A M E R I C A N C I N E M A T O G R A P H E R
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| p. 41 | A M E R I C A N C I N E M A T O G R A P H E R |
Dec, 1929 |
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Progress In Studio Illumination During 1929 By Elmer C. Richardson |
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the closing of the year it is of interest to note the progress made in the
field of incandescent lighting studios. This type of lighting has been in
use on a production basis approximately three years. At the time it was
introduced the sound pictures were just entering the production stage, with
only one studio actually operating in that field. While
the use of "Inkies" was well under way in the last year of silent picture
production, their use received a tremendous impetus when the studios began
to make the 'talkies.'' There were several factors contributary to this:
Pan-chromatic stock became almost universally used for negative film, and
with this stock the Inkies were required for good separation of the color
values. The quiet operation of the incandescent equipment simplified the
whole problem of using the microphone, and they were lifesavers to the producers
who at that time had plenty of troubles on their hands without considering
lighting problems. Fortunately, the first cost of equipping the studios
with the new lighting system was only a fraction of the cost for equivalent
arc equipment. The ''inkles'' offer so many advantages that today the majority
of sound studios have adopted the new type of lighting. The manufacturers
of Studio Lighting Equipment have been "upon their toes" and as the needs
for particular types of 'lamps have developed they have been quickly supplied.
Today Mole-Richardson, Incorporated, the pioneers in this type of equipment,
are able to supply a complete line of "Inkie" equipment which fills practically
every studio demand. A year
ago the sets used in sound pictures were small and at that time very few
powerful globes of 5,000 and 10.000 watts were in use. For back lighting
the MR-Type 200. 18" Sun Spots were most commonly used. The year 1929 opened
with a "bang." Numerous producers began to enlarge their sets. Full stages
were occupied with single sets filling the entire space. The use of MR Type
224, 24" Sun Spots in quantities such as two hundred, three hundred and
even up to five hundred has become common practice in lighting these large
productions. For the
colored motion picture the "inkies" have been a boon. The light they furnish
is of constant value and the beauty of the color reproduction obtained with
incandescent lighting has started an insistant demand on the part of the
theatre patrons or the magnificent form of entertainment which the colored
motion pictures afford. The actual
percent of the cost of producing sound motion pictures which is chargeable
to the lighting, is relatively small as compared with the other production
costs. Savings made in current consumption, the cost of either carbons or
mazda globes, the first cost of equipment for either arc or incandescent
illumination or the actual labor cost of rigging and shooting: are not the
most important economic factors, although in such costs the "Inkies" show
that considerable savings are possible. The important item's to consider
are: The quality of the photography produced; the effect of the lighting
system upon the sound recording; the economic saving made possible by allowing
the directors, actors, cinematographers, and auxiliary workers to function
without The interruptions resulting from faulty operation of the lighting
equipment. In meeting these qualifications the "Inkies" have given a good
account of themselves. The work
of cameramen who have photographed using filament lamps for illumination
has received the highest praise from exhibitors, critics and the general
public. Indeed, never has the public had such offerings as were available
at the opening of the exhibitors' season this fall. Sound
recording, aided by lack of extraneous noise, has achieved a tremendous
advance over the recording of a year ago. Directors have been able to extend
their "takes." Now the limitation is the capacity of the camera magazine,
rather than with the short period of time during which the arc lamps would
operate before flickering or blinking interrupted the shooting. Of course
no one would say that all of these advances are creditable to the use of
incandescent lighting, Much credit is due to the makers of pan-chromatic
filament stock, to the development of cameras especially suited for use
in making the sound pictures, to progress in laboratory practice, many vital
improvements in the recording systems, detail attention to improvements
in make-up, and to progress in the operation of the entire sound equipment.
These factors have contributed greatly to the production of the finest entertainment
ever offered to the public for their admission fee. The problem
of 1930 is to make the progress in the coming year overshadow that of 1929.
Technical departments all throughout the industry will rise to the occasion
and deliver. |
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