The Cine Technician (1953-1956)

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24 THE CINE-TECHNICIAN February, 1954 THE DOUBLE FRAME CAMERA 35 mm. negative travels horizontally in this unique camera having double frame aperture and said to improve picture quality on wide-screen movies. by JOHN R. BISHOP, A.S.C., and LOREN L. RYDER, A.S.C. reported by Arthur E. Gavin rpHE wide screen photographic procedure now -* being used at Paramount studios in shooting " White Christmas " involves a special camera. Dubbed the " Lazy-8 " by studio technicians, the film magazines lie on their side and the film runs through the camera horizontally; each frame is eight sprocket holes in film length instead of the conventional four. All photography and special effects work on the above-named production utilise this camera and its horizontal-travelling doubleframe negative. Paramount adopted this revolutionary new camera as a means of gaining increased picture width without losing any picture quality. The " Lazy-8 " filming system provides a wider picture area on the negative without involving the use of film wider than normal as for instance, 65mm. and 70mm., which have been introduced in some widescreen processes. The " Lazy-8 " system utilises standard 35mm. negative. The negative image area, which is 1.472in. x .997in. is then optically printed in reduced size to standard 35mm. positive in an operation which also turns the image 90°. Thus, in the release print, the picture or individual frame appears on 35mm. film which runs through the projector in the conventional vertical manner. All prints including dailies, studio copies and release prints are made to standard print size by this same process of photographic reduction. There are several other features about Paramount's new " Lazy-8" photography that deserve careful attention. First, this is the only new procedure which supplies adequate room for good negative splicing. Also, it is the only new procedure that improves rather than degrades dissolves, fades and special photographic effects work. We use the double-frame negative for all effects work; thus any shortcomings or defects are diminished in the photographic reduction to the positive. It is well known that the limiting factor in all photographic work has been the area of the negative. In this new method, the effect grain has been reduced by a factor of 2.66:1. Actually, there are three factors that are affected, viz.: grain, resolution, and depth of field. Here the important accomplishment of Paramount's engineers, in addition to using the larger area of negative as compared to positive, is the compromise effected that permits use of as large an area of the negative as feasible without losing depth of field. Normally, as one goes into the use of longer focal length lenses, there is a loss of depth of field. This is particularly true where 70mm. film is used for negative, and where loss in depth of field detracts from the picture quality more than is gained otherwise. The quality of the picture on the screen is determined by the width of the picture as long as spherical lenses are used. In general, if we increase the screen width by any factor and still want to retain maximum resolution, it becomes necessary to increase the resolution of the weakest link, so to speak; so if we have a 28-foot screen and we desire to increase its width to 45 feet and retain this resolution, the logical step is to follow the widescreen photographic procedure which Paramount has inaugurated with the " Lazy-8 " camera. There is a great tendency on the part of many people to confuse the artistic shape of pictures with the technique that one uses to gain the artistic shape. In the field of motion pictures, the primary effort, it seems to me, should be to determine what picture shape (aspect ratio) is best for general motion picture entertainment presentation. Having then determined this, the next problem is purely one of mechanics — a technical determination of the best way to produce the desired picture shape. Whereas there has been a tendency to exhibit pictures in an aspect ratio which is technically The " Lazy-8 " camera being lined up for a shot for Paramount's " White Christmas." Here may be seen the horizontal position of camera with film magazines lying on side atid the oiewflnder on top of the camera. On 7iormal sound takes, a blimp is used.