Gregg Toland - Film Composites

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

I read Gregg Toland - Citizen Kane , Orson Welles- made film composites either when printing or taking - double exposure - to create his extreme deep focus frames. I never heard anyone who does it or did at APUG or other places. Such an interesting technology . I think people are struggling for good capture at streets . Do you know any other person who does such deep focus composites.

I am streching my muscles to invest in astro berlin 24 mm for 22x16 frames with the help of vertical viewfinder.
I will test development and film to match the look of citizen kane and will work with theater players.

Umut

 

[MDR]

Metropolis (1927 Directors of photography Karl Freund & Günter Rittau ) has some deep focus shots using composites another example is Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959, Director of photography Winton C. Hoch) they even invented a special camera to achieve that effect). Jean Renoir's the rules of the Game also employed a lot of deep focs shots (1939), Ingeborg Holm (1913 Dp Henrik Jaenzon)) also employed deep focus but no composites. F.W. Murnau Movies used both Deep focus and composites sometimes both at the same time. Neither Wells nor Tolland invented the technique but most film historians especially american ones still more or less claim that it is citizen kane that brought the use of deep focus in widespread use which isn't true a lot of movies of the 1920's to 1930's used that technique it's just that most movie people have a very americacentric view. What is also often forgotten that Orson Welles was heavily influenced by German Expressionistic film this can be seen in both choice of camera angle as well as the use of deep focus and other lens effects. Hitchcock was another famous Hollywood director that was influenced by German expressionistic film and quiet a few of his movies also made use of deep focus and composites to achieve the deep focus look.

 

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

MDR,

You are excellent, thank you very much.

Is there any photographers who uses composites or is there any tutorial , video or book which describes the techniques fully ?

Other question , how can I get a full german expressionist cinema dvd list for sell ? Is there any specialist website sells that dvds ?

I am thinking to invest in astro berlin 24mm with vertical viewfinder , may be on barnack use. Or may be I invest in panasonic camera with ccd. I watched chinese olympics and when they freeze the athletes on the screen , color of the skin and the noise and the bas relief effect with shadowing was no more different from leica.

 

[darkosaric]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_focus

I like the part "Use in modern films" - short but it says a lot.

 

[MDR]

Some of the better known german expressionistic movies are available on youtube.

Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Robert Wiene): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AP3WDQXkJq4
Faust (F.W. Murnau) a lot of efx in Coppolas Bram Stokers Dracula are copies from that movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Flnxq2HMOqA
Nosferatu-eine Symphonie des Grauens (again F.W. Murnau): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcyzubFvBsA
Metropolis (Fritz Lang) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddkb345QNeI
The last laugh/ Der letzte Mann (F.W. Murnau was known for its use of Deep Focus):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddkb345QNeI
Sunrise (F.W. Murnau made in Hollywood but still German down to it's core): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcIinIj8Jtg

As for books: Cinematography: Theory and Practice: Image Making for Cinematographers and Pratice by Blain Brown explains deep focus
Hollywood Lighting from the Silent Era to Film Noir by Patrick Keating is another good book
The Film Handbook by Mark de Valk & Sarah Arnold has a chapter on Deep Focus shooting

The Leicashop sells a 2/25mm Gauss-Tachar for € 350 http://www.leicashop.com/vintage_en...stro-berlin-25-2-gauss-tachar-sku22240-6.html the lens should be very close to the 24mm.

Also to achieve the deep focus effect you don't need a special lens any wide angle lens will do, furthermore today many DP don't stop down the lens to achieve deep focus but use a split diopter. Vertical is also not the best choice if you want to copy the movie deep focus effect as movies are shot in landscape orientation.

Good luck.

 

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

Thank you Darko and MDR,

Darko, I watch movies rarely and I dont have any idea about what americans does today. But would it be cheaper to compose with tele lens ? You need only beatiful lady , no need to lighting expenses nor decor , other people. You would invest in few old cars and a stunt to explode the car or roll in the air. Thats cheapness. I am looking movie player sites and half of the movies are horror , other quarter they are in holiday , poor girl becomes a princess and sea side love stories and few political nine eleven movies. I would not watch them if they are deep focus or norrow focus.

MDR,

Thank you very much. I will watch the movies one by one.

Vertical is also not the best choice if you want to copy the movie deep focus effect as movies are shot in landscape orientation.

Did you mean vertical viewfinder. Toland used the same at Citizen Kane. I posted his equipment list at other thread.

The Leicashop sells a 2/25mm Gauss-Tachar for € 350 http://www.leicashop.com/vintage_en/...ku22240-6.html the lens should be very close to the 24mm.

I saw that lens , you were saying its Toland era cinema lens , isnt it ? Its about our govs decision to invest or not , I dont have still pension yet.

I will look in split diopter ? I never heard before.

I am looking for grades similar to 50s german magazine factory products ULF shots. Some bright , some darker sharper is neighbor to dull and low contrast or some flat look with long grades without change . These are the most dynamic ones I have ever seen. I think everything was under bright sun or light source. And I am looking for dusty grey noise and lots of blacks. There are few of my gallery shots.
Basically very good processed kodak or agfa film , some adox and rollei gives out similar with less agresssive development.

 

[MDR]

The Gauss-Tachar certainly is from that time. found a japanese photographer on Flickr who used that lens on his D-camera (it doesn't fully cover the whole 35mm frame) https://www.flickr.com/search/?text= Astro Berlin Gauss Tachar 25mm
Except for the light flare probably due to dirt and scratches on the lens the results look very 3D I like it.

The vertical viewfinder was a direct quote from your post.
"I am thinking to invest in astro berlin 24mm with vertical viewfinder. "
The finder Toland was using was the standard Sidefinder for the Mitchell BNC with a 25mm mask. If you are interested here's a link to an online PDF of the Mitchell BNC Camera manual from the 1960's it hasn't changed that much from the 1940's. http://www.mitchellcamera.com/brochures/mitchell_handbook_m202_1960.pdf

The most affordable split diopter would be from Cokin it is made for still cameras they also have examples of it in use http://www.cokin.co.uk/pages/effects2.htm they call it Split field.

 

[Mustafa Umut Sarac]

Hello MDR,

Thank you very much for your very informative posts.

There is a BW Crowd shot at your link and it is amazing , such a crowded people been recorded with every detail. I cant say the same for BW Perspective shot because corners loses the sharpness very much with little bit vignette. But I would not hesitate to buy that lens.

Find gregg toland article at articles , there is a copy of tolands rko order for lenses and cameras. There is a vertical viewfinder at the list. But may be it was special order and side finder comes with the camera. I will try to find a side finder.

ps. I looked to camera manual and I think there is no easy view with vertical one

I could not like the split diopter images at cokin , thats not my style and if you order the cine one , I would bet it cost too much.

Thank you very much,

Umut