Home Movies (1944)

PAGE 282 HOME MOVIES FOR JULY • SHOOT — With negative-positive system of motion picture making, first step is to shoot the picture, using positive for the negative, or using regular 14mm. panchromatic negative film. • DEVELOP — Then develop the negative, same as developing roll film — its that simple. • PRINT — After editing the negative — if such is necessary — next step is to print the image on positive film for the projection print. This may be done on a regular projector that has been slightly altered for the purpose, or with a home-built printer made from a camera-mechanism as shown here. 10 IEIEIS.1L FILM? TRY NEGATIVE-POSITIVE WILLIAM T, HE negative-positive system of making home movies has many advantages, especially in these days of film shortage. More and more movie amateurs are turning to positive film for a large part of their shooting. Since it was discovered that there is more positive film available than any other type of cine film. With the reversal process there is always a great deal of uncertainty where the amateur undertakes to process his own film. It takes a lot of experience to produce acceptable results. Then, too, there is the rather large number of solutions needed for this process. Many amateurs do not have the facilities for mixing the various formulas necessary to the successful completion of the reversal process. Where the negative positive system is used one can enjoy all the advantages of reversed film without the uncertainty of the home reversal process. Only two solutions are needed, the developer and the hypo, both of which can be readily obtained in prepared form. These require only the addition of water to make a working solution. With the negative-positive system a film is exposed in the camera in the ordinary manner. The film is then developed in an ordinary fine grain developer and fixed. This produces a negative film in which all tones are reversed, that is, black becomes white and white, black. Thus far, the process is identical with the process of developing still camera film. The negative film may be edited by cutting out any unwanted scenes or frames. A positive print is then made from the edited negative on raw positive film stock which is then developed to a positive print and fixed. At the completion of these two steps the flim is ready for projection. One can make as many duplicate prints from the negative as desired. The process is exactly the same as taking a snapshot and de • Diagram at right shows method of converting projector to a printer. Regular projection lamp is removed or disconnected, and an auxiliary printing light source fitted into the lens holder. This must be light-tight, as shown here, so that only the film frame in the gate receives the printing light. BORNMANN vtloping and printing it, with the exception that with the movie film the positive print is made on film instead of paper. With a projector and a little ingenuity, anyone can use the negative-positive system. There have been numerous articles in the past in Home Movies dealing with printing and duplicating films by means of a projector, the most recent of which appeared in the May 1543 issue on page 147. There have also been articles on the construction of developing reels to handle the various lengths of film. If you do not have the time nor the inclination to process the film yourself it may be sent to one of the many film laboratories such as Superior Bulk Film Co., and Geo. W. Colburn Laboratory who specialize in this type of work. George Burnwood of the 8-16 Movie Club of Philadelphia did this when he scooped the newsreels on the wreck of the 20th Century Limited last year. He used positive film for his negative and very good results were obtained. Using the negative-positive system affords a lot more exposure latitude. Acceptable prints can be made from negatives underexposed as much as one and one-half stops or over-exposed two or more stops. Here, exposure latitude is equally as great as with the ordinary snapshot process. • Continued on Page 298 TDBE TO FIT PROJECTOR LENS / II V«TT evie T \ \ 1%' Oil. **p t»»MfTE» "MM-* LITE* SWITCH