International projectionist (Jan-Dec 1958)

Volume 33 JANUARY 1958 Number 1 Preliminary Equipment Inspection By ROBERT A. MITCHELL "Not only must the show go on, but it must go on right"; in this and a subsequent article those points which are in danger of neglect by projectionists will be limned. THE TECHNIQUE of professional projection involves a special kind of artistry as well as technical knowledge and skills; and the art of projection requires an enhancement of the dramatic values present in theatre films. The projectionist's creative opportunities although limited, are important. He may contribute to the emotional effect of a film by "setting the mood" with lights and music before the show, and he may amplify the impression of a truly professional theatrical preformance by the way he landles intermissions and subject changes. Once the picture is on the screen, however, the dramatic values created in the studio are best enhanced by straightforward technical perfection in presenting the film. The projectionist is thus unable to make a good film out of a bad one, but he can increase the effectiveness of a good film. One of the characteristics of projection as an art is that the intent of the producer of a film, no matter what that intent may be, is always best served by technically flawless projection. This was true during the first forty years of theatre motion pictures, when the screen was primarily an unobstrusive medium for transferring mood and feeling in a truly artistic sense, and it is equally true today, even though the screen, by becoming more "realistic," has lost most of its original subtlety and emotional force. The projectionist is nevertheless still required to present even the "stagiest" CinemaScoped and Technicolored goings-on with the same meticulous care that he used in bygone years when the movies had more of the sensitivity, beauty, and wonder that made them popular in the first place. Not only must the show go on, but it must go on right! The War Against Dirt The projectionist's work, therefore, is never completed, but continues as a never-ending process. In this and a subsequent article we shall attempt to review the salient features of this process and briefly pause at those points which are in danger of being neglected. Suppose we begin with what may seem to be the most elementary of topics, the matter of preliminary equipment inspection. A motion-picture projector has to be spotlessly clean and properly lubri cated to work at peak efficiency. Lubrication is a simple routine matter, the only pitfalls being overoiling, on the one hand, and neglect, on the other. But what about the constant warfare against dirt? The dirt that gums up a projector comes from the film, from the carbonarc lamp, and from the air. Film not only picks up grime, which it carries into the mechanism, but it actually creates dirt! Particles of emulsion and wax collect upon gate runners, tension pads, sprockets, and idlers, and chips of film collect in the fire-roller boxes and in the mechanism, itself. Routine inspection and cleaning of the film path is accordingly of the utmost importance. We have warned many times against using screwdrivers and other steel objects for scraping deposits of hardened emulsion from the gate film runners. The best tool for this purpose is a "chisel" made out of heavy copper wire. Copper is considerably softer than steel, and hence won't scratch steel film-contacting parts. The film-contacting surfaces of the gate runners and tension pads may be "dressed" with a trace of vaseline. Sprockets are best cleaned with ;i INTERNATIONAL PROJECTIONIST • JANUARY 1958