American cinematographer. (1939)

— the little matter of keeping a coatlapel from blending into the background of the garment — of giving an illusion of depth to faces and figures — is easier with the new film. Far less backlighting is needed. The film itself does half the work blacklight¬ ing used to do. As a result, we get more natural-looking pictures. GAETANO GAUDIO, A.S.C.: It was one of the luckiest things that ever hap¬ pened for me that Plus X came out when it did. I was just about to start “Juarez” — one of Warner Brothers’ biggest films. It seemed just made for the new film — highly pictorial, and all through it called for dramatic, low-key lighting effects. I had just enough time to test the new film adequately and then step right into production with it. I’m getting more beautiful results with this new film than I ever got before on any film. I don’t think I ever received so many compliments on “rushes” before. Lighting the new film, you’ve got to be sure of balance — but you can do what all of us have for years wanted to do: you can come down to almost natural lighting levels. And in low-key shadows where on the old film you saw just a heavy mass of black graininess, now you see a real shadow. A good meter, like the General Elec¬ tric, is a big help in keeping your light¬ ing balanced. On most shots, I keep my key light at about 50 foot-candles. On the old film, I’d have had to use 150 or 200! New Fluorescent Light This means smaller, lower-powered units. With the old film, I’d use, say, a Junior for my keylight, and fill in with Baby Juniors. Now I use Baby Juniors for my keylight! Those lamps and the new film were just made for each other! In fact, the smooth beams of all those Fresnel-lensed Solarspots are ideal for the new film, because they don’t give you any “hot spots” or shadows to worry about. The electrical department has rigged my sets with the usual 18s and Juniors, all equipped with half-sized globes for the new film. But even in the long shots I haven’t had to use but about a third of the units available. In the closer shots I’ll have perhaps one or two overhead spots in use, and do the rest of my light¬ ing with Baby Juniors and heavily-silked broads on the stage floor. On low-roofed stages I’ve had to turn out the ceilingwork lamps when I was shooting. Using these smaller units its easier to put the light just where you want it. Doing it with baby spotlights you can get your lamps into places where they’ll do the most good — even in cramped quarters where you could never put a bigger lamp. We’ve developed a marvelous new lamp for giving a soft front-lighting on closeups of women. It is a fluorescent-tube lamp that looks something like the old Cooper-Hewitt tubes we used years ago, but much smaller. It employs a new fluorescent mercury vapor tube developed by General Electric, intended originally for house lighting. It gives a very soft blue-white light. Used for a front light for faces it is wonderful how it irons out wrinkles. The tube is big enough — about two feet long and two tubes are used in each lamp — so that the lighting seems to come from all directions — front, top, sides and underneath — giving a perfect, shadow¬ less foundation light. These tubes couldn’t be used with the old film. They are rated at only 20 watts: they don’t give enough light to pick up on ordinary emulsion! But they are per¬ fect for the new fast films. Build From the Shadows THEODOR SPARKUHL, A.S.C. (just commencing “B'eau Geste”): Since I’m only beginning my first picture on the new film I don’t feel I can say much about its use. But it seems logical to me that it may change our method of lighting back to something like those we used some years ago. That is, first lay down a foundation of soft general lighting, and build up the halftones and highlights from this rather than the other way around. VICTOR MILNER, A.S.C.: The new fast film is without doubt the most im¬ portant photographic advancement in a long time. The cinematographer has to be far more alert using the new film — • in making “Union Pacific” I’ve worked harder than ever before in my life — but the results on the screen, in terms of better, more expressive photography, are worth it. But I think that if we limit our think¬ ing about the new film to the relatively simple fact that we can use less light we are missing half the possibilities of the new emulsions. Flexible Technique We’ve got a film which needs less light for an exposure. Using smaller globes to put less light on the set is only one way of putting this quality to work. With the ordinary film we developed a technique of altering the key of our lighting to match the dramatic mood of the action. With the new film we can add to this idea, making the camera more expressive than ever. For instance, the other day I had a scene in an old-time western saloon and dance hall. It was a big set, bright and full of picturesque action. Using the new film, that scene could have been lit with half the light I actually used. But instead, I used what would be about a normal lighting for the old film — and compensated by stop¬ ping down my lens. That way I gained in depth and crispness in a way that enhanced the mood of the shot. At other times, I felt it best to lower my lighting level and keep my lens rather well open. This gave me softness and a naturalness better suited to that par¬ ticular action. And when the action calls for such things the possibilities of the new film for effect lightings seem endless. For this reason I feel that any attempt to set down rigid rules for lighting the new film is wrong. It can close our eyes to opportunities the new film offers for making camerawork more expressive. We’ve always prided ourselves on the thought that cinematography is as ex¬ pressive a medium as a great orchestra. This new film widens that expressive¬ ness. It makes it possible for us to run the scale between extremely soft, naturalesque low-level lightings (50 footcandles or less), shot with full lens apertures, to the opposite extreme of higher-level illumination (perhaps as high as 200 foot-candles or more) ex¬ posed at greatly reduced apertures for a new and greater depth and crispness. But we must keep ourselves mentally free to use these opportunities to the full, playing each scene visually for its best dramatic values. 50 Foot-Candle Level CHARLES ROSHER, A.S.C. (working on a large, stage-built exterior set for Warners’ “Hell’s Kitchen”): Just look around you, if you think this new film isn’t fast. This is lit for a full daylight effect: but the highest light intensity is only 50 foot-candles by my G.E. meter. It comes from that H. I. Arc spotlight over there — nearly 100 feet away. With the old film it wouldn’t pick up. With Plus X it will do so strongly. The rest of the lighting graduates downward from this 50 foot-candle level. Working at these low levels, a meter is a tremendous help in checking the fine distinctions in illumination between high¬ lights, halftones and shadows. I’ve noticed one little detail which should be watched in using Plus X. Greater care must be used on “goboing off” lamps. If they are not shielded care¬ fully, stray rays which in the past could be ignored will have a visible effect on the new, faster film. For instance, you see that “sky pan” illuminating the backing at the side, 35 or 40 feet from the action? Light escap¬ ing around its reflector is definitely help¬ ing illuminate the players down here. On small sets, the lighting units used must be much more selective, and better shielded, than before. The increased speed of the film must be watched if you are working with people with ruddy or florid complexions. It accentuates those red tones. Grant Mitchell, who is playing in this film, has worked successfully without make-up in many films I’ve photographed. But in this one, due to the way the new film accen¬ tuates his natural coloring, he is wearing make-up for the first time. All of these things are of course de¬ tails. But speaking more broadly, this new film, if one is alert and utilizes not only the film but the improvements avail¬ able in modern meters, lighting equip¬ ment and so forth, opens up the way to a lasting improvement in cinema¬ tography. 70 American Cinematographer • February, 1939