Home Movies and Home Talkies (Jun 1932-May 1933)

204 HOME MOVIES & HOME TALKIES IS 8mm. wanted ? PROS AND CONS OF THE NEW SIZE By the Editor NOTE : The two pictures of film shown are actual enlargements from a piece of the new Kodak 8mm. film obtained by " Home Movies " from the Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, N.Y. WIDESPREAD interest has been aroused by the announcement made in our September issue of the new Cine-Kodak Eight — an ingenious new attempt to popularise home cinematography. The basis of the new .system is a film 16-mm. in width which is exposed in two halves. First of all a series of pictures, half the normal width and half the normal height, is made down one half of the film, after which the reel is reversed in the camera and a second strip of pictures taken down the other side. At the processing station the film is developed and reversed in the usual way, and then split down the middle, the two ends being spliced together to make a continuous film. Single Side Perforation Tlie film when ready for the projector thus has half the normal 16-mm. width and perforations on one side only. A 25-foot reel of film for exj50sure becomes a 50-foot reel for projection, and, having twice the number of pictures to the foot, is equivalent to 100-feet so far as screen time is concerned. There is obvious economy in the use of the film, and both cameras and projectors using this system are now on the markets of the United States and Canada. For England ? As exclusively announced in the September is.sue of Home Movie.s, the Kodak Company contemplate placing this apparatus on the British market next year, when both cameras and projectors will be British made, and if the prices in England are comparable (allowing for the difference in exchange) with those charged in the United States we can assume that the cameras will be sokl at about £10 and the projectors either £10 or £30, depending upon whether they are " popular "or " de luxe " models respectively. At the present time 100 feet of ordinary panchromatic film costs 26/-, and if the new fihn is priced in England on the American basis the 25-foot reel (ecjuivalent to 100 feet of standard so far as time is concerned) will be sold at about 10/-. Owing to the fact that they take 25-foot reels instead of 100foot, the cameras are very neat and compact, and in order to allow for the much greater magnification necessary a special fine grain emulsion is used. This, then, is one side of the picture. We see the advantages of compactness of apparatus and low cost of apparatus and film. What are the disadvantages ? First of all there is the serious disadvantage of introducing a new substandard size. The special film for the Cino-Kodak Eight is not, as one might be led to expect on first considering the idea, merely the normal .size of 16-mm. film with a finer grain emulsion. In point of fact its only resemblance to the ordinary 16-mm. film is that it has the same width, for it has been found necessary, or desirable, to use double the number of perforation holes so as to retain one perforation per frame. Thus, unlike A Royal Anachronism ! Queen Elizabeth taking a 9]mm. film at the Barnes Charter celebration those amateurs who use either the 9^ or 16-mni. standard films, the 8-mm. user is confined to one make of film of the rever.sal type, and the positive and negative method (available in the present sizes) is denied to him. Any departure from existing standards brings about distribution problems, and it must not be forgotten that it has taken some years for the present substandard sizes of film to become generally available. Secondly — and probably this is the greatest disadvantage of all — the 8-mm. user must buy a complete new outfit, both camera and projector. Having puichased the projector he will be strictly confined to his own films, films taken by fiiends on the same size apparatus, or library films specially made on the new size. The splendid 9J and 16-mm. libraries will be barred to him unless he goes to the expense of buying other projectors, and, further, he will be confined to a relatively small size of projected picture owing to the fact that the picture area on the film is a quarter of the size of the present 16-mm. picture area and appreciably less than half the size of the Oi-mm. picture area. The price of the film, too, is not, as might be expected, a cjuarter of the present 16-mm. price, but only a little less than half. What Is New? The idea of taking four pictures in the same area as one picture on 16-nim. fihn is not new and was adopted by the Kemco Company some time ago. A description of apparatus submitted to us and our test report was published in our August issue. The method of taking down one side and up the other and then slitting the film is, however, quite new. Kemco incidentally uses standard film, and the projector can be used at will for either normal 16-mm. or the special size. Trade Protests We have dealt with this matter at some length owing to the number of letters we have received from readers and the trade protesting against the introduction of a new size, thus further complicating the hobby. " If the Kodak Company really want to add to the popularity of home cinematography," writes a prominent amateur, ' " may I suggest as pioneers in the 16-mm. film market they give a a lead by reducing their prices ? There is obviously something wrong when by using the positive-riegative method I can obtain 200 feet of processed fihn (one positive and one negative) for the same price as 100 feet of reversal film. Either the positive-negative film is too cheap or the reversal film is too dear, and I have no doubt in my own mind as to which is the case." A Dealer's Views " As a photographic dealer with a steadily growing clientele of amateur einematographers in this neighbourhood," writes a dealer in the Midlands, " I feel I am not alone in protesting (Continued on page 213)