Technicolor News & Views (September 1954)

f )) ^ 3 7 President’s Message By DR. HERBERT T. KALMUS Dr. Herbert T. Kalmus, President and General Manager of Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation, shown with Bing Crosby on the Paramount lot at a VistaVision demonstration. Crosby stars in “White Christmas," the first feature picture made by the VistaVision process. The motion picture industry continues its evolution to wide-angle and three- dimensional presentations. Development of new procedures is not new to TECHNICOLOR, I might say it is one of the most distinctive features of our history. When we began, nearly four decades ago, the problem was to bring a sufficiently good quality of color to the screen. Today our work is to accommo- date our procedures to serve an increas- ing number of screen techniques, all of which are still in more or less formative stages. We have always taken pride in our research and development department. Large sums have been — and are being -—-expended on it, and we have always found that the results far more than justi- fied the expenditure. In this connection I may say in passing that the prints for “Cinerama" were manufactured by TECHNICOLOR, the first CinemaScope picture, “The Robe," was in Color by TECHNICOLOR, and the first VistaVision feature, “White Christmas," is also in Color by TECHNICOLOR. In 1953 there were 24 three-dimensional TECHNICOLOR productions. So it may be seen how deeply TECH- NICOLOR service and procedure are in- volved in the current evolution. It has been necessary to modify procedures, to devise new procedures, and to in- stall new equipment to supply the new demands of the industry. For over twenty years TECHNICOLOR has been the mainstay of the industry in its evolution from black and white to color. During those years TECHNICOLOR developed many methods of manufact- uring color motion picture release prints which have gone through many stages of improvement all tailored for best effect in the theatres with screens up to something like 35 feet in width. TECHNICOLOR early recognized that it must serve the industry with the best and least expensive prints in color which would satisfy these new large screen re- quirements. Consequently it immediately embarked upon research and develop- ment projects to that end. At the outset, about two years ago, in the very early conferences among TECHNICOLOR technicians the attack of TECHNICOLOR to meet the new increased area screen requirements was aimed in three directions: (1) increased area of negative at the time of photography; (2) improvement in the matrix stock and its processing; and (3) improvement in the character of raw positive print stock and its processing. The VistaVision demonstration which showed improved characteristics of smoothness, freedom from grain, visi- bility and color rendition embodied only one of the three phases of improve- ment upon which TECHNICOLOR is work- ing. It embodied the increased negative area, but not the improved matrix stock nor the improved positive print raw stock. The improved matrix and print raw stock should further improve the clarity, smoothness, visibility and free- dom from grain of TECHNICOLOR prints manufactured from both large area and normal size area negatives. These researches and this develop- ment work which TECHNICOLOR is now undertaking has been in process for something like a year. TECHNICOLOR hopes and expects to complete this work some time during this year as a means of continuing to be of greatest possible service to the motion picture industry. THE COVER Upper—Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation, Hollywood Lower—Technicolor Limited, London Plans for French Plant Completed Negotiations resulting in the drafting of final documents for signature for the establishment of a French TECHNICOLOR plant in Paris have been completed, ac- cording to Dr. Herbert T. Kalmus, Presi- dent and General Manager of TECHNI- COLOR MOTION PICTURE CORPORA- TION. The negotiations have been between TECHNICOLOR MOTION PICTURE COR- PORATION and important French motion picture and financial interests, Dr. Kal- mus said. The name of the new company is to be SOCIETE TECHNICOLOR with a capital of 1,000,000,000 (one billion) francs. This step is a continuation of the policy of TECHNICOLOR to expand its laboratories over the world. TECHNICOLOR'S British plant, TECHNI- COLOR LIMITED, at London, has been in existence since 1936. TECHNICOLOR NEWS & VIEWS Vol. XVI September, 1954 No. 1 Published from time to time by Technicolor Motion Picture Corp. HERBERT T. KALMUS, President 6311 Romaine Street Hollywood 38, California Margaret Ettinger, Editor — TWO —