International photographer (Feb-Dec 1929)

Ten The INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER September, 1929 (Continued from I'ag-e 8) not mean that recording is a simple matter; it merely means that they have been endowed, by nature, with voices of the satisfactory quality, their diaphragmatic control is naturally developed and speech has been habituated to correct spacing and articulation. The hopeful point, however, is the fact that what one may have naturally, others may acquire by training. It has been claimed that the photographic system requires less training than the wax method. At present this is hard to prove, for we hear good and bad from both systems; and usually, those who record well on one system are equally good on the other. And further, if we study the matter closely, we may find that those who record poorly are usually at fault on the stage. Let us not delude ourselves into the belief that in recruiting our talkie talent from the stage all will be perfect material. Great ability is rare — it is this fact that accounts for our celebrities, and they are few compared to the number engaged in the profession. We accept the fact that the elocutionary training of the stage is a great asset but it must submit to the tricks in the art of recording, and that a mastery of these tricks will also improve the mother art of stage reading. Let us urge those who are ambitious in the new field of talking pictures, not to take too lightly the matter of recording, but to make a serious study of it. Let them take well to heart Hamlet's famous instructions to the players; then may we hope to maintain all of the modern realisms and have clear, distinct and audible records. Photography The sound-proof booth (the dog house) has placed a restraint upon the cameramen that we cannot minimize. His difficulties and discomforts are so increased, that we notice, with apprehension, an attitude of indifference to the higher Mights of his art. When he emerges, exhausted and perspiring, from his hot box, he seems satisfied with the mere idea of having gotten the scene "in the box.'' We feel that with the continued use of "the dog house," that there will be a radical change in organization of the camera force. The man in the booth has so many things to worry about that it is almost impossible to correctly direct the lighting, and the lighting is the foundation of good photography. This difficulty is also aggravated by the necessity of having numerous cameras on the set, in which case it requires a very skillful artist to arrange the lights equally well for all cameras. Shooting through the plate glass is another source of trouble. It is impossible to get a perfect focus over the entire picture. Only that portion is sharp where the rays of light enter the lens at right angles to the surface of the glass. Here we have a complication of the laws of refraction and reflection. The accompanying diagram (Fig. 1), shows how this occurs. We may readily see that the error is greatly increased on pan shots. This trouble might be corrected, to some extent, by adopting a spherical glass, as in Fig. 2, formed on a radius equal to the distance from the glass to the center of the panoramic base. The so-called "Blimp" (the portable soundproof covering) does not offer much relief to the cameraman, nor any correction to the matter of refraction, especially those designed with the glass on an angle, as in Fig. 3. Besides the problem of refraction, the brilliance of the picture is impaired by the light being reflected from both surfaces of the glass, which tends to smear the highlights and destroy definition. Panoramic and derrick shots are verv expensive, both as to time in arranging and cost of construction of the apparatus. They also entail additional building of set area. What is more important, we doubt very much whether these moving shots are pleasing to the public. We have seen a few instances where they have been employed effectively, but generally, they are uneasy to view, very disconcerting, and wasteful of footage that might be better employed. We feel that they are a reversion to early practices that were quickly discarded by those of better judgment. Freak set-ups, also, are not pretty and without value in two dimensional photography, and have the fatiguing effect of shifting the spectators around in unnatural places which they cannot locate geographically. Standard Dimensions The sound track has encroached upon the picture area to a very awkward extent. The Movietone frame and the 70 luded 'age 1 'J) iut C^arboiis f on Your C< ast National Photographic Carbons maintain an even balance of light and shade between actors and walls of set ■ light has penetrating by no other form of Light struck from permits flexibility in because their power equaled studio lighting, these carbons illumination. For night work National White Flame Photographic Carbons (hard light) will give light identical with sunlight. For a given amount of illumination, a minimum of power is required. National Panchromatic Carbons (soft light) produce a soft orange colored light rich in red, orange, and yellow-green rays, especially suitable for all panchromatic emulsions. /•'. //'. Murnau and Karl Struss directing a scene with Janet Gaynor and George O'Brien for "Sunrise," a W in. Fox production. Brown Ashcrajt High Intensity Spotlights boosting daylight National Photographic Carbons White Fla??ie and Panchromatic NATIONAL CARBON COMPANY, Inc. Carbon Sales Division, Cleveland, Ohio Unit of Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation New York, N. Y. Pittsburgh, Pa. Branch Sales Offices Chicago, III. Birmingham, Ala. San Francisco, Calif.