Home Movies (1942)

HOME MOVIES FOR NOVEMBER • Snow scenes are among those most frequently over — or underexposed. But they can be salvaged and made screenable by simple reducing or intensification processes. my i. , I'll. tunim. \fash n. S/J'' ' ^ o^e over umutk or under 'exposed iliot^ [N important thing often overlooked by the movie amateur is the fact that an over or under-exposed scene, if it was shot on panchromatic film, need not become a total loss. It can, by the processes of reduction or intensification, be restored almost if not entirely to normal. Unfortunately, this is not possible with Kodachrome; but with black and white film, if one or two scenes — or even the entire roll — turns out over or under-exposed, the film can be made screenable and by the amateur himself. While we purposely avoided detailing the extensive routine of processing reversal film in the preceding article (October issue), we do not hesitate to set forth here the simple home procedure by which any amateur can salvage his exposure mistakes. While it is true that the processing laboratory takes care of some of the amateur's errors in exposing film, it is understandable there must be some limits tc the corrective ability of modern automatic processing equipment. And if a W film is greatly over or under-exposed, the laboratory' can only partially correct it. When a roll of film is received and you find the most important scene of all is under-exposed, you can clip it out of the roll, go into the kitchen or b-throom. and with the aid of a few chemicals, a developing tray or suitable substitute, subject the film to corrective treatment. The treatment given the film is termed reducing. There are a number of prepared reducers on the market, but the formula most popular and easiest to handle is "Farmer's Reducer." It consists of the following ingredients and should be prepared immediately before using as it decomposes rapidly after mixing together the A and B solutions: Solution A ^'ater i Oz. (32.0 cc) Potassium Ferricyanide 15 grains (i.ogram) Solution B ater —-3 2 Ozs. (i.o liter) Hypo I Oz. (30.0 grams) Where only short lengths of film such as individual scenes are to be reduced, a developing drum or rack such as used in the reversal process is not necessary'. Instead, two photographic trays are all the equipment required — one to hold the reducing formula and one for the washing water. Where regular photographic trays are not available, two glass refrigerator trays or deep china or porcelain kitchen utensils will serve the purpose. Prepare the film to be treated by subjecting it to a thorough wetting in clear cold water. As soon as the film has been soaked sufficiently, prepare the reducing bath by mixing solutions A and B together in the second tray and immersing the film at once. The film should be constantly agitated while in the solution. It should be inspected frequently to determine when reduction has reached the desired point. Then film should be removed to the tray of fresh water and washed thoroughly before drying. The mixed formula, of course, will have to be destroyed as it cannot be stored successfully. However, the solution already prepared and in the tray will treat more than one strip of film, providing the work is done all at once. New solution will have to be added only where the process is prolonged and the solution becomes too weak to perform within the customary time. To correct an 01 er-exposed scene or section of film, an entirely different formula must be used, although the process of treating the film is practically the same. Let us take one of the badly over-exposed scenes which we deleted from a roll of film sometime ago and correct it. We'll give it a bath in a compound intensifier solution which should bring the image up to as near normal as possible depending upon the extent of over-exposure. Placing the film in a tray of cold water, as before, we allow it to soak thoroughly. This bath in cold water is absolutely necessary in order to completely soften the emulsion to allow quick and even penetration of the intensifier solution. The following formula is the only • Continued on Page 439 428