Film and TV Technician (1957)

86 FILM & TV TECHNICIAN June July 1957 As Others See Us ( Continued) " end product ". On the railway, too often the " end product " is never seen by the rank and file worker. As I intimated earlier, the individual attention given to members of the Union is something new in my experience. Every member seems to be known personally at Soho Square, committees give more detailed consideration to individual problems than I have experienced before. This is, of course, possible because of the compact area within which the Union operates, and the relative size of the film industry to railways. I have found my first four months exciting and invigorating. I would like to thank the members of A.C.T.T., be they members of the General Council, the Executive Committee, shop stewards or rank and file with whom I have come into contact, for the friendship and toleration they have shown to the " new boy ". The A.C.T.T. is respected among other Unions, not only in the entertainment industry, but in a far wider field, because it has set a standard of approach and conduct second to none. FILM COMPETITION In connection with the International Exhibition to be held in Brussels in 1958 La Cinematheque de Beige (The Belgian Film Library) is organising an International Experimental Film Competition open to independent filmmakers throughout the world. Films entered may be either in 16mm. or 35mm., in black and white, or in colour, sound or silent. The purpose of the competition is " to encourage free artistic creation, the spirit of research and pioneering effort." The term " experimental " will be interpreted as embracing all films which " in their form reveal an attempt to explore new developments of cinematographic expression, or which by their content touch on subject matter unfamiliar in the cinema." There will be two Grands Prix, one of ten thousand Belgian francs and one of five thousand Belgian francs. Full particulars of the competition may be obtained from La Cinematheque de Belgique, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels. TECHNIRAMA By Ralph Bond An impressive demonstration of their " Technirama " process was given by Technicolor at the Odeon, Leicester Square, on June 1st before an invited audience of over 2,000 people. Technirama is a new anamorphic system which claims to overcome all the defects of standard anamorphic systems and to present a picture of perfect sharpness and definition. These claims seem fully justified and if the brilliance of the Odeon demonstration can be repeated in the average release cinema, audiences are in for a treat. Excerpts from many films now in production and using the new process were screened, first in CinemaScope ratio, then in VistaVision and finally in the full "Road Show" ratio where a special double-frame projector is used. In each case the results were outstandingly good. There was great depth of focus, pin-point definition, and no fringing or falling away at the edges. All the excerpts were projected without sound so that the audience could concentrate on the picture quality alone. (For the benefit of our Sound Section it should be stated that this does not forecast a return to silent films!) 35mm. Colour Negative The great merit of Technirama is that it employs standard 35mm. colour negative which moves horizontally through the camera exposing eight perforation frames, and from this negative prints can be made for practically all aspect ratios — CinemaScope, VistaVision and other standard projection ratios, including 16mm. No new projection equipment is needed in the cinema, except for the " Road Show " prints where a special projector has been designed in which a double-frame print from the negative moves horizontally through the projector at twentyfour frames per second. This double-frame projection (which incorporates anamorphotic correction by vertical compression instead of horizontal expansion) achieves quite amazing results and had the Odeon audience applauding enthusiastically. Productionwise, it is claimed that the process increases costs by no more than £5,000-£7,000 on an average feature film. Stock consumption on the first five Technirama films increased not by 100', but by 60fr. as a result of the fewer set-ups required. All the usual special effects — dissolves, fades, matte shots, etc. — are practicable and the results enhanced because of the larger negative. Breath-taking Beauty Most of the extracts shown at the Odeon were exterior scenes from films on location in France, Japan, Italy, and other countries, and it is here, probably, that Technirama is shown at its best. Scenes of breath-taking beauty were unfolded without a flaw to mar the perfection. Technically our industry marches forward in a wondrous way, but that ever-nagging still-small-voice that demands subject matter to match the technique will not, we hope, be quietened. Soho Fair A special feature of this year's Soho Fair will be " MEET THE WORLD ", an exhibition of photographs in the hall of Notre Dame de France, 5 Leicester Place, Leicester Square, from July 15th to July 20th. The organisers' aim is to portray Soho at work and play: they would welcome the co-operation of A.C.T.T. members in lending photographs within the following range: studio portraits and Soho personalities, theatrical pictures, Soho activities and street scenes and pictures of the Soho Fairs of 1955 and 1956. Will members who have pictures to offer please contact the Secretary of the Soho Association, Mr. Michael Napper. St. Anne's House, Dean Street. (Gerrard 2030).