording head on which the rec¬
ords can be made. This will no doubt
mean the rearrangement of the furni¬
ture in the house to make room for this
stuff and the probable purchase of se¬
veral items of wearing apparel for the
lady of the house — but, after all . . .

The playback feature of two of the
turntables should then be so arranged as
to enable the operator to control them
individually, and they should be fed into
the cutting head. This allows the oper¬
ator to place on one record the multiple
effects that can be achieved fading or
dissolving the music from one table into
that of the other. The microphone may
be placed in the circuit to allow narra¬
tions being recorded supported by a
background of appropriate music or
sound effect.

If you are still with me, perhaps it
would be of interest to briefly describe
the process of making the sound for a
picture including narrations.

Our first step is to carefully edit our
picture, for interest and continuity, keep¬
ing in mind that we are now editing for
sound as well as visual enjoyment.
Therefore, it is well to have transitions
from one type of scene to another not
too abrupt as the musical transition is
more easily handled when changes are
slow and smooth. After the main, credit,
and end titles have been added, we are
ready to project the picture for the pur¬
pose of selecting the appropriate mu¬
sical background.

Select various recordings that you feel
will be expressive for the type of pic¬
tures you are showing for the first two
or three minutes and play it as the pic¬
ture is being projected. When you are
satisfied with the music selected, make
a note of the music and its spot in the
picture and continue to the next two to
three minutes of film. When all of the
music has been selected, run through the
entire picture, making notes on the cue
points in the picture at which the music
is to change.

Now you are ready to prepare the
script for the narrations. These should
be written so that the descriptive por¬
tion commences before the scene or ac¬
tion takes place and continues until the
scene or action is under way on the
screen. When the script is completed
(if it isn’t daylight, you are lucky),
make enough test runs so that the nar¬
rator, the recorder and the person op¬
erating the music changes are all fa¬
miliar with their respective parts and
their cues. When this is accomplished
you will all probably be ready to quit
from sheer exhaustion, but persevere —
the results should be gratifying.

Make your recordings singly. By that
we mean do not attempt to record the
entire picture non-stop. If you have
scored the music as outlined, you will
find your cues to be about three minutes
apart which will record very well on
ten-inch recording blanks. When all of
the recordings have been cut, wipe the
now profuse perspiration from your re¬
spective brows and run the entire show
through with your new records and en¬
joy it thoroughly at this time, as you
will find that at each subsequent run¬
ning you will be making mental notes
on the many things you wished you
had done instead of what you did.

Then have a cup of coffee; and as
the early light of dawn breaks in the
East, start thinking up the alibis you
are going to use to make your wife be¬
lieve you are not completely and hope¬
lessly off your nut.

I am glad to submit a list of inter¬
pretive music for use as a guide in
selecting music for your pictures. These
numbers are, for the most part, avail¬
able at all times. I hope that you will
find them so and that your pleasure in
“sound with your pictures” will be as
great as others who have tried it before
you.

Animated Cartoons — Pictures for
Children

Nutcracker Suite . . . dance tempo —
Freddy Martin (Album)

Overture Miniature . . . etc.

Sleeping Beauty Waltz — Tschaikowsky

News Reels — Sports
Circus Music — Merle Evans’ Band
(Album)

Famous American Marches — Goldman
Band (Album) — On the Mall, Semper
Fidelis, Anchors Aweigh; Lights Out,
Our Director March

Beach Scenes

South Sea Serenades — Ray Andrade’s
Orchestra (Album)

Grand Canyon Scenes
Grand Canyon Suite — Grofe (Album) —
Sunrise, On the Trail, Sunset, Painted
Desert, Cloudburst

Shows or Ice Follies Scenes
A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody — Berlin
Skaters Waltz
Anniversary Waltz
Our Waltz

General Scenic Scenes
Serenade — Schubert
Moment Musicale — Schubert
Ballet Music . . . from Rosamunde —
Schubert

Ballet Music . . . from Faust — Gounod
Meditation — Massinet (See Largo)
Morning . . . from Peer Gynt Suite —
Grieg (See Peer Gynt)

Cinderella — Eric Coates
Dance of the Hours — Ponchielli
Waltz of the Flowers . . . from Nut¬
cracker Suite — Tschaikowsky

Sunrise Scenes

Morning . . . from Peer Gynt Suite —
Grieg

Sunrise . . . from Grand Canyon Suite —
Grofe

Overature to Oberon — Weber

(Continued on Page 322)

304

September, 1945 • American Cinematographer

for discharge ■

-but these “fi
are rated “indispensable”

ON the "point system,” Cine-Kodaks Special and
Magazine Cine-Kodaks could have won their
honorable discharge long ago . . . they have taken part
in every major campaign since Pearl Harbor . . . they
have served with distinction in the Armed Forces’
training programs here at home . . . they have made
photographic history in reconnaissance and combat
with the Army and Navy and Air Forces overseas.

Because pictures, particularly motion pictures,
have been so important to our Army and Navy, most
Cine-Kodaks Special and Magazine Cine-Kodaks are
still on active duty in the Pacific war theater. The
few remaining here at home, right now, must go to

f -

high-priority industries and educational institutions.

As for Cine-Kodak Film — again the Army and
Navy have first call. Soon — maybe- — you’ll be able
to secure a more generous supply. And in the not-
too-distant future, let us hope, you can have all you
want. Keep in touch with your Cine-Kodak dealer.

EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY

ROCHESTER 4, N. Y.

Most Cin6-Kodak Film is
on “active duty," too.

American Cinematographer • September, 1945

305

Shooting Production
Under Fire

(Continued from Page 297)

minated from one side by a window, we
would duplicate the effect with our lights,
letting the other side of his face go
black with just enough fill to bring out
detail.

Similarly, we used top-lighting and
back-lighting only to separate our char¬
acters from the background and give
them depth. Certain sequences called
for unusual lighting, such as one set-up
in the operating room of a field hospital,
which demanded an effect as if all the
light on the scene were coming from a
single shaded bulb over the operating
table.

Another sequence utilized candlelight
as an integral part of its subject matter
and we had to produce high, flickering
shadows on the walls while maintaining
an effect as if all our light were coming
from that single candle source. These
effects were difficult to achieve with our
“dish-pan” floods, but by careful place¬
ment of lights, manipulation of the barn¬
door masks, and the use of our two
homemade spots, we were able to pro¬
duce these moods quite realistically.

The key of the lighting was always
slanted to the subject matter. Certain
sequences definitely demanded low-key,
while others were only effective when
brightly lit. In every case, however, the
lighting was keyed solely to the dramatic
demands of the sequence, and not to
what the cinematographer thought might
look nice on the screen.

Our shooting at Thionville proceeded
without incident except for the fact that
now and then the shelling became so
intense that cast, crew, and equipment
were forced to retreat to the air-raid
shelter until it had subsided.

We were able to get the “front-line”
feeling into this sequence by shooting
uncontrolled footage of our mortar and
artillery positions shelling the Germans
in the other half of town. Then we set
up our camera on the top floor of an
abandoned observation post, zeroed in
our 12-inch lens, and filmed some screen¬
filling close-ups of our shells blasting
enemy targets on the other side of the
river. The enemy must have spotted re¬
flections of the sun on our lenses, be¬
cause the observation post suddenly be¬
came a hotly pounded target. We got
out of there just in time to see a shell
knock the top floor of the building off.

Meanwhile Sgt. Coogan left the unit
to become 1st Sergeant of the company.
He was replaced as operating camera¬
man by T/5 Donald L. Perrine, a genial
Texan, who is a fine camera craftsman.

We received word from Army intelli¬
gence that the city of Metz was about
to fall, and we made plans to go in with
the first waves of Infantry. It was es¬
sential to our story that we record the
atmosphere of the city as it was imme¬

diately after falling, as the character of
a town tends to change rapidly once the
fighting has ceased.

We stripped our equipment and per¬
sonal belongings down to bare essentials.
We mounted a tripod in the back of our
three-quarter-ton truck so that we could
whip the truck into position and be
ready to shoot a scene on slightest no¬
tice. I took a small hand-held Eyemo
and sat ready in the jeep to film “grab”
shots as we entered the town. We had
studied every inch of the map of Metz.
We knew exactly where to go to locate
our photographic objectives.

Our entrance into Metz was a dra¬
matic sort of thing. We looked like
something out of “Grapes of Wrath”
with cameramen hanging all over the
jeep. But we were in on a big show —
so big, in fact, that we wondered how
we were going to get it all on the screen.
There were dying horses thrashing about
in the streets, wounded soldiers receiv¬
ing first aid from combat medics. Whole
buildings exploded into powder. No civ¬
ilians were to be seen — only tanks surg¬
ing forward laden with Infantrymen.
Snipers took pot-shots at us from build¬
ings.

It was a field day of action. We
ground away at the scenes, capturing
on film the atmosphere of a dying city.
We knew that there was only one way
to cover a situation so huge in scope
and that was to narrow down our shoot¬
ing to specific items which would convey
the impression we were after. We filmed
some establishing shots, then moved in
for huge selective close-ups: the face of
a dead storm-trooper, tank-treads crush¬
ing a German steel helmet, a shell-hole
in the center of a huge Nazi flag
draped down the side of a building.

Other combat units were getting gen¬
eral newsreel coverage of the situation,
so we filmed only what our script told
us we needed for the story of Civil
Affairs.

The soldiers and the tanks swept be¬
yond the city to continue the battle.
Three strong forts still held out, and
their shells screamed overhead. But the
city itself was dead, not a soul on the
street, nothing that yet livid.

We filmed this silent wreckage in all
its jagged reality. Then we moved our
truck into the town square and took up
a vantage point. Knowing that the sight
of a camera always prompts subjects to
look directly into the lens we lowered the
tarp on the back of the truck so that
only the lens peeked out of the small
flap opening. We mounted an array of
long focal length lenses on the camera
turret. Then we waited for the next
phase of our script to develop.

We didn’t have to wait long. Army
Psychological Warfare personnel set up
speakers in the square and began broad¬
casting the fact that the city was now
liberated, and offered assistance to the
civilians. From the cellars and other
deep hiding places the dazed civilians
slowly emerged and stood listening. Our
cameras began to grind.

We spotted various human interest
types in our finder, flipped lenses for a
change of image size, and got the shots
our script told us we needed. Shooting
through the small tarp-flap with the 12-
inch telephoto lens we were able to get
screen-filling close-ups of people thirty
feet from our camera without those peo¬
ple realizing that they were being pho¬
tographed.

We used this “candid” technique in
later sequences whenever we wanted nat¬
ural, unstudied, poignant shots of the
populace. We would set up our lights
for an interior sequence, then park the
camera behind a door with just the lens
peering out. Then when a dramatic bit
of action developed we would start the
camera grinding, flip lenses and have
the sequence “in the can.”

Although we avoided any forced cine¬
matic techniques, there were sequences
in the film that very definitely called for
dolly shots. Since the Army didn’t pro¬
vide us with any booms, we managed
to build a very acceptable dolly from a
low steel cart of the type used to haul
heavy boxes. It had rubber wheels and
we built a wooden camera platform on
top big enough for the camera, camera¬
man, and an assistant to follow-focus.
This dolly was portable and efficient for
interior work. For exteriors we placed
the camera in the back of the jeep, let
some of the air out of the tires for
smoothness, and we had a very passable
camera boom.

We shot footage on the activities of
Civil Affairs for thirty days straight,
during twenty-one of which the city was
subjected to heavy shelling from the
forts that still stubbornly held out. That,
plus the ever-present snipers made
things hectic at times.

We filmed every phase of the recon¬
struction work: the refurnishing of pub¬
lic utilities, emergency water-purifica¬
tion and distribution services, the dis¬
tribution of captured enemy food to the
hungry civilians, the registration of
townspeople and regulation of civilian
travel, the huge job of caring for thou¬
sands of abandoned slave laborers of
every nationality.

From time to time our script demand¬
ed that we shoot atmospheric street
scenes for inter-cutting to show the
gradually mounting tempo of life in the
city as it gradually came back to life
again.

Naturally a great deal of our action
had to be controlled, but it was present¬
ed strictly according to the actual situ¬
ation, and was directed with emphasis
on the human interest phases of the
story. We wanted our audiences to know
these people as they really were, to
understand their problems, and to see
what Civil Affairs was doing to help
their plight.

Most of the cast were civilians, and
my biggest difficulty in directing them
had to do with language differences.

(Continued on Page 315)

306

September, 1945 • American Cinematographer

with Removable Head

Acclaimed the finest for
every picture taking use.

The friction type head which is unconditionally guar¬
anteed for 5 years, gives super-smooth 360° pan and 80°
| tilt action. It is removable, can be easily mounted on
our "Hi-Hat" low-base adaptor or Baby "Professional
Junior" Tripod base. The large pin and trunnion assures
long, dependable service, A "T" level is attached. The
top-plate can be set for 16mm. E. K. Cine Special, with
or without motor; 35mm. DeVry and B & H Eyemo (with
motor), and with or without alignment gauge.

The standard size tripod base is sturdy. "Spread-leg" de¬
sign affords utmost rigidity and quick, positive height
adjustments. Complete tripod weighs 14 lbs. Low height,
at normal leg spread, 42". Extended height 72". All
workmanship and materials are the finest.

ADAPTABILITY: below are illustrated (I) the "Hi-Hat"
ready for the friction type "Professional Junior"* tripod
head (2) to be affixed. Under the "Hi-Hat" is the finger-
grip head fastening nut that firmly holds the removable
tripod head onto either the "Hi-Hat," standard tripod (3)
or "Professional Junior" Baby Tripod (4). Note the posi¬
tive-locking, fluted, height-adjustmf nt knobs and tie-down
rings on the standard (3) tripod base. The Baby Tripod
has a "T" level, weighs 5*/2 lbs., is made of Aluminum,
with Dural legs having spurs. Extended height — 21 inches,
depressed — 16 inches. It's compact and sturdy. Quality
throughout.

* Patent No. 2318910

"Professional Junior"* Tripods, Baby Tripods, Developing K its, "Hi-Hats"
and Shiftover Alignment Gauges made by Camera Equipment Co. are
used by the U. S. Navy, Army Air Bases, Signal Corps, Office of Strategic
Services and other Government Agencies — also by many leading News¬
reel companies and 16mm. and 35mm. motion picture producers.

FRANK C.

ZUCKER

(7flm€Rfl€c

)uipm€m(

O.

1600 BRORDUJfly

\ neujyoRKcuy ^

AMONG THE MOVIE CLUBS

NOW that the war is over we un¬
doubtedly can expect to see manu¬
facturers of photographic equipment
start an all-out effort to get new and
better product on the market for civilian
use. Competition will be keener than
ever before. Equipment will be better —
and in many instances perhaps lower in
cost. But — it will probably be quite some
time before the new equipment reaches
the civilian market in sufficient quantity
to supply the hundreds of thousands of
users who have been struggling along
for three years with equipment that has
been repaired and repaired to the point
where no more repairing is possible.

Greatest advances probably will be in
the field of color with color in time prac¬
tically taking the place of black-and-
white in the field of entertainment films
— as well as in the educational, indus¬
trial and documentary fields. Eastman’s
Monopack and the monopacks of DuPont
and Ansco will probably play a big part
in the advance of color, along with
Technicolor which has been unable to
supply the demand to date.

There will probably be some interest¬
ing developments in 16mm. cameras and
sound for 16mm. for both professional
and amateur use. And in the projector
field, too, there will probably be new
and improved products on the market
within the next year. It is logical to
guess that all manufacturers will pass
on to the civilian trade those improve¬
ments which have grown out of lessons
learned in the war where equipment
really had to take a beating, and still
bring back the pictures.

Detroit Photographer Elected
PSA President

Charles B. Phelps, Jr., F.P.S.A., of
1034 Bishop Road, Grosse Pointe 30,
Mich., has been elected President of the
Photographic Society of America to suc¬
ceed John S. Rowan, F.P.S.A., of 508
Morris Bldg., Baltimore, Md., whose sec¬
ond term expires this year. Other new
PSA officers are:

First Vice-President, Stuart M. Cham¬
bers, A.P.S.A., of 7 Hortense Place, St.
Louis, Mo.; Second Vice-President, John
G. Mulder, of Building 29, Kodak Park,
Rochester, N. Y.; Third Vice-President,
Victor H. Scales, 50 East 10th St., New
York; Secretary, Mrs. Anne Pilger
Dewey, A.P.S.A., of 4428 Malden St., Chi¬
cago, Ill.; and Treasurer, Charles Heller,
of 1115 North 65th St., Philadelphia.

Southern Club

Highlights of the recent meeting of
the Southern Cinema Club was the ap-
T>*»arance of its former president, Don
Hunt, home on furlough from service as
combat cinematographer in Europe.

Hunt described in detail the work and
experiences of the combat cameramen
in action to an audience that was held
spellbound by his talk.

Westwood Movie Club

The Westwood Movie Club of San
Francisco will hold its annual Amateur
Movie Makers Exposition on the even¬
ing of September 28th, in the St. Fran¬
cis Community Hall, Ocean Avenue and
San Fernando Way.

In previous years this affair has been
very successful in bringing together
movie clubs, amateurs, home-made gad¬
gets, available equipment, good 8mm
and 16mm films and a large attendance.
This year, through the efforts of vice-
president Fred Harvey, a showman of
many years standing, it has been en¬
larged upon to include semi-professional
Hollywood effects, stage settings and
acts. There will be no games, raffles or
admission chai'ge. All persons who are
interested are welcome to attend, ac¬
cording to announcement by publicity
director Edward Franke.

President George Loehrsen will start
the program with a three-minute ad¬
dress. The following will each speak for
only one minute: Erik Unmak, Dr. I. C.
Gobar, Jesse Richardson, Edward
Franke, Don Campbell and Edna Spree.

Clubs participating in the display,
demonstration and operation of photo¬
graphic equipment, home-made gadgets
and inventions will be the Sherman Clay
Movie Club, Cinema Club of San Fran¬
cisco, San Rafael Movie Club, Vallejo
Movie Club and the San Jose Movie
Club.

Ten 8mm shows will be operating
simultaneously while the demonstrations
are going on. Later the following 16mm
films will be screened :

“Land of Eternal Spring,” by Earl
Boyd.

“Service With the Colors,” by Fred
Harvey.

“Ten Pretty Girls,” by unknown
photographer.

“Elcapitan,” by Walter Johnson.

“The Humming Bird,” by Walter
Johnson.

Despite the large amount of work
necessary to plan the exposition in Sep¬
tember, the club held a picnic and a reg¬
ular meeting in August. That’s enthusi¬
asm.

L. A. Cinema Club

Glenn R. Kershner, A.S.C., adventur¬
er, cinematographer and musician, is
billed as top feature on the coming Sep¬
tember meeting of the Los Angeles Cine¬
ma Club. Kershner will give an in¬
structive talk and screen one of his
films.

Also on the program will be a Walt
Disney film, “The Amazon Awakens.”
Judge William J. Palmer will present
an unusual group of Kodachrome slides
under the title, “Photography When
You Can’t Get Far From Home.”

Utah Club

The July picnic meeting of the Utah
Cine Arts Club at Mill Creek Canyon
was such a success that the club did a
repeat at the same spot for the August
meeting.

Four films were screened at the Au¬
gust meeting. They were:

“Canyon Trails,” 8mm Kodachrome,
by Bishop C. E. Schank.

“Shots of Monument Valley and Mesa
Verda,” 16mm Kodachrome, by T. R.
Pope.

“The ’39ers’,” 8mm Kodachrome, by
A1 Morton.

“Rocky Mountain Sundaes,” 8mm Ko¬
dachrome, by A1 Londema.

Recently announced new members of
the club are Carl Abernathy, Maj. S. E.
Barton, Virginia Burraston, Leah W.
Clawson, C. B. Cooper, W. M. Evans,
Dr. R. G. Frazier, C. A. Hammer,
Gladys Hansen, Ronald Heiner, Fred
Jones, A. E. Kennelly, L. C. Layton,
S. C. Leaver, R. H. Mailhot, Narita E.
Monhollan, Helen B. Olsen, K. C. Oier-
son, H. L. Pope, G. R. Salter, Capt. T. A.
Schenk, E. M. Settle, Edwin Sorensen,
O. L. Tapp and Alice T. Witt. Club
boasts its largest membership since in¬
ception.

La Casa Club

As usual, the August meeting of the
La Casa Movie Club of Alhambra, Cali¬
fornia, was a success both in attendance
and quality of the films screened. On
the program were two 8mm, two 16mm
and three 35mm pictures. They were:

“Travesty on Golf,” 8mm, by William
A. Ware.

“Clouds Over Snow,” 35mm, by Dr.
G. B. Baird.

“Colorado to Arizona,” 8mm, by H. A.
McHenry.

“California Scenes,” 35mm, by Dr.
Harold R. Lutes.

“Bowling On The Green,” 16mm, by
Charles Manaman.

“Mexico Today,” 35mm, by Guy Nelli.
“Pendleton Roundup,” 16mm, by Mrs.
P. M. Stiverson.

San Francisco Club

A very unusual and interesting pro¬
gram was presented the members of the
Cinema Club of San Francisco at its
August meeting. It was an Army Pic¬
torial Service Program, arranged by Lt.
Col. M. T. Lewis.

1. The armed services have used vis¬
ual methods for training, orientation,
information, education and entertain¬
ment to great advantage. Some of the
army equipment was on display, and
Col. Lewis outlined its use.

2. Major Tom Lewis, one of the six
Signal Corps photographers who photo¬
graphed the “Battle of San Pietro,” dis¬
cussed combat photography.

3. A popular Army orientation film,
“The Battle of Russia,” was screened.

308

September, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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Films are valuable, whether owned
or rented . Victor's many exclusive safety features
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SAFETY FILM TRIP —

Guards against breakage
— sprocket hole damage —
automatically stops projec¬
tor if any film loop is lost.

SCRATCH PROOF CHAN¬
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film scratch, because pic¬
ture and sound areas do
not touch stationary parts.

SWING-OUT LENS
MOUNT — G uards against
dust-grit film damage. In¬
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VICTOR

American Cinematographer • September, 1945 309

MAKING THE MOST OF THE
FILM SITUATION

By JAMES R. OSWALD

CRITICAL film shortages have
played havoc with picture taking
plans this summer, but the movie
maker who can content himself with
black and white filming for awhile, and
whose camera isn’t of the magazine load¬
ing type, will find solace in the fact that
there is a reasonable substitute for the
popular reversal films which have prac¬
tically disappeared from the market,
providing he is willing to forgo the ad¬
vantages of daylight loading stock in
favor of buying his film in bulk.

No, I’m not daydreaming when I say
that dealers’ shelves are literally stocked
to the hilt with this film, and further¬
more I’m not having hallucinations when
I tell you that you will experience the
greatest economy in movie making you
have ever encountered . . . 16mm. film¬
ing at less than two cents a foot. This
may all sound like a bit of soap box

oratory, but here are the facts:

Professionals and advanced amateurs
are already familiar with positive film
. . . its use in the motion picture labora¬
tory ... its title making aspects. But
for those who are not so well acquainted
with its characteristics let’s elaborate a
little on the subject.

The positive emulsion, so called be¬
cause its primary use is for making
positive projection prints from master
negatives on a motion picture printer,
is of extremely high contrast, which
brings to light why it lends itself so
well to title making. The film is usually
developed in much the same way as a
regular film negative, the black portions
of the original, or of the title, becoming
white, and vice versa. This further ex¬
plains why amateurs have come to ap¬
preciate its value towards making their
own titles . . . titles made with the ease

All photos on this page are actual frame enlarge¬
ments from 16mm positive film developed by the
reversal method. Positive film has furnished a rea¬
sonable solution of the film situation for Mr. Oswald
during the war, and he recommends its use by others
until such time as film situation gets back to normal.

of black ink result on the screen in clear
white letters with a crisp black back¬
ground.

Wanting to explore the possibilities of
regular movie making with positive film,
developed by the customary reversal
method, I set out to conduct a few ex¬
periments along this line, to see what
the results would be. Since that time,
practically all my black and white film¬
ing has been done on positive film,
which, indeed, was the solution to my
film problem last year.

For those who wish to do a little ex¬
perimenting of their own, I am happy
to pass along this information which
may prove helpful to interested readers.

Positive film comes spooled on a core,
not on a reel, and must be handled in
the darkroom, under a red safelight. it
costs approximately one dollar per hun¬
dred feet in 16mm. size, but this does
not include developing. In the darkroom,
the film is spooled on a discarded cam¬
era or projector reel, emulsion or dull
side in. Thence 'it is threaded in the
camera in the conventional manner.
Since there is no allowance made for
leaders, the entire film is coated with
picture taking emulsion, so no footage
need to run off to get to the “starting
point,” as is usually done in the case
of regular reversal film.

Upon completion of the reel, the film
is unloaded, under the red safelight of
the darkroom, where it is carefully
sealed against the light, packed, and
forwarded to one of a number of inde¬
pendent film processing laboratories,
specifying development by the reversal
method. Developing charges range from
85 cents to $1.25 per hundred feet,
16mm.

It is not the writers intention to “glam¬
orize” positive film as being equal to,
or greater than, the familiar reversal
types. As a substitute, however, the ac¬
companying frame enlargements speak
for themselves. When purchasing posi¬
tive film, simply ask for 8 or 16mm.
positive, as the case may be, and open
the way to continued movie making. As
to exposure, it compares favorably well
with orthochromatic type films, and is
suitable for outdoor filming.

310

September, 1945 • American Cinematographer

the new

Amprosound Premier 10'

A new 16mm. sound projector embodying many
basic improvements derived from Wartime Experience

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American Cinematographer • September, 1945

Cine-Chronized Sound
On Wire

(Continued from Page 300)

To the professional cinematographer
or recordist this means that the enor¬
mous waste of sound recording stock lost
in bad “takes” may be eliminated as the
wire may be substituted in its place.
If a bad “take” is made it may be
magnetically erased or wiped off while
a new or subsequent “take” is being
made. Then when the final “take” is
made, completed, and approved, it may
be transferred to the film by the process
of re-recording or dubbing. Also the pos¬
sibility of being able to record a script
or narration and then go back over it
for correction of inflection, tempo, etc.,
offers undreamed of savings when the
final expenditures of such operations are
tallied at the end of each fiscal year

To the amateur movie maker, a new,
low cost method of adding sound to his
home movies is within his budgetary
grasp. The great expense of recording
a sound track on a separate film, and
then having it and the original silent
film bearing the picture printed to a
third film bearing both the picture and
sound track, along with the expense of
buying and maintaining a sound pro¬
jector is completely eliminated. In ad¬
dition the amateur will retain the or¬
iginal quality and beauty of an original
Kodachrome projection, usually lost by
duplicating procedures. It is with this
phase — that of sound on wire for the
amateur — that I wish to enlarge upon.
The following discussion will take up
both the pros and cons of utilizing
sound on wire for home movies.

To start, let us turn back to the. July
3rd meeting of the Syracuse Movie Mak¬
ers Association. At this meeting a
synchronized, 8mm. motion picture,
sound on wire demonstration was car¬
ried out.

Previous to the meeting, three mem¬
bers of the Syracuse club along with
the author and the narrator, gathered
one evening at the Radio Workshop of
Syracuse University. There, in two hours
time, two 8mm. productions (one 16
minutes and the other 4 minutes in
length) were post-recorded with syn¬
chronized narration and music on the
Workshop’s G. E. Model 51 Magnetic
Wire Recorder. The first film, “North
Lake, Gem of the Adirondacks,” was
recorded simultaneously on wire and by
conventional methods onto a 16", 33 1/3
rpm disc. The second film, “A Day at
the Zoo,” was recorded on wire only.
These two films were synchronized to
the recorder by means of a stroboscope
disc mounted on the take-up spool v'f
the wire recorder. The “spill light”
from the projector’s gate was directed
by means of a mirror down to the
stroboscope disc revolving with the re¬
corder takeup spool. When the pro¬
jector was running in step with the
recorder, the bars of the strobe disc
appeared to stand still. The slightest

deviation in speed on the part of the
projector or recorder could readily be
detected and exact synchronization could
be easily re-established by slowing or
speeding the projector a trifle. Mr. David
Reid, the narrator read a prepared
script against a film which, up to that
evening, he had never had the oppor¬
tunity to review. In fact some of the
scenes were yet to be edited into the
film so only blank film sections repre¬
sented the length or duration of these
scenes. Had he made any mistakes, it
would have been a simple matter to
erase the entire, or any part of the
take and do it over again.

Then on July 3rd, the wire recorder
was brought down to the clubrooms of
the Syracuse Movie Makers and before
an audience of members and guests as¬
sembled, the demonstration was run off.

The setup for the demonstration was
extremely easy. The only equipment
needed other than the recorder-repro¬
ducer, projector and film, was a mirror
and stroboscope disc. The correct spool
of wire had previously been threaded
into the machine so that no time would
be lost in getting underway. In as much
as the General Electric model 51 re¬
corder employs both separate input and
output jacks, we were able to plug the
line from the stage and screen speakers
directly into the 3% ohm output jack
of this recorder. The recorder’s ampli¬
fier had more than sufficient power to
drive the two screen speakers at a com¬
fortable listening level. Approximately
ten minutes was consumed in setting
up the projector, the recorder, and align¬
ing the mirror onto the strobe disc,
mounted for playback purposes on the
take-up spool of the recorder. With the
show on the screen, only a very slight
difference could be detected in the sound
from the wire recorder and the sound
from a standard 16mm. sound film pro¬
jector. The difference consisted of the
slight wire sing in the background, heal’d
only in quiet spots. The narration and
music unreeled smoothly in perfect syn¬
chronization with the picture — and fur¬
thermore, synchronized by a person who
had never attempted to do such before.

After the first picture, the film was
rewound and was again screened, but
this time the sound came from the disc

recording. Here a decided difference
was noted. The wire recorder will re¬
cord frequencies up to 5,000 cycles per
second, approximately the same limit as
average direct 16mm. sound film re¬
cording and reproduction.* However, the
disc will record frequencies up to 10,-
000 cycles per second, twice the range
of the wire recording and average* di¬
rect 16mm. sound on film recording.*
The difference noted was an increased
brilliance, reproduction of the overtoms,
and a much more faithful rendition of
the music and speech on both the bass
and high frequencies. The equipment
used and the method employed in the
playback of the disc has been previously
described in the September issue (1942)
of the American Cinematographer (pg.
402). Nevertheless, despite the limita¬
tion of audio response on the part of the
wire recorder at the present time, it is
acceptable and its sound response is
about the equivalent of the sound re¬
production heard from the average desk
radio.

So far all that has been stated has
amounted to a picture of the wire re¬
corder becoming the sure answer to the
movie maker’s quest for inexpensive,
practical, and good quality sound for
his movies. It offers just that! How¬
ever, it is not the panacea of all the
ills of previous methods used for re¬
cording sound for amateur movies. To
be fair and perfectly honest with our¬
selves, let’s look at the record to date.

Thus far there are several companies
experimenting with the development of
sound on wire. These range from such
large corporations as General Electric
and Radio Corporation of America to
the jukebox manufacturers such as See-
burg. As to the individual relative
merits and degree of development of
their individual products, this author is
not qualified to give an opinion. How¬
ever, having worked with the G. E.
model 51 wire recorder belonging to
Syracuse University for some time, and
having checked our findings with two
local radio stations wrhich also own the
same type and model wire recorders,
the following information can be given.

Although the G. E. model 51 is es¬
sentially “wow free,” in its total re¬
production, the speed or number of
revolutions per minute of the take-up
spool will vary with changes in line
voltage. Also there exists a variation
in speeds between different machines,
depending upon the “braking tension”
applied to the supply spool while re¬
cording or reproduction is in opera¬
tion. The rated speed of these machines
is 400 rpm at the rated line voltage
of 115 volts, A.C. However, we have
found a variation in local machines on
both recording and playback from 399
rpm to 438 rpm. In radio work this
amounts to a difference in playback
time of from one to two minutes in a
given thirty minute period. This means
in stroboscopically synchronized ama¬
teur motion picture sound that the speed
may vary from time to time due to
voltage fluctuations and from recorder

312 September, 1945 • American Cinematographer

EQUIPMENT SET-UP FOR RECORDING AND REPRODUCING
OF STROBOSCOPIC ALLY SYNCHRONIZED SOUND-ON-WIRE
WITH AMATEUR MOTION PICTURES.

to recorder due to differences in “brak¬
ing tension.” It may or may not prove
serious depending upon the individual
voltage regulation of the various loca¬
tions where this equipment is used. Of
course the changes in speed means a
corresponding lowering or raising of the
pitch of all recorded or reproduced
sound. Maybe this is not important
where speech alone is considered, but
it is definitely objectionable where music
or a musical background is employed
along with the speech, especially so if
the fluctuation occurs during and in
the middle of a musical recording.

Second, there is a degree of wire
noise or “sing” to be heard from all
recorders and spools of wire. This de¬
gree of “sing” will vary with the dif¬
ferent spools apparently due to slight
differences in the diameters of the wire
passing through the record-reproduce
slot. With some spools the “sing” will
only be heard in the background rn
low level passages or between words
and sentences. On other spools the
“wire sing” may be heard all through
the recording, except for the loudest
passages which masks the “sing” out.
So far as we know at present, and
from what the manufacturer tells us
the only remedy is to try another spool
of wire. Three of our spools were ac¬
curately measured by a micrometer and
were found to vary in diameters from
.0037" to .0042". This difference ex¬
isted even in some sections of the same
spool. In some cases this noise may
manifest itself in a rushing sound with
consequent distortion or breaking up of
the signal itself as the wire rubs against
the bottom of the recording slot.

Sound recording and reproduction will
rlso be influenced by the “lacing de¬
rice”— (an adaptation of the level wind¬
ing device used on fisherman’s casting
reels). This “lacing device” evenly

laces the wire onto the take-up and sup¬
ply spools during the recording, rewind¬
ing, and reproducing operations. When¬
ever the “lacer” stops momentarily at
either side of the spool a change of
quality of the sound issuing from the
speaker is heard. This resembles in
some degree the sound of “phase dis¬
tortion” heard in short wave reception
of signals from some far distant trans¬
mitter. This distortion may be very
small or very objectionable, depending
on whether the “lacer” is in step with
the wire feeding off of the spool, or not.
If the wire is being pulled off the op¬
posite side of the spool or if the “lacer”
is traveling ahead or behind the wire
feed, this distortion will be quite notice¬
able. This may be remedied by being
sure that the “lacers” are operating
in the same direction and are located
in the same relative position as the
wire is as the latter is fed off the
supply spool either during recording < r
reproducing operations. Incidentally, if
the wire scraped the feed or “anti¬
chatter” pulleys just before and after
the record-reproduce head a similar re¬
sult will be heard. The remedy for this
is to widen the “V” of the pulley on a
lath so that such scraping against its
side does not develop. Also it may be
necessary to shim the recording head
slightly to accurately line up the feed
pulley bottoms and the record slot. This
is supposed to be done by the factory,
but use in the field may throw the pul¬
leys slightly out of line and cause a
source of distortion that is troublesome
to track down.

Another factor which seriously affects
the sound quality is the grounding or
lack of grounding of the recorder when
fed by associated equipment. Lack of
good grounding will result in introduc¬
tion of hum into the recording. Also
if the microphone supplied with the

equipment is held closer to the recorder
than three feet, or if either the micro¬
phone or the recorder is operated in a
strong magnetic field, hum induction
into the recording will occur. In the
first instance the hum will be induced
into the microphone by its proximity
to the powerful magnetic field set up
by the recorder itself, and in the second
place the recorder or microphone will be
affected adversely by the external mag¬
netic field.

On the G. E. model 51 and earlier
models of this make, there is no provi¬
sion made for aural or visual monitor¬
ing of the signal that is being recorded
other than a small neon “overload”
flasher. This is a distinct disadvantage
as to the quality of the sound can not
be determined until playback — when it
may be too late for a retake. Con¬
sequently, sound volume can only be
determined by watching for the occa¬
sional flash of the neon glow lamp
caused by excessive volume peaks and
resulting in some distortion of the re¬
corded sound.

Although we have not experienced
any wire breakage so far in either
recording or reproduction operations,
the two local radio stations have had
this form of trouble. Breakage of wire
does not mean that the spool is ruined
or that the wire has to be discarded.
The broken ends are annealed by a hot
soldering iron or the lighted end of a
cigarette, tied together, in a square
knot, pulled tight, annealed again and
the ends clipped off with a pair of scis¬
sors. The wire will then feed through
the mechanism with no apparent trouble.
We have two breaks in one of our
spools (caused by improper winding,

(Continued on Page 320)

American Cinematographer • September, 1945

313

Stabilized Low Voltage
Rectifier Announced

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DEVELOPING MACHINES

COMBINATION 35mm. and 16mm.

Tension

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Temperature

Control

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Black

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Sound

Michro Film
Color

LARGE PROFESSIONAL LABORATORY PRODUCTION UNITS

FONDA MACHINERY CO., INC

8460 Santa Monica Boulevard
LOS ANGELES 46, CALIFORNIA
U. S. A.

Cable Address 6tFo/id«”

66

The Machine That Cannot Break Your Film 99

PSA Inaugurate Permanent
Collection of Photographs

Collection of contemporaneous photo¬
graphs for the purpose of preserving
examples of the best pictorial work of
the times has been inaugurated by the
Photographic Society of America. Invi¬
tations have been issued to members to
submit prints before October 10 next
for consideration during the initial se¬
lection.

Only superior photographic prints
with outstanding salon records or other
substantial reasons for believing they
will be of interest to posterity will be
included in the PSA Permanent Collec¬

tion. Entry blanks may be obtained
from PSA Headquarters, Franklin In¬
stitute, Philadelphia 3, Pa.

The Collection will be in charge of
five trustees, who will also act as a
jury of selection, and who will from
time to time add or eliminate prints in
order to maintain quality. Selections
will be made at regular intervals.

The Trustees in charge of the Collec¬
tion are: Charles B. Phelps, Jr., FPSA,
Chairman, Detroit, Mich.; Frank R.
Fraprie, FPSA, Boston, Mass.; Stuy-
vesant Peabody, FPSA, Chicago, Ill.;
Lloyd E. Varden, FPSA, Binghamton,
N. Y. ; and Chester W. Wheeler, APSA,
Rochester, N. Y.

High voltage low current rectifiers
with electronic stabilization have been
known for many years. Green Electric
Company announces further advance
in the rectifier field — stabilized equip¬
ment with low voltage high current
output.

The unit illustrated is rated at 200
amperes, voltage range zero to 3 volts.
Any voltage selected in range is main¬
tained to within 50 millivolts over load
variation from zero to 200 amperes,
and with line voltage variation of plus
or minus ten percent.

Voltage stabilization system includes
motor-driven Powerstat and simple elec¬
tronic pilot device. Principle is widely
applicable to larger or smaller rectifier
units. Descriptive data available from
Green Electric Co., 130 Cedar Street,
New York City.

New Coronet Slidefilm Series
Announced

A new series of 35mm. slidefilms or
filmstrips to be made from Picture
Stories appearing in CORONET Maga¬
zine has been announced by the Society
for Visual Education, Inc., of Chicago
The new series will include eight
slide-films to be released one each month
from October, 1945, through May, 1946.
Each slidefilm is accompanied by a re¬
print of the Picture Story in CORONET
which serves as a teacher’s manual. The
slidefilms become the permanent prop¬
erty of those who receive them.

The October Picture Story is “THE
LIBERATED” ... a story of people
who have been freed all over the world.
It will be followed in November by
“THE STORM” ... a documentary story
of storms. “THE GERMAN” is the sub¬
ject for December. It will be an analyt¬
ical story of the kind of people the
Germans were before the war and what
we may expect of them in post-war.

314

September, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Get it on our Story Board

Every

cdoancc

The Story Board is our way of
taking the guess out of movie¬
making. Every step is plotted
on paper beforehand so that
you and we are in complete
agreement.

Without Byron's personal direc¬
tion, the Story Board might
mean little. But together, they
mean a picture you'll be proud
of!

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THE MOST COMPLETE 16 -MM SOUND
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1712 Connecticut Avenue, Northwest
WASHINGTON, D. C.

Shooting Production
Under Fire

(Continued from Page 306)

Things went along fine as long as I was
able to direct them in French. But the
slave laborers were Russians, Poles,
Yugoslavs, Czechs, and Greeks, who un¬
derstood no French or English. The
only alternative was sign language. I’m
told I looked pretty funny giving them
directions in pantomime, but strangely
enough the sequence in which these peo¬
ple appeared turned out to be the most
poignant and realistic in the picture.

Don was meanwhile having his own
troubles with exposure. We had only a
Weston 50 film available, and the weath¬
er was so overcast even at mid-day that
we couldn’t get an exposurable reading
outdoors. So we found ourselves shoot¬
ing exterior scenes with an array of
floodlights for booster illumination.

We shot from just after sun-up to
just before sundown every day, with our
evenings given over to the writing of
captions on the day’s work and the plan¬
ning of the next day’s shooting schedule.
Each night we would sit down together
and decide just what we were going to
shoot the next day — camera angles,
lighting, action patterns, special effects —
so that when we walked onto the set in
the morning there were no arguments,
confusion or waste of time. Each man
knew exactly what he was going to do
and we could go ahead and get what
we wanted in the quickest possible time.
Sometimes split-second timing was nec¬
essary in moving from one locale to an¬
other — but because of adequate pre¬
planning we never once missed our
story.

When the shooting was finished I was
ordered to London to work on the cut¬
ting, and spent several weeks at Army
Pictorial Service making the rough cut,
creating the opening montages from li¬
brary stock, keying the narration, and
selecting background sound and musical
score.

This feature, released under the title:
“G-5 in Action,” was the first of a whole
series of production documentaries which
our unit continued to film under fire up
until V-E Day. They varied in subject
matter from “Yankee Ingenuity” to
counter-sabotage. When the initial Rhine
crossing was made at Remagen we filmed
a documentary showing the attempts of
Nazi underwater swimmers clad in rub¬
ber suits and towing large mines to
blow up our bridges. For this film we
had the camera in airplanes, on the tur¬
rets of landing craft at night with the
illumination coming from giant search¬
lights on shore, and in a good many
other improbable places. We almost got
blown up a few times — but that, too,
was all in the day’s work.

The important point was that we had
proved our commanding officer’s theory,
that fully pre-planned documentary films
could be shot effectively under fire using
a number of basic studio production
techniques. We were satisfied.

Ampro Announces New
"Premier-10" 16mm Projector

The Ampro Corporation this month
announces the new Amprosound “Prem¬
ier-10” sound-on-film 16mm projector,
with aluminum castings throughout,
equipped for both silent and sound film
speeds and reverse operation.

This model is light, compact and port¬
able, with extremely simplified design. It
embodies the results of more than a
decade of pre-war experience in building-
precision 16mm projectors, plus the
knowledge gained from the rigorous
tests to which Ampro machines have
been subjected on far-spread fighting
fronts. “Out of all this experience,” says
Advertising Manager W. F. Scranton,
“has come a compact, sturdy 16mm
projector — capable of providing continu¬
ous efficient operation under the most
adverse conditions.”

Special Awards

Special awards of jeweled pins to 249
employees of the Fairchild Camera &
Instrument Corporation, New York,
with more than five years of service,
have been made by Sherman M. Fair-
child, chairman of the board. Recipients
included several persons who had been
with the company since its establish¬
ment 25 years ago.

Blue Seal Cine Devices, Inc.,
Announced

J. Burgi Contner and Louis R. Morse
have organized Blue Seal Cine Devices,
Inc., to manufacture 16mm and 35mm
sound recording, reproducing and pro¬
jector equipment.

Contner is president of the new or¬
ganization, and Morse, vice president
and chief engineer. Contner was for¬
merly president of the Cineflex Corpora¬
tion, manufacturers of 35mm combat
cameras for the Army Air Forces. Be¬
fore the war he owned and operated
Motion Picture Camera Supply and Blue
Seal Sound Devices. He was one of the
pioneers on sound recording equipment
in the independent field. Blue Seal
recording equipment is in operation
throughout the world and also has been
used by the Marine Corps, Office of
Strategic Services, Army Air Forces
and other government agencies. Contner
is also a cinematographer and a mem¬
ber of The American Society of Cine¬
matographers. Offices and factory of
Blue Seal Cine Devices, Inc., are located
at 137-74 Northern Blvd., Flushing, L.I.,
N.Y.

American Cinematographer • September, 1945

315

Cradle of Cinema

(Continued from Page 299)

On May 15, 1910, Edison announced
that each and every film released by
him will bear the register upon the film
the fact that that film has received sanc¬
tion of the National Board of Censorship
of Motion Pictures, then established by
the Peoples Institute of 318 East 15th
Street, New York City. Slowly, and
formidably, did the Edison Company be¬
gin to advertise the name of the star
as in “The Piece of Lace,” especially
written by Edward W. Townsend for
Mile. Pilor Morin. Among the pictures
produced and announced are the follow¬
ing:

“His Just Deserts” — Melodramatic,
length 265 feet, listed as an iron foundry
story, date of release February 4, 1910.

“The Surprise Party” — Comedy, length
365 feet, 1910.

“The Livingston Case” — a detective
story, length 995 feet, 1910.

“An Equine Hero” — introducing Don
Dulan’s The World’s Greatest Living
Educated Horse, length 725 feet.

“A Queen of the Burlesque” — -a rural
comedy, length 260 feet.

An announcement of the completion of
Richard Harding Davis’s “Ransom
Folly.”

In the June 15, 1910, issue I found this
letter published:

New York, May 14th, 1910.
The Edison Studio,

New York City, New York.

Gentlemen:

In my recent trip to Panama, I had
occasion to stop in St. Louis and was
attracted by the advertisement of a Mov¬
ing Picture House, announcing the pre¬
sentation of my story, “Pardners.” I
dropped in to see it and now take my
first opportunity to express to you my
sincere appreciation of the excellent
manner in which you produced this. I
was much impressed with the pains-tak¬
ing and tireless methods which you em¬
ployed at the New York Studio, when I
witnessed the rehearsal of this picture;
and it is gratifying to see such a result.
You did full justice to the merits of the
story and this promises well for the suc¬
cess of the further stories in the series
of mine, the exclusive rights to which
you have contracted for.

Faithfully yours,

REX BEACH.

There were no player credits, no direc¬
tional or photographer credits, but now
and then there was an author credited
with the production of the film. In the
early days, we find that the producer
had nothing to sell the public but the
name of a well known author. The pub¬
lic chose to know the names of the play¬
ers as you will readily learn in this
article. What really played a great part
was the written review of the story, the
title, releasing date and the footage.
There were suggestions for music for
piano to be played with each picture as
per example on the film.

“A Case of Identity” suggestions are
as follows:

At opening, Moderato “Amaranthus” —
till man drops to floor.

Agitato — till tailors office.

Moderato — “Amarathus” till detective
sees newspaper.

Agitato — till auto comes down street.
Gallop — “Que Vive” till deck of steamer.
Allegro — “Chant San Paroles” till state¬
room.

Slow Waltz — “Roses Honeymoon” — till
deckhand at work.

Barcarole temp— “Goodbye, My Lover,
Goodbye” till detective sees writing on
deck beam.

Agitato — till two sweethearts meet on
deck.

Slow Waltz — “Roses Honeymoon” till
detective enters stateroom.

Pizzicato — “Le Secret” (Intermezzo) till
gild sees detective.

Agitato — till two men have struggle.
Dramatic — till detective makes exit with
prisoner.

Slow Waltz — “Roses Honeymoon” — till
finish.

Can you imagine the sorrow of the
heroine, the sincere, heavy dramatic con¬
tent of the story? Well, it’s difficult to
believe that the producers went to all
this trouble, a mere thirty-five years
ago.

On February 1st, 1911, Edison an¬
nounced some of his best known writers,
listing them as, Ellis Parker Butler,
Richard Harding Davis, Roy Norton, Ed¬
ward W. Townsend, Samuel Clemens
(Mark Twain), Rex Beach, Thos. \V.
Hanshew, O’Henry, and John Luther-
long as distinguished authors who write
Edison scenarios. February 15th, 1911,
he announced Miss Mary Fuller as a new
Edison stock player. April 1, 1911, the
Edison Company began to take cogni¬
zance of the importance of listing its
players by name, then came, “Monsieur”
drama, 1000 feet by Thomas W. Han¬
shew, with its players Marc McDermott,
Nancy Avril, Miriam Nesbitt, Robert
Conners. “Nell’s Last Deal” 1000 feet,
Mary Fuller, Frank McGlynn, Guy
Coombs, Louis B. Foley. “The Strike at
the Mines”, 995 feet, Charles Ogle, Nancy
Avril, Edwin A. Clark, Frank McGlynn,
William West. “Silver Threads Among
the Gold,” 500 feet, Marc McDermott,
Miriam Nesbitt, William Bechel. At ail
times the Kinetogram kept selling the
New Edison model B, projection Kineto-
scope with outside revolving shutter,
guaranteed absolutely for one year, the
cost was $225.00.

April 15th, 1911, “The Hunted Senti¬
nel Tower,” a legend of Morrow Castle,
Cuba (made at Morrow Castle, in Cuba)
listing the players as Herbert Prior,
James Gordon and Mabel Trunnelle. As
time rolled on, sets as well as acting
changed for the better. Gladys Hulette,
made her first appeai’ance in a 500 foot
release of June 7th, 1911, under the
title of “Father’s Dress Suit.” She had
just completed a triumph in a great
Broadway success, “The Blue Bird.”

It was about 1912 when Edison de¬
signed the “Home Kinetoscope” a port¬
able projector with a three section film,

which was run forwards then a shift
of the lever moved the center of the film,
while you cranked backwards, then shift
again and crank forward to run the
whole film. Edison produced all types
of films for these projectors which were
manufactured in great quantities, if
you think you have any original ideas
on film production, just look at this line¬
up, which anti-dated your idea by more
than thirty years. Here are films re¬
leased for the Home Kinetoscope under
many classifications; these films were
produced by Edison in 1914:

Sociological: “The Awakening of John
Bond” — 1000 feet produced in Coopera¬
tion with National Society for the Study
and Prevention of Tuberculosis.

“Charlie’s Reform” — 1000 feet pro¬
duced in cooperation with the Russell
Sage Foundation.

“Children Who Labor” — 995 feet, pro¬
duced in cooperation with the National
Labor Committee.

Historical: American History: “Battle
of Bunker Hill,” 1000 feet. “Capture of
Fort Ticonderoga,” 1000 feet. “Close of
the American Revolution,” 1000 feet.
“Declaration of Independence,” 995 feet.

English History: “Mary Stuart,” 3005
feet. “Battle of Trafalgar,” 1000 feet.
“Tudor Princess,” 2065 feet.

French History: “Man of Destiny,”
1060 feet. “Prisoner of War,” 995 feet.
“Web of Fate,” 390 feet.

Classical and Operatic: “Aida,” 1000
feet. “Faust,” 990 feet. “Michael Stro-
goff,” 990 feet. “Peg Woffington,” 990
feet. “The Three Musketeers,” 1095 feet.

Juvenile: “Alice in Wonderland,” 1000
feet. “Little Red Riding Hood,” 530 feet.
“Jack and the Beanstalk,” 1000 feet.
“Pied Piper of Hamelin,” 1005 feet.

Seasonable: “Christmas Carol,” 1005
feet. “Night Before Christmas,” 800 feet.
“Thanksgiving.” “Decoration Day.”
“Fourth of July.”

I can recollect about 1912 when I
would take the elevated to the Edison
Studio in the Bronx, in search of extra
work. I remember too, playing kid parts
with Yale Boss, then a featured child
star. Because the down town studios
were more accessible, I stopped visiting
the Edison Studio until I was called
there for work.

The present Filmcraft Studio is as
busy a studio as any in this area. Musi¬
cal shorts are produced here for Co¬
lumbia Pictures release. Soundies are
made, as well as commercial subjects
and now and then a feature. Recently
I had occasion to photograph a three
reel film at the Filmcraft Studio, pro¬
duced by the Emerson Yorke Studio,
directed by Emerson Yorke for the Na¬
tional Tuberculosis Association, featur¬
ing Gene Lockhart, with a fine cast of
players from many of the best Broadway
plays.

I sincerely hope that some day, this
studio will become a National Museum,
sponsored by the Motion Picture Indus-

(Continued on Page 322)

316

September, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Bell <Sr Howell Company Given
New Type Award

A new type of recognition for private
industry, a flag awarded for outstand¬
ing record of employment and training
of veterans of World War II, was be¬
stowed for the first time today on Bell
& Howell Company, pioneer Chicago
manufacturer of optical and motion pic¬
ture equipment. The award, first in a
proposed nation-wide series, was made
jointly by the National Association of
Personnel Directors and the national
organization of Disabled American Vet¬
erans. The ceremony was witnessed by
113 returned veterans who are already
at work in the five Chicago plants of
Bell & Howell and approximately 1,400
workers in the company’s Lincolnwood
plant, 7100 McCormick Boulevard. J. H.
McNabb, president, accepted the award
for his company.

Dr. F. C. Jeths, Illinois commander
of Disabled American Veterans, told
company workers and officials of the
national program to encourage employ¬
ment of veterans which his organization
has undertaken in conjunction with the
association of personnel directors. The
program entails operation of placement
offices for veterans in principal cities,
patterned after the office which has
been operating in Chicago since July 1,
and the recognition of firms or indus¬
tries by awards similar to the one made
to Bell & Howell today.

Wilding in Full Production on
Civilian Orders

Norman E. Wilding, president of Wild¬
ing Picture Productions, Inc., announces
that their extensive schedule of wartime
Navy productions is wound up and re¬
conversion to civilian work has been
gradually taking place over the last six
months.

“The studios and personnel of the
Wilding organization are in full produc¬
tion on a huge back-log of civilian
orders. We have been fortunate in hav¬
ing received a clean-cut break on the
majority of our Navy training film sub¬
jects and the personnel which has been
occupied on Government work is now
bending every effort to render prompt
service to our civilian clientele,” states
Wilding. “We now enjoy the greatest
back-log of civilian business in our his¬
tory and is it any wonder, with the job
industry has to do to incite the minds of
their retail outlets and sales personnel
to the new horizons of peace time, that
they should turn to the visual medium
which has so effectively proved its merit
in the problems of training masses of
people most effectively in the shortest
length of time during our war period.

“Every effort is being made to expand
our staffs with competent people in the
New York and Cleveland offices and in
the Detroit, Chicago and California
studios to handle our ever-expanding
schedule of pictures for old clients, ps
well as the many new accounts who have
requested our counsel on visual training
and sales promotion problems.”

Craig Distributes New
Cycon Metal Printer

Introduction of the new Cycon 5x7
Metal Printer for distribution through¬
out the United States has been an¬
nounced by Craig Movie Supply Co., Los
Angeles, Calif.

Bradley Heads New Project

The appointment of John G. Bradley,
Chief of the Division of Motion Pictures
and Sound Recordings in the National
Archives, as Director of the new Motion
Picture Project of the Library of Con¬
gress is announced by Luther Evans,
Librarian of Congress.

CLEAR

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Separate amplifier and speaker
provides portable P. A. facilities.

Clarion-clear reproduction of every
wave in the wide range of 16mm.
recorded sound frequencies — whether
it be speech, song, instrumental
music, or sound effects — this you get
for your films with your new DeVRY
16mm. sound-on-film projector: a
3-purpose unit that (1) SAFELY
projects both sound and silent films ;
(2) that shows both black-and-white
and color film without extra equip¬
ment ; and (3) whose separately
housed 25-watt amplifier and sturdy
12-inch electro-dynamic speaker af¬
ford portable Public Address facili¬
ties, indoors or out. DeVry Corpora¬
tion, 1111 Armitage Ave., Chicago 14,
Illinois.

Only 5-time win¬
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Phones: Circle S-5470-1

American Cinematographer • September, 1945

317

BUY VICTORY BONDS

MOVIOLA

FILM EDITING E9UIPMENT

Used In Every Major Studio
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Manufactured by

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BLUE SEAL

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Cable Address— SOUNDFILM

Production of Scientific
Films for Biological
and Medical Purposes

(Continued from Page 295)

be silent and with a minimum of cap¬
tions. Captions should only clarify pro¬
cedure and should be so made that they
assist the fluid continuity of the film.
Where possible it is desirable to make
a silent and a sound version. Some take
all their shots at sound speed so that
a sound track can be added if desired.

Considering, then, the writing of the
script for a teaching scientific film, a
note should be made of all that is to be
demonstrated and the demonstrations
should then be split up into a series of
stages or sections, beginning with the
simpler and building up to the more
complex. The script at this stage should,
in fact, be more or less in the form of
a series of lecture notes. If the script
is not coherent, the film has no chance;
it is likely to exaggerate the effects
of imperfect planning. It is important
to visualize as much as possible its
appearance on the screen.

Using these notes as a basis, each part
should be rewritten from the beginning,
in full detail; every step in procedure
should be put down. Particular points
which should be stressed, which are
likely to be missed or which may be
difficult to understand, should be un¬
derlined or noted. Notes should be made
of the approximate time required for
each step. This is important as proc¬
esses which may take place within the
space of a few microseconds, or many
months, have to be expanded or con¬
densed so that they are demonstrated
within the space of a few minutes; yet
the audience must appreciate the rela¬
tive time factors. Those parts which
necessitate reference to the same sub¬
ject of experiment should be carefully
noted.

We now have all the information nec¬
essary for the writing of the shooting
script with full camera instructions. With
experience, it is possible to get a clear
mental picture of the lens field, and to
train oneself to think in terms of dif¬
ferent focal lengths. When working with
colleagues who have difficulty in appre-

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MITCHELL

BELL & HOWELL

Standard, Silenced, N. C.,

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ciating the camera field, I use an op¬
tical viewfinder, such as that which can
be detached from the Kodak Special, and
ask them to view the fields from dif¬
ferent angles and at different focal
lengths. This is very satisfactory. It
has resulted in requests for a lens with
similar characteristics to the optical
view finder. Lens computers might note
this and produce a much-needed “zoom”
lens for 16mm. work.

The writing of the shooting script
with full instructions is probably the
most difficult of all. Only those shots
which are essential to the demonstration
must be made, though, of course, it is
better to take too much than too little,
as this can be put right by the cutting,
but reliance must not be placed on cut¬
ting and editing to correct mistakes.
Many factors must now be considered.
Can the utilization of some film tech¬
nique assist in clarifying difficult points
in the demonstration? Or, again, is it
desirable to use accelerated or slowed
motion ? If it is decided that the mo¬
tion should be accelerated, remember
that all movements in the field are in¬
volved. For example, a slow change
may be taking place in a subject in
which the respirations are also visible;
if less than the standard number of
frames per second is taken, say four,
then when the film is projected at nor¬
mal rates, the picture will show such
rapid movements of the whole subject
that it will be difficult, if not impos¬
sible, to see what is going on. This
can be overcome by arresting respiration
during the shooting, provided it is pos¬
sible. and does not affect the result, as
in the case of an X-ray kinematograpn-
ic record of the slow contraction waves
of the stomach. If respiration cannot
be arrested the difficulty might be sur¬
mounted by a series of dissolves. If,
however, you wish to impress the audi¬
ence with the gradualness of the change
(and at the same time show the extent
of the change), then a normal shot fol¬
lowed by split screen photography will
do this very well, the split screen show¬
ing the same part before and after the
change. It can be further extended to
show the effects of two different pro¬
cedures on the same organ. This tech¬
nique has been used by the author to
demonstrate the effects of two different
types of drug on the cintractions and
color of the spleen. It is also useful
when comparison of blood pressure
curves or other types of curves is de¬
sired.

There is no doubt that the time lapse
work is of great value in kinemicrog-
raphy and in the botanical field, in fact,
much new information has been ob¬
tained by this method, so ably demon¬
strated by Warren H. Lewis and P. W.
Gregory in their films on the develop¬
ing ovum.

(To Be Continued Next Month)

318

September, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Through Editor's Finder

(Continued from Page 302)

starvation and disease in the lands of
our Allies; to cause unemployment at
home; to cause lonely hours in the lives
of men who must stay overseas. Amer¬
ica’s Victory chest— your chest and mine
— is helping to counteract this aftermath

FOR SALE

Complete file of the American
Cinematographer from August,
1932, to December, 1944. File,
through 1939, bound in leather-
backed cloth. Last five years not
bound.

PRICE $100.00
Write to Box 1026

★

AMERICAN

CINEMATOGRAPHER

1782 North Orange Drive
Hollywood 28, California

BUY VICTORY BONDS

FOR SALE

This E. K. Cine Special

400 ft.
capacity

With the
following
lenses:

15mm. f.2. 7
25mm. f. 1 .9
50mm. f. 1 .6

Reflex
view-finder

Telescopic
view-finder

I extra film magazine and carrying case

PRICE : — $ 1 ,000.00

COSMIC STUDIO

5849 South Wabash Avenue
Chicago 37, Illinois

of war through the efforts of its 140
united agencies.

Remember that President Truman said
in a speech on August ninth — “Europe
is hungry. As the winter comes on the
distress will increase. Desperate men
are likely to destroy the structure of
their society to find in the wreckage
some substitute for hope. Unless we do
what we can to help, we may lose next
winter what we won at such terrible cost
last spring.” Our Victory Chest is going
to try to take care of the distressed and
the hungry.

The community services provided by
the Victory Chest cannot be called char¬
ity. They are supported by everybody
for everybody. They safeguard our com¬
munity health, protect the community’s
children, help families and individuals
who need help of any kind. Everybody
benefits because everybody gives.

One of the great projects of United
China Relief — an agency of your Victory
Chest — is to provide seeds for the
scorched earth of China. Whether it be
relief for our Allies, comforts and re¬
laxation for our armies of occupation,
or help for returning veterans and others
who need assistance in our own com¬
munity, the 140 agencies of your Victory
Chest are on the job. So, why not give
at least one day’s pay to your Victory
Chest ?

New Filmosound Library
Releases Announced
by B <S H

HI GOOD LOOKIN’

(Universal)

No. 2562 — 6 reels

New twist to the Pygmalion theme.
Radio big shot goes out of his way to
aid little girl from country, only to
find himself first threatened with and
then saved from eclipse by his roman¬
tic generosity. (Harriet Hilliard, Kirby
Grant, and various top-notch radio
bands and stars) Available from Sep¬
tember 24, 1945, for approved non¬

theatrical audiences.

LADIES COURAGEOUS
(Universal)

No. 2564 — 9 reels

The saga of our women ferry pilots,
a civilian outfit, later admitted to the
Army Air Force. (Loretta Young, Ger¬
aldine Fitzgerald, Anne Gwynne, Diana
Barrymore) Available from September
17, 1945, for approved non-theatrical
audiences.

PEOPLE OF THE PONDS
No. 5848 — 10 min.

A study of the microscopic life in¬
habiting a pool in an extinct volcano.
Remarkable photography of beating
heart of Water Flea, seen through its
almost transparent body. Trumpet Ani¬
malcule. Rotifer Cyclops. Hydi’a. Varied
reproductive methods. (Produced in
Australia)

a u r i c o ii

AUTO-PAR ALLANS VIEW-RANGE

Camera FINDER

A precision optical instrument,
the Auricon EIF-20 Camera Find¬
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finder; shows a large upright pic¬
ture, needle sharp and correct
right to left. Parallax is automati¬
cally adjusted while focusing, at all
distances from four feet to infinity.

Adaptable to any 35mm or 16mm
camera . . . uses inserted mattes to
cover lens fields from wide angle
to telephoto. Write today for full
information.

We design and manufacture motion
picture equipment to special or¬
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inquiries are invited.

Auricon division

E. M. BERNDT CORP.

5515 SUNSET • HOLLYWOOD 28, CAL.

MANUFACTURERS OF SOUND-ON-FILM
RECORDING EQUIPMENT SINCE 1931

American Cinematographer • September, 1945

319

Cine-Chronized Sound

(Continued from Page 313)

the consequent “backlash,” and break¬
age during rewinding), and these, after
splicing, have been run through repeat¬
edly with no trouble. Frankly, we have
never been able to detect where these
“splices” are by listening nor have they
so far come apart.

A word about the permanence of re¬
cordings. The manufacturer claims that
the recordings are permanent, until

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Prices and literature for the civilian market

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erased magnetically. We have had over
sixty playbacks of one recording and
so far can not detect any loss in vol¬
ume or quality. The wire is made of
medium carbon steel — and as such is
subject to rust in a moist atmosphere,
even though the wire is coated with
a rust preventative grease. In three
months of operation only one of our
wires have so far shown any signs of
rust or deterioration. However, the
grease has caused some trouble by col¬
lecting in the recording slot. This results
in the necessity of occasional cleaning
of the slot to avoid fuzzy, weak record¬
ings and reproductions. This can best
be done by using a piece of bone or
plastic ground down to .004" in thick¬
ness and utilizing it to scrape the dirt
out of the slot.

From the standpoint of acceptable
quality, the wire must be run at the full
speed of 400 revolutions per minute on
the take-up spool. This limits the
length of any one recording to a total
of thirty-three minutes, where speech
and music is concerned. At the 200
rpm speed of the take-up spool (this
is accomplished by internally changing
the belt driving the take-up spool),
about an hour and six minutes of un¬
derstandable speech may be recorded.
However, at this speed there is a very
serious loss of all frequencies above
2,000 cycles per second and a conse¬
quent muffling of some speech sounds.
This speed is not recommended except
where it is imperative that the longer
operating time be used for a single
spool.

Some or most of the preceding disad¬
vantages may be remedied by the time
the war is over or as further develop¬
ment progresses. Also it may be possible

FOR SALE

Bell and Howell

FILAAO

MODEL 70 A

With I inch F3.5 lens and carrying case.
Good as new.

Price-: OPA ceiling.

For information write

Box 1022, American Cinematographer

CAMERA SUPPLY COMPANY

ART REEVES

1515 North Cahuonga Boulevard

HOLLYWOOD Cable Addreai— Cameras CALIFORNIA

Efficient-Courteous Service New and Used Equipmnt

Bought — Sold — Rented

Everything Photographic Professional and Amateur

An unusually fine variety of basic photo chemicals always in stock.

to mechanically link the recorder to pro¬
jectors to maintain mechanical syn¬
chronization by means of cables for
recording and reproduction purposes.
If a synchronous motor is used in both
the recorder and the projector an elec¬
trical interlock system or Selsyn drive
could be used to maintain synchroniza¬
tion, similar to our present day “double
system” film recoi'ders. However, un¬
til something better comes along, the
system of stroboscopic synchronization
of projector and recorder now utilized,
will work very well and with a minimum
of effort on the part of the projection¬
ist.

All in all, and in spite of the exist¬
ing disadvantages, the advantages of the
wire recorder as developed today offers
to the amateur movie maker an inex¬
pensive, simple, and practical method of
adding sound to his home movies, Oe
they 8mm., 16mm., or 35mm.

* It is reported that Western Electric direct
16mm recording will now record an 8,000 cycle
note on lCmm film.

New Bolex L-8 Camera

The American Bolex Company has
announced details of its new Bolex L-8
motion picture camera.

It is explained that this camera shies
away from complicated mechanisms, but
offers simplicity in operation with maxi¬
mum photographic results. One feature
stressed is this camera offers constant
motor speed whether spring motor :s
fully wound or not. Camei’a operates
at one speed only.

The new Bolex L-8 is equipped with
the Kern-Paillard V2 inch f/2.8 lens in
micrometer focusing mount.

BUY VICTORY BONDS

320 September, 1945 • American Cinematographer

BUY MORE

WAR BONDS

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On the East Coast

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Direct 16mm. Recording i

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IN BUSINESS SINCE 1910

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C«bU Address: RUBYCAM

Research Council Adopts
Release Print Revision

The Research Council of the Academy
of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has
announced the adoption of the 9th re¬
vision in the Standard Release Print
Leader, which is placed on all prints
issued to theatres.

This Release Print Leader was first
established by the Academy in 1931, and
has been in use as an industry standard
since that time. It specifies the markings
on the beginning and end of every reel
of release print sent to the theatre, to
provide the projectionist with an easy
means of properly threading up the pro¬
jector and a visual signal on the screen
for proper changeover from one reel to
the next.

The principal revision just adopted
specifies a change in the identification
leader to include six frames on which
is printed LENGTHWISE WITH THE
FILM the reel number and the picture
title. The inclusion of this information
lengthwise with the film will be of ma¬
terial assistance to the projectionist in
that he can now read the title and reel
number much more easily when the reel
is on the projection machine.

The Standard as revised is now under
consideration by both the American
Standards Association and the British
Institute of Standards for possible
eventual approval as an international
standard.

This standardization was handled by
the Research Council Basic Laboratory
Committee, with J. M. Nickolaus, head
of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio Labora¬
tory, Chairman, and including George
Crane, Michael Leshing, George Seid,
Sidney Solow and Ray Wilkinson.

TE LEFILM

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India Likes Movies

The people of India are enthusiastic
movie fans and when their purchasing
power increases, as it surely will, they
may provide one of the greatest film
markets of the world, according to F. P.
Young, manager of the India branch of
Western Electric Company, Ltd. Mr.
Young has just returned to this coun¬
try on leave after five years in India.

“At present there are only 2,000 cine¬
mas in India for a population of over
400 millions,” says Mr. Young, “but
all theaters are wired for sound and
over half use American equipment. Na¬
tive films may run for a surprisingly
long time, sometimes a full year.

Although film is rationed (now 12,000
feet per feature), Mr. Young points
out that the number of showings is not
rationed. Consequently there is a great
backlog of pictures with not enough
theaters in which to show them.

Mr. Young gives credit to the Indian
government for a compulsory educa¬
tional film program. To improve the
education of the masses, the govern¬
ment produces films on such subjects
as methods of agriculture, industry, and
hygiene, and requires every cinema to
show one of the films on every program.

/ want to buy your

• Contax

• Leica

• Graphic or

• Miniature

• Camera

Send it in . . . merchandise returned
postpaid if not entirely satisfied.

Wass

• ^ i n u« ti A n

Camera Co.

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CHICAGO 2, ILL.

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LENSES for Today
and the Future

B&H-THC Cine Lenses are
not merely ideally corrected
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New York: 30 Rockefeller Plaza
Hollywood: 716 N. La Brea Ave.

Washington, D. C.: 1221 G Sf., N. W.
London: 13-14 Great Castle SI.

American Cinematographer • September, 1945

321

Sound and the Amateur

( Continue d from Page 304)

Evening Scenes

Liebestraum
In a Monastery Garden
Traumerei — Schumann
Evening Song — Schumann
The Poet Speaks — Schumann

Mountain Scenes

Kamennoi Ostrow . . . Cloister Scene —
Rubenstein

Painted Desert . . . from Grand Canyon
Suite — Grofe

Oriental Scenes
In a Persian Market

War Scenes — Semi-Martial

Coronation March . . . from The Prophet
— Meyerbeer

Hungarian March— Berlioz
Hungarian Rhapsody — Liszt

Cradle of Cinema

(Continued from Page 316)

try. Here, should be housed personal ef¬
fects, depicting film ventures and appa¬
ratus which were used by the companies,
represented by such men as Edison,
Laemmle, William Fox, Lewis J. Selz-
nick, William A. Brady, Lubin, Kessel
& Bauman and other pioneers who in
a great measure were responsible for the
rise of the film industry.

(NOTE: All rights reserved by the author, in¬
cluding the right to reproduce this article or por¬
tions thereof, in any form.

Telefilm to Expand
in 16mm Field

Plans for post-war expansion in the
16-millime'er film field have just been
revealed by Joseph A. Thomas, presi¬
dent of the Telefilm Studios, in announc¬
ing the appointment of Ralf M. Spangler
and Associates as public relations coun¬
selors and the Advertisers Production
Agency, both of Los Angeles, to handle
increased publicity and advertising pro¬
grams on a national basis.

Thomas stated that the new Telefilm
studios to be erected immediately on
Hollywood Boulevard would be the most
elaborately equipped 16-millimeter color
film and sound plant in the world. Tele¬
film has produced films during the war
for the government, Armed Forces,
Lockheed, Douglas Aircraft, Standard
Oil, Food Machinery Corporation, Santa
Fe Railroad and other large corpora¬
tions. Now that war-time shortages and
restrictions will be removed, the studio’s
intention to become the “little MGM”
of 16-millimeJer will be realized, Presi¬
dent Thomas declared.

FOR SALE

WE BUY, SELL AND RENT PROFESSIONAL
AND 16mm EQUIPMENT, NEW AND USED.
WE ARE DISTRIBUTORS FOR ALL LEAD¬
ING MANUFACTURERS. RUBY CAMERA
EXCHANGE, 729 Seventh Ave., New York City.
Established since 1910.

ARRIFLEX CAMERA, 200 FOOT MOTOR DRIV¬
EN, HAND AND TRIPOD CAMERA, WITH
32MM F2 — 50MM FI. 8— 75MM FI. 8— 125MM
F2.3, ALL PAN TACHAR LENSES, 2 CARRY¬
ING CASES: 5 — 200 FOOT MAGAZINES,
FILTERS, VOLT METER, TOOL KIT, TACH¬
OMETER. COMPLETE 16MM STUDIO EQUIP¬
MENT: BERNDT-MAURER MODEL D, RE¬
CORDER, 2—400 FOOT MAGAZINES, VICTOR
FILM PHONOGRAPHS WITH SYNC MOTORS:
BELL & HOWELL 16MM 1200 WATT SOUND
PROJECTOR: 17 FOOT EXTENSION MICRO¬
PHONE BOOM; DOLLY, DOUBLE CONSOLE
TURNTABLE FOR SOUND EFFECTS; SELL
AS UNIT OR IN PART. 2BARNEY BLIMPS
FOR MITCHELL OR BELL & HOWELL
CAMERAS. NEW PRESTO DISC RECORDER,
78 AND 33 1/3 RPM. AURICON RECORDER
WITH POWER PACK, MICROPHONE BOOM,
EXTRAS. COMPLETE DOUBLE SYSTEM RE¬
CORDING UNIT: BOLEX CAMERA 16MM
200 FOOT MAGAZINE, SYNC MOTOR, TRI¬
POD, AURICON RECORDER, 200 FOOT CA¬
PACITY, AMPLIFIER. VINTEN GYRO TRI¬
POD; CINEMATOGRAPHERS HAND BOOK.
$4.00; GEAR TRIPODS; 500-1000-2000 WATT
SPOTLIGHTS, FRESNEL LENSES. REWINDS ;
16-35MM GRISWOLD NEW, USED SPLIC¬
ERS; AKELEY CAMERA COMPLETELY
EQUIPPED, LENSES FROM 35MM TO 17".
DE BRIE MODEL L, NEUMANN-SINCLAIR,
EYEMOS AND DEVRY CAMERAS. BELL &
HOWELL STEP PRINTER. BELL & HOWELL
70DA, FILMO D. WRITE FOR CAMART
TRIPOD CIRCULAR.

CAMERA MART

70 WEST 45TH STREET, NEW YORK

BACKGROUND PROJECTION OUTFIT WORTH
$10,000.00, now $4,990.00; latest RCA Photo¬
phone dry galvanometer vibrators, $375.00 ;
RCA ribbon microphones, $54.50 ; complete Re¬
cording Truck for studio or location, $7,975.00 ;
Recording Amplifier with condenser microphone,
$125.00 ; Newman-Sinclair 35mm camera, lenses,
magazines, tripod, motor, cases, accessories,
$1250.00; Continuous Contact 16mm. Printers,
Picture, Track or Both, $1,375.00. Send for
Summer Catalog. S. O. S. CINEMA SUPPLY
CORPORATION, NEW YORK 18.

FOR SALE — WESTERN ELECTRIC-AKELEY
Single System Camera, 12-volt motor, two 1000-
ft. B&H magazines, 40mm., 50mm. 75mm. Astro
F.2.3 lenses with matched finder lenses ; friction
head tripod ; new variable intensity galvanome¬
ter, portable amplifier, vibrator B supply. Cables,
Cases and RCA microphone. Blue Seal Sound
Devices, 7 Gracie Square, New York City.

MISCELLANEOUS

SOUND RECORDING ENGINEER, WITH THOR-
ough experience in all phases of motion picture
work, desires position. Prefer complete charge
of sound department. Box 1023, American Cine¬
matographer.

EDITORIAL CHIEF OF MOTION PICTURE
company would like to change for wider oppor¬
tunity. Thorough knowledge all phases of picture
business. Would like to develop into production
manager. American Cinematographer, Box 1025.

HOME MOVIE FANS, JOIN MOTION PICTURE
Educational Society. Free valuable information.
Box 875, Reading, Pa.

WANTED

WANTED TO BUY FOR CASH
CAMERAS AND ACCESSORIES
MITCHELL B&H EYEMO DEBRIE AKELEY
ALSO LABORATORY AND CUTTING ROOM
EQUIPMENT

CAMERA EQUIPMENT COMPANY
1600 BROADWAY, NEW YORK CITY 19
CABLE: CINEQUIP

WE PAY CASH FOR EVERYTHING PHOTO¬
GRAPHIC. Write us today. Hollywood Camera
Exchange. 1600 Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood.

SOUND PROJECTORS, CAMERAS, TRIPODS,
STUDIO, LABORATORY OR RECORDING
EQUIPMENT. HIGHEST PRICES PAID.
S. O. S. CINEMA SUPPLY CORPORATION,
NEW YORK 18.

EASTMAN KODAK. SOUND BLIMP, RCA
sound Camera, 400 ft. magazines. No lens.
Eastman Kodak, 110 volt, Synchronous motor
for Cine Special. 16mm. measuring machine.
16mm. synchronizer. 16mm Moviola editor. Bell
& Howell Editor, Craig Editor, 16mm. Sound
projector. Sam’s Electric Shop, 35 Monroe St.,
Passaic, New Jersey.

Suy Victory War Sen 4 A

322

September, 1945 • American Cinematographer

U. S. Army Signal Corps Photo

HeART-WARMING as the familiar pictures of small boys
slipping into the circus, this shot from the South Pacific is
pretty good evidence that Yanks run true to form.

Their urge to enjoy a glimpse of home life is overwhelm¬
ing. So, at odd moments, often under the weirdest of condi¬
tions, fighting men see the latest Hollywood pictures . . .
sooner, frequently, than they hit “Main Street”!

Every night — all over the world — more than 5000 movies
are jammed with an estimated 1,500,000 service men and
women. The movies easily reach the places where entertain¬
ment matters most.

Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester 4, N. Y.

J. E. BRULATOUR, INC., Distributors
FORT LEE CHICAGO HOLLYWOOD

ne °* a series of
advertisements by
KODAK testifying to

the achievements of
the movies at war

American Cinematographer • September, 1945

323

Filmo Aristocrat
8mm. Camera with 3-lens
turret head

Filmo Auto Master 16mm.
Magazine-Loading Camera
with 3-lens turret head

Filmo Sportster
8mm. Camera

Filmo 70-D 16mm.
Camera with 3-len$
' f|» turret head

Filmo Auto Load 16mm.
Magazine-Loading Camera

How to Get Earliest Delivery
of B&H Equipment

Send the coupon now for literature helpful in
selecting the B&H models which will serve
you best. Then register your needs promptly
with the near-by B&H dealer, to be high on
his preference list for early delivery.

BELL & HOWE

THEN HERE’S A T

By J. H. McNabb, President,

Home movie cameras . . . and
projectors, too . . . will soon be¬
gin to reappear in store windows.

But don’t buy too hastily! Re¬
member this: the fine equipment
that you’ll want . . . and must
have to get movies of the quality
your taste will demand . . . may
be the last to become plentiful.

Why? Because makers of fine
equipment will be engaged the
longest in war production.

At Bell & Howell, for example,
we can now build only a few Fil¬
mo Cameras and Projectors for
civilian use. Most of our facilities
are still required for making pre-

L COMPANY

MELY WARNING

Bell & Howell Company

cision photo and optical instru¬
ments for our Armed Forces.

This long-continued demand
is, we feel, the finest of tributes.
You can probably get delivery
on other movie equipment be¬
fore you can on ours. But the
equipment that’s so widely pre¬
ferred . . . Bell & Howell . . . can
be yours if you will wait a little

MAIL THIS COUPON TODAY!

— - - - - - — j

BELL & HOWELL COMPANY |

7148 McCormick Road, Chicago 45

Please send information on silent j j 16mm!
motion picture equipment; sound ( ) 16mm.

I film projectors — for ( ) personal ( ) commercial 1
I ( ) school ( ) church use.

Chicago • New York • Hollywood • Washington, D. C. • London

SINCE 1907 THE LARGEST MANUFACTURER OF PRECISION EQUIPMENT FOR MOTION PICTURE STUDIOS

OF HOLLYWOOD AND THE WORLD

I

Name . I

I

I

Address . I

I

I

THE mor/on

P/CTURE

p

i

•-

a

J /.

w

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l "Ttvi

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* * :

ij

mm

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L a » i mPGfiSiSjSffit *

A ,■# w -yVgy^Ty iUNt^T ' * * gjlii yW

(No. 11 of a series on the manufacture of Du Pont Motion Picture Film )

Sensitive film
a watchful

meets

eye

CHECK THESE FEATURES
OF DU PONT MOTION
PICTURE FILM

* 1. Retains latent image

* 2. Extreme wide latitude

* 3. Color balance

As newly coated Du Pont wide stock
film emerges from air-conditioned dry¬
ing chambers, it is met by the keen eye
of an expert inspector.

S-L-O-W-L-Y . . . the film moves
through the faint illumination of both
transmitted and reflected safelights.
The inspector has ample time to scan
every inch of the coated surface. Should
an imperfection appear, its exact posi¬
tion on the roll is recorded, and later
that part of the film is cut out.

This is not a final inspection by any

means. It is simply one of many such
operations in the Du Pont plant that
help assure quality products. This care
in manufacturing Du Pont Motion Pic¬
ture Film explains why America’s lead¬
ing cinematographers give it their
wholehearted stamp of approval.

E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.
(Inc.), Photo Products Department,
Wilmington 98, Delaware.

In New York: Empire State Building
In Hollywood: Smith & Aller, Ltd.

• 4. Fine grain

• 5. Speed

• 6. Contrast

9 7. Excellent flesh tones

rE<5. U. S. FAT. Off-

Paper is still scarce — save every scrap of it

DO PONT

MOTION PICTURE FILM

BETTER THINGS FOR BETTER LIVING
...THROUGH CHEMISTRY

326

October, 1945 • American Cinematographer

CORPS’

gUPER

■SHOORSR

Eyemo fights, too. Members of Camera Combat Unit F go aloft for their first
aerial photographic flight armed with Eyemos. Off idol Army Air Forces Photo.

./VloFT, Eyemo films sharp, clear, accurate
records of enemy defenses . . . spots gun em¬
placements . . . points out hidden landing
strips . . . discovers how many enemy men
are where in the combat area.

In the hands of well-trained, capable
youngsters like the two above, Eyemo also
films battle actions . . . helps keep a con¬
tinuous history of the way we’re winning
the war on every front.

It’s natural that Eyemo should be entrusted
with these vital wartime tasks. It’s always
been the camera for men of action. It’s al¬
ways been the camera that gets the scene . . .

that can take the punishment of constant
knockabout use . . . because we designed and
built Eyemo as a newsreel camera ... to be
used by men who must film the news fast,
accurately . . . who must depend on their
cameras to get the shot the first time . . .
or not at all.

And today Eyemo is the first choice
of seasoned news cameramen wherever
news happens from New Guinea to New
England.

Bell & Howell Company, Chicago; New
York; Hollywood; Washington, D. C.;
London. Established 1907 .

Trade-mark registered

FOR 37 YEARS MAKERS OF THE WORLD’S FINEST EQUIPMENT FOR HOME AND PROFESSIONAL MOTION PICTURES

American Cinematographer • October, 1945

327

VOL. 26

OCTOBER, 1945

NO. 10

CONTENTS

The Staff

Review of the Film News .

Aces of the Camera (Glen Gano, A.S.C.) . By Hal Hall

The Men Behind the Combat Cameramen, By Sgt. Herb A. Lightman

Hollywood’s Smallest Studio . By Hilda Black

Telefilming Horse Races . By Norman Hartford

The “Guzap” That Went to War .

A.S.C. Around the World .

Through the Editor’s Finder .

Home Movie Projectors, Era of 1912 . By W. Rees Lumley

330

331

332

333

334

335

336
338
340

The Production of Scientific Films for Biological

and Medical Purposes . By J. Yule Bogue, Ph.D., M.R.C.V.S. 342

Among the Movie Clubs . 344

ON THE FRONT COVER is a scene from “Never Say Goodbye,” a War¬
ner Bros, production starring Errol Flynn. At the camera is Director of
Photograph, Arthur Edeson, A.S.C. Photo by Mac Julian.

OFFICERS AND BOARD OF GOVERNORS
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

Leonard Smith, President Fred Jackman. Exec. V.-Pres. and Treas.

Charles Clarke, First Vice-President Joseph Walker, Second Vice-President

Arthur Edeson, Third Vice-President Ray Rennahan, Secretary

George Folsey, Sergeant-at-Arms

John Arnold Byron Haskin John Seitz

John Boyle Sol Polito Leon Shamroy

Lee Garmes William Skall

EDITOR
Hal Hall

•

TECHNICAL EDITOR
Emery Huse, A.S.C.

•

ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Edward Pyle, Jr.

•

MILITARY ADVISOR
Col. Nathan Levinson

•

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Mel Traxel

•

ARTIST

Glenn R. Kershner, A.S.C.

•

CIRCULATION AND ADVERTISING
Marguerite Duerr

ADVISORY EDITORIAL BOARD

Fred W. Jackman, A- S. C.

Victor Milner, A. S. C.

Alvin Wyckolf, A.S.C.

Farciot Edouart, A. S. C.

Fred Gage, A. S. C.

Dr. J. S. Watson, A. S. C.

Dr. L. A. Jones. A. S. C.

Dr. C. E. K. Mees, A. S. C.

Dr. W. B. Rayton. A. S. C.

Dr. V. B. Sease, A. S. C.

•

AUSTRALIAN REPRESENTATIVE

McGill's, 173 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne.
Australian and New Zealand Agents

•

Published monthly by A. S. C. Agency, Inc.

Editorial and business offices :

1782 North Orange Drive
Hollywood (Los Angeles, 28), California
Telephone: GRanite 2135
•

Established 1920. Advertising rates on appli¬
cation. Subscriptions: United States and Pan-
American Union, $2.50 per year; Canada, $2.75
per year ; Foreign. $3.50. Single copies, 25c ;
back numbers, 30c ; foreign, single copies 35e.
back numbers 40c. Copyright 1945 by A. S. C.
Agency, Inc.

•

Entered as second-class matter Nov. 18, 1937.
at the postoffice at Los Angeles, California, under
the act of March 3, 1879.

328

October, 1945 • American Cinematographer

66

There is no practical projection feature or operating
convenience which the Animatophone lacks. Every
need of the user, and every conceivable operating
condition has been anticipated and provided for in
this, the greatest projector of them all.

In many schools, in homes, in churches, the young
folks set up, thread, run and re-wind the Animato¬
phone. It’s easy . . . it’s foolproof. During the late
war, entirely untrained soldiers, sailors, WACs and
WAVEs found the Victor Animatophone the easiest
to operate, as well as affording the most faithful
sound projection and brilliant screen images.

VICTOR

I M AT OG RAP H CORPORATION

Home Office and Factory: Davenport, Iowa
New York (181 McGraw-Hill Building, 330 W. 42nd Street
Chicago 111 188 W. Randolph

EQUIPMENT SINCE 1923

invest in v inury uunas

During the 8th Victory Drive

AN

MAKERS OF I6MM

(fyech these six simple operation
and maintenance features

ABUNDANT FINGER
ROOM — Easy accessi¬
bility makes threading a
pleasure.

SWING OUT LENS
MOUNT — Exclusive Vic¬
tor feature which adds to
ease of threading.

SINGLE OVERSIZE
SPROCKET — Simplifies
threading, protects film.
Less chance of film break¬
age at splices.

REVERSE — One lever
puts film and machine in
reverse instantly.

REMOVABLE PARTS —

The removal for cleaning
of optical and sound parts
is accomplished instantly
without tools.

ALL OUTSIDE CON¬
TROLS — Ready accessi¬
bility of all controls makes
Victor easiest to operate.

American Cinematographer • October, 1945

329

REVIEW OF THE FILM NEWS

100K for both American and British
. film industries to start producing
motion pictures in the German lan¬
guage soon. It seems that at least a
thousand important German film pro¬
duction personages, including many in
the creative branches, have assembled
in Vlotho to see what can be done about
reviving German film production.

With an eye to a future big money
distribution field, British and American
film company representatives are re¬
ported offering fat contracts to many
of the Germans to leave Germany and
work on German language films in Lon¬
don and Hollywood. With most of the
better German film creators already out
of Germany, it looks as though German
film production business will be hit its
final blow if the remainder of its cre¬
ative brains leaves for Hollywood and
London. But such a move would give
British and Americans a lush future film
market.

Industrials by Majors

With Monogram studios leading the
way with an industrial film, made for a
group of Los Angeles clothing manu¬
facturers, it is more than possible that
major companies in Hollywood will soon
be delving into the industrial field which
is rapidly becoming a very lucrative
spot. Industrial made by Monogram is
a 60-minute film on Kodachrome, and is
in the nature of a lavish fashion show.
It was paid for, according to reports, by
a group of sixty Los Angeles clothing-
manufacturers and is being shown to
buyers and patrons of leading depart¬
ment stores.

American Films in Netherlands

A strong contradiction of widespread
rumors that American films have been
banned in the Netherlands by a govern¬
ment decree, comes from Renier Urges
of the Netherlands Association of Cine¬
ma Owners (Nederlandsche Bioscoop
Bond). Mr. Urges declares that the
royal decree issued by the Netherlands
government in London in 1944 only
made the importation of films into the
country subject to government license.
However, this decree is now invalid and
there are absolutely no restrictions upon
the importation of American motion pic¬
tures. The main drawback to a larger
importation of American motion pictures
has been the scarcity of foreign ex¬

change, but large amounts now have
been made available for the purchase
of films abroad. He also brought out the
fact that the Ministry of Education,
Arts and Sciences had announced that
two royal decrees concerning the purge
of the film industry of Nazi elements
would be published shortly and that in
the meantime no motion pictures will be
made inside the Netherlands until the
producers have been given a clean bill
of health by the Film Purging Com¬
mission. Adding a general survey of the
Netherlands film industry, Mr. Urges
said that an additional complication has
been the shortage of film materials
which made it impossible for the indus¬
try to make sufficient copies for wider
distribution.

Independent Production

Of particular interest to free-lance
cinematographers in recent news is a
move toward decentralization of motion
picture production, which bids fair to in¬
crease in coming boom post-war era. It
is revealed that 43 independent produc¬
ers will make at least 75 of the feature
pictures which will be released by major
companies during the coming year. This
is exclusive of the group who release
through United Artists. With increased
independent production there should be
greater demand for top free-lance direc¬
tors of photography.

16mm Challenge

Judging from the news, America’s the¬
atres are going to face tremendous com¬
petition from the 16mm industry in the
not too distant future. In Hollywood
alone there are at least a score of pro¬
duction companies that are planning oig
entertainment film programs for 16mm,
and it is reliably reported that a num¬
ber of groups are making efforts to line
up 16mm circuits to reach the home pro¬
jector owners. New 16mm producing
companies are planning to make good
pictures of highly entertaining type.
Major companies that now sell 16mm
rights to their films do not release them
for at least a year after they have
played the theatres, and it is felt the
new narrow gauge films planned will cut
drastically into the majors’ year old re¬
leases as well as make a dent in theatre
grosses. Large number of army and
navy cameramen who have been trained

in use of 16mm cameras are also said to
be planning to get into the new field.

Raw Stock

Fear that increased shipments of raw
stock to foreign countries might cut in
on needed supply for American film
companies were allayed by statement
from Washington that control over raw
stock exports will be retained, at least
until the middle of October and maybe
longer, by the War Production Board
and the Foreign Economic Administra¬
tion. It had previously been announced
that all controls would be lifted. New
move assures American film companies
of all the raw stock they need. Wash¬
ington announcement said war-expanded
facilities for raw stock production per¬
mit a maximum quarterly production of
between 595 and 600 million linear feet.

Television

From new York comes word of the es¬
tablishment of a permanent television
film unit by the American Broadcasting
Company. It is interesting to note that
the company is employing only union
cameramen, which indicates that televi¬
sion broadcasters realize that motion
picture cameramen, with their years of
practical experience, are what television
needs. At start of television the engi¬
neers attempted to have cameras man¬
ned by engineers, but eventually have
learned that the only substitute for a
good cameraman is another good cam¬
eraman.

New Trend

With the close of the war a new trend
in production policy has come to the
fore. New policy brings in movies re¬
lating to the problems of service men re¬
turning to post-war life in America.
Practically every studio in Hollywood
has one or more films of this nature
either in production or preparation.
Method in which various studios are
treating the films dealing with readjust¬
ment and rehabilitation of the veterans
varies from bitter dramatic indictments
to light musicals and comedies. — H. H.

330

October, 1945 • American Cinematographer

ACES

of the

CAMERA

GLEN GANO

A. S. C.

By HAL HALL

GLEN GANO, A.S.C., has created
more mechanical devices pertain¬
ing to the picture business that
have eventually been patented by other
people than any other man in the motion
picture industry.

While Glen is a cinematographer by
profession, he is a scientist at heart, and
throughout his quarter of a century in
the profession he has spent years in re¬
search, with results that have been of
tremendous value to everybody but him¬
self. And — he is not through with his re¬
search and inventiveness yet — we predict
that one day before too long he will be
heard from with another forward me¬
chanical step in the photographic field,
but this time Glen will become a busi¬
ness man for a change and will profit
from his labors.

In 1917, during the first World War, a
group of 65 men from the film studios,
under the leadership of Lee Lawson of
Universal Studios, went to Washington,
D. C., where they formed one of the
units of the camouflage division. For a
time they were together as a part of the
40th Engineers. Glen didn’t like being a
soldier. He wanted to be transferred to
some other outfit where he could use his
knowledge as a cameraman. Not being
able to make any headway toward a
change by letter writing, he decided he
would have to get to the proper people
in Washington in person. So he arranged
to be made a cook in his unit. As a cook
he got every other day off, so he went to
various governmental departments in
Washington every other day seeking
some means of being of better service
in some department where his camera
knowledge could be of value.

Finally, he succeeded in reaching Her¬
bert E. Ives, distinguished scientist, who
immediately requested that Glen be
transferred to the Aviation Section of
the Photographic Science and Research
Department. Professor Robert A. Milli¬
kan headed this department. Among the
scientists and physicists connected with
the department were Ives, Dr. Duff,
author of Duff’s Physics, Dr. Merrill of

the Mt. Wilson Observatory, Adolph
Neitz of Eastman Kodak Research Lab¬
oratories, and many others.

What was needed was film fast enough
to photograph camouflaged objects on
the ground from airplanes flying at vari¬
ous altitudes. Glen worked in close col¬
laboration with Ives and Di\ Duff. The
others came in from time to time to
check up on the progress being made in
the developing of the fast film. Facili¬
ties for experimenting were unlimited,
and Glen spent hours in the laboratory
studying and working with Ives. A pilot
would take Glen up each morning to
make his photographic tests. The re¬
mainder of the day was spent in the lab¬
oratory. The final result was fast pan¬
chromatic film. This was for the govern¬
ment.

After two years in this experimental
laboratory, Glen was instructed to com¬
pile all the data and formulae pertaining
to panchromatic film. When that was
done, his report was shipped to the East¬

man Kodak Company laboratories in
Rochester. At the end of 1919 Glen re¬
turned to Hollywood, brimming over
with enthusiasm and new photographic
ideas which he had learned in his two
years of experimenting. Among these
new ideas was the idea of shooting night
shots in daylight. Glen hit upon this by
accident.

He had sensitized some film in the lab¬
oratory, and from the top of a hangar
was some test shots. He had used the
wrong combination of filters, so when
the film was developed it appeared to
have no image on it. He kept it going
through the developer until highlights
finally started to appear. Then full de¬
velopment brought out the picture which
looked exactly as though it had been
shot at night. He started at once to ex¬
periment with different filters and sen¬
sitizing solutions until he finally obtained
the perfect effect. He put this into prac-

(Continued on Page 348)

American Cinematographer • October, 1945

331

The Men Behind The
Combat Cameramen

By Sgt. HERB A. LIGHTMAN

U. S. ARMY SIGNAL CORPS

WE first spoke of it on board ship
during our recent voyage home
from overseas. A group of us,
all combat motion picture cameramen of
the 167th Signal Photo Co., were sitting
up on deck talking over the year we had
just spent filming the European war.

We all agreed that the company had
done well on its assigned tactical mis¬
sion. The mission had not been an easy
one. As official photographer for Gen¬
eral Bradley’s 12th Army Group, it had
been our job to accompany front-line
troops into action, to shoot under fire
films for tactical analysis, as well as for
newsreel release to troops overseas and
to the folks back home.

Our record spoke for itself. The 167th
had participated in four major battle
campaigns, shot footage during a period
of 250 consecutive combat days, and had
been presented with the meritorious
service award. In addition there were
numerous individual awards for valor.

The photographic record, too, was im¬
pressive. Combat units covered the
smashing of the Siegfried Line, the
storming of the fortress city of Metz,
crossings of the Moselle, Roer, Sauer
and Rhine rivers, and finally the link¬
up with the Russians.

We talked about all these things as
we watched the blue ocean glide by on
our way back to the good old U.S.A. We
were trying to decide what factors had
enabled our company and other Signal
Corps photographic companies to follow
through with the degree of efficiency and
esprit de corps that had characterized
the Army’s photographic program in the
European theatre of war.

A leading factor was, of course, in¬
telligent leadership. Our commanding
officer, Capt. Merle H. Chamberlin, and
1st Sgt. Gene B. Coogan (both of M-G-M
studios) had welded the company into a
unit that took pride in its work as the
photographic “eyes” of the Signal
Corps. We were a team — and we had
good leaders.

But there were other men behind us
as we set out to do our wartime photo¬
graphic job — men of the Research Coun¬
cil of the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences who had set up the
mechanism for recruiting cameramen
into the Army.

Side-by-side with them were veteran
top-notch cinematographers of the Amer¬
ican Society of Cinematographers — men
like John Arnold, Emery Huse, Alvin
Wykoff, Joseph Ruttenberg and Karl

Freund, who gave their time and energy
to instruct these soldiers and teach them
the “know-how” that a combat camera¬
man had to have.

Now that the war is over, I can tell
in detail how hard these men worked to
put competent cameramen on the fight¬
ing lines so that an overall picture of the
war could be recorded and preserved on
film.

As I look back now, I can say that my
career as an Army cinematographer be¬
gan in the offices of the Research Coun¬
cil of the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences way back in Septem¬
ber, 1942. At that time the Army needed
trained cameramen and needed them
badly. The Academy had accepted the
challenging job of recruiting these
cameramen for the Signal Corps.

I recall now the various types of men
who passed through the offices of the
Academy to be first interviewed, then
either accepted or rejected for the serv¬
ice.

We were a mixed group. Some of us
who had come from the studios knew
only production camera techniques and
were used to having such aids as booms,
dollies and fancy lights. We knew that
off-the-cuff combat photography was a
far cry from the sound stage.

Others in the group were veteran
newsreel cameramen used to on-the-spot
coverage of fast action. But they, too,
had to be trained the Army way.

A third large group was composed of
amateur cameramen eager to join up.
Some of these were indifferent hobbyists
who looked on motion pictures as a now¬
and-then time-killing pastime. They
were ruled out. But others — serious, ad¬
vanced amateurs who wanted more than
anything else to make motion pictures —
these had something to offer besides
mere enthusiasm. Many had been active
in cinema clubs. Some had made com¬
mercial, industrial and educational films
as an avocation. A good number had de¬
veloped a very professional style of
shooting a camera.

It was the job of the Academy to in¬
terview each man personally and to de¬
termine if that man could be trained into
the type of cameraman who would make
good motion pictures under fire. For we
were told, then and there, that our mis¬
sion would be strictly combat.

When the job of selecting the right
men had been completed, the next step
was to train these, men in the funda¬
mentals of combat cinematography, to
give them all a common basis for carry¬
ing out the important task ahead. This
is where the men of the American So¬
ciety of Cinematographers stepped in.

First came four weeks of intensive
training in photographic chemistry and
physics under the tutelage of Emery
Huse, A.S.C. For the more advanced
candidates this was valuable review. For
the less experienced it provided an in¬
dispensable fund of background knowl¬
edge. For all of us it was four weeks of
gruelling study and mental gymnastics.

(Continued on Page 355)

332

October, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Hollywood's Smallest Studio

By HILDA BLACK

YOU’VE got to hand it to Gene
Blakely, for the lad has patience,
courage and drive to back up a
terrific ambition. Cameraman, artist and
“fellow-with-a-dream,” Blakely operates
a parking lot on Las Palmas, just south
of Hollywood Boulevard.

But — between running cars back and
forth on the lot, this lanky, likeable,
Gary Cooper-ish looking young man
bounces in and out of the attendant's
hut where he has maintained, since
March, 1941, what is probably the most
unique and certainly the smallest, movie

studio on record. It’s only eight by five
feet, and Blakely has to stoop a little to
enter, but in this little studio in odd
moments when he is not parking cars, he
has created “Siegfried,” a film that may
set a new standard in entertainment for
animated short subjects.

Using the old Scandinavian Saga of
Siegfried and Brunhilde as the basis for
his story, Blakely has done right nobly
by those characters. Beautiful heroine
Brunhide is his idea of Olive de Havil-
land. “Not so much in actual appear¬
ance,” he explains, “but more as a char¬

Above is Blakely's movie studio at the edge of his
parking lot. Top left, Blakely at work in his midget
studio. Lower center, Blakely again. Two drawings
are characters he drew for his current production.

acter study. To me, Miss de Havilland
is the personification of all the wonder¬
ful qualities the Norse maiden pos¬
sessed.”

For heroic Siegfried of Poetic Edda
fame, he used himself as model, study¬
ing facial contours and proportions in
the mirror. (I know another artist whose
cartoon hero is patterned after himself:
look closely at “Red Ryder” and you’ll
see his creator, Fred Harman.)

Blakely has drawn a Wotan, not ter¬
rible nor awe-inspirnig, but more re¬
sembling a prankish Little King; three
delectable Rhinemaidens with guile, sea-
shell combs and Lana Turner curves;
Mimi and Alberich, the peculiar gnome¬
like dwarfs who covet, not the Maidens,
but their precious Rhinegold. And last,
but by no means least, there is the vil¬
lain of the piece: the evil dragon.

Only, he isn’t too revolting, because
even the villain is not entirely without
redeeming grace, when he comes to life
via artist Gene Blakely’s brush.

“Perhaps having a small son of my
own makes me acutely aware of one

(Continued on Page 356)

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American Cinematographer • October, 1945

333

7ele filming UotM Race*

By NORMAN HARTFORD

AS this article was being written
eight days after opening of the
Hollywood Park horse race meet¬
ing, no jockey had been accused of foul
riding, or suspended. This unusually
serene situation followed a wild series
of rough riding complaints at the Del
Mar track, just closed.

Critics claimed the sudden good be¬
havior of the jockeys wasn’t all a case
of any saintly desire to reform. Instead,
observers said it was induced by a mo¬
tion picture innovation at the track
called “Hollywood Park Telefilm Con¬
trol.”

Under this telefilm system, which cost
the Park a small fortune to install and

operate, 16mm telefilms are taken of
every race from start to finish.

Cameramen are perched in six towers
around the track, shoot “head on” foot¬
age of the action from the starting gate
to the finish line, catching the horses
as they round the turns and hit the
straightaways. Jockeys are conscious
that the camera eye is trained on them
to record their every move — including
any of the 1000 tricks in a jockey’s bag.

When the race is over a man in a
station wagon rounds the track, picking
up film which slid down a wire from
each tower. He rushes the film to a
darkroom where it is hastily printed and
dried (under a secret process claimed
by the Telefilm studios) and is ready to

Top left, typical scene at Hollywood Park. Above is
how the horses look to the cameramen in the towers.
Lower left, one of the camera towers from which the
races are filmed. Right, developing the film.

be shown six minutes after the race on
a six by eight foot screen in a miniature
theatre if the board of stewards so de¬
sires. Any infraction of the rules will
be plainly visible, it is claimed.

Joseph A. Thomas, Telefilm Studios
president, takes a bow for devising the
system and maintaining it in operation.
Jack Mackenzie, Hollywood Park gen¬
eral manager, is accredited with having t
conceived the idea of enlisting Holly¬
wood’s movie brains in an effort to raise
the standards of racing.

When his studio received the lucrative
contract, Thomas rolled up his sleeves
for a terrific task. Fortunately, he al¬
ready had surrounded himself with top
men of the industry. Several of his men
had been Army and Navy cameramen,
had worked under fire in Africa, Italy,

(Continued on Page 354)

.

mm

334

October, 1945 • American Cinematographer

The Guzap That
Went To War

THE oft-repeated war-time cliche — ■
“Such-and-such has gone to war,”
was more than just a threadbare
alibi to account for the shortage of
16mm. motion picture cameras for civil¬
ian use. In fact, that monotonous refrain
was the only proper way to express
what had become of the Filmo 16mm.
camera, produced since the early 20’s
by Bell & Howell Company, manufac¬
turer of professional and amateur movie
equipment, but soon to be available
again.

The Filmo went to war as the “GSAP”
— pronounced “guzap” — which is Air
Force diminutive for “gun-sight aiming
point camera,” or, — “Camera, Gun, Type
AN-N6.” And, as the guzap, it rode in
the nose, wings or elsewhere on combat
planes, recording the shooting exploits
of combat pilots. When the guns start
firing, the guzap jumps into action with¬
in an eighth of a second, showing where
the bullets went, what havoc they
wrought, and how the victim reacted.
The reaction is recorded by the guzap,
“on its own,” as it were. Because it con¬
tinues taking pictures for a pre-set one
to five seconds after the firing has
ceased.

The pilot does not have to be a pho¬
tographer to operate the guzap. But he
has to be a good gunner to bring back
a prized roll of film showing a kill. He
needs only to press his trigger— his gun
trigger — to start the shooting of both
bullets and pictures. Where the gun
points, and fires, the guzap “looks” and
records what transpires, actuated by an
electric motor supplied with current
from the plane’s electrical system.

Many breath-taking sequences, some
of which have reached the news-reel
screens, have been brought back from
combat encounters by the guzap. The
“pilot’s eye-view” of enemy installations
or equipment being shot up, of enemy
planes disintegrating in mid-air, has
been the product of this three-pound,
ever alert picture maker which, in its
peace-time version, was so popular as a
recorder of home movies for the ama¬
teur picture devotee.

In going into the fight aloft, the guzap
version of the Filmo had to be fortified
for conditions and rugged usage never

encountered in the hands of the movie
amateur, however. Temperatures, in all
climates and at all altitudes; vibrations
set up by aircraft power plants or air¬
craft guns; quick starting lest the battle
to be recorded be over before the camera
started functioning- — these were but a
few of the requirements or conditions
Bell & Howell engineers had to work
out with engineers of the Photo¬
graphic Laboratory, Engineering Divi¬
sion, Wright Field.

Because the guzap had to function
perfectly at extreme altitudes, while
temperatures are encountered fit to
freeze even a camera with only its lens
sticking out of a plane wing or nose,
a heater had to be provided. The guzap
has its own electric heater, thermo¬
statically controlled, right inside the
camera case. The heater draws only
two amperes, but assures operation at
temperatures from sixty degrees below
zero to one hundred and sixty-five above
zero, Fahrenheit.

(Continued on Page 349)

Left is the "Guzap." Right, smoking enemy plane
caught in "line of fire" of gun-sight aiming-point-
camera. Note how tracer bullets reveal path of
bullets from plane.

Above, is view of a gun-sight aiming-point-camera
mounted in the nose of a P-38.

American Cinematographer • October, 1945

335

- - A. S. C.

AROUND THE WORLD {rt

SEEING BERLIN — Here we see Captain Ted McCord,
A.S.C., and Lt. Col. Crump, writer at Warner
Brothers Studios, in the heart of ruined Berlin. They
covered the famous Big Three Meeting at Potsdam,
and in this scene they are about to make lasting film

records of what our bombers did to Berlin. A.S.C.
men were at every front during the war and played
a big part in recording it on film for posterity. Capt.
McCord is now out of the service and is back at
Warners.

Where They're Working

As this issue of the Cinematographer
goes to press members of the A.S.C. are
photographing feature productions as
follows:

Columbia Studios

Rudy Mate — “Gilda.” Charles Lawton
— “Perilous Holiday.” Phil Tannura—
“Secret Story.”

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Joe Ruttenberg — “Adventure.” Sidney
Wagner — “The Postman Always Rings
Twice.” Robert Surtees — “Two Sisters
from Boston.” Charles Schoenbaum —
“Bad Bascomb.” Jack Smith — “Holiday
in Mexico.” George Folsey — “The Green
Years.” Hal Rosson — “No Leave, No
Love.” Karl Freund — “Time for Two.”
Len Smith — “The Fiesta.”

Monogram

William Sickner — “Stepping Around.”
Harry Neumann — “Rollin’ Along.”

Paramount

Charles Lang — “Blue Skies.” John
Seitz — “Take This Woman.” Lionel Lin-
don — “Monsieur Beaucaire.”

P.R.C.

Ben Kline — “I Ring Doorbells.” Marcel
LePicard — “Caravan Trails.”

(Continued on Page 353)

HORSLEY HONORED

M/Sgt. David S. Horsley has been pre¬
sented the Legion of Merit by Colonel
J. K. McDuffie, Commanding Officer of
the 18th AAF Base Unit (Motion Pic¬
ture Unit), Culver City, at a ceremony
held at that installation.

Sgt. Horsley was awarded the Legion
of Merit for the performance of out¬
standing services during the period of
September 1944, to March 1945, in con¬
nection with the invention and develop¬
ment of a secret device which materially
added to the success of briefing B-29
crews for Jap operations.

Formerly employed as a cameraman
by Universal Pictures, Inc., Sgt. Horsley
is a member of the American Society of
Cinematographers, International Photog¬
raphers, and a past member of the Valley
Radio Society.

Sgt. Horsley and his wife, Mrs. Alma
V. Horsley, reside at 11304 Burbank
Ave., North Hollywood, California.

Left, Colonel J. K. McDuffie, Commanding Officer
of the 18th AAF Base Unit (Motion Picture Unit),
Culver City, California, awards the Legion of Merit
for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the perform¬
ance of outstanding services to Master Sergeant
David S. Horsley. Next to Sgt. Horsley is Staff Ser¬
geant Steffen L. Hansen, who received Air Medal for
outstanding service in connection with photo missions
over Japan.

336

October, 1945 • American Cinematographer

WE THANK YOU -

for

your patience
your understanding
your friendly helpfulness
in our difficulties of
the past four years —

WE PROMISE YOU

from this time forward —

A complete and extended program

of

Brulatour Service

ivith

EASTMAN FILMS —

J. E. BRULATOUR, Inc.

— Distributors —

THROUGH

THREE new members were added to
the roster of the American Society
of Cinematographers, and one other
member who has been out of the A.S.C.
for some time resumed membership; he
is John Alton. The new members are
Vincent Farrar, resident member; Nico¬
las Toporkoff of Paris, France, and Rob¬
ert J. Sable of Chicago, Ill. They are
non-resident members. We are also glad
to welcome the return from the Armed
Service of Ted McCord and Wilfrid M.
Cline. Captain Henry Freulich, M.C., is
also reported back in the States from the
South Pacific, but still in service.

FILM Producer Jack L. Warner should
be praised for his stand in regard to
the making of motion pictures with eco¬
nomic themes in the post-war era.

“Post-war film makers should not hes¬
itate to concern themselves with such
problems as economic stability, full em¬
ployment and the stamping out of in¬
tolerance,” says Mr. Warner. He ex¬
plains that his company has made so-
called war pictures because “I felt that
a motion picture art which failed to
concern itself with the impact upon the
individual of the greatest military con¬
flict in history would be a very sterile
medium indeed.”

Mr. Warner adds, “When the atomic
bomb hit Hiroshima, every man, woman
and child in the country became aware
of their personal stage in the mainte¬
nance of peace. And when an airplane
plant or a shipyard closes down, the sub¬
ject of unemployment becomes of vital
interest to the men and women who are
out of work. I doubt that motion pic¬
tures can neglect these themes.”

Right, Mr. Warner. Films have passed
the custard pie stage. They have become
a vital factor in our everyday lives.
They should not hesitate to deal with
the problems that are paramount in our
lives.

INTERESTING, indeed, is the state¬
ment that aerial photography as an
aid to policing Germany and Japan
should become an integral part of our
plan in those countries, made by Sher¬
man M. Fairchild of the Fairchild
Camera and Instrument Corp., New
York.

“Air photos were responsible for 90
per cent of our military intelligence in
World War II, and it is more than logical
we continue to use photography to assist
our occupation of the conquered coun¬
tries,” Fairchild said.

In his opinion, regular photographic
observation of occupied areas can deter¬
mine whether the Japs and Germans are
fully living up to terms of surrender in
the reconstruction period. The photo¬
graphs, when studied by Army and
Navy photo-interpreters, whom Fairchild

the EDITOR'S FINDER

said had proved to be “America’s secret
agents No. 1,” can thwart any attempts
of the citizens in the conquered coun¬
tries to “go underground” or “pull funny
tricks.”

Fairchild, an outstanding authority on
aerial photography, added that no com¬
prehensive planning for rebuilding
bombed and shelled areas can be done by
merely walking through the ruins. In¬
stead, aerial photographs can be used as
a map for sensible, economical recon¬
struction.

“Both the Army and Navy have thou¬
sands of aerial cameras at their dis¬
posal,” he said, “and this equipment
should be as fully used as an instrument
of peace as it was a weapon of war.”

To accomplish this task, Fairchild
feels an overall Army-Navy organization
be set up for the purpose, with full co¬
operation from the occupied countries.

Fairchild said aerial photography has
already successfully been used as a
health measure, too, aiding in malarial
control in certain Pacific areas wrested
from the Japs. Study of photomaps,
supplementing sketchy ground surveys,
paved the way to proper drainage and
cutting of malaria-producing brush
areas. Through this method, modern
medical science has been able to elimi¬
nate malaria in many sections, notably
in Guadalcanal.

Certainly, photography is becoming a
more and more important factor in our
lives.

PRACTICALLY the only big business
that has not and does not spend vast
sums in telling the world what it has
done in helping the war effort is the
motion picture industry. The aircraft
industry, automotive and rubber indus¬
tries, railroads and countless other in¬
dustries have spent untold thousands of
dollars for paid advertisements in every
conceivable type of publication telling
their part in the war. But the motion
picture industry has continued to go
quietly along, doing a terrific part in
helping win the war but saying nothing
about it.

Perhaps no industry in the world has
done so much to keep up the morale of
the men in the service as has the film
industry. To every far-flung fighting
front went actors and actresses from
Hollywood to bring cheer and entertain¬
ment to our troops. When morale was
low at some given spot the war depart¬
ment merely asked the film industry for
help, and away would go the greatest
film stars in the world to entertain the
men and bring their morale up to stand¬
ard. Practically every member of the
film entertainment field was pledged to
go wherever he or she was needed — and
they went.

But of still greater importance, per¬
haps, was the contribution of motion

pictures to the men in the services.
Francis Harmon, War Activities Com¬
mittee chairman for the film industry,
has just reported that the motion picture
industry gave films on 16mm stock to
the armed services totalling a value of
$38,500,000. This represents 43,306 prints
of feature films and 33,326 prints of
short subjects. These were not old films
— they were the newest films made in
Hollywood. In some cases films were <e-
leased to the men in the service before
they were shown in America in the film
theatres. And — these films were GIVEN
by the industry. The airplane and auto¬
mobile manufacturers sold what they
made for the government — and yet they
bought page after page of space in
magazines and newspapers to tell about
their contribution, which they had a
perfect right to do. But, the film indus¬
try said nothing — just served.

Approximately 150, 000,000* feet of
16mm raw stock was used in making up
the industry’s gift to the services, which
started a few weeks after Pearl Harbor.
One-third was contributed by Eastman
Kodak and the photo products division
of DuPont. The balance was paid for
by donor companies, and the processing
laboratories waived all profits. It is
time the world should be told of the
service of the film industry in winning
the war . . . Perhaps members of Con¬
gress, always eager to pick on the mo¬
tion picture industry and condemn it,
might come up with red faces if some¬
one should read into the congressional
record the story of the magnificent job
the film industry did during the war . . .
and for free.

ONCE again we harp on the subject
of giving directors of photography
more credit on the screen and just sim¬
ply CREDIT in the advertising of enter¬
tainment motion pictures. To the best
of this writer’s knowledge the only pro¬
duction head who gives advertising
credit to a director of photography is
Hal Wallis who releases through Para¬
mount.

As we have said many times before,
one of the most vital and important ele¬
ments in the making of a good motion
picture is the photography. Without
photography we would have no picture.
No matter how great the ability of a
director, if his cinematographer cannot
get the proper mood in his lighting that
director’s job will be injured. No matter
how great the ability of an actor, his
performance is hurt by bad angles and
poor lighting. No matter what the mood
desired by the writer, it is lost if the
cameraman doesn’t do his job properly.
The director of photography is one of
the key individuals in the making of a
film, so why shouldn’t he be given equal
billing with the other key figures ?

338

October, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Carbon arc lamps give excellent light quality and quantity,

J M f 7/

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NATIONAL CARBON COMPANY, INC.

Unit of Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation

ms

General Offices: 30 East 42nd Street, New York 17, N. Y.

Division Sales Offices: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, New York, Pittsburgh, San Francisco

American Cinematographer • October, 1945

339

Figure I

Figure 2

Home Movies Projector Era Of 1912

By R. REES LUMLEY

WITH the introduction of 8 and
16mm films, cameras and pro¬
jectors the “Home Movie” has
been made popular and practical. The
thousands of films available for rent or
purchase, the never ending flow of gad¬
gets of every description, new this, new
that, make the home movie fan quite
able to do most anything he may desire.

There was an era of home movies,
however, which was not so fortunate as
to have much assortment of equipment;

no cameras, no gadgets. It did have a
selection of films from the short, crudely
made, “nickelodeon” pictures.

This era was during the time of the
“Edison Home Kinetoscope” which was
placed on the market about 1912. (Fig.
1.) This little projector has two features,
at least, which are found on theatre
projectors today; the safety fire shutter
and Geneva Cross intermittent.

The mechanism is simple and quite
modern in its makeup. (Fig. 2.) The

continuous belt system, metal reels, re¬
wind crank on upper reel shaft, even the
reel arm position and shape is suggestive
of its having been copied by modern
projector designers. In Fig. 3 there is
more evidence that there is “nothing
new under the sun”; the door type gate,
the intermittent teeth below the aper¬
ture, the recessed film track and the flat
spring tensioned gate. Note the three
apertures.

The projection lens is positioned per¬
manently to the top of the main casting
and by means of a rack and pinion shift
(Fig. 4) the intermittent movement,
gate, and reel arms can be moved side-

(Continued on Page 350)

EDISON Mb/

HOME KINETOSCOPE

MANUFACTURED BY

Thomas A. Edison, Inc.,
Orange, NJ,,U.S-A

PATENTED

HO. m,n». MAHOM a, MHtr.

NO. JULY 30, 1BU7.

OTHER PATENTS PENOINO,

this patented machine small m

SOLO ONLY »Y JOSBEHS ANO DEALERS
AUTHORIZED m WRITH'D ST US, ANO
ONLY AT THE LIST PRICES SPECIFIED
1 IN OCR CATALOGUE CURRENT AT THE

IOATS OF SOON SALE (EXCEPT THAT SUCH1
f&mem* MAY DIVE AUTHORIZED TRADE
MISCOUNTS TO SUCH RETAIL DEALERS! ■
THE SALE AMD PURCHASE OF THIS
MACHINE dives only the rioht to
MSt IT SO LONS AH THIS PLATE IS NOT
REMOVED OR DEFACED AND IN PLACES
TO WHWH NO ADMinUIUW FEE ID OHAHSIP.

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

340

October, 1945 • American Cinematographer

THE FILM’S
THE THING!

THE million details of production —
from script and casting to the final
take — have only one purpose: to flash
a particular pattern onto a ribbon of film.

It’s the film itself that must make the
picture. When all is done, the film is the
picture.

A good reason for choosing Ansco Supreme
Negative.

For this outstanding film has the ability
to make the most of everything it sees
through the lens.

Its smooth gradation, fine grain and high
resolving power, in competent hands, per¬

mit negatives of unsurpassed quality —
negatives which will yield beautiful re¬
lease prints.

Try Ansco Supreme Negative. Convince
yourself of its superiority.

Ansco

A DIVISION OF GENERAL ANILINE
& FILM CORPORATION

BINGHAMTON ' HOLLYWOOD • NEW YORK

KEEP YOUR EYE ON ANSCO — FIRST WITH THE FINEST

American Cinematographer • October, 1945 341

The Production of Scientific Films for
Biological and Medical Purposes

(On 16mm Film Stock)

By J. YULE BOGUE, Ph D., M.R.C.V.S.

(Continued from Last Month)

Slow motion following normal motion
should always be used where very rapid
changes are involved, but only where
you want the nature of the change to be
demonstrated, such as the movements of
the wing in flight, the sequence of events
in the contracting heart, the break down
of tissues under stress and so on. It
is also desirable when demonstrating a
surgical technique where rapid move¬
ment is essential.

Animation and superimposed outlines
are also valuable, but this technique
should only be used when it is not pos¬
sible to portray clearly your effects by
other photographic means. Animation is
a great help in many films, and in some
is essential. It must be done really well.
Most of the animations we see create
a ludicrous atmosphere due to poor ani¬
mation technique. The animation must
be smooth as possible, and great care
must be taken with the outline registra¬
tion. There is nothing more irritating
than a figure which squirms and shim¬
mies on the screen. Whether the draw¬
ings be animated or static, they should
be left until all the living shots have
been made. One reason for this being
that the drawing should not be too
stylized; it should be a much simplified
though faithful representation of the
subject. The general form of the out¬
lines should be based on enlarged frames
of the actual film, or from stills taken
at the time of filming. In the case of
static outlines, to assist the audience in
orientation, the outline must be made
from one of the actual frames of the
sequence. Instead of having a drawing
preceding or following an actual scene,
it is preferable to superimpose the out¬
line over the actual scene and to fade
it in or out as required. Diagrams and
animation should, of course, be fully
noted in the script.

At this stage we come up against
a delicate point. I believe that in the
type of film we are making (remember
the film is not making any new con¬
tribution to knowledge), we should send
copies of the completed script to col¬
leagues in the same field in order to
get their constructive criticism. I see
no reason why this should not be done;
after all, these are the people who
will be using our films. Two, or pos¬
sibly three, outside people are all that
are necessary. In the case of a sound
film, this often results in the improve¬
ment in the commentary. But do not
send the film script to a large com-

Note: The article by Dr. Bogue is printed through the
courtesy of the Photographic Journal, official organ
of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain.
— The Editor.

mittee; they often cannot differentiate
between commentary and camera in¬
structions and insist in altering gram¬
mar in both because they feel they
must do something.

In the case of films for export, we
must, I think, use a small panel of ex¬
perts, as the film must give a balanced
statement of the scientific progress and
generally accepted opinions of the coun¬
try of origin. I do not consider this
essential when the purpose of the film
is to demonstrate a particular technique
or discovery associated with a living
worker who has taken part in the pro¬
duction. If the person concerned has not
taken part in the production, then he
should be consulted at every stage and
his approval of the final result obtained.
It is far better that criticism should be
levelled at the script stage, before any
of the shots have been made, than when
the film is completed, as it may be im¬
possible to effect the necessary amend¬
ments.

When the final version of the script
has been completed and approved, the
means of recording must be studied in
detail. In biological and medical sub¬
jects many of the phenomena are likely
to be unrepeatable; in most cases half
a dozen retakes cannot be made on the
same subject. In many cases where a re¬
take is necessary the unit may have to
wait for another case or a new sub¬
ject to enable them to replace their
unsatisfactory shots, and to repeat a
longer sequence in order to obtain case
unity. In the case of surgical films the
camera man must go and watch the
type of surgical procedure he is going
to record and examine the surroundings
in which he is to work. Operations can¬
not be held up for the camera, though
in some cases there may be a fair
amount of latitude. The camera must
not get in the way of the surgeon, nor,
of course, must the surgeon’s hand or
head obscure the field. In other words,
the surgeon and camera must work as
a team, each must anticipate the other’s
movements. The camera has to be fitted
into the routine of the operating the¬
atre and must not constitute a hazard.
If the camera can operate from an over¬
head framework, so much the better.
Here, the camera, camera-man and
lighting can be separated from the sub¬
ject by sterile cloths draped over the
structure, apertures being left for the
lens and lights, and a transparent win¬
dow sewn into the cloth for direct ob¬
servation.

It is usually necessary to make twc
complf ;e takes of any surgical proce¬

dure. The first is useful as a trial and
is instructive; the camera-man can alter
his lighting, fields and angles; the sur¬
geon, the position of his hands, and so
on. The camera must never endanger
the success of the operation.

In the case of experimental procedures
there is more freedom, the camera can
take liberties and the experiment must
be so organized that it assists the cam¬
era. The ideal case, in which camera
consideration come first, is not by any
means always possible. The experiment
may have to be carried out in a certain
laboratory possessing the facilities pe¬
culiar to the work, but it may have
many disadvantages from the viewpoint
of the camera. The laboratory may be
too small in area or lacking in height;
glass cupboards may have to be draped.
There is always some serious snag to
be overcome if the experiment cannot be
set up in a room adaptable to studio
requirements. Camera-men may be dis¬
couraged by the environment in which
they have to work. There is, however,
one consolation in laboratory work; it
is rarely necessary to include an area
greater than two square feet. In going
over some of my own films I have noted
that, with the exception of three, the
area has never been greater than one
and a half square feet, usually much
less. Even so, the range is enormous;
it may be anything from 0.1 mm. square,
with an object of study only a few
thousandths of a millimetre long, to
about 0.2 of a square meter.

Some laboratories may have a floor
pit; working in this, with the prepara¬
tion a few inches above floor level,
gives the camera and lighting greater
freedom in laboratories of small size.
Whenever possible, more than one cam¬
era should be used, preferably with
rapidly interchangeable magazines or
some speedy method of reloading of the
order of ten to fifteen seconds. As some
of the phenomena may take a fair
time and must be fully recorded, an
electric drive on one camera is essential.
It is most irritating to have to rewind
towards the end of a shot because it
runs, say, sixty instead of forty feet.
Though careful editing and cutting may
do much to retrieve the loss, it cannot
introduce an intermediate stage which
has been missed.

A battery of lenses is very pleasant
to have, but most of the work can be
done with a one-inch f/1.9 and a two-
inch f/2.9 with drawtube focusing; a
longer focus lens about four inches with
wide aperture is also desirable. Visual
focusing is essential, as is also a cor¬
rected optical viewfinder. It should be
possible to view the exact field during
the whole take. Kinemicrography is
made easier by using suitable optical
equipment for viewing the field while
the exposures are being made. When a
microscopist is viewing a field, such as
a blood smear containing parasites, he
continually alters the focus in order to
study detail. This should also be done
when the field is being filmed; it shows
up more detail and converts what would

(Continued on Page 346,

342

October, 1945 • American Cinematographee

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dependable service. Tripod head is unconditionally guaranteed 5 years.

"Professional Junior" tripods, collapsible dollys, "Hi-Hats," shift-over alignment gauges are
used by the U. S. Navy, Army Air Bases, Signal Corps, Office of Strategic Services and
other Government Agencies — also by leading Newsreel Companies, 16mm and 35mm motion
picture producers.

C AMERA EQUIPMENT COMPANY

NEW YORK, N. Y

( Franzucker)

1600 BROADWAY

Pat. No. 2,318,910
Trade Mark Reg.
U. S. Pat. Office

AMONG THE MOVIE CLUBS

St. Louis Club

The Amateur Motion Picture Club of
St. Louis this past summer changed its
policy from that of other years. In the
past the club has held no meetings dur¬
ing the summer months, but this year it
was decided to hold meetings each month,
with a happy result.

One meeting took the form of a pic¬
nic at which the members photographed
the various games and other events.
These pictures will be shown at an early
fall meeting. Another meeting was
scheduled for the night the surrender
of Japan was announced, and instead of
parading the streets 45 members showed
up at the meeting where the following
films were shown:

“It’s West Again,” 8mm, by Werner
Henze.

“Christmas Spirit,” 16mm, by James
Bialson.

“Ginger,” 8mm, by Ryne Zimmerman
of the Milwaukee Club.

“Honeymoon is Over,” 8mm, by Lon
Wadman.

La Casa Club

Three 35mm, one 16mm and one 8mm
films made up the program at the Sep¬
tember meeting of the La Casa Movie
Club of Alhambra, California. The fol¬
lowing films were screened:

“High Sierras Vacation,” 8mm, by D.
M. Gardner.

“Yosemite in the Spring,” 35mm, by
R. B. Vail.

“Canadian Rockies,” 35 mm, by Elva
M. Walker.

“Travelogs,” 16mm, by John Cook.

“Mexico, 1945,” 35mm, by Guy Nelli.

L. A. 8mm Club

“Thunderheads Over the Pacific,” a
16mm sound film in color, highlighted
the September 11th meeting of the Los
Angeles 8mm Club. The film was made
in 1941 by Captain Darrel Brady, and
shows the islands of the South Pacific
before the war. The late President F.
D. Roosevelt requested Captain Brady
to screen this film for him in person.

On September 28th the club members
held a picnic at Mineral Wells in Grif¬
fith Park.

New York Eight

Two outstanding 8mm films highlighted
the September meeting of the New York
Eight Millimeter Club. They were the
Maxim Award Winner, “In His Own
Judgment,” by Joe Harley, and “Sun-
struck,” by George Mesaros. The latter
film received honorable mention in the
list of 1945 amateur films.

M. M. P. C.

The Metropolitan Motion Picture Club
of New York City opened its current
season with an excellent program on the
evening of September 20th, at Hotel
Pennsylvania. Following are the events:

“A Day at the Zoo,” 16mm Koda-
chrome by Walter Bergmann.

“Mount Ranier,” 16mm Kodachrome,
by Frank Gunnell.

“Elementary Introduction to Light
and Color,” a 15-minute illustrated lec¬
ture by J. R. Hefele. This is the first
of a series of technicolor lectures sched¬
uled for the year.

“Russian Easter,” 16mm Kodachrome,
by George Serebrykoff.

San Francisco Club

The Cinema Club of San Francisco
held its September meeting in the De¬
fender’s Room of the Women’s City Club.
The following program was presented:

Display and demonstration of the lat¬
est Eastman 16mm silent projector.

A black-and-white 16mm Orientation
film.

Kodachrome slides of Sequoia National
Park, Rainbow Bridge and some desert
scenes, by Lewis N. Rice.

Kodachrome slides of Crater Lake,
by Leon Gagne.

Chicago Club

More than 200 amateur movie enthu¬
siasts attended the gala opening night in
the new quarters of the Chicago Cinema
Club on the evening of September 6th.
Feature of the evening was the screen¬
ing of a 2,000-foot 16mm travel film
made by Willa T. Doubson. The film cov¬
ered China, Japan and the Philippines
before the war, and made a great hit.

At the September 20th meeting Leon
F. Urbain presented his unusual color
film, “Springtime in California,” and for
the climax of the meeting he presented
“Wedding of Flowers,” a unique color
slide program synchronized to music and
representing the courtship and marriage
of various flowers.

Westwood Movie Club

Inasmuch as this issue of the Cinema¬
tographer will be on the press before the
Fourth Annual Amateur Movie Makers
Exposition is held on September 28th
under the auspices of the Westwood
Movie Club of San Francisco, we cannot
report on the event at this time. We do
hope to give a detailed account of the
affair in our next issue. — The Editor.

JhsL Qamsihaman^

By ISA L. WRIGHT

WE sing our ringing praise of pic¬
ture queens;

We laud him high — our hero of
the screens;

We even credit him who writes the
scenes

For picture fan.

But who, in numbering the ones of worth
That bring us picture gleams of joy or
mirth,

Remembers that there even lives on
earth,

The camera man?

Nay, no Adonis he, nor fair of face,

Nor hath he idol’s charm of winning
grace;

The ladies do not worship him in space,
Nor buy him flowers.

They do not send him eggs with pinky
bows;

To get an interview with him, nobody
goes;

No magazine his poseful picture shows
For musing hours.

But he’s the man behind the things
that be;

From pole to pole he scrambles desper¬
ately;

And though he’s not a raving sight to
see

In lime-light glare,

There’s nothing that he does not dare to
do;

There’s nothing that he doesn’t make
come through,

In fire, and flood, earthquake and war¬
ring, too,

He’s always there.

•

Mayhap, some time, since humble
service brings

A sprouting impetus to mortal’s wings,

Untrammeled by the taint of earthly
things,

He’ll flit away;

And tripping lightly through the night
of stars,

He’ll let down all those high celestial
bars,

Stealing an eight reel wonder play of
Mars,

And win the day.

244

October, 1945 • American Cinematographer

M *

Making news

into

history” is an

everyday job

of

ISsxMfel

Recordak System

Your standard size newspaper com¬
pressed to postage stamp size ... on
enduring microfilm instead of newsprint that
yellows and crumbles with the years . . .
Newspapers all over the country are having
it done every day.

Because news is the stuff that history is
made of.

These newspapers, as they are published,
are sent to the Recordak Laboratories. By
means of the ingenious Newspaper Recordak
incorporating the superb Kodak Micro-File
Ektar lens, they are automatically photo¬
graphed down on Recordak Micro-File 35-
mm. film — in a matter of seconds.

The master negative film goes to Kodak’s
fireproof, air conditioned film vault— today’s
“time capsule.” The individual newspaper
orders positive films — or prints— for its own
files and for other subscribers. Thousands of

To look up a story, the film covering the
correct week or month is inserted in the
Recordak Film Reader. Pages are flipped
through at the touch of a finger . . . There,
brilliantly projected on the screen— 40%
larger than the original paper— is the date,
the page, your story — easier to read than
the day it came off the press.

“Making news into history” is only one of
hundreds of services which Recordak is per¬
forming for banking, business, industry,
Government, education, science, and the arts
. . . in the end, each a service for you.

EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY

ROCHESTER 4, N. Y.

War pictures are Official U. S. Navy Photographs

these go to public and university libraries.

Three little rolls of film carry every word
and picture America’s biggest newspaper
prints in a month . . . with a saving in space
of 98%.

Serving human progress through photography

Production of Scientific
Films for Biological
and Medical Purposes

(Continued from Page 342)

otherwise be a lantern slide into an
active demonstration. Camera makers
instruct you to hold the camera steady.
This is wrong. It should never be held
at all; always use a tripod, rigid stand
or optical bench according to the nature
of the work. Frictionally controlled
movements are not very satisfactory,
gyroheads or well greased gear-driven
mechanism being preferable. In the lat¬
ter case, make sure that all backlash
has been taken up. Optical bench slides,
tracking rails and so on should be
smooth.

All biological subjects are sensitive
to heat; we may want much light, but
it is of no use if we have too much
heat. By trial and error I have found
that a maximum of four photofloods,
No. 1 type, and four 500-watt incan¬
descent lamps at two and three feet
respectively is about all that living or¬
ganisms will tolerate without change for
longer than sixty seconds. Even this
will produce drying effects on exposed
organs in less than two minutes. These
lights are all housed in matt reflectors.
All exposed tissues should be covered
with warm saline pads until shooting
actually begins, and should be re-covered
between shots. Ideal lighting for small
area close work is two, or possibly
three, projector bulbs in cooled hous¬
ings fitted with detachable heat filters
and focusing attachments. These are
mounted on cross arms attached to the
tripod head, the lights being made to
converge on the area to be photo¬
graphed. The camera and lighting in
this case are moved as one.

The use of mirrors in order to get
light into awkward fields is of assistance
in certain types of close work, and since
this type of work usually involves ex¬
posed organs, it is desirable to know
something about the reflecting proper¬
ties of the mirrors. Both heat and light
are, of course, reflected, and in the mir¬
rors which are likely to be used there
is a tendency for the longer wavelengths
to be reflected rather more than the
shorter. Since it is possible, in some
cases, that we are working on the limit
of heat tolerance, this factor might be
significant. It is of interest to compare
the percentages of normal incident light
reflected from three surfaces which
might be used. The surfaces are silver,
rhodium and aluminum. The following
figures can be found in any suitable
reference book.

Percentage of

Wavelength

normal incident light reflected

in A.U.

Silver

Rhodium

Aluminum

2,500

—

—

80

3,000

<30

73

90

6,000

86

79

90

8,000

94

81

85

10,000

94

83

90

12,000

94

85

85

White light

80 (approx.) 80 (approx.) 88

Recent developments in the deposition
of aluminum on glass would seem to
indicate the use of an aluminum mirror
in preference to the other surfaces, since
the heat and light are reflected in about
equal proportions.

The camera distance at which most
work is done varies between four feet
and eighteen inches, with the lighting
between two and three feet away un¬
less lamps are available which can be
flooded and spotted. The average aper¬
ture lies between f/5.6 and f/8.0 at
normal taking speeds using Kodachrome
A.

It might be mentioned here that, if
necessary, sterility of the atmosphere
may be obtained by using U.V. lamps
before shooting begins. The intensity
required is about fifty to sixty micro¬
watts per square centimeter.

With regard to choice of film stock,

1 find reversal most satisfactory for
black and white, especially Super X or
Super XX. I prefer, however, to use
Kodachrome and make the black and
white dupes from it; the quality is ex¬
cellent. We are, of course, in the hands
of the processing department. We
should have a precision processing serv¬
ice at our disposal, of the Offenhauser
type. Some try to get all their stock of
the same emulsion number and then
send it off to be processed at the same
time. Under controlled conditions this
is correct; but under present conditions
there does not seem to be much ad¬
vantage, though it is good practice.
When the film has been processed, get
the dupe made at once, and do all the
work on this. Do not touch the original.

There is one additional practice which
is useful. When the script has been
completed and broken down into shots,
put each shot to be taken on an index
card — six inches by four inches — to¬
gether with full instructions and a grid
in which is recorded the stop, lighting,
camera distance, frames per second and
shot number. When the card is com¬
pleted transfer it to the editing file.
The shooting file gives one the oppor¬
tunity of making certain types of con¬
tinuity shots on preparations which are
being made for other purposes, e.g., the
preparation of an arting for cannula-
tion.

A few words on the actual procedure
of taking the shots. Camera loaded,
spare magazines nearby, leaders run
off, lighting tested, spare bulbs, carbons
and films at hand, distances checked.
The minimum team required, apart
from those concerned with the scientific
demonstration itself, consists of a man
for each camera, a protocol writer and
an assistant to operate the lights. Mock
runs of the complete take are then
made; three or more may be necessary.
The demonstrator must be made to do
all his movements deliberately. Never
include more of the demonstrator than
necessary, the hands or even the finger
tips are all that may appear, and even
these should be out of the field when¬
ever possible. Keep the attention riveted
on the part demonstrated. All instru¬
ments which the demonstrator may re¬
quire should be placed in a convenient

position so as to avoid fumbling, but
they should be out of the field. When
these rehearsals are at last satisfactory,
do a final rapid check up, especially on
focus and stop. The various settings
should be called out individually and
checked off on the protocol card. In ex¬
perimental work all runs much more
smoothly if the demonstrator is also the
director, otherwise number one camera¬
man, or, of course, a proper director.
The take is then numbered in the usual
way, and shot. The word “cut” should
only be ordered by the demonstrator;
it does not matter what appears to have
gone wrong. While this statement is
obvious in ordinary practice, it is of
special significance in biological work,
since^ when something does go wrong,
it may result in an unexpected reaction
or effect being demonstrated which
might be very difficult to produce to
order. This should therefore be recorded
and put aside for use in some future
film.

Cutting and editing, as is known, can
make or break a film. This is really
a matter of experience. The film should
move with a steady tempo and should,
in its final form, be a complete lesson.
It should be on the short side. The max¬
imum length for a scientific film is, in
my opinion, twenty-five minutes; the
ideal length being between ten and fif¬
teen minutes. This statement should be
qualified if the film demonstrates (a)
a technique, and (b) the results ob¬
tained by means of this technique. Then
two reels of about fifteen minutes each
are quite permissible. In other words,
films should not be used to replace a
lecturer, but to be part of his discourse.

Diagrams and animation should be
made at the editing stage, taking the
precautions already mentioned. If the
diagram involves the tracing out or in¬
dication of a pump or other type of
circuit, then this must be done slowly
and deliberately; the pointer should not
be waved about for emphasis. When the
indication is finished, the diagram should
be allowed to remain for a few feet
so that it can be absorbed, the same
applies before indication. Animation is
better than a pointer. Where compli¬
cated apparatus or systems are in¬
volved, a diagram is essential. Here it
is often useful to send out lantern
slides with the film. This saves footage
and also gives the lecturer ample time
to describe particular points and to
give the audience some idea of what to
expect at important stages. For stu¬
dents the film should also be used in
conjunction with their textbooks. They
should have been instructed to read up
the text concerned and a preliminary
lecture should be given at the time of
the presentation of the film. In order
to assist the teacher, booklets should be
sent out with the film. They should con¬
tain a brief introduction describing the
film and a short description of each
shot together with references to authors
and scientific papers. These references

(Continued on Page 351)

346

October, 1945 • American Cinematographer

'O'

The growing acceptance and use of microfilm and motion pictures
as an integral part of modern business is one of the most important
developments of our day. And the processing of such film offers the
Houston owner an insured and a profitable business future.

Every community has users of motion picture film. Large depart¬
ment stores, banks, and government agencies, local, state and federal,
use microfilm for copying and recording. Manufacturers, wholesalers
and retailers use 16 mm. and 35 mm. motion pictures for training and
selling.

These, and other users, such as studios and photographic supply
stores need professional film processing. And the Houston owner can
provide it— completely, quickly and profitably!

* * *

Scientifically designed and precision built , Houston Film Processing
Equipment is fully automatic, compact and completely self-con¬
tained. No extra equipment is needed. Write for illustrated folder
and prices.

Houston

Processes 16 mm. negative, positive and reversal
film. Processing speeds up to 20 feet per min.

Processes 35 mm. negative and positive film.
Processing speeds up to 2400 feet per hour.

FILM PROCESSING EQUIPMENT

THE HOUSTON CORPORATION

11801 W. OLYMPIC BLVD. • LOS ANGELES 25, CALIF.

American Cinematographer • October, 1945

347

THIS LITTLE EYEFUL is Linda Stirling, under
contract to Republic Pictures as a featured
player. Photo by Roman Freulich.

Aces of the Camera

(Continued from Page 331)

tical use in his first film made after he
returned to Hollywood— that was the
first of a series of Strongheart films.
Two or three years later another man
made public claim to having perfected
the idea, but Gano didn’t even bother to
refute his claims, although he has the
original picture he made with the date it
was made on it. That’s typical of Gano.
He doesn’t go around seeking credit.

For several months after his return
from the army he went from studio tc
studio seeking work. No one seemed to
think that he had made himself more
valuable by his two years of experi¬
mental work. Each studio executive
would merely say: “What pictures have
you photographed during the last six
months ?”

“I’ve been in the army for the last
two years,” he replied.

“Sorry,” came the answer.

Finally he got a break at Mack Sen-
nett’s studio. He worked on Sennett’s
comedies, then Hal Roach’s Vanity Fair
Girls and on Universal serials. Then he
met Larry Trimble. Trimble had been in
England where he heard of the develop¬
ment of a new film that was more sensi¬
tive to the colors of the spectrum and
would produce clearer and better pic¬
tures. He was looking for someone who
had some understanding of this develop¬
ment. A friend told him to see Gano,
which he did.

Trimble and Jane Murfin were plan¬
ning a series of pictures starring the
dog, Strongheart. Beautiful outdoor
scenery was to be the background for
the stories. Trimble wanted top photo¬
graphic results. He hired Glen, who had
worked in Washington on the first part
of the fast film development. Glen at
once ordered 50,000 feet of the new film
from Eastman. Imagine his dismay when
he was informed the film was not yet
ready to be placed on the market. Glen
knew how to sensitize the film, but had
no equipment. So he set to work and
built the necessary machinery, and made
it portable, too. The company went to
the mountains and the famous picture,
“The Silent Call,” was started.

Then came the question of developing
the negative. This needed special
handling in the dark. The timing had to
be precise, and other details had to be
considered, with which the laboratories
until then never had to be concerned.
Glen faced a lot of opposition from those
who were opposed to anything new. So
he very quietly developed his negative
himself. He says he had an able young-
assistant; a boy who after school would
work in the laboratory with Glen at
night, counting off the seconds in the
dark by tapping on a tin can. That young
assistant is now one of Columbia Studio’s
most able and best liked executives — he
is Duncan Cassell.

Trimble nad Miss Murfin needed a re¬
lease for their film, so when the first
three reels had been completed they
showed them to executives of the old

First National Pictures Company and
secured the release, as a super-feature.
A new man took over the management
of the production company and shooting
was resumed on the picture. This new
manager, Glen says, didn’t know any¬
thing about laboratory work, and didn’t
intend to let a mere cameraman tell him
what should be done. So, when Glen left
word that the negative he shipped in
from location was not to be developed
until he returned the manager ordered it
all developed immediately. When the
filming was ended and Glen returned to
Hollywood he found that every foot of
it, except his first three reels, had been
completely ruined in development.
Trimble knew it wasn’t Glen’s fault, so
he and Glen left on location again. For
two weeks they shot. They shipped their
negative secretly to another laboratory
where it was held. Then when Glen re¬
turned he developed it himself. It was
perfect, and started the great Strong¬
heart series which was so popular. This
first picture was in 1921. After making
a number of Strongheart films, the firm
dissolved.

Glen then went with Thomas Ince.
While with him Margaret Livingston
would have no other cameraman but
Glen. He did all the specials for all the
Ince pictures, too. Glen had been study¬
ing color for years, and had worked out
a process, and Ince and he started plans
for a color laboratory. Glen was con¬
structing his color camera, and equip¬
ment was being assembled for the lab¬
oratory. The color plans were in the

348

October, 1945 • American Cinematographer

last stages of completion when Ince sent
Glen to Canada to make special shots on
a film, “Enticement,” featuring Mary
Astor and Ian Keith. While on location,
Glen read of the sudden death of Ince.
His dreams of color vanished. But later
he discovered that another individual who
had talked with him about color had se¬
cured patents on many of Glen’s ideas —
but the patents never did the man any
good. Glen’s color was called Spectro-
color.

Gano bad loaned a friend $2000 to buy
out a lighting equipment manufacturing
concern. When he returned from Canada
he found the man had the concern going
great guns. The company was called
Creco. Pete Mole was the studio contact
man and Elmer Richardson the shop su¬
perintendent. Glen decided to spend some
time in research on lighting, and wrote
a number of articles pointing out that
eventually incandescent lights would be
used to excellent advantage. His ideas
proved true. Eventually, Mole and
Richardson pulled out of the company,
which then became of little use, and the
thriving new firm of Mole-Richardson
came into being.

Right after that Glen met a man who
had a peculiar mesh screen which he
showed Glen. When treated with certain
chemicals, this screen produced unusual
effects on a stage when light was flashed
on it. This gave Glen an idea in con¬
nection with stereoscopic projection. Uni¬
versal Studios provided the projector,
Glen had the camera and the mesh
screen. On November 18, 1927, a demon¬
stration of Glen’s idea was given at the
Ebell Club. That evening the late Carl
Laemmle’s niece was making her debut
on the stage as a dancer. Part of her
dance was a scene in which she appeared
to be dancing in flames. As she danced
the projection machine threw the im¬
pression of the fire (in color) on the
mesh screen which was hanging in front
of the dancer. The effect was so perfect
that the audience didn’t know it was a
combination of film, screen and a human
person. Glen says he can’t be exactly
certain, but he believes from what infor¬
mation he has at hand that his system
has been incorporated by Russian film
scientists into the new system of streop-
tican projection announced recently from
Moscow.

Glen later got back into color experi¬
ment again, always with a monopack
idea. ‘The depression had hit America
about that time, and Glen couldn’t raise
the money he needed. So his plans didn’t
mature.

Meanwhile he has continued being an
excellent cinematographer, as well as
one of the best liked members of the
American Society of Cinematographers.
Some day, we predict, one of his ideas
will click for HIM. He has a number of
them in the hatching process. And he
is now determined to become a business
man as well as inventor.

The "Guzap" That
Went to War

(Continued from Page 335)

Vibrations not encountered in the
hands of even the most nervous or
palsied amateur taking pictures with the
peace-time Filmo had to be considered,
and the guzap proved able to function
in spite of the turbulence set up by adja¬
cent machine guns spewing out bullets
at the rate of many hundred per minute.
The standard inspection test for the
“overrun control” mechanism, for in¬
stance, calls for three minutes of vibra¬
tion at a frequency of “2,200 cycles per
minute and an amplitude of one thirty-
second of an inch.” That’s buzzing!

The quick-starting requirements, de¬
manding that the guzap be operating
full tilt before the first bullet had got¬
ten many yards away from the gun muz¬
zle, required some new concepts of me¬
chanical alertness. Machine guns are
fired in short bursts. Five seconds of
continuing firing represents a respect¬
able salvo. So, the 24-volt motor which
actuates the shutter and the film ad¬
vance was called on to reach maximum
speed in the length of time, at sixteen
frames per second, required for two
frames to be exposed. This adds up to
the eighth of a second previously men¬
tioned.

Another requirement had to do with
“effective distance.” Without detailing
the shorter ranges, it is enough to say
that acceptance tests include try-out of
the camera at 1,500 yards. Amateurs
conversant with 16mm camera use can
appreciate the obstacles to satisfy re¬
sults at such distances — just a few hun¬
dred feet short of a mile!

The guzap operates at speeds of six¬
teen, thirty-two or sixty-four frames
per second. It is a magazine loader and
has an amber filter which screens out
much of the objectionable, picture-fog¬
ging ultra-violet light encountered at
high altitudes. The filter also protects
the fine lens.

In addition to producing combat rec¬
ords, the guzap has been used exten¬
sively in gunnery training. In showing
a pilot’s mistakes, as well as his accom¬
plishments, it has served to improve
marksmanship. Its use by flying branches
of the armed services had produced a
pictorial record of successful combat tac-
;ics never before available.

Henning and Cheadle Form
New Film Company

A new firm, Henning and Cheadle,
formed to handle films and film programs
for training and promotional purposes,
is announced by the two owners, Lester
A. Henning and George R. Cheadle.

The new firm, located in the Book
Building, Detroit, Michigan, will prepare
and produce motion pictures, slide-films,
and printed literature, and coordinate
these media into complete programs.

f Thanks to my
G-t exposure meter

Allen

(Photo by Arthur C. Allen. Fast pan-film, fill, 1/100 sec.)

“I had qualms when I shot
this picture — youngster and
white horse in sunlight, black
horse in shadow, and I wanted
full detail on both.”

Whether you're after a tough
one like this, a routine shot, or a
color picture, you can make sure
of correct exposure with a G-E
meter. Easy to use, accurate,
sensitive, and dependable.

We re still producing for the
men overseas; but we suggest
that you arrange with your
dealer to be among the first to
get an improved G-E meter.
They will be available very soon.
General Electric Company, Schenectady
5. N. Y.

3 meteM inone

. . . for camera, darkroom,
and better lighting balance

American Cinematographer • October, 1945

349

HEART OF THE FLYING FLASH CAMERA

Home Movie Projector
Era of 1912

(Continued from Page 340)

ways as a unit for positioning any one
of the three rows of pictures behind the
lens. To show a complete reel the pro¬
jector is cranked forward in normal
manner with one outside row of pictures
behind the lens, then when the end of the
film is reached a shift over is made to
position the center row or pictures be¬
hind the lens. The projector is cranked
backwards to show this row of pictures,
which rewinds the film to the start of
the roll. Another shift is then made to
align the other outside row of pictures
behind the lens and the projector cranked
forward again in normal manner. The
film would then be rewound to the top
reel by the crank on the upper reel shaft.
Pretty slick. There are no upper or
lower feed sprockets but in their place
are two guides or fingers, equipped with
light springs, which maintain large loops
or slack in the film between the gate
and the reels. These guides dampen out
the intermittent jerks on the film and
are constantly letting out and taking up
this slack.

The name plate on the front of the
mechanism is interesting (Fig. 5).
Mustn’t charge admission but maybe six
old buttons would be all right.

The film used with the Edison Home
Kinetoscope has three rows of pictures
and two of perforations. The picture
image on this film is very near the pres¬
ent 8mm in size. I have seen only two
lengths of film rolls (Fig. 6) the longer
being about 75 feet, and the smaller
about 35. They are just rolls of film on
a wooden core, as the reels are always
a part of the projector and one side of
the reel is removable to allow of placing
the film roll on the real shaft.

The films which I have seen had real
“box office” appeal in their titles, for
instance, “Fathers Dress Suit” and
“Amateur William Tell” or maybe you
would rather see “The Capture of the
Burglar.” These three particular pic¬
tures were copyrighted in 1911 by
Thomas A. Edison, Inc., Orange, N. J.
According to Eastman Kodak Co. au¬
thorities, this film stock was first sup¬
plied in June, 1911, slit and perforated
by the Edison people and was called No.
1 Positive Film. It has a cellulose nitrate
base but with a so-called non-inflam¬
mable overcoating which materially re¬
duced the fire hazard. The records not
being available, it is quite possible that
Edison later changed from N. 1. film to
Safety Film.

Captain Pope Named

Capt. Loverne A. Pope has been ap¬
pointed director of photography for the
U. S. Navy bureau of aeronautics. He
replaces Capt. Robert S. Quackenbush,
Jr., assigned to sea duty.

Here for the first time is a photo of
the repeating flash tube device which
played a leading role in the defeat of
Germany, Italy and Japan.

The device, called the General Electric
(repeating) Flash Tube, is being fash¬
ioned in the Lamp Development Labora¬
tory of G.E.’s Nela Park, Cleveland. It is
shown here with the popular No. 5
mighty midget photoflash bulb.

With machine-gun-like rapidity, the
unique flash tube shoots brilliant “bolts
of lightning” earthward from recon¬
naissance planes equipped with special
electronic auxiliary equipment. The de¬
vice permits the taking of countless night
aerial photographs from altitudes up to
two miles, swift reconnaissance of enemy
territory, and the recording of nocturnal
troop movements and similar vital infor¬
mation.

The G.E. repeating flash tube consists
mainly of four elements: a coil tube;
a special gas; two electrodes; and,
mounting. The five-turn coil is made of
finger-thick quartz tubing. The power¬
ful flash-producing are travels between
the electrodes through an atmosphere of

gas. The tube’s mounting includes a base
equipped with terminal posts, a handle,
and a cylindrical protective jacket (three
inches in diameter and open at the bot¬
tom) of pyrex glass.

Included among the numerous uses
sighted for the flash tube after the war
are applications for lighthouses and in
airway beacons.

Now Florez, Inc.

Reflecting the expanding scope of its
postwar services for business and in¬
dustry, Visual Training Corporation of
Detroit has announced adoption of a
new name, Florez, Inc.

To accommodate clients’ increasing de¬
mands for more diversified services in
the fields of training, market develop¬
ment and promotion the company has
realigned its executive personnel. Genaro
A. Florez, founder of the Visual Train¬
ing Corporation, continues as president
and chairman of the board of directors.

350

October, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Production of Scientific
Films for Biological
and Medical Purposes

(Continued from Page 346)

should be listed at the end of the book¬
let as is done in a scientific publication.

An ordinary film is so made that it
is unnecessary to repeat anything and
this is also the case in the majority
of scientific films. There are however
some cases in which a recapitulation is
desirable. This is likely to be the case
when a complete technique is demon¬
strated for instructional purposes. Here
the completed demonstration is followed
by a brief run over the various pre¬
cautions or special points brought out
in the film. An excellent example of
this can be seen in the recent film on
ether anaesthesia.

We might include here the use of
film loops, whereby a particular se¬
quence is repeated over and over again.
The recently completed Technicolor film
on the movements of the tongue in
speech is so made that it can be broken
down into a series of loops thereby
placing at our disposal a new technique
in presenting speech to the eye. The
series of movements and sounds ac¬
companying them are presented to the
subject over and over again. In the case
of deaf mutes with a small amount of
residual hearing the signal from the
sound track can be amplified and fed
into earphones thereby giving each pa¬
tient a hearing aid.

There are specialized fields in which
the professional film unit is at a loss
and where the filming is best done by
the members of the laboratory. In some
cases the whole film may be of this
nature; in others it may be that such
special work forms only a part of the
finished production. Here the film cam¬
era forms part of the scientific equip¬
ment, and it is obvious that the research
worker, performing the experiments
with the help of his technical assistants,
is the person best qualified to carry out
this type of work. Even here it is ob¬
vious that, technically good though the
films may be, they can often be given
a final polish by the utilization of pro¬
fessional servicing under scientific direc¬
tion, e.g., titling or effects which might
be added by means of an optical printer.

Ex’amples of such specialized films
are — “The Microscopical Observations of
Living Tissue,” by Ebert, Florey and
Sanders, and by the X-ray kinemat-
ographic films by Ivy and Little, Russel
Reynolds, Barclay and Janker.

It is not possible to become an ex¬
pert in all techniques; therefore it is
desirable to get the help of the best
experts in each field and work together.
If this is not done, not only will the
results be poor, but there may be dan¬
ger, as would be the case in X-ray
work.

It is unfortunate that 16mm. sound
and projection facilities are poor, espe¬
cially the former. Further, owing to the

mobility of 16mm. equipment, the lec¬
ture theatres and rooms which are used
for screening are, in many cases, far
from ideal. Every effort should be made
to ensure good projection and presenta¬
tion. None of the audience should be
nearer than twice the screen width, and
the farthest not more than ten times
screen width, with a maximum angle
of 30° for viewing. Sheets with fold
creases, yellow walls, roller screens torn
at the roller junction, distemper on
warped plywood, and even sheets of
blotting paper, all of which I have ex¬
perienced, do not constitute screens. It
is also difficult to give a good showing
when shafts of sunlight fall on the
screen as the result of billowing blinds.

Century Ties With G. E.

Century Projector Corporation has re¬
cently entered into contracts with the
Western Electric Export Corporation, a
subsidiary of the Western Electric Co.
for the exclusive representation of Cen¬
tury projectors, accessories and replace¬
ment parts, in all countries of the World
with the exception of Canada and the
United States. In Canada these prod¬
ucts are distributed by the Dominion
Sound Equipments, Ltd. and in the
United States by Independent Theatre
Supply Dealers.

Actina Expands

Mr. Erich Schuler, president of Actina,
Inc., of 205 East 42nd Street, New York
City, exporters of reproduction and
photographic equipment and supplies,
announces the appointment of Mr. John
Wiederkehr as vice-president.

Mr. Wiederkehr was formerly sales
manager of Campbell & Co., of Newton,
N. J. Before the war put a stop to im¬
ports into the United States, he was the
exclusive American distributor of various
Swiss products used in the photographic
industry.

r/iki

SOUND

TO YOUR"

SILENT FILMS

( Music • Narration * Special Effects )
LET us convert your 16 mm picture to a sound film
of the highest quality. Skilled technical staff, and
finest sound recording equipment and studio fa¬
cilities to serve industrial, amateur and educational
film producers. Write TELEFILM, Inc., Dept.

I 6039 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood 28, Calif,
for prices and literature.

OUR SERVICE IS USED BY:

• AiResearch Mfg. Co. • Lockheed Aircraft Corp.

• Douglas Aircraft Co. • Food Machinery Corp.

U. S. Naval Photo Services Dept. • Santa Fe Railroad

Standard Oil Co. of Calif.

1

TELEFILM

HOLLYWOOD

Are YOUR Films Safe
from REEL Damage?

Films can be damaged beyond repair
by reels which corrode, allow side¬
slipping, or saw on film edges. Avoid
these dangers to your often irreplace¬
able films by using Bell & Howell reels.

B&H reels are of rust-proofed spring
steel, rigid yet so resilient that they
will not take a set. They have no
sharp edges to cut film or fingers.
Their B&H "touch-threading” hubs
eliminate hunting in the dark for a
slot. Their film-footage calibrations
are another convenience feature.

HUMIDOR CANS
Give Added Protection

B&H humidor cans for these reels
are equally well built. They are rust¬
proof, and are easy to open without
a prying tool. Heavy ribs add to
their rigidity. Satin surface permits
writing anywhere. Built-in humidi¬
fier pads have exclusive tell-tale disc
to indicate when pad is dry.

Tell-tale disc shows . . . matches color of
in moist pad . . . dry humidifier pad

All Capacities Available Now

YourFilmo dealer will soon have B&H
reels and cans in all capacities for
both 8mm. and 1 6mm. film. Place
your orders with him now or write
to Bell & Howell Company, 7148
McCormick Road, Chicago 45.

SINCE 1907 THE LARGEST MANUFACTURER OF PRECISION EQUIPMENT FOR MOTION PICTURE STUDIOS

OF HOLLYWOOD AND THE WORLD

American Cinematographer • October, 1945

351

BUY VICTORY BONDS

Cters,

In t'Ourld'l'Oid'? Vs*

GRADUATED FILTERS - for
Moonlight and Night Effects in
Daytime. Diffused Focus and Fog
producing Filters. The Original
Monotone and many others.

WRITE FOR FOLDER TWinoaks 2102

Gcorqe H. ScHeibo

ORIGINATOR OF EFFECT FILTERS

1927 WEST 78™ ST. LOS ANGELES. CAL

—"SCRAMBLED BUYS"—
of Slightly Used

HARD-TO-GET EQUIPMENT
TRADES EQUIPMENT

ACCEPTED BOUGHT

35mm Portable R.C.A., DeVry, Holmes Sound Projectors,
Amplifiers, Speakers. Factory reconditioned at attractive

prices - • - - - $225 to $500

Printer, sound only, 35mm, 1000 ft. film capacity,
motor driven, up to 10,000 cycles, bench model,

complete _ $225

35mm Sound-Film Recorder, 400 ft. capacity, glow tube,
amplifier, mike, stand booster, cables, case. Cost $900.
Special - $295.00

10"- 12"- 16" Turntables, some with recorders,
amplifiers, speakers, play-back, amateur & pro¬
fessional. 33-1/3 & 78 R.P.M.

16mm Factory reconditioned Projectors, complete with
amplifiers & Speakers, Ampro, B & H, Victor, Holmes.

$295 to $475. Arc DeBrie _ $865.00

Converters, Power Plants, various capacities. New

& Used - Specially priced.

Studio lathe recorder mounted on lathe bench, tracking
inside out, 33-1/3 RPM, synchronous motor, three phase
220 volt G.R. for making transcription masters or direct
cut transcriptions. Complete perfect condition with switches,

starter. Value $1275. SPECIAI _ $500.00

Variable Area 400 ft., 16mm 50F Recorder, high
fidelity amplifier, dynamic microphone Berndt-
Maurer type galvanometer synchronous motor, ear¬
phones and cables _ $465.00

8-l6-35mm Reels, Cans, Shipping Cases, various makes &
sizes at Bargain Prices. State your wants. Cine Specials,
Eyemos, Cameras, Lenses, Tripods, etc.

Fibre carrying or shipping cases for 2-800 ft. or
I - 1000 ft.. 35mm reels, used, 65c; 35mm AKELEY

stainless steel daylight developing tank _ $7.95

35mm Willard Turret Camera, 4 lenses, Zeiss & Goertz,
B & H Motor, 400 ft. magazine masks, disolve and
crank - $285.00

NOW AVAILABLE

Disc Home Talkie Attachments, Play Records with
your Movie Projectors. Made to fit Bell & Howells.
DeVry G, Kodascopes A-B-C. Can be made to fit
all other projectors. Precision Instrument. Regular
selling price $49.50. While they last— complete

with Tone Arm, Turntable, Cables! _ $9.95

16mm Dworsky motor driven all aluminum Film Cleaner,
floor model for Laboratory &. Film Library. Special

Complete - $35,000

New Model DS 16mm Single Hub Neumade measuring

machine for frame & footage _ $135.00

16 & 35mm Griswold Splicers, New & Reconditioned.
Most complete line of Stineman improved system, Develop¬
ing stainless steel & monel metal nesting Tanks &. Reels,
100' & 200' capacity, 16 & 35mm less 15% Discount

Tachometers No. 71-C Ring light, plus trap ring.

New - $12.50

New 35mm 200' Camera magazines with trap
(linen bakelite) with shafts & pulley similar to
B & H - $5.00

New 2%" glass Wratten Filters, Blue, Green, Yellow,

Amber, Red - 45c with mount _ $1.00

New P-53 Veeder Root Counters, frame & footage _ $3.95

Genuine Leather Lens Caps, 2%" _ 25c

New 1st Grade Flat Mirrors, \'U"%VU"x'/a" thick for

Cameras, Printers, etc. _ 95c

B & H Film Cleaner, 8 oz. _ 65c, postage 10c

Heavy rubber Tripod Ends for cine special & other heavier

tripods. Box of 3 _ 50c pp.

Sturdy Speed-Graphic Fibre compartment cases, used, $4.95.

Genuine Leather _ $14.00

6"-8"-l2"; 16 &. 35mm Brass and Fibre stripping Flanges
at Saving Prices.

Knob winding Keys for B &. H & Eyemo Cameras__$2.88

MOG U LL'S

68-A West 48th Street New York City

$2,000 Polaroid Filter Contest Announced

A $2000 Polaroid Filter Contest for a
pair of pictures of the same scene, one
taken with a polarizing filter over the
camera lens and the other taken with
no filter, has been announced for pho¬
tographers throughout the country.

Prizes will go to contestants who pho¬
tograph subjects that best demonstrate
the usefulness of Polaroid light-polariz¬
ing filters in photography. Picture pairs
entered in the contest should show how
undesirable lighting effects such as win¬
dow reflections, washed-out skies and
sunlight reflected from a water surface
are corrected by the Polaroid filter.

There are duplicate prizes for color
and black-and-white entries. A first
prize of $500 will be awarded the con¬
testant who submits the outstanding
color pair and another $500 first prize
will be awarded the contestant who
submits the outstanding black-and-white
pair. In addition to these two first
prizes, there are two $150 second prizes,
two $75 third prizes, two $50 fourth
prizes, and two $25 fifth prizes and two
sets of ten runner-up prizes of $10
each.

Sponsored by Polaroid Corporation,
Cambridge, Mass., the contest is to be
judged by a board of newspaper and
magazine editors and photographers.
They are Fritz Goro, science photog¬
rapher, Life; Philippe Halsman, presi¬
dent, Society of Magazine Photograph¬

ers, Inc.; Robert Shellaby, science
writer, Christian Science Monitor; Au¬
gustus Wolfman, editor, National Pho¬
tographic Dealer; David O. Woodbury,
contributing science editor, Collier’s.

The decision of the judges will be
based primarily on the degree of im¬
provement evident in the photograph
taken through the Polaroid filter and
on pictorial interest and composition.

Particularly effective are scenes in¬
cluding either pale white clouds against
a light blue sky, a lake or pond with
sunglare glancing off its surface, a
highway, table top or other non-metallic
surface obscured by a film of glare
light, or store merchandise hidden from
view by annoying reflections on the
showcase window. A combination of
two or more of these subjects in the
same scene enhances the eligibility of
the entry for one of the large cash
prizes.

Contest entry blanks are to be dis¬
tributed through photo supply stores.
Both amateur and professional pho¬
tographers are eligible to compete in
the contest. There is no limit to the
number of entries any one contestant
may submit. However, a contestant can
receive no more than one cash prize.

All entries should be postmarked not
later than midnight, November 15, and
addressed to the Polaroid Filter Con¬
test, Cambridge 39, Mass.

Coronet Announces New Catalog of Instructional Films

A new catalog of approximately fifty
16mm sound motion pictures for class¬
room and other group instruction has
been announced by Coronet Instructional
Films. One of the most unusual features
of this new film catalog is that the ma¬
jority of the films listed have been pro¬
duced in Kodachrome and prints are
available either in full natural color or
black and white. Another unusual fea¬
ture is that the catalog, itself, is attrac¬
tively and appropriately illustrated with
full color “stills” from the motion pic¬
tures.

The various groups of motion pictures
announced in the new catalog include
the Biological Sciences, Civics, Eco¬
nomics, Psychology, Health, Industry,
Physical Education, the Physical Sciences,
and Social Studies, and Vocational
Guidance.

Outstanding among the films in color
are five on the American Indians of the
Southwest, three on life in Mexico, nine
on colorful birds of the United States,
and an unusual picture showing the
growth of flowers. The physical educa¬
tion series includes films on basketball,
field events, swimming, tumbling and
volleyball. One of the more advanced
films for psychology classes has the im¬
posing title, “Color Categorizing Be¬
havior of Rhesus Monkeys,” although the
majority of the films listed are for use
in elementary and secondary schools.

The new catalog, “Coronet Instruc¬

tional Films,” is available free to those
who use 16mm sound motion pictures for
training purposes. Requests for it should
be addressed to Coronet Instructional
Films, Glenview, Illinois.

New Filmosound Library
Releases Announced

TOP MAN (Universal)

No. 2553 — 8 reels

When father retreads his way to the
wars, teen-age junior becomes “top man,”
as the family carries on. His growing
recognition and execution of his respon¬
sibilities, in school and elsewhere, is
shown interestingly, and his leadership
takes his student body into local war
plant for part time work. (Donald
O’Connor, Peggy Ryan, Richard Dix, Lil¬
lian Gish.)

SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON
No. 3320 — 8 reels

Film follows book closely. Shipwreck
in tidal wave, rescue on tropic isle.
Robinson Crusoe life on family scale,
amusing and thrilling adventures. (Thos.
Mitchell, Edna Best, Freddie Bartholo¬
mew.)

BIRDS OF THE BARRIER
No. 5843 — 10 min.

Nesting sea birds by the million. Life
history, from egg to adulthood.

352

October, 1945 • American Cinematographer

E. A. Petrtyl

Ampro Corporation has announced the
appointment of E. A. Petrtyl, formerly
assistant general manager of Motion
Picture Engineering Corporation of Chi¬
cago, to a post in which he takes charge
of Ampro’s public relations and office
management. He brings to Ampro a vast
knowledge of office and sales procedure.

Where They're Working

(Continued from Page 336)

R.K.O.

Gregg Toland — “The Kid from Brook¬
lyn” (Samuel Goldwyn). Joe Valentine
— '“Heartbeat.” Karl Struss t— “Tarzan
and the Leopard Woman.” Nick Musura-
ca — “Some Must Watch.” George Barnes
— “From this Day Forward.” Frank Red¬
man — “The Bamboo Blonde.” Robert De
Grasse — “Badman’s Territory.”

Republic

Tony Gaudio — “Concerto.”

20th Century-Fox

Charles Clarke — “Smoky.” Norbert
Brodine — “Sentimental Journey.” Ernest
Palmer — “Centennial Summer.” Joe Mac¬
Donald — “Precinct 33.”

Universal

Milton Krasner — “Scarlet Street.” Ed¬
ward Cronjager— “Canyon Passage.” Hal
Mohr — (“Because of Him.” Elwood Bre-
dell — “Tangier.” George Robinson —
“House of Dracula.”

Warner Bros.

Peverell Marley — “Night and Day.”
Arthur Edeson — “Never Say Goodbye.”
Carl Guthrie — “Her Kind of Man.” Ernie
Haller — “The Verdict.”

BUY VICTORY BONDS

Correct Exposure Important

Resolution falls off at high and low
exposure values, reaching a maximum at
some intermediate exposure at which the
resolving power figure is selected. The
loss of resolution with over and under¬
exposure is an important reason for ex¬
posing miniature negatives correctly.

Contrast

A negative which tends toward under¬
exposure is lower in contrast as well as
lower in density than a fully exposed
negative. A negative which is greatly
overexposed is also lower than normal in
contrast but of high density.

QUIET

smooth running

Separate amplifier and speaker
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Protectively housed in its own "blimp” or si¬
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American Cinematographer • October, 1945

353

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Telefilming Races

(Continued from Page 334)

Germany and the South Pacific, and
would not become flustered by a mere
horse race. Some of them were veteran
A.S.C. men long recognized as “tops.'-’
If any crew was ready with personnel
and equipment to give service his was.

In their first test they amazed Holly¬
wood officials by shooting a race and
projecting it on the screen in 8 minutes.
They cut this figure to 6 minutes and in
several trials proved that they could
maintain that speed in regular opera¬
tion.

The camera crew consists of Brydon
Baker, chief of staff, Floyd D. Crosby,
Elmer G. Dyer A.S.C., Leonard T. Gale-
zio, John Stevens Jr., Albert Wetzel,
A.S.C., and Frank Blackwell. Lab men
are Howard Jeffries and John Fitzsim¬
mons and projectionist is John J. Hill.

The entire film world has taken a keen
interest in the work at the track. Metro-
Goldwyn-Mayer sent their newsreel
cameraman. Norman Alley, to the course
to shoot the modus operandi. Many
Hollywood camera and lab men, pro¬
ducers, directors, and actors, forget their
sizable wagers on the bangtails long
enough to take a professional interest
and rubberneck at the telefilm boys in
action.

Horse race followers see in the tele¬
film system not a mere experiment but a
sound idea that will be adopted at tracks
throughout the world, and one which will
create a permanent visual record of all
races.

Heretofore judges and fans have had
to rely on binoculars to determine to the
best of their visual ability whether there
was “dirty work at the crossroads.”
among riders on the back stretch, far
turn or coming down the straightaway.
Now they have an accurate way of
checking and the jockeys seem to realize
it. At least, such would seem to be the
logical conclusion after the first several
days of racing at Hollywood Park.

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Film Review of Bee Picture
From Moscow, U.S.S.R.

Filming “Sunny Tribe” required infi¬
nite persistence and patience, and it was
well worth it. For this short educational
produced by the Military Technical
Film Studio and now showing on Moscow
screens is a fascinating supplement to
the numerous books and treatises that
have been written on the life of the bee.

Everybody knows — more or less — how
bees make honey. In “Sunny Tribe”
audiences actually see it being done.
The camera eye shows a large cluster of
bees building a hive. In a close-up a bee
flies up to the top of the cluster. Then
with legs and jaws it works wax scales
on its abdomen into the requisite shape.
Finally the comb is finished.

Warrior-bees mount guard at the en¬
trance to the hive. We see them pounce
on a wasp who has come to steal some
honey. After a brief engagement the
enemy is left prone and lifeless at the
foot of the tree.

A sultry summer day brings another
danger — the oppressive heat threatens
to melt the hive and wipe out the fruit
of long and painstaking labor. But the
population of the hive mobilizes to stave
off the danger. No sooner has the hive
begun to trickle than hundreds of
worker-bees rise to hover all around it
and beat their wings to create a breeze.

One of the most interesting moments
is the return of the queen bee after
mating. She goes from cell to cell laying
eggs — several thousand of them a day.
Following her everywhere are worker-
bees who clean up and feed her the
purest honey in the world.

The cameramen who filmed “Sunny
Tribe” spent long weeks and months at
the hollow of the tree where the bees
built their hive, patiently waiting for the
shots they needed. Besides studying the
bees they had to accustom them to their
presence. When they were stung they
had to take it just as patiently. There
were times when a cameraman had to
lurk motionless for days on end to give
the bees a chance to forget him and go
about their business as usual.

The most eventful part of the film is
the second half in which a Pew genera¬
tion appears in the hive. Following their
own secret laws, the young queen and
the old queen engage in a mortal duel,
for both cannot reign. The queen who
had just been supreme is killed and cast
out. Then comes the turn of the drones,
who are done away with as soon as they
are no longer needed.

We see the new generation swarm off
to build a new home. First scouts are
sent out. They find a sunny meadow
abounding in flowers. With the scouts
pointing the way, the new generation
rushes out to set up for itself.

“Sunny Tribe” shows how a man has
studied the life of the bee and by in¬
fluencing it increases the usefulness of
these insects to human society.

Director of this film is A. Vinnitsky,
Soviet specialist on educationals about
insects.

354

October, 1945 • American Cinematographer

The Men Behind the
Combat Camera

(Continued from Page 332)

Mr. Huse was a fine instructor — keen,
understanding, and with an unexcelled
knowledge of his subject. If some of us
wondered at the time why we had to
dwell on these technicalities we found
out as soon as we got into combat.

Over there we ran into all sorts of
technical problems, and there was no
time to sit down with paper and pencil
to work out equations. It was the train¬
ing we had under Mr. Huse that enabled
us instinctively to make the correct tech¬
nical decisions. Working at top speed
with the ground erupting all around us,
we still managed to get pictures of qual¬
ity on the screen. It was the background
of our classes in photographic theory
that made these responses automatic.

Next, we went into four weeks of
camera work under John Arnold, A.S.C.
Mr. Arnold, for many years head of the
camera department at M.G.M.,. was the
logical man to supervise this phase of
the course? He knew all there is to know
about cameras: all the little tricks that
made a difference in technique, all the
time-tried principles of camera handling.

We used to marvel at the speed with
which he could thread a Mitchell camera.
We found out later how vital this little
knack could be. Our combat cameras
held a scant 100 ft. of film. When the
going got rough it was often the loss or
gain of seconds in reloading our cameras
that determined whether we would get
our story or lose it.

There was drill and more drill in set¬
ting up cameras, tearing them down,
making the numerous mechanical adjust¬
ments — until all of this become second
nature. Mr. Arnold was satisfied with
nothing less than perfection — we were
glad of that later on.

Joseph Ruttenberg, A.S.C., and Karl
Freund, A.S.C., both Academy award
cinematographers, helped us in many
ways, giving freely of their time and vast
experience to teach us the things you
could otherwise learn only through
years of working with cameras.

They taught us the short cuts: how to
save time without sacrificing the quality
of the picture, how to work fast and sure
with that camera, how to care for our
equipment.

All of us who had worked with cameras
professionally felt, for instance, that we
knew how to clean and service lenses —
but when Karl Freund showed us a new
way to clean a lens we listened and
learned because we remembered his su¬
perb camerawork in films like “The Good
Earth” and we knew that he had put
these principles into practice.

Similarly, when Joseph Ruttenberg
lectured on light and exposure we paid
attention because we had seen the sure
technique of his work in M.G.M. pictures
and we knew that that smooth, crisp
photographic quality had won him two
Academy awards.

When we started shooting practice
stories on the back lot at M.G.M. a new
factor entered into our training: pic¬
torial continuity. Here Alvin Wykoff,
A.S.C., stepped in to give us the benefit
of his experience. As a top-flight ca¬
meraman who had worked for many
years with the best directors, Mr. Wykoff
knew whereof he spoke.

“Your shots, no matter how well exec¬
uted, will have no meaning unless they
tie together into a clear continuity pat¬
tern,” he told us.

Continuity was the hardest thing for
the class to learn. A man might know
his camera technique thoroughly, but un¬
less his scenes made sense when put to¬
gether on the screen, all of his careful
camerawork would have no value.

The class worked hard under Mr.
Wykoff learning this phase. We shot
complete stories in four scenes (a 100 ft.
roll of film can accommodate only four
to six good scenes, and if we could get
a complete story on one roll, so much
the better).

We learned how to select angles and
image size so as to put emphasis into our
stories, to give them “approach,” to pro¬
vide connecting links between scenes.
This paid off at the front. There we
could not control the action to suit our
cameras, but the principles of continuity
had become so deeply ingrained that we
instinctively shot pictures that “made
sense” on the screen.

We went overseas — our company and
other Army and Marine Corps photo¬
graphic units trained in these same
Hollywood studio classrooms and by the
same capable instructors. The record
speaks for itself. The combat newsreels
we put on the nation’s screens, the tacti¬
cal films which helped our field ’com¬
manders to plan future campaigns, the
documentary and training films we shot
at the front to orient our fellow soldiers
— all of these, I can safely say, had their
start back in Hollywood.

The war is over now. Every man who
did his part toward this end has a right
to consider this his victory. The combat
cameraman knows how much pictures
have meant in this war. But the men
of the Academy and A.S.C. who trained
him, also have a right to rejoice in the
knowledge of a job well done, for it was
they who were, in effect, the men behind
the combat cameraman.

Studio For Three-Dimensional
Film Set Up in U.S.S.R.,

Report p

A studio for three-dimensional films
that will be the first of its kind in the
U.S.S.R. has just been set up in Moscow.
In a press interview studio director A. N.
Andriyevsky, author of the first experi¬
mental stereoscopic films declared:

“In addition to producing films tlte
studio will manufacture special screens,
cameras and projectors. Established at
the studio is a research laboratory
headed by S. Ivanov, inventor of the
stereoscopic cinema.”

~Swsl CUL (lfl)LL Qtm.

TO YOUR

VICTORY CHEST

FOR SALE

Complete -file of the American
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1932, to December, 1944. File,
through 1939, bound in leather-
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bound.

PRICE $100.00
Write to Box 1026

★

AMERICAN

CINEMATOGRAPHER

1782 North Orange Drive
Hollywood 28, California

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E. M. BERNDT CORP.

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5515 SUNSET • HOLLYWOOD 28, CAL.

MANUFACTURERS OF SOUND-ON-FILM
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American Cinematographer • October, 1945 355

Hollywood's Smallest Studio

(Continued from Page 333)

fact, but I honestly believe that too
many cartoons are more grotesque than
they need be,” says he. “I would like
to give entei’tainment to children with¬
out scaring them to death in the mean¬
time. Also, I try to inject a certain
amount of humanness into all of my

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plans of replenishing our war-depleted stock of
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characters. I think they should be at
least half-way normal and appealing.”

And appealing they certainly are. The
dragon even has a sense of humor, I
understand. And another thing — Blakely
has given them eight fingers and two
thumbs — even as you and I. That’s two
more than other cartoonists allow their
characters.

Actually, Blakely first thought of
doing “Siegfried” as a children’s book.
That was in 1942. He was told that the
story was too unfamiliar to children,
and would be more successful as an
adults’ book. So he redesigned it along
those lines, only to have publishers toil
him that, with the government restric¬
tions on paper and colors, they couldn’t
consider the book unless he eliminated
much of the color. That he refused to do,
being of the opinion that without color,
most of the effectiveness of the drawings
would be lost. So he discarded the idea
of “Siegfried” as a book and hit on the
idea of making it into a cartoon short
subject.

As a matter of fact, it is not the first
cartoon film Blakely has made, but it is
the first that will be seen. Unfortunate¬
ly, after he had worked for over two
years on a film using “Willie Whipple”
as the central figure against a Yosem-
ite background, an accident to the film
scratched it so badly that it could not
be salvaged. And worse luck, in nis
effort to keep expenses down, its pro¬
ducer had only one negative. He learned
a lesson on that — and now figures the
cost of duplicates small enough insur¬
ance on two years creative endeavors.

He’s philosophical about the loss,
though. “It was a stinker,” he admits.
“I had made the mistake of writing
the script myself — and I discovered
right there that I’m a better cartoonist
than I am writer. From here on in, I
intend to stick to well-known stories for
my plots, and then I know I can’t go
wrong.”

As to what those stories for future
series might be, Blakely has some defi¬
nite ideas. Operas that are in public
domain offer a great variety for car¬
toons and lend themselves to his type
of work, so would other Viking stories
and King Arthur Tales. He feels that a
series such as he plans could be readily
adapted to theatrical release for short
subjects or even feature stories, or for

use as educational pictures in class-room
instruction (a pet idea of his), or cer¬
tainly for musical interpretation for use
in schools and elsewhere.

Right now he’s endeavoring to get a
studio release; with that he can get all
the backing he needs to carry on. Sev¬
eral important “name” people in Holly¬
wood have seen his work and think very
highly of it, and some have offered to
help him make a good connection. Also,
the fact that “Siegfried” will soon be
televised by Don Lee has Blakely doing
nip-ups!

So far as we have been able to dis¬
cover, nothing like this film has ever
before appeared on the screen. It com¬
bines opera, travelogue and cartoon
with music and commentary, and runs
about 9 minutes. The story of Siegfried’s
adventures is related by colored car¬
toon paintings which lap dissolve with
real life scenes photographed by Blakely
at Yosemite. Among other things he
caught on film is a terrific storm high up
in the mountains, with blinding streaks
of lightning and a raging torrent where
a peaceful stream had been. Just the
right background for the sequence where
the treasure-thieving dwarfs steal the
Rhinegold. These and other drawings
will be superimposed over the storm.

Above the music, at intervals, the nar¬
rator’s voice will be heard telling the
Saga of Siegfried. Gayne Whitney will
do the commentating, and Blakely is
hopeful of getting Stokowski’s permis¬
sion to use his recording of Wagner’s
“Siegfried” music. With that in mind he
has already fit the characters to the
music, rather than fitting music to the
characters, as is usually done.

Blakely does all his work with a simple
magazine loading Filmo 121 16mm ca¬
mera. The quality of his films is so good
they can be enlarged to 35mm. film and
shown in regular movie theaters. But to
those familiar with his background, his
present success in getting excellent re¬
sults is no accident.

And he isn’t a novice, either, for he
received his first motion picture camera
when he was nine years old as a gift
from his father. Dr. C. L. Blakely.
Gene’s father, is a well-known physician
and surgeon at Baker, Oregon, where
Gene was born. It proved a good hobby
for the boy who took an active interest
in camera work from the beginning.

He used to entertain the neighborhood
kids in his backyard where he had
rigged up an old phonograph machine
with turn-table, by recording their voices
while he shot motion picture film. Then,
by some ingenuity known only to the
very young, he performed a feat of Edi¬
son with bits of copper wiring, string
and various other odds and ends, with
the result that he was making “talkies”
fully two years before we had them on
the screen.

About the same time, he made his first
commercial sale. Together with another
boy, he went on a fishing trip, with of
course, the inevitable camera. Fishing is
real sport in Eastern Oregon, and when
Gene went out in a rowboat to try his
luck, his buddy stood watch on shore and

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356

October, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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ready to follow Gene’s directions, which
were: keep on filming the action no
matter what happened! And plenty hap¬
pened! The powerful sturgeon proved
almost too much for the boy and for a
bad few minutes it looked like he would
be carried down-river with the big fish.
He yelled frantically for help, but his
friend stood his ground and kept right
on getting that action on film!

Afterward Blakely was grateful, for
he sent it to Eastman Kodak and made
his first commercial sale. Subsequently
he sold many things to Eastman, among
them Indian Ceremonial dances taken at
Glacier Park and National Boy Scout
activities there. In 1930 he was on hand
at a Pendleton, Oregon, Rodeo and got
some stuff that Eastman is still selling
for five dollars a foot.

Young Blakely scooped the country
once, too. It was on the occasion of the
first non-stop flight from Moscow to Los
Angeles. But something went amiss, and
the Russian fliers radioed to the Army
Barracks at Vancouver that they would
have to land. A medical officer, friend to
the family was stationed at the Barracks
and he called Gene on the phone to tell
him the news. When the Russians landed
at 3 a.m. a lone cameraman photographed
that historic event. Later, other photog¬
raphers arrived, but all they got was
shots of the fliers on the ground, and
the plane ditto. The kid made his first
chunk of dough on that deal — $300.

Attending Vogue School of Commer¬
cial Art in Chicago and studying adver¬
tising layout, etc., did not dampen his
interest in photography, either. Instead,
when he went back to Oregon and set up
his own business in Portland, one of the
first things he did was to convince a
couple of clients that what they needed
was commercial motion pictures. They
did, and Blakely was in a new business,
Commercial Production.

Gene believes there’s only one way
to get things done: do them. It’s a rule
he follows, and it seems to work, for he
is now on the verge of becoming a suc¬
cessful producer of something new in
cartoons. And he’s done it alone and on
his own. The whole business!

How does he ever get any work done
with cars coming in and going out all
day long? Easy! “When I want to work
and not be bothered,” he grinned, “I just
run up the fifty cent sign. That does it!”

Leaving the tiniest studio in Holly¬
wood, I glanced back. The fifty cent sign
was up! Blakely was probably going into
production again!

FOR SALE

Bell and Howell

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Box 1022, American Cinematographer

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American Cinematographer • October, 1945

357

Story of Civilization
Coming to the Screen

The complete story of civilization, in
all its richness, can never be fully
visualized, but the school children of to¬
day can have the opportunity, through
motion pictures, to see world events and
situations which, taken in their entirety,
depict the outstanding milestones of, and
the continuity in, our modern civilization.

Visual Education Libraries, a New
York producer of educational films, is re¬
leasing a series of such films under the
general heading of The Story of Civiliza¬
tion. A portion of this series deals with
people in all major economic stages,
under such titles as Hunting People,
Fishing People, Primitive Farmers, and
others concerning people in more highly
organized and mechanized society.

In addition to these economic units, the
various physical environments under
which men live are covered by appro¬
priate films. This regional presentation
of geography, divorced from political
boundaries, has proven especially effective
in this day of rapidly changing political
units. Hence in this Story of Civiliza¬
tion there are separate units on Jungle
People, Desert People, Arctic People,
Forest People and the like.

The social impact of great inventions
and industrial achievements completes
the Story of Civilization with such sub¬
jects as the Story of the Microscope,
Story of the Telescope, the Atlantic
Cable, the Panama Canal and others.

The first twelve of these one-reel sub¬
jects are now ready for immediate de¬
livery and thirty more are already in
production. The entire series, when com¬
pleted, is expected to require from 75 to
125 separate reels.

For many years teachers in public
schools have made much use of activity
projects and tours whereby the entire
class “took time off” to visit mills, mines,
power plants and such other important
projects as were readily accessible. To¬
day educators are recognizing that sound
motion pictures can present the same
subject matter, together with many other
subjects not so readily accessible, accom¬
panied by voice commentary, with greater
richness of material and accuracy than
was possible through the verbal com¬
ments and field observations of the old
activity tours.

It is contended by the sponsors of this
extensive series of films that only
through the motion picture can the
schools of the future bring the essentials
of the constantly increasing content of
our civilization into the curriculum. With
this background of experience the gradu¬
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understand better the currents of the
world in which they live and will thereby
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take their places in the life of the com¬
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MILES FILMOGRAPH PHONOGRAPH FILM
RECORDER AND REPRODUCER, DEMON¬
STRATION MODEL, WITH 500 FEET FILM.
LIKE NEW, LIST $200.00, $149.50 ARRIFLEX
CAMERA, 200 FOOT MOTOR DRIVEN, WITH
30MM. F2. — 50MM. FI. 8 75MM. FI. 8— 125MM.
F2.3 ALL PAN TACHAR LENSES, TWO
CARRYING CASES; 5—200 FOOT MAGA¬
ZINES, ACCESSORIES, TACHOMETER, FOR
SALE OR RENT— BERNDT-MAURER, MODEL
D RECORDER, 2—400 FOOT MAGAZINES,
TWO VICTOR FILM PHONAGRAPHS WITH
SYNCHRONOUS MOTORS; BELL & HOWELL
16MM. 1200 WATT SOUND PROJECTOR; 17
FOOT EXTENSION MICROPHONE BOOM;
DOLLY, DOUBLE CONSOLE TURNTABLE
FOR SOUND EFFECTS; TWO BARNEY
BLIMPS FOR MITCHELL & BELL & HOW¬
ELL CAMERAS. NEW PRESTO DISC RE¬
CORDER, 78-33^ R.P.M. AURICON RE¬
CORDERS WITH POWER PACK, MICRO¬
PHONE BOOM. EXTRAS. BOLEX CAMERA,
16MM. 200 FOOT MAGAZINE, SYNCHRON¬
OUS MOTOR, TRIPOD, AURICON RECORDER,
200 FOOT CAPACITY, AMPLIFIER, VINTEN
GYRO TRIPOD ; CINEMATOGRAPHERS HAND
BOOK $4.00; GEAR TRIPODS. 500-1000-2000
WATT SPOTLIGHTS, FRESNEL LENSES,
NEW 750 WATT BARDWELL & McALLISTER
SPOTLIGHTS AND BULBS IN STOCK. 16-
35MM. NEW— USED NEUMADE REWINDS,
GRISWOLD SPLICERS. AKELEY CAMERA,
COMPLETELY EQUIPPED, LENSES FROM
35MM. TO 17". DE BRIE MODEL L, NEU-
MANN-SINCLAIR, EYEMOS AND DE VRY
CAMERAS. BELL & HOWELL STEP PRIN¬
TER. BELL & HOWELL 70A, 1" COOKE AND
WIDE ANGLE LENS, CASE, $101.85. WRITE
FOR CAMART TRIPOD CIRCULARS.

CAMERA MART

70 WEST 45TH STREET, NEW YORK

MOVIOLAS, $195.00 ; NEUMADE ELECTRIC
FILM CONDITIONER, $195.00 ; RCA Modern¬
ized Recorder, $1,650.00; Artreeves type Gal¬
vanometer Recorder, synchronous motor; 1000'
magazine, amplifier, power supply ; microphone ;
cables, etc., $1,250.00 ; Quartz slits, $39.50 ;
RCA Galvanometer complete, $650.00, with noise
reduction, $800.00 ; Background Projection Out¬
fit worth $10,000.00, now $4,990.00. Send for
Catalog. S. O. S. CINEMA SUPPLY COR¬
PORATION, NEW YORK 18.

MAURER D RECORDER, AGN Amplifier, 400
foot Magazine, carrying cases. Condition, as
new. Film Associates, 429 Ridgewood Dr., Day-
ton 9, Ohio.

GREATEST VALUE EVER OFFERED — 100
page book Military Photography, illustrated, 55
cents. 14 Handbooks “Journalistic Photogra¬
phy,” $7.95 prepaid. Mogull’s, 68-a West 48th
Street, New York City.

EASTMAN KODAK SPECIAL CAMERA 16MM.,
new. Five lenses : one 1" wide angle, one 2", one
4", one 6". One 110-volt synchronous motor.
Two 200-foot magaines. One professional Jr.
Tripod with case. One new Auricon 16mm.
double system recorder with two microphones
and earphones, fresh batteries. Recorder has
latest circuits and was tested at factory. Will
sell the above outfit complete, not in parts, for
$2,200.00. AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER,
Box 1027.

MISCELLANEOUS

HOME MOVIE FANS, JOIN MOTION PICTURE
Educational Society. Free valuable information.
Box 875, Reading, Pa.

WANTED

WANTED TO BUY FOR CASH
CAMERAS AND ACCESSORIES
MITCHELL B & H EYEMO DEBRIE AKELEY
ALSO LABORATORY AND CUTTING ROOM
EQUIPMENT

CAMERA EQUIPMENT COMPANY
1600 BROADWAY, NEW YORK CITY 19
CABLE; CINEQUIP

WE PAY CASH FOR EVERYTHING PHOTO¬
GRAPHIC. Write us today. Hollywood Camera
Exchange. 1600 Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood.

LABORATORY, STUDIO OR RECORDING
EQUIPMENT, SOUND PROJECTORS, CAM¬
ERAS, TRIPODS. PAY HIGHEST PRICES.
S. O. S. CINEMA SUPPLY CORPORATION,
NEW YORK 18.

B & H CAMERA BODY, 40MM. ASTRO COATED

lens, Berndt-Maurer film photography ONLY.
Mogull’s, 68-a West 48th Street, New York City.

358

October, 1945 • American Cinematographer

A high price to see a movie? Not a bit.

. For in thousands of theaters all over
the country, when Americans paid $1 8.7 5
and more to see a single show, the ad¬
mittance was really "on the house.”

To motion picture exhibitors — long
accustomed to doing their bit in the in¬
terest of community undertakings — help¬
ing put over the War Loan Drives was a

cheerfully accepted duty. The 1 5,618 free
days which exhibitors gave ’’The Mighty
7th” are just a sample of this public spirit.

The coming ’’Victory Loan” campaign
can expect the same type of unselfish
support. For in peace as in war, the mo¬
tion picture house continues as a modern
counterpart of the old town meeting in
spirit and in action.

Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester 4, N. Y.

J. E. BRULATOUR, INC., Distributors
FORT LEE CHICAGO HOLLYWOOD

One of n

' a series 0f

- -s by

kodak testifying t0

the achievements of
the movies in peace
... as in war

»iYr,

our

Back i» 1945"

When the great day

will keep your memories forever
You’ll re-live that thrilling home-coming again
again . . . keep for a lifetime that shining day
of pride!

And for showing your own home movies, as well
as those you may rent or buy from the thousands of
subjects offered by the Filmosound Library, Filmos
excel! Sharp, brilliant pictures, simple operation, long
life— you have them all in the Filmo "Diplomat”
Projector, built in the same tradition that makes
Bell & Howell the preferred studio equipment for
Hollywood and the world.

How to Get a Filmo "DIPLOMAT”

wpioNiM"

r* to be avail-

„ u * Howell Pr°lfCt°lf-’_-the hnest

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rr:-- P^-weU dealet

SeeyOUhhi»no«,tohelpV-en)°y

Wt:Cuest possible date.

See your Bell & Howell dealer now! He will help you
avoid unnecessary delivery delay. For full information
on the "Diplomat,” other improved B&H home movie
equipment, and the Filmosound Library, send the coupon
today.

Bell & Howell Company, Chicago; New York; Holly¬
wood; Washington, D. C.; London.

Use U. S. Treasury 16mm. films fo sell Victory Bonds!

OPTI-ONICS — products combining the sciences of OPTIcs • electrONics • mechanics

PRECISION-MADE BY

BELL & HOWELL COMPANY
7148 McCormick Road, Chicago 45

Please send, without cost or obligation: ( ) infor¬
mation on the improved “Diplomat” Projector;
catalog of Filmosound Library ( ) recreational
( ) educational films.

Name

Of>t‘

Address

on/ci

City

State

AC-10-45

SINCE 1907 THE LARGEST MANUFACTURER OF PRECISION EQUIPMENT FOR MOTION .PICTURE STUDIOS OF HOLLYWOOD AND THE WORLD

mor/on

25th Anniversary Issue— November

/

^ f ' JPI

mm^ mf s $

L>

*

1 |J

\i

^wjhm

(No. 12 of a series on the manufacture of Du Pont Motion Picture Film )

WHEELS spin as coated rolls (wide stock) of
Du Pont Motion Picture Film are slit into
standard 35 mm. rolls. Safelights enable exper¬
ienced operators to operate the high-speed slit¬
ters, maintaining precise dimensional accuracy.

The individual rolls on the take-up cores are
cut to length. After they are removed from
the slitting machine, the rolls are transferred
to an inspection room where the film is given
a careful examination. The rolls are then packed
in rugged metal containers, labeled and are
ready for shipment.

Note the spotless tiled walls of the room
shown at the right . . . typical of the hospital
cleanliness maintained throughout every sec¬
tion of the Du Pont film plant.

E. I. duPont de Nemours & Co. (Inc.), Photo
Products Department, Wilmington 98, Del.

In New York: Empire State Building
In Hollywood: Smith & Aller, Ltd.

LEADING CINEMATOGRAPHERS APPROVE THESE
FEATURES OF DU PONT MOTION PICTURE FILM

1. Retention of latent image

2. Extreme wide latitude

3. Color balance

4. Fine grain

5. Speed

6. Contrast

7. Excellent

flesh tones

DU PONT MOTION PICTURE FILM

BETTER THINGS FOR BETTER LIVING
..THROUGH CHEMISTRY

i. PAT. Off-

362

November, 1945

American Cinematographer

Len H. Roos, A.S.C., F.R.P.S., staff foreign correspondent for Pathe News, shows

his veteran Eyemo to fellow newsmen and South Pacific island natives.

NEWS happens fast, and a newsreel man does
his stuff the same way ... or not at all. For
when news breaks, he can’t stop to figure angles
and lighting effects. And no retakes if he misses!

That’s why newsreel cameramen can’t afford to
miss. That’s why they choose Eyemo Cameras . . .
versatile, rugged, practical Eyemos . . . that get the
picture rain or shine, war or peace, in the South
Pacific or the North Atlantic ... in Tokyo or Berlin.

Precision-built by the makers of Hollywood’s
preferred studio equipment, Eyemos are perform¬
ing their jobs every day in every corner of the world
. . . getting the news as it comes— fast.

The new cameras and projectors that Bell &
Howell is now producing are not being hurriedly
assembled from leftover parts. They’re being im¬
proved by discoveries B&H made in producing
secret devices for the armed forces. You’ll buy
them and use them with the same pleasure and
confidence you’ve always had in B&H equipment.

Bell & Howell Company, Chicago; New York;
Hollywood; Washington, D. C.; London.

A Personal Instrument —Tailor-Made
to Your Specific Needs

Eyemo gets the news wherever it breaks, operating flaw¬
lessly in the foulest weather, absorbing jolts and jars.
Easy to handle . . . loads in a split second.

Seven standard Eyemo models, plus a complete selec¬
tion of correlated accessories, make Eyemo a personal
instrument — tailor-made to your own specific needs.

They finished the job — let’s finish ours!

BUY r - - —

VICTORY 1 BELL & HOWELL COMPANY

I 7148 McCormick Road, Chicago 45

BONDS I

I Please send me information on B&H Eyemo

Cameras and correlated accessories.

OPTI-ONICS — products combining the sciences of OPTIcs • electrONics • mechanics

SINCE 1 907 THE LARGEST MANUFACTURER OF PRECISION EQUIPMENT FOR THE MOTION PICTURE STUDIOS OF HOLLYWOOD AND THE WORLD

American Cinematographer • November, 1945

363

VOL. 26

NOVEMBER. 1945

NO. 11

CONTENTS

The Staff

25 Years of Service . By Leonard Smith, A.S.C. 367

25 Years of Progress . By Farciot Edouart, A.S.C. 368

Aces of the Camera (Glenn R. Kershner) . . . .By Louise Doty Carle 370

The Technique of the Documentary Film. . . .£>7/ Herb A. Lightman 378

Lucite and Lantz Came Through for the Navy ....By Hilda Black 372

Membership Roll of the A.S.C . 374

The History and Origin of 16 Millimeter .. By Alexander F. Victor 376

Through the Editor’s Finder . 380

Formation and Progress of Amateur Movie Clubs .

. By C. W. Cadarette 382

Peacetime Engineering Outlook . By D. E. Hyndman 384

Among the Movie Clubs . 386

Special Effects for the Amateur . By F. C. Moultrie 388

Say It With Titles . By J. R. Oswald 390

Mark Hawley Urges Audio Visual Program for Schools .

. By Geo. Butterly 403

ON THE FRONT COVER is a photograph on the set of Warner Brothers’
“Confidential Agent” showing Director Herman Shumlin rehearsing Lauren
Bacall in a scene for the picture. Director of Photography, James Wong
Howe, seated, watches. Photo by Pat Clark.

OFFICERS AND BOARD OF GOVERNORS
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

Leonard Smith, President Fred Jackman. Exec. V.-Pres. and Treas.

Charles Clarke, First Vice-President Joseph Walker, Second Vice-President

Arthur Edeson, Third Vice-President Ray Rennahan, Secretary

George Folsey, Sergeant-at-Arms

John Arnold Byron Haskin John Seitz

John Boyle Sol Polito Leon Shamroy

Lee Garmes William Skall

EDITOR
Hal Hall

•

TECHNICAL EDITOR
Emery Huse, A.S.C.

•

ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Edward Pyle, Jr.

•

MILITARY ADVISOR
Col. Nathan Levinson

•

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Mel Traxel

•

ARTIST

Glenn R. Kershner. A.S.C.

CIRCULATION AND ADVERTISING
Marguerite Duerr

ADVISORY EDITORIAL BOARD
Fred W. Jackman, A- S. C.
Victor Milner, A. S. C.

Alvin Wyckoff. A.S.C.

Farciot Edouart, A. S. C.

Fred Gage, A. S. C.

Dr. J. S. Watson, A. S. C.

Dr. L. A. Jones, A. S. C.

Dr. C. E. K. Mees, A. S. C.

Dr. W. B. Rayton, A. S. C.

Dr. V. B. Sease, A. S. C.

•

AUSTRALIAN REPRESENTATIVE

McGill's, 173 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne.
Australian and New Zealand Agents

•

Published monthly by A. S. C. Agency, Inc.

Editorial and business offices :

1782 North Orange Drive
Hollywood (Los Angeles, 28), California
Telephone: GRanite 2135

•

Established 1920. Advertising rates on appli¬
cation. Subscriptions: United States and Pan-
American Union, $2.50 per year; Canada, $2.75
per year ; Foreign. $3.50. Single copies, 26c ;
back numbers, 30c ; foreign, single copies 36e.
back numbers 40c. Copyright 1945 by A. S. C.
Agency, Inc.

•

Entered as second-class matter Nov. 18, 1937.
at the postoffice at Los Angeles. California, under
the act of March 3, 1879.

364

November, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Here it is, the

The "Mitchell 16" was designed to meet the requirements for a high grade
16mm camera. Incorporated in this camera are many of the well known
features of the famous 35mm Mitchell that has been the standard of the
motion picture industry for 25 years.

Mitchell Camera Corporation

665 N. ROBERTSON BOULEVARD
WEST HOLLYWOOD 46, CALIF.

Cable Address "MITCAMCO" Phone BR 2-3209

American Cinematographer • November, 1945

365

a

LOYALTY- -PROGRESS --ART— DISTINCTION BASED ON MERIT

I! turn g '""t rv y-a r-» r-'" — s. is» y -- || ''»> im n o. r— — i . . . . .

THE MEN WHO MAKE MOTION PICTURES

VOL. I. NO. t

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. NOVEMBER I, 1920

TEN CENTS A COPY

THE CAMERAMAN

The man who works 1 1n* camera must he :t thoroughly iterant fel¬
low or else he could not hold Ins position, as tie lias much to cunt etui
with amt much is laid upon his unhappy head which should be blamed
elscwheri — faulty direction, faulty chemicals, or faulty work in the
dark room.

Tim importance of the cameraman is paramount. Without' him
no good picture can lie taken. He must he a manv-xided individual to
continue in his position successfully. lie must, first of all, In- aide to
take good pictures, apart from that, he must necessarily he a brave
man and ready to attempt anything asked of him lie must I"1 clear¬
headed, so that lie ran stand on the edge of a sk.v sera per. and lean over
the top of a precipice . for that matter, lie must, perch himself in almost
incredible angles, and perhaps stand waist deep in the river or ocean.
Ur must stand steadily by his work whi n .sonic wild beast comes men¬
acingly rinse, when the other members of the party ran run to shelter,
and all the while he must steadily crank, and see that bis camera is not
injured by (ire, animals or water, and it is a matter of record that very
Valiant deeds are performed by the cameramen, deeds that, few actors
or directors rare to brave.

The average cameraman is a fatalist and a stoic, and he must have
the temper of n saint, for the best of directors arc irritable at times,
and even cameramen are liable to mistakes, liable to start oil a scene
..without enough ICIm in the box, liable at times to he out of focus, for
he has many, many things to think about, and he has to think 'pdekiy
and to he prepared for emergencies.

The modern eanieraimin is for the most part a silent individual ; he
is more or less preoccupied with his work, and has not much time to mix
with the players. He has to prepare his camera and magazines in the

eariy ooo'Jiioe. -o , - ! v, »v K., t-ei ores |V.*t» 1 1> ■ tU»y V |, , J,,

pied with seeing results, so that if there arc any retakes, the compativ
may he ready to remake ills’ scenes the following day. By the time
lie is through with his work he is ready to go home and stay there, for
he needs all the rest, and sleep lie can get as a rule, as lie knows lie can¬
not afford to allow such things as nerves to attach themselves to his
system. The cameraman leaves little things like that to the players
and the directors, and endeavors to go his own way serenely .

The man who works the camera must necessarily he a student,
otherwise he will fall into a rut, and then — oblivion There is so much
excellent photography jodny, and so many new effects being thought
of, that a co nsetet 1 1 imi» } ntt n is forever thinking of some new and star¬
tling effect or innovation-— something new, of which he may be proud,
and yet he knows that his name is not likely to be mentioned when
something particularly new, even of his own creation, is shown on the
screen, lie is content that it is the child of his brain, and that his 'fel¬
lows of she camera know of his feat.

’1 be cameraman is slowly, surely-, condo g into his own as screen
developments at test his worth,

CINEMATOGRAPHERS IN THE FIELDS OF ACTION

News Notes of Current Events in the Studios Where the Films Are in
the Making— Mention of Recent Releases,

OUR BILLION DOLLAR FILM
INDUSTRY

Motion Picture Making' Attracts

Notable People to Los Angeles

and Southern California Im¬
portant Developments in Evi¬
dence in All Studios.

I, os Angeles is steadily forging
ahead as the greatest of all motion
picture producing centers of the
world. Millions of dollars are be¬
ing paid out annually in salaries
and operating expenses by com¬
panies located in this city, ami.
prominent writers familiar with
the subject, state that about 8.0
per cent of the motmu pictures
made in America are made in I.os
Angeles.

This means much to the cinema¬
tographers— the men who make
the motion pictures. It means that,
the reliable cameramen of execu¬
tive and general business ability
who know how to correctly pho¬
tograph motion pictures have rs
bright and interesting future. But
they must work and establish
their own identity through orig¬
inal photography while co-operat¬
ing at all times with their direc¬
tors.

There is the reason why the
members of the American Society
of Cinematographers are steadily
expanding with the growth and
prestige of the industry. These
alert, tireless, energetic men of
the camera believe in progress
along educational lines because
they realize their future is in the
making. As tin? motion picture in¬
dustry grows in importance their
work is sure to win that substan¬
tial recognition that pieces them
on a par with the director. The
cinematographer is in a large
measure responsible for the per¬
fect picture, and no matter what
ability the star may possess, nor
how well the director divert, un¬
less his cameraman knows his
business the picture proves a cost¬
ly failure. The cinematographer
is largely responsible for the
achievements of the billion dollar
industry.

APPRECIATIVE RECOGNITION

It is most, pleasing to representa¬
tive cinematographers! to note the
feeling of recognition and appre¬
ciation of their efforts to aid in
producing the highest quality pho¬
tographic effects in motion pic¬
tures. Tin- representative ami in-
teliigent directors and heads of
producing organizations, stars and
players, depend much upon the
cameramen. A fitting testimonial
to the ability of most of the cam¬
eramen is shown on the screens of
pictures of note by the appearance
thereon following the name of the
director, of the name of the cam¬
eraman photographing the pic¬
ture. Tin- recognition of the cine¬
matographer evidences the great
mind. It shows the director who
is t, mud of his ow n, iiehievements
who is willing to share honors with
Ids' cameraman, and it is the men
of this class who create the most,
notable successes in motion pic¬
tures.

The season of 102CM&21 with
the members of the American So¬
ciety of Cinematographers prom¬
ises to he unusually active and in¬
teresting, with several remarkable
productions in the making that;
should establish new precedents
for the film industry.

Mr. Charles 0. Rusher, cinema¬
tographer for Mary Pick ford, is
in the midst of production photo¬
graphing modern Italian scenes
for Miss .Piekford's new six-reel
picture. “The Flame in the Dark,”
directed by Frances Marion.

Mr. Philip E. Rosen, who is di¬
recting Metro productions, recent¬
ly finished the picture ‘‘White
Ashes." an all-star east being fea¬
tured. The story is by Luther
Heed, written for the Metro. Mr
Rosen is now directing May Alli¬
son in that remarkable story en¬
titled, "Are Wives to Blame,” a
six- reel that promises unusually
interesting features.

Mr. King I), dray, einematogra-
<t)her with J, drub Alexander, fea¬

turing Ben Wilson and Neva der-
bei- in "The Crimson Lash.'’ a
spectacular dramatic serial of
fifteen episodes, snvs this picture
will rank among the modern thril¬
lers as a very exciting serial, ft
will In- completed about December
tr.ti,.

Mr. Ernest S. Depew. who is
photographing “Slim” Summer¬
ville ami Bobby Dunn, under the
direction of doe Bordeaux, ip a big
Manning comedy production, says
the laugh lovers will receive full
benefits when they look upon this
film, now about, ready for release.

Mr Fred IV. Jackman, who is
in the midst of a remarkable series
of comedy stunts for a big Mack
Seniiett Comedy whereiu Ben Tur¬
pin and Charlie Murray arc being
starred, describes a number of
camera effects more than usually
out of the ordinary, covering spe¬
cial photography of all arts and
angles in this five-reel tffgft spell¬
binder,

(Continued on 2)

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

IDEAL FOR PICTURES

Philip E. Rosen, president of the
American Society of < 'inematogra-
phers. and a director of all-star
easts for the Metro organization,
an authority on matters of’ pho¬
tography in motion pictures, who
has toured most of the interesting
sections since establishing his
home in Los Angeles about two
years ago, is pronounced in his
praise regarding the charming
beauty of this wonderland of
Southern California, for moving
pictures. He says :

“There is every- evidence that
the charms and .alluring nature-
settings of Los Angeles, Snn Ber¬
nardino, Riverside, Redlands, the
mountains and foothill districts
tributary, and fanu-d Catalina
Island, which are embodied in
moving pictures, are popular
throughout the world.

“ Through the great Variety of
scenery, plains, /ousts, golden
fruit orchards, mountains and
marine perspectives, this country
offers unusual advantages for the
settings of moving picture scenar¬
ios, especially in the radiant days
of the almost continuous summer
months- and nearly all the year is
summer in the Southland.

Alpine settings may be found
in the snow and declivities of Mt.
Wilson and Old ltahly, only a few
miles away: the great sweeping
beaches of the Santa Monica Bay,
Redondo and San Pedro, with Cat¬
alina {stand in the nearby dis¬
tance, offer most fitting .surround¬
ings for the activities of ship¬
wrecked sailors, pirates, fishing
scenes, shippitssr and seaside ro¬
mances. Farm life, with the old
homesteads, and the mystery of
the foothills, cactus and sage
brush, nil furnish the common and
uncommon needs of the scenarios.

“These great advantages have
led to a new industrialism in
Southern California, moving pic¬
ture studios and manufacturing
plants have been erected in many
places, ami what the neighborhood
has to give to the pictures in per¬
fect surroundings will lie returned
in commercial profits; the time
buying come when even the still
life of natural beauties can be a
source of profit.

“The value of pictures has been
enhanced, and while people all
over the world are being made ac¬
quainted with the beauties of Los
Angeles and the attractive regions
surrounding, the pictures them¬
selves arc being improved a hun¬
dred fold because of the superior
and real nature of the background.
Nature and the moving picture
form a splendid and educational
partnership as told In the cameras
of our cinematographers.

BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS

Many substantial and represent¬
ative improvements are being
made by the film manufacturing
and producing interests in and
around 1-os Angeles giving evi¬
dence of the growth and import¬
ance of this great industry where¬
in millions of dollars are invested.

i

366

November, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Leonard

Smith

25 cljsiahA. j ofj^ S&wa&l

By LEONARD SMITH

President, American Society of Cinematographers

TWENTY-FIVE years ago this
month the first issue of the
American Cinematographer came
off the press. As magazines go, it was
not a very impressive looking publica¬
tion, as you may see from the repro¬
duction on the opposite page of page
one of that first issue. Impressive or
not, it was the start of a sincere move
on the part of the members of the
American Society of Cinematographers
to render a service to its members and
to other cinematographers.

We members of the ASC were mighty
proud of that first issue. We had talked
and talked about creating some sort of
a publication, and here, at last we had
one. What we did not know then was
how great the influence of our magazine
was eventually to become. Little did
we dream that some day the American
Cinematographer would be read each

month in all parts of the world; that
thousands upon thousands of home movie
makers would look to it for inspiration
and guidance; and that professional cam¬
eramen in foreign lands would eagerly
await each issue to learn the latest
scientific developments in the American
field of photography, together with news
of allied subjects, such as sound, labora¬
tory and projection.

I suppose the magazine at the start
was just a house organ, designed to
keep all the members of the ASC ac¬
quainted with what their fellow mem¬
bers were doing. But gradually the little
publication began to change, both its
format and its contents. In it the mem¬
bers began to find scientific news. Soon
it was awaited by the members for its
technical and scientific reports as well
as its news. From a four-page paper
it gradually grew into magazine form,

with highly technical articles by the
world’s greatest scientists and experts
in cinematography, optics, lighting and
allied fields. Coated book stock replaced
the cheaper paper, and physically it as¬
sumed magazine form. It had arrived.

Gradually cameramen in other parts
of the United States began subscribing
for it, and in due course of time it was
being read by members of the profes¬
sion in all American centers where mo¬
tion pictures were made. Then the big
commercial organizations who manufac¬
tured photographic equipment and film
recognized its value as an advertising
medium. Eastman Kodak, Bell & How¬
ell Company, National Carbon, DuPont,
Goertz, J. E. Brulatour, distributors of
Eastman Films; Smith & Aller, dis¬
tributors of DuPont Films, the Mitchell
Camera Company, Mole-Richardson and
many others were among the first to
place their advertising in its columns.

A file of the Cinematographer from
its beginning to date contains perhaps
more technical history pertaining to
cinematography than that of any other
journal. Since its inception the maga¬
zine has been the first to carry the story
of every new development that pertains
to photography in any way. In its
pages have appeared the detailed an¬
nouncement and description of every
development in cameras, lighting equip¬
ment, film, optics, special effects and
process photography, together with ar¬
ticles dealing with new methods and
inventions.

In 1929 the magazine, recognizing
the need for imparting technical infor¬
mation to the rapidly increasing num¬
ber of home movie makers, started pub¬
lishing articles slanted toward the ama¬
teur, with particular emphasis on the
advanced amateur. Then an entirely
new group of readers came into ex¬
istence. Amateurs by the thousands
began reading the magazine because
nowhere else could they find instruc¬
tive articles written for them by pro¬
fessional motion picture cameramen;
men who gave of their rich experience
to help the amateur make better ama¬
teur films. The magazine has solved
the problems of untold numbers of
home movie makers who could find their
answers nowhere else.

And then the manufacturers of
16mm. and 8mm. equipment joined
those making professional equipment
in placing their advertisements in the
Cinematographer. As circulation and
advertising increased, the ASC in¬
creased the size and the quality of the
publication, with the result that today
subscribers to the Cinematographer are
found in more than twenty foreign
countries and in every State in the
Union.

We of the American Society of Cine¬
matographers are proud of our publi¬
cation; proud of the service it has
rendered during the past quarter of a
century. We promise every reader and
every advertiser that we shall continue
in the same spirit to constantly improve
the magazine and make it even more
valuable with each passing year.

American Cinematographer • November, 1945

867

25 Years of Progress

By FARCIOT EDOUART, A.S.C.

VIEWING the Motion Picture In¬
dustry from today’s vantage point
is a Janus-like experience. Any
conjecture we might make as to this
great industry’s future, and any remi¬
niscing we might indulge in as to its
past, is thought-provoking. From out
of our past grows our future; we are
but stepping stones for those who will
follow us. Considering the achievements
of the past, we feel safe in predicting
great things for the future. Planning
ahead, we look back and acknowledge
those “old masters” who have made this
industry possible.

It is not enough to say that the past
ten, twenty or even twenty-five years
have seen almost unbelievable advances
over their earlier predecessors. It is only
half-truth to say that we have made gar¬
gantuan strides toward our goal for a
finer, a more entertaining and a more
nearly perfect product. Sound on film
was revolutionary in 1927 when it was
introduced, yet even its advent could not
overshadow the obvious fact that it, and
every other development in the motion
picture industry, is only the natural out¬
growth of what has gone before.

We are forever indebted to those pio¬
neers in photography, who, long before
motion pictures were dreamed of, de¬
vised methods and had ideas which later
became the very warp and woof upon
which this great entertainment medium
was built. Many of those men spent long
years of study, research, experimenta¬
tion and development. Not a few ob¬
tained patents on their work, but for
every man who patented his findings,
there were dozens who received no men¬
tion at all. Yet they, too, contributed to
what was later to become the fifth larg¬
est industry in the United States.

Today, the Motion Picture Industry
has become both an Art and a Science,
profoundly affecting not only our indi¬
vidual and national lives but is interna¬
tional in aspect as well. It is an invalu¬
able tool and pattern to those working-
in other associated Arts and Sciences.
There are few activities of civilized man
today in which the advent of motion pic¬
tures has not made its influence felt or
played some part.

Outside of war itself, there is no other
industry that requires the diversified
application of so many branches of tech¬
nical knowledge, and the employment
of so many of the Arts and Sciences to
complete its production. Here, above
all other industries, we seek and wel¬
come basic knowledge and experience,
and the ability in scientific blending of
practical and theoretical methods. There
has been developed a Science of Motion
Picture Photography with a literature,
a terminology, and an instrumental tech¬
nique of its own.

From the start, the Cinematographer
or Director of Photography has used

light to make his picture. All ideas and
mental pictures must be translated into
visible, tangible form through the me¬
dium of light. How he uses it has
changed fully as much as anything else.
In the early days, illumination was all
that was required, whether it was sup¬
plied by the sun or by artificial sources.
Today, mere illumination is secondary
to lighting, painting the picture with
light-beams to create an illusion of depth
and roundness in a picture which is
really flat and seen on a flat surface.

Natural color has fast developed in im¬
portance and it is no conjecture to say
that the time is not far distant when
most production will be photographed in
color. As far as the Cinematographer is
concerned, color brings new problems
over black and white production as well
as many new and exciting possibilities.
Our ultimate goal is to produce truly
stereoscopic motion pictures in all their
realism of natural color and depth.

In order to better understand the de¬
velopments of the past twenty-five years,
let’s look back and briefly review the his¬
tory of some of those early pioneers and
their patents. In 1874, for instance, a
man named Coolidge obtained a patent
on a matte process, used for stills. We
have and use substantially the same
process today; ours is merely an out¬
growth and refinement of his method.

Then in 1892, a patent was issued to
Seymour for a back projection process.
This process was designed for use with
the stereoptican and combined a pro¬
jected image and an actor. We’ve incor¬
porated and utilized his idea.

Another name, one of the greatest of
importance, in the advent of motion pic¬
ture history, is that of Thomas A. Edi¬
son, who, back in 1892, invented a con¬
traption known as the Kinetoscope, which
device applied the “persistence-of-vision”
factor of the human eye to retain an
image, thus utilizing a natural human
function which makes motion photogra¬
phy possible. It revolutionized the art of
story-telling, and with it Edison gave to
the world the forerunner and first prac¬
tical application of make-believe. That
possibility of creating an international
make-believe medium of entertainment
was destined to become the great Motion
Picture Industry, which today represents
an investment of well over two billion
dollars.

Working with Edison to bring motion
pictures into being was Dickson, making
pictures that employed double exposure
and masking along the lines of the Cool¬
idge process.

Then, in 1896, another name loomed
large on the horizon: George Melies, a
Frenchman. From 1896 until 1906 Melies
produced over 200 “trick” films. They
were very short and ran from one to two
minutes. Melies, who had started his ca¬
reer as actor, theatrical technician and

professional magician, applied his varied
skills to the new medium, and made two
important contributions to the motion
picture industry: the lap dissolve and
multiple exposure.

He used combinations of miniatures
and a form of cutouts and some of his
effects required up to ten exposures.
Crude as they were, they were neverthe¬
less the forerunners of our present-day
methods. Melies produced highly imagi¬
native stories such as “Gulliver’s Trav¬
els,” “Blue Beard,” and many fairy tales.
To him must also go the credit for pro¬
ducing the first motion picture with a
musical score at its opening. That was
“The Kingdom of the Fairies,” the most
ambitious film up to that time. Produced
in 1906, it ran 1223 feet and cost the
staggering sum of $7500.

One of Melies’ contemporaries, an Eng¬
lishman named Robert Paul, produced
much the same sort of film, the best
known of which was “The Haunted Curi¬
osity Shop.” Incidentally, there still ex¬
ists in Hollywood, some of Melies’ first
pictures, and when the Motion Picture
Museum is an actuality, it is planned
that duplicates made from these old
films will be placed therein.

In the years that followed these early
experiments, many ideas and methods
were evolved. But it is worth noting
that many of our present-day processes
— masking, dissolves, double, triple and
quadruple exposures, ghost shots, split
screens, etc. etc. — mostly date back to
old basic methods. We have merely am¬
plified, refined and improved upon them
and brought them up-to-date.

The “glass shot” as we know it today
in Motion Picture parlance was patented
and first used by Walter Hall, who came
to Hollywood in 1916 to work with D. W.
Griffith on his picture “Intolerance.”
Hall had been a sign writer and scenic
painter on the New York stage, and he
was an expert on perspective. It was for
“Intolerance” that he utilized painted
cutouts and glass shots and perfected
them for motion picture use.

Prior to Hall’s invention, in 1912 En-
gelsman had patented a process combin¬
ing actors and painting on glass. And
even further back than that, in 1864 Cal-
licott patented a glass process which was
used for stage illusions. That, of course,
was long before motion pictures had
even been thought of or come into being.

I harken back to these old patents
merely to drive home a point, which is
simply this: while we have made rapid
strides in our profession, we, in the main,
have been evolving improvements on
basic ideas conceived years before, many
of them before the advent of motion pic¬
tures. Our task has been one of, not
pioneering so much, as it has been one
of broadening the application of old prin¬
ciples, of modernizing, of developing and
refining what these other men have
passed on to us.

It is no reflection against our present-
day technicians that we look to the past
in this manner. Every phase of the In¬
dustry does that. The actor, for instance,
looks back to the old Greek drama, stud¬
ies the classics, learns Shakespeare. Like
everything else, the acting profession

368

November, 1945 • American Cinematographer

has evolved along the way, has devel¬
oped new techniques, or in borrowing
from the older drama, has adapted and
modernized it to present needs.

Our musical departments do likewise.
Beethoven and Wagner are still very
much in evidence in musical scores, and
although our composers bring to the
screen much that is newT and original,
they also wisely draw from the rich musi¬
cal heritage and reservoir of the past.
In much the same way do we techni¬
cians look back to our own “old masters”
and realized that they paved the way for
our present high standards and accom¬
plishments.

And now, coming up to more recent
years, we have Frank Williams, patent¬
ing one of the first variations of the
matteing process in 1918. In 1922 Max
Handschiegl obtained a patent using
complementary color as a matteing
process.

One of the comparatively few new
ideas to be introduced in the past 25
years was the complementary matte
idea. Entirely new, it was nevertheless
short-lived, and has now mostly been
superseded by the rear projection or
transparency process.

In the early days of the silent “mov¬
ies,” audiences found a new medium of
entertainment and flocked to the thea¬
ters to see them. Great pictui-es like
Griffith’s “Birth of a Nation” and “In¬
tolerance,” C. B. DeMille’s “The Squaw
Man,” etc. etc., and the early films of
Mary Pickford, Marguerite Clark, Doug¬
las Fairbanks, Charles Chaplin, George
Arliss, John Barrymore, Eric Von Stro¬
heim and a most of others — all were
highly successful.

The legitimate stage, which for years
had held the imagination of the public,
had gradually lost its place of eminence
to its younger sister, the “flickers.”
Even, vaudeville had come and gone, and
remained practically only a memory.

And then, just as suddenly as silent
motion pictures had soared to fame, they
hit a snag. There was something miss¬
ing; the novelty of the pantomime was
wearing off. The screen had neither the
tradition nor the color of the legitimate
theater. Screen plays were becoming
stereotyped and standardized. There
were no live actors or live action to sus¬
tain the interest. Frankly, silent pic¬
tures were stagnating. As an entertain¬
ment medium, they had gone as far as
their horizons could reach. It became
obvious that, if they were to continue to
please a fickle public’s taste, something-
drastic would have to be done somehow.
New life must be injected into motion
pictures to make them more interesting
— to make them live.

And so, in 1927, as though by a mira¬
cle, the “talkies” were born. Sound was
not new; Edison had used it, so had
Melies. But synchronized voice and
sound on film was revolutionary. Never
before had this kind of sound been used
as an integral part of picture making.
No mechanical invention heralded its
coming; no single technical development
spelled its success. Sound was made pos¬
sible by the development of electrical re¬
cordings and reproduction from disc

phonograph records, plus the advent of
the vacuum tube. Created of a fusion of
electronics, acoustics, optics, photogra¬
phy, new laboratory practices, mechan¬
ics, and electrical phonograph recording,
the science of motion picture sound-
reproduction drew freely upon the accu¬
mulated knowledge of workers in all of
these fields for its existence.

Almost overnight it transformed the
entire motion picture industry. There
was a frantic scramble to secure the
equipment for large-scale production of
talking motion pictures. Hollywood was
in a turmoil. No branch of the industry
remained untouched. Silent motion pic¬
tures had been dying, atrophying; with
sound they were rejuvenated — came to
life again.

And close on the heels of sound, two
other new developments arrived almost
simultaneously: Panchromatic film and
Incandescent lighting. They fitted per¬
fectly in the over all picture — in fact,
were a necessary adjunct of sound, since
sound had effected the lighting then in
use.

Rejuvenation and conversion was evi¬
denced in every phase of the Industry;
for example:

Photography : Open cameras for silent
films were noisy and could no longer be
used, since the sensitive equipment
picked up every slightest noise. Open
cameras had to be discarded, or boxed in
and soundproofed.

Lighting: With silent films we had
been using arc lights. The fact that they
sputtered and whined made no differ¬
ence then, but with sound, that sputter¬
ing was picked up and presented a major

recording problem. And so Incandescent
lighting was devised and utilized. One
of our greatest lighting problems in the
early days of sound engineering was due
to the fact that we were required, or so
we thought, to shoot long shots, medium
shots and close-ups simultaneously. If
there were two or three principals in the
cast, it necessitated possibly having four
or five cameras on the set, which we
soon found to be unnecessary. Also, now,
choke boxes for the arc lights make them
quiet and once more available for our
uses.

Film: Orthochromatic Film had been
used, and it was satisfactory for use
with arc lights, which burn on the blue
end of the visible spectrum. Panchro¬
matic Film, being sensitive to the full
range of the visible spectrum, thereby
made possible the use of Incandescent
lighting, burning as it does on the red
end of the visible spectrum.

Special Photographic Effects: Silent
films were shot at a speed of 16; sound
is shot at a speed of 24, which had been
set up as a standard for sound. This
represented more problems and well —
trick shots were mostly bi-passed at the
start.

Laboratories : It was necessary to de¬
velop for sound as well as for the pic¬
ture and here is where real and precise
gamma control entered as a required
laboratory function.

Sets: Silent stages could be noisy, and
no harm done. Sound called for sound¬
proof stages, and all stages had to be
reconverted. Floors and walls had to be
silenced. Even the air-conditioning sys-

(Continued on Page 378)

American Cinematographer • November, 1945

369

A ces of the Camera

Glenn R. Kershner, A.S.C.

By Louise

<< ADVENTURE” says Glenn R.

Kershner, A.S.C., “is like a
^ ^ drug. It lifts you up into the
most exciting realms of existence, and
then lets you down adrift, sometimes
penniless, and leaves you with the urge
to set forth again and again. As a
trade, it can break you financially, but
never make you rich!”

Globe-trotter Kershner’s first yen for
adventure at the age of fourteen cul¬
minated in an unsuccessful attempt to
“join up” during the Spanish American
War. His father caught up with him,

Doty Carle

and dug him out of a pile of straw be¬
hind a mule corral. When once again
under the family’s guiding hand, he
was put to work in an oil field.

For two years, young Glenn worked
in the oil fields, meanwhile laying care¬
ful plans for another escape into the
exciting world that lay beyond his home
town, Findlay, Ohio. He contrived a plan
for working his way across the coun¬
try as a one-man band.

He travelled west via Cripple Creek
and Leadville to San Francisco, and at
the age of seventeen, was earning a

makeshift living playing in Barbary
Coast honky-tonks. His band was in¬
genious to say the least. He rigged up
a mouth-harp suspended by wires from
his shoulders, played a guitar, and
banged on a unique percussion instru¬
ment made of tin pie plates attached
to the inner sides of his knees.

Life was too tame for the boy, how¬
ever, and he itched to travel somewhere,
perhaps China or the South Seas, where
he ‘could use the precious long focus
Premo that was then his prized posses¬
sion. He settled for Alaska and the
Klondike, but not having the necessary
thousand dollars for passage, he made
three unsuccessful tries at stowing away
in Alaska-bound vessels.

The third time, he was tossed un¬
ceremoniously from the boat to the
wharf, and landed — hard — right at the
feet of an astonished sailor, who prompt¬
ly signed the boy. for a run to South
America on his three-masted sailing ship.

Glenn had just mastered the first rudi¬
ments of sailing. On calm days, he
loafed and daydreamed of the magnifi¬
cent scenery of South America, and the
wealth of material it held for a pho¬
tographer. An ill-timed storm blew up
off Ensenada and left a beaten boat
and a beaten boy stranded on the shores
of Mexico! He started back to the
states on foot. The grueling trip back
evidently satisfied his yen for adven¬
ture. He returned to his home in Ohio
and studied music in a conservatory.
There he learned to play the flute.

In 1914, when Henry Ford sent a
very fine band on a tour of the United
States, Glenn Kershner went along —
as flute soloist. From there he was
placed in Ford’s newly organized Pho¬
tographic Department, where he made
the famous animated cartoon depicting
a boy smoking a cigarette and turning
into a coffin.

It was in the Ford laboratories that
Kershner’s photographic career began.
During the first World War, he was
assigned the task of filming airplane
construction from start to finish. “Slim”
Lewis, famous test pilot, and Kershner
once flew a sputtering plane 5700 feet
into the air, and set the plane into a
tail spin. Kershner ground away at his
camera while “Slim” pulled the plane
out of the spin about 500 feet from
the ground. When the film was flashed
on the screen, Kershner counted twenty-
two complete spins.

In early 1918, the young photographer
took time out from his regular duties
with Ford to film a picture, half of
which was recorded in Mexico, and the
other half in the United States. It was
probably one of the first “good will”
trips ever made into Mexico.

Arriving by train at Hermosillo, where
he was to meet a fellow American, he
unloaded his paraphernalia and wan¬
dered around the station platform. His
friend was not there to meet him. Sev¬
eral dark-eyed Mexicanos crowded
(Continued on Page 400)

370

November, 1945 • American Cinematographer

The Technique Of The Documentary Film

By HERB A. LIGHTMAN

THE documentary film is at last
coming into its own. The demands
of war, which resulted in the vast
speeding up of various fields of scientific
development, also gave a shot-in-the-arm
to the particular brand of filmic journal¬
ism we call “documentary”.

We have seen such films as “Attack!”,
“Fighting Lady,” and “The True Glory,”
filmed by cameramen of the armed forces.
We are also acquainted with the “March
of Time” and “This Is America” series
released by R.K.O. Studios. Films such
as these have been very successful in
keeping the fighting man as well as the
folks back home well informed as to
America’s part in the war.

We may look forward to seeing this
type of film, which has been so useful
during the war, become a potent medium
for recording the new era of peace and
reconversion. But what, exactly does
the word “documentary” mean. What is
it that sets this type of film apart from
other types of motion pictures : the news¬
reel, the training film, the photoplay?

First of all, the documentary film is
not merely a “record” film. It goes be¬
yond the plain recording of facts. Rather,
its function is to picture and evaluate
varied phases of our contemporary social
scene — not just the shabby side, but all
sides. Unlike the newsreel which pre¬
sents facts strictly as they happen, the
documentary goes behind the scenes,
asks “why?”, analyzes the factors in¬
volved, and usually arrives at a conclu¬
sion based on the facts.

Like the newsreel, it is a form of cine¬
matic journalism, but whereas the news¬
reel resembles an average news item that
sketches the facts, the documentary can
be compared to a newspaper feature ar¬
ticle that treats the subject with a much
wider scope.

It differs, too, from the training film
which tells how to do this or that — also
from the photoplay, the main function
of which is entertainment. And yet, it
has some elements of all these types: the
newsreel, the training film, and the
photoplay.

The documentary is not so much like a
mirror that reflects life exactly as it is;
it is more like a realistic painting that
takes the facts, groups them into a force¬
ful composition, and adds the color of its
own particular technique, thus enriching
the observations that are made.

Its function may be historical, edu¬
cational, or purely informative. But in
any case, it is a social force to be re¬
spected. Like all social forces it could
be misused, could become an instrument
of clumsy propaganda. It is the respon¬
sibility of the documentary film maker
to guard against this and to present only
the truth on film.

The Concept

The documentary motion picture de¬
pends upon an idea — that is its only rea¬

son for being filmed. But the idea must
be worthy of the medium; it must be
important enough to hold the vast audi¬
ence that will see the picture. A trivial
idea will never make a forceful film, no
matter how clever the screen technique
used in filming it.

Once the idea is conceived, an aim
automatically follows. You want to put
your idea across to an audience for a
certain reason. That reason is your aim.
An analysis of the idea, plus the aim,
will then determine what “approach”
is to be used in putting the story on
the screen.

Approach is important. A bad ap¬
proach can ruin even the best cinematic
idea. But an approach keyed to positive
audience reaction that every film reaches
out for.

Ideally, the documentary should deal
with people in relationship to their
everyday lives and surroundings. While
the choice of idea subject matter is un¬
limited, it is human interest that gives
life to any film. All of us are more inter¬
ested in people than we are in inanimate
objects. This holds especially true on the
screen, a medium that demands human
action.

We have said that the documentary is
a realistic medium, and so it is. But real¬
ity in everyday life is often undra-
matic; events occur at random, and at
widely separated time intervals. There¬
fore, what we strive for on the screen
is realism rather than reality. We take
the elements of the true situation, but
point them up selectively, tighten up
the time lapses, and often re-arrange
the sequence of events for more force¬
ful effect.

The documentary should arrive at
some sort of a conclusion. Either it
clearly presents both sides of an issue
and ends up by letting the audience form
its own opinion on the basis of the facts
presented; or it takes a question and
proceeds to answer it in terms of the
facts depicted.

In any case, it should be truthful,
should avoid dogmatic stands on con¬
troversial issues, and should steer clear
of misleading propaganda.

The Script

Once the concept of the film is clear,
the next step is the writing of the
script. As in all types of filming, a
definite screenplay should be written, for
the script is the backbone of the docu¬
mentary.

We will not go into the format of the
screenplay here, because everyone who
films documentary seems to have a dif¬
ferent system of putting it on paper.
But certain forms are common to all
styles. Each scene should have an indi¬
vidual number, and each sequence (a

separate set of scenes) should have a
sequence letter.

The script should be written in great¬
est detail, incorporating camera direc¬
tions, directorial touches, special ef¬
fects, and even set-up diagrams. The
more complete the script, the better
chance the director will have of getting
exactly what he wants on the film.

But the screenplay should be flexible
enough to allow for changes and ad¬
ditions, since the situation when encoun¬
tered may be vastly different from what
it seemed to be when the script was
written.

This is one reason why the screen¬
play should be written only after thor¬
ough research has been done on the
subject. “Know your subject” is a rule
that cannot be overemphasized. Only
when the film-maker knows all the facts
involved will he feel truly at home in
his subject.

A well-written script is tightly knit.
It follows a definite kinetic pattern, be¬
ing careful not to go off on tangents.
It should start at a level that is famil¬
iar and understandable to the audience
for which it is being filmed.

Beginning at this common level, it
gradually introduces less familiar facts
of the situation, building all the while
to a final and logical climax. Each se¬
quence, as an entity in itself, builds to¬
ward a conclusion, but all contribute to
the main point which is established to¬
ward the end of the film.

In the course of this pattern, the
story should move ever forward, using
cautiously such complex devices as flash¬
backs, and being careful not to repeat
itself unless such repetition is skillfully
planned for effect.

A direct, coherent, and well-integrat¬
ed script is the framework for an in¬
telligent and interesting picture. Care¬
less screenwriting can only result in a
sloppy film.

The Director

The director of a documentary film is
the guiding force of the production. He
is not as specialized as the director of
a Hollywood photoplay. Rather, he is
often his own producer, as well as col¬
laborator on the screenplay. The success
or failure of the picture depends upon
how successfully he integrates the vari¬
ous factors involved in filming.

Direction of a documentary is not a
simple affair. The director must keep
the original concept as well as the ap¬
proach of the film in mind at all times.
While telling a story that is factual and
of social importance, he must yet inject
enough showmanship to hold his audi¬
ence.

The realism we spoke of earlier, the
feeling that something significant is actu¬
ally taking place, depends upon the direc¬
tor’s ability to keep his action simple
yet dynamic. He must be selective, capa¬
ble of extracting those elements of the
situation that are most meaningful, and
of emphasizing them on the screen.

(Continued on Page 378)

American Cinematographer • November, 1945

371

Lucite and Lantz Came Through

For The Navy

By HILDA BLACK

PRACTICALLY every moviegoer is
familiar with Walter Lantz Car-
tune characters: Woody Wood¬
pecker, Andy Panda, Wally Walrus and
the others. But comparatively few peo¬
ple know anything about Lantz’ coopera¬
tion with our government in turning
out twenty-two training films for the
U. S. Navy. And they’re worth hearing
about, too, because among other things,
a new method developed during their
production, has opened up hitherto un¬
explored fields in the realms of edu¬
cation and industry.

Lantz himself, quiet, pleasant, unas¬
suming, has made his entry into the mo¬
tion picture industry’s Hall of Fame in
a completely unorthodox and uniquely
un-Hollywoodish manner. In a town
where short contracts are the rule and
frequent turnover of personnel is the
expected thing, Walter Lantz is unusual.
For he has a phobia against job-chang¬
ing and traces his connection with Uni¬
versal Pictures through seventeen unin¬
terrupted years of successful growth.
In fact, Lantz’ tenure at that studio
dates back to the regime of “Uncle”

Left, Operator Fred Weaver, Director Dick Lundy and
Technical Supervisor Lt. Arthur Elliott at the anima¬
tion camera used to photograph "Enemy Bacteria".
Bottom, left, Walter Lantz and Lt. Ellitt watch Vivian
Jean tracing celluloids from drawings. Bottom right,
going over he story board are Lantz, Lundy and Elliot.

Carl Laemmle, its founder.

When Lantz and his staff first under¬
took the job of turning out training
films for the Navy they found they
were up against a towering obstacle:
Time, spelled with a capital T. Those
pictures had to be turned out, not only
well, but, as Lantz says, “Yesterday!”

With Germany and Japan undefeated,
there was no question of “take your
time, boys, and give us a good job.”
The government couldn’t afford to sit
quietly by and wait for training films.
New recruits had to be given the quick¬
est possible instruction; those boys were
needed on the battlefield, in the air, on
the water and under the water. And —
they had to be well-trained.

That’s where the motion picture in¬
dustry came in. Hollywood had facili¬
ties and the “know how” of telling a
story — any story, whether romance, com¬
edy or instruction to kill — better than
could be done through any other me¬
dium. The government knew it; nego¬
tiated and gave contracts to carefully
selected Hollywood producers to furnish
the needed pictures. Those were im¬
portant films to all of us! Films rushed
to training centers throughout the coun¬
try where they would play a major
role in the gigantic job of equipping
American boys for the grisly business
of war. Films that would hurry the
day of total annihilation of our enemy,
and bring our boys safely home again.

And so “speed” and “rush” became
the order of the day. With every split
second precious, Lantz knew he was
up against a tremendous responsibility.
He estimated that the first picture alone
(which dealt with bomb fuses) would'
take a whole year to produce, if old
methods of animation were employed.
Obviously, a new method had to be de¬
vised; a method that would save time,

372

November, 1945 • American Cinematographer

yet not lessen the efficacy of the film.
And so he and his staff entirely dis¬
carded old ideas of cartoon animation
and set to work to discover that “new
method.”

First, it was decided that, wherever
possible, actual parts of the bomb fuse
would be used. For other parts of the
fuse plastic was employed, thus making
it possible to photograph right into the
fuse and show its actual workings. The
almost microscopic parts were then en¬
larged so that they and their functions
were clearly discernible. Workings of
the fuse were shown in stop-motion. In¬
cidentally, all of the machine work was
done in the Lantz studio.

By thus showing the various mechani¬
cal devises set in plastic, the Navy re¬
cruits did not have to guess or imagine
how a bomb fuse worked — they got a
true pieture of its actual operation. Of
the twenty-two Lantz training films,
eleven were on Bombs and Bomb Fuses.

Other films included “Enemy Bac¬
teria” — the only training film they made
in color — and pictures on torpedo in¬
struction. “Enemy Bacteria” combined

live action with animation and was shot
on Monopack film, a system that re¬
quires a single exposure process similar
to Kodachrome. It represents a con¬
siderable saving on original film and it
is further desirable because it does not
necessitate the use of a special Techni¬
color camera. Any camera can be used
for the Monopack system. Lantz thinks
it will be used almost exclusively for
the color pictures of the future.

The Torpedo pictures were very in¬
teresting and had to show the various
wakes of ships, and the course taken
when the torpedo was fired. For these,
rear-projection screens were devised,
with the wakes of torpedoes and wakes
of ships being worked out with light¬
ing rather than drawings. Also, instead
of drawings of the ships, exact replicas,
furnished by the government, were used.
Perfect down to the smallest detail,
these miniature ships ranged in size
from four inches to one foot in length.

To get the correct effect, it wyas first
necessary to decide where the wake
should be, then it was superimposed on
the back of glass by a special mechani¬

Top, left, Staphlicoci coming into the live flesh,
floating in plasma. Bunchy matter in rear is blood
clot. Checkerboard substance at right is live flesh.
Above, enter the Leukecites to counterattack infec¬
tion. Bottom, left, Leukecites attack the staphs. Bottom,
right, Strepticocus sitting on a dried up corpuscle.

cal devise. It could be made to ani¬
mate. By the same process, the course
of torpedos going through water could
also be shown. Blowing up of ships was
very realistically reproduced with elec¬
trical flashes of light showing explosions.

One of the biggest problems was
solved when they decided to shoot
through transparency. At first, shooting
through glass was attempted, but too
many difficulties arose. Glass was hard
to handle, couldn’t be machined, picked
up reflections, scratched easily and heat
from the lamps cracked it. After a few
other unsuccessful experiments, Lucite
was finally selected as being the most
adaptable for their needs. Desirable in
every respect, not the least of its good
qualities was its flexibility, an important
item when machining to specific shape.

(Continued on Page 392)

American Cinematographer • November, 1945

373

Membership Roll of

RESIDENT MEMBERS

L. B. Abbott
David Abel
John Alton
Wesley Anderson
Lucien Andriot
Arthur Arling
John Arnold
Jerome H. Ash
Joseph August
Lucien Ballard
George Barnes
R. O. Binger
Charles P. Boyle
John W. Boyle
Elwood Bredell
Norbert Brodine
James S. Brown, Jr.

Robert Burks
Walter Castle
Dan B. Clark
Charles G. Clarke
Wilfrid Cline
Russell Collings
Ray Cory
Edward Cronjager
John Crouse
Floyd Crosby
Russell A. Cully
Wrn. H. Daniels
Allen M. Davey
Mark Davis
Faxon Dean
Robert deGrasse
Clyde DeVinna
E. B. DuPar
Max B. DuPont
Elmer Dyer
Paul E. Eagler
Arthur Edeson
A. Farciot Edouart
Max Fabian
Daniel L. Fapp
Vincent Farrar
Ray Fernstrom
Frank Finger
Rolla Flora
George J. Folsey, Jr.

Ray Foster
Karl Freund
John P. Fulton
Glen Gano
Lee Garmes
Gaetano Gaudio
Merritt B. Gerstad
Alfred L. Gilks
W. Howard Greene
Jack Greenhalgh
Loyal Griggs
Carl Guthrie
Harry Hallenberger
Ernest Haller
Sol Halperin
Edwin Hammeraas
Ralph Hammeras
Russell Harlan
Byron Haskin
Sid Hickox
David S. Horsley
James Wong Howe
Roy Hunt
Allan E. Irving
Paul Ivano

Fred H. Jackman, Jr.

Fred W. Jackman
Harry A. Jackson
H. Gordon Jennings
J. Devereux Jennings
Ray June

W. Wallace Kelley
Glenn Kershner
Benj. H. Kline
H. F. Koenekamp
Milton Krasner

American Society

Charles B. Lang, Jr.

Joe LaShelle
Ernest Laszlo
Charles C. Lawton, Jr.

Paul K. Lerpae
Marcel LePicard
Lionel Lindon
Harold Lipstein
Walter Lundin
Warren E. Lynch
Joe MacDonald
Jack MacKenzie
Glen MacWilliams
J. Peverell Marley
Charles A. Marshall
Harold J. Marzorati
Rudolph Mate
Ted McCord
George B. Meehan, Jr.

Wm. C. Mellor
John J. Mescall
R. L. Metty
Arthur Miller
Virgil Miller
Victor Milner
Hal Mohr
Ira H. Morgan
Nick Musuraca
Harry C. Neumann
L. Wm. O’Connell
Roy Overbaugh
Ernest Palmer
Harry Perry
Gus C. Peterson
R. W. Pittack
Robert H. Planck
Franz Planer
Sol Polito
Gordon B. Pollock
Frank Redman
Wm. Rees
Ray Rennahan
Irving Ries
Irmin Roberts
George H. Robinson
Len H. Roos
Jackson Rose
Charles Rosher
Harold Rosson
Joseph Ruttenberg
Chas. Salerno, Jr.

George Schneiderman
Charles Schoenbaum
John Seitz
Leon Shamroy
Henry Sharp
William A. Sickner
Jack Smith
Leonard Smith
Edward Snyder
Wm. E. Snyder
Theodor Sparkuhl
Wm. V. Skall
Ralph Staub
Mack Stengler
Archie J. Stout
Harry Stradling
Walter Strenge
Karl Struss
Robert L. Surtees
Philip Tannura
J. O. Taylor
Ted Tetzlaff
Allen Q. Thompson
Stuart Thompson
Robert Tobey
Gregg Toland
Joseph Valentine
James C. Van Trees
Josef von Sternberg
Sidney Wagner
Joseph Walker
Vernon Walker
Albert Wetzel

of Cinematographers

Lester White
Harry Wild
Wm. N. Williams
Rex Wimpy
Alvin Wyckoff

. NON-RESIDENT MEMBERS
Charles E. Bell
Georges Benoit
O. H. Borradaile
J. Burgi Contner
John Dored
Norman Dawn
Jos. A. Dubray
Frank L. Follette
Charles Harten
Reed N. Haythome
Charles W. Herbert
John L. Herrmann
Leo Lipp

Alfred Jacquemin
Don Malkames
Carl Pryer
Robert Sable
James Seeley
William Steiner, Jr.

Prasart Sukhum
Nicolas Toporkoff
Frank C. Zucker
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
Simeon Aller
Edger Bergen
Louis A. Bonn
George A. Cave
Ralph Famham
Fred W. Gage
A. J. Guerin
Emery Huse
Lloyd A. Jones
Wilson Leahy
Sidnev Lund
J. H. McNabb
Dr. C. E. K. Mees
Lewis L. Mellor
Peter Mole
Hollis Moyse
Dr. W. B. Rayton
Elmer C. Richardson
Park J. Ries
Dr. V. B. Sease
Dr. James S. Watson, Jr.

James R. Wilkinson

PAST MEMBERS
G. Floyd Jackman
Sam Landers
Douglas Shearer
HONORARY MEMBERS
E. O. Blackburn
J. E. Brulatour
A. S. Howell

Lt. Colonel David MacDonald
G. A. Mitchell

MEMBERS IN THE UNITED
STATES ARMED FORCES
Lt. Cdr. Philip Chancellor
Stanley Cortez
Brig. General Edward Curtis
Wm. H. Dietz, USNR
Capt. Henry Freulich, USMC
John T. Hickson
Lt. Winton Hoch
Capt. Lloyd Knechtel
Capt. Arthur Lloyd
M/Sgt. Fred Mandl
Lt. Cdr. Allen Siegler, USNR
Capt. Clifford Stine
Capt. Leo Tover
Capt. Thomas Tutwiler
Lt. Paul C. Vogel
Maj. Gilbert Warrenton
Lt. Dewey Wrigley
Frank Young

374

November, 1945 • American Cinematographer

The Perfect Triangle

EASTMAN

PLUS X

NEGATIVE

SOUND RECORDING POSITIVE PRINT

FILMS FILMS

J. E. BRULATOUR, Inc.

DISTRIBUTORS

FORT LEE

CHICAGO

HOLLYWOOD

The History and Origin of 16 Millimeter

By ALEXANDER F. VICTOR

President, Victor Animatograph Corp.

ALMOST every writer of motion pic¬
ture history has, of late years,
had his own and differing ver¬
sion of how 16 millimeter motion pic¬
tures came into existence. It is my priv¬
ilege on this, the twenty-fifth anniver¬
sary of the American Cinematographer,
to give the facts of how this standard
of film came about.

In 1923, I designed and placed on the
market the world’s first 16 millimeter
projectors and cameras. The Eastman
Kodak Comapny made the world’s first
16 millimeter film.

Of almost greater importance, how¬
ever, is that in 1918 I proposed, at a
meeting of the Society of Motion Pic¬
ture Engineers held at Rochester, New
York, the creation of a new and separate
standard for motion pictures used OUT¬
SIDE the theatre, or in which is usually
called — the non-theatrical field.

Up to that year many attempts had
been made by manufacturers to intro¬

duce motion pictures of various film
widths smaller than the theatre width
standard of 35 millimeter. The reason
why they were made smaller than the
theatre width was chiefly to save in
raw material. These film sizes varied,
some being as small as 9 millimeter.
There was in all these attempts, one
mistaken veiwpoint — each manufacturer
believing that he could monopolize the
film supply. The films were, therefore,
deliberately made non-interchangeable
with the products of competing manu¬
facturers.

In 1918, I arrived at two conclusions.
The first — that as long as 35 millimeter
film was offered to the non-theatrical
user, there would never be an industry.
This, because no insurance company
would write insurance on any building
in which this film was used, due to its
high inflammability unless fire-proof
booths were installed. The second con¬
clusion was that no individual manu¬

facturer had the necessary finances to
produce a sufficient supply of film if us¬
ing an arbitrary and individual style of
film.

My solution to these problems was ex¬
ceedingly simple. I proposed that a sep¬
arate standard be adopted for amateurs,
schools and industries. With this in
mind I presented a paper at a meeting
of the Society of Motion Picture En¬
gineers in Rochester, in 1918, entitled —
“THE PORTABLE PROJECTOR, ITS
PRESENT STATUS AND NEEDS” in
which I advocated the standardization of
a non-theatrical film and apparatus, so
differing from the theatrical standard
that interchangeability with theatrical
35 millimeter film was impossible, and
that all such film be made from non¬
combustible material instead of nitro¬
cellulose.

From the perspective of 1945, it does
not seem possible that such a simple
proposal, under which no manufacturer
was compelled to manufacture either
machine or film, could have raised such
a storm of protest. But as a matter of
fact, it took many months of the hardest
kind of persuasion and work to obtain
the required number of votes to se¬
cure the acceptance of this proposal. The
new film was 28 millimeter in width and
became known as “the safety standard”
to distinguish it from the so-called
“theatre standard.” Considering the
great success of the non-theatrical in¬
dustry and its magnitude at this time,
one wonders why so much opposition was
offered and why so many acrimonious
discussions had to take place.

The safety standard had one weak¬
ness. Although of narrower width than
the theatre standard, it was more expen¬
sive on account of the higher cost of the
raw material. Therefore, aside from the
absolute safety, it had nothing to offer
and unscrupulous manufacturers con¬
tinued to sell and advocate theatre stand¬
ard projectors for use in places where
no adequate protection was offered
against film fires, of which there were
many.

During my struggles to introduce the
safety standard, I was supported by two
staunch friends, the Eastman Kodak
Company and Willard B. Cook of the
Pathe-Scope Company of America. Had
it not been for these two, I do not think
the safety standard could have become
adopted. As it turned out, the Eastman
Kodak Company offered to manufacture
the new type of film, spending a great
deal of money installing the necessary
equipment.

In 1923 the Eastman Kodak Company
perfected the Reversal Process for mo¬
tion picture film. Although this process
was not new, having been employed in
color photography, its application to mo¬
tion pictures was a great innovation.

This process had two advantages. It
was finer in grain structure and, there¬
fore, a film having a smaller area gave
(Continued on Page 384)

376

November, 1945 • American Cinematographer

For 25 Years .

the American Cinematographer has been
serving professional and amateur movie makers in a
splendid manner. We extend our hearty congratula¬
tions on this 25th anniversary.

For 18 Years .

we have been providing the motion picture
industry with the finest lighting eguipment that could
be made . . . Since Pearl Harbor, we have also been
serving the Armed Forces.

Now the war is ended .

we promise the film industry even better
service than before the war. There will be new Inkies
soon.

MOLE-RICHARDSON, Inc.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA

American Cinematographer • November, 1945

377

25 Years of Progress

(Continued from Page 369)

terns had to be silenced. In fact, all
equipment had to be silenced — even to
the shoes we walked in.

Make-up: With the new Panchromatic
film, new make-up had to be devised, and
the so-called Panchromatic make-up was
developed.

Acting: Personality, an attractive face
and figure, and the power of pantomime
were necessary requisites for silent
films. But for “talkies” more was
needed: a voice, a personality, an ease
of naturalness of delivery now meant
more than a pretty face. Actors with le¬
gitimate stage training were much in de¬
mand, and many were the top silent stars
who passed quietly from the scene.

Writing: An entirely new technique
was required for talking pictures. Dia¬
logue assumed importance for the first
time, with some of the earlier films
being far too much “talkie.”

Directors, producers, exhibitors — all
felt the impact of sound. Acoustics in
theaters had to be taken into considera¬
tion, and so the wooden seats, whose
slick surfaces acting as sounding boards,
were replaced with sound-absorbing
plush seats.

With the advent of sound, we had, for
the first time, really good engineers and
greatly improved technical organizing.
These men were recruited from the Tele¬
phone Company, radio and electrical
companies and from Universities.

Closely following sound, Carroll Dun¬
ning and Roy Pomeroy, in 1927-28, pat¬
ented a process called the Color Trans¬
parency Process. That was a method of
putting people in against a die image
background plate running in contact
with panchromatic negative in the cam¬
era and using complementary colors for
photographing and printing against. The
Pomeroy and Dunning Process was used
for many years.

The introduction of color into motion
pictures offered another great step for¬
ward. However, I do not honestly be¬
lieve that color will ever be completely
successful commercially or completely
practical until we get away from cen¬
tralized laboratory processing and can
handle color in our own laboratories as
we now do black and white. It is almost
a must that it eventually be done in our
individual studio laboratories. When
that time arrives, color will become com¬
pletely commercial. If each studio were
doing its own processing, the desire to
improve one studio product over that of
another would undoubtedly lead to
greater development in color.

Another important development in the
Motion Picture Industry has been the
transparency process. This process de¬
veloped spontaneously as technicians
throughout the industry discovered meth¬
ods and utilized equipment and materi¬
als which made it practical. These key
developments were made possible by the
introduction of sound, which brought
about the means of electrically synchro¬
nizing the composite or foreground cam¬
era with the background projector, and

the introduction of the first super-sensi¬
tive panchromatic emulsions, which for
the first time afforded the hifih film sen¬
sitivity necessary for rephotographing
the projected background-image. With
these elements available, it was inevita¬
ble that Cinematographers in practically
every major studio should put them to¬
gether to form, in actuality, a system
which for years many of us had pon¬
dered in theory.

Our goal in this field is always to
achieve the well-nigh impossible “per¬
fection shots.” As a matter of fact,
when we are able to fool other Special
Photographic Effects men, and have
them think our shots are the real thing,
then we will have achieved our purpose.
To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln: we
would like to “fool all of the people all
of the time.”

As to the possibilities of the future, I
predict that the utilization of the sci¬
ences in motion picture photography and
photographic methods have unlimited
possibilities. We have barely scratched
the surface. New ways of application of
electronics, optics, scientific discoveries
will be devised, refined, developed. I vis¬
ualize the time in the not too far distant
future when we will be able to set up a
television camera at Times Square, put
our actors through their paces here on
the set in Hollywood, superimposing the
Hollywood scene over the New York
scene, and rephotographing them in a
good believable composite. This may
sound far-fetched, but when you con¬
sider the application of science to pro¬
duce the Atomic Bomb, Radar and other
recent scientific and war developments,
this is completely within the realm of
possibility — possibly even in stereoscopic
color — if you please!

It is unfortunate that it takes a war
to bring forth mighty developments and
inventions, but such is the indisputable
truth. War is a creature of waste:
waste of life, of material, of money and
effort. But it would be impractical, im¬
possible to invest so much during peace¬
time; it is simply not economic. World

(Continued on Page 405)

The Technique of the
Documentary Films

(Continued from Page 37)

Action cannot always be controlled.
At times his only alternative will be to
set his camera up and shoot, hoping
that the action he seeks will develop.
But most of the time he will be able
to direct people in re-enactment of an
actual situation. This is perfectly per¬
missible; in fact, it is the only way to
get certain sequences. The director
should not hesitate to apply direction
where needed.

However, the director must be careful
not to overdirect, or he will get stilted
performances from the non-actors with
whom he is working. He should put these
people at ease by gaining their confi¬
dence before hand. Next, he must try to

provide as many elements of the real
situation as he can.

Then he must answer in his own mind
the question: “What is the meaning of
the action in this scene?”, remembering
that the scene bears a direct relationship
to the ones immediately preceeding and
following it. Keeping the action as sim¬
ple and real as possible, he then re¬
hearses the scene with his people until it
is correct. Diverting the subject’s atten¬
tion away from himself and toward the
subject matter, is of prime importance
if realism is to be achieved.

By keeping himself inconspicuous, by
holding his action to a simple pattern,
and by avoiding obvious “arty” touches,
the director can produce a true docu¬
mentary feeling on the screen.

The Camera

The camera is the “eye” through
which the picture is recorded, and photo¬
graphy is no small factor in the quality
of the final film. There used to be a
theory that poor photography in a docu¬
mentary made it more “real” — but this
idea has long since been revised. The
“March of Time,” regarded as tops in
the documentary field, maintains a high
standard of photography and profits
greatly by it.

Now, at last, film-makers realize that
careful composition helps to tell the
story more forcefully. The camera is
such a flexible instrument that it can
adopt unlimited point of view; but here,
too, the documentarian should be care¬
ful not to let the camera run away with
him, for any technique that calls atten¬
tion to itself is a bad technique because
it is bound to detract from the subject
matter of the scene.

An angle suited to the subject will
have dramatic punch, and the rule fol¬
lows that any camera technique should
be motivated by the demands for the
situation. The novice, for instance, is in¬
clined to “spray” the landscape with his
camera, injecting unnecessary camera
movement. A “pan” or “tilt” should most¬
ly be used to follow action, rarely on a
static subject, and never as a substitute
for action within the scene.

In shooting uncontrolled action it is
sometimes necessary to hide the camera
from view and shoot “candid” in order
to keep crowds from looking right into
the lens. Similarly, two or more cameras
trained on the same scene may be neces¬
sary to record a variety of coverage on
a sequence that cannot be re-staged.

The cameraman should not overdo the
use of reflectors in outdoor scenes, as
the rather harsh quality of natural sun¬
light (except, perhaps, in large close-
ups) has a realistic feeling to it that is
desirable in documentary. There is a
growing tendency toward the use of fil¬
ters in this work, and they tend to give
a fine rotogravure quality, but be con¬
sistent. If you start out with filters,
follow through with them, otherwise the
scenes will not match when intercut to¬
gether.

(Continued on Page 402)

378

November, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Eliminates Film Damage
Due to Faulty Threading

Ampro 8 mm.
Silent Projector

Here is a welcome innovation for both expert
and amateur. With this new improved design of film
threading mechanism, both film sprockets open for thread¬
ing and close automatically as the gate opens and closes-
Either sprocket may also be opened individually to adjust
film loops if necessary without opening gate. This new fea¬
ture not only saves time but eliminates possibility of
damaging valuable film because of improper threading.

Owing to the still urgent demand fcr Ampro projec¬
tors by the U. S. armed services — all Ampro civilian pro¬
duction for the balance of the year will be allocated to the
accumulated orders now on hand. Because of this unusual
demand, all new orders are being booked for early 1946
delivery and will be filled in the order in
which they were received. If you wish
Ampro quality and features — and they
are well worth waiting for — we urge you
to place your orders now so that delivery
can be made at the earlist possible time.
Your patience will be rewarded by the
superb quality and features of the new
Ampro projectors.

The Army-Navy “E” has been awarded
to Ampro for excellence in the produc¬
tion of 16 mm. motion picture projectors.

AMPRO CORPORATION • CHICAGO IS • A General Precision Equipment Corporation Subsidiary

Saves Time

^Hlew Quick Easy Threading System

ONE OF THE IMPORTANT BASIC IMPROVEMENTS IN THE NEW

American Cinematographer • November, 1945

379

THROUGH the EDITOR'S FINDER

TWENTY-FIVE years ago this
month the first issue of the Amer¬
ican Cinematographer made its
appearance. Members of the American
Society of Cinematographers were proud
of that first issue, but they never
dreamed that it would some day develop
into a journal that is recognized as the
leader in its field throughout the world;
that it would some day number among
its readers thousands of home movie
makers who from its pages glean infor¬
mation that helps them make better
home movies.

This writer is proud of two things in
connection with the magazine. First
that it was he who introduced an ama¬
teur department in the magazine back in
1929. Second that he has guided the
magazine as its editor for a total of five
years and six months of its existence:
three years and three months at one
period, and two years and three months
since the death of Editor William Stull
in July, 1943. During that time we have
been happy to see the increase in en¬
thusiastic readers in all parts of the
world — and to have been able to serve
them.

When I stepped in to help out on the
death of my friend Bill, I had no inten¬
tion of remaining at the editorial helm;
just planned to stay on until another
editor could be found. Well — I kept stay¬
ing on all this time. Now the increase
of my main business, Public Relations,
has become so great I no longer have the
time in which to edit this publication.
So, with this, the Silver Anniversary
issue, I am resigning as editor, and am
turning the reins over to my good friend
Walter Greene, who assumes the editor¬
ship as of November first. I want to
thank the many readers for their won¬
derful letters of commendation that I
have received through the last two years.
I really hate to part company with you
readers, but I must. And I am sure Mr.
Greene will continue to give you the
same high standard magazine you have
been receiving each month.

Goodbye, folks. God bless you all. H.H.

Keeping Track of A.S.C.
Members in the Studios

As this issue of the Cinematographer
goes to press members of the Ameri¬
can Society of Cinematographers are
filming the following pictures:

Columbia

Rudy Mate, “Gilda;” Charles Lawton,
“Perilous Holiday;” George Meehan,
“Terror Trail.”

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Harry Stradling, “Holiday in Mexico;”
George Folsey, “The Green Years;” Hal
Rosson, “No Leave, No Love;” Karl
Freund, “Time for Two;” John Boyle,
“Star from Heaven;” Les White, “Army
Brat;” Joseph Ruttenberg, “Till the
Clouds Roll By;” Len Smith, “The
Fiesta.”

JUST because the war is ended does
not mean that we can all sit back,
relax, and forget about the financial
problems of our country. No, sir! We
have millions of men still in the serv¬
ice. We have a big job on our hands
to get them back home, and to properly
police Japan and Germany. Our govern¬
ment is going to need a lot of dollars
to finish up the great job it undertook
after the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.

Those dollars have got to come from
you and you and you and me . . . from
the citizens of these United States of
America. The government is not asking
you to GIVE your dollars. It is asking
you to LEND them at interest. It is
asking you to invest in the greatest
country in the world.

So, dig deep, then deeper, and buy
bonds and help put this VICTORY
LOAN, your last bond drive, across with
a bang. We oversubscribed each bond
drive for war. Now, let us oversub¬
scribe this one for peace. Thousands of
our men gave their lives for our coun¬
try. The least we can do is LEND our
money.

WAR pictures are practically out
as far as the schedules of the
major film companies in Holly¬
wood are concerned, with only six films
dealing with war planned for produc¬
tion during the coming year.

Box office reaction and polls have in¬
dicated that the American public has
had just about all the war it wants.
With several million service men slated
to return to civilian life within the
next year and a half, film producers
figure they won’t want to see phoney
war on the screen after they have par¬
ticipated in real fighting. Also, it is
felt that the ex-servicemen have been
pretty much fed up on war, and want
to forget it. Then, there are vast
numbers of mothers and fathers whose
sons have died or been horribly wound¬
ed, and film makers figure that they
will not care to see pictures that will
remind them of their sorrow.

Monogram

Harry Neumann, “The Face of Mar¬
ble;” William Sickner, “The Shadow;”
Karl Struss, “Glamour Girl.”

Paramount

John Seitz, “I Take This Woman;”
Lionel Lindon, “Monsieur Beaucaire;”
Victor Milner, “Love Lies Bleeding;”
Daniel Fapp, “Third Avenue.”

P. R. C.

Franz Planer, “Once and for All.”
RKO

Nick Musuraca, “The Silence of Helen
McCord;” George Barnes, “From This
Day Forward;” Robert DeGrasse, “Bad-
man’s Territory;” Russell Metty, “The
Stranger;” Lucien Andriot, “Lady Luck;”
Harry Wild, “The Dream of Home;”
Milton Krasna, “Thanks, God, I’ll Take
It from Here;” Ted Tetzlaff, “Notorious.”

THAT motion pictures will play a
prominent role in re-education of
the people of conquered Germany
and Japan is more than evident.

The United States government already
is sending special propaganda films into
Germany, and will send similar films to
Japan in an effort to show the American
way, the democratic way, of life. Now,
it is disclosed by Joseph A. Thomas,
president of Telefilm Studios of Holly¬
wood, that religious organizations are
preparing to follow the Yank troops into
the South Seas, Europe and Asia with
special educational short films.

Two of these groups are now com¬
pleting contracts with Telefilm to make
their films which they hope will play a
large part in the rehabilitation of peo¬
ple in the war-torn countries. Univer¬
sity language experts will be retained
to do the narrating in Japanese and
German on Kodachrome sound films.

Apparently the religious groups now
realize that motion pictures have edu¬
cational advantages over the printed and
spoken word, especially in countries
where illiteracy is rife; also that films
speak an international language. Thus
the groups plan to use film in all their
missionary work.

IT IS good news that Eric Johnston,
aggressive head of the U. S. Cham¬
ber of Commerce, has taken the place
of Will Hays as president of the Mo¬
tion Picture Producers and Distributors
of America.

It is particularly fortunate that he
assumed the job in the midst of the long-
drawn-out strike of some film workers,
for Johnston is noted for his honesty
and sincerity, and for his fair attitude
toward labor. Whether or not he will
have the unfortunate strike settled by
the time this issue is off the press we
cannot tell. But we do predict that
when it is settled Mr. Johnston will find
a happy way to maintain peace between
labor and management in the film in¬
dustry for many years to come. Good
luck to you, Mr. Johnston!

Republic

Tony Gaudio, “Concerto.”

20th Century-Fox

Norbert Brodine, “Sentimental Jour¬
ney;” Ernest Palmer, “Centenial Sum¬
mer;” Glen MacWilliams, “Shock.”

United Artists

Bob Pittack, “The Sin of Harold Did-
dlebock;” James Van Trees, “A Night in
Casablanca.”

Universal

Edward Cronjager, “Canyon Passage;”
Hal Mohr, “Because of Him;” Elwood
Bredell, “Tangier;” George Robinson,
“House of Dracula.”

Warners

Ernie Haller, “The Verdict.”

380

November, 1945 • American Cinematographer

How to

MAKING indoor movies of tem¬
peramental young children isn’t

easy.

Use too bright lights, and your subject
recoils. Squints. Protests! Focus on
your star in one position, and he (or
she) is certain to move to another.

A good answer is Ansco Triple S Pan
Film. It’s fast— plenty fast. So fast you
can make good indoor shots with a very
minimum of light. So fast you can

foil a fidgety

stop down for extra depth of field —
keep pictures sharp even if your sub¬
ject does move closer or farther away!

Try Triple S Pan. See how it improves
your photography. We’re doing our
best to make enough of this fine film to
supply everyone. If your dealer’s stock is
exhausted today, try again tomorrow.
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American Cinematographer • November, 1945

381

Formation and Progress of
Amateur Movie Clubs

By CLAUDE W. CADARETTE

AT the outbreak of World War II,
the War Department, realizing
that there were not enough pro¬
fessional cameramen, sent an urgent ap¬
peal to the amateur photographers of
America to volunteer for assignments
in all branches of the government’s
photographic departments. Thousands of
men responded and served in all ca¬
pacities of the Signal Corps and Air
Force Photographic units. Their serv¬
ices were doubly valuable in view of
the fact that they required a minimum
of training and could be readily assigned
to important tasks at a time when speed
was paramount in the preparedness for
war.

The War Department was aware that
these amateurs were qualified for their
assignments in still and motion picture
work because the photographic amateur
is, as a rule, more familiar with all
phases of his hobby than any other type
of hobbyist. The Army, Navy and Air
Forces also realized that photographers
cannot be trained in a few months or
a year. They needed these men and
turned to the amateur clubs of America
for their source of supply.

The results of the amateurs’ work
in the war effort is amply recorded in
the files of the War Department. Many
have died but their work always paved
the way for invasion fleets and battle¬
ground maneuvers.

Let us review the history and back¬
ground of the clubs where these men
were members and officers.

Photographic clubs are not new. In
the days of Daguerre it was not un¬
common for small groups of photog¬
raphers to meet and discuss their work
with each other.

One member’s advancement or achieve¬
ment was not kept as a secret but was
shared with the others to help improve
their work. This is still the practice
in clubs today. It is this spirit of good
fellowship and helpfulness that has
proved so successful to clubs and to
the photographic industry as a whole.

Although motion pictures for the ama¬
teur photographer were introduced in
1923 with the advent of the 16 milli¬
meter camera and equipment, the cost
of the equipment limited the sales to
only the wealthier families in each city.
Little was known about technique and
the use of accessories, so filming was
confined to family capers and portraits.
A few years later, lower production

costs and improvements in the equipment
brought the camera within the scope of
the average salaried man and created
an incentive in thousands of people to
own a camera.

Soon, small groups would meet at their

favorite dealer and discuss their photo¬
graphic results. These meetings were
the nucleus of the formation of clubs.

In 1925, the first clubs were organized
but their activities were confined to
purely social gatherings and viewing
films. Interest in filming techniques and
scenario type pictures did not become
very evident until 1933. By that time,
superior cameras, accessories and films
had created a desire in the amateur
clubs to do all that was possible to
emulate the results of the professional
cameramen. Scenario type film and good
editing provided an incentive for the
members to outdo their fellow members
in their club and other clubs throughout
the States. Competitive meetings were
inaugurated and annual contests became
the highlight of all club activities.

About this time, the eight millimeter
camera was introduced to the market
at a much lower operating cost than
sixteen millimeter equipment.

This brought movie making into thous¬
ands of homes and into hands of young-
people with a tremendous urge to make
their own scenarios. Eight millimeter
clubs were formed by the hundreds dur¬
ing the first two years after the intro¬
duction of the equipment and the photo¬
graphic hobby took a sudden leap to the
foreground over all other types of hob¬
bies. Competition rose to new heights
between sixteen millimeter and eight
millimeter films and in my opinion,
based on the results of the American
Cinematographer International Contests,
eight millimeter films won the distinction
of winning more places in these contests
than the sixteen millimeter entries.

Inter-club; inter-state and inter-na¬
tional contests were inaugurated and
interest in movies thrived.

Inter-club meetings are constantly
held and most club meetings have turned
from the purely social type to the edu¬
cational. Club members demanded en¬
lightening talks on photographic prob¬
lems from professional men and discus¬
sions among members to aid them in
producing better motion pictures. Ama¬
teurs made exhaustive tests and trials
to learn and achieve effects they had
seen on the professional screen. This
interest among members made clubs
prosper and flourish.

Film exchanging between clubs be¬
came popular and guest speakers were
provided for inter-club meetings. Con¬
tests were held monthly and annually
with keen competitive spirit but always
guided by the feeling of good fellow¬
ship and pure Americanism.

In this atmosphere of club functions,
the amateurs learned, experimented, tried
and retired, gained effects and in general

overcame most of the problems which
confronted them in mastering their pho¬
tographic skill. This was the back¬
ground and training which the War De¬
partment needed and acquired after they
had made their appeal to the clubs.

During the war, by careful planning
and pooling of transportation facilities,
the clubs survived gas rationing prob¬
lems and kept their activities alive. Club
banquets on the West Coast and in criti¬
cal war areas were held during daylight
hours to eliminate night dim-out driv¬
ing and air raid alerts. Shortages of
film threatened the existence of many
clubs, but the members helped each
other in many respects and through
cooperation, every member was able to
obtain film necessary to meet urgent
demands. All clubs which survived the
war years are now definitely well
enough established to overcome any
emergencies or catastrophies which may
now occur. They prospered and flour¬
ished during the depx-ession years and
survived the world’s greatest armed
conflict.

The old clubs, namely Hartford Cam¬
era Club, New York Camera Club,
Chicago Cinema Club, Los Angeles Cin¬
ema Club, Los Angeles Eight Millimeter
Club, Long Beach Camera Club and
many others have become institutions
which can withstand any difficulties and
live indefinitely. Hundreds of other
smaller clubs are rapidly coming to the
foreground and providing strong compe¬
tition for these older groups.

The spirit of helpfulness among these
groups has contributed to their stabil¬
ity and progress. Within these circles,
members have made hosts of friends
and the membership rolls will reveal that
men in all types of industrv, from the
Gas Station Operators to the Aircraft
Executives meet on common ground to
discuss their filming results.

Survey Shows Increase
In 16mm Outlets

A total of 70,000 outlets for 16 mm.
films, which includes schools, churches,
clubs, and business firms, are now avail¬
able in the United States, according to
figures released after a survey made by
Telefilm Studios of Hollywood, it was
announced by Joseph A. Thomas, Presi¬
dent.

Thomas also revealed that a circuit
of 350 theatres for 16 mm. pictures, to
be erected in small towns throughout the
country, is planned by one exhibitors'
organization.

The Telefilm chief said that theatres
for 16 mm. films are at present being
erected in European countries to re¬
place many of those destroyed during the
war. Advantages of the 16 mm. houses
are lower cost of building during the
shortage of materials, easier installation
of equipment, and less fire hazard.

Thomas said that 16 mm. equipment
definitely will be more adaptable for
television, especially because of ship¬
ping advantages, the narrow measure
film being non-combustible.

382

November, 1945 • American Cinematographer

m FILM PROCESSING EQUIPMENT

CAN INSURE YOUR BUSINESS FUTURE

T %

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use of motion picture film in streamlining its business procedure. Fin¬
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governmental agencies, commercial film studios and photographic supply
houses are among the greatest users of 16 and 35 mm. film as a part of
their daily business routine.

With Houston’s new Models 10 and 1 1 Film Processing Machines,
it becomes a simple matter for the community processor to acquire a large
share of the lucrative and profitable processing business.

Houston’s processing machines and methods make it possible and
practical for film to be completely processed days and weeks ahead of
present day "out of town” processing schedules.

Business establishments want processing done when and as they
need it. With the Houston Models 10 and 1 1 Processors in action, it’s
done "Johnny on the spot” with a maximum of speed, accuracy and
privacy and a minimum of delay. Houston’s processing machines handle
the entire job from camera to screen with each processing step under full
automatic control.

You can be assured of a safe, sound, dependable future by becoming
a community processor.

Write today for illustrated literature.

Handles 16 mm. negative, positive and reversal film. A
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equipment. Dimensions: 64" long, 54" high, 24" wide.
Processing speeds : Reversal film 15 ft. per min., nega¬
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For 35 mm. negative and positive film. Dimensions:
168" long, 82" high, 34" wide. Capacity: 600-1200 ft.
negative film per hour at developing time of 6-12 min.,
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American Cinematographer

o

Peacetime Engineering Outlook

By D. E. HYNDMAN

President, S. M. P. E.

MANY articles have been pub¬
lished extolling the miracles of
scientific and engineering prog¬
ress made because of research and de¬
velopment done to produce new and ef¬
fective materials for World War II.
Some have stressed the panacea that will
exist now that peacetime has arrived
pointing out special new gadgets made
of plastic, light-weight metals, special
new-type materials, etc.; even to pre¬
dicting the early availability of wrist
watch radios, book-size television sets,
gadgets that do all housework, and even
atomic powered automobiles. Perhaps
some of these Buck Roger developments
will materialize, but let us not be led to
expect too much — to expect more than
the scientist, engineer, and producer are
capable of giving. Let us remember
that reliability and quality of perform¬
ance require careful study, often con¬
siderable time, and ample proving tests.

This type of careful study and investi¬
gation of problems or projects is fully
representative of the high engineering
standards practiced in the past and
planned for the future by the Society of
Motion Picture Engineers.

The Society is an engineering organi¬
zation of a group of individuals associ¬
ated in general partnership to conduct
a business paying no salaries to officers
or members, but operating on a non¬
monetary principle to recommend engi¬
neering procedures, to guide to some ex¬
tent research and development, to en¬
courage improvement, and to lead stand¬
ardization in the Motion Picture Indus¬
try. From the initial organization of
the Society in 1916 it has led the Mo¬
tion Picture Industry to accept techni¬
cal improvements that have been major
contributions for continually increasing
the efficiency of operation in production,
distribution, and exhibition, and patron¬
age at the box office.

In cooperation with those interested,
the Society plans:

(1) Group engineering at an accelerated
rate on problems and projects di¬
rectly related to production, distri¬
bution, exhibition, film, equipment,
accessories, etc.

(2) Further detailed work on the inter¬
relations of the television art and
the entertainment field of motion
pictures, involving such specific pro¬
jects as: studies of frequency allo¬
cation and band width requirements
in relation to screen definition, pri¬
vate addressee systems, study of
problems in installing and operat¬
ing television equipment in thea¬
ters, follow-up on hearings before
the Federal Communications Com¬
mission, etc.

(3) More efficient work in standardizing
procedures, methods, data, specifica¬
tions, equipment, and the like, which
brings economy to production, dis¬
tribution, and exhibition.

(4) Careful supervision of all engineer¬
ing and technical projects on Mo¬
tion Pictures with the American
Standards Association and any In¬
ternational Standardizing Groups in
order to maintain the Motion Pic¬
ture Industry in a position to steer
equipment design throughout the
world. This would tend to assure
that American Motion. Pictures
could be distributed or exhibited
anywhere. Much of this cooperative
work has been done in the past, but
as a result of the war it is impera¬
tive that this international coopera¬
tive engineering be followed to the
fullest extent.

(5) Correlating, assembling, editing, and
original preparation of material for
needed engineering reference books
and/or reports on:

(a) Cinematography,

(b) Sound Recording and Repro¬
duction for Motion Pictures,

(c) Motion Picture Laboratory
Practice,

(d) Film Exchange Practice,

(e) Motion Picture Process
Photography,

(f) Motion Picture Projection,

(g) Motion Picture Theater
Engineering,

(h) Preservation of Motion
Picture Film for Valuable
Record Purposes,

(i) Theater Television

Installation and Operation.
These books or reports are urgently
needed not only in the Industry but
also as text books for the teaching
of courses ' on Motion Pictures in
colleges and universities. Such
courses are how proposed in answer
to numerous requests from mem¬
bers of the Armed Forces as well as
from civilians who, in past years,
have often asked the Society to
recommend institutions giving
courses in Motion Picture Produc¬
tion, Distribution, and Exhibition.

Mutual understanding and close coop¬
eration of those who appreciate these
problems in the related fields of produc¬
tion, distribution, and exhibition are nec¬
essary to bring about engineering ad¬
vances which might otherwise lay dor¬
mant for many years. Let us work to¬
gether to make American Motion Pic¬
tures continue leading the World.

The History and Origin
of 16 Millimeter

(Continued from Page 376)

the same result as one of larger area
made under the old process. That meant
a saving in cost of material. The second
advantage was that if only one picture
was wanted, it obviated the need of a
negative, again a great saving in cost.

When the Eastman Company brought
this process to my attention, I became
very much interested. Here, it seemed,
was the true solution of the problem of
a safe standardized film for non-theat¬
rical use, and especially since it lent
itself to amateur photography where the
user himself made his own “movies” in¬
dependent of other sources of supply.
I reasoned that if enough people bought
cameras and projectors for the purpose
of making their own pictures, it would
follow that field and would be opened for
commercial films made for the projectors,
or copied from existing theatrical ma¬
terial. In fact, I saw that here was the
perfect solution to my dream of safe
movies for the home, the school and in¬
dustry.

It was proposed, from some quarters,
that the new film be made one-half the
width of the theatre film, or 17^2 mil¬
limeters. The objection to this width
was that inasmuch as the type of raw
stock used for 35 millimeter was cheaper
it would make possible a “black market”
in which unscrupulous persons might
split regular thirty-five millimeter film
and nullify the entire effort for a safe
product.

It was decided that the new film
should be made 16 millimeters in width,
which was a millimeter and a half less
than a split thirty-five, and wi'h film
channels made to a 16 millimeter dimen¬
sion, it would prevent the ues of split
theatre film.

With these preliminaries out of the
way and the assurance of the Eastman
Company that it would make the new
film and would process this film for
amateurs, I immediately began the work
of designing a 16 millimeter camera and
projector.

By August, 1923, we were in produc¬
tion. The world’s first printed announce¬
ment of the Victor Cine Camera and
Projector and the new Eastman film was
made in the form of full page advertise¬
ments in the two leading Davenport,
Iowa, newspapers on August 12, 1923.
That day I definitely relinquished all
interest in the 28 millimeter standard
and have since that time advocated and
devoted my company’s energies to the
16 millimeter width.

Although I had the good fortune to be
the first to design and manufacture 16
millimeter cameras and projectors, it
does not mean that I am entirely respon¬
sible for its success and growth. To
Eastman Kodak Company belongs a
(Continued on Page 396)

384 November, 1945 • American Cinematographer

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Wing lock for positive setting of tilt head
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Very large trunnion insures super-smooth
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Tilt head design permits extremely wide
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Wing lock for adjusting pan movement
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"L" level aids in setting tripod to true
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Tie-down rings permit using tripod on
moving platforms such as dollys, auto
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Non-loosening nuts hold legs on base
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Maple, long-grained, hand-rubbed, splin¬
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Quick-release fluted knobs set between
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American Cinematographer • November, 1945

385

AMONG THE MOVIE CLUBS

Westood Club

Three excellent films in Kodachrome
and a talk on flood lighting featured
the October meeting of the Westwood
Movie Club. Films sci’eened were:

“A Tuolumne Vacation,” Roy Olson.

“The Centipede or My First 50 Feet,”
by L. F. Forden.

“The Farmer’s Daughter,” by Mil¬
dred J. Caldwell.

Eric Unmack in his talk on lighting
spoke on the subject of “Make Indoor
Movies this Winter.”

The November meeting will be devot¬
ed entirely to the showing of contest
winning pictures. Winners will be select¬
ed at a preview of all entries before
three judges: Jesse Richardson, Ed
Franke and Dr. J. A. Thatcher. None
of the judges will be permitted to enter
a film in the contest. November fifteenth
has been set as closing date for entry
of films in the contest.

Annual election of club officers has
been set for December, and President
George Loehrsen has announced the fol¬
lowing nominating committee: Don
Campbell, Dr. Gobar and Jesse Richard¬
son, all past presidents.

Tri-City Club

Highlight of the October meeting of
the Tri-City Cinema Club of Davenport,
Iowa, and Moline and Rock Island, Ill.,
was a talk on composition by Elizabeth
Moeller, Director of the Davenport Mu¬
nicipal Art Gallery. Her talk was il¬
lustrated with Kodachrome slides.

Two films were screened. They were
“Brookfield Zoo,” by Joseph 0. Booth,
and “Ten Thousand Miles,” a western
scenic furnished by the Eastman Kodak
Company.

Officers of the Tri-City Club are:

Margaret West, President.

Tom Griberg, First Vice-President.

Roger Spitznas, Second Vice-President.

Carl Asmussen, Secretary-Treasurer.

Miss Georgie First will handle national
press releases.

Brooklyn Amateur Cine Club

A Ten Best Winner, “Baie St. Paul”,
by Frank Gunnell, was included in the
program at the October meeting of the
Brooklyn Amateur Club.

Other 16mm Kodachromes shown were
“Air Currents” by Francis Sinclaire,
“Surprise Party for the Doctor” by Sam¬
uel Luskin, and “World’s Fair” by John
Larson.

St. Louis Club

Two outstanding films featured the
October meeting of the St. Louis Ama¬
teur Motion Picture Club. They were:

“St. Louis Zoo,” in Kodachrome, by
Dr. and Mrs. Jordan.

“It’s West Again,” by Werner Henze.

Los Angeles 8mm Club

The Los Angeles Eight Millimeter
Club met October 10 for its regular
monthly meeting, and a preview show¬
ing of “The Stillwell Road” filmed in
China.

Two other films were previewed at the
meeting which were photographed by
two members who have just returned
from overseas. They were “Saipan and
Guam” by Louis B. Reed, and “China
and India” by James B. Ridge. It has
been announced that the annual banquet
is to be held December 15th.

Cinema Club of San Francisco

The October meeting of the Cinema
Club of San Francisco was held jointly
with the Westwood Movie Club at the
Women’s City Club.

An unusually fine selection of films
were enjoyed by both clubs. The even¬
ing’s showing was as follows:

“Colorful San Francisco”, an 8mm
Kodachrome by George Loehrsen.

“The Home Front”, a depiction of
home news as related by a mother to her
son in the service.

“Our Garden”, an unusually beautiful
8mm Kodachrome by Joe Pissott.

“Baie St. Paul”, a ten-best award
16mm Kodachrome by Frank Gunnell.

“Pictorial Jewels”, Kodachrome slides
by Leon Gagne.

La Casa Movie Club
of Alhambra

Through the courtesy of the Walt Dis¬
ney Studios, the Alhambra Movie Club
viewed a series of 16mm late sound and
color pictures at its October meeting.
Also shown, were 8mm scenes of the
Arcadia train disaster, photographed by
Paul C. Knepp.

Other films viewed were an 8mm Koda¬
chrome by Earl Martin titled “Cuba”,
“An Eastern Trip” by John Cook, “Our
Anniversaries” by R. A. Battles, and a
35mm film by C. L. Wachholz, “Western
Scenes.”

Los Angeles Cinema Club

An instructive talk by J. H. Maynard
of the Color Film Processing Depart¬
ment of the Eastman Kodak Company
was a feature of the October meeting of
the Los Angeles Cinema Club.

Films shown at the meeting were as
follows :

“Odd Shots of Mexico” by Guy Nelli.

“Bird Life” by Andrew G. Orear.

“Yosemite’s Water Falls” by L. S.
Peterman.

“Wealth of the Andes”, “Patzcuaro”,
“Introduction to Haiti”, and “Hawaii” by
Harry F. Burrell.

Metropolitan Motion
Picture Club

The Metropolitan Motion Picture Club
of New York City met October 18 at the
Hotel Pennsylvania to witness the show¬
ing of four 8mm. films. In the group
was “An Anaesthetic Fantasy” by Ern¬
est Kremer, a masterpiece of trick pho¬
tography inspired by a severe toothache.

William Brandegee displayed his film
“Titling Technique,” and gave a fifteen
minute talk on methods for producing
unusual titling effects.

Other films seen during the evening
were the following:

“Random Recollections” — George Val¬
entine.

“It’s V-E Day” — Terry Manos.

“Le Petit Cinema” — George Valentine.

Utah Cine Arts Club

Three interesting Kodachromes were
shown at the October meeting of the
Utah Cine Arts Club. Films shown were
two 16mm Kodachromes — “Northwest
Travels” by Cliff Zimmerman, and “Inti¬
mate Mexican Travels” by J. Vernon
Sharp. The third presentation on the
evening’s program was the 8mm Koda¬
chrome photographed by John Allein
titled “Youthful Fantasy.”

New York Eight

Members of the New York Eight Milli¬
meter Club viewed two interesting Koda¬
chromes at their October meeting. Films
shown were “Lassie Stays Home” by R.
J. Berger, Cheektowaga, New York, and
“Garden Truck” photographed by A. D.
Furnans of Kansas City, Mo.

Thanksgiving Movies

Thanksgiving Day is not far away, so
why not get busy now in preparing a
well thought out scenario to record that
event at your place on film.

Most home movie makers think only
of filming the family sitting down to
dinner, and perhaps the activities after
the meal. But why not think about
the preparation of the feast. Give moth¬
er a break this year. An interesting
film can be made showing the creation
of that dinner, starting with mother
selecting the turkey, purchasing the va¬
rious vegetables, stuffing the turkey,
basting it as it turns to a golden brown,
making the pumpkin pies, etc. Top that
off with scenes showing how quickly all
of mother’s work disappears down her
family’s throats and you will have a
film record worth while in years to
come. — H. H.

386

November, 1945 • American Cinematographer

I hhhhr

8mm. and 16mm.
magazine and roll ...
full-color Kodachrome
and black-and-white

AT YOUR CINE-KODAK DEALER’S— SOON

Dome Cine-Kodak Film will come in the
familiar prewar Cine-Kodak Film cartons...
some, in the new-style cartons you see here
. . . but all, dated on the outside of the cartons
for your protection, is, as ev«r, uniformly
dependable! Your dealer may not have all
you want the first time you see him. Soon,
he will have plenty.

ms.

More still camera film

Although quantities of “still” film, both
black-and-white and color, continue to be
supplied to the armed forces both overseas
and in the U. S. A. for military and for per¬
sonal use, more and more is being delivered
to your Kodak dealer each month. Keep in
touch with him.

EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
Rochester 4, N. Y.

Cine -Kodak

SUPER-XX

tAtirrt

MACAiifcf

Special Effects For The Amateur

By F. C. MOULTRIE

AMBITIOUS amateur cinematogra-
/"A phers often find themselves at a
"^disadvantage in obtaining certain
effects, as a consequence of the limited
facilities provided on the majority of
sub-standard movie cameras, — to say
nothing of restricted “exterior” means.

Few, if any, use optical or contact
printing, back-projection, or other de¬
vices which will secure “special effects”,
and the amateur _ feels that he is tied
down to straight photography of the real
life scene, or he must leave it alone. Yet
some of the effects and tricks referred to
constitute the “punctuation marks” of a
film and their absence is somewhat anal-
agous to the situation we might face if
presented with a book consisting of
words only, with no asterisks, query or
exclamation marks, commas or periods!

Apart from the call of necessity that
we sometimes produce a made-to-order
image when the actuality is difficult (if
not impossible) to obtain, it is always
desirable to lend polish to any film,
whether it be a family record, a travelog,
an industrial or a photoplay.

In preparing a script and planning a
film, it is almost invariably found that

the story would be much more agreeably
told if this, that or the other detail could
be incorporated. Professional motion pic¬
ture studios utilize the services of Spe¬
cial Effects Departments, whose duty it
is to devise ways and means of securing
made-to-order photographic images more
inexpensively than the shooting of the
real thing would be or else to contrive
a system of photographing images which
would, factually, be impossible. Any
amateur would find it very profitable to
establish for himself a “special effects”
department, even if it merely took the
form of individual time spent upon ef¬
forts to solve current cinematic problems.

When an artist commences a painting,
he has his colors and his blank canvas,
plus a mental picture of that which he
wishes to convey to the ultimate viewer.
Substituting the camera and the raw film
for the colors and canvas, that is exactly
what one should have when constructing
a motion picture, remembering that the
manner in which the succession of im¬
ages is registered on the film is imma¬
terial, so long as one’s aim is achieved.
It was early observed that scenes ar¬
ranged in sequence in motion pictures,
become related in the viewer’s mind. If

An old Cine Kodak Model "A", fitted with direct
focussing prism.

one were presented with a scene show¬
ing a bill-fold lying on the ground, fol¬
lowed by a shot of a person stooping as
though to pick up something, one would
conclude that it is the bill-fold that is
being taken up, even though the scenes
may have been in fact many miles
apart.

No attempt will be made in this article
to cover all the tricks that an amateur
might use to accomplish a desired out¬
come, for individual ingenuity must be
brought to bear on the problems of the
moment. However, it is hoped that the
remarks and ideas here given will pro¬
vide a foundation for constructive con¬
ceptions, and offer interesting fields of

(Continued on Page 398)

FOCUSSING CLOTH CLOSELY

SUGGESTED LAYOUT FOR USE OF MATTE- BOX

to come home, too...

VICTOR has served long and well;
VICTOR wants to come home to again
serve Schools, Churches, Industries and the home user.

Thousands of letters ask, "How soon ? When can we have
the Animatophone ?” As you know, we’ve been working

for Uncle Sam; his demands for VICTOR have been of
— gigantic proportion . . . for both military and industrial
training. Meanwhile the VICTOR dealer has patriotically waited. Today it’s
natural to ask: "When?" ^§§0 Our rePty-? "Soon, we
hope!’’ Even now, we are delivering to Uncle Sam

who still thinks VICTOR best for his boys, on land and sea and air.

Meanwhile, civilian ship¬
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amounts. It won’t be long before VICTOR, heaped with the honors

of war, will be available for any and all requirements.

^0^0 KS

VICTOR

ANIMATOGRAPH CORPORATION

Home Office and Factory: Davenport, Iowa
New York (18)— McGrow Hill Bldg., 330 W. 42nd Street
Chicago (1) — 188 W. Randolph

MAKERS OF I6MM EQUIPMENT SINCE 1923

American Cinematographer • November, 1945

389

c 9t CJUJl JUtbidu

By JAMES R

OF THE vast majority of movie
makers, only a comparatively few
are consisent users of titles in
their films. The others are either una¬
ware or negligent of the importance of
a few explanatory titles towards round¬
ing out a silent movie. Perhaps this
not knowing or not caring attitude can
be attributed to the fact that Mr. Aver¬
age Movie Maker is so intrigued by
those shots of junior playing with his
electric train, or sis admiring her new
party dress, that he sees no faults what¬
soever in his cine material.

Such a perspective is easily under¬
stood, for most filmers are inclined to
view their pictures from a purely per¬
sonal standpoint, in which case such
films are naturally “tops.” But let Mr.
Movie Maker call in some of his friends
. . . or better yet, total strangers, to
analyze his pictures from a strictly neu¬
tral viewpoint. Then, and then only will
he get the frank, unbiased opinion of

OSWALD

the outsider! And such “critics” should
not be considered cold and hard-hearted
when they fail to have the same re¬
action to those tender scenes as those
more closely associated with their mak¬
ing.

Not knowing anyone taking part,
these “judges,” by their constructive
criticism, are well qualified to rate a
film on its merits only, and are best
able to judge real “human interest.” By
separating true “human interest” from
the sometimes closely allied “sentimental
shots” they are doing the filmer a great
favor.

Having depleted all undesirable scenes,
chances are nine times out of ten titles
will be suggested to make presentation
of the remaining scenes more effective.
Titles are a natural “bridge” for linking
unrelated shots together thereby tying
seemingly far-fetched scenes in interest¬
ing story-telling sequence. To determine
their worth in any particular film, all

No apology need be made when attractive titles,
such as these on this page, are incorporated in your
films. They are simple, effective, easy to read.

that is required is that the reel be pro¬
jected, and any bit of action that causes
the spectators to question how, when or
where, titles are not only advisable, but
a necessity.

One need not be a skilled artist to set
up attractive title cards. Still photo¬
graphs, magazine illustrations, and
travel folders provide excellent back¬
ground material, while letters can be
traced from newspaper headlines, drawn
free-hand, or typewritten. Commercially
made letter outfits of wood, metal, and
plastic, made exclusively for titling pur¬
poses are available at camera stores,
whereas die cut, gummed paper letters
in a variety of colors may be procured
at the 5 & 10 cent store. Or, if the
movie maker prefers not to fuss at all
with making his own titles, there are
many laboratories throughout the coun¬
try offering titling services, with the
customer furnishing but the copy.

Some filmers may be inclined to photo¬
graph their titles as they go along, but
this usually is not the best practice,
since hastily gotten together words sel¬
dom are as effective as those well
planned to fit the occasion. There are
exceptions, of course, as in the case of
“natural” titles, such as highway mark¬
ers, townlimit signs, hotel marques, etc.,
which must necessarily be filmed “on
location.” Sometimes, if cleverly used,
these “on the spot” titles are most ap¬
propriate.

As a person becomes better acquainted
with the pleasures of titling he will strive
for the more elaborate effects of the pro-

(Continued on Page 392)

300

November, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Service of information

For a quarter of a century, the AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER has rendered an
immeasureable service to photographers ali over the world . . . The CINEMATOG¬
RAPHER has been the guiding light in the dissemination of authentic information on the
newest developments in the photographic world . . . We salute the CINEMATOG¬
RAPHER on its 25th anniversary.

Service oj 'unpli

um

Photographers have always looked to us with confidence for the best service and highest
quality . . . We have never failed them in the past, and we will not fail them in the future.

SMITH & ALLER, LTD.

Pacific Coast Distributors
For

E. I. du PONT de NEMOURS & CO.,

Photo Products Dept.

**«. u. *. PAT. Off.

American Cinematographer • November, 1945

391

Lucite and Lantz
Come Through

(Continued from Page 373)

As to the actual operation of shoot¬
ing through Lucite, Lantz offers a sim¬
ple comparison: suppose you remove
the gold case from your watch, enclose
it in a transparent material, then ob¬
serve the inner workings of the watch’s
mechanism. That’s about the effect ac¬
complished in those training films.

Lantz estimates that, with this new
process, the time required to make a
picture was cut one-fifth, the cost one-
tenth. His studio turned out twenty-
two pictures in twenty-eight months,
and of course that was in addition to
his regular Cartunes. His staff had
to be augmented, but not considerably,
for with this process four men were
able to do the work of thirty men in
animation. It eliminated inking on cel¬
luloids, painting, air-brush work and
drawing of backgrounds.

The government furnished complete
scripts and also sent their technical
advisors for every subject covered; and
these experts supervised every set-up
before it was shot.

Lantz thinks the Navy has done a
tremendous job in its wartime film pro¬
duction. So has the Army, of course,
but they were better equipped at the
beginning of the war, having an already
operative Signal Corp that immediately
went into the production of training
films. The Navy had no such organiza¬
tion and had to start from scratch. The
Army turned out more films, but even
so the Navy Department made over 900
pictures per year during the war. A
staggering figure, when you consider
that the entire annual output of Holly¬
wood is about 450 features.

Films made by Lantz, plus the actual
models for display purposes, are now in
use by the government. The govern¬
ment, thinks Lantz, has gained lots of
sound, usable technical experience
through these developments of his and
other producers. Particularly have they
benefited in the field of teaching. Un¬
doubtedly, training of both Army and
Navy personnel in the future, will large¬
ly be undertaken via the approved train¬
ing film. Previously, all classwork train¬
ing was given via the usual instructor-
textbook road. Now, while instructors
and textbooks will not be discarded,
neither will they carry the full load.
They will be augmented in most help¬
ful fashion by training films, which will
be an integral part of every course.

Time required to master any subject
will thus be cut to a minimum, no longer
will the instructor be required to draw
elaborate charts and graphs on black¬
boards to explain technical points from
textbooks. That will all be covered —
and amply — in the training film.

Industry, too, will greatly benefit from
this new method, avers Lantz. With a
technique for showing internal operation
of any machine: whether automobile,
sewing machine, refrigerator, vacuum

cleaner, etc., a new field has been opened
to industry. Much of the strife that
arises among workers in factories from
a misunderstanding of their jobs will
be eliminated. Manufacturers will be
able to instruct their personnel as to
the actual operation of the device or
utility they are manufacturing. In large
factories, where thousands of men work
on one small — and to them unimportant
— job, ignorant of what preceeds and
follows it, enlightening knowledge can
be given to such employees through these
films.

It would take years of study and re¬
search to master all of the operations
that go into the creation of some of
our modern machines, and no working
man has that much spare time to devote
to such an undertaking. But with the
motion picture, he can be shown the
operation of the plant generally, and
his own part in it. While his job may
have seemed trivial and unimportant
before, when seen in the light of the
whole operation, his job would take on
added significance.

Lantz believes that the animated car¬
toon is better able than live action to
make such films, because effects im¬
possible to obtain with live action pic¬
tures can be accomplished easily and well
with animation.

He also thinks that in the near fu¬
ture the government will wish to fur¬
nish pictures to the rest of the world.
Films sanctioned by government and by
various philanthropic groups on a va¬
riety of subjects such as hygiene, dis¬
ease prevention, the cure and remedy of
disease, and so on, will increase both
in number and in distribution.

As to films made for foreign con¬
sumption, he thinks that’s as good a
place as any to get in some of our
American propaganda. Lantz feels very
keenly on the subject of Democracy,
U. S. A. style. There’s nothing wrong,
to his way of thinking, with democracy,
or in all of us doing a little more sin¬
cere, honest flag-waving. In fact, he
thinks we, as a nation, do entirely too
little of it, and sees no reason why we
should wait until we are embroiled in
war to start thinking of the Star Span¬
gled Banner. It Lantz had his way,
our National Anthem would be played
at least once an evening in every theater
in the land.

As to the importance of the use of
films for educational purposes, Lantz
grows enthusiastic. Every school has
its vocational department, and these films
will be of tremendous help in depart¬
ments particularly where such subjects
as electricity, carpentry, work shop are
taught. He believes it is only a ques¬
tion of a couple of years when every
school will be equipped with these films,
which will be an important part of their
training program, starting with kinder¬
garten and continuing throughout every
grade. Today’s four year’s study course
could be cut to one year with such edu¬
cational films, in Lantz’ opinion.

Another thing of great value, not
only to our youth, but to our future as

a nation, is some good, fundamental
groundwork in American history, and
what it means to present-day Ameri¬
can life. Lantz would like to see every
school teaching our history through edu¬
cational films. By that he doesn’t mean
that the School Boards should spend a
couple of million dollars on a film
showing Washington crossing the Dela¬
ware.

He means short subjects with a pur¬
pose — a definite objective behind each
picture. Something, he says, with “a lit¬
tle glamour, a little dressing.” Show
short incidents, make them vital, real,
alive. Show why certain things in our
history happened as they did, how they
happened, what they mean to us as a
nation.

In this suggested program, Lantz
would include up-to-date lessons on
topics like: “Why Do We Have Taxes?”
and show why it is necessary. Subjects
like that. Make our youth proud of the
fact that they’re United States citi¬
zens. Show them reasons why, instead
of griping, they can all contribute some¬
thing of a constructive nature to their
government. Most of us are too lazy,
says Lantz, we gripe but that’s about
all. The best way to improve conditions,
is to know more, to be better equipped
to help. To hasten this happy state of
affairs, educational films are of prime
importance.

When asked if his new process would
help in the production of his regular
Cartunes featuring Woody Woodpecker,
Andy Panda and Wally Walrus, Lantz
shook his head dolefully.

“No, I’m afraid not,” he said. “We
still haven’t figured out a sure way of
shortening our work on making car¬
toons. It’s just a tough grind and we
have to keep on plugging. Start cheat¬
ing on cartoons, and they become jumpy
and the cheating shows. Frankly, though
I love the business, I’ve got to admit:
it’s one heluva way to earn a living!”

Say It With Titles

(Continued from Page 390)

fessional movies. Interesting titles with
action backgrounds are results of dou¬
ble exposure. There are many other pos¬
sibilities, even with the most limited of
equipment, if but a little ingenuity is
used.

Titles should always be used skillfully
and sparingly. Copy should be brief and
to the point. Often a humorous touch
livens interest in what might otherwise
be dull reading. It’s a remarkable film,
indeed, whose continuity is so flawless,
whose editing is so perfect, that titles
are totally unnecessary. Even in such a
rare exception however, an introductory
and end title are always in good taste.
If a film is worth presenting at all, it’s
worth presenting well. So, next time
your movies have something to say and
they lack just what it takes to do it,
let them say it with . . . titles!

392

November, 1945 • American Cinematographer

The Baby Keg-Lite;
500 or 750 Watt Spot

THE BABY KEG-LITE (shown
above) is a lightweight 500 or
750 Watt spot for use as a key
light, and for special lighting
jobs. Sturdily built, the design
assures low temperatures, uniform
heat expansion and elimination
of heat noises. All light ranges
between a 4 degree spot and 44
‘degree flood, controlled by a
small lever from front or back.
Fresnel type lens gives maximum
light pick-up. Stand extends from
4' 2" to 8' 6". Total weight 25
pounds.

BARDWELL & MCALISTER

COOL • EFFICIENT • OPTICALLY CORRECT

Super developments in photography which have
been held in abeyance during the War, are now
being released for commercial use . . . and COLOR
photography is the thing. But... if it’s to be color,
it must be properly lighted; you’ll need Bardwell &
McAlister Lights for good work.

B 8c M Lighting Equipment was originally de¬
signed for color as well as black and white. Our
engineers, in consultation with the ace camera men
of Hollywood, have evolved a complete line of
lights and accessories which meet every require¬
ment of the Motion Picture Industry. War produc¬
tion has developed added improvements which
have made our spots better than ever.

B & M Lights are efficient and noiseless.
They operate at a low temperature and the optic¬
ally correct lenses permit full illumination with a
smooth field which can be controlled for all re¬
quirements. They are the accepted standard for
excellence throughout the industry.

Place orders now for early delivery. No priori¬
ties required.

Write for literature describing the Baby Keglite, The
Dinky-Inkie, The Junior Spot (1000-2000 Watts), The
Senior Spot (5000 Watts), the Single and Double
Broads, and their accessories.

Write Dept. 24 — 115

- ” i'

Bardwell & McAlister,

Inc.

Designers and Manufacturers

BOX 1310, HOLLYWOOD 28, CALIFORNIA

American Cinematographer • November, 1945

393

Cdxjt-Ctifectr

16-mm prints in 72 hours. Full
•fidelity of sound and defini¬
tion . . . often excelling the
original. "Byron-ize" your
prints for perfection.

the most complete 16 mm sound studio in the east

Studio: 1712 Connecticut Ave., N. W.
Laboratory: 1704 17th St., N. W.
Washington 6, D. C.

M/Sgt. Fred Mandl
Gets Army Honor

M/Sgt. Fred Mandl, member of the
American Society of Cinematographers,
and resident of Los Angeles, has been
awarded the Certificate of Merit for his
service with the United States Army
Signal Corps in the European theater
of operations.

Sergeant Mandl’s citation was present¬
ed for outstanding performance of mili¬
tary duty while serving as an instructor
in combat photography. By his expert
knowledge of the military problems in¬
volved, and his qualifications and ex¬
perience along the lines of combat mo¬
tion picture coverage, Mandl was highly
instrumental in evolving a successful
plan of operation for motion picture
cameramen in the field.

Now It's Major Warrenton
of the Army Air Forces

Gilbert Warrenton, A.S.C., who has
been in the Army Air Forces for the
past three years, has just been pro¬
moted to the rank of Major. He has
no idea when he will be released from
the service.

Dr. Clark Promoted

The Du Pont Company has announced
that Dr. John M. Clark, assistant pro¬
duction superintendent of the Chambers
Works, Deepwater, N. J., has been ap¬
pointed to the newly created position of
general superintendent of the Photo
Products Department with headquarters
in Wilmington, Del.

A native of Chicago, Dr. Clark is 38
and a graduate of Cornell University. He
received his master’s degree in indus¬
trial chemistry in 1931 and his Ph. D.
degree two years later. Immediately aft¬
erward he joined the Du Pont Com¬
pany as a chemist in the Organic Chemi¬
cals Department. He has been at the
Chambers Works since that time.

New Optical Printer
For Telefilm

Joseph A. Thomas, president of Tele¬
film has announced completion of an
optical printer, used for special effects.
It is one of the few optical printers
employed in 16mm. production in the
industry and includes several improve¬
ments made by Telefilm Engineers.

Color Photography Calls
For Good Lighting

Color photography is really coming
into its own, now that the war is over.
All of the cumulative developments
which were being held in abeyance “for
the duration”, are now being released for
public and commercial use. These de¬
velopments have been so revolutionary,
and the results so satisfying, that black
and white photography may be as much
of a curiosity as the tintype in the near
future. Sure! We’ll have black and
white photography, but there will be less
excuse for it.

In color, however, there is one require¬
ment which must be met at all costs . . .
adequate lighting. Fortunately, the de¬
velopment of certain locally manufac¬
tured lighting equipment has been well
in advance of this requirement for the
past 15 years. Bardwell & McAlister
Inc., of Hollywood, one of the pioneer
firms in this field, has maintained inti¬
mate contact with the ace cameramen of
Hollywood; and B & M Lights have been
designed to keep pace with the exacting
requirements of the Motion Picture in¬
dustry.

C. Bardwell, Executive Vice President
of the company, who has been in the busi¬
ness since the days of Erich von Stro¬
heim’s “super-colossals”, points out “that
mere candlepower is not enough for good
color photography. Light must be con¬
trolled. Special lenses, such as are used
in B & M lighting equipment, are neces¬
sary to eliminate ‘hot spots’ which would
ruin the most careful setup. On our
lighting units, from the Baby Keg-Lite
and the Dinky Inkie, to the 5,000 Watt
Senior, it’s possible to focus light from
a four degree spot to a 50 degree flood;
giving a smooth, even field which is ideal
for either color, or black and white.

“Again, for keeping the light within
desired areas, they have developed ‘Barn-
doors’, ‘Foco Spots’ and other accessories
which assure the desired control.”

Bardwell and McAlister have devoted
their entire output to war production
since 1940. Three times the Army-Navy
“E” has been awarded to their employees
for excellence in turning out war ma¬
teriel. Their enormous production for
Uncle Sam has brought out many new
developments in their products which it
is claimed have materially improved
them.

These lights have now been released
from priority restrictions and are avail¬
able for civilian use. Production of the
new models is being speeded up daily, to
fill orders from photographers who have
been forced to operate with what they
already had . . . “for the duration .”

Fairchild Honored

Fairchild Aerial Surveys, Inc., Los
Angeles, has received an award from the
U. S. Army Map Service “for excellence
in production of maps for the armed
forces.”

394

November, 1945 • American Cinematographer

to the

American Cinematographer

on its

25th Anniversary

TECHNICOLOR MOTION PICTURE CORPORATION

Herbert T. Kal mus, President and Genera I Manager

American Cinematographer • November, 1945

395

The History and Origin
of 16 Millimeter

OPENING A NEW ERA OF PRODUCTION

WITH THE

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equipment is no longer required to produce films of top
professional quality.

Though its results are not surpassed by the finest Hollywood
apparatus, its many technical advancements make this new
Maurer 16-mm equipment remarkably simple in set-up and
operation. Various mechanical difficulties that can develop
from complex design and construction are reduced to a mini¬
mum. The fire hazard is eliminated, and the savings effected
in time, film and other forms of money will pay for this ad¬
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many years of trouble-free, top quality performance.

Send for full details and specifications. Address Dept. C-ll.

J. A. MAURER, Inc.

37-01 31st STREET, LONG ISLAND CITY 1, N. Y.

Three Travel Films for
P.A.W. Airways

Three new travel films, in color, have
just been completed for Pan American
World Airways by The Princeton Film
Center.' Production of the new subjects
was supervised by the Motion Picture
Department of J. Walter Thompson.

Designed to stimulate public interest
in various areas served by the far flung
lines of the Pan American System, the
new motion pictures deal respectively
with Alaska, Bermuda and Latin Amer¬
ica.

All of the films feature interpretive
musical scores which were specially com¬
posed and recorded for these pictures.
Early release of the subjects to audi¬
ences throughout the nation is planned.

Near East Market

Near East countries can provide a
sharply expanding market for American
motion pictures and for American theater
and recording equipment, according to
R. E. Gowar, manager of Western Elec¬
tric Company (Near East), who has just
arrived in this country from Egypt. This
market, Mr. Gowar says, depends, of
course, on early solution of the mone¬
tary exchange problem and the result¬
ing modification in existing import re¬
strictions.

BUY MORE
VICTORY BONDS

(Continued from Page 384)
major share of the honors. The first few
years of 16 millimeter were far from
rosy. There was a period when the East¬
man responsibility of supplying and proc¬
essing the film was a liability to that
corporation. Eastman Kodak Company,
however, never faltered in its self-as¬
sumed responsibility. We owe much to
this company for the present high stand¬
ard of quality and the world-wide service
it has given. Last, but not least, a tribute
must be paid to Bell and Howell of Chi
cago, who introduced the first spring-
driven 16 millimeter camera, doing away
with the tripod — a very important item
in the success of 16 millimeter, and, in
addition with a great deal of courage,
invested heavily in a nation-wide adver¬
tising campaign.

When sound was added to motion pic¬
tures, I conceived the Continuous Sound
Reduction Printer, which made sound on
16 millimeter fil’i_a practical reality.
Today almost e' ^ppfoot of 16 millimeter
sound film is mate under this process,
which, while much publicized at the time
of its introduction, was not patented.
My reason for not patenting this basic
idea was to speed up the production of
film so that we and the others in the
apparatus business would find a larger
market for our product. While the Radio
Corporation of America must be given
credit for having put the first commer-
cially-acceptable sound on 16 millimeter,
this sound track was re-recorded on 16
millimeter negatives and printed by con¬
tact. In my Reduction Printer the sound
was printed directly by reduction from
35 millimeter, obviating the cost of
making a special negative.

Since that time there have been many
improvements and refinements in the de¬
sign and construction of 16 millimeter
equipment and there will be further im¬
provements in the days to come. Sixteen
millimeter today has become one of the
great industries.

Almost daily new uses and applications
are found for the 16 millimeter camera
and projector. America, in the post-war
years, will benefit from the work we in
the industry have achieved in the past,
the experiments we are carrying on to¬
day and the discoveries and inventions
that still lie in the future.

"Holland Carries On"
Acquired by I. T. & T.

A new film on Holland has just been
acquired from the Netherlands Govern¬
ment by the Instructional Films Division
of International Theatrical & Television
Corporation and will shortly be released
for national distribution by that Com¬
pany. The film, “Holland Carries On” is
a two-reeler, sound, with running time
of approximately 18 minutes and was
produced by the Netherlands Informa¬
tion Bureau, New York City.

396

November, 1945 • American Cinematographer

ifli

^ Yes, there are that many halftone dots in this picture. Count
’em if you’re skeptical. We don’t mind if you doubt our estimate,
but we do mind it a little if you fail to appreciate the crafts¬
manship which went into reproducing this fine photograph.

\%hen a beautiful shot like this one reaches the engraver
the photographer’s work is finished. His work of art is at the
mercy of a stranger— a craftsman, however, like himself.
When that craftsman is an artist in his trade the result can
be as you see it here — perfect reproduction of shadows and
highlights, fidelity as true to the original as the twin sciences
of printing and engraving can combine to produce.

ENGRAVING COMPANY

ZINC HALFTONES

COPPER HALFTONES

Phone CR. 9848

American Cinematographer • November, 1945

397

Special Effects for
the Amateur

(Continued from Page 388)

exploration. If one is fortunate enough
to possess a camera in which there is
sufficient space for fitting a mirror or
prism behind an aperture in the gate
pressure-plate, it would be found well
worth while to have such an alteration
made, since one may then make direct
focussing and framing adjustments
through the lens onto a piece of matt
film, much increasing the scope of the
camera. Unfortunately, however, the ma¬
jority of sub-standard movie cameras
are designed with a view to compact¬
ness, which demands utilization of every
square centimeter for the essential parts.
Only the higher priced models so far
embody the refinements which lend any
degree of flexibility. Hence the necessity
for amateurs to apply brainwork in
order to circumvent such constructional
deficiencies. It is regrettable that a low
priced but versatile camera has not yet
appeared, and we may hope that some
enterprising manufacturer will place a
low-priced, versatile instrument on the
post-war market. In seeking to accom¬
plish effects by means independent of
camera gadgets and devices, we may con¬
sider the following, in the sequence
given :

PHOTOGRAPHING A PHOTOGRAPH.

PHOTOGRAPHICALLY PRODUCED SCALE
MODELS.

FALSE PERSPECTIVE.

INTERPOSED SCREEN.

BLACK SCREENING.

COLOR TONING AND DYEING.

Photographing a Photograph

So long as the scene calls for no action,
a photograph of sufficient clarity may
be set up and successfully rephotographed
by the movie camera. To illustrate one
use of such a subterfuge, the writer will
relate a personal experience, wherein he ;
saved much time when making an “In- .
dustrial” in England in 1935-6. The film >
in question called for the illustration of ;
a certain point by a brief panoram -
shot of the interior of a large radio
transmitter-station. While permission to
gain entrance to such a station was ob¬
tainable, a lengthy journey would have ;
been necessary. Furthermore, we did not
possess sufficient lighting equipment to
illuminate such a large area and our
shot required only to be of the utmost
brevity. These considerations discouraged
the trip.

Finally we hit upon the plan of asking
the publicity dept, of the B.B.C. for a
large panoram photograph of one of the
transmitter installations. This was sup¬
plied for a small sum and the picture
was set up before the movie camera in
the same manner as a title, then a very
slow “pan” shot was taken of the scene
in the “still.” The result was astounding
and was quite indistinguishable from the

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shot one would have expected had the
movie camera been set up on the actual
location.

The trick of panning briefly and slowly
gave the effect of life and realism. This
leads us to our next suggestion, — so far
untried by the writer, — but based on the
success of the foregoing: —

Photographically Produced Scale Models

In view of the fact that the power of
suggestion, through association of ideas,
is so potent a feature of cinematics, it
is customary to take advantage of the
possibilities lying therein to the fullest
extent, not only for the presentation of
the story in general, but also as a time
and money saver for the producer. This
is particularly the case where a long-
shot is to be taken in sequence with a
CLOSE UP of what purports to be a
portion of the same scene. The scene de¬
picted in the long shot may be a huge
viaduct, a boat, a city street, — but if it
is of a nature difficult to obtain or to
stage in any other form, use is made of
scale models. Only the exceptional ama¬
teur cine photographer, however, can
boast the skill or afford the time to build
models, with a sufficient degree of scale
accuracy and surface finish, to ade¬
quately fool the camera, and it is here
that photography might conceivably
again come to the rescue.

Through the use of a good view or
graflex type of camera, scale photos
could be taken of the various facings of
the objects required for one’s model,
cut-outs made and the edges stuck to¬
gether to form the models desired. One
can visualize the building of a com¬
plete miniature “set” by such means, —
a “photographic model” shack, mounted
on sand, with “photographic trees,”
fences, etc. placed around about, — and all
much more accurately produced than
their equivalent made by handicraft.

Sets With False Perspective

False perspective may be used where
a full size or a miniature set is to be
built in a limited space or whex-e full
size objects are not obtainable, — al¬
though it will involve the operator in
some careful calculating and prepara¬
tion.

Suppose one has to establish a set i*ep-
resenting the interior of a church, a
temple, a dance floor, or the like, in an
area much less in length than that to be
represented in the finished film. “False
perspective” may be built into the set by
such tricks as convex-ging the walls,
floor-mats, foot-walks, hanging lamps,
etc. and placing door and window frames
(at the backgx-ound) of dimensions
which would be accurate for a room of
the length to be represented, — not the
actual length. Of course, such an ar¬
rangement demands that all action shall
be confined to the foreground, — other¬
wise one might have a laughable if not
disastx-ous situation !

Where it is necessary to depict large
objects, vases, idols, etc., in the extx-eme
foreground and provided such need not
necessarily appear in sharp detail, quite
small models may be placed very close

398

November, 1945 • American Cinematographer

to the camera lens. After one of two
tests, a point should be found where
the desired proportions are registered.
There is considerable scope for experi¬
mentation along these lines. Mirrors,
lenses, plain glass and prisms, may be
employed in many instances, but such
arrangements have already received con¬
siderable attention in various articles on
titling and trick-work, and further en¬
largement here would be superfluous.

Interposed Screen

The writer has given this name to a
scheme he devised but has not as yet
given a trial. Its purpose is to permit the
use of a matte box or any other utility
in conjunction with an ordinary sub¬
standard movie camera. By setting up an
ordinary view camera (or graflex) one
may find it possible to fit a matte box
to the same, mounting the cine camera
in an inverted position (so as not to
disturb the movement-sequence) by
means of a simple bracket behind the
ground glass screen, for photographing
the action cast thereon, as one would
film a title. The writer sees no reason
why this set-up could not be manipulated
for a considerable range of transitions
and “manufactured” impressions.

Black Screening

Circumstances may arise whereby
sundry applications of black screening
may be the easiest way around a diffi¬
culty. Since it is light that “paints our
picture,” absence of light, conversely,
will fail to create an impression on the
film, so that, in many instances, black
screening may be used to take the place
of masking before or behind the lens. It
is already well known as an effectual
means of producing “ghost” shots, but
it may also be set up as a device for ac¬
complishing multiple exposure.

A large black curtain or screen may,
for example, be hinged on a thin, black
support, dividing the center of the set
vertically. The black curtain is first
drawn to one side, closing off one half
the set. An actor may then be filmed
carrying out his business in the “open”
half. When the act is completed, the
film footage is rewound, (in a dark room
if the camera has no rewind), the cur¬
tain changed over to the opposite side
and the actor steps over to run through
the additional act as his own comple¬
ment. This method proves as reliable as
that employing the use of masks or
mattes.

Color Toning and Dyeing

Under this heading we would like to
recommend, for amateurs at least, a re¬
vival of a film finishing custom which
was very prevalent in early movies, but
which has been almost entirely discon¬
tinued during recent years. In the pro¬
duction of “night scenes” modern pro¬
fessionals appear to have reached a
unanimous agreement that the best re¬
sults are obtained, ih black and white
filming, through judicious use of special
lighting and filtering.

This writer feels, however, that at
least insofar as amateurs are concerned,

there is much to be said for the old sys¬
tem of blue toning or dyeing for por¬
traying night scenes and for the use of
orange/red dye for “fire” scenes. If
carried out carefully, the latter reacts
with realism and dramatic potency. Let
it be explained that dyeing imparts a
general coloration to the entire emul¬
sion surface, while toning leaves the
highlights clear and unstained.

Blue toning gives a good representa¬
tion of bright moonlight, while a general
blue dye over all will impart a good,
average “night” effect. The system of
toning is particularly pleasing, since
it not only leaves extreme highlights
clear, but the various tones of the image
absorb corresponding densities of color.
Provided that the film is thoroughly
clean and free from specks of dust, oil,
grease, etc., the processes may be exe¬
cuted at any time, even years, after
the film has been completed and devel¬
oped, although it is far better that it
is carried out prior even to a first run
through a projector. The latter invari¬
ably will splash minute particles of oil
onto the film, causing the dye to fail to
adhere at these pin-points, with the con¬
sequence that a greatly enlarged im¬
age exhibited during projection will
be marred by unsightly blemishes. The
processes are simple, but require strict
adherence to a few simple rules.

The film must first be thoroughly
CLEAN. No dark room is necessary but,
for long strips of film, a suitable drum
or frame, with tank, must be prepared,
on which the film can be found face
downward. To allow for expansion of the
film when it becomes wet, the ends
should be attached by means of elastic
bands. CAUTION : be sure that all in¬
gredients are THOROUGHLY dissolved
before use. Most materials can be se¬
cured at local drug and hardware stores,
and they are inexpensive.

Blue Toner or Dye Formula

SOLUTION A

Potassium Ferricyanide . 70 grains

Water . 20 fluid ounces

SOLUTION B

Iron Ammonia Alum . 80 grains

Oxalic Acid . 95 grains

Water . 20 fluid ounces

First immerse the film to be toned in
a bath of clear cold water, to thoroughly
soften the emulsion (about 5 mins.)

Then immerse film in solution “A” till
the image begins to turn yellow, then
thoroughly rinse. Next, pour solution
“A” into solution “B”, mixing the two
thoroughly and immerse the film in
same till the desired color is obtained.
If a general “dye” is desired, rinse the
film briefly and drape lightly over some
support to dry, face outward. If TON¬
ING is desired, wash film in running-
water for about twenty minutes, or until
the highlights have cleared of all color.
Foggy or veiled highlights will be diffi¬
cult to clear. If full clearance is de¬
sired, this can be accomplished by a brief
immersion in a reducing bath.

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American Cinematographer • November, 1945

399

in I6nntt- Sound-

JULES VERNE’S
thrilling historical romance

“THE ADVENTURES OF
MICHAEL STROGOFF

First time in 1 6mm., after sen
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f as " The Soldier
and the Lady.’

Featuring Akim Tamir-
off • Anton Walbrook
Elizabeth Allen • Mar¬
got Grahame • Eric
Blore • Fay Bainter

To save an empire
and win his love,
a heroic courier
fights his way from
St. Petersburg to
Irkutsk . . . through
10,000 thundering
Tartar horsemen!

Bell & Howell Company,
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Aces of the Camera

(Continued from Paqe 370)

around Kershner, but could offer no help
in the situation, for the photographer
spoke no Spanish. After staring curi¬
ously at the equipment stacked on the
platform, the Mexicans went into a
huddled discussion and then disappeared.

The sweltering afternoon wore on
and Kershner’s friend had not arrived.
Soon, however, several of the Mexicans
reappeared, and one spoke to him in
perfect English: “I shall take you to
the gentleman you are to meet,” he
said, bowing slightly.

Kershner looked from the Mexican to
a waiting automobile. In the front seat
were propped a rifle and a shotgun.
Strapped to the Mexican’s side were a
brace of authoritative-looking pistols.

In spite of a hunch to refuse the kind
offer of assistance, Kershner piled his
boxes of film and camera into the back
seat of the car. After several miles
over rough, dusty roads, the car drew
up in front of a ramshackle adobe hut,
where sleeping arrangements were made
for the visiting American.

He slept soundly that night, exhaust¬
ed from his trip and the long, anxious
wait at the station platform.

In the bright tropical sun the next
day, he discovered all his luggage and
film boxes had been rifled while he
slept. The Mexican bandits had believed
the heavy boxes were filled with gold.

Kershner stepped quickly into the next
room where he had left his camera
standing in the corner. Half a dozen
men sprang forward with lowered pis¬
tols and rifles. They believed the cam¬
era was a new type of machine gun.
After several minutes of earnest con¬
versation with the one Mexican who
spoke English, he convinced the group
that the “machine gun” shot nothing
but pictures.

The Mexicans went wild with excite¬
ment and insisted that Kershner shoot
reel after reel of films for their per¬
sonal amusement. The results, he dis¬
covered later, were excellent. The com¬
pleted film was titled “Between Friends.”
It so pleased Mexican officials that he
was invited to Mexico to shoot photo¬
graphs and motion pictures in eighteen
different states, and returned to the
’ United States with hundreds of feet of
interesting film.

Later, in 1923, Kershner contributed
an article and series of pictures to the
American Cinematographer, which was
published under the title “Picture Jaunts
into Mexico.”

In 1931, Kershner packed his camera
for a jaunt to the north country to shoot
Labrador and Baffinland in color. On
the ship Bowdoin, manned by a good
skipper and a crew of college men,
Kershner crossed the Belle Island
Straits to Labrador. When he sailed up
past Hebron and Cape Chidley, he felt
he had come to the last outpost of
the world.

The Bowdoin was due for a rough
trip in the Antarctic. When an iceberg
hove into view, the man on watch called
the warning, “Hard aport,” or “Hard
starboard.” More often than not the
Bowdoin chugged head on into the ice¬
berg. Fortunately, the ship was built
to stand the strain.

Plans for the expedition were to work
the schooner to a base, and then wait
for the chartered plane to contact them.
When the plane arrived, equipment was
loaded into the cabin, and Kershner
and the pilot took off through the fog
looking for something to shoot farther
inland.

The plane was equipped with pon¬
toons only, and the pilot depended solely
on landing on the water. In the cold
wasteland, it was impossible to set the
plane down any other way.

During all the runs in the plane, the
pilot flew the plane high enough so it
would glide to the sea from any point
inland at which the photographer was
working. The procedure worked well
when the wind was blowing off the
water. When the wind shifted and came
from the land, Kershner and the pilot
ran into the toughest flying conditions.
The water temperature stayed at about
28 degrees. When the warmer air from
the land passed over it, an impenetrable
fog resulted without the slightest warn¬
ing, making it impossible for Kershner
to get any shots for days at a time.

When the pilot spotted a veil of fog
he shot into a dive down through the
blanket of fog looking for water on
which to land. It was then a case of
waiting for the fog to lift, or “wave¬
hopping” back to the Bowdoin.

More outstanding in Kershner’s mem¬
ory than the hazardous conditions of
getting his pictures, are the motion
pictures he took from the plane of the
Great Falls of Labrador, a feat never
before accomplished. Glenn Kershner’s
greatest reward for the dangerous mis¬
sion was not monetary, but an intangible
sense of accomplishment and adventure.

His strange insatiable desire for ad¬
venture has taken him into countries
around the world. He has tangled with
timber wolves in Canada and bandits
in Mexico.

He has photographed Mt. Vesuvius
in Italy, and has received the Diploma
Di Collaborazione for the best photo¬
graphed picture of 1923. He went to
Rome to photograph a large part of the
Technicolor for the production, “Ben
Hur.”

He has been adopted by the natives
of the Society Islands in the South
Seas. They gave him the name “Manu
Reva Mata Ara Ara,” which means the
bird that comes and goes, the bird that
sees everything but never sleeps. He
considers the South Sea islands the most
beautiful place in the entire world.

He has been under water in a diver’s
outfit, and chased by sharks. He has
lived with the Indians. He has frozen
while running dogs in the far north,
and boiled in safaris across the deserts.
He has taken shots hanging on fire

400

November, 1945 • American Cinematographer

trucks, trains, airplanes, and the brink
of a volcano. He has learned to ex¬
pose ten feet of film in the dark moun¬
tains, the next ten feet on a hot desert,
the next ten in a driving rain storm,
and the next with Kleig lamps — all on
the same film.

He has published a book, “Brown Bar¬
riers,” a romantic novel of the South
Seas.

With all these adventures in foreign
lands behind him, Kershner’s most rug¬
ged ordeal took place in his own country.

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PERFECTION ... in sight-sound

He was a photographer on a motion
picture that called for shots of river
rapids. The company set out for the
Colorado River. A party of thirteen
men started down the river in six small
boats, measuring from sixteen to eight¬
een feet.

When they embarked on the river trip
in Utah, men who knew the river warned
the group that the trip through the
Cataract Canyon would be impossible. It
was late in the season, and tributaries
of the Colorado were frozen, and the
great river itself was low and full of
ice in many places.

They worked their way down the Colo¬
rado to Cataract Canyon. Very few
men have ever come through the treach¬
erous rapids alive.

Life preservers and determination
brought the photographers and crew
through the canyon, but the most des¬
perate situation was yet before them.
Their short wave radio transmitter broke
down, and they were out of touch with
civilization. Then the rations gave out.

Then men were officially reported
dead — drowned in the Colorado River
rapids.

Nearly a month passed by before they
reached civilization, and when they final¬
ly returned, Kqrshner discovered the in¬
surance companies were completing ar¬
rangements to pay off his life insurance
policies.

The picture company had the pictures
it wanted!

Glenn has given up seeking adventure,
at least for a while, and is working
with Howard Anderson making every
conceivable kind of trick photography
shots. He is a master at trick pho¬
tography, and many of the studios send
their difficult jobs to Anderson. Glenn is
in his glory making the “impossible”
shots come true on the screen . . . and
he’s happy.

RecorDisc Announcement

Home movie makers who make their
own “sound tracks” through the medium
of home recording discs will be interested
to know that the RecorDisc Corporation
of 395 Broadway, New York City, have
announced a new policy whereby they
offer improved quality RecorDisc home
recording blanks at lower prices. This,
contrary to present, generally prevailing
upward price trends.

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American Cinematographer • November, 1945

401

Don't Forget Your
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The Technique of the
Documentary Film

(Continued from Page 378)

Indoor lighting, too, should be real¬
istic, and this can largely be achieved
by the duplicating of source lighting.
Avoid over-artistic effects. On a large
set it is sometimes better to light the
main area, or planes, of action, rather
than to try to pour in enough light to
flood the whole set. Spots should be used
as well as floods to give a more modeled
effect. The documentary cameraman, who
usually has to get around fast, will find
portable lights very convenient.

Editing and Scoring

The last operation in the making of
film, editing and scoring, is of utmost
importance. It is here that all the ele¬
ments are welded into the filmic whole
that will appear on the screen.

The cutting of the film should be
dynamic, in keeping with the style used
in the script, direction, and camerawork.
Cutting to the script is the surest way
of preserving the quality that has been
captured on the film.

A documentary must have pace, but
pace means more than cutting off short
strips of film and splicing them to¬
gether. The pace of cutting depends upon
the pace of filming. For instance: a bit
of action that requires only ten frames
for complete execution on the film, may
be cut to ten frames without any loss
of meaning. But if you have a scene that
is complete in fifteen feet and you hack
off ten frames, you will have but a mean¬
ingless fragment of a complete action.
Thus the pace of cutting must be
guided by the pace in filming.

Many cutters, attempting to force
pace into a film, succeed only in slurring
over important points. Pace should be
gauged to the audience, and it should
not clip along at a constant rate of
speed. A sequence should build to a
climax, and then start over on a new
sequence at a lower pace. Light and
shade in editing adds variety and audi¬
ence interest.

One important feature of cutting is
that it can condense the element of time

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and pack a great deal of action into a
shorter space of time than is the case
in real life. When it is necessary to con¬
dense a broad general impression into a
short length of film, montage is a very
valuable device.

The cutter’s biggest job is to put the
emphasis in the right places, and to
keep the filmic story moving forward to
its final resolution.

Closely allied to cutting is the sound
dubbing of the film. Documentary can be
shot more easily and effectively if the
sound is added later instead of directly
during filming. The narration should not
repeat exactly what is shown on the
screen, but should add a bit more from a
different angle; so that, in reality, the
audience is receiving two complementary
impressions at once. Proper music and
sound effects will add immeasurably to
the force of the film.

The documentary is a vital motion
picture form, one that has untold pos¬
sibilities. It has had an impressive be¬
ginning, but its future will be even
more important.

New SMPE Officers
Announced at Meeting

Newly elected national officers of the
Society of Motion Picture Engineers
and new officers of the Society’s Atlantic
Coast Section, whose terms of office will
begin Jan. 1, were announced by Donald
E. Hyndman, president, at the opening
of the society’s 58th Semi-Annual Tech¬
nical Conference in New York.

National officers with terms expiring
Dec. 31, 1945, and those elected to them
for the ensuing year are: Engineering
vice president; J. A. Maurer; financial
vice president, M. Richard Boyer; sec¬
retary, Clyde R. Keith, and treasurer,
Earl I. Sponable.

Five members of the society were
elected to the board of governors for
terms beginning Jan. 1, as follows:
From the Atlantic Coast area — Frank E.
Carlson, General Electric Co., Cleveland,
re-elected; Alan W. Cook, Ansco, Bing¬
hamton, N. Y.; and Paul J. Larsen,
Johns Hopkins University, Washington,
D. C.; from the Pacific Coast area —
John G. Frayne, Western Electric Co.,
Hollywood, Calif.; and Wesley C. Miller,
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, Culver
City, Calif.

Frank E. Cahill, Jr., Warner Brothers
Pictures, New York City, was named
chairman-elect of the Atlantic Coast
Section of the SMPE, and James Fran£,
Jr., National Theatre Supply Co., New
York City, was named secretary treas¬
urer-elect.

New managers-elect for the Atlantic
Coast Section are Herbert Barnett, In¬
ternational Projector Corp., New York
City; Hollis D. Bradbury, RCA Victor
Div., Radio Corporation of America,
New York City; and . Jack A. Norling,
Loucks and Norling Studios, New York
City. Managers whose terms continue
through 1946 are G. T. Lorance, W. H.
Offenhauser, Jr., and H. E. White.

402

November, 1945 • American Cinematographer

VYIoaIl diawl&if 'WujsLiu duduo^

(JiaimJL (pJwqAanL ffoA. &chool&.

By GEORGE BUTTERLY

Experience with the production
and use of teaching films in the
Navy has convinced Mark Hawley
of the crying need for a complete audio¬
visual program for the nation’s schools.
“The Public,” he says, “has heard a lot
about jet propulsion, television, new
household appliances, air transportation
and now atomic energy, with their prob¬
able effect on post-war domestic life.
But, what about developments for post¬
war education?” Comments Mr. Hawley,
“It should be realized that the integrated
use of audio-visual aids in education is
as important a step forward for civiliza¬
tion as was the printing press.

“The development of these modern
methods and their application to teach¬
ing during the War will have a profound
effect upon post-war instruction. Hereto¬
fore, the educational possibilities of
radio, recordings and motion pictures
have been obscured by entertainment,
and it has been difficult to reconcile radio
and the films with ‘the little red school
house.’ Half-hearted attempts have been
made to shower benevolence upon the
teacher by making available to schools
advertising pictures and old radio shows
taken off the air on transcriptions. But
the attempts at circulating such items
has only served to make the teacher
wary. She has discovered that the mov¬
ing picture (sometimes pawned off as an
educational film) was designed to sell
merchandise — not to help her teach her
students. She has found that the radio
programs, while verging on some of the
subject matter she is interested in — was
designed for entertainment not for teach¬
ing. Besides, as purely supplementary
material it takes too much time from
her already full schedule.

“To present her with an acceptable
audio-visual program it is necessary to
understand the technical complexities
wdiich comprise each of these media. The
phonograph record, the film strip, the
motion and still picture and the study
guides are used most effectively as de¬
vices to amplify curriculum subjects —
each in its own field. However, to under¬
stand why a motion picture lacks the ef¬
fectiveness of a still picture in certain
instances, or why a film strip might be

Mark H. Hawley, who recently served with
Admiral Nimitz’ Staff as Assistant Officer in
Charge of the Fleet Motion Picture Office in Pearl
Harbor, has resumed his former post as President
of Inter-Continental Audio Video Corporation,
producers of STUDIDISCS, educational films and
transcriptions.

more explicit than a movie, or why a set
of records can be a better teaching tool
than pictorial aids in some subjects — are
problems which require a versatile
knowledge and experience in all these
fields of production and knowledge in¬
volving the technical, pedagogical and
economic values of each.”

Specifically, Mr. Hawley believes that
the radio cannot be a substitute for the
record where repetition and study are
required. “However”, Mr. Hawley con¬
tinued, “the radio has its effectiveness in
carrying the impact of the ‘present’, and
in this it has no substitute and won’t
have until television is fully developed.
What happens to radio then is still in the
realm of speculation. It is already show¬
ing a tendency toward becoming more of
a utilitarian service — filled with news
reports, road conditions, weather reports
— and music. If this should become the
case, entertainment would be relegated
to a secondary function of radio, with
the Frequency Modulation stations and
television stations gradually assuming
radio’s role in the field of entertainment.

“It is easy to understand how special¬
ists could become so immersed in the
development of their own particular field
as to consider their specialty the ‘be all
and end all’ as a mass medium for what¬
ever purpose. In the light of the past
four years, however, this is a rather
limited view. It has also resulted in
much confusion on the part of industrial¬
ist and educator alike who have earnest¬
ly sought the best medium with which to
put their messages across to the public,
the employee or the student. Often he
has found himself the hub of a high
pressure selling wheel, each spoke trying
to convince him that the radio, the film
or the film strip, were the best and cheap¬
est method of reaching his audience.

The general practitioner approaches
the field of audio-visual aids on the
premise that the elements are compli¬
mentary and not competitive — and his
objective is to use any or all audio-visual
media to develop in his audience — what¬
ever group it may be — a more immediate
comprehension, (1) of a process, (2) a
theory, (3) an historical event, (4) a
psychological attitude or (5) a straight
sales message.

“One of the greatest problems in this
fast moving world is the time it takes
to absorb background and technical
knowledge and still keep abreast of the

(Continued on Page 404)

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Many other hard to get Motion Picture Lab¬
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FILM & CAMERA EXCHANGE
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During the War—
E. M. BERNDT CORP.

produced sound - on - film
recording equipment that
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NOW-

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5515 SUNSET • HOLLYWOOD 28, CAL.

MANUFACTURERS OF SOUND-ON-FILM
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American Cinematographer • November, 1945

403

Mark Hawley Urges Audio
Visual Program

(Continued from Page 403)

times. Any device which helps the in¬
dividual absorb and retain information
is one very good answer to this problem.
Aural-visual aids can telescope cultural
processes; likewise, they can provide the
dramatic impact necessary to increase
the power of retention. The result can
be an increase in the net intelligence of
the present and future generations.

a MESSAGE

FROM

'$oah%, Clm&hkarL.

Now that peace has finally come to the world, we,
like many other manufacturers, are occupied with
plans of replenishing our war-depleted stock of
lenses suitable for professional and amateur
photography.

Because of the great many types and such a large
number of focal lengths of each type, which will
doubtless be in demand, the build-up of our stock
will naturally take time.

Fortunately we are not facing any reconversion
problems, because during the war years we were
exclusively engaged in producing photo-lenses for
our Government.

In the near future there will be announcements in
the various photographic magazines regarding our
progress in making available again through photo¬
supply stores

"GOERZ AMERICAN"

PRECISION PHOTO LENSES

We wish to take this occasion to thank those, who
have wanted to buy our lenses during the past war
years, for their interest shown in our product.

Every effort will be made to enable them to obtain
our lenses soon in the photographic market.

The C. P. GOERZ AMERICAN

OPTICAL COMPANY
OFFICE AND FACTORY
317 East 34th St., New York 16, N. Y.

AC- 1 1

“We emerge from this War where we
might have been in 1960 — had science
and invention progressed at the same
pace as when we entered the conflict.
That an effective audio-visual training
program be developed for our service¬
men was a necessity of War. Those so-
called 90-Day Wonders, who skippered
their own ships, the young bombers’
pilots who — after a few months of train¬
ing — were able to chart their courses
and carry out bombing missions with pin¬
point accuracy, were both the products
of audio-visual training. Navigation,
seamanship, communications, radar, are
but a few of the courses that used these
modern training methods for our now
victorious youngsters. They are a gen¬
eration of peace-trained high school and
college youth, catapulted overnight into
the grim business of war. And, what a
job they have done!

“We’re on the threshold of a great
new era of learning. The process of co¬
ordinating these new teaching devices
has already begun. A complete audio¬
visual program based on curriculum sub¬
jects will be offered shortly to the schools.
It is not only our hope — but our sincere
belief — that definite results can be ex¬
pected within a very few years, and the
‘Quiz Kid’ of today is no smarter than
will be the average American school child
of tomorrow.”

Filmosound Library Releases

PARDON MY RHYTHM (Universal)
No. 2570 — 6 reels

Managerial miss drives teen-age band
with a red-hot drummer to a radio cham¬
pionship and has nearly everyone else
crazy with one weird stratagem after
another. (Gloria Jean, Patric Knowles,
Evelyn Ankers, Bob Crosby and Band).
Available from November 19, 1945 for
approved non-theatrical audiences.

HOMETOWN, U. S. A.

No. C3548 — Color, 20 min.

No. 3548— Monochrome

Engrossingly human story of everyday
life in typical American town — your
town and mine, as it is and as we want
it to be. Excellently directed, photo¬
graphed and narrated documentary.
Thought-provoking, cheerful basis for
discussion in groups of any age, enjoy¬
able by all. (Look Magazine)

Off Priorities Again —
"Professional Junior" Tripods

Civilians may now obtain “Profession¬
al Junior” tripods, Frank C. Zucker of
Camera Equipment Co., New York City,
announces.

Since the outbreak of war, “Profes¬
sional Junior” tripods were on all fight¬
ing fronts, used by Army, Navy and
Signal Corps photographers in many
cases to take pictures for Government
archives, and ofttimes for civilian use
in newsreels of American reconquest
from Japs.

Because of their extreme ruggedness,
versatility and light weight of only 14 y2
lbs., these small replicas of professional
studio tripods, have proven that most of
the finest pictures to come out of the
war were photographed, even under bat¬
tle conditions, by cameras mounted on
tripods because in that way only can
unwanted distortion and motion of the
camera be avoided. The removable head
feature of “Professional Junior” tripods
allowed cameramen to quickly shift the
pan and tiP head from standard tripod
legs to low-base adaptors called “Hi-
Hats.” “Hi-Hats” allow picture taking
from floor level, or when mounted in
airplanes, the photography of aerial
views even during actual combat.

War-Time Research Will
Be Theatre Aid

Prospects are bright for the early ap¬
plication of war-time research in the
modernization of motion picture theaters
throughout the world, E. S. Gregg, vice
president and general manager of West¬
ern Electric Export Corporation told as¬
sembled managers at the company’s first
international conference recently at the
Waldorf Astoria.

The thirty managers have gathered in
New York from all parts of the world
for a preview of the newest recording
and reproducing equipments and other
electronic products distributed by Export
in the world market. As Mr. Gregg
pointed out, through these latest designs
of sound equipment, which embody ad¬
vancements learned by Western Electric
as one of the largest wartime producers
of communications and electronic equip¬
ment, exhibitors will be able to provide
new standards of excellence. A public,
patient during war, will expect rapid
cancellation of any “rationing in qual¬
ity” induced by the restrictions of a mili¬
tary economy.

At the opening session of the confer¬
ence, T. K. Stevenson, president of Ex¬
port and vice president of Western Elec¬
tric Company, welcomed the managers,
many of whom are in the United States
for the first time.

In addition to sound equipment, the
managers will view and discuss during
the two weeks convention the other prod¬
ucts to be distributed abroad by Export.
These include a full line of theater ac¬
cessories, booth equipment, the new
Model 63 hearing aid, the Fastax Cam¬
era, acoustic instruments, and other
products of research in related fields.

CAMERA SUPPLY COMPANY

ART REEVES

1515 North Cahuenga Boulevard

HOLLYWOOD Cable Address — Cameras CALIFORNIA

Efficient-Courteous Service New and Used Equipment

Bought — Sold — Rented

Everything Photographic Professional and Amateur

An unusually fine variety of basic photo chemicals altvays in stock.

404

November, 1945 • American Cinematographer

8 EnTO9ed 16

Reduced O
TO O

Geo. W. Colburn Laboratory

Special Motion Picture Printing

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On the East Coast

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I for prices and literature.

OUR SERVICE IS USED BY: J*

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IN BUSINESS SINCE 1910

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Cable Address: RUBYCAM

25 Years of Progress

(Continued from Page 378)

War I developed aviation; World War II
opened up a new world of science. One
improvement always forces the other.
Television, for example, will force us to
improve motion pictures.

We are using today, many devices
which are indispensable. Optical print¬
ers, glass shots, matte shots, transpar¬
encies, miniatures, lap dissolves, split
screen methods of combination: all of
these are indispensable. For the most
part, thev are the outgrowth and refine¬
ments of those older patents which have
been developed to their present day effi¬
ciency. However, we cannot stand still.
Our pictures of today will not be ac¬
ceptable five years from now. The very
fabr;c upon which this medium of ex¬
pression is built, calls for constant
growth, expansion, perfection.

Developments for future motion pic¬
tures will, I believe, come in the main
from men now within the industry and
from the new blood of our nati®n’s lead¬
ing scientific workers brought into our
industry to interest and apply them¬
selves to our problems. However, our
industry is a heterogeneous composite of
trained creative specialists and artists
and we have learned long ago that for
the best results, there is still no substi¬
tute for experience.

Our need now, as always, is for full¬
est cooperation and respect for each
other’s contributions. Above all, there
must be no conflict, open or hidden, be¬
tween artistry, management, craftsman¬
ship and the science of technology. For
among these, there is an essential ne¬
cessity for underlying unity, the realiza¬
tion and encouragement of which is a
fundamentally essential condition for the
continued growth and success and
achievement of this great industry.

Wabash Announces Two
New Flash Midgets

New to the trade and now available to
the public for the first time since Pearl
Harbor are two new Superflash Photo¬
lamps which Wabash has been manufac¬
turing for the U. S. Government since
1941. Both are midgets in the same bulb
shape and size as the Wabash Press 25.

The No. 25B, a blue Superflash for
daylight color films, is announced as the
most powerful blue midget flash ever
made, with a total light output of over
14,000 lumen seconds. It is designed for
use with Daylight Ansco Color or Koda-
chrome Regular, at synchronized speeds
up to 1 /200th second, and operates on
battery currents from 3 to 9 volts. It
has a color temperature of 6,000 degrees
Kelvin. Its blue filter color has been
especially developed to match with and
substitute for daylight, to provide more
faithful color rendition whether used in
combination with natural daylight or in¬
doors as a substitute. It will be a wel¬
come addition to the standard No. 2B
and No. 3B color flashbulbs.

MOVIOLA

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BELL & HOWELL COMPANY

Exclusive world distributors

1849 Larchmont Avenue, Chicago
New York: 30 Rockefeller Plaza
Hollywood: 716 N. LaBrea Ave.
Washington, D. C.: 1221 G St., N. W.
London: 13-14 Great Castle St.

American Cinematographer • November, 1945 405

STATEMENT OF THE OWNERSHIP, MANAGE¬
MENT, CIRCULATION, ETC., REQUIRED BY
THE ACTS OF CONGRESS OF AUGUST 24,
1912, AND MARCH 3, 1933,

Of The American Cinematographer, published
monthly at Los Angeles, California, for October

1st, 1945.

State of California
County of Los Angeles

}

ss.

Before me, a Notary Public in and for the
State and county aforesaid, personally appeared
Hal Hall, who, having been duly sworn ac¬
cording to law, deposes and says that he is the
Editor of the AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER
and that the following is, to the best of his knowl¬
edge and belief, a true statement of the owner¬
ship, management (and if a daily paper, the
circulation), etc., of the aforesaid publication for
the date shown in the above caption, required by
the Act of August 24, 1912, as amended by the
Act of March 3, 1933, embodied in section 537,
Postal Laws and Regulations, printed on the re¬
verse of this form, to wit:

1. That the names and addresses of the pub¬
lisher, editor, managing editor, and business
manager are : Publisher, A.S.C. Agency, Inc.,
1782 No. Orange Drive, Hollywood 28, Calif. ;
Editor, Hal Hall, 1782 No. Orange Drive, Holly¬
wood 28, Calif. ; Managing Editor, Hal Hall, 1782
No. Orange Drive, Hollywood 28, Calif. ; Business
Manager, Marguerite Duerr, 1782 No. Orange
Drive, Hollywood 28. Calif.

2. That the owner is: (If owned by a corpora¬
tion, its name and address must be stated and
also immediately thereunder the names and ad¬
dresses of stockholders owning or holding one per
cent or more of total amount of stock. If not
owned by a corporation, the names and addresses
of the individual owners must be given. If owned
by a firm, company, or other unincorporated con¬
cern, its name and address, as well as those of
each individual member, must be given.) A.S.C.
Agency, Inc., 1782 No. Orange Drive, Hollywood
28, Calif., a non-profit corporation wholly owned
by the American Society of Cinematographers,
Inc., 1782 N. Orange Dr., Hollywood 28, Calif.
Officers of the American Society of Cinematog¬
raphers, Inc., are: President, Leonard Smith, 1782
N. Orange Dr., Hollywood 28, Calif. ; First Vice-
President, Charles G. Clarke, 1782 N. Orange Dr.,
Hollywood 28, Calif. ; Second Vice-President, Jo¬
seph Walker, 1782 N. Orange Dr., Hollywood 28,
Calif., Third Vice-President, Arthur Edeson,
1782 N. Orange Dr., Hollywood 28, Calif. : Sec¬
retary, Ray Rennahan, 1782 N. Orange Dr.,
Hollywood 28, Calif., Executive Vice-President and
Treasurer, Fred W. Jackman, 1782 N. Orange Dr.,
Hollywood 28, Calif. ; Sergeant-at-Arms, George
Folsey, 1782 N. Orange Dr., Hollywood 28, Calif.

3. That the known bondholders, mortgagees, and
other security holders owning or holding 1 per
cent or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages,
or other securities are: (If there are none, so
state.) None.

4. That the two paragraphs next above, giving
the names of the owners, stockholders, and se¬
curity holders, if any, contain not only the list
of stockholders and security holders as they ap¬
pear upon the books of the company but aJso,
in cases where the stockholder or security holder
appears upon the books of the company as trustee
or in any other fiduciary relation, the name of the
person or corporation for whom such trustee is
acting, is given ; also that the said two paragraphs
contain statements embracing affiant’s full knowl¬
edge an<J belief as to the circumstances and con¬
ditions under which stockholders and security
holders who do not appear upon the books of the
company as trustees, hold stock and securities in
a capacity other than that of a bona fide owner ;
and this affiant has no reason to believe that any
other person, association, or corporation has any
interest direct or indirect in the said stock, bonds,
or other securities than as so stated by him.

5. That the average number of copies of each

issue of this publication sold or distributed,
through the mails or otherwise, to paid subscrib¬
ers during the twelve month preceding the date
shown above is . (This information is re¬

quired from daily publications only.)

(Signed) HAL HALL, Editor.

Sworn to and subscribed before me this 28th
day of September, 1945.

(Seal) LUCIEN A. SAUVAGE, N. P.

Notary Public in and for the County of Los
Angeles, State of California.

(My commission expires Feb. 21st, 1948.)

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from a Friend

406

November, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Brains and skills from the motion picture industry
helped to do one vital teaching job . . .
and now are doing it again

Now, with reconversion a reality, movies are teaching new
peacetime skills. It’s almost as big a task as the movies’
wartime role of helping switch hundreds of thousands of
new workers to the specialized skills of war production.

Motion picture methods, which saved a substantial
amount of training time in industry during the war, are a
logical choice in this great new responsibility.

So, while the industry can be proud of the wartime train¬
ing record of motion pictures, it can be just as proud as it
watches the movies do another big training job to help win
the peace.

Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester 4, n. y.

J. E. BRULATOUR, INC., Distributors
FORT LEE CHICAGO HOLLYWOOD

°ne »' "
advertisements b,

KODAK testifying m
the achievements of
the movies in peace
_ as in war

OF FAMOUS

The Filmo Aristocrat .jb
first 8mm. movie cam¬
era with 3-lens turret
head.

FILMOS are the original spring-driven cameras . . . were
first to permit movie making without a tripod.

Filmos introduced the original eye-level viewfinder . . .
were first to permit making movies from the natural view¬
point.

These and other Famous Filmo Firsts (some of which are
pictured at the left) have helped give Filmo Cameras and
Projectors general acceptance as the world’s finest.

More firsts are in the making. Previewed below, for ex¬
ample: the new, improved Filmosound 16mm. sound-on-
film projector . . . destined to be the leader in its field.

Now, as quickly as B&H precision production permits,
you’ll discover improvements and refinements in even the
finest B&H models. Look to Bell & Howell for cameras and
projectors that will set completely new standards of en¬
joyment for your home movie screen.

Bell & Howell Company, Chicago; New York; Holly¬
wood; Washington, D. C.; London. Established 1907.

The Filmo Auto-Master
. . . first and only 16mm.
magazine-loading
movie camera with 3-
lens turret head.

The Filmo-Master
"400” . . . first 8mm.
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The new Filmosound,
for showing 16mm.
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your own 16mm. silent
films.

BUY AND
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WHAT KIND OF MOVIES WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHOW AT HOME?

Travel, sports, late Hollywood hits, schools for help in educating your

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This great store of entertafhment, What kind of movies do you like
education, and instruction is bling best? Undoubtedly you’ll find your

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Visit Your Schools During American Education Week Nov. 11 to 17
OPTI-ONICS — products combining the sciences of OPTIcs • electrONics • mechanics

BELL & HOWELL COMPANY
7148 McCormick Road, Chicago 45

Please send without obligation, information on: Filmo
Movie Cameras and Silent Projectors, ( ) 8mm.,
( ) 16mm., ( ) 16mm. Filmosound; ( ) Filmosound
Library.

'■SmP

■Mtmm

Name

Address

THE mor/on PICTURE M/CfimERfi

1 *1™ 1 1

In This Issue .

THE U. S. REPORT ON (6)

AGFA COLOR PROCESS

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Foremost cinematographers commend these
features of Du Pont Motion Picture Film

1. Retains latent image

2. Extreme wide latitude

3. Color balance

4. Fine grain

5. Speed

6. Contrast

7. Excellent flesh tones

8. Uniformity

KE6.U.S. PAT. OFf

(TVo. 13 of a series on the manufacture of
Dll Pont Motion Picture Film )

► Dust, lint, powder, stray hair haven’t
a chance in the Du Pont film plant. Here
we see an inspection room operator being
“brushed off” by air, before entering the
darkened area in which Du Pont Motion
Picture Film is inspected.

Behind the grille, huge suction fans cre¬
ate a whirlwind of air that whisks away
all trace of dust or dirt. It’s not unlike a
giant vacuum cleaner.

Hospital cleanliness is the rule in mak¬
ing Du Pont Motion Picture Film. The
operators wear uniforms, caps and gloves
of lint-proof Irish poplin; and these are
specially laundered within the plant. Cos¬
metics, face powder, nail polish are taboo,
and even jewelry must be left aside.

This cleanliness helps assure a product
of dependable quality. It helps cinema¬
tographers to do their best at all times.

E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. (Inc.),
Photo Products Department, Wilmington
98, Delaware.

In New York: Empire State Building

In Hollywood: Smith & Aller, Ltd.

WRITE A CHRISTMAS LETTER TO THAT BOY
STILL IN THE SERVICE

DU PONT MOTION PICTURE FILM

BETTER THINGS FOR BETTER LIVING
.. .THROUGH CHEMISTRY

410

December, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Three Years of Combat Service
Have Proved Anew Its Superior
Qualities

Once more you can order a Bell & Howell Eyemo
— and get it in reasonable time. For Eyemo Cam¬
eras are back, ready once more to guarantee that
what you see, you get.

For the past three years Eyemos have been
everywhere — recording indelibly every step of
the long march to victory ... in Europe, on the
Pacific Islands, in the air, on the high seas. They
are on the job now in Germany and Japan, get¬
ting the news in sharp, clear motion pictures . . .
getting it fast.

Because Eyemos have a record of perfect per¬
formance under every possible condition of
weather, war, and peace, most newsreels are
now Eyemo-filmed.

Eyemo is the 35mm. camera that can do your
job, too. Seven standard models, plus a com¬
plete selection of correlated accessories, make it
the persoual camera, tailored to your own indi¬
vidual needs. And like all B&H equipment,
Eyemos are simple to use, easy to load and
handle.

is B»cU

A.gain!

For complete information on Eyemo Cameras
and accessories, send the coupon. Bell & Howell
Company, Chicago; New York; Hollywood;
Washington, D. C.; London.

BELL & HOWELL COMPANY
7148 McCormick Road, Chicago 45

Please send me information on Eymo
Cameras and accessories.

SINCE 1907 THE LARGEST MANUFACTURER OF PRECISION EQUIPMENT FOR MOTION PICTURE STUDIOS OF HOLLYWOOD AND THE WORLD

American Cinematographer • December, 1945

411

VOL. 26

DECEMBER, 1945

NO. 12

CONTENTS

The Staff

EDITOR

Walter R. Greene

Review of the Film News .

Aces of the Camera (John P. Fulton, A.S.C.) . By Hilda Black

U. S. Report on Agfa Color Process .

New Horizons for the Documentary Film. By Sgt. Herb A. Lightman

Jame Wong Howe, A.S.C., Replies to Comment on Cameramen .

Unusual Pictures Are Right Where You Are. .By Louise Doty Carle

Through the Editor’s Finder .

Among the Movie Clubs .

Movie Song Fest . By James R. Oswald

Soviet Documentary Film Production . By Dagmar Stein

Index to Volume XXVI— 1945 .

No 16 mm. Projector Surplus .

TECHNICAL EDITOR

414

Emery Huse. A.S.C.

415

•

416

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Edward Pyle, Jr.

418

•

419

MILITARY ADVISOR

Col. Nathan Levinson

420

•

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

422

Mel Traxel

A

428

W

ARTIST

432

Glenn R. Kershner, A.S.C.

A

434

W

CIRCULATION AND ADVERTISING

438

Marguerite Duerr

440

•

ADVISORY EDITORIAL BOARD

ON THE FRONT COVER is a photograph on the set of Walter Wanger’s
Production for Universal, “Canyon Passage;” with director Jacques Tour¬
neur rehearsing Dana Andrews and Susan Hayward for an exterior scene.
Director of Photography Edward Cronjager stands beside the Technicolor
camera, with brother Henry Cronjager seated as operative cameraman.
Photo by Sherm Clarke.

Fred W. Jackman, A- S. C.
Victor Milner, A. S. C.
Alvin Wyckolf, A.S.C.
Farciot Edouart, A. S. C.
Fred Gage, A. S. C.

Dr. J. S. Watson, A. S. C.
Dr. L. A. Jones, A. S. C.
Dr. C. E. K. Mees, A. S. C.
Dr. W. B. Rayton, A. S. C.
Dr. V. B. Sease, A. S. C.

•

OFFICERS AND BOARD OF GOVERNORS
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

Leonard Smith. President Fred Jackman. Exec. V.-Pres. and Treas.

Charles Clarke, First Vice-President Joseph Walker, Second Vice-President

Arthur Edeson, Third Vice-President Ray Rennahan, Secretary

George Folsey, Sergeant-at Arms

John Arnold Byron Haskin John Seitz

John Boyle Sol Polito Leon Shamroy

Lee Garmes William Skall

AUSTRALIAN REPRESENTATIVE
McGill's, 173 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne,
Australian and New Zealand Agents

•

Published monthly by A. S. C. Agency, Inc.
Editorial and business offices:

1782 North Orange Drive
Hollywood (Los Angeles, 28), California
Telephone: GRanite 2135

Established 1920. Advertising rates on appli¬
cation. Subscriptions: United States and Pan-
American Union, $2.50 per year; Canada, $2.75
per year ; Foreign. $3.60. Single copies. 25c ;
back numbers, 30c ; foreign, single copies 35<e.
back numbers 40c. Copyright 1946 by A. S. C.
Agency, Inc.

•

Entered as second-class matter Nov. 18, 1937,
at the postoffice at Los Angeles. California, under
the act of March 3, 1879.

412

December, 1945 • American Cinematographer

I

THE HOUSTON CORPORATION

takes pleasure in announcing the
appointment of

CAMERA EQUIPMENT COMPANY

as Eastern Distributor for

HOUSTON 16 MM. and 35 MM.

Processing Machines and Studio

Equipment; including Camera Dollys,

Camera Cranes, Editing and Cutting

Equipment and other photographic

apparatus now in course of design.

The entire HOUSTON I ine will be
on permanent display at headquarters of

CAMERA EQUIPMENT COMPANY

1600 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, N. Y.

REVIEW OF THE FILM NEWS

MOST important news of the
month is the report that the
newsreels are planning to make
widest use of world events coverage via
16 mm. negative and equipment. Accord¬
ing to information at hand, one of the
companies is laying out format whereby
newsreel correspondents will shoot newsy
events in 16mm., pack and ship the
negative by air express to New York
headquarters, and the editors will select
clips for each edition to blow up to
35 mm. size.

Such a procedure holds many advan¬
tages; most important being the mobil¬
ity and operation of the 16mm. camera
in shooting. Lesser weight of the ex¬
posed negative will allow compact and
economical shipment to New York by air
express; with editing headquarters a
maximum of 50 hours away from any
portion of the globe through fast and
frequent airline schedules.

The operation is not intended to sup¬
plant the regular camera staffs of the
newsreel — rather it is to supplement the
latter in remote countries not generally
covered by staff newsgatherers. The idea
opens up opportunities for the advanced
amateur and 16 mm. professional pho¬
tographers in the hinterlands to become
accredited correspondents for one of the
newsreels, thereby having the privilege
of submitting footage from time to time.

At the present writing, it’s not known
exactly when the specific newsreel will
be ready for the 16 mm. operation — but
its definitely on the fire.

It’s interesting to observe the gradual
release of information on secret photo¬
graphic equipment which the Army and
Navy used to excellent effect during the
war. There is no doubt that many of
these cameras or tools will eventually
be adapted by the manufacturers for
professional and civilian use.

For example, during the past month,
news dispatches carried disclosures of
hitherto secret cameras utilized by the
Army and Navy. The Army camera is
said to give the novice photographer an
opportunity of making perfect still pic¬
tures in either color or black and white,
of fast action from six inches to 12 feet
in front of the lens. Camera was per¬
fected by Army pictorial service for spe¬
cial use by Army surgeons; and has a
quartz vapor tube as built-in light
source, to provide brilliant flashes greater
than sunlight for about 1 /25,000th of a
second.

Navy’s camera was devised to handle
underwater photography to assist in the
inspection and identification of sunken
vessels. It did yeoman service all round
the world to expedite raising of ships,
planes, etc. According to Navy an¬
nouncement, the special waterproof and
pressureproof cameras and equipment
were developed by Photo Utilities, Inc.
and other firms. It was electrically-op¬
erated multiple-exposure camera capable
of operating to depths of 225 feet.
Standard film was used, along with fil¬
ters and flashbulbs in the pressureproof
box, with operation conti'olled from the
surface. In peacetime, it is noted, the
underseas camera will undoubtedly be
used for salvage operations and divers’
surveys of river and harbor bottoms.

When Loew’s International, foreign
distribution subsidiary for Metro-Gold-
wyn-Mayer product, announced a few
months back that it would release 16
mm. prints of both features and shorts
outside of the United States and Great
Britain in order to greatly expand book¬
ings in smaller communities that could
not support the 35 mm. film and equip¬
ment, it was a foregone conclusion that
other major companies would follow suit.

Warners, at least, are not being left
far behind. From inside reports comes
word that WB is setting up a battery of
16 mm. printers at the studio laboratory
in Burbank; and expectation is that the
release prints of the smaller gauge will
be rolling out for foreign release when
sufficient number of 16 mm. sound pro¬
jectors are available for the smaller
communities of the world market — which
might not be for at least two years.

Surveys by major producer distributors
during the past two years have indicated
that at least 5,000 additional theatres
can be set up with 16 mm. apparatus in
Europe, Africa, Central and South Amer¬
ica, and Asia in the coming five years.
Although the individual booking fees ad¬
mittedly will be small, the aggregate
volume will increase foreign income for
the film companies.

Warners is the first of the major
companies to formulate plans for the
production of educational, training and
commercial pictures as an adjunct to its
regular entertainment productions.

President Harry M. Warner is person¬
ally directing organization setup for
the non-theatrical films in New York.
According to latest information, War¬
ners will utilize the old Vitagraph stu¬
dios in Flatbush as production head¬
quarters for The enterprise, thus en¬
tirely separating activities from the
regular production at the coast Bur¬
bank studios. During the war, Warners
produced a large number of indoctri¬
nation and training films for the armed
services which provided the company
with intimate details of the different
technique of production in contrast to
regular features.

Walt Disney has already set up an
educational department in his studios,
with long-range plans to turn out
training and industrial films for com¬
mercial firms. Walter Lantz, who pro¬
duces cartoons for Universal release,
is another entry into the commercial
film field; as are George Pal, making
series of Puppetoon shorts for Para¬
mount; and Jerry Fairbanks, also con¬
tributing shorts to the latter program.

Cecil B. De Mille has just organized
a separate company in association with
William C. Thomas of Pine-Thomas,
and Ralph Jester who has had practi¬
cal experience in regular film produc¬
tion. Firm, using the De Mille name,
intends to produce non-theatrical and
promotional films for corporations or
trade associations, with Thomas and
Jester being active parties in the en¬
terprise.

The Last Bomb

Look for general theatrical release
during the early months of 1946 of a
spectacular feature produced by the
Army Air Force photographers in the
final weeks of the war in the Pacific.
Picture, now in final stages of editing
and scoring, was made by a large staff
of AAF cameramen, and covers terri¬
tory from the Philippines right into Ja¬
pan itself. Reports state its very spec¬
tacular footage, and will graphically re¬
veal the success of the Air Force in
pounding the Nips to force them to sur¬
render.

Improved Color Film Stocks Due

Indications point to early introduction
of improved color film negative stock
designed for commercial use in the 16
mm. field.

414

December, 1945 • American Cinematographer

ACES of the CAMERA

JOHN P. FULTON, A.S.C.

By HILDA BLACK

«r-pv

1

l HE future still holds most of
the important things I’ve
planned .to accomplish,” says
John Fulton, newly appointed head of
Process Photography at the Samuel
Goldwyn Studio. “I haven’t come any
place close to doing what I’ve visual¬
ized in my career.” The record, how¬
ever, proves that this young man has

accomplished more than most men
could ever hope for. But he’s not satis¬
fied— there’s still much that hasn’t been
done.

For many years he was head of
Universal’s Process Department, and it
is to Fulton’s combined technical ability
and imaginative resourcefulness that
credit must go for making that studio

the leader in the field of weird and
unusual pictures. “Frankenstein,”
“Dracula,” and “The Invisible Man”
chillers owed their box office popularity
to Fulton’s successful creation of new
methods for achieving grotesque, un¬
canny and supernatural effects.

Even so, this man, responsible for
some of the most effective dramatic
highlights in the screen’s top mystery
thrillers, claims he can’t take himself
seriously. Often, he wonders why so
much emphasis is (placed on every
scene. “As if,” he smiles, “it would
last forever. We are not creating some¬
thing that will remain for thousands of
years. A picture is not a pyramid — it’s
more like a feather in a hurricane.”

Yet Fulton’s actions belie his words.
He may not take himself seriously, but
paradoxically, no man in the motion
picture industry works harder than he
to achieve perfection. Freely, he admits
that clock-watching defeats ambition,
and insists the only way to succeed in
a career is to forget everything — clock,
family, hobbies, interests — everything
but the job. That’s what it takes, and
when necessity demands, that’s what he
gives.

If a problem arises, it isn’t locked
up and left behind in the office for the
night; Fulton takes it home with him,
claims he does his best worrying in bed,
and can’t sleep as long as there’s an
unsolved issue on his mind. On occasion,
he’s worried right through two or three
nights before a stickler unravelled itself
to his satisfaction.

Fulton, who believes that “trick”
camera work is a combination of a great
many things: engineering, physics, cam¬
era technique, laboratory work, artistry
and an open mind, had the best possible
background for his present position.
His father, Fitch Fulton, one of the
best artists in Hollywood, was a the¬
atrical scenic painter for a number of
years, and the boy grew up backstage.

The elder Fulton was fully convinced
that no phase of the theater was a
proper career for his son. So John
studied electrical engineering and, on
leaving school, went to work as a junior
engineer for the Southern California
Edison Company. But it didn’t take
him long to discover that full-fledged
engineers earned only slightly more
than he, and so, with characteristic
foresight, he quit the job and went in
search of work with greater possibili¬
ties for the future.

Just why he cornered a fellow in a
comedy outfit that was forming, or why
he told the man he was going to hang
on until he was made his assistant,
Fulton will never know. But he did,
and that’s how he became an assistant
cameraman. He wonders what would
have happened if he’d cornered the
director, or producer, instead.

When that picture was over, he went
to Universal, where he’s been for the
past twenty-two years except at brief
intervals when he worked for the Frank
Williams Laboratory and at a couple
of other studios. It was at the Williams

(Continued on Page 430)

American Cinematographer • December, 1945

415

U. S. Government Report
On Agfa Color Process

PROGRESS in the development of
color film emulsions will be ma¬
terially speeded by present plans
and policies of the United States De¬
partment of Commerce. All American
raw film manufacturers will have access
to details of the improvements in manu¬
facture of color raw stock, and the
techniques of processing both negative
and release prints as perfected by the
German Agfa plant during the past
five years.

In addition to distributing a sum¬
marized report on the Agfa process — as
compiled by Lt. Col. R. H. Ranger of
the Signal Corps and a team of inves¬
tigators of the Technical Industrial In¬
telligence Committee of the Joint In¬
telligence Objective Agency — the De¬
partment of Commerce has invited
American firms interested in color film
development to send technical repre¬
sentatives to Germany to secure the
most minute data on the Agfa process.

It is expected that Eastman Kodak,
DuPont, Ansco and Technicolor will send
technical engineers abroad for the in¬
vestigations; which will comprise not
only thoroughly covering detailed check¬
up of the machinery and fabrication of
the raw film at the Agfa factory, but
also interrogation of technicians and
chemists working there who are now
in custody in Germany.

The team of American representa¬
tives, due to leave shortly, will combine
to make a joint report of findings for
the Department of Commerce. Infor¬
mation gathered is to become the prop¬
erty of the United States government
for general distribution to the Ameri¬
can film industry.

Portion of the Agfa procedure in
manufacture and processing of color
film is covered by United States pat¬
ents, it might be pointed out. Prior to
1942, Agfa held a controlling interest
in the American Agfa-Ansco Co., with
the latter obtaining domestic rights to
German color patents and improve¬
ments. However, at outbreak of the
war, the Alien Property Custodian
stepped in to take over Agfa-Ansco and
it has since been reorganized under
name of Ansco and completely held and
operated by American interests. In
view of this situation, it is understood
that the former patent-exchange tieup
with German Agfa was cancelled to
make any future disclosure of tech¬
niques available generally to American
film manufacturers either without re¬
striction or under license from the gov¬
ernment.

During the war years, Agfa techni¬
cians continued to improve its color
process. This was forcefully demon¬
strated in Hollywood recently when a
seized print of “Girl of My Dreams”
(“Frau Meiner Traume”) was shown to
interested technicians. The development
program of the German film industry
had the complete backing of the gov¬
ernment, and the improved techniques
developed for color film by Agfa engi¬
neers during hostilities are now just
coming to light.

U.S. Report on Agfa

Report of the Publication Board, De¬
partment of Commerce, states:

Since 1939, Agfa, the subsidiary of
IG Farben in Wolfen, near Leipsig, has
perfected the negative-positive color-
process.

The negative-positive process has the
advantages that it is the normal photo¬
graphic sequence, giving the opportu¬
nity for multiple copies of equal qual¬
ity, for ready enlargement and for tone
correction on positive printing.

One of the greatest difficulties with
color work has been the spreading of
the dye in the three color layers, ma¬
terially reducing the sharpness of the
image.

The present process overcomes this by
hitching a long fatty chain to the dye
radical which has no other function
than to restrain the infiltration of the
entire molecule, either laterally across
the film or vertically between the suc¬
cessive color layers.

To record the color, three successive
layers of color sensitive emulsions are
built up on the normal film base. From
top to base, these layers are successive¬
ly blue, green, and red sensitive.

The complete visual spectrum is di¬
vided into thirds with these three pri¬
mary colors centering the respective
sensitivity bands.

The filter frequencies overlap quite
generously so that a fairly uniform re¬
sponse is accomplished for any visual
frequency in the successive layers.

Taking advantage of any possible
simplifications, the top layer is just the
ordinary silver bromide emulsion which,
as is well known, is blue sensitive.

Practically any emulsion would be
blue sensitive, so to avoid blue reaction
in the succeeding layers, a yellow filter
is inserted between this top layer and
the bottom two; this is the usual plain
silver emulsion which has been used in

the photographic art for some time, as
a shutout for blue light.

The second layer is green sensitive by
a mixture of Rr 340, four parts; Rr
1650, three parts; and Rr 1523, two
parts.

The third layer is red sensitive by
including Ma 1088.

The usual green anti-halation dye in
synthetic resin is applied to the back
of the filmstock.

The thickness of the layers is ap¬
proximately as follows, expressed in
microns :

Blue layer . 6 microns

Yellow layer . 2 microns

Green layer . 6 microns

Red layer . 6 microns

Film base . 150 microns

Anti-halation (legs than) 1 micron

Total . (approx.) 170 microns

The film has a sensitivity measured
in German photo units of 150 din, which
corresponds to approximately 24° Wes¬
ton.

Too rigorous an interpretation of the
entire color process in terms of original
and complementary colors is neither
necessary nor practicable. The main
idea is to get color emphasis in three
parts of the visual spectrum which can
be approximately recorded and then
finally be made to modulate the intensi¬
ties of three clean-cut colors which by
their combination will subtract from
the light which comes to the eye such
frequency energies as to give a result¬
ant net desired color for that particular
portion of the picture.

To this end, a second dye is included in
the emulsion, each layer which will give
it the final desired color to accomplish
this result.

The top layer which is blue sensitive
will record as latent silver images all the
frequencies of light in their respective in¬
tensity in the region of blue. A yellow
dye is added in this emulsion for the blue
layer. It would be better to describe it
as a latent yellow dye, as it only shows
up wherever the special developer acts
to reduce the silver in the latent images
in that layer.

The theoretical explanation of the
oxidation of the latent dyes by the devel¬
oper is given on pages 11 and 12 of “Die
Farbenphotographie” by Dr. W. Schnei¬
der, 1944.

The final developed colors in three
negative layers are as follows:

Layer Sensitivity Final Color

Top Blue Yellow-

Middle Green Purple

Bottom Red Blue-Green

Some practical points noted in an
actual observation of the development
are: keep the temperature quite constant
at 18° Centigrade. Very necessary to use

416

December, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Horsley Heads U Special Effects Department

intensive washing (fresh water entering
the bath, and overflowing out) for re¬
moving all traces of the developer.

The development sequence is as fol¬
lows:

10 minute development (the anti-hala¬
tion disappears immediately)

2 stop bath

15 flowing washing

3 weak bleaching to remove yellow
Alter

3 washing

4 final bleaching

5 washing

5 fixing in neutral sodium trisulphite
(bisulphite?)

15 final washing

20 drying (forced)

82 minutes total

Care must be taken in drying that the
temperature does not rise above about
35° Centigrade.

The green anti-halation disappears im¬
mediately because of the alkali in the de¬
veloper.

After the silver deposition has accom¬
plished its purpose of catalyzing the
coloration, it must be removed from the
film by bleaching. All of the steps up to
the final bleaching should be in complete
darkness.

Sectional filters are mounted in frames
through which a print from the color
negative may be made. The print is de¬
veloped in the normal manner, and then
a selection is made from the various shad¬
ings to determine the best color filter to
be used in making the final print.

An enlarging projector has been fitted
up with filters arranged in three sets
under hand control by means of which
any combination of filters may be se¬
lected by the operator quickly for the
final print.

It is to be noted that two types of color
filters only at a time are necessary. The
three filter colors are yellow, purple and
blue-green, to reduce respectively the
amount of light transmitted in blue,
green and red. If the test print is lack¬
ing in blue, for example, only the sec¬
ond two filter shadings are used.

With experience the operators become
able to interpret true color values in the
negative, and make approximate test
prints accordingly. This increases the
speed with which final true color prints
may be accomplished.

Quite naturally, a continuous motion
picture film developing setup has been
made using the normal tubes with the
successive solutions or drying chambers.
There are naturally more such tubes than
necessary for black and white develop¬
ment. The development is normally at a
three meter per minute rate, with the
length of the running film in the re¬
spective tanks determining the time in
the successive solutions.

Sound recording requires special con¬
sideration. The recording is made along¬
side the same stock in the print. It there¬
fore would come out in colors too.

A special blue sensitive photo cell of
antimonicaesium has been developed by

Stanley Horsley, A. S. C., has been
appointed head- of the- special photo¬
graphic effects department at Universal
studios, succeeding John Fulton, A. S. C.,
who resigned recently to organize a
similar department for Samuel Goldwyn
Productions.

New appointee, recently discharged
from two years’ service with the Army
Air Force motion picture unit where
he received the Legion of Merit for per
formance of outstanding services, was
actually born into the motion picture
industry. His father, the late David
Horsley, was one of the pioneer film
producers, and Stan had an intensive
film education from the time he could
walk.

While still in school, he worked dur¬
ing summer vacations at the Morosco
laboratories at the old Realart studios;
and on graduation from high school in
1922, Horsley started as an assistant
cameraman at Universal. Those were
the days when the assistant carried
the tripod and camera over the hills
of Newhall and Saugus for filming of
westerns, and — in addition — operated
the still camera. He soon graduated to
post of operative and second camera¬
man, leaving Universal about 1927 to
become aide to Fulton at Inspiration
Pictures handling both regular photog¬
raphy and process work.

Back to Universal several years later
when Fulton established the process and

Zeiss Icon in Dresden, also by AGE in
Berlin.

With the sound recorded in blue in the
top layer only a very fine quality of re¬
cording may be accomplished. This re¬
quires the change to the new type photo
cell in all the projectors, however. The
new cell is equally good on old type black
and white sound recording.

Another answer was to leave the silver
in that portion of the print where the
sound strip is. To this end, the bleach is
supported in a very viscous solvent
known as “Tulose or Coloi’coll.” It is
oxymethylcellulose.

This viscous bleach is applied between
two little guides which confine the bleach
to the picture part of the film and leaves
the sound track unbleached. This sound
track may then be used with normal
photo cells.

According to Professor J. Eggert, it is
possible to get practically as good sound
recording with this latter device as with
normal black and white, but quite natu¬
rally greater care is necessary to achieve
this.

The sound reproduction in the film,
“Frau Meiner Traume” was excellent;
and I was surprised that I could follow
it better than I could regular spoken

Stanley Horsley, A.S.C.

special effects department at that
studio, Horsley became an expert in
that field as assistant to Fulton. Upon
honorable discharge from Army duties
two months ago, he re-joined the Uni¬
versal special effects department, and
received term contract as head on resig¬
nation of Fulton. Horsley is the young¬
est — in point of years — head of a studio
special effects and process department.

German; the reason is — of course— that
it is far more carefully spoken, and the
action conveys much of the meaning.

The color of the picture was excellent,
although the definition was still a little
short of what is expected from black and
white.

All grades of tone are judged before
the final printing to determine visually
the best tone filtering necessary in con¬
sideration of the particular emulsions
being run, as well as the subject to get
the best net effect. Of course, it is to be
noted that the color may be modified at
will to get special effects when desired.
An automatic printer sets the color filters
for the proper printing of each successive
scene in the final positive film.

The color film manufacture was better
set up in Paris than it was in Germany.
This was because the UFA studios in
Berlin were never completely working
due to construction delays and bombing.

Goebbels kept the film industry (Ger¬
man) going full blast during the entire
war; to the growing unrest of the people.
Expensive gowns, high salaries to the
artists, with want increasing on all sides,
did not please the people in spite of the
fact that the movies were their only pos¬
sible relaxation.

American Cinematographer • December, 1945

417

New Horizons for the Documentary Film

By HERB A. LIGHTMAN

In last month’s issue of American
Cinematographer we discussed the tech¬
nique of the documentary film and stated
that this form of motion picture would
be a potent factor in the shaping of
our post-war world.

Actually, the documentary is not a
new form of cinema. It has long been
used as a source of information by vari¬
ous agencies, governmental and private.
During the past years there have been
some notable examples of this technique.
Some years ago Pare Lorentz, a former
film critic, produced two remarkable
films for the government. One of these:
“The Plow That Broke the Plains,”
traced the development of scientific agri¬
culture in this country and analyzed
the farmer’s problems in regard to soil
erosion and conservation.

The other film: “The River,” por¬
trayed the plight of farmers living along
the Mississippi Valley. It made the au¬
dience feel the impact of the floods and
other natural catastrophes with which
the river-bottom farmers had to con¬
tend. Both films were distinguished by
superb cinematic technique. Photograph¬
ically, as well as directorially, they
were powerful and strictly in key with
the subjects presented. No one view¬
ing either film could fail to be drawn
into the situation and to realize sub¬
jectively what these farmers were un¬
dergoing.

There have been other fine examples
of the documentary technique in the
past, but up until very recently this
type of motion picture was looked upon
as a sort of experimental novelty whose
potentialities as a social force were ei¬
ther ignored or minimized. It took
World War II to make us conscious
of the power of this medium.

When the war began and our men
began to be drafted there were a good
many of them who grumbled because
they frankly did not understand why
they were being asked to don a uniform.
Even after Pearl Harbor a good many
of them still did not realize why they
were fighting.

Obviously a serious morale problem
existed — a problem that could only be
met by a presentation of frank and fac¬
tual information. Col. Frank Capra
of the U. S. Army Signal Corps was
the man whose efforts solved the prob¬
lem. He and his staff produced a series
of seven feature-length documentaries
called the “Why We Fight” series.

These films traced the pattern of
world aggression set up by Germany,
Italy and Japan, from its very earliest
manifestation up until the time that
America went to war against those pow¬
ers. It was clearly - pointed out that
this was a war between two widely diver¬
gent philosophies of life, a free world
and a slave world. It was demonstrated

how the aggressor nations had lulled
their victims into a sense of false se¬
curity and then struck at the least-ex¬
pected moment. It was shown conclu¬
sively that America could not have hoped
to escape the same fate unless it acted
quickly and forcefully. Most import¬
ant of all, these films proved that we
were fighting nobody’s battles but our
own.

This series of films were amazingly
successful. No soldier could sit through
these pictures without realizing why it
was vital, for him to be wearing that
uniform. So factually, logically and
forcefully presented was the subject
matter that it hit every man personally;
the war became his personal battle,
there was no longer any doubt.

The armed forces continued to pre¬
sent information in motion picture form
to service personnel, and because this
was so our forces became the best-
informed fighting men in the world. The
documentary film proved itself in war.

But the war is oyer now and we are
in the midst of that “post-war” era
when our problems shall be lasting peace
and reconversion. It is now recognized
that the documentary film can be an im¬
portant tool in achieving these goals.

It’s biggest use will be in the field
of public education. Americans are an
inquisitive people. They want to know
the “why” of things. They have a right
to know. But in a complex, bureau¬
cratic government such as ours, the rea¬
sons behind various policies and acts
of state are not always self-evident.
In spite of analyses in our newspapers
and over the radio, the motion picture
still remains the most kinetic medium
of analyzing an abstract situation and
presenting it in an interesting and force¬
ful manner.

The Office of Information in Wash¬
ington has, therefore, set up a compre¬
hensive program of documentary produc¬
tion for the future. Many of these
films will be of general interest, while
others will be slanted for certain seg¬
ments of our national population, such
as for the farmers of the nation.

An important feature of this latter
type is a film titled: “Farmers Face
the Future.” The subject is directed
entirely toward presenting the farmers’
post-war problems and discussing their
solution. Another film: “The Common
Cause,” shows soil conservation districts
and how they further more efficient
agriculture and conservation of our soil.

But perhaps the most important film
which the Department of Agriculture
has in production is one titled: “Veter¬
ans and the Land,” which will show
the returning veterans how and where
to get information regarding farming
as a means of livelihood, and suggesting
considerations which may help the vet¬
eran to determine whether he is suited

to farm life and should take up farm¬
ing as a vocation.

Of general interest are films such as:
“Meats With Approval,” which shows
how Federal Meat Inspectors work in
protecting the health of the consumer;
and another film in color titled: “Freez¬
ing Foods and Vegetables,” showing the
techniques of quick-freezing of food pro¬
ducts. Two films narrated in Spanish
are now in production for showing in
Puerto Rico. The first, “Querer es
Poder,” deals with the principles and
practice of better nutrition amongst the
people of the island. The second, “La
Tierra Nuestra,” deals with better
means of production toward building a
more advanced farm program.

As production facilities expand, we
may expect our government to broaden
out its scope of subject matter, analyz¬
ing various phases of the social scene
for the American people. A film program
is also underway to acquaint the peo¬
ples of Europe with the American way
of life, thus providing a basis for mu¬
tual understanding. This is an espe¬
cially important phase of the re-educa¬
tion of Germany, Italy and Japan to¬
ward a democratic national life.

The use of documentaries as an edu¬
cational aid may be expected to boom
into a very wide field very shortly.
Educators agree that informational sub¬
jects presented visually are more easily
absorbed and are retained for longer
periods than when they are presented
in any other manner. As an adjunct
to more conventional methods of educa¬
tion the documentary will meet wide
acceptance in our schools and univer¬
sities.

The field of commercial films is be¬
ginning to lean heavily toward the docu¬
mentary technique also. Realizing that
Americans are interested in knowing the
background of various products on the
market, commercial film-makers are now
producing informational films skilfully
dressed up with production techniques
that will hold the audience’s interest.
Commercial and industrial films with
the documentary slant appear high on
the list of tools which American busi¬
ness expects to use in achieving its goal
of maximum efficiency in operation and
distribution of commodities for our com¬
ing industrial expansion.

The documentary technique has also
been used by Hollywood in the past,
notably in such films as Steinbeck’s,
“Forgotten Village” and “Grapes of
Wrath.” More recently, “The South¬
erner” and “The House on 92nd St.,”
have made fine use of this style in
bringing a more realistic type of photo¬
play to the screen. We may expect
a wider use of the documentary style
in future pictures to come out of Holly¬
wood, especially those calculated to re-
(Continued on Page 442)

418

December, 1945 • American Cinematographer

James Wong Howe
Replies to
Comment On
Cameramen

James Wong Howe, A.S.C.

WHEN Stephen Longstreet, na¬
tionally-known novelist, editor,
critic and currently a motion pic¬
ture scenarist, made passing comment
that “brilliant cameramen are the curse
of the business” in an article appearing
in August issue of the Screen Writers
Guild monthly publication, The Screen
Writer; he generated a quick retort from
James Wong Howe, A.S.C.

Replying with an article pubished in
the October issue of The Screen Writer
under title of “The Cameraman Talks
Back,” Howe describes the important
contributions of the director of photog¬
raphy to the overall results of a motion
picture production. It’s one of the best
explanations of the many responsibili¬
ties and achievements of the director of
photography, and makes decidedly inter¬
esting reading.

“ I agree with the criticism of placing
camera gymnastics and an epic of sets
over, or in place of, story values. I take
issue with the statement that this is the
fault of brilliant cameramen and that
‘dumb cameramen’ are a necessity for
good pictures, along with less money, a
good script, old standing sets and some
lights and shadows. Who makes the
lights and shadows which create emo¬
tional tones on the screen? They don’t
come on the old sets. The cameraman
makes them, “writes Howe, who con¬
tinues :

“The trouble with many critics and
ex-critics is that for all their skillful
talk they don’t understand the tech¬
niques of motion pictures. They still
criticize movies from the viewpoint of
the stage. This results in any number
of false appraisals, but the one which
I am concerned here is that this ap¬
proach leaves out the cameraman en¬
tirely. For the stage, there is the audi¬
ence eye. For movies, with their wider
scope and moving ability, there is the

camera eye. If these two were one and
the same kind of production, the cam¬
eraman’s part would merely be to set
his camera up in front of the action as a
static recorder, press a button and go
fishing. Let the lights and shadows fall
as they will, or better still, paint them
on some old sets. The director, the
actors, the writers, the producers, the
bank, and the audience and critic, would
object to this, but there you have the
recipe for making movies with a dumb,
or inanimate cameraman.

“This critical ignorance affects the
cameraman in still another way. Usually
when the photography of a picture is
good, the critic praises the director for
his understanding and handling of the
camera. It is true that a good film di¬
rector knows and makes use of this
knowledge, but the good cameraman is
not merely a mechanic to carry out his
orders. His contribution may be techni¬
cally expert and artistically creative.
His understanding of the dramatic
values of the story will carry over into
his creation of mood. His manipulation
of lights for such effects requires both
technical skill and imagination. His
handling of the camera on certain ac¬
tion produced by the writer and inter¬
preted by the director may well contain
some added dramatic value of its own,
which enhances and further interprets.

“Camera gymnastics and strange
angles are not what I would call the
stock of a ‘brilliant cameraman.’ A man
of limitations, director or cameraman,
may use these mechanics to cover his
thinness of understanding. Some of the
most well known writers possess tech¬
nical skill and slickness and very little
else. A limited writer can do far more
harm, or lack of good, than a limited
cameraman, because of the power of
word and thought. I believe that the

best cameraman is one who recognizes
the source, the story, as the basis of his
work.

“Under the best conditions, the writer,
the director and the cameraman would
work closely together throughout the
production. In spite of the present set¬
up, a measure of cooperation is achieved,
especially between director and camera¬
man. Writers have often consulted me
on how to get over certain scenes with
lighting and the use of camera lenses.

“Sometimes, as now, I am tempted
to detail some of the work of a camera¬
man in an effort toward further coop¬
eration. By its varied parts, he faces a
job of integration on his own. Through¬
out the picture there is that shared re¬
sponsibility of keeping to the schedule;
this with all its other implications means
the executive ability to keep the set
moving. He has a general responsibility
to fuse the work of all the technical de¬
partments under his direction in order
to achieve the equality of the story. He
is concerned with the makeup and the
costume coloring. He works with the
art director to see that the sets are prop¬
erly painted to bring out their best
values photographically. I refer here to
black and white, as well as color film.
For the same reason, he confers with the
set decorator as to the colors of furni¬
ture, drapes, rugs. Too much, too little,
arrangement, often enter into the com¬
position, and composition affects mood.
The cameraman alone is responsible for
the lighting, which is a part of photog¬
raphy but often referred to separately.

“Naturally the cameraman studies the
script. His main responsibility is to
photograph the actors, action and back¬
ground, by means of the moving camera,

(Continued on Page 437)

American Cinematographer • December, 1945

419

Unusual Pictures Are Right Where You Are

“Photography is artistry of a sort,”
claims French Richardson, “and fasci¬
nating as any of the arts.” In addition,
it can be — as in his case — an engrossing-
hobby. For, although Richardson is an
auditor by profession, this camera en¬
thusiast has been an amateur photogra¬
pher for over fifteen years. He freely
admits he is not at all above taking ad¬
vice from better qualified persons, and
high on his list of experts who have
helped him clear the photographic
hurdles, is the man who first did his
developing when French was a novice
finding out about his first camera, a
Brownie.

In the darkroom, through having his
mistakes pointed out to him, this fledg¬
ling photographer learned gradually, if
not how to take the perfect picture,
then at least how not to get one. For,
like most cameramen, he learned by the
trial and error method. And he’s still
at it!

Back in the summer of 1939 when he
got his automatic Rollerfiex, Richardson
and his wife started out on an automo¬
bile trip that took them through Glacier

By LOUISE DOTY CARLE

National Park to big eastern cities in¬
cluding Washington, D. C., New York,
Boston and Montreal. Enroute, as you’ve
probably guessed, that Rollerfiex did
extra duty. In two months the Richard¬
sons covered 13,500 miles and took over
600 pictures. After every day’s journey,
the film developed in hotel bathrooms
across the country from California to
Maine, with the aid of innumerable
pitchers of ice supplied by the bell-hops.

Richardson got some good shots on
that trip, but still regrets missing what
would probably have been the best. One
day they were driving through open
country when a few sheep ambled
through a broken fence and started
across the road directly in front of their
car. They stopped the car to wait and in
no time at all, the entire flock had
followed the leaders and were swarming
all around the car: in front of it, be¬
hind it, on all sides. Not until the flock
was safely across the road, and the
Richardsons a couple of miles away, did
they look at each other in consternation.
So interested had they been in the un¬
usual sight of a flock of sheep sur¬

rounding their car, that neither had
thought of the camera!

What made it worse, was the fact that
it was just the sort of shot Richardson
likes to get. Even when he photographs
buildings, he always tries for a sense
of activity. He objects to the sort of
photography he terms “still life.” He
wants movement and action in addition
to good composition. Another thing
Richardson strives for is unusual black-
and-white effects. In many of his pic¬
tures, he has achieved this dramatic
effect amazingly well. Many of his
studies look like silhouettes.

He is a perfectionist, and has on oc¬
casion, taken hundreds of shots before
being satisfied with results. He made re¬
peated trips to the Santa Barbara Mis¬
sion and shot well over a hundred pic¬
tures before he got just what he wanted.
He tried shooting with people entering
and departing, walking up and down the
steps, but that threw his composition out
of line. He found that, with no one in
the picture, the effect was one of those
aversions of his: another “still life.”

(Continued on Page 424)

r

NEW YORK FAIR — Note dramatic effect achieved by centering figure with
tree as frame. Photographer timed his shot so that sun would cast no shad¬
ows on central figure.

CHAPEL AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY — Richardson wanted activity in this
picture, decided people in foreground would give desired result. Camera
was set up as figure at left was descending chapel steps; and shot was made
when he was almost out of the picture.

420

December, 1945 • American Cinematographer

J. E. Brulatour, Inc.

Extends

FRIENDLY

GREETINGS

and

GOOD WILL

for

CHRISTMAS

and

The NEW YEAR

to

THE CINEMATOGRAPHERS

of

The Motion Picture Industry —

THROUGH the EDITOR S FINDER

WINDUP of the year 1945 termin¬
ates a four year drought of cam¬
era equipment, accessories and film
stocks for both the professional and ama¬
teur cinematographers. But we know
that everyone who had to economize on
shooting the raw stock so necessary for
the armed forces to successfully termi¬
nate the war on both fronts, is happy in
the knowledge that the individual minute
contributions in film savings at home
rolled up totals of millions of feet of
raw stock that the Army, Navy, Ma¬
rines, etc., used to the greatest advan¬
tage.

From a survey of suppliers, there will
be a gradual (but not too rapid) return
to normalcy in availability of new pro¬
jectors, cameras, accessories, correlated
equipment and film stocks. Indications
point to an easying up in shortages dur¬
ing December, with general normal flow
of supplies — especially film — due shortly
after the first of the year.

Manufacturers of motion picture
equipment and film fortunately do not
have reconversion problems to the extent
of numerous other plants that switched
from peacetime goods to war instru¬
ments. It was a case of all-out manu¬
facture of cameras, projectors and film
stocks for the services to meet modern
warfare demands for photographic as¬
sistance in carrying out strategic com-
paigns. In turning over virtually all
output for the war, it was natural that
restrictions were invoked on sales to
civilians for what were considered non-
essential filming activities.

In again turning production facilities
to peacetime requirements, the motion
picture equipment suppliers face no
serious re-tooling or reconversion prob¬
lems. Output — aside from diminished
orders from the Army and Navy — goes
quickly and directly to the distributors
and dealers.

Certainly there will be impressive im¬
provements in various types and styles
of both professional and amateur motion
picture photographic equipment and ac¬
cessories. Re-designing of cameras for
lighter weight, greater ease in operation
and servicing under demands of combat
conditions, will be incorporated in new
models to be introduced shortly by vari¬
ous manufacturers: “Combat cameras”
they were identified by the services, and
embrace both 35mm. and 16mm. models.
When finally available in sufficient quan¬
tities, they will prove a boon both to the
directors of photography in the studios,
and the semi-professionals and amateurs
in the 16 mm. fields.

Sharper and faster lenses produced in
the United States, will greatly aid in
increased photographic quality. It is
known that the American lens manufac¬
turers — stepping up research and de¬
velopment under wartime requirements

— have surpassed the previously-im¬
ported product by a wide margin. In
view of this fact, there will be no bottle¬
neck in delivery of either cameras or
projectors while depending on resump¬
tion of lens production abroad.

WE are grateful to subscriber Sol
Negrin of the Bronx, N. Y., for
sending along a film column by Kate
Cameron and published in New York
Daily News of Oct. 28, in which Miss
Cameron calls readers’ attention to the
camera direction on “Confidential
Agent.” It’s good to see top film critics
recognizing the accomplishments of di¬
rectors of photographers and giving due
credit. Miss Cameron commented,
“James Wong Howe, one of Hollywood’s
outstanding camera artists, had charge
of the photography on the mystery
thriller.”

Although virtually everything around
the Technicolor plant is secretive, it is
known that the company is well along
with plans for greatly increasing ca¬
pacity and annual output. A new bat¬
tery of Technicolor cameras are re¬
ported to be under construction, and it
is likely that additional I. B. machines
will be ^et up to take care of the in¬
creased volume of print processing in
the laboratory. However, just when
the new equipment will be available is
a question, as it’s all highly-precisioned
work that takes plenty of time and ex¬
pert machinists for construction.

Army, Navy, Air Force
Continue Film Units

Motion picture production units of the
Air Force, Navy and Army’s Signal
Corps will be continued as permanent
branches of the respective services, ac¬
cording to information at hand. The
three branches of service found motion
pictures invaluable for training and in¬
structional purposes, and will utilize
films for visual teaching of the peace¬
time forces.

The Air Force 18th motion picture
unit, which has headquartered at the
former Hal Roach studios since late
1942, is moving from that base by De¬
cember 31 and will conduct future ac¬
tivities at Lowry Field near Denver.

Army’s Signal Corps photographic
division will continue to maintain head¬
quarters at the Astoria Studios, Long
Island; while the Navy centers its film
setup at the Photo Science Laboratories
at Anacostia, near Washington.

WITH increasing frequency come
announcements that production or¬
ganizations are being set up in other
countries, with the major idea of com¬
peting for world-wide box office dollars
with the Hollywood studios. This parti¬
cularly applies to J. Arthur Rank in
England, who controls a large portion of
the best theatres in the British Isles, in
addition to owning whole or partial in¬
terest in some of the best film production
units established in that country.

With plenty of finances — Gabriel Pas¬
cal’s “Caesar and Cleopatra” was re¬
cently completed in London with outlay
of around $5,000,000 — Rank is going
first class in aiming for suitable portion
of the world film markets. Picture, by
the way, is the most costly of any made
to date.

However, Rank is not overlooking the
necessity of the finest technical advan¬
tages for his British productions. There
seems to be a continuous stream of
English engineers and studio technical
men making visits to Hollywood, to get
an insight into how things are accom¬
plished at film headquarters of the
world. These visitors are giving maxi¬
mum cooperation, and shown everything
in both the studios and the plants of
the suppliers.

The same goes for representatives of
any foreign producing companies. Re¬
cently there was a group of studio offi¬
cials and producers from India who
spent several weeks probing into the
latest production technique. Officials and
technicians of Mexican studios are also
around frequently.

Important is the disclosure that film
production resumes immediately in
France. Jean Leduc, president of Societe
Nouvelle des Estabs Gaumont, and gen¬
eral manager of Compagnie des Comp-
teurs, brought five technical engineers
of his staff to Hollywood to secure first¬
hand information on photography, sound,
lighting and other factors necessary to
provide the best production mounting.
French Gaumont, in which Rank holds a
substantial interest, reportedly bought
the former Paramount studios in Join-
ville, near Paris, and shortly launches a
large production program. Company, in
addition operates an extensive theatre
circuit in France, besides three process¬
ing laboratories.

Film Shortage in Denmark

Palladium, one of the largest produc¬
tion companies in Denmark, has been
forced to close its studios due to short¬
age of raw film. Firm expects to secure
new stocks for resumption in three
months. Danish producers have been se¬
curing raw film from Belgium for many
years.

422

December, 1945 • American Cinematographer

NATIONAL CARBON COMPANY, INC.

Unit of Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation

G03

General Offices: 30 East 42nd Street, New York 17, N. Y.

Division Sales Offices: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, New York, Pittsburgh, San Francisco

American Cinematographer • December, 1945

423

Unusual Pictures

(Continued from Page 420)

Finally, he found just what he wanted:
two automobiles parked beside the
steps, where they added the appearance
of life and activity and also, fortunately,
broke the lines in just the right spot
for excellent composition.

SAN FRANCISCO FAIR — Note silhouette black and white effects; a keynote of Richardson's photography.

(Continued on Page 434)

One of his most striking black-and-
whites is a study of the old Mission
at Monterey. It perfectly examplifies
the contrasts he strives for. The entire
effect is black and white, white picket
fence with its contrasting shadows,
black statue silhouetted against a white
wall, and white statue against the dark
background of a tree. Richardson made
several trips to the Mission before he
got that effect.

An inspiringly simple study is his
Chapel at Harvard University. The
Chapel’s spire rises through ancient
trees to pierce fluffy clouds of a summer
sky. It would definitely be “still life”
if not for the fact that Richardson set
his camera, waited till one of the stu¬
dents had walked down the steps from
the Chapel, crossed the street, and was
nearly out of camera range. That was
what the photographer wanted: just a
touch of activity, yet having that figure
far enough removed from the spire,
which was the focal point, so that the
observer’s interest would not be dis¬
tracted.

Also at Harvard, Richardson got an¬
other of his black-and-whites when he
photographed the building across from
the Charles River. There he was con¬
fronted by a problem : there were two
white markers by the water’s edge and
they upset the balance of the scene. He

MONTEREY MISSION — Lending itself to blac1* and white effects throughout. At right, black statue silhou¬
etted against white wall. At far left note white statue against black background of tree; also black and

white effect on picket fence.

set the camera and waited, hoping that
the lad who was maneuvering that scull
a mile downriver would turn and move
close to the markers. He got his wish,
and when the scull was at a distance to
lend perfect balance to the markers,
Richardson got his picture. And a good
one it is, too.

In accordance with his ideas of seek¬
ing advice from experts, Richardson got
amazingly good results with his night
shots taken at the San Francisco Fair.
Knowing that the Kodak people had al¬
ready made thousands of test shots, he

went to them for advice. Result: not one
bad night shot, but some dramatically
effective views of the Tower of the Sun,
Cavalcade of the West, and other ex¬
hibits and buildings. A few of these
photographs, mounted or framed, line
the Richardson living room walls, and
lend a charm that could be surpassed by
few paintings.

French Richardson has found, in the
fifteen years that he has been taking
pictures as a hobby, that some of the fin¬
est possibilities for good shots are al¬
ways right where you are. He listens
and smiles while other photographers
recount their yearnings for Europe or
Asia or Africa. As to Richardson, he
thinks wonderful pictures can be ob¬
tained no matter where you are. There
is always something of interest, and
though to the person who has seen a
spot before it may seem dull, to
strangers it may be tremendously
exciting.

He cites an incident from his grand¬
father’s life to illustrate his point.
Seems the old gentleman had made
quite a fortune in oil, and then he lost
all his money. Broke, the family had to
relinquish their beautiful home. His
grandmother regretted more than all
else leaving her rose garden. And well
she might, because within a year after
the Richardson family moved away, an
oil gusher came in on that property —
in the old rose garden !

Richardson says that taught him it’s
wise to look for your good where you
are. That’s why he can’t get too ex¬
cited about better pictures in some
other country, on some other continent.
They can be had here too.

Another thing he’s discovered about
photography, is that it increases the
power of observation. Let two men go
on a trip, one of them a cameraman,

424

December, 1945 • American Cinematographer

What

makes

a

motion

picture?

T X THAT gives life and action to the movies?
* * What actually makes a motion picture?

When you come right down to it, it’s the film!

For even the finest acting, producing and direct¬
ing have but a single purpose — the reproduction
of a scene on film.

And when competent hands team up with a film
like Ansco Supreme Negative, great photography
is the result. The kind of photography that wins
awards.

For Supreme Negative film has a sensitive re¬
sponse — a long, smooth gradation scale — a sub¬
tle combination of balance and high speed — that
certain something cameramen call “quality.”

Try Ansco Supreme Negative film today.

Ansco

A DIVISION OF GENERAL ANILINE
& FILM CORPORATION

BINGHAMTON • HOLLYWOOD • NEW YORK

American Cinematographer • December, 1945

425

General Ted'' Curtis Eastman Kodak Vice President

General E. P. “Ted” Curtis, one of
the most widely known executives of
the motion picture industry, has been
retired to inactive status by the U. S.
Army, and returns to Eastman Ko¬
dak Co. as a vice president.

As an officer of EK, Curtis will
direct world-wide distribution of East¬
man’s 35 mm. film and the 16 mm. pro¬
fessional type stocks; in addition to
handling general supervision of the
company’s European business, including
cameras, kodaks and roll film.

Curtis started with Eastman Kodak
in the accounting department at
Rochester in 1920, later being assigned to
duties in the plant, and was appointed
general sales manager of motion pic¬
ture film in 1928.

In the fall of 1940, Curtis received
leave of absence from his Eastman
Kodak post to accept commission of
Major in the Army Air Forces. He
was stationed in Washington handling
executive and organizational duties un¬

til June, 1942, when he was promoted
to rank of Colonel and assigned to the
Eighth Air Force in England.

Raised to the rank of Brigadier Gen¬
eral in the fall of 1942, Curtis was as¬
signed as Chief of Staff of the North¬
west African Air Forces — which com¬
prised the combination of American and
British forces — for the African invasion
and campaign. He was stationed in Af¬
rica for a year, and then spent three
months in Italy. Returning to England
early in 1944, General Curtis functioned
as Chief of Staff of U. S. Strategic Air
Forces, with promotion to rank of Ma¬
jor General. He held this post until the
unconditional surrender of Germany.

His Army record, as briefly detailed,
points up the brilliant executive ability
of Curtis. It might be pointed out that
he was placed on inactive duty with
the highest rank of any of the numer¬
ous members of the film industry who
participated in the global war.

Film Training Unit for French Air Force

Importance of motion pictures to ac¬
centuate the training of peacetime se¬
curity forces is definitely recognized by
the French government. In decision to
utilize films for the instruction of its
air force personnel, French military of¬
ficials have observed the invaluable
services of motion pictures for similar
use by both the British and American
air forces.

Captain Lucien G. Stelman of the
French Air Force was in Hollywood
last month making a detailed technical
survey of film production, especially in¬
vestigating the method of production of
U. S. Air Force and Signal Corps train¬
ing films that had been produced by these
divisions during the war.

It is known that the French Air Force
has mapped a most ambitious and com¬
prehensive program for its film train¬
ing program. The cine division of
FAF will be completely organized,

manned and equipped to provide maxi¬
mum aids to training of flyers and
ground crews. At this time a number
of French Air Force cadets, who eventu¬
ally will form the cine division, are
taking training courses at the Astoria,
Long Island, base of the U. S. Signal
Corps. Just how long their courses in
film training will be is not known at
this time. However, fact is that they
will be given a thorough and detailed
curriculum on all phases of instruc¬
tional film making, with special empha¬
sis on the technical phases.

Captain Stelman, during his several
weeks in Hollywood, made detailed in¬
vestigations of the adaptation of vari¬
ous cameras, lenses and other equip¬
ment for the French program. He was
given fullest cooperation by the Signal
Corps, Army Air Force and studios in
acquisition of practical and technical in¬
formation which will be adopted for use
in the FAF cine program.

Camera Equipment Company Handles Entire Houston Line

Camera Equipment Company of New
York has been appointed eastern dis¬
tributor of the extensive line of photo¬
graphic apparatus manufactured by the
Houston Corporation of Los Angeles.
Deal was consummated by Frank Zuker
on a trip to the coast early last month.

Addition of the Houston products is in
line with the post-war expansion plans
of Camera Equipment Company to dis¬
tribute the latest and improved brands
of professional motion picture equipment
for both the 16 m.. and 35 mm. fields.

Spedial permanent display of Houston

16 mm. and 35 mm. film processing
equipment, camera dollys, camera cranes,
editing apparatus and other studio ac¬
cessories, will be immediately set up in
headquarters of Camera Equipment Com¬
pany at 1600 Broadway, New York.

Expressing confidence that Mexico and
Central America are outstanding pros¬
pects for theatre equipment, films and
particularly audio-visual subjects, Ed¬
ward B. DeVry, secretary-treasurer of
DeVry Corp., returned recently from a
business trip below the border.

Fairchild Handles Surplus
Cameras for RFC

Surplus aerial cameras and certain
other photographic equipment will be
handled by Fairchild Camera and In¬
strument Corp. as agent for Reconstruc¬
tion Finance Corp., it was disclosed in
a recent announcement by Fairchild.

Contract includes both Fairchild-
manufactured instruments and products
of Fairchild design which were fabri¬
cated by other companies during the
war.

Equipment included in the government
surplus of aerial cameras is divided
into several classifications, it is dis¬
closed. Some of the instruments are new
and never out of original shipping cases.
Fairchild states these will be thorough¬
ly inspected and relubricated for sale.
Other equipment in different classifica¬
tion will require factory rebuilding be¬
fore being offered to purchasers. Low¬
est group consists of instruments which
- — because of wear, damage, etc. — will be
scrapped.

Also included in surplus to be handled
by Fairchild will be Army and Navy
standard type reconnaissance, mapping
and charting aerial cameras, machine
gun cameras, automatic operating con¬
trol units for cameras, and view finders.
In addition Fairchild will have sale for
RFC of aerial camera mountings and
film magazines not of the company’s
design.

New uses for various instruments are
being probed by Fairchild engineers in
order to recoup maximum return for the
government of the various instruments.
Project is now under way, for example,
to redesign machine gun cameras for
automatic recording work in industry
and for use in police investigations ;
while the K-20, 4x5-inch, manually op¬
erated l'oll film aircraft camera is get¬
ting a focusing attachment to adapt
it for advanced amateur and profes¬
sional ground photography.

L. A. Cinema Club Launches
New Member Campaign

Los Angeles Cinema Club is one of
the first amateur organizations to
launch a drive to attract new members.
In addition to having present members
contact cinema enthusiasts for applica¬
tions, the Los Angeles group is broad¬
casting invitations for those interested
to attend the regular meeting on the
first Monday of each month.

Officers of other clubs throughout
the country can well follow the lead
of the Los Angeles Cinema Club in
reaching out for new members. It might
be pointed out that there are thou¬
sands of returning service men who be¬
came camera addicts through shooting
pictures of themselves and friends in
various war zones — generally with cam¬
eras borrowed from friends or buddies.

426

December, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Now available to camera owners and dealers — "Pro¬
fessional Junior" standard and baby tripods, "Hi-Hats,"
alignment gauges, portable dollys, collapsible triangles,
etc. They are used by the U. S. Navy, Army Air Bases,
Office of Strategic Services, Signal Corps and other Gov't
agencies — also by leading Newsreel companies, 16mm
and 35mm motion picture producers.

Tripod handles all 16mm cameras, includ¬
ing EK Cine Special, Bolex, etc., even
when motor driven and with large film
magazines.

Knurled knob, easily accessible, fastens
any make camera on top-plate.

Rubber-gripped guide handle is remov¬
able, fastens under tripod when carried.

Large knurled knob adjusts tilt action
tension.

Wing lock for positive setting of tilt head
if fixed angle is desired.

Very large trunnion insures super-smooth
tilt action with minimum wear.

Tilt head design permits extremely wide
arc of high and low tilt action .

Wing lock for adjusting pan movement
tension. Also acts as positive lock in any
position.

"L" level aids in setting tripod to true
horizontal and vertical position.

Tie-down rings permit using tripod on
moving platforms such as dollys, auto
roofs, etc.

Non-loosening nuts hold legs on base
securely.

Maple, long-grained, hand-rubbed, splin¬
ter-proof, weather and warp-proofed is
used for tripod legs.

Quick-release fluted knobs set between
each leg afford positive locking in con¬
trolling tripod height adjustments.

Acclaimed the finest for every picture-
taking use, "Professional Junior" tripods
are compact, versatile, rugged. Super¬
smooth 360° pan and 80° tilt action;
positive, simple, leg-height adjustments;
compact and light (weighing 14 fbs. ) ;
allowing 72" high and 42" low usability —
no finer tripod is made. The inset shows
the full tripod mounted on our all-metal
Collapsible Triangle which is used to pre¬
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hard or slippery surfaces.

Pat. No. 2318910
Trade Mark Reg.
V. S. Pat. Office

Tripod Head Unconditionally Guaranteed 5 Years

Write tor Details

Cable: CIREQUIP

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American Cinematographer • December, 1945

427

AMONG THE MOVIE CLUBS

L. A. Cinema Club

Los Angeles Cinema Club will hold its
annual banquet meeting night of Janu¬
ary 7, 1946, at the Breakfast Club, at
which time election of officers will take
place and members will view winning
contest pictures.

Pictures must be entered in the con¬
test up to Dec. 21, 1945, and delivered
to Contest Committee Chairman, James
H. Mitchell, 333 Roosevelt Bldg., Los
Angeles. General lack of photographic
materials in the past resulted in post¬
ponement of the annual contest, which
has become a highlight in activities of
L. A. Cinema Club for many years.

November fifth meeting was held in
the Fine Arts Room of the Ebell Club,
with capacity audience of 450 viewing
a splendid program of subjects. Bill
Easley’s “Canadian Wonderland” is ex¬
pertly photographed in color, accentu¬
ated by a fine musical soundtrack of ex¬
ceptional quality. Capt. H. L. Messinger
presented his color-sound subject, “Lin¬
der Water Sport Fishing;” and Jorge
Luis Perez, counsul of Ecuador exhibited
“Down Where the North Begins,” a very
interesting color-sound travelog of Ecua¬
dor.

Garlock Heads L. A. 8mm.

At annual election meeting of Los
Angeles 8mm. Club at Bell & Howell
Auditorium on Nov. 13, W. D. Garlock
was selected to head the organization as
president for 1946. Other officers elected
include: J. R. Hornady, vice president;
Sylvia Sairley, secretary; and Herman
Hack, treasurer. Retiring officers com¬
prise Irwin C. Dietze, president; John R.
Boaz, vice president; William V. Dorris,
secretary; and Claude W. A. Cadarette,
treasurer.

November meeting was highly infor¬
mative, with George Cushman giving
demonstration of making titles, and L.
B. Reed exhibiting balance of picture he
made on Saipan and Guam.

Annual contest films are to be sub¬
mitted to the judging committee by Dec.
8, and winners will be announced at the
11th annual banquet to be held evening
of Dec. 15 at Scully’s. In addition to
installing the new officers, contests
awards will be presented, and some of
the winning entries exhibited.

Westwood Movie Club

Annual contest meeting of the West-
wood Movie Club, San Francisco, was
held at St. Francis Community Hall on
Nov. 30th, with prize winning pictures
selected by the judges being shown.
Election of officers will take place at
the December meeting, while plans are
being formulated for annual dinner at
the January meeting for induction of
the new slate of officers.

Subscriptions Offered
For Contest Prizes

With the post-war revival of contests
by amateur cine clubs, chairmen of such
events in the various organizations are
reminded that AMERICAN CINEMA¬
TOGRAPHER will donate a year's sub¬
scription as a prize. This policy was
adopted several years ago to encourage
amateur contests in the clubs, and to
further activities in the 8 and 16 mm.
fields.

Contest chairman can automatically
set the subscription as a prize on the
list, and advise AMERICAN CINEMA¬
TOGRAPHER of the name and address
of the winner of the award.

Brooklyn Amateur Cine Club

Brooklyn Academy was new meeting
place for the Brooklyn Amateur Cine
Club on Nov. 9th in order to accomodate
the large crowd attending for the initial
guest night of the season.

Exhibition of “In His Judgment,”
photographed by Joseph Hartley, presi¬
dent of Metropolitan Movie Club, proved
a highlight of the evening. Other films
on the program included “Bettas,” by
John Larson; “How Green Is the
Earth,” contest-winner photographed by
Charles Benjamin; and “V. E. Day Cele¬
bration,” photographed jointly by
Charles Ross, William Morris and Irving
Gittell.

In line with requests of members that
meetings be of an instructive nature
rather than devoted entirely to exhibi¬
tion of films, the club is setting up pro¬
grams that will include runoff of series
of reels on basic film technique photo¬
graphed by Ken Space for the Harmon
Foundation ; and demonstrations on
splicing and other fundamentals.

San Francisco Club

Meeting of the Cinema Club of San
Francisco, held at Woman’s City Club
evening of Nov. 20, presented an all¬
color film program for the assembled
members, with the four subjects equally
divided between 8 and 16 mm. Koda-
chrome.

Films included: “My Island of Golden
Dreams,” (8mm.) by Eric Unmack;
“The Boss Comes to Dinner,” (8mm.)
by Ryne Zimmerman; “Autumn Splen¬
dor,” (16mm.) by Leon Gagne; and “Our
Billy,” (16mm.) by president Charles D.
Hudson.

Nominating committee for selection of
1946 officers of the club was appointed,
and members were informed of plans for
December meeting on the 18th which
will be a dinner session to celebrate the
holidays.

Metropolitan

“Sound For the Amateur Movie¬
maker,” a 15-minute illustrated lecture
by J. C. Vogel, highlighted the Novem¬
ber 15th meeting of Metropolitan Motion
Picture Club, held at Hotel Pennsyl¬
vania, New York City. Film program of
the evening included: “Butterflies on
Parade,” by Dr. R. A. Albray; “Call of
the Lonely Woods,” by Warren S. Dore-
mus; and “Christmas At Our House,”
loaned by Mrs. Olaf N. Olsen of St.
Paul, Minn.

Metropolitan is conducting a novice
contest, with entries closing Jan. 2, 1946.
Films will be judged at the January
meeting by the full membership. Prizes
of $50, $30, and $20, respectively for
first, second, and third, have been donat¬
ed by member, Mr. Groedel.

Annual Christmas party will be held
on December 20th, with films and enter¬
tainment fitting the occasion to be pre¬
sented.

Amateur M. P. Club, St. Louis

Regular meeting of Amateur Motion
Picture Club of St. Louis was held at
the Hotel Roosevelt on Nov. 13th, at
which interesting program was screened.
Subjects presented included:

“Random Recollections,” by George A.
Valentine of Glenbrook, Conn.; “Little
Genius,” by Mrs. Merle Williams of Los
Angeles; “Riches From the Sea,” by T.
J. Courtney of Halifax; “A Missouri
Farm in the Fall,” by Ben Betts; and
“An Evening with the State Guard,” by
Raymond Halbruegger. Next meeting
will be held on Dec. 11th.

La Casa Club

La Casa Movie Club of Alhambra,
California held its regular monthly
meeting Nov. 19 in the Y.M.C.A. Build¬
ing, attracting the usual large attend¬
ance of more than 200.

Program comprised : “Island of the
Pacific,” (8mm) by L. B. Reed, just re¬
turned from duty with the Navy in the
Central Pacific area; “Western Scenes,”
(35mm) by C. L. Wachholtz; “Southern
California Scenes,” (35mm) by William
F. Axtman; “Our Anniversaries,”
(16mm) by R. A. Battles; and “Pre-
War Germany” and “Wyoming Herford
Cattle Ranch,” two 16mm. reels pre¬
sented by Mrs. Mildred Zimmerman, sec¬
retary of the Los Angeles Cinema Club.

New York 8mm.

Program of the Nov. 19 meeting of
New York 8 mm. Club, held at Pennsyl¬
vania hotel, included “We Dude It” by
March McGregor; and Fred Murman’s
“The Hard Way” and “Looking Back at
the World of Tomorrow.”

428

December, 1945 • American Cinematographer

N-

Biggest movie-making news in four years . . .

CINE-KODAK FILM IS COMING!

CINE-KODAK FILMS . . . Full-color Kodachrome
and black-and-white . . . magazine
and roll . . . 8mm. and 16mm.

Your dealer may not have all the Cine-Kodak
Film you want— first time you see him. But more
and more is being distributed every week ... in all
the familiar types you see on this page.

That’s the biggest movie-making news in four years! *

There’s little need to tell you about Cine-Kodak
Films and good movie making. Since 192 3 the two
have been synonymous.

And all good movie makers are alert to the many

picture opportunities of the season. Stirring shots
of winter’s fast-moving outdoor activities. In-the-
home shots of the first truly merry Christmas in five
years. There’s a lot to catch up with — in full-color
Kodachrome or brilliant black-and-white — and
you can’t begin too soon.

Get out your movie camera. Start — now — to
make up for lost time . . . and lost movies.

• • •

(Some Cine-Kodak Film will come in the familiar
prewar cartons . . . some, in the new-style cartons you
see here— yet all will be dated on the outside for your
protection.) Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester 4, N. Y.

CINE-KODAK

the film that first made home movies
possible . . . then popular

Aces of the Camera

(Continued from Page 415)

Laboratory that he first became inter¬
ested in process photography, and he
was well grounded in its fundamentals
by Williams, a man Fulton considers
one of the real geniuses in this field.

Fulton has come a long way since
then, and has contributed much that
is valuable to what is now known as
Process Photography or Special Photo¬
graphic Effects, but was then termed
“trick” work.

Recently, when Goldwyn was making
the Danny Kaye picture, “Wonder Man,”
he borrowed Fulton to handle the highly
intricate special photographic effects.
So pleased was the producer at the re¬
sults that he made Fulton a very at¬
tractive offer which was accepted.

As head of Goldwyn’s Pi'ocess Photo¬
graphic Department, Fulton anticipates
a. happy association with Goldwyn. For
one thing, the producer spares no ex¬
pense on his pictures. His main object
is to turn out an excellent product,
without pinching budgets. If the pic¬
ture is good, it can’t avoid making
money, is Goldwyn’s sound reasoning.
Fulton likes the way Goldwyn operates;
in addition, he has the prospect of
eventually directing his own films.

For years that has been his ambition.
He feels it is the natural outlet for the
cameraman, for who knows better than
he what good picture-making requires?
Working with top-flight directors has
given Fulton an understanding and a
knowledge of first-rate directing. He
believes he is well equipped for a direc¬
torial venture.

Success, thinks Fulton, is more than
just making a lot of money, though
that may be part of it. Success, as he
sees it, is the satisfaction of realizing
your ambition, doing what you’ve long
planned.

It’s a funny thing, but Fulton never
feels permanently entrenched, no mat¬
ter where he is, or what he’s doing.
To him, there’s something transitory
about everything. His attitude is always
“What next?” Perhaps his work
heightens and accentuates that feeling,
because process photography is never
dull. No one situation is ever handled
like any other. There is no measuring-
rod with which to compare today’s
problem and what happened yesterday.
In most professions, it is possible to
determine beforehand how a given task
should be handled. Not in Fulton’s
work. Every script is new, and pre¬
sents an eternal challenge. Maybe that’s
one reason he has forged ahead so
rapidly in this work; he has an adven¬
turesome nature. He could never be
satisfied with the prosaic or routine,
and it is inconceivable that he could
ever become complacent or smug.

He likes to explore new frontiers,
and see new places. “Guess it’s the
Norse in me,” he laughs. His mother
is Swedish. At one time he dreamed of
taking a world-cruise in a sailing boat
with a couple of kindred souls to keep

him company. He got that idea when
he was working on a picture with
Henry King several years ago. It was
in Florida, and there was a boat an¬
chored off-shore — just the sort of boat
to fire Fulton’s Norse imagination — and
that dream hasn’t left him since. It’s
changed somewhat; since he became
interested in flying, he visualizes that
round-the-world trip being made in a
plane.

Fear in the air or on the water are
unknown quantities to him — he simply
can’t understand how a person can be
afraid in an aeroplane or boat. Fulton’s
been flying since 1930, and has had his
own planes since 1932. Nine months
ago he bought his present plane, a five-
passenger Stinson, which is equipped
as completely as a transport plane.

In June of this year, he and a friend
flew to Mexico City. It was quite an
exciting trip; they encountered stormy
weather, so bad in fact that once, when
crossing the western mountains, they
had to turn back and make a detour.
They flew over Mexico’s famed vol¬
canos Popacatepetl and Ixeacihuapl, and
took, according to Fulton, “thousands
of pictures.”

Despite the fact that he goes every
place possible in his plane — even on
location — he doesn’t fly for the thrill
of flying, says this enthusiastic young
man. To him it’s just a pleasant, quick
way of getting someplace. It’s the new
frontier he’s interested in. And flying
is modern. Asks Fulton, “Why shouldn’t
we take advantage of the newer in¬
ventions? These things work to our
advantage — why live in yesterday?”

He golfs a little, and fishes, too. Has
flown to distant places to fish: Jackson
Hole, Wyoming, various spots in Mexico.
However, he admits it’s not the fishing

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as sport that takes him on those
jaunts — but the excuse to be “going
someplace.” He likes to be on the move
all the time, and fishing offers the per¬
fect alibi. If the fish don’t nibble, then
Fulton is off and away to a spot where
they do; and that proves his point, he
thinks, because a real fisherman
wouldn’t give up like that!

It’s the same when he’s on location.
He’s probably saved the studio a great
deal of money by hopping off in his
plane and seeking — and finding — good
location sites. Often, he’s left the studio
at four or five in the afternoon, flown
several hundred miles, found just what
was needed, then returned, with only
a half-day out from the studio. Once
he flew to the High Sierras and was
back next day. That same trip, by train
and automobile, would probably have
taken weeks. But Fulton has found
that most people do not appreciate his
flying enthusiasm. He can’t understand
why, for to him, it’s the only sensible
way to travel any great distance.

Fulton has never been able to in¬
terest his wife in flying — she’d much
rather stay on the ground! The Fultons
have two children, a boy and a girl.
No geniuses in the family, just normal
brats, laughs Fulton. However, know¬
ing the Fulton family background, you
never can tell ! There was a fellow
named Robert Fulton in the family
back a little over a hundred years, then
there’s Fitch Fulton the artist, several
other artists, musicians, and men of
note. Even John’s grandfather had a
certain contact with Hollywood: he was
a Nebraska doctor, and can be credited
with bringing into the world two babies
who later grew up to become famous
movie stars — Harold Lloyd and Robert
Taylor. By a coincidence, Fulton is now
working on a picture with Harold Lloyd.

John Fulton manages very nicely to
combine his wanderlust with good,
sound, business sense. He’s very fond of
Mexico, and likes to travel there. Mean¬
time, for the past two years, he’s been
part owner of a Sculptured Ceramics
plant located at Cuernavaca, near Mex¬
ico City. Sixty to seventy persons are
regularly employed, and they can’t make
those attractive little figurines fast
enough to furnish the U. S. market. In
fact, they’re kept busy supplying Mex¬
ico:

Fulton would some day like to make
pictures in Mexico; he’s full of ideas
about stories and locales. He thinks
there’s a wealth of untouched material
just spoiling to be turned into first-
rate pictures. Too, he likes the people,
and for a couple of stories he has in
mind, he’d have an all-Mexican cast.

Who knows, perhaps some day before
too long, he’ll get his wish. When he
turns to it, John Fulton should be one
of our best directors. And, even though
pictures aren’t pyramids, built for the
ages, as long as there are men like
John Fulton helping to make motion
pictures, the world can always be as¬
sured of having darned good entertain¬
ment. And that’s not bad, either!

December, 1945 • American Cinematographer

^ The tremendous increase in the use of microfilm and motion pictures
in modern business offers the owner of Houston Film Processing equip¬
ment a tailor-made opportunity right in his own community.

Department stores and banks use microfilm for copying, posting and
recording. Corporations use motion pictures, both 16 mm. and 35 mm.
for sales and training programs. These and many other users of micro¬
film and motion pictures need on-the-spot processing. So do studios and
photographic supply stores. In fact, you can probably name a score or
more prospects right in your community.

This field is wide open. It's profitable— it’s permanent. And Houston
equipment can help you capitalize on it.

Houston equipment offers fast, complete and fully automatic pirn proc¬
essing. Machines are precision-built and completely self-contained. No
extra equipment needed. Write for illustrated folders and prices.

Houston

Processes 16 mm. negative,
positive and reversal film. Processing speeds up to
20 feet per min.

Processes 35 mm. negative
and positive film. Processing speeds up to 2400
feet per hour.

FILM PROCESSING EQUIPMENT

THE HOUSTON CORPORATION

11801 W. OLYMPIC BLVD. • LOS ANGELES 25, CALIF.

American Cinematographer • December, 1945

431

MOVIE SONG FEST

By JAMES R. OSWALD

acquaintance brfa
.And never brought to mindi

k ' • * ».s

If you want to liven up your next
home movie program, surprise your
audience by including a reel in which
they may have an active part, a “com¬
munity sing.” Audience participant
programs are ever popular, and present
no major problem in filming or syn¬
chronizing with music. Musical accom¬
paniment is furnished either by phono¬
graph records, or if a member of your
group plays a musical instrument, so
much the better.

Elaborateness of the song reel ranges
from simple title cards shot entirely on
a titler, to actual motion picture back¬
grounds, over which the wording is su¬
perimposed. In the latter case, the
printing only is photographed on the
titling device, it being then double-ex-
posed over the background scenes by
running the film through the camera
a second time.

After the desired song has been se¬
lected, it is “broken down” at appropri¬
ate places and the title cards set up.
In order to synchronize properly with

Snow actually falls in this elaborate 16mm.
song trailer, from which these frame enlarge¬
ments were made. Note how second chorus
has entirely different backgrounds to provide
variety, avoid monotony. See, too, appropriate,
surprise ending, which brings trailer to grand
climax, leaving the audience in proper mood.

the music, all that is required is that
the recording be played over several
times, or the accompanist do likewise,
as the title cards are being filmed. In
this way it’s an easy matter to have
every scene length timed properly and,
in projection, this synchronization should
be maintained. Although it is prefer¬
able to splice the completed song trailer
on the end of the concluding reel of
the program, if desired to be used sepa¬
rately, it is a good idea to splice a
blank leader of sufficient length on the
beginning to allow picture and music
to “get on the beam” while screening.

Filmosound Releases Four
Color Travel Reels of India

Bell & Howell Filmosound library is
currently releasing four 16 mm. color
travel reels of India, all produced by
Ambalal J. Patel, head of Educational
Films of India.

“Dance Revival” carries soundtrack
of native music by R. Bhatodekar and
narration by William F. Kruse, and is
released in both color and monochrome.
Other subjects in the group include,
“Mysore,” “Baroda,” and “Eclipse Stakes
at Bombay.” Films are available from
Filmosound for either rental or outright
purchase.

New Filmosound Library
Features Announced

GHOST CATCHERS
(Universal)

No. 2568 — 7 reels

Utterly unpredictable combination of
haunted house and musical nonsense,
with a “Topper” technique and a South¬
ern accent. Played by the champion
zanies of the modern theater and a
star-studded cast. (Olsen & Johnson,
Gloria Jean, Leo Carrillo, Morton Dow¬
ney, Andy Devine, Lon Chaney, Martha
O’Driscoll.) Available from December
20, 1945, for approved non-theatrical
audiences.

THIS IS THE LIFE

(Universal)

No. 2567 — 9 reels

Overnight when Angela became eight¬
een, she tried to put her childhood twen¬
ty-five years behind her. A “crush” on
an older hero is cured nicely, because
this is a nice picture about truly nice
people. Pleasant music, fun, romance.
(Donald O’Connor, Susanna Foster, Peg¬
gy Ryan, Louise Allbritton, Patric
Knowles.) Available from December 2,
1945, for approved non-theatrical au¬
diences.

SECRETS OF THE SEA
No. 5845 — 10 min.

The fantastic life of the sea revealed
by collection by dredge and tow nets.
The complete life history of a swimming
sea slug, the Nudibranch. (Produced
in Aust’ ^ \i a . )

432

December, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Your Animatophone — home from the fighting and production
fronts with the honors of war — is now again available.

the animatophone
masterpiece of
16mm craftsmen

victor 16mm
sound projectors

Ever increasing production and plant expansion is endeavoring to meet
the tremendous demands of schools, churches, industry and homes — in this new era of

better teaching, training, selling and entertainment, through 16mm sound motion
pictures. Animatophones are being delivered according to date sequence.
Get in line by ordering yours now. Victor Cine Cameras will
soon return to serve discriminating movie makers.

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M A K E R S

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9 2 3

American Cinematographer • December, 1945

433

Soviet Documentary
Production

not “TOMORROW”-

THE

MAURER 16- Mm

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PRODUCERS who have long awaited some post-war
"Tomorrow" for improved 16-mm equipment need wait
no longer. Important technical advancements bringing sim¬
plified operation and superior results distinguish the new
Maurer Professional Camera and new Maurer Sound
Recording System. And they can be ordered today.

Although designed to operate independently, these two
new Maurer instruments when used together will do a
superlative job in 16-mm motion picture and sound pro¬
duction. Having a common origin of technical skill and
precision construction, it is natural that each of these new
Maurer products should complement the work of the other
and give you an excellence of picture and sound production
hardly obtainable with instruments of different "parentage."
Moreover, they achieve their superior results at substantial
savings of time, trouble and money.

Better investigate right now. For full details, including
specifications and deliveries, address Dept. C-12.

J. A. MAURER,

37-01 31st Street
INC. Long Island City 1, N. Y.

Unusual Pictures

(Continued from Page 424)

and the cameraman will see more, re¬
member more and get more out of the
experience every time, is Richardson’s
claim. Photography develops discern¬
ment and heightens enjoyment of even
the most commonplace trip. And further
than that, a photographer learns things
that the average man never could.

Just to mention, a couple of the things
that photographer Richardson learned:
The Statue of Liberty has a graceful
ankle, as the clothes draped over her
heel reveal. (You only see this when you
closely observe her from the rear which

is almost never done.) . . . Abraham
Lincoln is the only person ever repro¬
duced in picture or otherwise seated on
the American Flag. At the Lincoln
Memorial in Washington, D. C., the
chair upon which he sits is draped with
the flag. These and other interesting
items are things the discerning photog¬
rapher discovers.

But, according to Richardson, there’s
one essential requirement if you’re se¬
riously interested in becoming an ama¬
teur photographer. Because she’ll have
to stand hours while you adjust the
camera, spend long evenings reading a
book while you develop your films in
the bathroom: every photographer
should be equipped with: a very patient
wife. Richardson’s fortunate : he has one.

By Dagmar Stein

[Editor's Note: The following article was received
by radiogram from Moscow, and is a Soviet-approved
report.]

Documentaries are among the best
Soviet films today; their production ris¬
ing steadily throughout the war and now
almost equal total output of feature
films. There are many studios in the
Soviet Union working on feature films,
but all documentaries are produced by
the Moscow central documentary film
studio.

Besides getting out newsreels, the lat¬
ter studio also produces short films
dealing with problems of immediate
general interest, and full length docu¬
mentaries. A special branch of the
studio is devoted to the production of
a children’s newsreel called “Pioneer.”

During the war, many outstanding
films came out of Moscow Central studio.
Peter Kopalin was awarded the Stalin
prize for his “Defeat of the Germans
near Moscow.” Recently, with Pera Ata-
sheva, Kopalin completed a film on
Czechoslovakia.

Another documentary, which showed
the heroism of the Russian people via
the screen, was Poselski’s “Battle of
Stalingrad.” Going westward with the
Russian army, producers Gikov and
Stepanova depicted another great vic¬
tory in “Battle of Orel”; while in his
“Berlin,” Reisman presented to the
world the final defeat of the Germans.

Originally documentary film produc¬
ers Kopalin, Poselski, Varlanov and
others were joined in the difficult and
hazardous task of cinematically por¬
traying the history of the war by pro¬
ducers of feature films. Outstanding
among these are Yutkievitch, producer
of “Liberated France”; Reisman, au¬
thor of “Berlin, Finland”; and Zarhki,
who — with Kopalin — is now working on
a film about the victory over Japan.

Head of the studio, or Kinochronica,
as it is called in Russia, is another film
producer, Gerasimov. His deputy and
chief editor is the well-known script
writer, Vladimiritch Bolshintzov, author
of “Great Citizen,” film based on the
life of Kirov Emanuel.

The man whom the general Soviet
public always identifies with the studio
is cameraman-producer Karmen. He
covered all war fronts with his camera,
including Abyssinia, Spain and China.
Recently his name reappeared on the
screen introducing an interesting short
on Albania.

Now that the war is over, there are
no signs at Moscow central studio point¬
ing to a slowdown in activities. Future

(Continued on Page 441)

434 December, 1945 • American Cinematographer

G. E. Develops Miniature Flash Tube

Most startling application of the G-E
repeating flash tube to date is incor¬
porated in a new fool-proof automatic
camera, developed by the Army’s Signal
Corps for the Surgeon General’s office.
The device is designed to take extremely

Here is the new circular shaped G-E repeating
flash tube, heart of the new automatic camera
perfected by the Army's Signal Corps. The
tube, made of quartz, and its doughnut-shaped
reflector were developed in the Nela Park lab¬
oratories of General Electric, Cleveland, Ohio.

close-up photos— either in color or black
and white— with microscopic accuracy.
It also can take equally accurate photos
up to distances of 12 feet.

automatically set the lens diaphragm at
the correct “stop” no matter what the
distance within the camera’s range.

The tube, made of quartz, is circular
in shape and is recessed in a doughnut¬
shaped reflector which completely sur¬
rounds the camera’s lens. Automatic syn¬
chronization is built into the device.
Color of light from the new tube matches
standard color film, producing correct
color rendition.

Within the tube is a very rare gas.

While the light produced can be
matched by that of G. E. photoflash
bulbs, the new quartz flash tube has the
outstanding advantage of producing
thousands of flashes, all from the same
source.

The new tube in the Signal Corps’
camera opens the way to easy-to-take
micro-film pictures for a wide range of
industrial needs, for law enforcement
personnel, for scientific and research lab¬
oratories, and for specialized newspaper
photography. Eventually, the new-type
repeating flash camera will be made
available to photographers in general,
amateur and professional alike.

BUY VICTORY BONDS

During the War—
E. M. BERNDT CORP.

produced sound - on - film
recording equipment that
went to the Armed services.

NOW-

We hope to furnish the
same high quality and
service to our peace-time
customers.

Auricon division

E.M. BERNDT CORP.

5515 SUNSET • HOLLYWOOD 28, CAL.

MANUFACTURERS OF SOUND-ON-FILM
RECORDING EQUIPMENT SINCE 1931

COMPLETE.. • B & H Filmotion Editors

Equipped with a new G-E flash tube,
the Signal Corps camera will doubtless
find many applications in postwar in¬
dustrial and commercial fields, according
to Ed Noel of General Electric. Here¬
tofore, he pointed out, only an expert
photographer using “tricky” equipment
could take satisfactory extremely close-
up pictures, in color or in black and
white. With the new flashtube-equipped
camera, a mere novice need only plug
the extension cord of the new camera
and its auxiliary equipment into an
ordinary light socket, frame his subject
in the camera’s view finder . . . then
press a button.

The new G-E flash tube, a very small
edition of the powerful repeating tube
developed at Nela Park for taking night
aerial photos from military reconnais¬
sance aircraft, was perfected in Nela’s
lamp development laboratory. It is the
first of 23 similar tubes, developed at
Nela Park for the military, now headed
for postwar practical application.

The new camera, just publicly an¬
nounced by the Signal Corps, has been
taking amazingly clear colored pictures
for a variety of medical needs. These
photos have proved invaluable to diag¬
nosticians, to surgeons, dentists, and
medical students in military circles.

All flashes from the new tube are of
identical intensity. This for the first
time permits practical use of a mechani¬
cal cam device built into the camera to

16mm. The new B&H Filmotion Edi¬
tor, finest that money can buy, draws
the film through a scratch-proof chan¬
nel, casts motion pictures brightly on
a 3x2y2-in. ground glass screen, re¬
cessed for easy viewing. Framing and
focusing controls. Complete with
Viewer, Model 136 Splicer, and two
Heavy-Duty Rewinds. Parts available
separately.

8mm.

The same Editor as described above
. . . with film channel and optical
system designed for 8mm. film.

Image on viewing screen is 2y4xl3A
in. As in the 16mm. Filmotion Edi¬
tor, you see your films as actual mini¬
ature movies. Spots cutting points
easily and quickly. Complete with
Viewer, Model 136 Splicer, two Re¬
winds on extension arms. Viewer
can be purchased separately.

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American Cinematographer • December, 1945 435

ti4e'tfa7teu),9mpfwv&{

G-E Exposure Meter

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Current Assignments of A.S. C. Members

As this issue of American Cine¬
matographer goes to press, A.S.C. Di¬
rectors of Photography are assigned to
the following feature productions :

Columbia Studios

Rudy Mate, “Gilda,” starring Rita
Hayworth and Glenn Ford.

Charles Lawton, “Perilous Holiday,”
starring Pat O’Brien and Ruth Warrick.

Joseph Walker, “The A1 Jolson
Story,” (Technicolor).

George Meehan, “Smoky River Sere¬
nade.”

Metro-Gold wyn-Mayer

Harry Stradling, “Holiday In Mex¬
ico,” (Technicolor), starring Walter
Pidgeon, Ilona Massey, Jane Powell.

Charles Rosher, “The Yearling,”
(Technicolor), with Gregory Peck and
Jane Wyman.

John W. Boyle, “Star From Heaven,”
(Cinecolor).

Sid Wagner, “Fiesta,” (Technicolor).

Lester White, “Army Brat,” with
Butch Jenkins.

Robert Surtees, “No Leave, No
Love.”

Hal Rosson, “Three Wise Fools,” with
Margaret O’Brien, Lionel Barrymore,
Lewis Stone, Edward Arnold.

LATEST 16mm TIME SAVER

EDITING REWIND FLANGE

This practical new device, which speeds editing is
used and recommended by leading Hollywood 16 mm.
editors and producers . . . Sides are of heavy gauge,
clear plastic. Engraved footage scale on inside surface
indicates amount of film on spool . . . Outer side has
specially constructed locking device allowing removal
of film by means of a simple lock. Core takes standard
lab pack spools, fits a standard 16 or 35 mm. rewind.

Ideal for winding short lengths of film into coils
quickly and without endangering emulsion surfaces . . .
It is the latest, finest 16 mm. improvement for both
professionals and amateurs. May be purchased complete
or the face side with spool may be purchased separately.
For early delivery place your order now.

TELEFILM STUDIOS

HOLLYWOOD 16mm. HEADQUARTERS

6039 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood 28, California

Charles Schoenbaum, “Yearling” sec¬
ond unit in Florida.

Monogram

Karl Struss, “Suspense,” starring Be-
lita.

Ira Morgan, “High School Kids.”

Paramount

Lionel Lindon, “Monsieur Beaucaire”
starring Bob Hope.

Victor Milner, “The Strange Love of
Martha Ivers,” starring Barbara Stan¬
wyck, Lizabeth Scott and Van Heflin.

Stuart Thompson, “Ladies Man,”
starring Eddie Bracken.

RKO

Robert De Grasse, “Bad Man’s Terri¬
tory,” starring Randolph Scott.

Harry Wild, “Till the End of Time,”
with Dorothy McGuire.

Milton Krasner, “Thanks God, I’ll
Take It From Here,” starring Claud¬
ette Colbert and John Wayne.

Ted Tetzlaff, “Notorious,” starring
Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman.

George Barnes, “Sister Kenny,” star¬
ring Rosalind Russell and Alexander
Knox.

Republic

Lee Garmes, “Spectre of the Rose.”

Marcel LePicard, “West of God’s
Country,” (Magnacolor).

20th Century-Fox

Harry Jackson, “Johnny Comes
Marching Home,” with Martha Stew¬
art and Richard Crane.

Charles Clarke, “Three Little Girls in
Blue,” (Technicolor) with June Haver,
Vivian Blaine, Victor Mature, Cesar
Romero.

Leon Shamroy, “The Shocking Miss
Pilgrim,” (Technicolor) starring Betty
Grable and Dick Haymes.

Arthur Miller, “Anna and the King
of Siam,” starring Irene Dunne and
Rex Harrison.

Roy Hunt, “Black Beauty.”

Norbert Brodine, “Somewhere in the
Night,” with John Hodiak.

United Artists

Bob Pittack, “The Sin of Harold Did-
dlebock,” starring Harold Lloyd.

Jamds Van Trees, “Adventure in
Casablanca,” starring the Mai'x Broth¬
ers.

Universal

Edward Cronjager, “Canyon Pas¬
sage,” (Technicolor) starring Dana An¬
drews and Brian Donlevy.

Woody Bredell, “Tangier,” starring
Maria Montez, Robert Paige, Sabu.

Joseph Valentine, “Genius in the
Family,” starring Myrna Loy and Don
Ameche.

Charles Van Enger, “On the Car¬
pet,” starring Bud Abbott and Lou
Costello.

Warner Brothers

Ernie Haller, “The Verdict,” starring
Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre.

Sol Polito, “Escape Me Never,” star¬
ring Errol Flynn and Ida Lupino.

Wesley Anderson, “The Beast With
Five Fingers.”

436

December, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Howe Answers Critic

(Continued from Page 419)

composition and lighting to one end; ex¬
pressing the story in terms of the cam¬
era. I believe in a minimum of camera
movement and angles that do not violate
sense but contribute intrinsically to the
dramatic effect desired. ‘Unseen’ photog¬
raphy does not at all mean pedestrian
photography; in its own terms it should
express emotion, and that emotion ac¬
cording to the story may be light, somber,
sinister, dramatic, tragic, quiet. Within
this frame there may be ‘terrific shots,’
but there should be none outside it for
mere effect. Photography must be in¬
tegrated with the story.

“The cameraman confers with the di¬
rector on: (a) composition of shots for
action, since some scenes require definite
composition for their best dramatic ef¬
fect, while others require the utmost
fluidity, or freedom from any strict defi¬
nition or stylization; (b) atmosphere;
(c) the dramatic mood of the story,
which they plan together from beginning
to end; (d) the action of the piece. Be¬
cause of the mechanics of the camera
and the optical illusion of the lenses, the
cameraman may often suggest changes
of action which will better attain the
effect desired by the director. Many
times, a director is confronted with spe¬
cific problems of accomplishing action.
The cameraman may propose use of the
camera unknown to the director which
will achieve the same realism.

“Here is an obvious example: an actor
was required in the story to slap a
woman brutally, refused to do this
through the many takes the director
would like to make. The woman, fur¬
thermore, could not have endured it, her
face having already swollen after the
first action. The scene was a very im¬
portant one. Omission was not possible,
since playing it down destroyed the
dramatic effect the director wanted. By
use of the camera, I was able to show
how this action could be made to appear
on the screen in all its reality, without
the actuality of blows. These things may
amount to no more than ingenuity and
a technical trick, but they carry over
into the dramatic quality of a scene.
There are many studio workers behind
the scenes whose contributions toward
the excellence of a motion picture never
receive credit because outsiders have no
way of discovering where one leaves off
and another begins.”

Eisenhower Joins Telefilm

Lowell Eisenhower has been ap¬
pointed director of animation for Tele¬
film Studios. Recently discharged from
the Marine Corps where he supervised
production of training films, Eisen¬
hower has background of many years
experience as an animation expert in
various eastern studios.

BUY VICTORY BONDS

American Red Cross
Film Program

Joe Weil, head of the motion picture
section of the American Red Cross, is
currently in Europe gathering factual
motion pictures of Red Cross operations
with the American armies of occupa¬

tion and emergency relief to civilians.

A portion of the film gathered will
be incorporated in a forthcoming March
of Time documentary for the Red Cross,
while other footage will be used in the
Red Cross newsreel subjects. Weil visits
France, Belgium, Holland, Germany,
Austria, Greece and Yugoslavia before
returning to New York headquarters.

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American Cinematographer • December, 1945

437

Best Investment

Index To Volume XXVI— 1945

VICTORY BONDS

a MESSAGE

FROM

*)OQh& dm&Aktm,

Now that peace has finally come to the world, we,
like many other manufacturers, are occupied with
plans of replenishing our war-depleted stock of
lenses suitable for professional and amateur
photography.

Because of the great many types and such a large
number of focal lengths of each type, which will
doubtless be in demand, the build-up of our stock
will naturally take time.

Fortunately we are not facing any reconversion
problems, because during the war years we were
exclusively engaged in producing photo-lenses for
our Government.

In the near future there will be announcements in
the various photographic magazines regarding our
progress in making available again through photo¬
supply stores

'GOERZ AMERICAN"

PRECISION PHOTO LENSES

We wish to take this occasion to thank those, who
have wanted to buy our lenses during the past war
years, for their interest shown in our product.

Every effort will be made to enable them to obtain
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The c. P. GOERZ AMERICAN

OPTICAL COMPANY
OFFICE AND FACTORY
317 East 34th St., New York 16, N. Y.

A.C. 12

A

Academy Award Winners 1945: 114.

Academy War Film Library, The: 261.

Aces of the Camera —

Elmer Dyer, ASC : 42.

John P. Fulton, ASC :

Glen Gano, ASC: 330.

Jack Greenhalgh, ASC : 7
Glenn Kershner ASC: 370
Joseph LaShelle, ASC : 155.

Charles Marshall, ASC : 43.

Ira Morgan, ASC : 223
Harry Perry, ASC : 187.

James J. Seeley, ASC : 79.

Henry Sharp, ASC : 124.

Archie Stout, ASC: 259.

Adel Color Camera and Surgiscope, The : 152.
Aerial: 42; 43; 86; 248.

Aerial Aces of the Camera — -

Major Elmer Dyet, ASC : 42-43.

Charles Marshall, ASC: 42-43.

A.S.C. Around the World: 336.

Among the Movie Clubs: 22; 58; 92; 128; 164;

200; 236; 272; 308; 344; 386.

An All-Friction Drive for Developing Machines :

122.

Artistic Titling Tips: 24 60.

B

Bell — “Requirements of Educational Film Presen¬
tation”: 52; 87.

Berko, Capt. F.— ' “Films in India” : 265.

_

“Hollywood’s Smallest Studio” : 333.

“Lucite and Lantz Came Through for the
Navy”: 372.

“Aces of the Camera, John P. Fulton, A.S.C.” :
415.

Blank, J. W. — “Weather, Biggest Problem of
Aerial Photographers”: 248.

Bogue —

“The Production of Scientific Films for Bio¬
logical and Medical Purposes”: 295; 342.
Bosco — -

“Aces of the Camera” : 7 ; 124.

“An All-Friction Drive for Developing Ma¬
chines”: 122.

“The Adel Color Camera and Surgiscope”: 152.
“Harman Unveils New Animaction Unit”: 190.
Browning — ■

“A Crumbled Movie Empire” : 262.

“Cradle of American Cinema” : 298.

“Eugene Augustin Lauste, Inventor— Sound
Movies”: 10.

“Julien Bryan, Film Reporter”: 118.

“The Documentary Film” : 44.

“The Museum of Modern Art Film Library” :
226.

“University Film Courses”: 156.

“Where Will You Fit in Television?”: 80.
Brigandi — “Rerecording 35mm. Entertainment
Films for 16mm. Armed Force Release”: 232.
Bringing the Bible to the Screen : 8.

Butterly — “Mark Hawley Urges Audio Visual Pro¬
gram for Schools” : 403.

C

Cadarette — “Formation and Progress of Amateur
Movie Clubs”: 382.

Camera Versus the Microphone in Training Film
Production, The : 16.

Cameras: 152; 193; 335.

Cardiff — “Filming ‘Western Approaches’”: 116.
Carle — “Aces of the Camera — Glenn R. Kershner,
ASC”: 370.

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“Unusual Picture Are Right Where You Are”:
420.

Cine-Chronized Sound on Wire for Amateurs: 300.
Cinematographer Speaks, A: 120.

Close-Up King : 130.

Commercial Processing of 16mm. Variable Area:
50.

Congo Goes to War: 84.

Conway — “Cine-Chronized Sound on Wire for Am¬
ateurs” : 300.

Cradle of American Cinema : 298.

Crumbled Movie Empix-e, A : 262.

D

Developing: 122.

Device With Which to Film a Fly’s Eye. A : 225.
Director Who Recognizes the Importance of Cine¬
matographers, A : 224.

Documentary: 44; 378.

Documentary Film, The; 44.

E

Educational : 52 ; 87 ; 403.

F

Fact Films to the Front : 46.

Fades, Lap-Dissolves and Other Tricks : 266.
Filming “Western Approaches”: 116.

Films in India: 265.

Formation and Progress of Amateur Movie Clubs:
382.

Furst — “Junket to Albania”: 154.

G

Goodman —

“A Cinematographer Speaks” : 120.

“A Director Who Recognizes the Importance
of Cinematographers” : 224.

“Fact Films to the Front”: 46.

“Mili Introduces New Technique”; 14.
“Movement in Movies”: 194.

“Post-War Motion Pictures”: 160.

“Production Designing” : 82.

“The Academy War Film Library”: 261.
Great Gold Elephant: 268.

“Guzap” That Went to War, The : 335.

H

Hall—

“Academy Award Winners 1944”: 114.

“Aces of the Camera” : 79 ; 155 ; 187 ; 223 ;
259; 331.

“Aerial Aces of the Camera” : 42-43.

Harman Unveils New Animaction Unit: 190.
Hartford — “Telefilming Horse Races”: 334.

Histoi’y and Origin of 16mm.: 376.

Hollywood’s Smallest Studio: 333.

Home Movie Projectors, Era of 1912 : 340.

Howe, James Wong, A.S.C., “Replies to Comment
on Cameramen” : 419.

Hubbell —

“Television Camera, The”: 193.

“Television and Motion Pictures”: 158.
Hyndman — “Peacetime Engineering Outlook” : 384.

I

Industrial Film Review: 198.

J

Jacobsen — “Tailor Made Fades and Laps With a
Cine Special”: 12.

James Wong Howe, A.S.C., Replies to Comment on
Cameramen: 419.

Jensen — “The Camera Versus the Mici’ophone in
Training Film Production”: 16.

Joseph — -

“Congo Goes to War”: 84.

“The War of Russian Films” : 48.

Julien Bryan, Film Reporter: 118.

Junket to Albania : 154.

Justin — “Close-Up King” : 130.

K

Kershner, Glenn, ASC — “Artistic Titling Tips” :
24 ; 60.

Kine-Micrography in Biological Research: 192.

L

Lauste, Eugene Augustin — Inventor Sound Movies :

10.

Lightman —

“Men Behind the Combat Cameramen, The”:
332.

“Shooting Production Under Fire” : 296.
“Technique of the Documentary Film, The” :
378.

“New Horizons for the Documentary Film” :
418.

Loomer — “Sound and the Amateur” : 304.

Lucite and Lantz Came Through for the Navv:
372.

Lumley — “Home Movie Projectors, Era of 1912”:
340.

M

Making the Most of the Film Situation : 310.
Mardovan — “Processing and Reproduction” : 188.
Mark Hawley Urges Audio Visual Program for
Schools : 403.

McKie — “Commercial Processing of 16mm. Vari¬
able Area” : 50.

Meltzer —

“Great Gold Elephant” : 268.

“War and the Training Film, The” : 230.

438

December, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Membership Roll of the American Society of Cine¬
matographers: 195; 374.

Men Behind the Combat Cameramen, The: 332.
Method of Film Conservation in Motion Picture
Photographing, Processing and Reproduction :
188.

Mili Introduces New Technique: 14.

Milne — “Transitions”: 94.

Modernizing Your Old Projector: 166.

Moultrie —

“New Film Script Technique for Amateurs” :
126.

“Special Effects for the Amateur” : 388.
Movement in Movies: 194.

Movie Song Fest: 432.

Museum of Modern Art Film Library, The: 226.

N

Napolitani — “Modernizing Your Old Projector”:
166.

New Film Script Technique for Amateurs: 126.
New Horizons for Documentary Film: 418.

No 16mm. Projector Surplus: 440

O

Oswald —

“Making the Most of the Film Situation”: 310.
“Say It With Titles”: 390.

“Shhooting ‘Tulip Time in Holland’ ” : 238.
“Take Your Cine Camera to the Beach”: 274.
“Timely Tips for Wartime Vacations”: 202.
“Movie Song Fest”: 432.

P

Palmer —

“Fades, Lap-Dissolves and Other Tricks”: 266.
“Wipes — How to Use Them”: 228
Peacetime Engineering Outlook : 384.
Photographing Tokyo From the Air : 86.

Pictorial Cinematography : 260.

Post-War Motion Pictures: 160.

Practical Cure for Convergent Verticals, A : 240.
Pratt — “Pictorial Cinematography” : 260.
Production Designing: 82.

Production of Scientific Films for Biological and
Medical Purposes : 295 ; 342.

Projection: 166.

Pyle — “Industrial Film Review”: 198.

R

Rerecording 35mm. Entertainment Films for
16mm. Armed Forces Release: 232.
Requirements of Education Film Presentation : 52 :
87.

Review of the Film News: 222; 258; 294; 330.
Ruckers — “A Device With Which to Film a Fly’s
Eye”: 225.

S

Say It With Titles: 390.

Shooting Production Under Fire: 296.

Shooting “Tulip Time in Holland” : 238.

16mm. : 50 ; 376.

Smith, Leonard, ASC — '“25 Years of Service” : 367.
Smith Heads ASC for Third Year : 150.

Sound and the Amateur : 304.

Soviet Documentary Film Production : 434.

Special Effects for the Amateur : 388.

Special Effects: 12; 94; 194; 228; 240 ; 266 ; 388.
Stein, Dagmar, — “Soviet Documentary Film Pro¬
duction”: 434.

T

Tailor Made Fades and Laps With a Cine Special :

12.

Take Your Cine Camera to the Beach: 274.
Technique of the Documentary Film : 378.
Telefilming Horse Races: 334.

Television: 80; 158; 193.

Television Camera, The: 193.

Television and Motion Pictures: 158.

Through the Editor’s Finder: 20; 56; 88; 234;
270 ; 302; 338 ; 380.

Timely Tips for Wartime Vacations: 202.

Titling: 24; 60; 390.

Transition : 94.

Travel: 84; 86; 154; 238; 265.

25 Years of Progress : 368.

25 Years of Service: 367.

U

University Film Courses: 156.

U. S. Report on Agfa Color Process: 416.

Unusual Pictures Are Where You Are: 420

V

Victor, A. F. — “The History and Origin of 16
Millimeter”: 376.

W

War and the Training Film, The: 230.

War of Russion Films, The: 48.

Weather, Biggest Problem of Aerial Photog¬
raphers : 248.

Weston — “Kine-Micrography in Biological Re¬
search”: 192.

What ASC Members Are Now Filming : 30.

Where Will You Fit in Television?: 80.

“Wipes” — How to Make Them-: 288.

Wyckoff, Alvin, ASC — “Bringing the Bible to the
Screen” : 8.

Telefilm Processes

Planet Pictures, which has launched
production of a series of 16 mm. sound
and color entertainment features for

general release, has completed arrange¬
ments to utilize technical facilities and
personnel of Telefilm Studios in Holly¬
wood. Planet, headed by Richard Tal-
madge and Harvey Perry — both of whom
have had wide experience in regular
studio production — has lined up a sched¬
ule calling for 12 16-mm. features an¬
nually.

Molin Promoted by DuPont

Karl T. Molin has been appointed di¬
rector of sales for Photo Products De¬
partment of the DuPont Company, suc¬
ceeding the late L. L. Allison. Molin
was promoted from the post of assistant
manager of the Defender Division, with
Leonard R. Moore, control manager of
Defender, succeeding Molin. C. Clifford
Lyons takes over as control manager.

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American Cinematographer • December, 1945

439

There'll Be No 16mm Projector Surplus

For many months past amateur and
semi-professional cinematographers have
enthusiastically been looking forward to
early release of 16 mm. silent and sound
projectors and other photographic equip¬
ment by the Surplus Property Board.

Let’s face the facts. There will be
little usable equipment and apparatus
now or later in the line of 16 mm. pro¬

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jectors. Machines that might eventu¬
ally be offered to the public will — in
practically every instance — be declared
by various government agencies to be
discards and no longer in shape to be
operated efficiently without extensive
overhauling and rebuilding that might
easily cost more than new equipment,
and at best deliver haphazard service.

It is true that the armed services —
since 1941 — have acquired thousands of
16 mm. silent and sound projectors for
visual instruction and training in this
country, and for the entertainment of
army, navy, air force, marine and other
personnel stationed in all parts of the
world during the war. There was a wild
scramble in 1941 and 1942 by the army,
navy, etc., to acquire the necessary large
number of 16 mm. projectors — all types
and models were obtained from every
conceivable source. Projector manufac¬
turers stepped up output to the maxi¬
mum to meet demands. Added to this
supply were second-hand machines ac¬
quired from private individuals, camera
stores, etc.

But many of these projectors, not
built for the hard and tough usage
to which they were subjected behind
the battle lines on various fronts, soon
were out of service. In many instances
ingenious operators in the field were
able to keep performances going by tak¬
ing parts from one projector for repair
of another. Eventually, however, most
of the early makeshift projectors were
replaced by new equipment from the
manufacturers, and the former were
tossed into the discard.

However, the new projectors also were
subjected to greater than normal wear-
and-tear through constant use for
months on end under toughest projector
conditions in all parts of the world.
That the 16 mm. projectors held up as
well as they did in the frigid Aleutians,
the humid South Pacific, and the dusty
African desert, is a tribute to the Amer¬
ican manufacturers who designed and
built the equipment.

But now the armed foi'ces are being
gradually returned to this country, and
by all appearances, there should be a
supply of surplus projectors available
for public purchase. The expectant
bargain-hunters will be disappointed.

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An unusually fine variety of basic photo chemicals always in stock.

Although the war is over, the army,
navy and other services intend to hold
on to all of the projectors that are in
topnotch shape for the post-war show¬
ings of instructional and training films
— in addition to entertainment features
— to the service men still stationed in
camps in this country. The number of
such projectors is reported to be only a
small fraction of the total acquired dur¬
ing the past four years, and may not
even be sufficient for the visual training
and instruction programs being ex¬
panded for our peacetime forces.

What few usable 16 mm. projectors
will eventually become available for re¬
lease have already been allocated over¬
all by the Surplus Property Board “at
low cost to schools otherwise unable to
afford them at retail prices.”

Last month the Surplus Property
Board issued official information on the
subject of 16 mm. projectors, which
stated in part: “When the movie films
and projectors used by the army, navy
and other government agencies are no
longer needed for war service, they will
be made available at very low cost to
schools unable to afford them at retail
prices, but having facilities and person¬
nel to use them effectively. No distri¬
bution of movie equipment to educa¬
tional institutions whose financial re¬
sources would permit them to buy from
regular suppliers is contemplated.

“The program is in accordance with
the Surplus Property Act, which au¬
thorized distribution of surplus goods
for health and educational use on the
basis of community need and public
benefit. The U. S. Office of Education
is the agency responsible for determin¬
ing what communities have greatest need
and best plans for use of surplus vis¬
ual education equipment.

“How many films and projectors will
eventually become surplus is not known.
Approximately 40,000 16 mm. projectors
have been ordered by the military
services so far — 14,000 by the navy,
9,000 by the army air forces, and about
17,000 by army ground forces — but only
a rather small percentage of these is
ever expected to become surplus. Many
have been lost in action, captured by the
enemy, or damaged in use and transit.
Others will be needed for rehabilitation
of veterans and post-war military train¬
ing. Many of the projectors which are
declared surplus will require servicing
and repairs. . . . Both projectors and
film prints will undoubtedly be declared
surplus in small, continuous dribbles
rather than in large lots.”

In conclusion it might be well to re¬
late the recent experience of one inter¬
ested in acquiring surplus projectors.
He heard of several that were for sale
and anticipated bargain prices that
would allow latitude for overhauling to
put in mechanical order for use. How¬
ever, he found the projectors little more
than castings — with lenses, belts, gears,
and other equipment stripped from the
machines. In substance, they had been
“cannibalized,” i. e., stripped in the field
of various accessories to repair other
projectors.

440

December, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Wgass

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Soviet Documentary
Productions

( Continue d from Page 434)

plans are even greater than the past
accomplishments. By the end of the
year, at least 10 to 15 films will be
completed.

Outstanding among the new releases
will be a film about Soviet children in
wartime, “Story of Our Children,” by
Ovanesova, who has produced the chil¬
dren’s newsreel for many years. Pro¬
ducers Kiselov and Belayev are work¬
ing on an epic film detailing the war
contributions of Soviet villages and col¬
lective farms; and it will be issued un¬
der the title of “Victors.” Central stu¬
dio cameramen are currently shooting
material for a group of films on the
Saratov-Moscow gas pipeline, Austria,
Bulgaria and Hungary.

Varlanov plans to complete a film
showing the heroic struggle of the Yugo¬
slav people. Picture will be compiled
and edited from extensive footage shot
by Soviet cameramen who accompanied
Marshal Tito’s armies.

Although a large number of the forth¬
coming documentaries will be devoted
to foreign countries, the republics of
the Soviet Union are not forgotten in
the program. It is planned to wind up
the current year’s production with films
on Crimea; also the war effort of the
Central Asiatic republics — Tajikistan
and Etkazakhstan.

Central documentary studio is close¬
ly following new technical developments
in its effort to improve and perfect out¬
put. At the moment, attention is be¬
ing directed towards a new medium —
color — which has caught the imagina¬
tion of Soviet film workers and engi¬
neers. We may expect, in the near
future, new documentaries brightened
up with color. This “is the happiest
epoch in cinematography,” as one So¬
viet producer calls it.

Dutch Theatres Resume

Resumption of showings of American
pictures in the theatres of Holland after
nearly five years, is proving a bonanza
for exhibitors of that country, according
to report of the Netherlands Information
Bureau. It is disclosed that 26 motion
picture theatres and 10 per cent of seat¬
ing capacity were completely destroyed;
damage to extent of $4,500,000 was done;
and the Germans stole $750,000 worth of
sound and projection equipment.

Current American features being
shown in Netherlands theatres include:
“Tales of Manhattan,” “It’s a Date,” and
“Theodora Goes Wild.”

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BUY VICTORY BONDS

American Cinematographer • December, 1945

441

*

PSA Installs New Officers

Newly elected officers of the Photo¬
graphic Society of America were in¬
stalled at recent annual meeting of the
Society. Charles B. Phelps, jr., EPSA,
of Grosse Pointe, Mich., functions as
president; with other officers compris¬
ing: first vice president, Stuart M.
Chambers of St. Louis; second vice
president, John G. Mulder of Roches¬
ter; third vice president, Victor H.
Scales of New York; secretary, Mrs.
Anne Pilger Dewey of Chicago; treas¬
urer, Charles Heller of Philadelphia; ex¬
ecutive secretary, Mrs. Dorothy L.
Barto of Philadelphia; and past presi¬
dent, John S. Rowan of Baltimore.

Directors include: Robert A. Bar-
rows, Mrs. Rowena Fruth, Fred S. Her¬
rington, Glen E. Matthews, Edward C.
Crossett, Mi's. Helene Sanders, Lloyd E.
Varden, and Jack Wright. Division
chairmen: Camera Club, Cecil B. At¬
water; Color, H. J. Johnson; Historical,
Lt. Vernon D. Tate; Nature, Mark
Mooney, jr.; Pictorial, Stuyvesant Pea¬
body; Press, Robert M. Beer; and Tech¬
nical, Frank E. Carlson.

Optical Glass Substitute

A method for manufacturing lenses,
prisms and other optical elements of
plastic instead of the customary glass,
far more precise than ever before
achieved in plastic, was developed for the
war by Polaroid Corp., it was disclosed
in a joint announcement by the Office of
Scientific Research and Development, the
War Department and the Navy Depart¬
ment.

The new plastic optics were used in
telescopes, binocular attachments, an ex¬
perimental aerial camera lens and a
Schmidt type lens system ten times more
efficient than a fast f/2 camera lens. The
Schmidt system required a lens of a pe¬
culiar shape which could not be pro¬
duced in the required thousands by any
other manufacturing methods then avail¬
able.

An outstanding advantage of the Po¬
laroid mass production technique for
plastic optical elements is the complete
elimination of lengthy grinding and
polishing operations required for all
other high precision optical materials.

New Horizons for
Documentary Film

(Continued from Page 418)

fleet our modern social scene. It is a
style that embodies the essence of reality.

And so we may say that the documen¬
tary film is at last coming into its own.
It is out of the experimental stage and
has passed its tests with flying colors.
We can look forward to seeing more
films of this type in every field where
contact with the public is vital. It is
an active medium for understanding
between man and man, as well as be¬
tween nation and nation. New horizons
are opening for the documentary. It
will do much toward making our fu¬
ture world happier and more secure.

FOR SALE

WE BUY, SELL AND RENT PROFESSIONAL
AND 16mm EQUIPMENT, NEW AND USED.
WE ARE DISTRIBUTORS FOR ALL LEAD
ING MANUFACTURERS. RUBY CAMERA
EXCHANGE, 729 Seventh Ave., New York City.
Established since 1910.

FREE HEAD TRIPOD, for Mitchell and similar
cameras. Quick release legs, medium length.
Good condition. $200. Carl Nelson, 164-12
110th Road, Jamaica, N. Y.

BELL & HOWELL PROFESSIONAL PRODUC¬
TION outfit,, consisting silenced Single System
Camera, 2 viewfinders, tripod, 3 lenses, blimp.
Double System Recorder, 6-BH magazines, 3
motors, microphone, amplifiers, etc., complete,
$3,950.00 ; Akeley Newsreel Camera with 5 maga¬
zines, Gyro tripod, 2 lenses, motor, $995.00 :
DeBrie metal camera, 3 lenses, 6 magazines,
$350.00 ; Quartz slits, $39.50 ; RCA Galvanometer
complete, $650.00 ; with noise reduction, $800.00.
Send for Catalog. S. O. S. CINEMA SUPPLY
CORPORATION, NEW YORK 18.

35MM CINEPHONE (GERMAN) CAMERA with
3" lens turret, 25 — 50 — 75 — 100 — 150 mm 2.3
lenses: 200 ft. magazines; automatic dissolve;
mirror shutter ; six volt motor ; also hand
crank. Like new, exceptional buy ; ideal camera
for news, production and expedition work.
Ruby Company, 729 Seventh Ave., New York
City.

ARRIFLEX COMPLETE— Akeley — Debrie — Eyemo
- — Devry — 35mm. Cameras. Bolex - Filmo-Cine
Kodaks — 16mm. Cameras. Projectors — Lights —
Griswold Splicers — Reels — Rewinds — Large and
small— Measuring machines — Film and Disc Re¬
corders — 16mm. and professional tripods. Send
for circular on Camart Tripod. Camera Mart, 70
West 45th Street, New York.

BRAND NEW, LATEST STYLE, 16mm. sound

Race Tracks Negotiate for
Telefilm

Filming of horse races at midwest and
eastern tracks is indicated by current
conferences of Talcott Seaver and Bry-
don Baker of Telefilm with officials of
racing strips in New York and Ken¬
tucky.

Initial shooting of complete races was
installed at Hollywood Park, Inglewood,
during latter’s recent meeting, with
operations in charge of Telefilm tech-

MISCELLANEOUS

ALEXANDER LENARD, Turbo, Kenya Colony.
Organization and conduct of photographic and
film expeditions to all parts of Africa. Tourists
met on East and West Coasts of Africa and ac¬
companied by Travel experts. Unusual itinera¬
ries. Expert leadership. Write or cable LEN¬
ARD, TURBO, KENYA COLONY.

HOME MOVIE FANS, JOIN MOTION PICTURE
Educational Society. Free valuable information.
Box 875, Reading, Pa.

WANTED

WANTED TO BUY FOR CASH
CAMERAS AND ACCESSORIES
MITCHELL B & H EYEMO DEBRIE AKELEY
ALSO LABORATORY AND CUTTING ROOM
EQUIPMENT

CAMERA EQUIPMENT COMPANY
1600 BROADWAY, NEW YORK CITY 19
CABLE; CINEQUIP

WE PAY CASH FOR EVERYTHING PHOTO-
GRAPHIC. Write us today. Hollywood Camera
Exchange. 1600 Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood.

LABORATORY, STUDIO OR RECORDING
EQUIPMENT, SOUND PROJECTORS, CAM¬
ERAS, TRIPODS. PAY HIGHEST PRICES.
S. O. S. CINEMA SUPPLY CORPORATION,
NEW YORK 18.

nicians and engineers. Cameramen op¬
erating 16 mm. cameras were perched
on six towers spaced around the mile
track so that each shot a sequence of a
race as the horses came within camera
range. Developed within a few minutes,
the film gave the judges a complete re¬
running to check any infractions by
jockeys during the event. Enthusiasm
of Hollywood Park officials for the in¬
stallation resulted in inquiries to Tele¬
film from other tracks around the
country.

BUY mORG BOT1DS

projector, facotry guaranteed ; also one slightly
used, cheap. Box 875, Reading, Pa.

442

December, 1945 • American Cinematographer

Better Than Ever . . .

OVERWHELMING favorites of the industry, Eastman Negative Films are ready
to help raise picture quality to new heights — each in its own field: Plus-X for gen¬
eral studio use; Background-X for backgrounds and general exterior work;

Super-XX with its extra speed, for use when little light is available.

EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, ROCHESTER 4, N. Y., J. e. BRULATOUR, INC., Distributors, FORT LEE, CHICAGO, HOLLYWOOD

Ill

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■ • .

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New Filmo ’’Diplomat,” the fin¬
est and most complete 16mm. pro¬
jector for home use. Fully gear-
driven. Anyone can use it easily!

New Filmo-Master ”400” for 8mm.
film . . . up to 33 minutes of unin¬
terrupted movies! Clear, brilliant
pictures. Entirely gear-driven.

New Filmo Auto Load —
loads in an instant with
a 16mm. film magazine.
Includes slow-motion
speed and advanced new
features.

New Filmosound 179, 16mm.
sound-on-film projector. Clear,
brilliant pictures . . natural
sound reproduction without dis¬
tortion. Quiet, cool, easy to use.

New Filmo " Sportster ,” the
all-purpose home movie cam¬
era using economical 8mm.
film. Like all Filmos, it carries
the B&H lifetime guarantee.

Make Home Movies Part of Your Holiday Entertainment

Thousands of films are available through the Filmo¬
sound Library for rental or purchase. For home movie
shows during the holidays you can choose Bible
stories . . . happy cartoons for the children . . . sports
and travel . . . Hollywood hits — whatever you prefer.

For full information on Filmosound Library films, see
your Bell & Howell dealer, or send the coupon, today.

11

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Now you can see the new, war-improved Bell & Howell
cameras and Filmosound and silent projectors . . . the
home movie equipment you have waited for so long!

Even the finest Filmo Cameras have been refined and
improved, so that more than ever they are easy to carry,
easy to load, easy to use Math assurance that you’ll get
movies of professional quality.

Filmosound and silent projectors, so simple to operate
that anyone can show fine movies, produce uniformly
brilliant pictures without flicker or interruption. Sound
reproduction is clear and free of distortion at all volume
levels.

See the new B&H models— precision-built by the
makers of Hollywood’s preferred studio equipment.

And here’s a suggestion . . . ij your Bell & Howell
dealer cannot fill your order before the holidays, get
a Filmo Gift Certificate. No remembrance will be
more appreciated.

Bell & Howell Company, Chicago; New York; Holly
wood; Washington, D. C.; London.

Buy and Keep
Victory Bonds

OPTI-ONICS — products combining the sciences of OPTIcs • electrONics • mechanics

PRECISION-MADE BY

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State

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BELL & HOWELL COMPANY
7148 McCormick Road, Chicago 45

Please send ( ) Information on the new, improved

. ; ( ) Information on the

thousands of films for home use in Filmosound
Library.

SINCE 1907 THE LARGEST MANUFACTURER OF PRECISION EQUIPMENT FOR MOTION PICTURE STUDIOS OF HOLLYWOOD AND THE WORLD

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
Russell Merritt