Giacomelli...how?

[jtk]

And would have made high-contrast developer always available. Lith film would have been plentiful, too - sheets big enough for full-size masks. He could have done straight prints and rephotographed them, also. There are lots of ways to get a similar result - but it can be difficult to retain detail when you do them. That may be why he always went with 6x9 negatives.

Yes!.

He also composed (composed!) main big image ideas using selected elements of multiple sub-images.

 

[jtk]

Tonalities? Are you referring to the dominance of absolute black and white?