American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1924)

November, 1924 AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER Nine Boston C* of C* Provides for Motion Pictures Great Portion of Recently Completed Building Resered for Motion Pictures. By Denny B. Goode Architecture Designed to Take Care of Chamber's Cinema Requirements. No part of the Boston Chamber of Commerce equipment, when it moved into its new $6,000,000 building in October, was more generally admired than its spectacular lighting effects and the elaborate provision that has been made for the projection of moving pictures. Careful thought has been given, for more than a year before the building was completed, to the projection of moving pictures and the growing popularity of pictures was recognized almost in every feature of the great assembly hall on the fourteenth, which is the top floor, of the new building. Shut Out Light The five great chandeliers in this room are so hung that the light projected by the moving picture machine passes between the four corner ones and beneath the central one. Curtains were built into the windows so that when they are drawn the light is shut out completely from the outside. The screen itself is folded up and down and when not in use, it is cleverly concealed by an ornamental design. A large amount of space was consumed in the rear of the room for the installation of a great theatrical organ and in order to retain the symmetry of proportions as well as to utilize all waste spaces, a balcony was built in the central part of the back of the room and in the rear of this, the moving picture projection room with moving picture machines and stereoptican machine was constructed. Alongside the projection room was installed a loud speaker system which enables a speech delivered in the assembly hall to be received over a metallic circuit in any of the seventeen private dining-rooms on the floor or in the cafeteria in the basement, fifteen floors below. Special provision has been made in the installation of the loud speaker system to connect it up with radio reception so that a speech delivered a thousand miles distant from Boston may be received in any of dozens of rooms, as may be desired. Organ recitals, which were given during the opening week were likewise received, at the will of the operator, in any of the public rooms of the building. The locations of the organ, the loud speaker system, and the projection room, are so conveniently arranged that they can be made to syncronize with each other. One of the organ recitals during the opening week, included an imitation of thunder. The lighting equipment in th.2 building was perfectly installed and the imitation of actual lightning was entirely realistic. Colored Lights A series of colored lights, generally concealed in the ceiling, give many spectacular effects. Indeed, the experiences of the opening week were so favorable that the General Electric Company has now made arrangements, in connection with the forthcoming electrical convention to be held in Boston, to experiment with the room and to attempt to get all the spectacular and theatrical effects that can be had and to blaze new trails along the lines of electric lighting. The resident membership of the Boston Chamber of Commerce is limited to 7500 and the New England membership, outside of metropolitan Boston, is limited to 2500. It is estimated that more than half the total membership of the Chamber visited its new quarters during the ceremonies attending the opening, which included daily luncheons and dinners. Plans have been made for visitors in Boston to inspect the building and visit the quarters during business hours. New Film Profession? Or New Name for the Cinematographer Possibly syndicate material, the following item appeared recently on the editorial page of a Los Angeles, newspaper : The greatest skill and the greatest ingenuity of many branches of science have been used and developed in the movies. A new profession has arisen as a result; it is that of the "movie engineer." He directs the erection of the huge structures, constructs miniatures scenes in the laboratory and performs all sorts of wonders, through photography, with toy-sized objects and landscapes. Accurate information concerning the motion picture professions is to be desired but misinformation, no matter what the intent of the writer, is worse than no information at all. As far as this publication knows there is no film calling which may be specifically labelled as "movie engineer," embracing the activities enumerated in the foregoing article. There is, of course, the Society of Motion Picture Engineers but membership in that society is not concentrated on any one particular film calling — such as the "movie engineer" — but reaches into the various branches of the industry. Needless to say, numerous of the duties attributed to the "movie engineer" are those of the cinematographer himself. REMEMBER The American Society of Cinematographers was unable to obtain, for its new headquarters, the telephone number (HOllywood 4404) that it held for the past several years. The new number, don't forget, is GRanite 4274