British Kinematography (1947)

13 were trained listeners ; where we rely on the eye and the printed book, they relied in the ear. . . " He finds this to be a consequence of " the modern rationalised structure of our lives " Surely the superficial reason might be the right one : that the great art form of the kinema happened to be invented in the 19th century and not in the time of Shakespeare. What our entertainment is to be in any generation is surely fortuitous. In broadcasting, for instance, the transmission of sound was invented first. Consequently, people became trained listeners before they became trained watchers of television. The process was reversed in kinematography, not for any profound philosophical reason, but simply because it so happened that invention occurred in that order. . The author describes in his preface how he set out to study kinema. But truly to understand so vast a subject, as to understand a foreign people, one should live with it and them. Certainly this book is, as all good books should be, a challenge to controversy, but many of its conclusions will find many dissenters. J. C. Warbis. ACOUSTICS FOR ARCHITECTS. E. R. Richardson, B.A., Ph.D., D.Sc. (88 pages, 29 Figs. *j\ X 5 in.). Edward Arnold & Co. 5s. Some twelve years ago Dr. Richardson published his Introduction to Acoustics of Buildings and it is upon this work that the present book is based. The author deals with the general principles of reverberation, resonance, and the behaviour of sound waves. He outlines the various methods of applying acoustic correction to existing buildings, and gives general hints on the acoustic design of auditoria. Some of the author's suggestions for best listening conditions are not altogether in accord with modern thought ; for instance, he states that the difference of the lengths of the possible paths by which sound can reach an auditor from the source should not exceed 70 feet ; some modern authorities have reduced this figure to 45 feet in the case of kinema auditoria, with a possible further restriction where stereophonic sound is employed. The author, however, seeks to give a general statement of the fundamental acoustic principles, devoid of mathematical complexity, and consequently the book will be found useful to architects and others who have neither time nor inclination to make a close analysis of this complex subject. L. Knopp. DEFECTIVE COLOUR VISION IN INDUSTRY. Report by a Committee of the Colour Group of the Physical Society. Taylor and Francis, Ltd. 2s. dd. A special Committee of the Physical Society Colour Group was appointed in February 1942 with the following Terms of Reference : " To obtain as complete information as possible as to the technique and processes in which deficiencies of colour vision are a handicap, to report on existing methods of testing such deficiencies in Industry and in Schools, and to make recommendations regarding the improvement and co-ordination of these tests." A report by this committee has now been published which merits careful study by those concerned with problems of colour perception at the many stages in the production of motion pictures in colour, which begin in the research laboratory of the manufacturer and end in the projected picture. Eight per cent of the male population have defective colour vision but less than one per cent of women are deficient. Defic encies in colour sensation are divided into three categories : (1) Those who possess no colour discrimination, known as Monochromats. These are extremely rare. (2) Those with reduced colour discrimination who can match all colours with two radiations, known as Dichromats. (3) Those who require three radiations for matching all colours but make matches markedly differing from the normal. Known as Anomalous Trichromats. Groups 2 and 3 are each sub-divided into three sub-types. There are three times as many Anomalous Trichromats as Dichromats, the latter being some two per cent of males. The so-called confusion colours of the colour-blind are green, yellow, orange, red, brown, pink, etc. The most commonly confused colours are red from yellow, and yellow from green — especially in the absence of any brightness difference. Other colours which tend to be confused are blue-green, grey and purple. Usually the defect does not lead to much