The international photographer (Jan-Dec 1936)

Eighteen The INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER April, 1936 AMATEUR MOTION PICTURE SECTIOJH — -r-^— — HAMILTON RIDDEL, EDITOR Tinting Home Movies — Hoiv Nev) Beauty Can B< Added to the Black and White Films — By F. HAMILTON RIDDEL ONG recognized by professionals as a pleasing asset of the motion picture screen, tinted film is likewise worthy of attention by amateur movie makers. And once having witnessed the satisfying results obtained by a tinted print on the home screen, movie makers are made all too aware of one fact: In many instances, ordinary black and white films leave something to be desired. However, new beauty can be added, even now, to one's plain black and white subjects — thanks to color-tinting. Nor is this coloring of film, by tinting, "too technical" or "complicated." While it is not the purpose of the present article to encompass an exhaustive discussion of tinting methods, it does seek, rather, to point out the possibilities of tinted home movies. Procedure in tinting films, of course, will be dictated by the personal tastes of individual movie makers. And a reasonable mixture of imagination and care will yield worthwhile results. Tinted film is the type which gives the screen a single, over-all color or tint. For example, movies in pink, or green, or amber shades. The base of tinted film stock is colored, not the photographic image itself. Before the birth of the talkies, tinted film was extremely popular on the professional movie screen. For it built up certain "moods" and greater realism, in dramatic pictures; and added untold beauty to the screen travel short subjects. With the advent of sound-on-film, however, due to the exigencies of sound reproduction, this means of coloring film was dropped. "Cold," black and white shadows ruled the screen for some time. But tinted film eventually returned, more delicately tinted, to be sure, but none the less welcome. So it is that tinted film has continued with all its pleasing effects. Various tints may be used in coloring personal movies, the following list being merely suggestive: Amber — Air scenes; landscapes; for general subjects, both interiors and exteriors. Blue — Night scenes; moonlight and snow. Green — Water scenes; forest and woods; fields and gardens; and in some cases for "gruesome" effects. Lavender — Late evening; early morning; and hunting scenes. Pink — Scenes of babies; children; general sub jects; fireside interiors; sunsets; burning buildings or explosions. Red — Fire scenes; explosions; special effects. Yellow — Brilliant sunshine scenes; at the beach or on the desert. In making a decision of what tints to use, it is advisable to bear in mind that the lighter hues will give greater screen illumination. Darker tints, such as red, should be used sparingly. Selection of tints will therefore depend to some extent upon the power _of your projector lamp. One should next decide whether an entire roll of film is to have color imparted to it, or only certain sequences. Generally speaking, for the sake of variety (that quality which should be striven for) it is preferable to tint each distinct sequence differenly. Single subject reels, on the other hand, are more readily adapted to a single tint; such as light amber or pink. In more remote cases, only individual scenes might contain color. Color Wheel Wheel P.attieter;4 J/« Color Holes I /f " >R Tinting may be accomplished with any size or type of amateur motion picture film, although the method will vary according to the type of film being tinted. Familiar reversal film stock, being a single-film process (camera and projector film being one and the same) will require its base being dyed, after regular processing, in order to impart the desired color tint. Film laboratories can do this work, or if desired it may be done at home. In the latter case, simple tinting preparations are available together with instructions for use. Users of negative-positive, which is a two-film process, have somewhat the advantage over single (Turn to Page 23)