Download Report - Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

':t
FINAL SESSION OF THE ACADEMY
I
i
Friday night, April 20, 1928, there occurred an
open session of the Academy, attended also by
representatives of the Society o{ Motion Picture
Engineers, the American Society of Cinematographers,
and the Association of Motion Picture Producers,
at which final reports were submitted on
behalf of the organizations interested. The Secretary
of the Academy presided.
ACADEMY REPORT
BY THE SECRETARY
This present inquiry in the matter of incandescent
illumination originated at a meeting of the
Technicians' Branch of the Academv held on
November 16, 1927, as shown by the minutes of the
meeting. At this meeting it was asserted by different
members that Mazda lighting was proving effective
in a few studios, particularly at First
National. It was argued from this that the use of
Mazda lighting was destined to become more
general in the industry, and that if it did there were
but a hal{ dozen cinematographers in Los Angeles
who were experienced .in this means of illumination.
It was further pointed out that the then existing
equipment of lamps and fixtures for incandescent
lighting was in urgent need of development
and improvements before they could be expected to
give satisfactory results. The manufacturers had
heen making more or less unorganized investigations
and experiments for several months. but there
had been no definite cooperative effort on the part
of users and makers to reach scientific and practical
conclusions.
Therefore, the Technicians' Branch of the Academy
voted to conduct a series of experimental
demonstrations in Mazd.a lighting. This action was
approved by the Academy Board of Directors on
December 19, 1927, and invitations were issued to
manufacturing companies and all interested persons
to cooperate and assist in the series of investigations.
The Technicians' Branch appointed a corimitt.e
consisting of cinematographers belonging to the
Branch giving them authority to proceed-with the
series of demonstrations, and this committee presented
the matter in the name of the Academv to
the American Society of Cinematographers, of which
they were members, asking that organtzation to cooperate
with the Academy. The American Society
of Cinematographers responded with splendid enthusiasm
and to them was conceded the authority
and the obligation of conducting the demonstrations.
The Association of Motion Picture Producers rvas
also joined in the project, and on behalf of the
manufacturers assumed the necessary expenditures
for the purpose of carrying out the demonstrations.
Warner Bros. most generously donated the use o{
their studio. Manufacturers came forward with
contributions ol raw stock, lamps, lighting equipment,
and other necessary apparatus. Laboratories
without exception contributed the development and
printing of the film taken in the tests. Altogether
Warner Bros. Studio was used for several weeks
with eleven night demonstrations and daily tests by
individual cinematographers on almost every week
day of the period.
The Max Factor Company and the Artists' Makeup
Association contributed a make-up artist to experiment
during the demonstrations in the perfection
of make-up materials.
The results o{ the demonstration will be reported
by the representatives o{ the American Society of
Cinematographers, and will be a part of the records
of this meeting.
Early in the progress of the demonstrations the
Academy requested that all producers report their
own experrences in incandescent illumination and
to this there was a splendid response. These responses
were mimeographed and circulated among
all studios and interested companies and persons,
being a very valuable contribution to the investigations.
At 'the end of the series o{ demonstrations
a second questionnaire was addressed to the
studios, and u.'as responded to in like manner, all of
which are matters of record in the files of the
Academy.
At first it was intended that this final week of
demonstrations, papers, reports and conclusions
should occur the week previous to the Convention
of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers, which
had been invited by the Academy to occupy the
Academy quarters during the period of their spring
convention in Hollywood. It was requested, however,
by the Engineers that the date of the Academy's
final week should be postponed until after the
Engineers' Conventicin, and this was agreed to by
the General Committee of the Academy, the result
being that a number of the members of the Society
of Motion Picture Engineers have been in attendance
during the past week.
On Wednesday night, April 11, the Academy
gave a dinner in honor of the Society of Motion
Picture Engineers, and it was attended by nearly
350 members of the Academy and guests, the result
being the most important and success{ul gatherinq
under the auspices of the Academy since its organization.
This final week of the Academy's program on the
subject o{ incandescent illumination in cooperation
with the American Society of Cinematographers
and the' Association of Motion Picture Producers
opened on Monday night with an outdoor demonstration
on the grounds of the Garden Court
Apartments on Hollywood boulevard.
Tuesday night at the Hollywood Chamber of
Commerce the edited film resulting from the several
weeks tests and demonstrations made in Warner
Bros. studio, together with the film photographed
ts8l