Amateur Cine World (March 1937)

PRACTICAL LESSONS This is the first section of a complete course of instruction prepared especially for the ‘‘homely’’ cinematographer—the man whose interest in the hobby is solely the making and showing of interesting films of his family and friends, his holidays and travels, his hobbies and interests, and other subjects worthy of his cine camera and within his capabilities. Nothing of an ‘‘ arty’’ or abstract nature is included ; neither does the author deal with home processing of IN AMATEUR CINEMATOGRAPHY : I films or any other of the fairly technical aspects undertaken only by the advanced worker. Mr. Abbott’s object has been to encourage the ‘‘ ordinary man”’ to take up cinematography and to keep him interested in it ; to tell him how to start and what to take ; to give him a complete insight into the hobby so far as it affects him ; and to show him how to make competent films and project them competently. Next month’s article will deal with the choice of camera and attendant matters. STARTING AMATEUR MOVIE-MAKING ERHAPS you have already bought your cine outfit, but there will be many new readers who are on the threshold of home movie making and are “in need of some guidance to enable them to select the apparatus best suited to their needs. Our series of “lessons”’ must therefore commence with a_ brief outline of present-day practice, followed by a concise discourse on the subject of apparatus. | shall assume that the reader is acquainted with ordinary ‘‘snapshot’’ photography to the extent that he knows that a film is loaded into the camera and, ater exposure,” is taken to a D. & P. (Developing and Printing) depot, where the film is developed to form a “‘ negative’ (actually a series of negatives) from which the snapshotter may have as many “ prints ”’ as hedesires. The point I am driving at is that the negative is an essential intermediary for the production of the finished print (or “ positive ’’). In the professional ‘cine world the same system is wed: the film exposed in the camera is developed into anegative, and positive films, to any desired number, we printed from the negative. The first great stride toward the establishment of popular amateur cinematography was made when a means was found of dispensing with the intermediate negative film. By a special process of development, it was found possible to make into a direct positive the actual film used in the camera and as the average amateur requires only one copy of each film, this meant that the cost of necessary film was immediately cut by 50 per cent. This economical system 1s known as “the reversal process,’ because the negative film is “‘reversed’’ into a positive. A special type of film coating is required for this process and films so coated are called “ ” reversal films.” It s Pe 4 € SUCCESS O, 2S SNO is true that the lies its abbealing “ We oe ’» simplicity ; there 1s negative positive nothing to distract the system is used to a eye. from the figure. Do not have too much limited extent nm gag in your shots, for 1 iy the eye does not amateur cinemato readily take them in graphy, but probably all at once. If detail is h needed, show it in more than go per close-up. 575 By. HAROLD: BB. ABBOTY cent. of amateur cinephotographers use nothing but the reversal system. Professional cine film is of a standard width of 35mm. with 16 pictures (or ‘‘frames’’) to the foot; but in order to reduce still further the cost of amateur cinematography a series of ‘‘sub-standard”’ sizes, or gauges, have been introduced and amateur cine films of to-day are of three widths: 16mm., 9.5mm. or 8mm. Sixteenmillimetre provides exactly 40. pictures per foot of film ; 9.5mm., 40 and a fraction; and 8mm., 80 pictures to the foot. Each gauge of film has its own range of apparatus and to. start with one gauge, and later change over to another, involves considerable expense as it generally means acquiring an entirely fresh equipment. It is true that there are a few projectors, of the more expensive type, which accommodate two (and, in one case, three) gauges of sub-standard film; but there is no dual (Continued on next page)