The Bioscope (Jul-Sep 1931)

ii THE BIOSCOPE New Flash Lamps Some months ago in these columns I described Sashalite lamps, which had been put out by Alec Stewart. These lamps are the modern substitute for the old-fashioned flashlight powder for the taking of still photographs. They consist of crumpled aluminium foil in an ordinary lamp bulb containing a quantity of pure oxygen. There is a short incandescent lamp filament of 1.5 volt rating, which serves to ignite the mixture. They are cheap, thoroughly efficient, noiseless and smokeless, and I am more than a little surprised that they have not been the cause of flash powder, with its attendant dangers, being prohibited in this country. In America they are put out under the name of Mazda Photoflash, and they can be operated by a battery of any voltage from 1.5 to 125 volts without risk. A recent paper reported in the S.M.P.E. Journal shows that, though the light intensity reaches a peak value of nearly 5,000,000 lumens, the average rate of emission is about 2J million lumens. A peculiarity of the lamp is that its visible and infra-red energy is sufficient to flash other similar lamps immediately adjacent. Advantage has been taken of this when it is desired to' increase the light output, by having additional lamps spaced within £ in. of the lamp at the centre of a reflector, but having no electrical connection with the flashing circuit. When the centre lamp is flashed, the others flash as well, in the same manner as if they had been flashed electrically. An Invaluable Studio Accessory These lamps have endless possibilities. They can be " fired ’’ under water and generally used in places such as mines, heretofore forbidden to the photographer because of the risk of an open flame. One lamp supplies ample light for all ordinary MODERN CINEMA TECHNIQUE presswork when the lens is working at about t 4.5, and in general practice one lamp is found sufficient for over 200 sq. ft. of floor area. A reflecting screen or a second lamp farther away from the subject serves to lessen the shadow and soften the contrast. The whole device only weighs a few ounces, with its igniting battery. The other day I saw some portrait studies taken in this way on the staircase of a renting organisation in Ward our Street which for softness and brilliancy might have been taken under ideal studio conditions. Marvellous Surgical Film The other day, thanks to the unfailing courtesy of Western Electric, I had an opportunity of seeing a brilliant sound film of the operation of Caesarean Section. The operation is for the removal of a foetus from the uterus by an abdominal incision and has its name from a legend of its employment at the birth of Julius Caesar. The film was vastly superior in lighting and visibility to any similar film I have seen. The camera was immediately over the operating table, and since the surgeon had to exercise some care to keep out of the line of sight, it is not too much to say that every viewer of the film actually had a better view of the operation than the surgeon himself. From a student’s point of view the film was ideal. Instead of craning forward for an occasional distant glimpse of the operation between the shoulders of nurses, dressers and surgeons, he had a close-up view uninterrupted for a single second during the entire operation. Altogether five or six children were born in front of the camera to illustrate methods of dealing with different presentations, and the brilliant photography, combined with the surgeon’s running commentary, gave an unforgettable picture of the Caesarean problems and the surgeon’s resources for tackling July 15, 1931 them. No one who has been privileged to see this film can fail to be a humble convert to the possibilities of talking films for teaching surgery. One man has seen this film nearly a hundred times and has learned something qew each time. If the average surgeon-student sees one Caesarean a year he is lucky. The Replacement Game There is keen rivalry among the more important makers of sound reproducing equipment lest one of their sets should be replaced in favour of a rival and possibly cheaper make. So far, most of the major firms have managed to avoid it, though one firm had a near squeak when a customer reported on Friday night that he was a bit disgusted with his equipment and had arranged for another make to be installed on Monday. Within a few hours a squad of engineers and service men were in the theatre replacing the entire equipment free of charge 1 In another case one of the major equipments was removed because the customer showed financial instability, and' when the theatre changed hands a week or two later, a different make was installed. Naturally, the new installation was claimed to have “ taken out ” the original equipment, and there has been a constant campaign of explanation ever since. This is one of the reasons why there is such anxiety to prevent any first rank set being taken out on any .pretext. If one of the bootleg equipments could claim to have thrown out W.E. and replaced it, it would have an advertising scoop of formidable dimensions. Incidentally, I hear that the bulk of Western Electric’s orders at the moment consists in replacing existing equipment, a fact significant of the increasingly critical attitude of British exhibitors to the quality of their sound. F. F. FLOOD LIGHTING in COLOUR Particulars from STRAND ELECTRIC AND ENGINEERING CO., LTD. 19-254, Floral St., London, W.C. 2. ’Phone : ’Grams : Temple Bar 7464 (4 lines). Spotlite, Rand, London. UNIFORMS THAT LOOK well — WEAR wellCOS T the Minimum sum for the Maximum standard in harmonious design and durability CONSULT ALFRED HAROLD (UNIFORMS, LTD.) 22, Wardour Street, London, W.l ’Phone: Gerrard 6311-2 Telegrams: Staigfroeks, Piccy, London