American Cinematographer - September 1990 - 14

by David Heuring

Wired.

Ready. Final cable check.
Wrong. Missing connector.
The spares aren't right.
Talent

waiting.
Director pacing.
Need it

Anamorphic photography has become a
viable alternative in feature filmmaking
only in the last 35 years or so, but its ori¬
gins are surprisingly ancient in terms of
photographic history. According to "Anton
Wilson's Cinema Workshop," Fresnel
began experimenting with cylindrical
lenses as early as the 1820s. In 1930,
Professor Henri Chretien developed his
"Hypergonar" anamorphic lens system,
which is the basis of all modern

(1957) was transferred to 16mm for mili¬
tary exhibition or other specific use. The
16mm print that Mr. Brown saw was
probably photographed in 35mm in a true
2.35:1 aspect ratio, as opposed to 2.66:1.
(Consulted for this answer were Alan
Albert, executive vice president of Clairmont Camera, and Robert Primes, ASC.)

anamor¬

phic systems. In 1952 Twentieth CenturyFox acquired the rights to the process and
contracted Bausch & Lomb to manufac¬
ture the optics in the USA. The process
was dubbed "CinemaScope", and the rest
is history.

now.

purposes of clarification, it's more likely
that Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?

Q* I need some technical informa*

tion about subliminal sugges¬
tion in films. I understand that movie thea¬
ters used it to get people to buy popcorn
or drinks by flashing a subliminal sugges¬
tion like "eat popcorn" or a picture of

eating it, or a hot desert scene
people thirsty. I need the infor¬
mation for details in a short story of a man
who does it to promote his business.
Basically what I need to know
is how fast it happens, and whether the
subliminal frame is superimposed over
another or by itself between two regular
frames. Any other information or sugges¬
tions will be very appreciated. We could
find nothing in the libraries around here.
Thank you very much. - Fran Stoddard,
someone

:

SOLUTION

therefore, to be

Barbizon.
The

right connection.

Mole Richardson Distributor.

Complete line of Cam*lok,
Hubbell, Union, Leviton, Eagle.
"To Go". Immediate
Same

pickup.
day shipment. Representing

the

industry's finest

40 years.

Q* I recently saw a 16mm print of

*
the CinemaScope film Will
Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, with the lens
credit to Bausch & Lomb. I knew this one,

over

Unsurpassed. Fast.

2.66:1

of the incredible

one

compression ratios.
It reminded

me

of a

question I'd

had concerning film stock-compression
ratios: On 35mm film, the upper and lower

perforation, normally blocked off to
achieve the 1.85:1 ratio, are used to ac¬
commodate the additional image area
used in anamorphic compression. How

does this work in 16mm?

-

Roger M.

Brown, Vancouver, BC

source

with the

answers

-

j:

New York: 426 W. 55 St., NY 10019
(212) 586-1620 FAX: (212) 247-8818

New

England: 3 Draper St.,

Woburn, MA 01801

(617) 935-3920 FAX:(617) 935-9273
South: 2401 Mercer Ave.,
West Palm

Beach, FL 33401
(407) 833-2020 FAX:(407) 83-DELTA
Capitol: 6437G Gen. Green Way,

Marion, NC

A# Speci
ic techniquesimage
for proj
ecting a fsubliminal
varied,
*

but most often

A# A deceptively simple sounding

The

to make

*
question. By "blocked off per¬
foration" Mr. Brown refers to a frame
with a greater vertical measurement, re¬
sulting in a thinner frame line. Normal
16mm camera aperture is .404" x .295".
On a 16mm squeezed print, the image is
.380" x .286", so it fits easily inside the
normal area, in fact leaving a little extra
room - in other words, with normal
16mm anamorphic, there is no "additional

image area."
Unfortunately, in this case, the
question would seem to be moot. Very
rarely does a feature film originate in
16mm anamorphic. (Also, Bausch & Lomb

a slide was momentarily
projected directly onto the screen, with a
separate projector, while the regular film
continued uninterrupted. The subliminal
suggestion would remain on the screen

for the same amount of time as

*

different

and

toning film. Specifically, I plan on
shooting 16mm black and white reversal
and would like to selectively tint some
scenes

in the

manner

of silent films. I

viewed a beautifully tinted print of
Griffith's Broken Blossoms, and based on
once

Alexandria, VA 22312

anamorphic
lenses.) Mr. Brown may be aware of this;

(703) 750-3900 FAX:(703) 750-1448

it's difficult to tell from his letter. But for

this

September 1990

frame

Q* I would liktechniques
e to know forabouttinting
the

didn't manufacture 16mm

TELEX: 226 000 ETLXUR BARBIZON

one

usually in the neighborhood of 1/48 of
a second. Such advertising is now unlaw¬
ful, although there have always been
questions as to its efficacy.

-

example I

am

particularly interested
American Cinematographer - September 1990

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