British Kinematography (1953)

June, 1953 technical abstracts 183 E1DOPHOR SYSTEM OF THEATRE TELEVISION Sponable, E. I. Ibid, 337. The Eidophor, or Fischer, theatre television system is described in an introductory way, then as installed at the Twentieth Century-Fox home office theatre a year ago for exhibition shows for exhibitors and the press. Auihor's Absi ract. SYNCHRO-LITE POWERED 16mm. PROJECTOR Putman, R. E., and Ledener, E. H. Ibid, 385. A new flashtube arrangement, providing projection light for television reproduction from film, is here described in detail. It ensures accurate and permanent synchronization of light pulse with intermittent pulldown. Further, since both the intermittent movement and the flashing lamp are controlled by the television vertical pulse, the mechanism can readily be interlocked with other picture sources for interpolation, laps and fades. Travel ghost resulting from movement of film while the light pulse is on is made more impossible by the design. Authors' Abstract. A NEW PROFESSIONAL TELEVISION PROJECTOR Stewart, W. E. Ibid, 390. A new professional projector specifically designed to meet television needs, which features a high-fidelity sound ystem with fast stabilization time, is described. A 2-3 pulldown system is incorporated especially for television. All gearing runs in oil and gears and other mechanical parts are designed for long life. Projection lamps change automatically in the event of filament failure. Still pictures can be shown. Author's Abstract. COMMERCIAL EXPERIENCES WITH MAGNA-STRIPE Schmidt, E. Ibid, 463. Two years of commercial experience with magnetic striping have shown that successful striping demands film which will remain flat and undistorted under all conditions of climate and use. Some of the distortions to which all sound film is subject are here examined, with particular emphasis on the variations in centreline placement found on variable area sound tracks. Particular problems of magnetic striping are analyzed and a set of standards for stripe placement suggested. Data were obtained from more than 2,000 prints for all uses and categories, including amateur, professional, television and governmental agencies. Author's Abstract. BOOK REVIEW Books reviewed may be seen in the Society's Library THE LOOP FILM. R. A. N. Smith, Current Affairs, appeared on some of the earliest of silent projectors Ltd., pp. 109, 7s. 6d. before the teachers got hold of them. The author The loop film is an important half-way house contends that loop films can be made by any amateurs, between the cinematograph film and the film strip, presumably because they are short. This reviewer having some of the advantages of both, allied to has certainly seen some very bad ones made by advantages of its own. It combines the ability to amateurs, and feels that there is much to be said for reproduce movement with comparative cheapness of introducing professional standards of quality and of production, and by repeating actions of operations accuracy into this work. It is not true to say that the that are difficult of apprehension when seen only once cost of amateur made loops is " the cost of the it provides a valuable aid to pedagagy, to training filmstock." Why will these people so under estimate in industry, research, amusement and even the study the value of their own time ? of films themselves. But the author nearly succeeds Mention is made of the British Acoustics and in turning away our interest in the subject. He is Sound-Services films for projector testing, but these so convinced of the value of repetition that he adopts can hardly be termed " loop films " in the sense in it in his writing, even repeating at a few pages distant which they are dealt with in the rest of the book, nor the same cliches and stories. An example is the specula is their purpose analagous. tion about a Chinese proverb which appears as a These blemishes are all the more unfortunate since, mere aside on page 27 but is elevated to the status of if the material in the first 56 " selling " pages were a chapter heading on page 40. This tends to bore condensed into a more terse and more objective the reader. consideration of the uses of the loop film, it would The author's somewhat biased interpretation of combine with the excellent second part of the volume facts is not always entirely accurate. After stressing which is devoted to practical matters, to form an that loops were developed by the teaching profession invaluable and inspiring guide to the subject. This and not by the film trade, which is quite true, he second part deals with the making, handling, projec suggests that it was the educational demand for tion and storing of loop films and is as hard headed " stills " and reversal mechanism on projectors that and practical as the first part is diffuse and unim caused their introduction, whereas such mechanisms pressive. G. H. Sewell.