The motion picture projectionist (Nov 1931-Jan 1933)

November, 1931 Motion Picture Projectionist As The Editor Sees It w II Retrospect and Prospect ITH the present issue, The Motion Picture Projectionist enters the fifth year of its service to the man in the projection room. Dedicated to the needs of the practical worker in picture and sound presentation, the purpose of the publication has been and is to serve as a medium for the dissemination of useful and practical information. More, it is to provide a forum, accessible to every earnest worker, for discussion of subjects pertinent to its field. In this manner only can it attain the full measure of its usefulness, which is to convey the views of the research worker and the engineer, the scientist and the inventor, to the projectionist, who has, or who ultimately will have, in his charge the products of their minds and hands, and in exchange, to place before the former, the reactions, suggestions and constructive criticism of those men, who by virtue of practical experience, are best qualified to pass judgment upon their achievements. Technical in its scope, the magazine must not and cannot, however, lose sight of the fact that to serve the greatest number, it must first and always be practical. Its concern, therefore, is not so much with the theories and hypotheses of advanced research, but with facts as they must be known and utilized in the tasks of the day. This policy is founded on an interdependence embracing the workers in every branch of the industry. The need for close cooperation on the part of everyone concerned was never greater than it is today. Probably the outstanding accomplishment of the recent convention of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers may be written as the official recognition of this fact. But cooperation among the members of a worldwide industry, such as ours, requires more than a mere statement of good intention and the will to serve. It calls for more than an occasional convention and a series of projectionists' seminars. It renders imperative the necessity for a medium for the exchange of ideas, which is recognized and accessible to all. That such a medium may be found in The Motion Picture Projectionist, is for others than ourselves to say. But that this magazine has remained steadfast to its purpose, is attested by the increasing success which has attended its publication. Its progress has been continuous and undeviating, until today it is universally recognized as one of the foremost magazines in the field of projection. For what may exist in the way of achievement, the credit goes to the high type and intelligent discrimination of its authors and of its readers. We now enter our new year. What it may bring forth, no man can say. One fact is ob vious. The times are rife with new development. The man who wishes to keep pace with progress must have his wits about him. It will not suffice that he perform competently the work of today, he must anticipate and envision the task of tomorrow. For the attainment of this end, the projectionist has open to him several channels by means of which the desired information may be acquired. He has daily contact with other workers in his chosen field. He has a continuously increasing market of scientific books. And he has his technical and trade publications. Of these, the last are by far the most important. Information acquired through personal contact, while useful, is all too frequently misleading and unreliable. Knowledge derived from books, if they are well chosen, may be authoritative and enduring, but much is lost in that such volumes are usually the product of a single writer, and require considerable time for their preparation and publication. It is therefore, to the technical journal that the earnest student must turn for the accomplishments of the present and the promises of the future. With this as its credo, and a keen appreciation of its duty to its readers, The Motion Picture Projectionist, in the light of its past performance, can well afford to anticipate with confidence its coming year. I H The Passing of a Pioneer N the death of Thomas Alva Edison, the world in general, and the motion picture industry in particular, mourns the loss of one of its greatest men. While modern research tends to show that the motion picture is not the invention of an individual, there can be no doubt in the mind of anyone that the contribution of Mr. Edison will loom large in the history of the industry. His invention of the kinetoscope in 1887 translated at one stroke, what had hitherto been to all intents and purposes a scientific curiosity, into the sphere of practical commercial achievement. Despite his diversified scientific and commercial interests, Mr. Edison subsequently found time to associate himself actively in the affairs of the industry for many years. Viewed in the broader aspect of his total contribution to welfare of the human race, it is difficult for the mind of the average person to encompass the vast scope of his activities, or to appreciate the full measure of his accomplishments. We have been living too near to the man. It remains for the future historian to assign to him his rightful place among the great benefactors of mankind. Charles E. Brownell.