American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1941)

turntable "sounding." In addition, the attachment to recorder and projector of Synchro-sound synchronizing units makes it possible for Fosholdt to record and play synchronized musical scores, narration, and even lip-synchronized "talkie" dialog films. Unlike most home-projection installations, this sound set-up is no afterthought. There is no disorderly tangle of wiring running along the floor to convey the sound from projection-booth to the speakers "down front." Conduits built within the walls take care of this; all that is necessary is to plug the desired amplifier, etc., into the circuit. As a matter of fact, Fosholdt has somewhat expanded his sound installation since the projection-room was built. His original layout called for a built-in speaker, which can be seen in our photograph masquerading as a light-fixture directly above the screen in the projection-room's ceiling. This fixture began its career as an overhead lighting-fixture in a friend's yacht. But Fosholdt obtained it, removed the glass and substituted suitable acoustically porous fabric, and used it to conceal a built-in speaker. Lately, as the quality of recorded sound has improved, Fosholdt has used this original speaker as the high-frequency reproducer of his modernized installation, adding the auxiliary speaker seen standing on the floor beside the screen to handle the low-frequency components. The result is sound-quality very rarely surpassed by the best of professional installations, and far superior to the average home sound outfit. Naturally rewinds, editing and splicing equipment are nominally stored in the projection-booth. But just as naturally, when a really important editing job is in hand Fosholdt moves out to the Above, left, Ray Fosholdt transfers film from developing-drum to drying -rack; right, Ray and LaNelle Fosholdt and Mrs. Caldwell use two mikes to record dialog for a disc synchronized talkie; below, Mrs. Caldwell and Ray Fosholdt train cameras and lights on LaNelle Fosholdt. On opposite page are two views of the projection-room and projection booth. Note speaker in ceiling above screen. roomier and more comfortable surroundings of the projection-room where he and his wife, usually accompanied by Club-President Caldwell, who is all but a member of this movie-making family, can work — and argue — in greater comfort. Shelves and drawers inside the projection-booth simplify the problems of storing a movie-maker's innumerable films and accessories. A long shelf directly above the projectors, for example, provides a neatly-indexed place for Ray's films, each 400-foot reel and can sliding into its own compartment, with the title of the film lettered beneath. Drawers beneath the projector-shelf provide storage-room for the odds and ends of 100-foot rolls which Ray, like any other movie-maker, accumulates, and conveniently-placed shelves afford room for his auxiliary turntable, records, and similar accessories. Down on the ground floor of the house, just a few steps from the kitchen, is found the other essential part of this movie-maker's home - the darkroom where Ray Fosholdt does the finest home processing of 16mm. reversal film this writer has ever seen. Like any welldesigned laboratory, it is really two rooms. As you go in, you find yourself in the light end of the lab — a combined chemical mixing-room and a place for such operations as title-shooting and (Continued on Page 399) American Cinematographer August, 1941 379