The educational screen (c1922-c1956])

Page 346 The Educational Screen (Concluded from page 344) Several of our questions have been answered for us in your column, and by our students who have really been thinking about this business longer than I have. It was they who discovered from a local dealer that color film is going to be more plentiful from now on; at least he has some in stock now. So the Club wants to do our first film in color. I've heard, though, that this is more difficult to work with than regular film, and wonder whether we ought not to limit ourselves to the most simple process, and whether the effect of color would justify the greater difficulty involved. I ran into quite an argument when I suggested this, and finally agreed to submit it to you for "arbitration," as one of your questioners last year expressed it. You may not want to discuss this in the magazine, but we would certainly appreciate your advice. Answer: On the premise that the man-power shortage is nation-wide, and on the chance that there may be other "drafted" women club advisors in a similar position, we will venture to present our discussion publicly. The questioner's use of the adjective "naive" reminds us of the comment made some years ago by a noted professor of educational psychology when, in a question-and-answer period toward the end of his course, he read this question: "Does the use of alcohol really affect the emotions?" His reply (which he later developed scientifically) was, "Who- ever asked that one has never been on a 'party'!" We hope this won't be misinterpreted. It is quoted here only because it can readily be paragraphed to read, "Who- ever asked that has never used color film." Color film, properly used, is so beautifully gratifying in its results that it would seem amply to overcome any possible objection to it based on the grounds of difficulty. Actually, if a few basic principles are observed, color isn't very much more complicated than black-and-white. But before going into this any further, let us go on record as recommending that a couple of hundred feet or so of the cheapest obtainable film be used in careful experimentation in order to gain the "feel" of the camera, and an understanding of its potentiali- ties and limitations. Try various types of shots, and ob- serve the different effects of each, and overcome the temp- tation to "pan," for example. This should be done no matter what kind of film is used for the picture itself. With that advice registered, we will list a few precautions of importance in using color film. It's chiefly a problem of exact exposure, and this should be checked constantly and carefully. Outdoors, under sunny, cloudless sky, the chart supplied by the manufacturer with each roll of film is reliable, but by all means use an exposure meter if you have one or can beg or borrow one( stealing is not recom- mended). If it is an "open and shut" day, i.e., where the sun is frequently obscured by clouds, the meter is prac- tically essential. The real difficulty with color film is that it has little latitude, and the exposure must consequently be exact. Even a slight variation in light can make an im- portant difference. Indoors, with artificial lighting, it is virtually impossible, especially for a novice, to estimate the exposure required, charts or no charts. Usual instructions call for flat lighting, i.e., with the light directly on the scene, flooding all parts of it with equal intensity. This is probably good advice for the cameraman making his first film, although actually more artistic effects can be secured with a little practice, through the use of high-lighting, and a certain amount of shading. The danger is demonstrated by the fact that if one were to photograph the back of a person facing the sun, the lens might have to be opened as much as two stops more than would be correct for an exposure of the subject's face. Another common error with indoor color work is that of trying to cover too wide an area. Concentrate what lights you have on a relatively small area, probably not more than ten feet square unless you have an unusual bat- tery of light, and don't try to include anything on the fringes of this area. (One advantage of this is that it de- mands close-ups and medium close-ups, which are too often lacking in "first films.") Also, it is wise in most cases to have enough light on the background to brighten it a little; otherwise the contrast may be so noticeable as to be dis- tracting and make the scene appear artificial. A single photoflood reflector focused directly on the background is generally enough for this. And by all means avoid a mix- ture of photoflood and natural (sun) lighting. Utilize one or the other. A mixture will give you off-shades of blue or orange which will inevitably spoil the scene. This suggests the matter of filters, which we hesitate to mention because it is a frightening word to some beginners. Since you don't say what kind of film your dealer has in stock, we'd better simply point out the fact that there are two types of Kodachrome film: Type A, or "indoor" Koda- chrome, which is used with artificial lights without a filter, and "Regular" Kodachrome, as it is commonly called, which is designed primarily for use out-of-doors without a filter, but which may be used indoors with a filter. Our advice is not to try to use "Regular" Kodachrome except outdoors, for it is most difficult to get sufficient light indoors to make its use feasible in most instances. Your easiest method if you have two cameras is probably to use one with Type A film for your indoor work, and the other "regular" film for your outdoor work, and ignore filters completely. If this is not possible, and you can get Type A, use this, and get the proper filter from your dealer for your outdoor work. Out-of-doors, for general scenes, the camera can be handled exactly the same as with black and white film. Perhaps we'd better stop right there. It's basically as simple as that if you avoid working under variable lighting conditions; and if you use your exposure meter before every shot, and are sure that all of your subjects are included in your exposure reading, you won't go far wrong. If there is some contrast in the reading, as, for instance, between green and white objects, both of which are to be included, compromise on the median, i.e., half-way between the two exposures indicated. Your results will amaze you if you haven't used color before. The film performs the inagic, not you or the camera; all you have to do is give it the right amount, and just the right amount, of light to precipitate the miracle. Later on, to be sure, you'll want to experiment a bit, but not in your first film. (The above answer is based on experience, but experi- ences vary, and some readers may disagree with our advice. If so, we hope they will present their arguments so that we may pass them along.)