International projectionist (Jan-Dec 1939)

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During these years of concentrated effort, the death rate from tuberculosis has been cut three-quarters 1 Yet, tuberculosis still kills more people between the ages of 15 and 45 than any other disease! No home is safe from tuberculosis until all homes are safe. The National, State and Local Tuberculosis Associations in the United States 5UY CHRISTMAS SEALS of 1933 were double what they were tor the first six months of 1932. Appropriation was made to increase tiie number of cameras under construction nom three to seven. The first test oi the three-component process on a very large set was lor Twentieth Century Fox on the closing sequence ot 1 tie House of Rothschild. Since Whoopee in 1930 Mr. Goldwyn and I had talked regularly each year about another picture in Technicolor, so that on one occasion Eddie Cantor asked me if I were coming for my annual ritual. This time it was the closing sequence in his Cantor picture, Kid Millions, which was another important early three-component insert. Pioneer Pictures finally settled on Becky Sharp as their hrst production of the series. Becky was a champion for hard luck. The original director, Lowell Sherman, was taken ill and died during the period ot photographing. He was succeeded by Reuben iVlamouiian. Unusual difficulty was encountered in the sound recording so that Mr. Whitney found himself in the ironically anomalous position of having produced the first three-component Technicolor feature, of having surmounted all the hazards of color, yet being in difficulty with an aspect ot the work which he had naturally taken for granted. During the 1935-36 season we were manufacturing in the neighborhood of 2% million feet of prints a month, which included a larger volume of Warner Bros, short subjects than ever before and about 40% of all MetroGoldwyn-Mayer short subjects. • British Affiliate Set A very interesting and important adventure in the history of Technicolor development was the organization of a British affiliate, Technicolor, Ltd. In 1936 the British laboratory was built at West Drayton, just outside of London, where it is now regularly operating to service British-made productions and prints of American-made productions for distribution in the United Kingdom. Generally speaking, these pictures have been extraordinarily well received, some of them having broken attendance records in many parts of the world. Thus Technicolor has met the second great rush into color with steadily improving quality of its product and a broadening range of service. It is the purpose of Technicolor, during the time that prints of any picture are being manufactured in its plant, to hold the laboratory open for and at the disposal of the customer as if it were his own. His representative may inspect each of his prints and any changes suggested will be undertaken if practicable. To do this he simply moves into the inspection room where each print before shipment is compared by simultaneous projection with a standard print approved by the customer for the purpose. William Wellman who has directed more three-component Technicolor pictures than any other individual, all of them successes, namely, A Star Is Born, Aolhing Sacred, and Men with Wings, has said repeatedly of Technicolor photography that he takes it in his stride, at substantially the same number of setups per day as black and white. It is noteworthy that most of the camera work is now done by cameramen in the direct employ of the studios. 9 Recent Color Developments About a year ago Technicolor established a department to contact exhibitors directly. Its representatives travel over the country to call upon exchange managers, theatre managers, and projectionists. The purpose has been to study projection and screen conditions at the theatre; to advise how to get the best results with Technicolor prints, to listen to complaints and establish good will, and particularly to obtain projectionist, manager, and audience reactions to productions in Technicolor. The results have beeu most gratifying: we have found that the public reaction to Technicolor pictures is extremely favorable and that exhibitors throughout the country are realizing more and more that Technicolor has great box-office value. Our experiences were marvelously interesting; it was great fun; we couldn't let anybody down, neither customers, employees, stockholders, nor directors. But there was something else too; there was always something just ahead, a plan for tomorrow, something exciting to be finished — yes, and something more to be finished after that; and I am willing to predict that it won't be finished for many years yet. The type of film which will be standard for natural color pictures ten years hence may not yet have emerged. I predict that within two years Technicolor will have done away with special cameras and be regularly employing single strips of negative through any standard motion picture camera, and that within two months for special purposes, and within six months for more general purposes, it will be offering to its customers a negative for use in its present cameras with from three to four times the speed of its present negative. That's why we cling so tenaciously; there's always something ahead; there always will be; our pride is enlisted; it's our job. Discussion: Mr. Crabtree: I have been wondering whether the usual methods of inserting backgrounds are being used with Technicolor. Were there very many background shots in Men with Wings? Dr. Kalmus: We do projection background work regularly. Mr. Crabtree: Is it as flexible as with black-and-white? Dr. Kalmus: Not quite, but sufficiently flexible to be very practicable. Mr. Wolf : I understand Technicolor will be available in a single film for use in 24 INTERNATIONAL PROJECTIONIST