The Cine Technician (1938-1939)

July-August. 1989 THE C 1 X E T E C H N I C I A N 41 graphic quality in every respect. That, rather than mere speed, is what makes the new film such a tremendous improvement ! EASIER TO SEPARATE PLANES L. WILLIAM O'CONNEL, A.S.C.: Lighting is easier with the new film than with the old. The film itself now does half the work of separating the different planes of your picture. People stand out more clearly from their backgrounds. Even separating the planes in close shots — the little matter of keeping a coat lapel from blending into the background of the garment — of giving and illusion of depth to faces and figures — is easier with the new film. Far less backlighting is needed. The film itself does half the work backlighting used to do. As a result, we get more natural-looking pictures. GAETANO GAUDIO, A.S.C. : It was one of the luckiest things that ever happened lor me that Plus X came out when it did. I was just about to start "Juarez" — one of Warner Brothers' biggest films. It seemed just made for the new film — highly pictorial, and all through it called for dramatic, low-key lighting effects. 1 had just enough time to test the new film adequately and then step right into production with it. I'm getting more beautiful results with this new film than I ever got before on any film. 1 don't think 1 ever received so many compliments on "rushes'' before. Lighting the new film, you've got to be sure of balance— but you cm do what all of us have for years wanted to do : you can come down to almost natural lighting levels. And in low -key shadows where on the old film you saw just a heavy mass of black graininess, now you see a r,:.al shadow . AUTO KINE' CAMERA MODEL "D" TURRET FRONT FOR SHORT AND LONG FOCUS LENSES Special Features: 1. The Turret Front is fitted with 1 , 2, 4 and 9 inch lenses and can be rotated when the 1 inch lens is set at infinity. 2. Automatic Film Crip which releases the film on starting the mechanism and clamps it on completion of the exposure. 3. Supplementary Finder Lenses on the front of the camera at once placed in position when the focus of the lens is altered. The Finder is compensated for Parallax. 4. Two Reflex Focussing devices are supplied. One on the right enables exact focussing to be done before revolving the front, the other on the left shows the actual image on the film. The Lenses are also scaled. All lenses are fitted with hoods and filter holders. 5. Price with I in. and 2 in. f/1.9 Ross Xpres, 4 in. f '3.5 Ross Xpres and 9 in. f/5.5 Ross Teleros, filter holders and reflex focussing device £275 net cash JAMES A. SINCLAIR & CO., LTD. 3 WHITEHALL, LONDON S.W.1 Tel.: WHItehall 1788 'Grams: Oraculum "Pari," London A good meter, like the General Electric, is a big help in keeping your lighting balanced. On most shots, I keep my key light at about 50 foot-candles. On the old film, I'd had to use 150 or 200! NEW FLUORESCENT LIGHT This means smaller, lower-powered units. With the old film, I'd use. say, a Junior for my keylight, and fill in with Baby Junior. Now I use Baby Juniors for my keylight ! Those lamps and the new film were just made for each other! In fact, the smooth beams of all those Fresnel-lensed Solarspots are ideal for the new film, because they don't give you any "hot spots" or shadows to worry about. The electrical department has rigged my sets with the usual 18's and Juniors, all equipped with half-sized globes for the new film. But even in the long shots I haven't had to use but about a third of the units available. In the closer shots I'll have perhaps one or two overhead spots in use, and do the rest of my lighting w ith Baby Juniors and heavily-silked broads on the stage floor. On low-roofed stages I've had to turn out the ceiling work lamps when I was shooting. Using these smaller units it's easier to put the light just where you want it. Doing it with baby spotlights you can get your lamps into places where they'll do the most good — even in cramped quarters where you could never put a bigger lamp. W e've developed a marvellous new lamp for giving a soft front-lighting on close-ups of women. It is a fluorescent-tube lamp that looks something like the old CooperHewitt tubes we used years ago, but much smaller. It employs a new fluorescent mercury vapor (Continued on next page) UNITY THEATRE Goldington Street, St. Pancras, N.W.I Telephone: EUSton 5391 FROM JUNE 1st HARVEST IN THE NORTH By J. L. HODSON Produced by Andre Van Cyseghem "Direction excellent . . . imagination and deep feeling . . . excellent set and admirable lighting" — Reynolds News NIGHTLY, except Mondays at 8.30 ADMISSION: 1/-, 1/6, 2/6 fir 3/6 BOX OFFICE OPEN 10.30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Admission is to members, and members of affiliated organisations and their friends only. The Association of Cine-Technicians is affiliated, and any member may purchase Tickets. Individual membership costs 1/ a year, plus 1 / for a share on joining