The international photographer (Feb-Dec 1929)

December, 1929 The INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER Twenty-one Multicolor Coming Fast Multicolor has outgrown its swaddling clothes and stands forth as a definite achievement in cinematography. This color process is attracting immense attention among those producers who see in color, not only one of the refinements, hut one of the essentials of up-to-date motion picture production. It is first of all a simple process and any cameraman can use it with little instruction. It enables every cameraman to be a color cinematographer, using his own individual equipment. He can use either his Bell & Howell or his Mitchell to photograph with Multicolor, only a slight change in the camera being necessary. This is of immense advantage to all concerned as it does away with the necessity of purchasing new equipment or of junking that already in use and, when one realizes that the cameramen of Hollywood own upwards of half a million dollars worth of photographic equipment, it is therefore, evident that the new process makes for the greatest economy. For use on distant locations the Multicolor process is especially desirable as it is fool proof, economical, efficient and does not require any unusual treatment in the laboratory. In Multicolor colors are faithfully recorded and a contributing factor to the success of the process is its ability to photograph interiors with but little more light than is needed for monochrome photography. And a most important point to consider is the fact that with the Multicolor process sound can be recorded from the film itself. With the voice, or music or sound effects the result on the screen is identical with black and white. The sound track is an integral part of the film itself, is colored and is protected with a transparent coating which prevents abraisions and scratches to the sound track as well as to the picture itself. Credit for the technical development of Multicolor is due William T. Crespinel, whom Rowland V. Lee and William J. Worthington, owners of the process, have backed consistently for the past five years. Quite recently Crespinel has perfected what is called the Multicolor Rainbow negative. This negative makes it possible to produce color with normal black and white lighting equipment. This is of tremendous importance to the industry when it is realized that heretofore other color processes have required from four to ten times as much light as is necessary for black and white photography. By special treatment of the film, Multicolor has succeeded in obtaining perfect results at eight times normal speed. This makes possible the use of color in analysis of motion and gives to Multicolor the same range of use as employed in black and white. The process also permits the same sharp definition as secured in the use of black and white. This is because the process secures color by the conversion of the original silver image and does not employ the additional stamping of dyes on the positive print, which, of course, tends to blur and destroys the clearness of the resultant picture. If the original negative is sharp in the taking, the Multicolor positive must be, and is, equally sharp. Inasmuch as the basic chemicals used result in combinations of blue greens and orange red, Multicolor pictures possess a great color range. Multicolor's colored sound track is patented. It permits the supplying to the producer of his daily rushes in both sound and color. People who have heard it state that the blue sound track permits of as fine a sound rendition as anything done with the black and white track. Any of the present sound reproducing systems are equally adaptable to the Multicolor process. Variable area, variable density and disc recordings are used. President Alvin Wyckoff, of Local 659, has entered into a working agreement with Multicolor covering both production photography and educational and commercial work and in order to be prepared to handle color in sound as well as black and white his having his extensive photographic equipment remodeled to accommodate the Multicolor process. o MULTICOLOR QUESTIONNAIRE Q. 1. What type of motion picture camera is used in photographing by the Multicolor process? A. Either Mitchell or Bell and Howell cameras are used, both of which are considered standard equipment throughout the motion picture industry. Q. 2. What lenses can be used in making Multicolor negatives? the shortest focal length which is 25 mm. to the largest telephoto lens made. Q. 3. Can Multicolor lap dissolve from exterior to interior and what changes are necessary to the camera? A. Multicolor can lap dissolve from exterior to interiors. No changes are A. Lenses of the shortest focal length which is 25 mm. to the largest telephoto lens made, necessary to the camera. Q. 4. What filters are used in making Multicolor negatives? A. No filters are used. Q. 5. Since no filters are used, how are the Multicolor color negatives obtained ? A. Two negatives are used in the camera, one recording the blue-green and the other the red-orange end of the spectrum. Q. 6. Is it possible to obtain dramatic lighting effects in Multicolor? A. Yes, Multicolor uses a very low key of interior lighting, thus making it possible to obtain light effects. Q. 7. Is it possible to make double exposures in Multicolor? A. Double exposures are made the W. T. CRESPINEL GOD HAVE MERCY ON US! This is the title of a book by William T. Scanlon, member of Local 666, I. A. T. S. E., of Chicago, 111., recently off the press of Houghton Mifflin Company; price $2.50. This book was one of the two war novels awarded a prize of $25,000 by Houghton Mifflin and the American Legion Monthly. Mr. Scanlon writes his experiences as a member of the U. S. Marine Corps and his narrative is an eye-opener to those who did not get their war at first hand as this boy did. Many were there but how few have the ability to tell the story as the genius WILLIAM T. SCANLON of Scanlon tells it. The reader does not merely read, he goes to the war with Scanlon, sees what Scanlon sees, experiences the same emotions that move Scanlon and comes through with the conviction that of all the institutions of mankind, war is the silliest, the most revolting, the most unprofitable, the most destructive to morals and the greatest deterrent to the normal evolution of the race. "God Have Mercy On Us" indeed if we are to have many more wars such as Scanlon shows us. This book will doubtless prove to be an illuminant on the subject of war and as such will be one of the constructive factors that we venture to hope may in time lead to that hitherto theoretical state of affairs called peace. By all means read "God Have Mercy On Us." The book is priceless and in the opinion of the writer the most valuable of the war "novels" so called. Members of Local 659 are proud of the fact that Scanlon is a fellow cameraman and an affiliant of the I. A. T. S. E. May his tribe increase. same as with black and white photography. Q. 8. Can Multicolor make action in slow motion? A. Analysis of motion pictures up to eight times normal speed have been made by Multicolor. Q. 9. What negative footage does the Multicolor magazine carry? A. Each Multicolor magazine holds 1000 foot of screen length film.