# The Digitization of Jan Kříženecký's Films

Jeanne Pommeau, Jiří Anger

► To cite this version:

Jeanne Pommeau, Jiří Anger. The Digitization of Jan Kříženecký's Films. Iluminace, 2019, 31 (1), pp.104-107. 10.58193/ilu.1609. hal-04365269

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https://hal.science/hal-04365269v1

Submitted on 27 Dec 2023

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The Digitization of Jan Kříženecký's Films

The aim of this project was the digitization of the preserved films of Jan Kříženecký, the first films made and presented in the Czech lands. In this case, we decided not to use the term “digital restoration”; since our aim was to preserve the historical value and authentic photographic quality of the films, digital retouching would not be appropriate. We wanted to present the films in a form that would respect the current state of the materials and, at the same time, make them accessible to contemporary audiences.

The digitization was based on film stock of various origins: a major portion had been collected by Jindřich Brichta at the National Technical Museum, probably already during the interwar period. The materials came into the Národní filmový archiv, in many waves, most recently in 2002. Kříženecký's films survived in various forms: while some of them were preserved as original negatives or vintage prints, others were preserved only in the form of acetate prints made in the second half of the 20th century. Some of the

films were preserved during the 1920s in the form of nitrate prints,<fnref n="1" /> under conditions that did not respect their original frame setting or their photographic quality. The film strip shifted in the printer to such an extent that a visible frame line often appeared within the original frame. Consequently, these prints were deemed unsuitable as source materials.

Paradoxically, the films preserved by printing on safety material in the 1970s were in problematic condition, while the materials that survived on the original nitrate film base have outstanding photographic quality, in some cases even without significant chemical or mechanical damage. Apart from some prints that have undergone significant degradation or disintegration (such as Kočárová doprava [Coach Transport, 1908],<fnref n="2" /> Svatojanská pouť v českoslovanské vesnici, [Midsummer Pilgrimage in a Czechoslavic Village, 1898], and Slavnostní vysvěcení mostu císaře Františka I. [Grand Consecration of the Emperor Franz I. Bridge, 1898]), or exhibit major mechan-

<footnote n="1">1) With the support of the Czechoslovak Society for Scientific Cinematography, Karel Smrž and Dr. Ľudovít Honý transferred the original Lumière perforated film stock (with 1 round perforation on each side of a film frame) onto classic Edison perforated film stock (with 4 “angular” perforations on each side of a frame) in 1926.</footnote>

<footnote n="2">2) This fragment is also presented in the newly assembled compilation Jubilejní výstava Obchodní a živnostenské komory 1908 v Praze (Anniversary Exhibition of the Chamber of Trade and Commerce in 1908 in Prague, 1908).</footnote>
ical defects (such as *Smích a pláč* [Laughter and Tears, 1898] and *Dostaveníčko ve mlýnici* [An As signation in the Mill, 1898]), most of the film ma terials dating to the time of their first screening do not show any noticeable signs of aging. In par ticular, the original camera negatives, which have not been used as often as, for example, the vintage prints, are in excellent technical condition. Au thentic photographic materiality thus triumphs over the ravages of time.

The analysis of documentation preserved in the National Archive, the Národní filmový archiv, and the National Technical Museum, as well as the material found in the Cinémathèque fran çaise and various studies on the Lumière brothers and Kříženecký, provided us with basic informa tion on the specific features of the digitized films. A 2017 article on the Lumière brothers by Lau rent Mannoni helped us perceive the original film stock in a way that better reflects its uniqueness.<fnref n="3" /> Although there is still considerable uncertainty about the methods Kříženecký used to process his films and about some of the physical and chemical properties of the film strips, these new findings played a crucial role in determining our approach toward the digitization.

Kříženecký used a “Cinématographe-type” ap- paratus for filming, which he acquired directly from the Lumière brothers in 1898,<fnref n="4" /> and which has been preserved in the National Technical Museum. This device served not only as a camera but also as a printer and a projector. In

Kříženecký's films, we can observe several techni- cal particularities typical for films shot with this device. The most obvious feature of this model is undoubtedly the single round perforation on each side of the film frame.<fnref n="5" />) Furthermore, on the left side of the frame there are also remnants of fuzz from the velvet strip placed at the projector gate. We can also observe vertical instability, which was quite common at that time, but more visible with the Cinématographe-type, as well as horizontal instability, which was a problem spe cific to films shot on this apparatus. The film feed- ing mechanism of the cinematograph, which en- sures the motion of the film strip in the camera and keeps it in place during exposure, causes sub- stantial fluctuation of the image during screen- ing.<fnref n="6" />) Nevertheless, the photographic image is generally very sharp and characterized by a large dynamic range.

The Lumière film strips are also specific in many respects.<fnref n="7" />) One of their typical features is high sensitivity to static electricity that can occur during filming or printing, and can leave traces on the emulsion when there is electrical dis- charge.<fnref n="8" />) The contemporary viewer might be most surprised to discover that the original prints are not black and white, but monochromatic: in the case of Kříženecký's films they are yellowish- orange, sometimes with visible color variations between individual prints. This single spread of color over the entire surface of the film might seem reminiscent of the practice of film tinting,

<footnote n="3">3) In his article, Laurent Mannoni outlines the development of various cinematographic devices produced by the Lumière brothers, including the Cinématographe-type, used by Kříženecký. Laurent Mannoni, *Les Appareils cinématographiques Lumière*. 1895, no. 82 (2017), pp. 52–85.</footnote>

<footnote n="4">4) There is an invoice deposited in the National Technical Museum certifying that Kříženecký bought the Ciné- matographe and film stock from the Lumière brothers in May 1898.</footnote>

<footnote n="5">5) The only exception is the film *Pomník Františka Palackého před dokončením* (František Palacký Monument Pri- or to Its Completion, 1911) which was shot on film material with the standard four perforations.</footnote>

<footnote n="6">6) Such instability is clearly observable, for example, in *Slavnostní vysvěcení nového Čechova mostu* (Opening Ceremony of the Čech Bridge).</footnote>

<footnote n="7">7) The film strips used by the Lumières were exclusively manufactured by Victor Planchon. In 1896, he even founded the Société anonyme des pellicules françaises in Lyon, where the Lumière factory headquarters were located.</footnote>

<footnote n="8">8) The small size of the device also increases the amount of static electricity.</footnote>
which existed since the very beginnings of cinema. However, the homogeneity of the shades, as well as their presence in films shot by various “cinematographers” from different parts of the world and developed with varying techniques, etc., indicate that the Lumière film stock probably already contained color prior to the printing process.

All this information has helped us appreciate the key features of the cinematographic apparatus and the Lumière film stock, as well as the aesthet-ic options offered by them. However, it was also necessary to account for why some of Kříženecký’s films have a different exposure level than other films shot on Lumière stock. Most of the Lumière “opérateurs”<fnref n="9" />) had previously worked in the Lum-ière factory, which produced photographic plates and film stock. Jan Kříženecký, however, was a photographer and construction engineer, not a Lumière opérateur, so he only learned how to work with the camera and the processes of print-ing, processing, and projecting only after he ob-tained the cinematographic apparatus. It is likely for this reason that some of his films, especially Svěcení základního kamene jubilejního kostela sv. Antonína v Praze VII. (Consecration Ceremo-ny for the Foundation Stone of the Jubilee Church of St. Anthony in Prague VII, 1908), were not op-timally exposed. For a better understanding of the nature of the original film stock, it is also im-portant to realize that Kříženecký initially bought six negatives and six positives from Lumières, in addition to the cinematograph itself, which means that each negative was intended to serve for only one positive print. The singular status of the prints of Kříženecký’s films is thus even more apparent than with most others: each individual print is unique.

In order to maintain the specific traits of the initial stock, and to preserve its value, we pro-ceeded as follows: in the digitization process it-

self, all surviving film stock (except duplicates in poor condition) was first scanned at 4K resolu-tion on a FilmLight Northlight 2 device with cap-stan drives — the original stock has a different perforation than modern film strips. These scans were then digitally archived to serve for future re-search or potential reinterpretation.

Digital retouching is usually performed after the scanning process, but we decided not to inter-fere with the material in this way, for two reasons. First, some signs of damage could not be re-touched without creating an entirely new digital image. Second, since these were historically the very first Czech films which reproduced actual motion, we wanted to remain faithful to their original materiality. Such an approach highlights the authentic photographic quality of the art-works: soft contrast, depth of field, and grain sur-vived without digital intervention.

We also tried to preserve the current state of the material when carrying out color corrections on the scanned original prints. Therefore, we adjust-ed brightness and tone, so that even traces of color degradation, which are more intense and al-most red, would be recognizable in all their nu-ances. Each film roll was graded separately, since the shades among them vary slightly — some-times the saturation changes even within a single shot. Since we could not rely on period referenc-es for orientation, when processing other materi-als (modern prints, original negatives, duplicate negatives and positives), digital grading was per-formed so that the black-and-white photographic image was as discernible as possible. In cases where original negatives were used, we also pre-sent the films in their positive form in order to al-low the viewer to compare the quality of the re-spective materials.

We also had to decide on the appropriate de-gree of digital correction with regard to image in-stability during the scanning procedure. Al-

<footnote n="9">9) The expression “opérateur” was used at that time to identify the profession, which comprised the jobs of both the cinematographer and the projectionist.</footnote>
though it is technically possible to repair the
image so that it is completely stable, we decided
to compensate for instability only when it oc-
curred as a result of the film strip fluctuation in
the scanner. Additionally, if we stabilized the
films according to the exposed or printed image,
we would mask the instability created in the ap-
paratus during the shooting. Therefore, we decid-
ed to use the perforations at the edges of the strips
as reference points. However, stabilization based
on the perforations was complicated by the fact
that they are not angular but round, since the
software is capable of automatically stabilizing
the image only by referring to horizontal or verti-
cal lines. On top of that, mechanical damage of-
ten made it impossible for the software to deter-
mine the location of the sprocket holes, so we had
to move each frame manually. At the same time,
due to their poor condition, the fluctuation of
some film strips in the scanner was so irregular
that the image occasionally slid slightly out of the
scanner frame. Wherever possible, we decided to
present the original picture frame in its entirety
as well as part of the perforation.

Since the digitized films were intended for
DVD and Blu-ray release as well as for cinema
screenings (in DCP format), their screening
frame rate had to be adapted. Since Kříženecký's
films were shot manually, i.e. in irregular rhythm,
and were not screened at any predetermined tem-
po, it was not necessary to abide by any particular
rate. If we were to adjust the frequency to natural
motion, e.g. 18 frames per second, we would have
to duplicate every third film frame and then
change the rhythm of motion, which we found
unacceptable. Therefore, we chose frame rates
that correspond to standard projection frequen-
cies for the target media: 24 fps for Blu-ray and
DCP, 25 fps for DVD.

Due to our intention to reflect the materiality of
the films, the aspect ratio was adjusted in order to
make visible the entire frame (even during mo-
ments of vertical instability) and also the perfora-
tion whenever it was possible. This is the reason

why the aspect ratio does not correspond with
contemporary standards.

The most valuable outcome of the digitization
project is that we have made Jan Kříženecký's
films available in a form that would not have been
achievable by photochemical procedures. The
way in which they are now presented brings their
original diversity and material beauty to the fore.

Jeanne Pommeau - Jiří Anger