American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1941)

EVERYONE familiar with modern cinematography is familiar with the value of the light-test or "Cinex ' strip" as a guide to the Director of Photography in checking many important details of his work, such as lighting-balance, exposure, and the like. This is especially the case on occasions when the cinematographer finds himself returning to a sequence filmed days or weeks before, and trying to match his original treatment for making retakes or added scenes. However, the physical nature of the light-test strip imposes certain inevitable limitations which, especially in the matter of matching up retakes, can lead to inaccuracies. Since it is printed on ■ normal-sized 35mm. positive film, the small size of the image makes exact study of the finer details of lighting, composition, etc., difficult if visual inspection alone is used. Moreover, considerable error can be introduced by the (different impressions of image densities sained by direct visual inspection and by (viewing a projected image. At the same time, a test-strip a scant (dozen frames in length is obviously too short to be studied in enlarged form by conventional projection, while the use on the set of a cutter's Moviola is not always convenient. There is also the disadvantage that in most of these viewers 'the magnified image is not easily viewed ,(by more than one person at a time. Casting about for some convenient and practical method by which these difficulties could be overcome, both of the writers were impressed by the possibilities offered by the projectors used for viewing 35mm. miniature-camera slides and Kodachrome transparencies. These little projectors are compact and efficient, will operate on either alternating or direct current, and project an excellent image. However, the majority of these projectors are designed to accept only properly nounted double-frame 35mm. minicam slides, and could not be used for strips of single-frame 35mm. film. Finally, however, each of us independ An Improved Method for Analyzing Light-Tests By CLYDE DE VINNA, A.S.C. and JOSEPH RUTTENBERC, A.S.C. ently discovered that one manufacturer has for some years been making a miniature projector capable of handling either single-frame or double-frame film strips. This is the SVE Picturol projector, which is made primarily for business and educational use. It has proved excellently adapted for the purposes we wished. For some time both of us have been using these little projectors to great advantage. By good fortune it happens that this particular design is probably the smallest of 35mm. slide projectors. Therefore they can be very easily stowed in the average camera accessory case, and be always available for use on the set. In use, it is very simple to find a conveniently dark corner of set or stage, set up the little projector, slip the light-test strip into it, and project an excellent, enlarged image onto a conveniently-sized screen where it can be viewed and studied by the Director of Photography, the Director, if necessary, and by the photographic crew and Gaffer. We generally employ a screen about 24 inches wide for this purpose, though the projector is capable of projecting an image three or four times that size. Some of the small screens made for editing home movies are excellent for this purpose. In an emergency, a white set-wall has sometimes served adequately as a screen. Projecting your light-tests this way one has the advantage of the enlarged, projected image which gives an ideal opportunity for studying the finer details of lighting, composition and the like which are ordinarily not well discernible in directly viewing light-tests, and also of being able to judge densities more accurately in the projected image. The model both of us have been using employs a 100 or 150-Watt globe. However, other models are available which take more powerful lamps, up to about 300 Watts. With some of these higherpowered lamps it should be entirely feasible to adapt the idea for similarly viewing Technicolor "pilot" strips. In this instance it would probably be wiser to use a rather high-powered globe and correct the color-temperature of the light by means of a suitable filter to conform to the arc standard by which Technicolor print color-balance and density are usually judged. While, as has been pointed out, there is nothing particularly new in the equipment used, we believe that this particular application is new, and of value to studio cinematographers. American Cinematographer April, 1941 163