International projectionist (Jan-Dec 1957)

THE CONTRAST range of the tele' vision system is severely limited as compared to that of a color motion picture on a theatre screen. The color film can reproduce a contrast range of about 100 to 1, whereas a color television picture on a home receiver is limited to about 20 to 1. Color film produced for television use must be made with this limitation firmly in mind, or the quality of the reproduction we finally see on the color TV receiver is a far cry, indeed, from the quality which the color television system is capable of reproducing. It is for this reason that the subject lighting contrast must be kept lower for color motion pictures made for TV than for those made for theatrical presentation. Unless this is done, a severe tonal compression results, which eliminates shadow detail in the televised reproduction and seriously degrades picture quality. Ideally, lighting ratios of 1% to 1, or 2 to 1 at most, should be maintained unless special lighting effects are desired. The color television system, presenting a smaller picture and possessing considerably lower resolution capabilities than the theatre screen, requires that long shots, busy backgrounds and small detail be used sparingly. Close-ups are emphasized and "tightened" in films for TV use, in order to obtain sufficiently fine detail. Illumination levels must be kept high enough to allow stopping down the camera lens for adequate depth of field. Color Limitations The color television system is an additive system, not a subtractive system. Thus, instead of generating color by means of dyes which subtract varying amounts of red, green and blue from the white light, it generates red, green and blue light by means of phosphors on the face of the color picture tube, combining these primary colors in the proper amounts to reproduce a scene. The green and blue phosphors are quite good for color quality. The red phosphor, however, is far from ideal; it emits red light which is too orange in hue, and lacking in saturation. This makes for weak reds, and distortion of hue and saturation of colors containing reds. Also, the light sources used for projecting motion-picture film for television trans Motion Pictures an Color TV Color film, which is apparently the answer to TV's current problem, has long been the acquaintance of the projectionist; here, a discussion of its application. mission, known as film "scanners,'' use phosphors which suffer from similar deficiencies. We are not trying to say here that color television is bad color, or that color film is good color. As we have already noted, color distortions are inherent in all color films and processes. But the distortions inherent in color television and those inherent in color film are different, and affect the final color reproduction of a scene in a different manner. Color television is limited in brightness, and can reproduce saturated colors only at relatively high brightness levels. Conversely, color film has a much greater brightness range, but can reproduce saturated colors only at low brightness levels. Thus color film and color television are in a sense incompatible, for their color gamuts only partially overlap. This situation can be improved greatly by an electronic masking technique. Nev tFrom "Elements of Color," SMPTE, NYC. The Southern Gesture In spite of certain comments lately about Confederacy conduct at Gettysburg, The South Shall Rise Again. Latest example of cotton-belt ingenuity was the action taken by 41 owner-exhibitors in Memphis. A local ordinance permits licensed projectionists and theatre managers in projection rooms during show times, but not owners. Rather than ask a change of law, the valiant 41 took the written and practical tests for licensed projectionists. As new license-holder M. A. Lightman, Jr., Malco executive, puts it: "We owners thought it a good idea to be able to go into the booth legally." To the Memphis owners IP extends a rousing chorus of "Dixie." ertheless, if a color film is properly planned and photographed for television presentation, a much better reproduction will be brought to the TV screen. High-key lighting results in the most consistently pure color reproduction. Low-key lighting is far less predictable for color, and tends to give a muddy reproduction. Uniformity of lighting in the "playing area" of a screen is essential for television, for small variations in illumination can result in exaggerated deviations in the fidelity of color reproduction. Colored lighting effects must be used carefully, as they often make a black-and-white TV picture from the color film very confusing. Kinescope Recording Motion-picture film is used by the television industry not only as a source of original program material, but also as a means of recording television programs for later transmission. In the first instance, live action has been photographed and reproduced on film for television transmission, just as it is photographed and reproduced on film for theatrical presentation. In the second instance, film is used to photograph a television reproduction of live action by photographing the images on the "face" of a TV picture tube. This yields a photographic copy which can be used for later TV broadcasts. Such photographic copies are known by various names such as kinescope recordings, television transcriptions, telecine recordings, etc. The use of kinescope recordings has had a tremendous impact on blackand-white television programming. It has enabled small, non-interconnected stations to transmit big network programs at time periods most suitable to their own operation; and it has permitted sponsors and agencies to enjoy a certain amount of freedom in scheduling their shows throughout various sections of the country, as required by time-zone differences or the needs of regional advertising campaigns. Kinescope recordings are also vital to the operation of network programs which must be broadcast at a specific time in each time zone. Let us suppose that a program must be "on the air" at 7:00 p.m. across the country, and that the program originates in Hollywood. It is broadcast live at 4:00 p.m. Pacific time for New York reception INTERNATIONAL PROJECTIONIST • JUNE 1957 13