Boxoffice (Oct-Dec 1963)

on the screen. Most modern projector mechanisms are equipped with adjusting screws; others, you have to adjust the tension by bending the springs. Early wear of the sprocket teeth is the result of heavy tension on the film shoes and, as time goes on, heavier and heavier tension will be required to keep a steady picture on the screen. We have kept quite a few records in our files on projection checkups in the field and find that the average life of a sprocket, under normal operating hours, is about 4,000 to 5,000 hours of actual use; after this period of service they should be replaced. In some cases we have turned the intermittent sprocket, but it is much better to replace with a new one because, with present-day, hardened sprockets, the teeth wear and don’t actually get undercut but the entire tooth wears off. While we know new film is properly treated when distributed by film exchanges, new film is soft, so use care and watch out for collection of scraps of emulsion and film cement upon the tension shoes. The wise thing to do is to thoroughly clean the shoes after each reel for the first few runs and thereby eliminate damage to the film surfaces, etc. Deposits generally come from too much tension on fi’m shoes. It is also important to keep the idler rollers clean when running a new print. AVOID SCRATCHING FILM Don’t let any film scraps acummulate in the fire rollers or trap as this will cause film scratching. Use a short piece of scrap film and run this through the rollers several times and this will help to remove any lodged pieces of film and other foreign matter. Be sure those rollers turn freely. Keep the projection room floor clean. Dust in the air settles upon and scratches the emulsion side of film. The floor should be cleaned every day and film kept stored, when not in use, in film cabinet. On frequent inspection treks we have found pad rollers “riding” the film and causing unnecessary wear of the rollers and film damage. The idler rollers should be adjusted so that they are exactly the distance of two pieces (thickness) of film from the face of the sprocket. In order to obtain this adjustment, in most mechanisms there is a screw, with a lock nut, and this should be turned in or out, after loosening the nut, the desired distance and then tighten the nut. The center of the groove in the roller should ride the center of the sprocket teeth. Here again, loosen the screw holding the pad roller shaft and adjust. Rollers should occasionally be removed and the shaft oiled, after cleaning the shaft and the inside of the roller, and replaced so that the roller turns freely. SCREWS MUST BE KEPT TIGHT In magazines on modern types of projectors (the upper one) , the fire-trap roller casting is curved to fit the contour of the magazine body. Now, screws that hold the magazine body and the ones that fasten the casting to the mechanism should be kept tight so that the entire assembly will be solid. The lower magazine should be perfectly aligned so that the film will travel in a straight line from the takeup sprocket in the soundhead down through the fire trap rollers on to the lower takeup reel. Here, again, we caution you to keep the lower magazine and assembly screws tight. While we are on the subject of upper and lower magazines, may we bring to your attention the importance of keeping the right tension on the upper magazine shaft and thereby prevent the reel from “racing.” Lately, we have found very little tension or too much, causing the reel to race, or film “pulling” too much, this causing film damage in many instances and unnecessary extra wear on the feed sprocket. Smooth operation is extremely important when magnetic sound heads ax-e used; smooth operation is absolutely necessary, so there will be no jerky action when the reel is started and stopped. If the reel starts with a jerk, it will often jerk film apart and cause other troubles. Always take the slack out of the upper reel after you have thi-eaded up the mechanism. Keep the shaft properly oiled if it is not the ball bearing type. To sum up, keep those idler rollers turning freely. Whether it is a shoe, a roller or a series of rollers, the rule is that the distance from the face of the roller or shoe must be kept appx-oximately the thickness of two pieces of film from the intermittent, takeup or feed sprocket face. Never allow a roller or shoe to “ride” the film. There should be only enough tension on the shoes (gate shoes) to hold the picture steady on the screen, any more than this causes rapid wear of the parts and may damage the film. There should be only enough tension on the takeup reel to turn it when the reel is full (2,000-foot reel). Excessive tension will cause sprocket teeth to “hook” and damage perforations. USE GOOD HOUSE REELS Always use house reels in good condition. Film exchange reels are usually bent and will not run “tnie” and this will cause film damage and, maybe, takeup trouble, causing unnecessary stops in many cases. Keep the rollers, gate shoes, spi'ockets and interior of projector mechanism clean. This should always be a daily routine in any projection room. Don’t use excessive rewind speed and keep the l-ewind elements in perfect alignment. Always use a good grade of film cement and a mechanical film splicer for making splices. Poorly made splices are always a source of trouble and a cause of many stops, namely, splices pulling apart and jumping sprocket teeth. Clean film very thoroughly when making a splice; use a small brush for applying film cement. Tie-In With Sweetest Day Celebrated on the third Saturday in October, Sweetest Day falls on October 19 this year. The day got its start some 35 years ago when a Cleveland businessman surprised a gx-oup of orphans with candy and other token gifts on a non-holiday. The children were delighted and each year a growing number of Clevelanders helped out on the px-oject. As the concept spread to other cities over the years, the Sweetest Day idea became a sti’ong promotional tool for inci'easing candy sales. In cities where the Sweetest Day theme has been sti’ongly publicized and merchandised, confectionery sales have been three to four times greater than sales on an ordinai'y Saturday. Sweetest Day retail point-of-sale pi'Omotional materials and ideas can be obtained from John M. Sanders, Fred Sanders Organization, 100 Oakman Blvd., Detroit 3, Mich. The Midwest Division of Eastman Kodak Co.’s motion picture products sales department has moved to larger facilities in Chicago’s Prudential building to provide for expansion of its sales and service functions. A Model Projection Room in West Covina This is the immaculate booth in the new Eastland Theatre, West Covina, Calif., which was opened early this year. The 1 ,000 -seat house was the first theatre to be built in West Covina, the city of 50,000 having been without either a drive-in or a hardtop. It is a property of Sanborn Theatres. Equipment in the booth includes Simplex XL projectors, National Excelite lamps and Simplex-Altec Mirrophonic sound. BOXOFTICE :: October 7, 1963 7