The Educational screen (c1922-c1956])

Page 146 The Educational Screen Among the Producers The Koddchrome Process By DR. C. E. KENNETH MEES P ROM the very beginning of photography, experi- ' menters have tried to make photographs in color in- stead of in monochrome, and numberless processes have been put forward for that purpose. The ideal process would be one in which the color picture would be as easy to take and as certain in result as the monochrome picture is, but until now no color process has ap- proached that ideal. With the new Kodachrome process it is as easy to take 16mm. color pictures as it is to take 16mm. black and white pictures, and the percentage of good results obtained is as high. All practical processes of color photography depend upon the division of the light into three components, red, green, and blue-violet. Pictures are taken by these three components and are then combined by some method in order to give the finished color picture. In the Kodacolor process, the color separation is ob- tained optically. In the lens of the camera is placed a multiple color filter composed of the red, green and blue units and the tiny lenses embossed on the film make multiple images of the three units on the film emulsion. In projection, the same three filters are placed on the lens and a color picture is obtained on the screen. A multi-color image in the form of micro- scopic colored strips is projected and reproduces the THE ^ ^W| CHALLENGER ' , An outstanding practical utility : ^i^ ^ for the class or lecture room. A ,^,, .'! x^i.^.trvX. This is then over-coated with a separating layer of gelatin containing some dye to act as a filter. Above this is coated a green-sensitive emulsion. This is over- coated again with another separating layer. Finally, there is applied a top coat which is blue-sensitive. When a picture is taken upon such a film, the three components are automatically separated in the depth of the coating. The red component is formed in the red sensitive emulsion nearest to the base, the green component is formed in the middle layer of emulsion, and the blue component forms the image of the top layer. In order to obtain a color picture with this film, all that is necessary is to transform each component image of the negative into a positive image consisting of a suitably colored dye. This is accomplished by an extremely complex processing system. The images in Where the commercial firms—whose actlvifles have an Important bearing on progress In the visual field— ere free to tell their story In their own words. The Educational Screen Is glad to reprint here, within nec- essary space limitations, such material as seems to have most Informational and news value to our readers. the three layers are first developed, as with ordinary black and white film, and then by a series of treatments the images in the three layers are transformed into pos- itives formed in the dye. The whole of the silver salts are removed finally, and the image consists of three superimposed dye pictures. The process is the invention of Mr. Leopold Man- nes and Mr. Leo Godowsky, Jr. As a result of col- laboration between them and the Kodak research lab- oratories for a number of years, a task which at first appeared impossible was achieved and the Kodachrome process is the result. Previously, color in photography has involved sacrifice; more light was needed for taking the photographs, it was difficult to get sufficient depth of focus, some definition was lost, it was only possible to project pictures on a small screen because of the loss of light in projection. In spite of these disadvantages, motion pictures in color have been very much appreciated, but their use has always been limited. The ordinary amateur motion pic- ture has been in black and white, and only when tak- ing conditions were favorable and when projecting con- ditions were not too exacting could color pictures be used. With the coming of the new process, amateur motion pictures will be in color. There is no need any longer for us to pretend that the world is in mono- chrome and to represent the glorious colored world in which we live by a gray ghost on the screen. New Department Created by RCA Mr. G. K. Throckmorton, Executive Vice Presi- dent of the RCA Manufacturing Company, an- nounced the creation of a new Visual Sound Prod- ucts Department, headed by John K. West, as Manager, to handle the sales activities in connec- tion with 16 millimeter sound-on-film amateur mo- tion picture cameras. 16 millimeter sound projectors, for school, home and industrial use, slide-film mechanisms, and sound advertising trucks. At the same time, announcement was made of the estab- lishment of branch district offices for the promo- tion and sale of visual sound products in New York, Chicago and Hollywood. Mr. E. F. Kerns is in charge of the New York District, with headquarters at 411 Fifth Avenue; Mr. C. S. Kernaghan is in charge of the Chicago district, with headciuartcrs at 111 North Canal St.; and Mr. Mark Smith, is in charge of West Coast activities in this field.