The Boy's Book of New InventionsMaule, Harry E. (Harry Edward)
History
The Boy's Book of New Inventions
Maule, Harry E. (Harry Edward)
Inventions
After a roll of negative film has been exposed it is sent to the
studio dark room for development. Every precaution is taken, of
course, that no ray of light other than that which comes from
the ruby lamp shall enter this room where films representing
hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of dollars are being developed.
The actual process for developing is no different from that used
in developing other films, but the difficulties in handling a
delicate snakelike, strip some 300 or 400 feet long and 1-3/8
inches wide are tremendous. All amateur photographers appreciate
the difficulties of developing in one string a roll of twelve
films of a reasonable size, but think of handling a roll of film
several hundred feet long no wider than a ribbon, and holding
sixteen pictures to each foot of surface!
The difficulties of scratching, tangling, etc., were overcome
by systematizing the process. In some cinematograph dark rooms
the films are wound on racks about four by five feet, and then
plunged into the various baths, which are in vertical tanks of
convenient size. In yet other dark rooms the films are wound upon
drums about four feet in diameter and revolved in horizontal
tanks, only the lower part being immersed. The only difference is
that the racks can be manipulated easier than the drums.
While in the motion-picture dark room the boy visitor asked
the photographer in charge whether an amateur could step in
and develop a few hundred feet of film granted that he had the
necessary materials.
"Of course he could," came a cheerful voice from the darkness.
"It's just the same as developing a roll of ordinary films,
only we do more in a bunch than the amateur. If you'll step
over here and watch this reel that we are now putting into
the developing bath you'll see that it does just the same as
the single film developed in the amateur's dark room." After
watching this trained photographer and his assistant for a
few minutes, however, the newcomer decided that it was not an
amateur's job, but rather one of the most delicate operations in
all cinematography, for the developer can remedy many faults of
exposure by bringing out an under-exposed film or toning down an
over-exposed one.
Leaving the dark room the next stage of the negative is the
drying room, where the film still on the rack is hung up to dry.
This drying is a very difficult process because there is great
danger of the film either becoming too brittle and cracking or
of its being not hard enough. The air in the drying room has to
be kept at a certain even temperature and it must be filtered so
that no dust or impurity can injure the film.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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