restrict head movement , which can lead to a great deal of a udience d iscomfort. But there is a good so lution to the problem-the use of polarized light for a selection device. I w ill discuss this in more detail later on. At first , the requirements for stereoscopic fil mmaking sound simple : film left and right eye views, a nd project these so that the left eye sees its view and the right eye it s view, H owever, there are a number of comp lex problems that have to be solved first. Forone thing, I was faced with a lack of suitable ste reoscopic equipment. I decided to tackle the problem by using adouble film, mechan ical electron ic approach rather than a s ingle film , optical approach . Let me explain, The design and fabr i cation of an opt ical system that would record both left and right images on a single film might have cost hundreds of thousands ofdol lars. But by synchronizing two came ras and two projectors , re cording left and right images on se pa rate films, I was able to spe nd only a few thousand dollars to obtain the desired re sults . During the first nine months of my study, J vowed that I wou ld call it quits if J could not produce stereoscopic images that w ere as good as the best images one can see through a stereoscope. It re mained to be seen w hether or not the Super-8 machines a t my dis posal could do thejob. I fo und that they can, and with them you can create high quality stereoscopic images that are pleasant to look at for pro longed periods.
projectors
and teft images for
and for experimentation by the creative filmmaker , to name a few areas of interes t. It' s also impor tant to know that al l of the compo nents in the system can be discon nected and used individually for conventional filmma king. Recently , Super8 Sound (95 Har vey St., Cambridge , Mass. 02140 decided to offer my complete 3-0 filmmaking system. This is the first time that a ste reoscopic motion picture system offering full crea tive controls has been made avail able to the small format filmmaker. You can w rite to them fo r more information .
The Stereoprojector and 3-D Projection It may seem peculi ar that I'm going to consider projection before photography, but there are two good reasons forth is. In the firs t place, projection can make or The overall sys tem employs two break three-dimensional filmmak electron ically interlocked Nizo 561 cameras (wh ich J call my Mark ing. Poor project ion has been the major reason why stereoscopic 2a cameras), or Minoha XL-400 hasn't gained an ac filmmaking cameras (Mark 3 presently under development) , and two mec ha ni cepted place in the techno logy of cinema. Second, the con ditions of call y interlocked Eumig sound projectors. You can use a conven projection actually determine the technique of photography , With tional two sprocket synchronizer out clearly understandi ng the pro editing bench to edit the two fi lms jection system , it is impossible to for 3-0 projection. The total cost do good ste reoscopic photog forthis system is about $4,000, using t he N iz0561 's, and should be raphy. somewhat less with the Minolta The projectors used in the system XL-400 's. are made in the Eumig facto ry. My techniques cou ld open up Since they make most of t he Bolex ste reoscopic films to a vast range sound machines, these can also be of users, This is the ideal system e mployed. As far as the Eumig line for presenting medical proce itself is concerned , you' ll achieve dures , train ing fi lm s of all kinds adequate illumination for a I me ter SUPER·S FILMAKER
wide image w ith the Eumig 802 or 807 model projectors. But you'll probably need models 810, 8200r 826 for large r screens . Th e machines run in sy nchronization us ing a kit by Super8 Sound, origi nally devised for image-sound interlock projection (running a film in one projector in sy nc with a fullcoat magnetic sound track in the other). Super8 Sound has made a s tereoscop ic ve rsion of th is inter lock, based on my adaptation of their original design . One mac hine sits above the other, resting on a flat wooden platform that bolts to the lower projector's carry ing handle (see Figure I) . In add it ion to the platform, t he 3-0 kit from Super8 Sound in cludes timing gears which replace the Eum ig's original inchi ng knobs , and a timing belt that couples the projectors together. One of the gears is fitted with a simple clutch device for decou pIing the projectors for establish ing sync or for rew ind. Don't be put offby the fact that one projecto r is highe r t han the other. It may seem peculiar, be cause both our eyes an d ~he lenses of the ste reocame ra are in horizon tal al ignment. But this project ion arrangement will successfully project overlapping images that coinc ide well w ithin necessary tol erances . Havingone projector above the other simply permits easy access to the controls of both machines. You can purchase both projectors a nd the necessary kit for adapting 31