Amateur Photographer & Cinematographer (1933)

December 27th, 1933 The AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER p G CINEMATOGRAPHER a mateur NEWS, NOTES AND MATTERS OF IN¬ TEREST FOR ALL CINEMATOGRAPHERS USING AMATEUR CINfi APPARATUS. Cinematography Screening as an Art BERNARD BROWN. THERE are certain restaurants which have built for themselves an enviable reputation by the immaculate fashion in which they serve meals, rather than by the quality of their foodstuffs. From the art of the chef and the chief waiter to that of home screening is not so large a mental leap as one might think : appreciation is always greatest when service, though perfect, is unobtrusive. Nothing is more irritating than a waiter who makes a pantomime of pouring out the soup, unless it be a projector with a rattling shutter. All entertainment is at heart intensely artificial, but that is no reason why the audience should have the “ works ” X-rayed and dissected before their eyes. Most cinema-goers — even keen amateurs — when they visit the shadow world of make-believe want to lose themselves in it, and are not for the time being interested in either the past struggles of the pro¬ ducer or the present ones of the. projectionist. There is a world of difference between setting up a projector on a convenient table and running through a few reels of film, utilising a piece of drawing-paper tacked on the wall for a screen, and a first-rate artistic home-cinema entertainment. All entertainment should be a delight to as many of our five senses as possible. The silent screen appeals only to the eye, but this does not mean that the remainder of the senses can be totally disregarded. On the contrary, if we cannot please them all we should leave them untroubled. This means more pains on the part of the projectionist-cum-manager, but is far more worth while than a good many amateurs appear to think. Let us consider for a moment the various devices necessary for a home entertainment. The foremost of these is the projector, which should be made as silent as possible by adequate lubrication and a base of thick felt after the style used for typewriters. Most advertisements for home cinema outfits show tbe projector on a table set in the middle of the room with the audience gracefully poked in the corners. This is altogether wrong, for in most ordinary rooms people like to encircle the fire, and if the screen is situated in one of the corners the projector can be tucked away un¬ obtrusively in another. Of course, the ideal arrangement is to have the projector in another room — a type of operating box as encountered in professional theatres. Few people are, however, willing to knock port¬ holes through their walls, even to benefit a fascinating hobby. Never¬ theless, convenient “ operating boxes ” can often be formed by utilising a partition in an open doorway. If this can be done, and the home projectionist is willing to forego the company of his audience for their increased pleasure a distinct step will be taken in rendering synonymous the words “ projection ” and “ pre¬ sentation.” The second item is naturally the screen, and although many extremely efficient ones are marketed most of •them suffer from too utilitarian an appearance. There is something bald and naked about a silver screen, even when black edged and supported by polished woodwork. Why will not amateurs take their hobby in so serious a light as their radio ? Once upon a time wireless was a mass of coils, wires and valve-holders on an enor¬ mous wooden base, and the speaker a grotesque form of trumpet. Nowa¬ days all the lot is packed away in a walnut cabinet just as pleasant to the eye as the remainder of the furni¬ ture. Is there any reason why a screen should not be treated in a similar manner and occupy a permanent position in the room ? Supposing we have practically elim¬ inated projector noise, there still remains the question of the " not quite ” silence which is likely to detract from the interest of even the most excellent film, especially in the orange and nut season. The cure for this is naturally some sort of musical Night subjects similar to the above offer great possibilities for the amateur cinematographer with fast pan. film at this time of year. 597 23