Techniscope

Techniscope is a mainly employed in Italy since 1963, non- anamorphic film format for the production of wide screen movies with an aspect ratio of 2.33:1.

Technical Basics

The film step of vertically running through the film camera 35mm film is at Techniscope only two instead of four perforation holes (35 mm 2 -perf instead of 35 mm 4- perf). The individual images have the dimensions 22 mm x 9.47 mm and are therefore only about half as high as in the normal picture.

Techniscope, like Super 16, Super 35 or VistaVision a pure production movie format that is not projected in the cinema. Only the camera negative is taken in Techniscope format; Inter Positive Inter negatives and screening copies will be produced by recopying the Cinemascope format.

Movie recording

For the movie recording film cameras (mostly Arriflex or Mitchell ) whose perforation was rebuilt by 4 -perf on 2 -perf.

There are normal spherical lenses are used. The image of the camera negative is not so compressed horizontally, as in anamorphic processes (eg CinemaScope ) happens.

Aaton Penelope offers the series of modern, quiet -running 35mm film camera can be recorded with the in Techniscope.

Copying

From the cut Techniscope camera negative ( average negative ) is by copying on the optical printer shrink to a anamorphic CinemaScope interpositive created (aspect ratio 1:2.35 ). Among these, taken by Kontaktkopierung CinemaScope internegatives, which in turn serve as the basis for Cinemascope screening copies. Named Cromoscope copies were designated, which has not been produced by Technicolor.

Alternatively, in the age of digital technology by scanning the camera negative, a digital intermediates are created so that all other analog copying steps are omitted.

Benefits

• Techniscope requires only half as much camera film negative, such as CinemaScope. For this reason Techniscope was jokingly referred to as " Cinemascope for the poor".
• Techniscope does not require expensive and heavy anamorphic lenses. Instead, normal spherical lenses are used. Easy and inexpensive 35mm film cameras ( eg Arriflex II) can thus be used for filming, the image window and perforation was converted to Techniscope. The low weight enables the flexible use as a hand-held camera.
• For a Techniscope production less power is needed to artificial light, as spherical lenses are brighter than anamorphic.
• Through the use of spherical lenses are plastic-looking wholesale and detail shots at close range possible ( wide-angle shots at close range or possibly also macro photography). Similar settings can not be realized with anamorphic lenses - because of their cylindrical front lens there would be unnatural image distortions. Only with longer focal lengths at a greater distance (use of telephoto lenses ) can be achieved (see Setting size) with anamorphic distortion-free wholesale or detail settings; However, this leads to flat images with a shallower depth.
• With the same horizontal field of view and the same aperture have Techniscope shots against CinemaScope pictures to a significantly higher depth of field. (Explanation: For the same horizontal viewing angles twice Techniscope focal length is required for Cinemascope, which reduces the depth of field. )

Disadvantages

• The opposite CinemaScope reduced camera negative area of ​​the Techniscope image window entails a loss of resolution ( image sharpness) with itself. Since spherical lenses but usually better imaging properties than anamorphic lenses, Techniscope recordings are usually inferior only insignificantly.
• Since Techniscope films must be enlarged more, they act tends to pale and grainy in the projection. Especially for wide-angle panoramas of the Western impression of a certain age film is produced. However, viewers find this mostly as the genre appropriately and therefore aesthetically.
• Due to the very narrow frame line of Techniscope image, the splices of the cut camera negative are often visible; in the cinema copy can they be recognized as white image Blitzer. This problem arises, however, even while cutting CinemaScope camera negatives, a frame line is also very narrow.

Movie examples

Two good examples for study Techniscope as a spherical, low distortion widescreen recording procedures are Sergio Leone Western Play me the song of death (1968), Tonino Delli Colli in which did the camera work, as well as Keoma (1976 ) Enzo G. Castellari of.