American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1941)

Clouds (Continued from Page 315) is doubly grateful, for he well knows that his filters cannot do anything to that type of sky to impi-ove it. The "cloud machine" is not so color-conscious and will deliver a beautiful sky scene whether the natural sky be hazy or blue. The use of graduated Neutral Density niters permits considerable control to be exercised to make the plates and foreground scenes balance up. As the intensity of the sky in nature varies much between a front light and a strong backlight, a great number of densities of the same plate would be required if some such control were not possible. However, in practice it is found that frontlighted clouds to be used with frontlighted scenes are printed a certain density, side-lighted clouds are printed slightly darker, and transparencies for back-lighted scenes are printed darker still. Obviously, a plate of back-lighted clouds is not appropriate for a frontlighted scene, so the plates are in a great measure properly balanced and no further modification is usually necessary. It is quite possible to obtain spectacular sunburst effects with any suitably back-lighted scene. However, as the sky varies in intensity more in this lighting condition than in any other, the graduated neutral density control reduces the number of densities of plates necessary for the proper balance of these scenes. Hence, if the sky is extremely "hot" and the clouds are rendered too light, the graduated filter is used to subdue the sky, whereas if the clouds appear too dense in relation to the foreground then the graduated filter is inverted to subdue the foreground portion, thus allowing the sky-area to print lighter. At our studio about 20 different plates are carried. They include various examples of front-light, side-light and back-light subjects, the same plates with various blend-line heights, for use with medium and close-up scenes and plates in which the cloud arrangement falls off on one or both sides to be used where one wishes to include a building, tree or like subject in the composition. As any of the plates may be reversed as to left and right to fit the composition or direction of light, this reduces the numbers of plates required. The same plate may be used one way in one sequence and later reversed for another sequence in the same production. An example of this is in the production "Romance of the Rio Grande." This picture was made last fall when there were weeks on end during which the skies were cloudless. Almost every exterior scene in that picture is made with this invention and for a while I ,vas beginning to fear that I would have to repeat on some of the cloud plates. Reversing the plates gave a whole new set of transparencies. Had these clouds been put in by other means, the cost would have run into several thousands of dollars. As it was, the cost was infinitesimal. Some interesting shots came about in that picture. In one case the actors are standing on top of a stage-coach near the top of the frame with "clouds" apparently well behind them. In another case an intricate dual-role split was made against a sky background, where had the clouds been moving, all would have been lost. When one is familiar with the equipment there is no loss of time in arranging the scene. The set-up is almost like that for a normal scene, there being no necessity for elaborate tie-downs, steadiness tests and the like. The visual effect is there on the ground-glass so the cinematographer can see exactly what he is getting and no further tests or experiments are necessary before the scene can be made. As new plates are made they are tested before being put in production use, so that the location-box is well in order. With portability and economy in view, we use as small a transparency as is practical. Most often this equipment is used on location where transportation is a vital factor and its advantages would be lost if it were not possible to carry it along with the regular camera equipment. For the stationary shots we therefore use 11x14 plates, with a suitable adjustible holder attached to the mattebox. From the back of the plate to the matte-box a bellows is fitted to exclude any rear reflections, while the usual umbrella is all that is necessary to keep any direct light from hitting the front of the transparency. In the panoramic attachment, the plates are made on film 16x40 inches in length. These work in an arc about the lens and give ample height for tilt and width for about a 50-degree pan. Films are used for this purpose so that they may be curved to the radius of the panoram, thus presenting a uniform surface to the lens in any position of the pan. The holder for these plates has been designed in our Camera Department precision machine shop and is a clever attachment that combines lightness, ease of operation and adjustment, and is quite compact. It is attached to an auxiliary plate between the tripod and free-head, for as can be understood the camera must be able to pan independently of the plates. It must be manifest that a panning shot made within such limitations is quite an achievement of trick photography, displacement or "slippage" taken into account. Full credit must be rendered Supervisor of Photography Dan Clark, A.S.C., and Grover Laube of our Camera Department whose aid and abilities rendered this "impossibility" a reality. Fred Sersen's Scenic Art Department has been most helpful in placing negatives and laboratory work at my disposal. Aside from the ease and small expense of putting in clouds in the abovedescribed manner, the system has a de cided advantage in another respect.! Heretofore all action in such scenes hadj to be performed below the horizon lire,! or else when the sky portion was duped I in, the action would cross over the blen 1line. As can be understood in this ntwj process, the "cloud" is in reality perJ fectly transparent so the action can be through the cloud area, the appearance being on the screen that the action is n front of the cloud. Of course a suitable I plate must be used where filtered sky! areas do not come over the action. I Every kit includes several plates of this! nature for use where the action is re-! quired to fill most of the screen. Figures 13 and 14 are examples of! this type as well as an example of the' type of plate used where buildings and trees cross over the horizon. In Fig. 13 1 the action has ridden from the distant right well into the foreground as in Fig. ' 14. Figure 15 is likewise an example in which the actor is well up into the sky area. In these illustrations I have used clips from various tests we have made because they show examples of the ! scenes as they actually were without clouds, as in Figures 1, 4 and 7, as well as comparison frames after the clouds | had been put in. Figure 2 shows the beautiful setting that can be made i f Fig. 1; five and six are creations from , Figure four. Figure six likewise shows how foreground objects may be incorporated for composition where needed. Eight and nine are variations in mood of Figure seven. Where dark objects, such as the masts in Figure eight run into the filtered sky area, no "ghosting" is apparent though live action could not be used in the sky area of this particular plate. In a plate such as Figure 12, action can be placed well towards the top of the picture. A plate such as this can be used for close-ups, thus keeping the cloud formation consistent with the extreme long shots. Please observe in all except Figure eleven, which has been made purposely out of balance, how the effect of distance is realistic and how the "clouds" appear to be actually behind the trees and buildings of the distance. Figures ten and eleven show a balanced and unbalanced scene respectively. WThile these are two densities of the ' same negative, Figure eleven would be satisfactory if a neutral density filter control were placed on the lower half. Figure eleven was photographed at about 2 P.M. The same density plate would be valuable without control later in the day, when the sky would be much brighter. While these few examples in no wise show the full limits of the process, they should convey some of its possibilities. For example it is quite possible to use the same principle wnth blue-toned or blue-dyed transparencies for color-photography as my Kodachrome movies well testify. The only draw-back to employing it with Technicolor at present is the inability to use wide angle lenses and 342 July, 1941 American Cinematographer