ABSTRACT
From the early days of cinema it has been possible to capture a filmed image on perforated celluloid stock. This passes behind the lens where it is held momentarily in position to create a static frame. The image is recorded on the film emulsion through a photo-chemical process. The earliest cameras were hand-cranked, but with the arrival of sound and mechanical cameras, the speed became fixed at 24 or 25 frames per second. Several different gauges, based on the width of the stock, have been in use, originally creating a black and white image, then, before long, colour. Usually a negative image is produced in the camera, and this is sent to specialised laboratories to be processed and printed.
