The Cine Technician (1953-1956)

July 1955 CINE TECHNICIAN 103 double-size negatives. A. P.O. Panatar lenses developed by Panavision will be used. In the same issue is an account of the adaptation of an industrial hydraulic crane to camera use. The crane goes under the trade name " Giraffe " as it resembles in action the long flexible neck of the giraffe. It was used by Guy Roe. A.S.C., in shooting TV commercials for an automobile firm. The Giraffe unit is self-contained and operates independently of the truck or chassis on which it is mounted. The crane and platform may be raised to heights up to forty feet and it may be rotated through 360° in either direction by hydraulic motor which gives instant, positive and controlled swing by the movement of a control lever. The platform is kept level at all times by a system based on the parallellogram principle. Four foot pedals and a kneeoperated lever on the platform control all boom movements. The cameraman can swing the boom and move either or both boom sections up, down, backwards and forwards, all at the same time. Operation can also be controlled from the ground through a set of dual controls. Several of the numbers in No Business Like Show Business called for a spotlight effect 10 feet in diameter that could travel from 25 feet to 70 feet out and retain its sharp outline throughout. No such piece of lighting equipment existed, and it fell to the Electrical Production Department of 20th Century-Fox to produce what was virtually a " zoom " spotlight. The Motion Picture Research Council developed a set of lenses. As the 10-ft. spot had to have a strength of 1,200 foot candles, a 225 amp. arc had to be used, and to bring the colour temperature down to 3,350 K° special lens coatings had to be worked out. According to American Cinematographer the finished job looked like an artillery piece, the barrellike projection on the front of the lamp-house contained five lenses, a quartz condenser, a pyrex condenser, a pair of motor-driven lenses on an endless chain for the " zoom " effect and an object lens. Drive at Kodak A DRIVF for full trade union * recognition and improved conditions at Kodak Limited was inaugurated at a meeting convened by the Harrow Trades Council last month. The meeting, which was addressed by George Elvin, was attended by officials and members of eleven trade unions, unanimously agreed to undertake a joint organisational drive for membership, full trade union recognition and improved wage;; and working conditions. The Trade Union Congress, who, in the past have requested the Harrow Trades Council to coordinate trade union recruiting activity in relation to Kodak, have agreed to co-operate. The full co-operation of Kodak employees themselves as well as that of national and district officials of the unions concerned, is also being sought. It is proposed to prepare a charter of agreed objectives following meetings of their members employed at Kodak which are to be held by the unions concerned. CAMERA HIRE SERVICE NEWMAN SINCLAIR MODELS G and HIGH-SPEED with FULL RANGE of EQUIPMENT and GYRO TRIPODS Phone: GER 1365-6-7-8 S.F.L. LTD., 71 DEAN ST. LONDON, W.I MERLIN I II >IS A FACILITIES Television and Documentary Films SCRIPT TO SCREEN A PRODUCTION STAGE WILL BE AVAILABLE IN THE NEAR FUTURE SOUND SYSTEM RECORDING ' DUBBING MOBILE RECORDING CHANNELS CAMERAS Newall & Newman Sinclairs DAYLIGHT CUTTING ROOMS ■ PREVIEW THEATRE 16 & 35 mm. • RCA MAGNETIC RECORDING EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE SHORTLY THE MERLIN FILM Co. Ltd. CLAPHAM PARK STUDIOS, LONDON, S.W.4 Telephone MAC I082-3