14-24 I E S LIGHTING HANDBOOK

only enough illumination should be made available for the photographer to

see what he is doing. Materials should not be exposed to the light more
than is absolutely necessary.
Darkroom illumination may be provided by either of two methods : in-
candescent lamps with colored bulbs, or darkroom "safelights" containing
an ordinary uncolored lamp.
Red or amber bulb coatings applied either inside or out have not been
satisfactory because of the difficulty of preventing pin holes. For this
reason the natural dark amber and natural ruby bulbs are recommended for
darkroom incandescent sources not to be used in "safelight" luminaires.
Manufacturers of natural colored bulbs usually provide two types, the light
amber and ruby intended for general lighting such as exit and signal lights,
and dark or photographic amber and ruby. The latter type should be
specified for darkroom installation.
PICTURE PROJECTION LIGHTING
Satisfactory picture projection requires not only careful selection of light
source and optical elements for projecting the picture but also of the screen
and its surroundings in relation to the seating area from which it is to be
viewed. The basic requirement is that the picture brightness shall be of a
value such that the proper contrasts of highlights and shadows are achieved
at a satisfactory over-all level.
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Some illumination in the seating area is
essential for the convenience of the audience, safety, discipline etc. How-
ever, if light from the seating area is allowed to fall on the screen the desired
contrasts are reduced, and the over-all brightness must be increased to re-
store the proper relations.
The logical place to start in planning picture projection is the area in
which the pictures will be shown. This establishes the brightness level,
the type of screen to be used, and the amount of light needed from the
projector.
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Brightness Levels
Brightness levels recommended by the Society of Motion Picture En-
gineers are predicated on the presence of minimum stray light on the screen
itself and a practicable balance between characteristics of photographic
materials and available light. The following screen brightness standards
apply to motion-picture projection with the shutter operating but with no
film interposed at the aperture, and are applicable to all viewing angles
within the seating area.*
Theater projection :
10_i
footlamberts, at the center of the screen.
Classroom projection : 5 to 20 footlamberts, for all parts of the screen.
No values have been standardized for slide projection. However, the
preceding values are applicable generally not only for still pictures in a
darkened room but also for slides or charts in only partially darkened rooms.
"Screen Brightness (35-MM)," Z-SS.S9-1944, American Standards Association, New York, N. Y.