Does anyone have any information on tronchet scope?

Edith blazek · September 8, 2023

There were a few threads on widescreen 16mm that had it individually brought up with links to defunct websites that supposedly had more information, but I want it for here, does anyone have any information on the 16mm anamorphic process known as tronchet scope, like what gear was involved? I know it was a system based on an anamorphic adapter placed in front of primes on a 16mm camera and that it was used on a few movies back in the day like Lucile Hadžihalilović's "La Bouche De Jean-Pierre" or "Jean Pierre's Mouth", Gaspar Noe's "Seul Contre Tous" or "I Stand Alone", and Carlos Reygadas's "Japòn". If anyone has any other information on this system please drop it here.

Edith blazek · September 11, 2023

Bump

Jeff Bernstein · September 11, 2023

Sum total on Tronchet Scope?

“It fits the Zeiss G.O. series.”

“Il existe ‘officiellement’ un scope 16mm, c’est Thierry Tronchet qui l’a conçu et qui loue son système. Il s’agit d’un anamorphoseur 2X qui permet de rester dans une chaîne de post prod 100% argentique pour une projection en 35mm scope ! Il s’adapte à la série Zeiss G.O.”

https://www.repaire.net/forums/discussions/tournage-scope-en-16mm.91686/

“Thierry Tronchet, sorte d’inventeur fou qui avait mis au point un hypergonar sur lequel on pouvait placer des optiques sphériques, le tout produisant une véritable image 16 mm anamorphosée.”

https://www.afcinema.com/Pascal-Poucet-un-veritable-compagnon-de-route.html?lang=fr

Edited September 11, 2023 by Jeff Bernstein

Edith blazek · October 17, 2023

Does anyone know if it really was the 35mm hypergonar lens that was used or if it was just referenced as a sort of shorthand for anamorphics?

Craig Boydston · October 24, 2023

I don't know for sure, but from what I've read Tronchet scope sounds like a simple anamorphic adapter like the Schneider ISCORAMA 56.

If you are looking for anamorphics both Hawk and Panavision have Super 16mm anamorphic options. I know people have been using the Laowa Nanomorphics, especially 27mm, on S16mm a bunch as well. They all have a squeeze factor of around 1.33-1.5.

I hope this was of some help.

Edith blazek · November 14, 2023

On 10/23/2023 at 8:51 PM, Craig Boydston said:

I don't know for sure, but from what I've read Tronchet scope sounds like a simple anamorphic adapter like the Schneider ISCORAMA 56.

If you are looking for anamorphics both Hawk and Panavision have Super 16mm anamorphic options. I know people have been using the Laowa Nanomorphics, especially 27mm, on S16mm a bunch as well. They all have a squeeze factor of around 1.33-1.5.

I hope this was of some help.

Well yeah, but what's special about tronchet scope is that its 2x for 16mm film, the ones you mentioned are probably better for super 16 as it's a wider format.

Edith blazek · April 18

Reviving the thread, can any French person here affirm or deny whether the use of the term hypergonar is a matter of that word being a catch all term for anamorphics there or if not which could mean that the core of the attachment is indeed the 35mm hypergonar lens?

Edith blazek · May 15

Bump

Edith blazek · May 18

Bump once again, does anyone have any details on the specifics in terms of the construction of the system besides the fact it's used with Zeiss super speeds, like the scope of even the focuser?

Jeff Bernstein · May 18

Jean-Jacques Meusy and Alan Williams, “Henri Chrétien, Bernard Natan, and the Hypergonar”, Widescreen 15 (2003), 11–

31.

https://jumpshare.com/s/x73Ze30QVt3Dwg0wO9MB

(file expires in 24 hours from now)

*

From La Cinémathèque Française :

Marque : "Hypergonar H. Chrétien n° 12 534 HI-FI - 2 Société Technique Optique de Précision Lens Made in France". 1er brevet de l'Hypergonar : 9 décembre 1926. Mis au point en 1927. Décembre 1927 à été 1928 : prises de vues de Construire un feu de Claude Autant-Lara. Fin 1929 : accords avec Pathé Natan. 1930 : La femme et le rossignol de André Hugon. 1931 : projections d'un film sur l'Exposition Coloniale aux Journées nationales du cinéma à l'Ermitage Pathé. 1936 : Panorama au fil de l'eau de Jean Tedesco. Projection en plein air sur grand écran (10 m. de haut sur 60 m. de largeur) à l'Exposition de 1937. 1949 : Lancement du Saint-Clair aux chantiers de la Ciotat. 1952 : H. Chrétien rachète les contrats Pathé et signe en décembre avec la 20th Century Fox, naissance du CinemaScope. Février 1953 : La Tunique (The Robe) de Henry Koster. "Dans le monde, plus de 40 000 salles ont adopté l'Hypergonar CinemaScope Chrétien, l'appareil toujours supérieur, le seul garanti 5 ans. S.T.O.P., 6 bd Bineau, Levallois-Perret" (La Cinématographie française, n° 1690, automne 1956).

https://www.cinematheque.fr/fr/catalogues/appareils/collection/objectif-anamorphoseur-de-projectionap-14-2919.html

Joerg Polzfusz · May 18

Hi!

When Mr. Chrétien sold the rights for „Cinemascope“, he made sure that he can also still use his own invention (with several limitations like some lenses only to be sold in France etc., others limited to „private use only“, …). Hence „his“ company STOP (Société Technique Optique de Précision) produced various anamorphic attachments under the exclusive trademark „Hypergonar“.

When browsing through eBay.fr or other French websites, you’ll see that the term „Hypergonar“ is sometimes used as a general term for anamorphic attachments. (Like the trademark „Scotch Tape“ being used as a synonym for all adhesive tapes in the USA, including the ones that have not been made by 3M.) However, the usage seems to decrease - I doubt that any French under 40 years will use (or even understand) it.

BTW: I have never heard of TronchetScope…