Motography (1912)

76 MOTOGRAPHY Vol. VII. No. 2. The finished negative is now cut up into 200 feet lengths and sent to the printing room. The 200 feet length is the standard length of stock furnished by the manufacturers, and all of the film is kept in that length by the motion picture manufacturers until it is ready to ship to the film exchanges ; then it is spliced together, making 1,000-foot reels. There are two types of machines used for printing the positive films from the negatives. The stepping printing machine is similar to the projecting machine, in fact printing may be done on a projecting machine. The negative and raw positive films are placed on separate reels and are fed into the machine together. An incandescent light is placed above the window corresponding to the aperture of the projector. In passing this window the films sides are together, and the negative is placed on top so that the light will shine through the negative upon the positive. There is an intermittent movement and a framing device so that the intermittent may be adjusted. From the printing machine the films pass into the takeup reels. In the continuous printing machines the films pass in a steady motion from the feed magazine to the take-up. Consequently, the continuous machine prints very much more film per minute than the stepping machine but is not as accurate. The positive print is then developed and washed similar to the process above mentioned for the negative. When dry the prints are carefully inspected and the 200-foot pieces are spliced together into 1,000foot reels ready to ship. Many manufacturers stain parts or sometimes the entire 1,000 feet of film. This is accomplished by putting dye in the last rinse water or the glycerine bath. The coloring of films may be done by hand or by machine. The old fashioned, or simple method is to color each picture of the print by hand with brush and water colors. The process may be improved by the use of a stencil. This stencil is made by cutting out all of the parts of the picture to be colored one color. A separate stencil must be made for every color to be used. This stencil is placed over the positive to be colored and the color applied. In this way more film can be colored per hour. In coloring films by machine separate stencils are made as described above for each color. The stencil is placed on top of the print and they both pass over a sprocket. A belt covered with colored ink runs over the top of the sprocket coloring all of the print exposed through the stencil. A separate stencil is required for each color, and the film must be run through the machine as many times as there are different colors in the finished picture. Waterproofing film is accomplished by applying a substance resembling celluloid over the emulsion. This protects the delicate emulsion from becoming scratched or injured by water. After waterproofing both sides of the film are glossy and resist the action of tiny particles of dust which usually cause rain on the soft emulsion. Waterproof film may be washed in water by hand or by special machinery to remove any dirt or grime which has collected on it. In this way the film may be kept clean and like new. Trick pictures are not as plentiful as they were a few years ago. This is partly due to the trouble in taking them, and in trying to improve the standard of the industry the motion picture manufacturers have eliminated them. Nevertheless, everybody enjoyed the old-fashioned zig-zag chase and objects running backward. Action on the film may be reversed by turning the camera bottom up on the tripod, or by using a special printing machine which causes the negative and positive films to move in the opposite directions. In turning the trick handle or the main crank of the camera slower than the regular rate, fewer pictures are taken per second, and consequently, when the pictures are projected upon the screen at the regular rate the action is very much faster. Ghosts, dreams, and dissolving views are used quite frequently at the present time. Ghosts are made to appear on the film by exposing the negative twice before developing. Only light figures can be introduced on dark backgrounds in this way. When dark objects are to be introduced on a white background the effect is produced by double printing. Two negatives are required. In printing the stock is run through the printing machine separately with each negative. Everyone is familiar with the dummy type of picture in which just before the accident the camera is stopped and a dummy substituted. By the various tricks which can be enacted with the camera and in developing many beautiful and miraculous effects can be produced in motion pictures which are utterly impossible upon the regular stage. CARE OF THE FILM. Considering the nature of film and the use to which it is subjected, it is surprising that film can be obtained in such good condition as we usually receive it. The speed with which it is necessary for the operator to handle the film excuses him to a certain extent from the damage that it receives while in his hands. Still by the use of a little judgment and care films would remain in good condition much longer than they usually do. The "rain" on the film which is so disagreeable to everyone is caused by particles of dust settling on the soft emulsion of the film, and when the film is rewound and pulled down, as is usually necessary, the dirt is ground in and plows fine furrows through the emulsion producing the rain effect. Dirty sprockets and guide rollers also damage the film to a certain extent. The guide rollers on the magazine trap and those resting upon the sprockets should be kept clean. Dried emulsion accumulates very rapidly on them, especially when running first run film and in passing over the rollers the film receives the full benefit. Almost all of the sprockets are now made with hollow centers so that the film touches the sprockets only at the ends. In this way much of the scratching is eliminated. In rewinding if a little tension is applied to the reel being rewound, it will not be necessary to pull down on the film to get it all on the reel. But when the operator is turning the crank of the projector with one hand and the rewind with the other, as is too often necessary during rush hours, it is impossible for him to rewind properly and he is generally thankful to get the films rewound at all. Therefore, it seems that the only remedy is to make the reels larger so that 1,000 feet can be wound on a reel even if it is done loosely, or to put less than 1,000 feet on a reel. The operator should use a little care in applying oilto the machine and not on the film. When running first run film it is not necessary to saturate all the sprockets and springs with oil ruining the film. Take a cloth that has been dampened with oil and rub the springs and sprockets with it. Before running a film the operator should see that it has three or four feet of leader or blank film at the beginningof the reel before the title and a two-foot tail piece at the end. When a new reel is sent out by the exchange it usually has a header about two feet long.