Proceedings of the British Kinematograph Society (1931)

Mr. SERLE: Is it an essential characteristic of three-colour processes to show all the colours brighter than they normally appear. Mr. THORNE BAKER: No, I think where the colours are brighter than they are normally, the explanation is that the spectrum has been divided into watertight compartments. Mr. L. Rowson: Arising out of Mr. Ross’s question, the usual practice in black and white photography is to over-expose to soften the shadows ; is it possible to do this in the colour process ? Mr. THORNE BAKER: If it is over-exposed altogether it would appear soft and grey, or flat; you get the same thing in this process, but the truth of the colour rendering is maintained except that the hues may be rather too light. Mr. L. Rowson: I mean over-exposing to the extent that the thing becomes just flat enough to soften. Mr. THORNE BAKER: I do not think we have had enough experience of camera work; ours has all been laboratory work. One or two of the film people have told us that we do not know what could be done with this process if we worked in a big studio, with their technicians. Mr. Hopcson: Was there any special type of make-up or just black and white make up in the interior shots ? Mr. THORNE BAKER: No special make-up, but we are beginning to experiment with it. That is going to be a special study in itself, but up to the present the girls have all had on make-up in the ordinary way. Mr. Watts: Is Mr. Baker still using non-flam stock ? Mr. THORNE BAKER: Yes. Mr. Warts: Is there any trouble as regards peeling ? Mr. THORNE BAKER: No, not now. Some of the shots you have seen in this special piece have been shown 200 times. Mr. S. Rowson: Is the non-flam film an integral part of your process ? Mr. THORNE BAKER: No, we can use nitro stock just the same. Mr. VINTEN: Dealing with the printing proposition. Is there aay difficulty in keeping the print in correct register with the negative due to the additional thickness ? Also is there any difficulty in keeping the lines in strict register ? Mr. THORNE BAKER: There is no question of lack of register. The only thing being that with a lens of very wide aperture, F'/2, we have to focus critically ; the matrix and the silver image being in optical contact, there can be no question of any displacement. Mr. Hupson: Do you have any difficulty in balancing your colour rendering for interiors and exteriors? In sunlight the colours are brilliant, but any diffusion would bring your colours much duller. Have you any process by which you can balance your results ? Mr. THORNE BAKER: I think I can answer that best by giving an idea of the routine test of our stock. It is tested first of all on a colour chart in the studio, and then the colour chart and the man holding it are taken out into the daylight; the daylight filter is used and the shots taken again, and | do not think it is possible to tell one from the other. We know that as the sun goes in and out the whole colour scheme changes. Mr. Hupson: Arising out of that—we have heard that you use a daylight compensating screen; that is something. The next point, we know the value of light, and when using incandescent lamps we get a strong light, and the light seems to be yellow. Now we are getting colour it seems to me we are going to get more and more complicated. It is a point worth considering as to whether you are going to recommend a definite system of lighting and lamps with your screens. ~ Mr. THORNE BAKER: One of the things I am hoping to raise later on is the fanchromatic carbon ; with it you may have to introduce some type of colour filter. With colour I think when the public have become used to natural colour films, they will demand them as they have demanded sound films, and I think the unfortunate colour men will have to put up with the extra work. Mr. PHILLIPps: Can you correct, in printing, errors in exposure ? Mr. THORNE BAKER: It is, I think, best to develop a small piece of film first, as it is desirable to get exposure and development co-ordinated so that you get the best results in the master. 10 = 2