Movie Makers (Jun-Dec 1928)

Home DEVELOPING and PRINTING THE average amateur will be satisfied to let film manufacturers and professional laboratories do the processing of his 16mm. motion picture films. For those amateurs, however, who insist upon doing their own work, the following method requires the minimum of equipment and will produce excellent results. Developing the negative is no more difficult than developing an ordinary "still"; the only complication is the length of film which must be handled. Reference to one of the books noted at the end of this article, or to the September, 1927, issue of Movie Makers, will give you the details for building a rack to hold the film during the developing process. I have found it advisable, however, to purchase a professional flat-tank developing outfit consisting of a spiral metal reel and three compactly nested tanks. These, while fairly expensive, are well worth the money in the end. These flat-tank developing outfits can be obtained in sizes to take 200, 100, 50 or 17-foot lengths of film, and they are accompanied by full directions. The world-famous "Number 16" formula is probably unexcelled for general use and the amateur would do well to stick to it for developing both negatives and positives — the writer always returns to it after flirting with other less constant formulas. Also, it is well to select one brand of negative and positive stock and stick to it. Here is the Number 16 Water Metol Sodium sulphite 5 Hydroquinone Sodium carbonate Potassium bromide Citric acid Potassium metabisulphite formula : 1 gallon 18 grains 1/3 ounces 352 grains lYz ounces 50 grains 40 grains 90 grains By W. Sterling Sutfin Foreign Publicity Manager Remington Typewriter Company THE OVER-ZEALOUS DIRECTOR By Charles Abel Snarling lips — a muttered curse, "That's the stuff, boys, not so worse!" Lowered face and beetling brow — "Camera! Snap to it now!" Wary circling, inch by inch, "Make it faster, start that clinch! Grab him 'round the neck, let's go! Faster! Smash him — not so slow!" Left, then right, straight to the jaw! "Wow! Two real ones! Not too raw!" Back and forth across the hall, Lurching sideways. "Nasty fall. Hurt yourselves, boys? That was tough. Can't be helped — it's movie stuff. Smash that table! Break a chair! Easy now — come up for air." "Roll him over. Hold him pinned! Gasp for breath now — get your wind. Up and at him! Ten more feet. Near the finish, boys! Toot sweet! Wreck the set now — save the child! (This will make the audience wild!) Set yourselves for this last punch, Let me hear some knuckles crunch!" "On the button! Knock him out! (Holy Moses! What a clout!) Blasted fool, you've queered the scene! How'd YOU come to hog the screen? You're the one that loses, see, Too enthusiastic, Gee! That last blow sure took the cake, Now we'll need a whole retake!" . DIAGRAM I Winding Negative and Positive Films Together in Preparation for Printing with Cine Kodak When your film is exposed take it into the darkroom and wind it on your rack, taking care that the emulsion side is not the side in contact with the pins — if you use a homemade rack — or with the spiral ribbon if you use a professional reel. Wind the film quite tightly since it has a tendency to expand during development. The most satisfactory method of development, and the surest, is the time and temperature system. First break off a few inches from the end of your film and develop a trial strip without agitating it unduly in the solution. Note the time of development required at a temperature of 65 degrees; then proceed to develop the whole roll. It has been my experience that artificially lighted interiors developed with the Number 16 formula at a temperature of 65 degrees require 3^ to 6 minutes. Rinse, fix in an ordinary acid bath and wash in the usual manner in running water. A simple drying rack can be made from four pieces of cypress 28 inches long, fastened together by means of four iron braces in the form of a square. The two top and bottom pieces should be rounded on the edges where the film passes over them and brass staples driven in three-quarters of an inch apart to separate the turns of film. Bore holes in the center of the side pieces and run a solid brass curtain rod through the rack which will act as a shaft on which the rack revolves. When the film is thoroughly washed — in about twenty minutes — reel it on the rack taking care that the emulsion side is out. It is very important that the film le squeeged through a piece of wet chamois held fairly tightly between the fingers while you are winding it on the rack. If this is not done your finished neg See, also, "How to Make a Developing and Titling Outfit," page 33, April Movie Makers, 1927, and "Building a 16 Printer,'" page 15, June, 1927. 576