According to the information provided under the Union Carbide Corporation’s advertisement reproduced above, “the sun never sets” on motion picture studio sets—after the yellow flame of its Oscar-winning carbon arc light began blazing away. “A picture is worth a thousand words,” but these company’s words from the beginning of the latter half of the last century will add some light to the adage:
“FOR YEARS movie makers have relied on the powerful carbon arc to light their motion picture studio sets. It gives them brilliant, manmade ‘sunlight’ for use when and where it is needed.
“Recently, Union Carbide—a pioneer in carbon-arc lighting—perfected a new yellow flame carbon arc for use in color photography. It gives off a perfectly balanced light which brings out true colors on today’s sensitive film. This development has been recognized by the award of an ‘Oscar,’ symbol of highest achievement in the motion picture industry.
“But the carbon arc is not limited to studio lighting alone. Its intense beam is also used to project the tiny picture on the film to the breath-taking realism and depth you see on theatre screens.
“Many more uses of this amazing light have been developed—duplicating the effect of sunlight on new paint and textile colors . . . or analyzing the basic composition of a great many different materials. The scientists of Union Carbide will continue to search for new and better ways to make carbon serve all of us.”
This page was last modified on Friday, August 20, 2010