Motion Picture News (Nov-Dec 1917)

December 8, 1917 ACCESSORY NEWS SECTION 4061 and that is the quality of the results as revealed on the screen. As some difficulty with regard to securing perfect definition is inherent in all color processes where sets of projected images must be superimposed on the lantern screen, it is gratifying to state that the Cinekrome results showed very good definition in most instances, although the definition with these methods which depend upon screen superposition is never equal to that of properly photographed and projected results of successive color processes or ordinary black and white cinematography. It can be said, however, that the definition of the Cinekrome pictures was more than passably good, and with the new camera which the company is building we have no doubt that they will realize the utmost in sharpness which the principle of their method permits. On the score of color rendition the inventors of Cinekrome have deviated somewhat from the usual course, and we are bound to say a very great ways from the theoretical dictates of two-color photography. We have not (ascertained the spectral transmissions of the Cinekrome taking-filters, but we have examined the projecting filters and the Cinekrome screen synthesis may be described as follows : The proprietors of the process have sought to secure faithful reproduction of flesh tints, i. e., the accurate representation of faces, etc., and have accordingly selected as their red filter a filter which is of a magenta or pink color (mixture of red and blue). The exact hue of this pink projecting-filter is such that in order to produce a neutral white upon the screen the (complementary) green filter used in conjunction is of a bright and almost pure green hue. The general result of this combination, as evidenced by the Cinekrome projections, is that complexions are very well reproduced, being free from any undue ruddiness, and other subdued shades are likewise pleasingly rendered. Greens are vividly evident upon the slightest provocation, due to the saturated hue of the green projecting-filter, while reds cannot be reproduced at all with the filters now under consideration, as the red filter is of a pinkish hue and no deeper red can naturally be reproduced than the actual color of the filter. This does not imply that other hues are outside the scope of the method, however, as by the employment of other projecting-filters any other range of colors within the scope of the two-color process may be approximated. The arrangement of the filters in the Cinekrome projector permits speedy interchanging or adjustment, and as this is a feature of some interest a few words in description may not be amiss. The mechanism of the projector is accessible for threading by opening a door on the operating side, as in the case of a Simplex projector. Attached to the inner side of this door and at right angles to the same is a rectangular metal frame having openings into which the filters (in the form of rectangular glasses or gleatincs) are slipped. Upon closing the mechanism door these filters are interposed between the light rays from the condenser system and the picture apertures, and we might also add that the revolving shutter of this machine, which is a double one (two shutters revolving in opposite directions), is also located between the condenser and the picture apertures. We consider that the devices used in photographing and projecting Cinekrome are very practical mechanisms and at a later and more feasible time will present an authentic and detailed account of the apparatus and operation of the Cinekrome method. Alfred S. Cory. Depth of Field in Cinematography rHE enlarging qualities of a photographic image depend upon the size of* the circles of confusion of which the image is composed, for it is well known that no lens reproduces a luminous point, or any point of a self-luminous object, as a. point in the image, but always as a disc of more or less sensible dimensions. These discs which, considered in the aggregate, form the picture or image cast by a lens, are known as " circles of confusion" and it is customary to state that if the circles of confusion of a photographic image are not larger than i/ioo inch in diameter the photograph will appear sharp when viewed in the ordinary way, and that when the circles of confusion are not more than 1/200 inch in diameter, a negative is suitable for enlarging purposes. Many cinematographers have taken 1/200 inch as a suitable diameter for the disc of confusion in motion picture work, although we long ago pointed out that this was nowhere near small enough Naturally such productions as The Birth of a Nation, Intolerance, Joan the Woman, and A Daughter of the Gods, were made on EASTMAN FILM The film that first made motion pictures practical, remains to-Hay a big factor in their success. EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, ROCHESTER, N. Y. . WHAT DOES Your Public Want? Primarily, a good story — well shown. It is easy to buy good film service, — your part is to show films to the best advantage. To do this, to draw and hold your public, you must have the best equipment, — good machines, a skilled operator, the right screen and tyausch |omb Projection [enses You'll find them standard equipment in the machines of the best-paying houses. You'll find them used exclusively by men who know. You'll find they mean clearer, sharper pictures, — bright-to-the-edge pictures, more brilliant, more lifelike pictures. That's why B. & L. Lenses are regularly supplied on Edison and Nicholas Power Machines, and why they are obtainable at all Film Exchanges. Bausch & |pmb Optical (p. 569 ST. PAUL STREET ROCHESTER, N.Y. New York Washington Chicago San Francisco Leading American makers of Photographic and Ophthalmic Lenses, Projection Lanterns (Balopticons) Microscopes, Prism Binoculars and other high grade Optical Products. If you like the " News," write our advertisers; if not, tell us.