Kinematograph year book (1944)

The Kinematograph Year Book. FILM STOCK THE Restriction Order on the use of raw film stock which came into operation this year has not proved as drastic as was anticipated nor has it occasioned the revolution in exhibiting and producing practice that was feared. Indeed, with the exception of a redistribution in the release of news reels, very little hardship has been occasioned, although film producers have had to exercise economies to bring consumption within the scale based on production costs laid down. By and large, however, the cutting down of commercial entertainment product by 77,000,000 ft. out of a pre-war consumption of 308,000,000 has been performed in a manner which provides an excellent -example of self-regulation by an industry. The allocation of film stock to the British production industry under the Restriction Order is set out, the following being the principal points of the agreement arrived at : (a) That rationing of film stock should be on a film and not a period basis, (b) That allocations should be related to production costs, (c) That the scale of allocations should be as follows : — ■ Production Cost. £ 50,000 60,000—75,000 100,000—125,000 150,000—175,000 20,000 and over Celluloid Base — ■ Allowance. Feet. 400,000 500,000 600,000 700,000 800,000 Production Cost. £ 50,000— 60,000 75,000—100,000 125,000—150,000 175,000—200,000 Celluloid Base — • Allowance. Feet. 450,000 550,000 650,000 750,000 (d) That this scale should be subject to the following reservations : — (1) That any film over 10,000 ft. in length should be given an increased pro rata allocation. (2) That Technicolor films should be given a 40 percent, increased allocation. (3) That special musicals should be assessed separately. (4) That production costs should be defined as double the Board of Trade form " C " declaration. It is estimated that the above scale should show a saving of film stock approximating to 4,000,000 ft. per year. Stock Developments. — Two new stocks are reported — -the Ilford Series III 35-mm. panchromatic negative film, which combines extreme speed and fineness of grain, while Kodak has introduced a new infra-red sensitive material. The fine grain negative films for both these sources have been in demand, but there 'is little likelihood of fine grain release positive in almost universal use in America being available in this country until after the war. Possible post-war advances in stock and emulsions have been discussed by T. Thorne Baker, F.Inst.P., A.M.I.E.E., F.R.P.S., who indicates the arrival of a non-inflammable plastic substitute for celluloid, which will yield so hard a film that scratching and mechanical damage will be almost overcome. Hitherto the use of plastic and resin films has been prevented by the lack of sensitiveness, but now certain sulphur compounds have been discovered which can be used to sensitise emulsions in which the silver halide is carried by a plastic. Examples of sensitisers quoted in a recent Kodak patent are potassium thiocyanate (K.C.N.S.), allyl thiocyanate and thiourea. As regards the speed of film stock, Thorne Baker points out that, although it was thought that chemists had reached the highest attainable speed level to which gelatine -bromide emulsions could be brought, far higher speeds have now been made for aerial photography than have been handled by the kine camera man. By means of certain emulsion sensitisers, considerably increased speed has been obtained, especially with certain dye sensitisers. By using the new sensitisers to give increased sensitivity it is possible to make freer use of a finer grained emulsion. Certain anti-freezing and stabilising