Amateur Movie Makers (Dec 1926-Dec 1927)

TINTING DATA TINTING 16 mm. cine film may be done satisfactorily by the amateur with interesting and permanent results. The prerequisites are two or more 11 "xl4" (or larger) steel enamel trays, a sink with running water, the various dyes and a wooden rack or frame on which to wind the film. The wooden rack to hold the film during tinting may be made from dowel sticks. To build this two sticks about a half inch in diameter are notched in the center so as to fit snugly together, and are made in the form of a cross so as to just fit into the size tray used for the tinting bath. At intervals of one inch bore holes through each crosspiece. The size of the rack and trays will, of course, be governed by the available space the worker has at his disposal. The larger the containers, the more film that can be tinted in one operation. Then cut a dowel stick about a quarter of an inch in diameter into small pegs one inch long, and fasten these into the holes in the two crosspieces. A good idea for the center peg is to use an old roll film spool, with the metal ends removed. This has a slit in the middle into which one end of the film can be inserted and then wound around each peg from the center outwards, until the last peg is reached, where the end of the film is fastened. The wooden rack is used to hold the film so that the gelatine or emulsion side will not come in contact with anything during the process. Wind the film on the rack emulsion or dull side out. This is most important, since any contact with the emulsion during coloring will leave it in its original black and white condition, which will ruin projection. In tinting, the dye colors the entire gelatine surface of the film, while in toning, only the shadows and halftones are colored, leaving the highlights clear or uncolored. Now in tray number 1 is the dye solution to be used, and in tray number 2, plain water. Make up enough By Walter D. Kerst solution so that the tray will be filled to the brim. The film, after being wound on the frame, is placed in a tray of running water for a few minutes, until the emulsion has been thoroughly softened. It is then placed in the dye bath for a few minutes, (see formula table) the time depending on the dye used and the depth of color desired. Longer immersion means deeper tones. Screen results, except in unusual cases, seem to be best when the film is just perceptibly colored. This is also desirable because the deeper the color, the more light lost in projection. After removal from the bath, the film, still on its rack, is dipped three or four times in fresh water, just enough to rinse it thoroughly, and then hung up to dry. Long immersion in running water means removal of much of the dye. A word of caution ! Do not let any metal whatever come in contact with the solution or the film during tinting or toning. It is safest to make the rack entirely of wood. If tacks of metal are used, the rack should be given a generous coat of good chemical-proof paint, obtained in any photographic supply house. The metal in the solution causes precipitation at the point of contact and results in badly splotched film. The solution may be bottled and put away for future use, and may be used over and over again until the color begins to lose its quality. Always, before coloring your good section of film, take a short strip of test film (bits of film cut out during editing and not to be used) of the same approximate density and contrast as the film to be colored, and use that to test your solutions. It is even wise to go a step further, using a test strip about two feet long, coloring it, splicing it into any reel you have on hand and seeing how the tint projects. The proof of a good tint or tone is found only on the screen. If the original is of unusual value, have a duplicate made before tinting. It is the safest way. Even though a wrongly colored film may be salvaged, it will never be as good as when in its original state. Time and temperature of dyeing are chosen to suit individual requirements : Use only pure dyes — those recommended in formulae are dyes of pure color. To dissolve: take small volume of hot water and dissolve dye; filter through fine muslin, dilute the solution in your tray to the required volume, at about 65 degrees F. Tinting reduces contrast; therefore, choose wherever possible a contrasty film. 70 degrees F. is about as high a temperature as should be used. To duplicate an exact tint, dye by time, not by inspection. Should film be accidentally over-dyed, some of it may be removed by washing film in water. Two gallons of dye bath will tint approximately 800 feet of film. Intermediate tints may be obtained by dyeing first in one color and then redyeing in another. Be sure there are no air bubbles on film during dyeing or white spots will result. Dyes are of two kinds — acid and basic. When dyes of each of these types are mixed they are precipitated. Therefore, where several dyes are to be mixed together, it is important that they all be of one class. There are more acid dyes available than basic dyes, and, as they work better in tinting film, they should be used for best results. Following are suggested tints appropriate for various kinds of scenes: moonlight and snow scenes, blue; fire scenes, red; interiors, violet; bright sunlight, yellow; beaches and desert scenes, with great contrasts of sunlight and shadows, amber; sea scenes, blue or green; woodland, green. DYE TINTING FORMULAE Tint No. Dye Avoirdupois Time of Tinting 1. Cine Red (Amaranth) 1 oz — 122.5 grs. Water 2 gals. 3 min. 2. Cine Scarlet (Crocein Scarlet) 227.5 grs. Water 2 gals. 3 min. 3. Cine Orange Red (Lake Scarlet) ... 227.5 grs. Water 2 gals. 3 min. 4. Cine Orange (Wool Orange) 105 grs. Cine Scarlet 6 grs. Acetic acid (glacial) 57 drams, (drops) Water 2 gals. 3 min. 5. Cine Orange 105 grs. Acetic acid (glacial) 57 drams, (drops) Water 2 gals. 1 min. Tint 7^0. Dye Avoirdupois 6. Cine Yellow (Quinolin Yellow) ... 227.5 grs. Acetic acid (glacial) 57 drams, (drops) Water 2 gals. 7. Cine Light Green (Napthol green). 1 oz. — 17.5 grs. Water 2 gals. 8. Cine Green (Acid green) 1 oz. — 17. 5 grs. Water 2 gals. 9. Cine Blue (Direct Blue) 227.5 grs. Water 2 gals. 10. Cine Violet (Fast Wool Violet) ... 227.5 grs. Water 2 gals. Time oj Tinting 1 min. 3 min. 3 min. 3 min. 3 min. Sixteen