Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers ( Volume: 15, Issue: 5, November 1930)

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A Method for the Determination of Exposures in Cinematography

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Publisher: SMPTE
Doc Type: Journal Article
Article Type: research-article
Abstract: One of the questions confronting a photographer which must be answered each time before he starts taking is “What exposure is to be given?” This question must be answered so frequently in actual motion picture work that a quick and easy method is needed to give the answer. The experienced photographer is fortunate, for he is able to judge the best exposure after inspection of the subject or its image on the ground glass of the camera. Persons with the ability to do this, in most cases, are not interested in other methods, and this paper is not for them. The man, however, whose subjects vary from insects to studio sets may find that it takes a long while to gain the ability to judge exposure by inspection. Moreover, the accuracy of the exposure determination needed varies greatly from time to time. The man, who either is inexperienced in photography or is working in some field new to him, must seek to determine his exposure. For work in the field with daylight illumination an actinometer may be useful, but it is of little value in the studio. Various optical methods may be useful in the studio including the use of a photo-electric cell for measuring the total illumination reflected toward the camera. Their chief qualification is often the speed of the determination. They may not be practical under all conditions since the range of any one instrument is usually limited. The exposure value must allow for the degree of the close-up, all the way up to the high magnifications obtained with a microscope. The range of illumination included between that used for the cinematography of growing plants and that required for some miniature work is enormous. Moreover, it may not always be satisfactory to use the value of illumination obtained by integration of the whole field. The background may form a large fraction of the area, and yet its rendering may be unimportant.
Publication Date: 1930-11-01
DOI: 10.5594/J05612
Link: https://doi.org/10.5594/J05612
Author(s): R. P. Loveland

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R. P. Loveland; A Method for the Determination of Exposures in Cinematography, Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers ( Volume: 15, Issue: 5, November 1930); SMPTE, 1930. Available at https://doi.org/10.5594/J05612

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R. P. Loveland; A Method for the Determination of Exposures in Cinematography, Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers ( Volume: 15, Issue: 5, November 1930); SMPTE, 1930. Available at https://doi.org/10.5594/J05612

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<span class="citation">R. P. Loveland; <cite>A Method for the Determination of Exposures in Cinematography</cite>, Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers ( Volume: 15, Issue: 5, November 1930); SMPTE, 1930. Available at <a href="https://doi.org/10.5594/J05612" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://doi.org/10.5594/J05612</a></span>

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<li>
R. P. Loveland; <cite id="bib-10-5594-j05612">A Method for the Determination of Exposures in Cinematography</cite>, Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers ( Volume: 15, Issue: 5, November 1930); SMPTE, 1930
<span class="doi">10.5594/J05612</span>
</li>