Technicolor News & Views (September 1954)

With the current evolution of motion pictures to various types of wide screen and three-dimensional techniques, great additional importance accrues to the techniques of color motion picture pho- tography. Within the past two years photo- graphic techniques have been altered in two ways: New negative materials have been introduced and new aspect ratios for recording negative images have been developed. The new negative materials are, gen- erally speaking, color negatives. The aspect ratio (which means relation of picture width to height) had been set- tled for over 30 years at four to three, which means that for every four units across the picture there were three units in height. Today this is all changed. This article will deal with the most important photographic techniques now in use in motion pictures. COLOR NEGATIVE There are several color negative films manufactured by different companies throughout the United States and Europe. These negative films can be used in an ordinary black and white camera and in many respects are similar; having three emulsion layers superposed on a cellulose acetate base. These three emul- sion layers are differently sensitive to different colors of light. This means that the photo-sensitive silver halide particles in the separate emulsions are exposed by different colors of light. Generally, color negative films have a filter layer between the top two emulsions. Where the color sensitivity is not complete, this filter aids in separating unwanted colors from a particular emulsion. In the United States the most widely used color negatives are Eastman and Ansco. In Europe in addition to these two are Agfacolor, Gevacolor and Fer- raniacolor. The TECHNICOLOR labora- tories, in both United States and Eng- land, manufacture release prints from all of these color negative systems. TECHNICOLOR has long recognized that an improvement in the definition or visibility of TECHNICOLOR dye transfer (imbibition) prints when projected in the theatre, especially on large screens, would be possible from a negative re- sulting from almost any system of pho- tography that employed a larger than standard area of negative on which to record the picture information. There are a number of photographic procedures which might bring this about. One such system employs a single strip of 35mm Current Zeckniques of Color 8-PERFORATION AREA (VISTAVISION) Technicolor has modified some of its three color cameras so that a single strip of color negative film may be used. In these modified cameras the film runs past the camera aperture hori- zontally and an area corresponding to eight perforations (or two normal frame areas) is exposed. The negative image area is then optically printed in reduced size. RED IMAGE The Technicolor Three-Color Camera use in the optical system to divide the light placed in the camera at a right angle I and the rear film receives the RED imac and receives the GREEN image. The neg EASTMAN COLOR NEGATIVE Eastman Color Negative has only one strip of film surfaced with three layers of emulsion, each being sensitive to a different primary color. This film can be used in a conventional 35mm camera. (Normal aspect ratio shown.) ANSCO COLOR NEGATIVE Ansco Color Negative has only one strip of film surfaced with three layers of emulsion, each being sensitive to a different primary color. This film can be used in a conventional 35mm camera. (Normal aspect ratio shown.) color motion picture negative which, con- trary to custom, moves horizontally through a camera. The scenes are re- corded on an area equal to two full frames of normal motion picture nega- tive. Working from such a double frame negative the TECHNICOLOR laboratory is manufacturing 35mm TECHNICOLOR dye transfer release prints of normal size and position, which may be combined with either photographic or multiple magnetic sound tracks. Such release prints can, of course, be projected on any screen including large screens, and in any aspect ratio from 1.33 to 1 or to any larger ratio desired. Since these new improved TECHNICOLOR dye transfer re- lease prints are of normal size and posi- tion in every respect no special projection lens in the theatre is necessary. TECHNICOLOR has been working on the new system for more than a year, resulting in the introduction of laboratory CINERAMA In Cinerama type photography, 35mm color negative film is used, but a larger than normal area is exposed. On each of the three negatives, which are exposed simultaneously in three separate cameras, an area 6 perforations in height and extending completely across the film between the perforations is utilized. — FOUR —