Allgemein

from the ASC Manual October 1935

by
Jerome H. Ash, A.S.C.

WOULD you like to make lap-dissolves without rewinding—to dissolve backgrounds without changing the foreground—to make ‘arty’ titles with moving cloud backgrounds, in which the clouds blow into words—to make a single actor play bridge with himself, or even multiply into an army—all at a single ‘take’, with any 16mm, or even 8mm camera?
Don’t say such things can’t be done. They can be— with mirrors! [Read more…] about Lets Try Some Cinetricks With Mirrors (1935)

by
Perc Westmore
President, Motion Picture Makeup Artists’ Association,
Director of Makeup, Warner Brothers’-First National Studios

American Cinematographer Magazine May 1935

EVER since the first crank turned, cinematographers and Makeup Artists have been comparing makeup to retouching in ‘still’ portraiture. The comparison is a good one, but we’ve made it inaccurate: in retouching, both the contour and the texture of the facial areas are rendered more pleasing; in conventional makeup, we deal almost exclusively with complexion and texture, leaving the modelling of objectionable contours almost entirely to the cinematographer and his lights. That is all well enough, for cinematographers can, by painting with light and shade, modify facial contours, accentuating good features and concealing or minimizing bad ones, to a remarkable extent.
[Read more…] about Corrective Makeup as an Aid to Cinematography (1935)

REACTION ON MAKING HIS FIRST COLOR PRODUCTION

Veteran Cinematographer Discusses Experiences in Filming Tom Sawyer
By JAMES WONG HOWE A.S.C.

From the American Cinematographers Magazine October 1937

FOR more than forty years cinematographers have been seeing color in terms of black-and-white rendition. Today, as cinematography in natural colors comes increasingly to the fore, we must teach ourselves to see color as color.

This is perhaps my paramount reaction as I find myself engaged in photographing my first Technicolor production. Being just at the threshold of getting acquainted with color cinematography, I hesitate to write so prematurely of my experiences; only the hope that these notes, written while the transition from monochrome to color is still under way, may be helpful to others making, as increasingly many of us must, the same transition emboldens me to do.

[Read more…] about James Wong Howe’s first Color Movie (1937)

from January 1935

To get indoor scenes that can be projected to large size with clear, sharp detail, you need the speed and fine grain of Agfa 16 MM. Superpan Reversible.

The fine-grain emulsion of Agfa Superpan Reversible has built an enviable reputation among filmers who strive for large screen projection from 16 MM. film without noticeable grain.

The  high speed of Superpan—twice as fast as regular Pan in daylight and three times as fast under artificial light—is combined with emulsion qualities which assure depth, brilliance and detail in the projected image.

Superpan is sensitive to all colors including red, giving full range of tone values and the wide latitude reduces possible exposure errors.

For the finest results with indoor scenes, insist on AGFA 16MM Fine Grain Superpan Reversible Film.

FOR BEST RESULTS USE BEST MATERIALS [Read more…] about AGFA Superpan Ad (1935)

Television in Color from Motion Picture Film

by HERBERT E. IVES
Bell Telephone Laboratories, New York.

From an American Cinematographer Magazine June 1931

IN SPECULATIONS on the possible uses for television, one project which receives considerable attention, partly because of its relative ease of accomplishment, is the transmission of images from motion picture film. [Read more…] about Television in Color (American Cinematographer Magazine June 1931)