American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1952)

Reviews of recent books on motion pictures and TV BOOKS! By HERB A . FILM AND ITS TECHNIQUES, by Ray¬ mond Spottiswoode, published by the University of California Press, 1951. $7.50. Mr. Spottiswoode has written a very comprehensive volume on the mechanics of motion picture making, one which should prove of the greatest value to the him technician or advanced student of cinema technique. While the book jacket advises that the contents are presented in a manner that is “completely acceptable to the professional him maker, yet thoroughly understandable to the amateur cinema¬ tographer,” it is possible that the latter half of this statement is a bit optimistic. Actually, the book is written in a highly technical fashion (as behts a highly technical subject) and it would take an amateur cinematographer well out of the “home movies” class to appreciate and understand its contents. For the serious advanced amateur who perhaps looks to the motion pic¬ ture medium with a professional gleam in his eye, however, the book is a treas¬ ury of information on the various units of equipment and processes involved in producing a motion picture of profes¬ sional quality. In acquainting the reader with the tools of the cinema trade and their use, the author purposely sidesteps such creative topics as scripting, direct¬ ing and the constructing phases of edit¬ ing. This is a book dedicated to the “mechanic” behind the cinema scenes, whose efforts make it possible for the ideas of the aesthetic production minds to actually end up on film. Mr. Spottiswoode writes in a careful functions of which he writes. He ex¬ plains this detached perspective in his foreword by saying: “Film production . . . has become so specialized that it is difficult for a writer to gain enough practice in all its many branches to in¬ fuse such a book as this with the warmth and vividness of personal experience.” Nevertheless, the author does a fine job of reporting the techniques of the top technicians whom he has had an oppor¬ tunity to observe first as Producer and then as Technical Supervisor at the Na¬ tional Film Board of Canada. CINE DATA BOOK, by R. H. Bomback, published by The Fountain Press, Lon¬ don, 1950. About $3.00. This comprehensive reference hook 60 • American Cinematocrapher • February, 1952 and thoroughly objective style and from the point of view of one who has care¬ fully observed the various processes and Get The 7?eca EDITION! AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER HAND BOOK The only handbook that provides in convenient form the basic facts concerning cinematographic methods, materials and equipment. Its 310 pages, beautifully leatherette bound, contain 219 charts, plus numerous illustrations and graphic descrip¬ tions. In no other book will the cameraman find charted in concise form such data as: • LENS STOP CALCULATOR —shows '/4, Vit 3A, and 1 stop opening or closing from any given f/ value. • CAMERA SETUPS — gives distance from lens to subject for normal size figures for lenses of various focal length. • LENS ANGLES — Horizontal and vertical angles by degrees as obtained by lenses of various sizes. • CLOSEUP DIAPHRAGM CALCULATOR— Shows changes in effective aperture for the measured light value when shooting small subjects at close range. • LIGHTING EQUIPMENT — all kinds anal¬ yzed and described. • DEPTH OF FOCUS — for most all lenses. • EXPOSURE METER COMPENSATOR— shows how to get correct meter reading of key light to obtain equal negative density values for all lens stops. THESE ARE ONLY A FEW of the 219 charts contained in this valuable book. ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY! price $C.OO POSTPAID Book Department, American Cinematographer, 1782 No. Orange Dr., Hollywood 28, Calif. Gentlemen: Enclosed please find $5.00* for which please send me a copy of THE AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER HANDBOOK AND REFERENCE GUIDE. Name . Address . City . Zone . State . *lf you live in California, please in¬ clude 18c sales tax — total $5.18. L I C H T M A N for the motion picture worker or student is published in the handbook format for rapid consultation. Compiled by a British technician and printed in Eng¬ land, the book is similar to the A.S.C. Handbook in conception, but is con¬ ceived more as a valuable reference to be read and studied at leisure than as a data book for instant reference on the set. The book contains much detailed in¬ formation on cine equipment and pro¬ cesses, both foreign and American, and is well illustrated with still photographs of various cameras, lighting units and projectors. Mr. Bomback, one of Britain’s out¬ standing technical experts in the motion picture industry, formerly associated with the Kodak Research Laboratories, has compiled a fund of material dealing with a great many phases of motion pic¬ ture technique. His main subject head¬ ings include Modern Cine Cameras, Cine Lens Data, Film Footage Tables, High Speed Cameras, Laboratory Prac¬ tice, Filters, Studio Lighting, Color Photography, Exposure Meters, Sound Recording Systems, Developers and Pro¬ cessing, Duplicating Systems, Modern Projectors, and a list of British Stand¬ ards on Cinematography. The book also includes valuable tables listing Hyperfocal Distances, Fields of View of Cine Lenses, and Frame/Footage Calculators. The Cine Data Book is concisely written and contains much useful infor¬ mation. It should be a most valuable addition to the library of the motion pic¬ ture technician or serious student of cinema technique. The book does a complete job of ex¬ plaining the mechanics of the camera, the cutting room, the laboratory, sound and special effects. It is a book that should be read and re-read many times by the serious student of the cinema, as it contains more technical information than can possibly be absorbed in one or two readings. It should also have a prominent place as a reference work in every technical library. The book is well-illustrated by line drawings supplementing the text. TELEVISION PROCRAMMING AND PRO¬ DUCTION, by Richard Hubbell, pub¬ lished by Rinehart & Company, Inc., 1951. This revised and enlarged second edi¬ tion of the work originally published in (Continued on Page 88)