lens apertures employed on most productions were usually within the f/2.3 to f/3.5 range; toland shot his scenes in between f/8 and f/16. this was possible because several elements of technology came together at once: the technicolor three strip process, which required the development of more powerful lights, had been developed and the more powerful carbon arc light was beginning to be used. by utilizing these lights with the faster stock, toland was able to achieve apertures previously unattainable on a stage shoot.