International projectionist (Jan 1959-Dec 1960)

AUDIO VISUAL EDUCATIONAL • INDUSTRIAL * COMMERCIAL Student -Prepared "Opaques" a Great Aid AMONG the almost endless classroom uses of the opaque projector, the exhibition of "home-made" materials is extremely effective from the instructional point of view. Such materials may include written work (assignment papers in mathematics and science, word lists and other language exercises, social-science tests, field-trip reports, etc.) and drawings prepared expressly for projection purposes. Vivid dramatization of study projects by means of pictures drawn by the students, themselves, pro vides an unfailing guarantee of attention and interest. According to a survey conducted by IP, many pupils who have previously appeared somewhat reluctant to express themselves suddenly evidence a gratifying expansion of personality when given the opportunity to comment upon their projected material. The opaque projector thus possesses remarkable efficacy as an instrument of psychological therapy. It would seem that few students, on up to and through the high school terms, offer much mental resistance to this type of approach. High Contrast Requisite Now, diagrams and other art work intended for the opaque projector should be as contrasty as possible. Because opaques are projected by diffused reflected light, they often lack the "snap" and brilliance of lantern slides, motion-picture films, and other transparencies projected by transmitted light. To obtain maximum contrast, even written work should be prepared in black India ink on white bond paper. Simple line diagrams likewise show up best when done in black ink on snow-white paper. Pencil drawings usually give disappointingly faint images on the screen. When pencils must be used, the softest leads give the best results. Wax crayons are unsuitable because of their tendency to melt under the heat of the lamps. Colored art work for satisfactory opaque projection calls for the use of colored inks, water-color paints, or "show-card" tempera colors. Pastel crayons may also be used; and blackand-white diagrams may be colored with colored pencils (e.g., maps, graphs, and scientific diagrams). Some Excellent Colors Regular artist's water colors are excellent. The "saturation," or brilliance, of the colors should be exaggerated somewhat to compensate for the dulling effect of projection, hence the desirability of having at least a few Keflectinj mirror or prism Tlaten ^itk opaque object: £evis amp and reflector The opaque projector forms an image by light rays reflected diffusely from an object placed upon its platen. This type of projector is accordingly less efficient optically than a transparency projector, which forms an image by transmitted light. A beaded screen and a well-darkened room are thus necessary for satisfactory opaque projection. The large prism behind the objective lens functions as a mirror to preserve the orientation of the image. Without such a reflecting component, the left and right-hand sides of the image would be reversed, as in a mirror, and printing would read backwards! tubes of the extra-brilliant water colors used by commercial artists. The handiest colors are intense red, vivid green, deep blue, magenta (brilliant rose), lemon yellow, and cyan (turquoise). The latter three are the painter's "primaries," and may be mixed to produce new colors. Striking color effects may be obtained with fluorescent show-card water paints, such as "Da-Glo." To increase the apparent brilliance of the darker hues (blue, violet, purple, and amaranth ) , advise the students to thin such colors with water to the point where they just begin to assume the light character of tints. Certain deep greens may also be brightened by thinning the paint with water. The color should be applied to the whitest bond paper or light cardboard available. A heavy weight of paper works best, inasmuch as water paints tend to wrinkle thin paper. The desirability of a smooth working surface rules out rough water-color paper for most work. Large Free-Hand Lettering Students should be encouraged to do all lettering in a large "free-hand" style to promote legibility and to avoid a "cramped" appearance. Their innate artistic abilities are developed most rapidly by speed of working, rather than by a painstaking re-working of tiny details. Errors of execution should be tolerated. The use of white and colored tempera paints on black and colored papers offers a fruitful field for interesting experimentation. The brightest, most distinct opaque projection is obtained upon glassbeaded screens in effectively darkened rooms. Teachers are invited to submit problems connected with the preparation of student art work for analysis and reply in this section by the staff artists of IP. Observe Your Projector Oiling Instructions! The lubrication of a 16-mm motionpicture projector is a matter of the greatest importance to the length of its life and the quality of the service it provides. Many of the older machines require rather frequent oiling of all bear INTERNATIONAL PROJECTIONIST • MARCH 1959 15