American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1959)

INSTANTANEOUS FILM PROCESSOR Processes motion picture film os it is shot and readies it for projection for closed circuit television vie\A/ing in less than ten seconds. By JOSEPH HENRY A REVOLUTIONARY NEW motion picture film processor was introduced for the first time at a public showing June 1st at the Roosevelt Raceway in New York. The Instant Film Processor, a development of the J. A. Maurer Company of Long Island, N. Y., processes motion picture film instan¬ taneously and simultaneously with the photography. For the initial public demonstration, a ballet dancer was photographed in action with the processing unit attached to a Maurer 16mm camera. After shooting for approximately two minutes, the resultant film — photographed and process¬ ed — was rewound and viewed on closed circuit television. The film was shown at normal speed, slow motion and stop¬ ped on a single frame. The demonstration greatly impressed racetrack officials at Roosevelt Raceway who long have been interested in motion picture recording of race events. In the accompanying photo, the Instant Film Processor is attached to a 16mm Maurer camera. In operation, after the film is exposed, is proceeds directly into the processor compartment instead of to a takeup reel in the camera. Exactly how processing and drying takes place is something the developers wish to keep secret at this time. Frank Kelly, Sales Manager of J. A. Maurer, Inc., who explained the mechanics and features of the processing unit at the demonstration, said ability to process film simul¬ taneously with the photography eliminates costs and the de¬ lay of laboratory development and provides an invaluable time-saving factor when filming spot news breaks. The shooting-processing process takes about nine seconds from the time the film is exposed on the focal plane of the camera until it winds up, fully processed, on the equip¬ ment’s takeup spool. An alternative is provided in the final step so that the film can travel directly to the projector, instead of a takeup reel, so that twelve seconds after exposure, the photographed image can be viewed on a closed circuit TV screen. CINE SPEED INSTANT FILM PROCESSOR shown here mounted on Maurer 16mm camera, processes film as fast as camera exposes it. A closed circuit TV system is an essential adjunct to the processor for the use for which it was primarily designed — that of race track patrol photography. The film comes out of the processor fully processed to a negative, and rolls up on the takeup spool of the unit at the same rate it travels through the camera — either 24 or 32 fps. The film is projected as a negative on the closed circuit TV projector and electronically reversed so that the image becomes a positive picture on the video screen. In the initial demonstrations, Eastman Tri-X negative was used and the results show the remarkable potentials of the machine because Tri-X, although having good tonal quality, fine grain, and superior speed, is about the most difficult film to fix and dry. Picture quality is said to compare favorably with that of the average newsreel film, and the contrast range is ideal for television. The grain level is lower than racetrack film producers have been accustomed to seeing in photo patrol motion pictures, according to Richard M. Hanellin, Vicepresident of Cine Speed, Inc., which handles film recording at Roosevelt Raceway. Cine Speed sponsored and pioneered the Instant Film Processor ten years ago at the J. M. Maurer laboratories in Long Island City, and the company created the first night patrol film to be used in harness racing five years ago. The Instant Film Processor is jiortable and is designed to work with most motion picture cameras presently on the Continued on Page 434 JULY • 1959 429