American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1952)

NEW COLOR DEAL ( Continued from Page 206) sparkling fall afternoon — so genuine that you can feel it — at a memorial ceremony in Ottawa. On the deck of a naval cutter pushing out into Vancouver’s Strait of George, you smell fog rolling in from the Pa¬ cific and see the ugly gray haze of fine rain. And up in the cold Laurentian Mountains you are smothered in bluishwhite snow as you follow the royal visitors on a one-horse sleigh ride through a frosty wonderland. Finally, in by far the most dramatic and excit¬ ing sequence of the film — which, of course, was arranged by nature, with the cameramen eagerly on hand — you stand by as the leavetaking couple board a tender in Newfoundland’s Portugal Cove and go off in a howling sou’easter to reach their ship across a sea of storm-lashed waves. We cite these stunning manifestations of climate, weather and time to point up the wide range of sensuous and dra¬ matic stimuli that color can provide — a range that has barely been suggested in most of our previous color films. Actually, this happy demonstration is not altogether due to the much greater “latitude” inherent in the new Eastman color process used — a process that works on the principle of exposing one color negative (which is not only more sensitive but more mobile), from which positive prints are made. It is due, in some part, to the pressure under which the cameramen worked, being forced to shoot stuff under circumstances at which the veteran color camera man would scoff. For instance, the scenes in the Laurentians — the sleigh-ride scenes men¬ tioned above — were shot in complete desperation by the chief lensman, Os¬ mond Borradaile. He figured the weather was so terrible that he couldn’t get a thing, but he had some film in his camera so he shot it anyhow. They say that he practically fainted when he saw the beautiful prints that came from the lab. Th is is, of course, the lesson that di¬ rectors and camera men must learn — to reach for effects with color in full con¬ fidence of the responsiveness of their film. Whereas, in average outdoor shoot¬ ing, they wait for conditions to be ideal (or regulate them with false lighting), the demonstration has now been made that they can actually look for poor conditions in which to capture shades of atmosphere and mood. Control in the studio is one things and is not to be scorned, by any means. We have seen some handsome examples of the dramatic use of color on the WlUe ho*. ^betalLi Above efyUpsfteed cuu+ilaMle jpsi irtunediaie delivesuf SALES • RENTALS • REPAIRS ★ ★ CAMART TV MIKE BOOM Rear handle for directional mike control. Sturdy 13' extension arm. Entire unit folds to fit in your car. OPTICAL FX UNIT and PRISMS For 16mm, 35mm, and TV cam¬ eras. Will reproduce multiple images in rotation. Excellent for TV, animation, or film commercials. ★ CAMART TRIPOD Lightweight friction head tripod for semi-professional l6-35mm cameras. Smooth, well-balanced pan and tilt action. Rigid leg locks. ★ CAMART BABY DOLLY New advanced glide steering. Plat¬ form for assistant and accessories. Adjustable swivel seat. Rigid clamps for tripod legs. For tripod, baby tripod, and hi-hats. Size 35 x 46 inches, it comes apart. * CAMART CAMERA DOLLY Professional motion picture or TV camera dolly. Two seats for operator and assistant. Geared lift for smooth operation of boom arm from 26" ter seven feet. 30" width wil go through standard door. Weight 350 pounds. Easily transported. * CAMART BLIMP for ARRIFLEX 35mm CAMERA C AM ARTKADI SC H BLIMP Geared follow focus control. Reflex viewing through the blimp eliminates parallax problem. 110 volt 60 cycle single phase sync motor. Geared footage counter. Accepts cam¬ era with 400' magazines. CAMART PRODUCTS the com€fifl •mitfiT inc. MOTION PICTURE AND TV PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT 1845 BROADWAY Phone: Circle 6-0930 NEW YORK 23, N. Y. Cable Address CAMERAMART