API Build-data JSON Resources
Theme

Choose how MSRBot.io looks on this device.

Auto (match system) Light mode Dark mode

Preference is stored in this browser only.

Transactions of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers ( Volume: 3, Issue: 7, April 1919)
[ACTIVE]

“White Light for Motion Picture Photography”

Metadata

Publisher
SMPTE — White Plains, NY, USA
Doc Type
Journal Article
Content Type
Original Research
Abbreviated Title
Transactions of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers
Volume
3, No. 7, pp. 7–41
Abstract
The famous psychologist, Professor Munsterberg, wrote a few years ago a book on motion pictures, and he there asserted that the production of motion pictures by the best companies had graduated us an Art to rank coequal with painting, sculpture and music. By attention to mode and variation of lighting, many new psychological appeals can be made, including the portraying of the thought images in the minds of the characters of the play in a way that cannot be duplicated on the theater stage. Besides being one of the fine arts, the motion picture art has become the greatest educational institution in the world. Very special lighting is needed for scientific films, for ultra-rapid motion picture work, and for the several new color processes in motion picture production. Not only is the moving picture industry the greatest educational institution, but it is also one or our foremost industries. Since Edison's and Jenkin's invention of motion picture devices of only a score or so years ago, the industry has leaped to fourth place in the United States. There is spent annually three to four hundred million dollars by the people of the United States for the privilege of attending the motion picture theaters. The daily attendance is said to average between ten and twenty millions of people. Of the fifty thousand motion picture theaters in the world, there are about twenty thousand in the United States, and as a producing center, the United States is the greatest in the world. The sunshine of California has built up a major producing center in and near Los Angeles. (In this center, over $12,- 000,000 arc annually spent for motion picture production, and this gives employment to about 25,000 people.) Again the importance of light in relation to expense of production may be judged from the following statement made by Mr. G. McL. Baynes (of the English Hepworth Mfg. Co., see Moving Picture World, page 2334, December 25th, 1915); “As to photographic difficulties encountered in outdoor work in England, it is ridiculous to say that they cannot make pictures there. It is true, production is more expensive, perhaps twice us much because we have to wait for the Sunshine.” Thus in foggy England, the difficulties are much greater on account of poor light than in the West or East of the United States. The invention of the high amperage white flame are lamps and carbons and of other artificial light sources such as the daylight gas filled tungsten lamps and the mercury arc lamps, have eliminated these expensive waits for sunshine. The home-center of the motion picture industry in the East is again building up rapidly. These new studios are especially to be found in or near New York City, and to a lesser degree near other large centers of population, as for example, Chicago, Philadelphia, Cleveland, etc. Scenic interest, such as at Ithaca and in Florida, is another industrial factor in the location oi motion picture plants. The increase in artificial light facilities lias been an important economic factor in this Eastern movement which is being accelerated by the continual increase in the extraordinary salaries which are paid the motion picture artists. The cost of production of an average negative of one reel is said to be about $1,000, and of this it is certainly economy to spend one or two per cent. on securing the best lighting.
Publication Date
1919-04-01
DOI
10.5594/J17986
ISSN
Print: 0096-6460
Link
https://doi.org/10.5594/J17986
Author(s)
Wm. Roy MottResearch Laboratory, National Carbon Company, Inc. Cleveland, Ohio
Copyright
© 1919 Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, Inc.

Bibliographic Reference(s)

  • 1 Simons Edward L. ; Trans. Ill. Eng. Soc . vol. 6 , p. 295 , January 1911 . Motion Picture Studio Lighting with Mercury Arcs and Enclosed Arc Lamps. (Flame arcs were first used in motion picture studios in June 1912 at the Edison studio. W. R. M.) EXTERNAL
  • 10 Luckiesh M. Trans. Ill. Eng. Soc. vol. 10 , p. 149 , 1915 . Blue Blub Tungsten Lamp in Photography. EXTERNAL
  • 11 Zeit Voege , f. Beleuchtungswesen , vol. 21 , p. 33 , March 1915 . Actinicity of Various Light Sources. EXTERNAL
  • 12 Smith L. G. Harkness Elec. Wld. vol. 65 , p. 1,040 , April 24, 1915 . Flame Arc Lighting and Mercury Arc Lighting in Motion Picture Studios with Lamp Diagrams. EXTERNAL
  • 13 William A.D. Evans. The Illuminating Engineer ( London ), vol. 7 , p. 284 , June 1915 . A very complete article on mercury arc lighting for motion picture studios. EXTERNAL
  • 14 Williamson J. E. Trans. Ill. Eng. Soc. ( London ), vol. 7 , p. 403 , July 20, 1915 . Quartz Mercury Ares in Submarine Photography. EXTERNAL
  • 15 Scientific American , vol. 113 , p. 83 , July 1915 , p. 317 , October 1915 , p. 393 , Nov. 6, 1915 . “Black Maria” Rotated to Face the Sun. Portable Lighting Plants. Mercury arcs are used at 100 watts per square foot of floor space. EXTERNAL
  • 16 Jones L. A. Hodgson M. B. and Huse Kenneth Trans. Ill. Eng. Soc. , vol. 10 , p. 963 , 1915 . EXTERNAL
  • 17 Mees C. E. Kenneth Trans. Ill. Eng. Soc. , vol. 10 , p. 947 , 1915 . The Electrician ( London ) vol. 76 , p. 167 , Nov. 5, 1915 . Artificial Illuminants for Use in Practical Photography. EXTERNAL
  • 18 Mott W. R. and Clark V. A. Lighting Journal , vol. 3 , p. 224 , November 1915. Lighting Journal, vol. 4 , p. 15 , January 1915. The White Flame Arc Lamp in the Photographic Studio. EXTERNAL
  • 19 Dench Ernest A. American Photography , vol. 9 , p. 572 , October 1915 . Colors in Staging Interiors of Motion Picture Studios. EXTERNAL
  • 2 Mott W. R. The American Photo-Engraver , vol. 4 , p. 233 , July 1912. Efficiency of the White Flame Arc Lamp for Photoengraving. EXTERNAL
  • 20 Baynes G. McL. Motion Picture World , p. 2 , 334 , Dec. 25, 1915 . Lighting Difficulties in England. EXTERNAL
  • 21 Dench Ernest A. Book on Making of the Movies , Pub. 1915 . Lighting with ares is discussed, pages 12 , 38 and 90. EXTERNAL
  • 22 DeMille Cecil B. Motography , vol. 15 , p. 249 , Jan. 29, 1916 . “Lighting to Photoplay is Like Music to Drama.” EXTERNAL
  • 23 Brewster W. E. Gen. Elec. Rev. , vol. 19 , p. 186 , March 1916 . Blue Bulb Tungsten Lamps in Photography. EXTERNAL
  • 24 Mott W. R. Jour. Cleveland Eng. Soc. , p. 281 , March 1917 . The Characteristics and Uses of the Flaming Arc. EXTERNAL
  • 25 Clark V. A. Elect. Rev. and West. Elect. , vol. 68 , p. 1,024 , June 3, 1916 . White Flame Arc for Portrait Photography. EXTERNAL
  • 26 Mott W. R. Trans. Amer. Electrochem. Soc. , vol. 28 , p. 371 , September 1916. Use of the Flame Arc in Paint and Dye Testing. EXTERNAL
  • 27 Grass Benjamin Electrical Age , vol. 49 , p. 25 , September 1916. Lighting of Motion Picture Studios. Mercury arcs and flame arcs are discussed. Use is made of 60 kilowatts overhead and 40 kilowatts for side lighting. EXTERNAL
  • 28 Mott W. R. Trans. Am. Electrochem. Soc. , vol. 31 , p. 365 , April 1917 . Trans. Am. Electrochem. Soc., September 1918. The colors and light production of different elements in arc are discussed in relation to arc images. EXTERNAL
  • 29 Mayer Max Trans. Soc. Motion Pict. Eng. , p. 18 , April 1918 . Artificial Light in the Motion Picture Studio. This is a very practical discussion of the use of white flame arcs and studio arrangements. EXTERNAL
  • 3 Reeves H. H. Gen. Elect. Rev. vol. 17 , p. 413 , April 1914. Theater Stage Lighting. EXTERNAL
  • 30 Allison John W. Trans. Soc. Motion Pict. Eng. , September 1918 . All interior lighting is recommended with discard of the hot-house effect of the glass-studio and control of light for standardization. EXTERNAL
  • 31 Shiller Karl Motion Picture Magazine , vol. 17 , p. 66 , March 1919 . Flame arc lamps for after dark photography, outdoors and indoors, for moonlight effects, for fireside effects and for war scenes. Night scenes are lighted by concentrating the arc light on central figures and leaving the surroundings in darkness in order to give the natural and romantic effect desired. EXTERNAL
  • 32 Macgowan Kenneth New Republic , vol. 12 , p. 188 , Sept. 15, 1917 . Formerly the motion picture studios gave the effect of flat, almost footlight scenes but the new effect—an American made device—introduce natural lighting from windows, doorways and lamps. This enables sharp staring shadows to be produced in scenes of terror or soft luminous shadows to stimulate the pleasing evening lighting. Again the new lighting can be so arranged to concentrate on the acting and avoid the effect of camera consciousness which is introduced by the old camera for concentrating the attention on the actors. He says that art in the motion pictures arises chiefly from sequence of pictorial impressions but more especially from lighting atmosphere. EXTERNAL
  • 4 Clark V. A. Elec. Wld. vol. 64 , p. 956 , Nov. 14, 1914 . Flame Arc Lamps for Photographic Purposes. EXTERNAL
  • 5 Luckiesh M. Elec. Wld. vol. 64 , p. 954 , Nov. 14, 1914 . Blue Bulb Tungsten Lamps for Photography. EXTERNAL
  • 6 Unsigned. Elect. Rev. and West. Elect. vol. 64 , p. 461 , March 7, 1914 . Electricity in Motion Picture Plants. EXTERNAL
  • 7 Unsigned. Electrical World , vol. 65 , p. 322 , Jan. 30, 1915 . Twelve Twin-Arc Flame Lamps Were Used for Motion Pictures of New York Subway. EXTERNAL
  • 8 Unsigned. Photoplay Magazine , p. 88 , 1915 . Lighting of Motion Picture Studios. EXTERNAL
  • 9 Unsigned. The Central Station , vol. 14 , p. 345 , May 1915 . Elect. Wld . vol. 65 , p. 684 , vol. 66 , p. 136 , 1915 . Articles on Blue Bulb Gas Filled Incandescent Lamps in Motion Picture Studios. EXTERNAL
Source Data (JSON)

Full registry record with provenance metadata. Open directly: /api/doc/10.5594-J17986.json

Reference Tree

Explore all references and references to this document, as a navigable tree.

Open Reference Tree
Reference this Doc

Plain text (ISO 690 compliant)

Preview:
Wm. Roy Mott; “White Light for Motion Picture Photography”, Transactions of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers ( Volume: 3, Issue: 7, April 1919); SMPTE, 1919. Available at https://doi.org/10.5594/J17986
Snippet:
Wm. Roy Mott; “White Light for Motion Picture Photography”, Transactions of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers ( Volume: 3, Issue: 7, April 1919); SMPTE, 1919. Available at https://doi.org/10.5594/J17986

HTML (ISO 690 compliant)

Preview:
Wm. Roy Mott; “White Light for Motion Picture Photography”, Transactions of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers ( Volume: 3, Issue: 7, April 1919); SMPTE, 1919. Available at https://doi.org/10.5594/J17986
Snippet:
<span class="citation">Wm. Roy Mott; <cite>“White Light for Motion Picture Photography”</cite>, Transactions of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers ( Volume: 3, Issue: 7, April 1919); SMPTE, 1919. Available at <a href="https://doi.org/10.5594/J17986" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://doi.org/10.5594/J17986</a></span>

SMPTE Icon SMPTE's HTML Pub

Preview:
Wm. Roy Mott; “White Light for Motion Picture Photography”, Transactions of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers ( Volume: 3, Issue: 7, April 1919); SMPTE, 1919
doi: 10.5594/J17986
url: https://doi.org/10.5594/J17986
Snippet:
<li>
Wm. Roy Mott; <cite id="bib-10-5594-j17986">“White Light for Motion Picture Photography”</cite>, Transactions of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers ( Volume: 3, Issue: 7, April 1919); SMPTE, 1919
<span class="doi">10.5594/J17986</span>
</li>