Technicolor News & Views (September 1954)

Motion Picture Photography BLUE IMAGE GREEN IMAGE es three strips of negative film and incorporates a prism it. Two of the films with emulsion surfaces in contact are tc the lens axis. The front film receives the BLUE image ige. The third film is placed directly in back of the prism gatives after processing appear as above. ANAMORPHOSED IMAGE (CINEMASCOPE) For CinemaScope, the image is recorded on the film in the same manner as on other negative film proc- esses except the image is compressed horizontally by means of a special lens. procedures which are uniquely depend- ent upon steps in current TECHNICOLOR techniques. The new method is already in operation in moderate volume at the Hollywood plant. After successful camera tests com- bined with tests of the TECHNICOLOR laboratory procedure, Paramount Studios decided to photograph their high-budget production "White Christmas" using this process, thus being the first to use it on a feature picture. SUCCESSIVE FRAME NEGATIVE The Successive Frame process, used in most animated cartoon photography, uses one strip of black and white negative. In front of the camera lens is mounted a wheel containing three filters — BLUE, GREEN and RED. This wheel rotates as each scene is photographed three times on successive frames through each of the three color filters. The negative therefore is three times as long as the finished print. FIGURE 1 Zhree Negatives Used Abroad AGFACOLOR GEVACOLOR FERRANIACOLOR In Europe, there are three additional color negatives, AGFACOLOR, GEVACOLOR and FERRANIA- COLOR. These negatives are similar to those used in the United States in that three layers of emul- sion are superposed on a single film base. Technicolor manufactures dye transfer prints from these negatives also. THREE-STRIP NEGATIVE When color motion pictures are photo- graphed by the three-strip method, a special camera is used. These cameras are manufactured by TECHNICOLOR and are furnished to the motion picture pro- ducer. They are available to him upon demand at his studio or on location. This camera is unique. It is the only one used commercially in which three strips of motion picture film are success- fully exposed simultaneously to exactly the same scene. The strips of film in this camera are negative films and each re- cords a specific color aspect of a given scene. As seen in Figure 1, green light coming from a scene is transmitted through the lens of the camera and thence through a special light-dividing prism. It is recorded on a negative film which is particularly sensitive to green light. The red and blue colors coming from the same scene pass through the same lens and enter the same special prism; but instead of being transmitted they are reflected to an aperture on the side of the camera. In this aperture two films are traveling. These films are placed one in front of the other; the front one records the blue light of the scene, while the back one records the red light. When developed these negatives have silver images, and when held up to the light, appear the same as black and white negatives. These special cameras used in this taking process have traveled with location units to every continent of the globe. Cameras have been used in the air; under water; and even in the craters of volcanoes. 16MM POSITIVE For expedition photography in rough country many producers favor the light weight 16mm taking system. Addition- ally, operation of the 16mm equipment is less complex. KODACHROME Similar to color negative, 16mm color positive film has three layers of emulsion, each sensitive to a different primary color — red, green and blue. The commercial film is low in contrast and differs from color negative in that a positive color image is obtained by reversal development rather than a neg- ative. From it three 35mm separation negatives are made. * * * All of the taking systems shown on this page are being used in the manu- facture of Technicolor release prints. — FIVE —