American cinematographer (July 1930)

JVIoviQ JVIaking, O WW*j by WILLIAM STULL, A. S. C. D OUGLAS Shearer, A.S.C., recently remarked to the writer that one of the besetting ills of professional sound record- ing was that far too much attention was being paid to the equipment used, and far too little to the technique of its use. He might easily have said the same thing about amateur cine- matography. All of us know of individuals who consider them- selves amateur cinematographers by virtue of possessing de luxe outfits representing investments of hundreds or thousands of dollars for cameras, lenses, and accessories, but who cannot to save their lives produce an even passably photographed scene. They have, apparently, everything imaginable to work with, yet they cannot produce anything to show for the time and money they have spent on their hobby. What, they wonder, can be the cause of this? Why is it that they cannot do as well with their wonderful equipments as their neighbors do with their cheap, motographic Brownies' 1 The answer is simple. Though they may have every ac- cessory that money can buy, they have not the two vital ones which it cannot purchase: Common Sense and Experience. The Priceless Accessories These two accessories, though intangible, are like jewels of great price. They cannot be bought, but without them suc- cess in any activity is impossible. Of the two, Common Sense is the most valuable, for with it one can easily gain useful experience. Applied to the field of cinematography, common sense dictates that advancement should be made slowly and logically—step by step toward the desired goal. Above all, no new step should be taken until every previous step is fully mastered. If you cannot make satisfactory animated snapshots, it is futile to attempt the more artistic cinematic endeavors. If you have not mastered light- ing and exposure with the simple, fixed-focus lens with which your camera was originally equipped, you will be merely wast- ing money by having a faster focusing lens fitted. If you have not mastered the technique of normal exposure-frequencies and normal-angled lenses, you have no business trying to use slow- motion mechanisms, or telephoto lenses. If you cannot get a good black-and-white picture, you should not expect to get a good picture in natural colors. We must all creep before we walk, and walk before we can run. The First Step The first thing to be mastered in any form of photography is proper exposure. In cine cameras, this should be simple, for two reasons. In the first place the emulsions coated on ama- teur film allow a very great deal of error to be made without noticeable ill effects to the picture. In the second place, prac- tically every 16 mm. camera has somewhere upon its surface an excellent guide to exposures for most subjects. If only these guides be followed, correct exposures will be had in most cases, and, where there is a slight error, the latitude of the film will automatically compensate therefor. But if you feel yourself in need of further help in computing exposures, there are several accurate exposure-meters which will measure the light for you, and provide you with the exactly right exposure for every condition you may meet. But if you prefer not to spend the extra ten or fifteen dollars which these meters cost, common sense can soon bring experience to your rescue. Think it over carefully: upon your camera you have an exposure-chart that is exact enough for all general use; in your head you have a brain, equipped with the faculties of memory and judgment. Now, is there any reason why you cannot use the guide the camera-maker has supplied you to so train your memory that by experience you will learn to judge exposures with at least reasonable accuracy? A further help is recalling that the exposure must be gov- erned by the amount of light reflected from the objects photo- graphed, and the color of that light. To the ordinary film, blues and lavendars reflect the most light, then the yellows, and, lastly and least of all, the greens and reds. Therefore, if your background is, for instance, dark green shrubbery, it will want slightly more exposure than if it were a creamy stucco wall, and still more than if it were a brilliant blue sea or sky. Furthermore, the colors of the figure or figures being photo- graphed will also influence the exposure needed. A dark-dad figure against a dark background, for instance, will demand more exposure than a light-colored one against the same set- ting. This suggests, too, that it is advisable to try to have some tonal contrast between the figures and their background. Lastly, remember the famous old adage, “Expose for the shad- ows. and the highlights will take care of themselves." Where Does the Light Come From The second step to be mastered is simple lighting. The di- rection from which the light falls upon a subject is vitally im- portant. Perhaps the easiest demonstration of this difference that may be suggested is to stand before a mirror, and watch the effect upon your own features of light coming from different angles, as you move a single bulb from side to side, and from front to back. The same effects are obtainable with a camera and daylight, save that instead of moving the light you must perforce move your subject. We all remember that the in- struction books that came with our first “Brownies” told us that we must always have the sun behind the camera. This rule does not apply in the case of cine cameras. Instead, its cine- matic equivalent is that the sun should be over the cinematog- rapher’s shoulder. This makes the light strike the subject obliquely from the front and side. It is the most useful light- ing for most purposes. A straight side-lighting is sometimes good, but it is inclined to give a harsh effect, with overly deep shadows on the dark side of the face. For the same reason, an absolute top-light is undesirable, for the shadows it casts are most unattractive. Likewise, a pure front-light, though it casts no shadows, is to be avoided, for it gives an effect of flatness, and robs the picture of character. Now, most cinema cameras are equipped with good-sized lens- hoods, and they can therefore be used with lightings that are normally verboten for the average still camerist. Back-light- ings, for instance, are highly effective. The light may strike the subject from almost any rearward angle, so long as the direct rays of the sun are kept from the lens by the lens-hood, or by some other natural or artificial shade that does not in- terfere with the picture itself. In such cases, however, the ex- posure must be calculated to be adequate for the shadowed por- tions, and, as usual, the highlights will take care of themselves. But light can be controlled, and the result obtainable with controlled lightings are far and away superior to the ones natu- rally obtainable. The instrument by which this control is ef- fected is a reflector, a very simple device consisting of a large square of light-colored material, placed so that it throws back the light into the shadowed parts of the subject. The simplest form of reflector is a sheet of white cloth—it may even be a literal bed-sheet. This will serve acceptably, but its reflective power is not of the best; a better reflector can easily be made of plywood or compo-board, enameled white, or coated with aluminum paint. This is the so-called “soft” reflecter, which gives a nice, diffused light that is adaptable to most purposes. The “hard” reflector is a similar surface coated with burnished tinfoil or aluminum leaf. This reflects a far greater percent- age of the light falling upon it, and gives in consequence a stronger illumination, and a more marked beam. It is more (Continued on page 36) 29