Business screen magazine (1946)

New Dimensions: . AN EDITORIAL VIEWPOINT • THE Kecbeation of reality, us only the motion picture can acumiilisli thai end by synthetic means, is a never-ending pursuit. Edisou, Lumiere and FreiseGreene, among otiiers, brought us moving pictures. Deforest and others brought sound to furtlier and expand the horizon of screen reality. Tliere is no wonder that pid)lic enthusiasm for Cinerama and some of the 3-D entertainment offerings have revived that step toward reality and the subsequent introduction of wide-acreen techniques. The wonder is that the business film medium which was the sole user of such techniques more tlian a decade ago has allowed them to be dormant. The complexities of their use was, of course, present and remain a stumbling block. But only through constant willingness to experiment and to persuade when such a new method can deliver a fresh, strong impact upon business film audiences can this medium expect to make continued progress and prosper. These new media — wide-screen and 3-D — have no bearing upon the major aspect of business-sponsored fihiis intended for the tremendous public audience now available to them. There are no television stations equipped for anything but standard 16mm sound films. There are no clubs, organizations and schools, etc. among the half million owners of 16mm sound projectors who can now show these new techniques. That tremendous part of this medium of greatest interest to sponsors is not involved. But convention and other trade showings in next year's highly competitive selling era will benefit by carefully controlled use of any practical techniques which can excite and hold the interest of their audiences. These four pages of equipment developments merit your study. Q' 'l'Tr\ li.iii ,1 n . I nl Canadian Pacific film scene mifdil look on the new wide-screen. WIDE-SCREEN MOTION PICTURES Bell & Howell Demonstrates 16mm "CinemaScope" Lens With Stereophonic Sound * The first wide screen system with stereophonic sound for 16mra films has been developed and was demonstrated by Bell & Houell Company on July 31 at the National AudioVisual Association Convention at the Sherman Hotel. A special demonstration for the press was held July 30. the Bell & Howell system has been patterned after 20th CenturyFox's Cinema.Scope. Demonstration scenes from The Robe and other CinemaScope films reduced to I6mm were shown. .41so demonstrated were a number of original scenes pliotographed with the new unit. A single anamorphic or "squeeze" lens attachment is used for both shooting and projecting. The projected picture is of normal brilliance and fills a curved screen 2.5 times as wide as it is high. This expanse covers more nearly the normal field of vision of the human eye. The peripheral, or side, as well as llie "straight ahead" vision of the viewer is brought into play and a strong sense of depth and participation in the scene is created without the use of special glasses. The illusion is heightened by three-dimensional or stereophonic sound, which emanates from the part of the screen where the action takes place. The Bell & Howell 16mm system is expected to be most useful in making sales and industrial films, some of which are already in production. There is also an immediate need for the system in foreign movie houses, many of which show 16mm theatrical films only. Advanced amateurs, domestic and overseas tlieatres of the armed forces, schools, churches and other institutions will also be sizeable customers. C. H. Percy, president of Bell & Howell, predicted. He also said: "CinemaScope is a magnificent new medium. It's bound to breathe new life into the 35mm motion picture industry and should also open entirely new vistas in the 16mm field. Since Albert Howell's inventions made 35mm film the industry standard 45 years ago, there has not been a more significant step forward, except perhaps for sound and color." To produce three-dimensional or stereophonic sound, a modified version of the company's magnetic recording projector (the Filmosound 202) is used to record the magnetic sound tracks as well as to project the film. Two different sound tracks are recorded side by side on a single stripe of magnetic material permanently bonded to the film edge. The sound is then played back through two separate amplifier-speaker systems located at opposite ends of the screen and along the sides of the auditorium. At the demonstration the film was projected on a curbed Radiant screen 8 feet high by 20 feet wide. A new type of fabric was used to provide uniform brilliance from all viewing angles. It will show both three-dimensional and wide screen pictures. The new Bell & Howell system will not obsolete existing motion picture equipment. ^— ^ DIAGRAM of WIDE SCREEN PROJECTION ELEMENTS BUSINESS SCREEN MAGAZINE