In making still pictures, some of the most interesting parts of the whole process are developing, printing, and enlarging pictures. With movies, all of these tasks are left to the company that produces the film. Usually the cost of the film includes the developing. It is not practical for the amateur to develop his own film, since too many special pieces of equipment are needed.

Several kinds of film are available for the amateur moviemaker. A person should know what the features and advantages of each film are, since they differ in cost, sensitivity, and kind of picture produced. Generally what one wants in film is speed and accuracy. By speed is meant the rapidity with which the film reacts to light. There is a great difference among films in this respect. Some films are capable of recording a picture in less than half the time of other films. This means, of course, that the amount of light that is permitted to come through the lens should depend upon the kind of film used. In other words, the size of the opening used on the lens will depend upon the amount of light on the subject and the kind of film in the camera.

One of the most useful films on the market is supersensitive panchromatic. Not only is this film unusually rapid in catching pictures, but it is also sensitive to many different colors, making it valuable in portraying scenes correctly. Some films will not show clouds in the sky, for example, even though the clouds are in the original scene, because the blue of the sky and the white of the clouds act upon the film in the same way.

Recently, very sensitive films have been made available to movie-makers. These films are so quick in catching images that a picture can be taken even in ordinary indoor lighting, as in a home, or around a campfire.

More complete information on films can be found in books on photography, such as those listed at the end of this chapter. The movie-maker should make himself acquainted with this information.

Colored Movies

One of the most interesting new developments in amateur movies is color film. With a little added expense, it is now possible to make movies in full natural color. As far as the person who takes the movies is concerned, there is not much difference between taking them in color and taking them in black and white. Of course, there is a great deal of difference in the composition of the film and in the developing process, but this is the worry of the company that supplies the film since it does the developing.

The modern colored movies are a great thrill. They portray the scenes in an amazing likeness to their original beauty. This faithfulness in reproduction makes the colored film especially valuable for showing outdoor scenes with pleasing combinations of color.

There are some tricks to learn in using the colored film. One should study the literature furnished by the company that manufactures the film rather carefully to make certain these tricks are fully understood. For example, one must watch the lighting more carefully with colored film than with black-andwhite. Colors in shadows become dull in the completed film. Too many shadows hurt the picture. For this reason, scenes should not contain large patches of bright light and dark shade, but should be composed as much as possible in light without too much contrast.

There are two kinds of colored film, one for use under artificial light and the other for use in daylight. Since artificial light contains much more red than daylight, it is necessary to allow for this difference in the film. It is necessary to remember the kind of film in the camera when the kind of lighting varies.