International photographer (Jan-Dec 1941)

Some HisTomcAl Facts By IRA HOKE A long time ago, 22 years to bs exact, when I shot stills for the old Jack Hox'e series of westerns, the up and coming sensitive emulsion was the Hammer Dry Plate and the Seed 40. Not that we ever had use for more than one emulsion on a picture in those days, but there was always the usual controversy among us to whom made the best negatives, and on what. Development time and temperature did not count much, as exposure latitude nearly always made it possible for something to develop into visibility upon the plate which made a print of sorts, which we fondly termed a "production still." Shortly after the war some smart boys at the Eastman plant in Rochester figured up a new fangled high speed emulsion which they rolled out on sheet celluloid instead of glass. Over on the old Fox lot at Western and Sunset I took out the first Buck Jones show with the new film loaded in special sheaths in my old plate holders. It wasn't much faster than the Standard Orthos we had previously used, but it was a lot lighter, and I remember that the cut film negatives for the whole picture weighed just about the same as a single dozen of the old glass plates. From then on I was sold on the new product and when I went over to director Ed LeSaints company as still man to Shirley Mason, camera department head. Frank Burns, outfitted me with the new thin cut film holders made especially for the new product. I shall never forget that picture. A great load had been lifted from my heart as well as from my camera case, for the new "Par Speed" film actually did take a lot less exposure to produce a good negative. That was fortunate with Shirley for she used to have the jitters after a long day's work, and the afternoon stills would have often been failures had it not been for that little speed boost that the Eastman Kodak boys had packed in the new film. Along in the early twenties our only piece of equipment was the 8 x 10 view camera, but when I went over to the Robertson-Cole lot with Harry Carey I began to use the faster cut film with remarkable success in action pictures with the Graflex. That camera not only began to make use of its fast shutter, but more important, became light enough to chase horses, Indians and cowboys with. I think the Graflex must have lost about six pounds overnight when cut film supplanted glass plates in its magazines. Later came Alberta Vaughn and her colorful college girls, and I tried a few of the new Panchromatic cut films. Portrait (Continued on page 18) Motion Picture Equipment Studio and Laboratory Tested Since 1929 AUTOMATIC DEVELOPING MACHINE COMPLETE IN EVERY DETAIL LABORATORY EQUIPMENT WILL BE ON DISPLAY AT THE NEW SHOW ROOM, IN CONNECTION WITH MY New Address: 1515 Cahuenga Blvd. Hollywood, California ART REEVES Cable address: ARTREEVES for SPEED GRAPHIC OWNERS only! SUPER SPEEDFLASH SHOTS Are Easy With SISTOCUN! Here's an instrument designed by news photographers especially for Super-Speedflash Photography— it's the Kalart Sistogun. Today — ace photographers use and endorse this focal plane Shutter Synchronizer for 3^4 x 41/^ and 4x5 Speed Graphics. The Kalart Sistogun is a compact, precision instrument which really completes your Speed Graphic. It's low priced, you can install it yourself. It may be used with battery cases of most synchronizers. With Sistogun and long-peak wire-filled flash bulbs, you can get action shots even at 1/1000 sec. See the Kalart Sistogun. Try it. You, too, will say it is made to order for those who want real action FLASH PICTURES— at SUPER SPEEDS ! Price $12.00. THE KALART COMPANY INC. G0ERZ KINO-HYPAR LENSES I f:2.7 and f:3 Uepl. 1-3 619 TAFT BLDC. HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. KALART for regular and color movies of surprising quality. High chromatic correction . . . Focal lengths 15mm to 100 mm — can be fitted in suitable focusing mounts to Amateur and Professional Movie Cameras. COERZ Reflex FOCUSER — Patented — for 16mm Movie Camera users — voids PARALLAX between finder and lens — provides fullsue ground-glass image magnified 10 times. Adaptable to lenses 3" and up. Also useful as extension tube for shorter focus lenses for close-ups. Extensively used in shooting surgical operations, small animal life, etc. COERZ Parallax-Free FOCUSER and FIELD FINDER CONTROL for Filmo 121 and Simplex-Pockette, no more off-center pictures, magnifies 4 and 8x. For Detailed Information Address Depl. IP 3 C. P. Coerz American Optical Co. [ 317 East 34th St., New York ( American Lens Makers Since 1899 International Photographer for March, 1941 11