British Kinematography (1951)

BRITISH KINEMATOGRAPHY Vol. 18, No. 1 Visual Distractions One of the most annoying factors to patrons is distraction from the focal point of the auditorium through various reasons such as re-reflection of the picture from a specular surface, which may be a lighting fitting, a brass rail, some glossy paint work, an organ cover or many other items. The stage floor should always be covered with a matt surface which will not reflect the picture, and it is sometimes convenient to use material that will be advantageous acoustically. Light screen curtains of specular material which lend themselves to very pleasing lighting effects sometimes add to picture re-reflection, but can generally be arranged so that they are drawn off behind non-reflecting legs during presentation of the films. Discomfort glare which reacts unfavourably on good picture viewing conditions and degrades contrast is often to be found in kinema auditoria. These glare spots are most annoying and should be eliminated. Most common offenders are relatively brightly lit clocks, exit signs, maintained lighting fittings, entrance doors allowing shafts of sunshine into the auditorium, light from the portholes of the projection room, or even an usherette's torch. 2. SOUND REPRODUCTION Sound reproduction should be such that speech is natural, vocal and instrumental music is perfect in tonal balance throughout the full frequency range, and dramatic effects, from the merest whisper to the thunderous roar of an earthquake, faithfully and intelligibly portrayed. Sound reproduction must also be perfectly synchronised with the movements of the screen image. Requirements for successful sound reproduction in any kinema theatre auditorium are: 1 . High quality sound reproduction heard without effort in every seat. 2. Intelligent operation of the sound reproducer equipment. 3. Good auditorium acoustical conditions. 4. Well recorded sound film tracks. 5. Well recorded and well maintained gramophone discs. Salient points to watch on sound reproduction are intelligibility, distribution, and volume level. Sound Volume Basic volume level is of great importance and is affected by the locality of the kinema. If the locality be one where there is a predominance of noisy heavy industry then the basic volume level will be higher than in an agricultural area. Basic volume level should be adjusted so that listening in the rear stalls and rear circle is normal and effortless, and related to the number of persons in the auditorium at different times during the day. In some auditoria, unnatural speech and harsh tonal quality are heard through excessive use of the available power output of the sound reproducer, which power output is always rated higher than the requirement for maximum volume for the particular auditorium. This excessive use of the power output causes distortion and acoustic break-up, with accompanying irritation to the members of the audience. Another source of annoyance to patrons is extraneous noise, such as that emanating from passing traffic, noisy doors, curtain runners, etc., and every effort should be made to eliminate such sources of petty annoyance. A possible source of unsatisfactory sound in an auditorium is the positioning of the speaker assembly. This is set to give maximum overall quality, distribution, and illusion, and where speaker rostrums are mobile or the assembly can be flown, any movement out of normal position will seriously affect these points. To assure the maintenance of maximum results from the sound reproducer, quality must be constantly checked. Like other equipment there can be a gradual deterioration that is so slow as to defy detection. The degree of deterioration over a period of time may be considerable, although undetected, if there is no means of comparison,