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[lumiere]
+-----------------------------+
| More than one hundred years |
| of |
| |
| Film Sizes |
+-----------------------------+
Film sizes, marvelous scope for collecting
SUMMARY
* 35mm, struggle for standardization
* Many early filmsizes
* Variety of amateur film sizes
* Safety uninflammable film
* 28mm
* Glass- and semi-gramophone records
* Other formats
* Neuf-cinq, nine-five, 9,5mm
* 16mm, sixteen millimeter
* 17,5mm
* 8mm - Bootlace
* Super/single 8 and super 16mm
* Widescreen
* Collecting off-gauge movie equipment and films
* More sizes: 8,75, 11, 38mm
* Literature and links
Struggle for standardization
One hundred years of cinema is also due to acceptance of one standard
gauge. Whereas film equipment has undergone drastic changes in the
course of a century it is a little miracle that 35mm has remained the
universally accepted film size. If film had followed the same course
as video, with its continuing change of systems, the development
might have been delayed considerably.
Edison
Edison
We owe the format to a great extent to Edison (see photo) - in fact
35mm was called the Edison size before.
Monkeyshines 1890Click on icon for Monkeyshines Edison film strip of
1890
1891 Kinetograph film stripEdison Kinetograph film strip of June
18th,1891 (click)
In May 1889 Thomas Edison had ordered a Kodak camera from the Eastman
Company and was apparently fascinated by the 70mm roll of film used.
Thereupon W.K.L.Dickson of his laboratory ordered a roll of film of 1
3/8"(ca. 35 mm) width from Eastman. This was half the film size used
in Eastman Kodak cameras. It was to be used in a new type of
Kinetoscope for moving images on a strip of celluloid film, which
could be viewed by one person at the time.
Lumi re film
Lumiere filmframe
The Lumiere brothers introduced in March 1895 their Cinematographe
for 35mm film, which was also used at their first public show of 28
December of that year. Their strip of film had only one round hole
per image, whereas Edison used four rectangular perforations per
frame.
Even at that time there was already a variety of widths:
* 54mm (2 1/8") (Friese-Greene in 1887)
* 54mm paperfilm (2 1/8") (Le Prince, 1888),
* 54mm (Skladanowsky, 1895 )
Skladanowski
film
[skadalowsi]
60mm(Prestwich, Demeney, 1893-96)
Demeny Phonoscope 1893
Gaumont-Demeny Chronophotographe, 1896
38mm (Casimir Sivan/E.Dalphin, Geneva, 1896)
Parnaland 34 (35?) film perforation (showing Sarah Bernard in Hamlet)
63mm (Veriscope, 1897).
65mm (Hughes Moto-Photoscope, 1897)Also for 3" wide film
68mm (Biograph 1897 camera)
70mm unperforated experimental film, Birt Acres 1894
Lee & Turner colour film, 1901
Le Prince and his
film
[leprince][leprort2]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The abovementioned William Dickson, after leaving Edison, used 2 3/4"
(70 mm) for his Mutoscope & Biograph Company' productions to avert
Edison's patent rights. Cameramen of this company travelled all over
Europe to produce documentaries of a remarkable image quality.
Widescreen also proved excellently suitable for other subjects.
70mm film
Corbett-Fitzsimmons fight
Fight Corbett-Fitzsimmons
In 1897 more than 10.000 feet of 63mm film was shot of the then
famous box match between Corbett and Fitzsimmons.
One of the problems to be dealt with was the strength of the film
base. Because film is pulled through the filmgate in short strokes it
comes under high tension. Therefore perforations were torn time and
again. Eastman overcame this weakness by doubling the thickness of
the nitrate base, which was normally used for film packs from 1896
onward.
By the turn of the century film appeared to become big business. the
struggle for the monopoly of the patents intensified. To avoid
lengthy court cases the nine major producers of the time decided to
pool their rights in the Motion Pictures Patents Company in 1909.
This consortium threatened to outlaw outsiders from further film
production. Despite the general outcry one favourable effect was that
35mm became standardized to Bell & Howell specifications. It was
adopted a.o. by the Congres International des Editeurs de Films in
Paris in the same year. It was named standard-size stock, in Germany
Normalfilm and in France pelicule format standard. Eastman Kodak
became the chief film supplier (see 1912 ad).
This does not imply that no further attempts were being made to
introduce other gauges. The standard size was besieged continuously
for reasons of economy, projection quality or aesthetic design.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Great variety of amateur film sizes
A fierce competition raged in the amateur market. Economy and
dimensions were the chief ingredients. The public had to be won over
by relative inexpensiveness. Amateur film was usually cut from 35 mm
professional raw stock , that was produced in large quantities and
therefore economical to buy. The film was cut in two or three lengths
- the substandard size, or "Schmalfilm" in Germany.
The first attempt was demonstrated in England by Birt Acres in 1898.
His camera, projector at the same time, the Birtac, used 171/2 mm size
with perforations on one side.
The Biokam
The Biokam
[bioframe]
A few months later in 1899 followed by the Biokam (see photo and
filmframe) (for PS 6.6/-), also in 171/2mm (see frame, but perforations
in the center between the images. It was not a success, a.o. because
of the proficiency needed to produce acceptable results.
In the same year J.A.Prestwich introduced 13mm equipment, but little
was heard of it since.
Ernemann Kino II
of 1904
Ernemann Kino II
17,5mm Ernemann film
More succesful was Heinrich Ernemann, who introduced in 1903 the Kino
I. It used the same film as the Biokam. This apparatus could also be
used for both taking and projecting pictures - a combination which
has been experimented with for years without much success, lately by
the American Wittnauer Cine-Twin 8mm set.
In 1900 Gaumont-Demeny ventured with an unusual size: 15mm, with
center perforation. The Chrono de Poche did not make it either.
Nowadays it is a rarity. In the same year another French firm
introduced the Mirograph which used an equally odd size: 20 mm. It
had on one side notches instead of perforations. I have yet to see
one single specimen.
In the United States the first projector using non-standard film
appeared around 1902. This home cinema used a carbide lamp. It was
called the Vitak and used 17,5mm film. A few years later another
projector appeared with a similar appearance. It was the Ikonograph,
using 17,5mm film with a large center perforation.
In 1923 11,5mm was re-introduced in the USA with the Duplex
projector.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Safety film
In 1897 a fierce fire destroyed the cinema pavillion of a charity
bazar in Paris, which took the lives of 124 people. It is no surprise
that an immediate search was opened for a replacement of the highly
inflammable cellulose nitrate stock. In 1908 the first non-flam
acetate film was marketed. It took decennia of perfection before it
could supplant the old stock. Only in 1950 the tri-acetate film could
be considered equal to nitrate film. However, for amateur films it
was employed right after its invention.
22 mm Home
Kinetoscope
Edison 22mm projector
[ediframe]
In 1912 Edison introduced the Home Kinetoscope for safety film. It
employed yet another size: 22mm. It had three rows of images sized 4
x 6mm, separated by two rows of perforations. One column of images
was cranked foreward, the middle row backward, and the third row
forward again. A camera was never produced. Films from 10 to 15 meter
lengths in special containers were for rent from Edison depots or by
mail.
Home Kinetoscope show (click)
22mm Ozaphane film
22mm Ozaphane film
Ten years later in 1922 Ste Gallus introduced a projector, the
Cinebloc, using the same size of film in a different manner. It used
double-sided perforated 22mm Ozaphan cellophane film. Of the Cinebloc
little was heard of either since.
24mm unperforated
Ozaphane film for
Cinelux
24mm Ozaphane film
In 1931 Cinelux film projectors were introduced, a silent and sound
model. A highly unusual 24mm unperforated Ozaphan film size was being
used, the mechanism being a beater movement.
Cinelux silent
projector
24mm Ozaphane film
---------------------------------------------------------------------
28 mm
Path Kok
The Path Kok
In 1912 Pathe introduced with far more success a 28mm size for safety
film. The width deviated in order to prevent flammable normal sized
film be used for the projector, the Pathe Kok (see image).
28 mm
film
[28mm]
In France the film had on the left side three perforations per frame
and on the right side one (see image). The single right side
perforation was to make framing unnecessary. (Click for image of
Pathe Kok camera here)
New Premier Pathescope
The new Premier Pathescope
When during WW1 imports from France into the U.S.A. came to a halt
Victor introduced their Safety and Home Cinema projectors for 28mm
films perforated with three perforations per frame on both sides.
Victor 28mm projector
Victor 28mm projector
Pathe's distributor W.B.Cook designed a completely new motorized
projector, the New Premier Pathescope (see photo). Not many were
sold, however. Keystone and other manufacturers also introduced a
28mm projector, but reverted soon again to the 35mm size.
The Pathe Kok projector (The name was taken from from the newly
patented logo of a cock) was equipped usually with a dynamo. So it
could be used on the not yet electrified countryside. At the same
time 28mm cameras were marketed. The emphasis was on showing
theatrical films copied from the large film library of Pathe,
however.
Initially the new size seemed to do well and was accepted as a
standard size for the home cinema. By 1918 10.000 projectors were
sold.
The projector enjoyed quite some popularity. In the United States
28mm was accepted as a standard size for portable film projectors by
the Society of Motion Picture Engineers. 935 Titles were for rent.
Later developments made the format decline in popularity. Yet the Kok
projectors are a showpiece in a collection nowadays, especially so
because of its splendid design resembling a robust old-time sewing
machine.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Glass and semi-gramophone records
Besides emulsion on film base experiments were carried out with
celluloid and glass plates. There was still a fierce competition
between the magic lantern with its non-inflammable glass slides and
the vulnerable film stock.
* As early as 1890 Rudge projected moving images from glass plates
for the Bath Photographic Society.
* In 1892 Demeny followed with an apparatus named, the Phonoscope,
with which a glass plate with 18 photographs of a man saying "je
vous aime" could be projected.
* In 1897 E.&H.T. Anthony in troduced their Spiral camera projector
exposing 200 images on a glass plate.In the same year the Bettini
Brothers introduced their 'Plattenkinematograph' recording 576
images on a glass plate.
* In 1898 Leo Kamm used for his Kammatograph a round glass plate of
30 cm width on which 350 to 550 images were registered in spiral
form.
* Bettini plattenkamera Germany, around 1900, 576 images on
photographic plate.
* The Cinephot of Huet & Cie. introduced in 1904 used a double
magazine with 2 x 24 frames on a disc of 6".
* The French Olikos of 1912 employed a rectangular 9,5 x 9cm glass
plate on which 12 rows of 7 images each were registered.
* A similar apparatus was the French Le Seul using a glass negative
of 9 x 12 cm
Spirogram
* The American Urban Spirograph of 1915, apparently inspired by the
popular gramophone, used a celluloid disc with 1200 frames. Each
disc had a projection time of two minutes. A disc library with
hundreds of titles was to be made available. It is doubtful
whether it ever came that far, because nothing was heard more of
the venture after some time.
Aladdin disc
Yet, undaunted, The Aladdin Cine Products Co. ('from the Pictures
Development Co., Toledo, Ohio, USA') produced a similar
experimental series of discs of local subjects, but fared a fate
even worse than Spirograph.
All these curious attempts make a fine hunting field for the
collector nowadays. A Kammatograph was auctioned by Christies for
PS 3850 in 1993 and may be worth more now.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Other formats
Duplex
half
frame
film
[duplexhalf]
In 1915 the Duplex Corporation proposed an economical use of the
35mm film size, by dividing the frame in two halves and copying
existing 35mm films on to one half of the 35mm stock without
splitting the film up.
Special Duplex projector lenses were to be made available to
project the 10 x 19mm half frame onto the screen.
I have a brochure but have been unable to find any reference that
the system was seriously considered, or the Duplex lenses ever
made available.
42mm
sound
film
1922
42mm film
Another proposal came in 1922 for a 42 mm size to accomodate a
7mm optical sound track to existing 35mm film by the German
Triergon company.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[pathembl]
Neuf-cinq (nine-five)
After thirty years of experimentation with different widths in
1922 one was marketed which stood a better chance. In December
1922 Pathe introduced its home cinema, Le Cinema chez soi, called
the Pathe Baby.
Unspliced
9,5mm film
Unspliced 9,5mm
Between the perforations of 35mm film three rows of 9,5mm were
slit (see image).
The projector came first. Its transportation mechanism was almost
identical to the Lumiere Cinematograph of 1895. The apparatus
projected a steady image of amazing clarity considering the lamp
of 6 Watt. Cassettes with lengths of 9 or 15 meter 9,5mm film
could be bought or rented from depots. These films stood out by
their great definition. They were reduced from Pathe's
considerable 35mm archive. Subjects included newsreels,
documentaries, comedies and feature films. Some were colored by a
stencil imprint method. An ingenuous system was used to prolong
the projection time. By means of notches in the film a mechanism
was set into motion in the projector by which certain images -
titles or close-ups - could be frozen for a few seconds.
Path Baby
set
Path Baby set
In 1923 a camera with hand crank was marketed. It being small in
size, handy and economical, made it popular in a short time. It
was for the first time that amateur film gained a wider
acceptance. It is estimated that some 300.000 projectors were
sold. What happened to all of them is another matter. They are
not that often being offered for sale nowadays.
As a result of later developments the size never became popular
in the U.S.A. In Europe it was. Even in Japan imitations of 9,5mm
movie cameras and projectors were manufactured before the war
(Cine Rola). In 1938 9,5mm sound film was introduced with the
Pathe Vox sound-projector.
It may come as a surprise to some but 9,5 mm still has a
following. Cameras and projectors are still manufactured, or more
precisely, modern equipment is being converted to this size.
Films are still re-perforated by some firms and developing
facilities are available, given enough patience.
Internationally 9,5mm fans form a closely knit community holding
yearly global gatherings. The best nine-five films of that year
are projected then.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Sixteen millimeter
Kodak could not lag behind Pathe. John Capstaff of the Kodak
laboratories had already been experimenting with another size.
They had come to the conclusion that 10mm was the minimum image
width for acceptable quality. Perforations on both sides would
occupy another 6mm, making a total of 16mm. This gauge had the
additional advantage that flammable 35mm stock could not not be
slit in half for amateur use.
In 1923 16mm was introduced. In the battle for the amateur market
Pathe boasted that its size was cheaper because of its economical
use of the film width. Its prices suited all(?) purses. In their
sales' slogans Path boasted that 9,5mm had almost the same frame
size of 16mm at the price of 8mm.
Kodak opposed that middle perforations could cause stripes over
the image. Moreover if the projector claw failed to hit the
perforation accurately the images could easily be damaged.
The grain quality of 16mm was better. Kodak introduced with 16mm
a reversal developing process with variable second exposure. It
did away with the procedure followed so far to have negative film
copied onto positive stock. As a result the costs were reduced to
only 1/6 of the negative/positive process.
In later years a sound track was added on one side of the film,
sacrificing one row of perforations. It was accepted as an SMPE
standard in 1932.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
17,5 mm
Split 35mm had always been popular as an alternative gauge. The
American Sinemat camera/projector used it with perforations on
one side in 1915.
Movette
17,5
mm
[movette]
Two years later the Movette camera and projector appeared for
non-flammable 17,5mm stock. It had round perforations on each
side.
Movette
film
[movettecli]
In the twenties Pathe, when considering a new size of film for
projectors used for shows in places in the country where no
cinema was operating, also opted for 17,5mm. An optimum use of
the film width was obtained by expanding the image and reducing
the size of the perforations on both sides.
Rural
17,5 mm
[ruralfilmc]
The Pathe Rural was obtainable from 1926. Pathescope, Great
Britain, followed with the Pathe Rex projector only in 1932. At
the same time a film library was made available with well-known
films of that era. In 1932 sound film was introduced - the sound
track replacing one row of perforations as in 16mm. Although
17,5mm en joyed some popularity before the war - it was used in
4823 cinema's in France - it disappeared in Great Britain in
1939. In France in the first war years as the German occupation
power did not permit off-gauge films be shown for censorship
reasons.
--------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
8mm bootlace
[8_16mm]
Kemco
camera
[kemco8]
In 1930 Kodel pioneered in the United States with the idea to
reduce film costs drastically by a yet more economical use of the
16mm width. With an ingenuous mechanism they succeeded in
inserting 4 images on the surface of one 16mm frame. Besides the
Kemco Home Movie camera a dual size projector was introduced for
16mm and 1/4x16mm.
The death blow was given to this attempt when Kodak introduced
8mm film in 1932. 16 Mm was given twice the number of
perforations. First one half of the film was exposed. Thereafter
the reel was turned and the other half was shot. After processing
the film was slit in the middle and the two 8mm halfs spliced
together. In this manner as many frames were available on the
25ft small reel as on 100 ft 16mm film.
Because changing reels in the middle proved to be cumbersome a
number of manufacturers introduced straight 8mm wound on 50 ft
reels (Univex, Bell & Howell), or in cassettes (Agfa). Because of
the lack of uniformity resulting in limited availability straight
8mm did not catch on.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
New sizes in the fifties
In spite of its advantages nine-five lost field. Kodak had
acquired a main share in Pathe in the late twenties. It had no
interest in pushing that size actively. The supremacy of 8 and
16mm lasted for a considerable number of years. Yet there were
attempts to introduce for the amateur economic widescreen sizes.
In fact in the first year of WW2 in the German magazine 'Film f r
Alle' J.Pauli of Berlin proposed using first one half of the 16mm
size, turn the film around and then expose the second half. It
involved holding the camera vertically and the use of a mask. The
projector would need a prism to project a horizontal wide-screen
image. Once one half of the film was projected it needed to be
turned over in order to project the opposite half. How a film was
to be edited without interfering with the opposite frames was not
gone into wisely.
Path
widescreen
4 3/4mm
film
[pathe]
Pathe made a more serious attempt to hook on to the popularity of
widescreen in the fifties by introducing a duplex and monoplex
format in 1955. 9,5mm was double perforated and split in the
middle to a 4 3/4mm size which was to be projected horizontally
in widescreen. It was an ill-conceived idea. The public showed no
interest at all. Few cameras and projectors were sold. The
venture was abandoned soon and forgotten in no time. Available
stock was converted to the classic 9,5mm size.
The 4 3/4 mm Lido/Orly Duplex cameras and the [patduplx]Monaco
Duplex projector have become rare collectors' items.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Super/single 8 and super 16
Eight millimetre also underwent a transformation in 1965. The
frame image was enlarged by 50% by using smaller vertical
perforations. The so called super 8 film was supplied in 50' 8mm
cassettes (having a striking resemblance to Meopta cassettes
introduced years before). As from 1973 with magnetic sound
stripe. Fuji attempted to introduce a far better conceived single
8 mm system but could not compete with Kodak.
Double
super
8mm
film
[ds8film]
For semi-professional use double super 8 was supplied in the
manner of standard 8mm on 16mm 100 ft. reels. It gave far better
results because the film passed through the precision film gate
of the camera instead of that of the magazine. In addition to the
larger frame size and the improved emulsion super 8 compared well
with 16mm of the fifties. No wonder that 16mm was hardly used
anymore by amateurs.
Super
16mm
[super16]
The 16mm used by professionals was given a boost by the
introduction of super 16 mm in 1971. The 16mm image was enlarged
by using also the space normally taken up by the sound track.
This film size is excellently suitable to be blown up to 35mm.
Because of its widescreen dimensions it lends itself perfectly
for modern televion systems, like Pal Plus. There are suggestions
to enlarge the image size even further by introducing vertical
perforations similar to those used in super 8mm. A Super-16
format was developed subsequently by Swedish cinematographer Rune
Ericson.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Widescreen
As stated before widescreen became popular in the fifties.
However, it was proceeded by various attempts in the past, even
in the nineteenth century as we have seen before, followed by:
+ 1900 - 75mm Wide Film of Lumiere
+ 1900 - 70mm Cineorama of Raoul Grimoin-Sanson
+ 1914 - 70mm Panoramica (of Filoteo Alberini)
+ 1926 - 63,5mm Natural Vision, R.K.O.
+ 1929 - 70mm Grandeur of Twentieth Century Fox
+ 1930 - 56mm Magnafilm Paramount
+ 1930 - 70mm Realife, M.G.M.
+ 1930 - 65mm Vitascope Warner Bros.
All these ventures did not last for much longer than a year. In
the fifties another series of attempts were made to introduce
large film sizes for widescreen. To name a few:
+ 1954 - 65mm Todd-AO click for picture of camera
+ 1955 - 55,625mm Cinemascope-55
+ 1956 - 65mm Super Panavision
Frame of
'Oklahoma'
in Todd-AO -
65mm wide
negative
printed onto
70mm color
positive.
Widescreen frame
70 mm
film
70mm film
In the seventies followed IMAX (1970), OMNIMAX (1973), Cinema 180
and others with horizontal position of frames on 65mm negative
film. Special theatres were built to accomodate the projectors
and ultra wide screen. Specially built projectors were needed
because the film could not be pulled through anymore by claw. In
the Imax system it is transported by a wave motion. Thanks to the
air pressure gate precision, projection on a 180o 100 ft. width
screen has become possible.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
From the foregoing it is clear that standardization was dictated
by the economical power of one or more manufacturers. One result
was the universal acceptance and growth of the medium for
amusement, information and in some cases as an art form.
Collecting off-gauge movie equipment and films
For the collector hard to find off-gauge equipment/films are a
true hunting-ground. In particular the sizes that were never
heard of anymore. One may still profit from the relatively low
prices as compared with photographica. 8, 16 and 35mm equipment/
films are often offered for sale, but it becomes more difficult
with 9,5, 17,5, 22, 28mm and all the other sizes mentioned.
From 3 to 75mm
One hundred years of cinema has yielded almost one hundred film
gauges from 3mm to 75mm. The smallest of 3mm was developed in
1960 by Eric Berndt for NASA to be used in space flights. It had
a centre frameline perforation. The largest was employed by Lumi
re in 1900 for large screen presentations at the Paris
Exposition.
Most of these film sizes have been relegated to oblivion, much to
the detriment of its inventors/manufacturers. Each size has its
own history.
Certainly I have not mentioned all of them. Here are some more
sizes:
+ 26mm paper film used in the Refcy Japanese paperfilm camera
around 1930
+ 38mm (Casimir Sivan, Switzerland).
+ 11,5 mm (regular 8mm+ 3,5mm for sound track) optical sound
film used in a Kenner's Real Sound toy projector around 1965
[11mmsize]
+ 16mm Harper Film system, patented in 1938. 'Edge perforations
were no longer used. 3mm each side of the film were reserved
for sound tracks leaving 10mm in the centre for the width of
the 16mm picture frame. [Originally with two perforations per
frame], at a later stage this format was modified slightly to
accommodate a third centrally placed sprocket hole,
apparently to ease the strain on the film now traveling at
the higher speed of 18" per second.
+ GanGuang
FL8,75 mm
projector
[GanGuangFL]
8,75mm film used in the seventies in The People's Republic of
China for educational, propagandistic and other purposes.
Chinese 35mm film stock was being slit into four strips of
8,75mm film and sound striped afterwards. Projectors for this
size were also being manufactured there by a number of
companies.
+ Super duper 8mm. This new wide-screen 8mm film format had its
international debut in December 2003. Sleep Always, the first
feature film shot in the new "super-duper 8", screened in
Spain at the Sitges International Film Festival of Catalonia
and in New York as part of the International Festival of
Cinema and Technology. Super-duper 8 utilizes traditional
super 8 film but uses also the area normally reserved for the
sound stripe (as with super 16). When transferred to
videotape super-duper 8 utilizes 30% more image area in every
frame.
+ Super 9,5mm. Actually 11.6mm obtained by slitting 35mm film
stock in three strips. Prototypes were made by amongst others
by Elmo and Beaulieu in the nineties. But the project was
abandoned for lack of venture capital.
For further info on the apparatus mentioned see my List and Links
below. Consult also my Collecting vintage cinematographica page.
--------------------------------------------------------
LITERATURE:
+ Acres, A.B. : Frontiersman to Film-maker (2001, MS as yet
unpublished)
+ Ceram, C.W.: Archeologie du Cinema (1966)
+ Collins, Douglas: The story of Kodak (1990)
+ Crawford, Merritt: The first thirty years (Movie Makers
December 1930)
+ Dery, Michel: Le format ideal (article)
+ Jenkins, R.V.: Technology and the American Photographic
Industry 1839 to 1925
+ Kattelle, Alan: Home Movies (2000)
+ Kennedy, Donald D.: The Film Industry in the People's
Republic of China (SMPTE Journal vol.85 Nov '76)
+ Lieshout, Henry van: Cine film formats ("Sixteen Frames"
Spring '90)
+ Limbacher, J.L.: Four aspects of the film (1968)
+ Matthews, G.E. and Tarkington, R.G.: Early history of Amateur
Motion Picture Film (article March 1955 Journal SMPTE)
+ McKee, Gerald: Film Collecting (1978)
+ A Pot-pourri of film widths and sprocket holes,
Milestone Movie Cameras (Articles in American Cinematographer
, Jan. 1969).
+ Rossell, Deac: Living Pictures. The origins of the movies
(1998)
+ Theisen, Earl: The history of nitrocellulose as a film base.
(Article March 1933 Journal SMPTE vol 20)
Links:
+ Wikipedia list of film formats
+ Scott E. Norwood's Motion Picture formats
+ Eric Lange: Formats sp ciaux
+ Cinematographes - French site with fine images of curious
formats
+ R capitulatif des principaux formats (French)
+ Sam Dodge tells about early 35mm cameras
+ Who invented the cinema?
+ Birt Acres (1854 - 1910), film pioneer
+ Collecting vintage film apparatus
+ Pictures of vintage apparatus
+ Imax.com
+ 17,5mm Equipment (Grahame L. Newnham)
+ The 28mm page (Grahame L. Newnham)
(c) Michael Rogge 2022
-----------------------------------------------------------------
This article was published originally in Dutch in the quarterly
of the Fotografica Society, Netherlands, in 1996 and updated
later on.(click)
Foreign translatians:
Finnish: Taistelu standardointi
Russian translation.
Uzbek translation: "Hundred years of film sizes"
Serbian translation
Macedonian translation
-------------------------------------------------------------
[new]
+----------------------------------------+
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| ON MY CINEMATOGRAPHICA PAGES(click) |
+----------------------------------------+
+-----------------------------------------------------------+
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| projectors etc. with their date of manufacture |
| (1895-1965),(click here) |
+-----------------------------------------------------------+
-------------------------------------------------------------
On the web since 6 December 1996. Latest update: December
2022
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| List of 3500 vintage movie apparatus | | service addresses
| | want list | | Who invented the cinema? |
| Michael Rogge's 1200 video clips at YouTube | | Birt Acres.
Film Pioneer | | art |
|Index to all pages on this site | other interests | |
French, German, Italian pages | | My 1200 video clips on
YouTube |