Cinematographic annual : 1931 (1931)

50 CINEMATOGRAPHIC ANNUAL Eventually, two revolutionary technical developments made the incandescent light imperative. The first of these was the development of panchromatic film. In this type of film, the sensitivity is not only in the blue end of the spectrum, but extends far into the yellow and red. So it was soon found that inkie light was far more efficient with this film than was either the arc or the vapor tube. The second innovation, which followed close on the heels of the first, was sound. When the microphone appeared on the set, it demanded absolute silence — and the arcs sizzled and sputtered very loudly, while the Mazda bulb was, once it was warmed up, completely silent. Therefore, as sound pictures became the rule, the incandescent light became, perforce, universally accepted. This acceptance was given grudgingly, The more pictorial the set, the easier it is for the cameraman to secure pictorial compositions and lightings. but as time wore on, and we became more and more accustomed to using inkies, we found that they were, after all, a real improvement. Therefore, even now that the arc has been satisfactorily silenced, very few cinematographers have returned to their use. The superior tool has won out, aided, perhaps, by a surprising lethargy on the part of the arc makers, but principally because it is the tool best suited to modern conditions. Today, although we are only at the beginning of the really scientific design of lighting equipment, we have a greater variety of lighting tools to hand than ever before. In the old days, aside from the Cooper-Hewitt banks, we had our choice of single and twin-arc broadsides, spotlights and baby spotlights, and two or three large