Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers (1930-1949)

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32 A. W. PROTZMAN [j. s. M. P. E. and lighting. In television, the camera operator must do the focusing for fixed shots and dolly shots alike. This added operation, at times, is quite fatiguing. Vertical parallax between the view finder lens and the Iconoscope lens is compensated for by a specially designed framing device at the ground-glass that works automatically in conjunction with the lensfocusing control. It may be of interest to note here that at first the television camera had no framing device. This meant that images, in addition to being inverted as they are in an ordinary view-finder, were also out of frame. The camera operator had to use his judgment in correcting the parallax. With this new framing device, the operator now knows exactly the composition of the picture being focused on the mosaic in his camera. The framing device can be quickly adjusted to accommodate any lens between 6*/2 and 18 inches focal length. Because of the fact that several cameras are often trained on the same scene from various angles, and because all cameras are silent in operation, performers must be informed sometimes — such as when they are speaking directly to the television audience — which camera is active at the moment. Two large green bull's-eye signal-lamps mounted below the lens assembly are lighted when the particular camera is switched "on the air." Set Lighting. — There are two outstanding differences between television lighting and motion picture lighting. A much greater amount of key light is required in television than in motion pictures. Also, a television set must be lighted in such a way that all the camera angles are anticipated and properly lighted at one time. Floor light is held to a minimum to conserve space in assuring maximum flexibility and speed of camera movements. Great care must also be taken to shield stray light from all camera lenses. This task is not always easy, since, during a half-hour performance, each camera may make as many as twenty different shots. Just as excessive leak-light striking the lens will ruin motion picture film, it has a definitely injurious effect upon the photosensitive mosaic and upon the electrical characteristics of the Iconoscope. A direct beam of high-intensity light may temporarily paralyze a tube, thus rendering it useless for the moment. Sets. — (Fig. 3) Television sets are usually painted in shades of gray. Since television reproduction is in black and white, color in sets is relatively unimportant. Chalky whites are generally avoided be