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Download Report - Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

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other art directors as a system which might be used<br />

with interesting results, for I personally have not<br />

developed it beyond the experimental stage. Its<br />

efiects are probably due to the fact that liehl vibrations<br />

<strong>of</strong> difierent colors do not focus on th. ,u-.<br />

plane in the retina <strong>of</strong> the eye, <strong>and</strong> as one recedes<br />

<strong>and</strong> another advances we get an effect <strong>of</strong> depth.<br />

When we come to paint a difficult set, we suddenly<br />

get very friendly with the cameraman. We<br />

realize he probably knows better than we do how<br />

a color will photograph, but does he know ',Why?,,<br />

It is that "*hy" we want to arrive at, so the object<br />

<strong>of</strong> my talk tonight is to lead up to that question.<br />

Mn. Vorcx: We are honored to have with us<br />

tonight a famous research engineer, a man <strong>of</strong> international<br />

fame, Mr. Loyd A. Jones, <strong>of</strong> the Kodak<br />

Research Laboratories, Rochester. N. Y.. who rvill<br />

read a paper on "Color Values Under Inc<strong>and</strong>escent<br />

Tungsten Illumination."<br />

MR. JONES' PAPER<br />

ON COLOR VALUES<br />

In the analysis <strong>of</strong> the effects produced by the action<br />

<strong>of</strong> certain definite causesr we may be content<br />

in some cases to describe the observed reiults in qualitative<br />

terms. Thus, in dealing with the question o{<br />

the photographic rendition <strong>of</strong> color under any specified<br />

conditions <strong>of</strong> illumination <strong>and</strong> photographic<br />

material characteristics, we mav sav that a red<br />

object is rendered as a lighter ton. Lf gray when<br />

photographed (on Panchromatic film) tnder Inc<strong>and</strong>escent<br />

Tungsten illumination than when photographed<br />

by the light from a sun arc. Such a statement<br />

is, however, far from satisfactorv to the critical<br />

student <strong>of</strong> such problems who undbubtedly will<br />

ask immediately, what particular red are you talking<br />

about <strong>and</strong> how much Tighter is it rendered under<br />

tungsten illumination. He desires <strong>and</strong> needs<br />

not only qualitative information. but also quantitative<br />

information, so that he may know definitely the<br />

effect produced by the use <strong>of</strong> tungsten illumination.<br />

Nor is he yet satisfied; for if he is to fullv underst<strong>and</strong><br />

the photographic tonal rendition <strong>of</strong> colored<br />

objects, to be able to apply his knowledge to practical<br />

problems, <strong>and</strong> to predict with certainty the<br />

tonal rendition <strong>of</strong> any color under any illumination<br />

<strong>of</strong> specified quality, he will surely want to know<br />

why rcd is rendered as a lighter tone <strong>of</strong> gray when<br />

tungsten lamps are used for illuminatine the red<br />

object. Thus, to fully satisfy the requiriments <strong>of</strong><br />

complete underst<strong>and</strong>ing, we must be prepared to<br />

lupply not only qualitative (how?) in{ormation,<br />

but also quantitative (how much?) data; <strong>and</strong> further<br />

to explain zthy the observed results occur.<br />

Perhaps some individuals, <strong>of</strong> the so-called practical<br />

school, may feel that they are not particularly<br />

concerned with those theoretical aspects which are<br />

involved in explaining why certain effects are produced,<br />

but may be quite satisfied with a knowledee<br />

<strong>of</strong> zuhat happens. However, I believe firmlv in the<br />

premise that the nearest approach to perfection in<br />

the practice <strong>of</strong> a scieirce can be attained with sreater<br />

facility <strong>and</strong> certainty through an adequate knowledge<br />

<strong>of</strong> the theoretical aspects <strong>of</strong> the subiect. The<br />

earlier parts o{ this paper, therefore, will be devoted<br />

to a discussion <strong>of</strong> certain essential physical<br />

<strong>and</strong> psychophysical laws <strong>and</strong> relationships which<br />

must be understood in order to explain why colors<br />

are rendered as they are under tungsten <strong>and</strong> other<br />

illuminants.<br />

The fundamental knowledge essential to a complete<br />

underst<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>of</strong> the photographic rendition<br />

<strong>of</strong> colored objects may, for convenience, be classified<br />

as follows: (a) The quality or spectr:al comfosition<br />

<strong>of</strong> the radiation emitted by the various light<br />

sources in which we are interested. (b) The characteristics<br />

<strong>of</strong> the human eye as a sense organ responding<br />

to stimulation by radiant energy o{ various<br />

wave-lengths. (c) The characteristics <strong>of</strong> the objects<br />

which it is desired to photograph, particularly their<br />

capacity to reflect or transmit radiant energy <strong>of</strong><br />

various wave-lengths. (d) The characteristics <strong>of</strong><br />

photographic materials as light sensitive receptors<br />

responding to rad,iant energy <strong>of</strong> various wavelengths.<br />

We shall now proceed to a detailed consideration<br />

<strong>of</strong> each <strong>of</strong> these subdivisions in the order<br />

mentioned.<br />

When radiant energy <strong>of</strong> certain definite wavelengths<br />

falls upon the retina <strong>of</strong> the eye, a sensation<br />

is produced which we call light. Thus, radiant energy,<br />

a purely physical or objective phenomenon,<br />

when allowed to act upon one <strong>of</strong> our sense organs,<br />

the retina, serves as a stimulus producing a subjective<br />

sensation or response which in general is designated<br />

as light. Likewise, when radiant energv oi<br />

certain wave-lengths, which may or may not be the<br />

same as those producing the sensation <strong>of</strong> light, falls<br />

upon a photographic plate or film, a resfonse (latent<br />

image) occurs which by development can be rendered<br />

visible <strong>and</strong> used as a means <strong>of</strong> producing a<br />

pictorial representation <strong>of</strong> the objects from which<br />

this radiation emanated. In order to analyze precisely<br />

the correctness <strong>of</strong> tonal rendition obtained by<br />

using any particular illuminant or source o{ radiation<br />

for the reproduction <strong>of</strong> a series o{ colored objects<br />

by the photographic process, it obviously is<br />

necessary to have quantitative knowledge relative<br />

to the characteristics <strong>of</strong> the radiation in question as<br />

well as to underst<strong>and</strong> the nature <strong>of</strong> both the visual<br />

<strong>and</strong> photographic responses to this radiation.<br />

It is assumed, in this discussion <strong>of</strong> the rendition<br />

<strong>of</strong> color values under tungsten illumination, that<br />

we are concerned only in the use <strong>of</strong> panchromatic<br />

photographic materials, <strong>and</strong> moreover, that we are<br />

interested in the rendering <strong>of</strong> colors when tungsten<br />

illumination is used as compared with the rendition<br />

obtained by.the use o{ other available illuminants.<br />

Since the quality <strong>of</strong> the radiation emitted by an illuminant<br />

has a pr<strong>of</strong>ound inlluence upon the photographic<br />

rendition <strong>of</strong> colors, it will be necessary, first<br />

o{ all, to consider the way in which the quality o{<br />

tungsten rad.iation differs from, or is similar to that<br />

<strong>of</strong> the radiation emitted by other commonly used<br />

light sources.<br />

The quality, or spectral composition <strong>of</strong> radiation,<br />

f ta1<br />

L 2/ )

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