American cinematographer (Aug 1936)

336 American Cinematographer • August, 1936 NEW SUPER CIXEGLOW x« THREE ELEMENT Heeortiiitff Lamp A true, high fidelity, ultra violet, moduiating light source. • High Intensity Expos- ure. • Long Life. • Uniform Quality. Blue Seal Sound Devices Incorporated 723 Seventh Ave. New York. N. Y. CAMERAS FOR COLOR We just finished adapting 6 Cam- eras for Color. Our machine shop is thoroughly equipped for pre- cision work. Bring us your special problems. Fried Camera Co. 6150 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, Calif. Don't 00iBe»H Write S.O.S. I Exceptional values offered every day by S. O. S. in equipment for STUDIO-RECORDING PROJECTION Cr LABORATORY Brand new 16mm Sound-on-Film and silent cameras, printers, projectors, amplifiers. A few barsains on used equipments also available. Send for lists. Get our new 90-paKe catalog Place your name on our mailing list now! S. 0. S. CORP., 1600 Broadway, N.Y.City “World’s Largest Mail Order House’’ REFERENCES—Any bank in N. Y. SArillFH E Variable area single system sound cam- sra complete—all accessories—perfect condition. Write, wire or cable for prices and particulars. Motion Picture Camera Supply, Inc. 723 Seventh Ave., New York City Cable: CINECAMERA Recording Machinery Holly woofi >lof ion urc Kquipiiiont Fo. 645 Martel Ave. Cable Artreeves Hollywood, California frequencies present, all sounds repro- duce with greater naturalness. The quality that differentiates one person's voice from another's is more evident; the sibilont-sounds no longer hiss like an angry snake. Speech and music are rounder, more lifelike. Ultra-violet light is equally advan- tageous in printing the sound-track; in- deed, the RCA engineers recommend its use. As in recording, the only change involved is the use of a small filter, which eliminates the slight fog which occurs in the printing operation. Since the printing beam is usually parallel, rather than a focused beam, there is rather less of this to contend with in printing, but it is always well to moke the print as nearly as possible a perfect copy of the original negative. And printing on ul- tra-violet recording by ultra-violet light results in a measurable improvement in print quality, and hence in the quality of the reproduced sound. It would ap- pear, incidentally, that the use af ultra- violet light in printing might offer a field for fruitful research in processing picture-film, as well as it has in hand- ling accompanying sound. Ultra-violet recording is applicable to either the earlier types of recorder or the most modern "High Fidelity" and push- pull types. Extending the usable fre- quency-range as it does to 10,000 cycles or more, it admittedly pushes the quality of sound that can be put on film beyond the capacity of many older re- producers. But since more and more theatres are re-equipping with modern "High Fidelity" and "Wide Range" sound systems, the commercial need for better recording is growing steadily. And, as the RCA engineers point out, even on an indifferent phonograph, a really good record always sounds better than a poor one. William Mellor Wins Rating With Oldsters Continued from page 328 in any other picture, Mellor's long steep- ing in practicalities of prevailing pro- duction carried him safely over trying handicaps on the set. Fields was ill. The moment the final scene was filmed, he departed for the hospital. It meant that his energy must be conserved. Through the picture, Mellor never called upon him to stand before the camera for final lighting. Yet so complete was Mellor's mastery of the situation that screening betrays no indication of this lapse from usual pro- cedure. More, there were no second takes for photogrophic protection. Technically ond artistically, every scene had to be perfect without recourse. Functioning under this uncommon pressure, Mellor sped negative into the laboratory day after day with scarcely a delay attribut- able to the star's indisposition. About to be previewed is his preced- ing effort, "Son Come Home," a story of heavy dramatic content. And so we see him, in the course of a few weeks, expressing his versatility in drama to comedy to operetta—all productions of major listings. Surely, an exposition of creative flexibility! Beyond a full comprehension of the tools of his trade—the mechanics and chemistries of cinematographic composi- tion—lies Mellor's conception of the duty of motion picture photography. It must be of technical merit to con- form with studio standards. It must be of pictorial merit to answer artistic de- mands. But it must, over all, contribute to the story's recitation. It must un- obtrusively play a strong supporting role in enhancement of story, star and set- ting. It must bid for no curtain calls. For, as he puts it, photography the pub- lic sees is poor photography regardless of all other considerations. This true and broad conception of the cinematographer's role leads him to im- part the indefinable quality of fine en- tertainment value to pictures he makes. Which item, in the final analysis, is the commodity studios are fashioning. His photography does not play to the grandstand. Oppositely, it is never of rubber-stamp variety. And no reviewer has yet pilloried it with the awful ad- jective—"adequate." Shooting Thrills Has Its Exciting Moments Continued from page 330 description. We headed for it and man- euvered the navy plane into shootable position. It was a breath-takingly gor- geous scene. It was of beauty to make audiences gasp. I started my camera and signaled the navy pilot to release the sandbag bombs. Nothing happened. Again I signalled, frantic- ally. No response. The planes flew out of the setting. Then I noticed the navy pilot gestur- ing, pointing downward. I turned my eyes down and found out why he had not released the bombs as instructed. He was squarely over the business dis- trict of Honolulu! This some picture contributed my