The Cine Technician (1935-1937)

62 The Journal of the Association of Cine-T echnicians November, 1935 Stratosphere Flight Cameras Fall Over Eleven Miles As reported in our last issue, two Bell & Howell Eyemo motion picture cameras were carried in the gondola of the balloon used in the recent National Geographic Army Air Corps Stratosphere flight, which began at Rapid City, South Dakota, and ended, as a result of a forced descent, near Holdrege, Nebraska. The two cameras fell with the gondola eleven and one half miles. One was in substantially good condition after its record plunge, the other slightly more damaged. Captain A. W. Stevens, U.S. Army, together with Major W. E. Kepner and Captain O. A. Anderson of the flight personnel, had intended starting the cameras to make movies of the flight at an altitude of 60,000 feet, but it was at 60,000 feet that the balloon was disabled and began its descent, and there was no opportunity for movie making • at that crisis, nor later. "Had the flight continued," states Captain Stevens, "we would have exposed about 80 feet of film in the next hour and about 120 feet more in the succeeding hour. I also had three extra rolls of film to reload with in case we had time to make still more pictures." The Eyemo cameras were selected for the flight, among other factors, because of their extreme lightness of weight — a vital point when every additional ounce of cargo would cut down the maximum height that could be attained. One camera was equipped with a lens of six-inch focal length and the other a 3|-inch lens. This was to permit taking pictures of different magnifications. Two pieces of specially selected and carefully checked optically flat glass were mounted in the gondola, forming two portholes through which the cameras pointed. The cameras operated automatically following the winding of a heavy mainspring. This automatic operation was to permit the operator to attend to other matters between intervals when the mainspring had to be wound. Inasmuch as long before the projected maximum altitude of fifteen miles was attained, it would be impossible for the human eye to cut through the tremendous depth of atmosphere and see the surface of the earth from the gondola, heavy red filters and film sensitised to infra-red were to be used. In this way the camera would be able to see what the human eye could not. In addition to showing the appearance of the earth at different altitudes, the movies would have indicated the manner in which the balloon rotated as it ascended. Regarding the condition of the cameras after their I)lunge, Captain Stevens states : "Except for two small dents in the case, one camera is substantially undamaged. The lens is all right, and so probably is the mechanism. The other camera had its side and front plates knocked off and the mechanism injured. Also the lens is missing. In .searching through the wreckage, this lens could not be found, and it is probable that it was driven into the ground. Possibly some spectator afterwards took it without saying anything to anybody." The two cameras are now in Washington, where an inquiry into all the details and circumstances of tiie flight is now in process. Following tlie inc]uiry they will be sent to the office of the Bell & Howell Company in Chicago, where they will be placed in the Company's famous motion {)icture museum. Technique Can Be Overdone [continued from page Q\.) double exposure and triple exposure shots, with wild movement and rapidly changing dissolves, to suggest a quick period that needn't be acted as a scene. I am afraid those sort of things annoy the pubhc if they are done beyond a few feet. I have listened very often to the opinions of members of the public and have come to the conclusion that they are slightly bewildered and therefore annoyed. I hope nobody thinks I am making an attack upon the craftsmanship of any particular technicians. I am not. I am simply trying to unload the impression that I have of the little obtrusions, the little manias that technicians have. I don't think you have to know a lot about photography to see these things. Sound is even more of a mystery to me than photography, and will always remain so. But I think that as sound has now had about seven years on the screen, we should have something a little bit better. It hasn't progressed the last six years very much more than it did in the first year. Sound, dialogue, music and effects are in general too noisy, and I make every allowance for faulty and defective installation in the theatre, which is so usual outside London. There is too much noise apart from dialogue in films. There may be some idea among sound recordists that it is good to be noisy. I know perfectly well it was understood when I was learning to play the piano that the loud pedal covered a lot of deficiencies, but I do think that music, for example, should be softer. The noise of waves on the seashore and battles and traffic and so on, needn't be so noisy. I find it something of a strain. The strain on my eyes is not anything so acute as the strain on my ears. In the old silent days the piano accompaniment was remarkably soothing. There was a placid effect in the cinema which I don't think has ever been recovered. I suggest that when in a theatre most people have a tendency to cough and sneeze, in the silent cinema the music always had the very useful purpose of covering up those distracting noises. That is the reason why music has persisted in talkies as an undercurrent to conversation. I don't think you want so much volume of sound for accompanying music as you generally hear, and I have a theory that it is very much better to tone it down. I find in British pictures much more than American that there is a carelessness in matching the sound track to the silent shots. I do think that with a httle more trouble some of the glaring things you still see could be avoided — marching or dancing feet, for example, which don't match to the rhythm of the music. I think that it is one of the illusions of the screen which has got to be as perfect as any other illusion, and I am surprised that critics don't make more fuss about it. Music for Social Functions When making arrangements for dances and other social functions, we trust that any of our members who may be helping in an organisational capacity will bear in mind that the A.C.T. has members who are musical directors — and, of course, are also members of the Musicians' Union — who are qualified to satisfy any requirements in this direction. We shall be pleased to supply names and addresses to anyone interested.