Business screen magazine (1946)

months, llic equipment luis hccn out of operation less than a total of ID hours. The quality, according to Fred Weils, exceeds the laIVs finest non-continuous step reduction. At Motion Picture Laboratories, upgrading equipment meant adding a pane! printer, new processors, and an analyzer. "The analvzer lias im proved the first print capability by a couple hundred percent." said Frank McGeary. Const)lidated Film Industries in Hollywood has invested in relief printing machines that print 300 feet per minute, to save time during all editorial phases of the picture production. At Manhattan Color Laborator in New York, increased productioi] necessitated the installation of pre essing machines with maximum caJ pacily of 3.tMK) feet per hour. Theil high-speed printer has a capacity ol 750 feet-per-minute. a potential faJ exceeding their original printer's outJ put of 100 fcct-pcr-minutc. (i l31fi PROBLEMS: PEOPLE, PROGRESS In the film world, as in every other industry, new technical developments have resulted in new problems to be solved. That most often mentioned among lab personnel is the lack of standardization in equipment and procedure. In processing, for instance, a number of lab operators felt the industry was going in too many directions. "For industrial and educational processing, there arc about 26 different processing methods," noted Bcrnie Barnett, VPI Color Center. "If six different labs handled a job, each could come up with something different, and none could be used on the same projector." he added. Lack of consistency among K mm projectors is another aspect of the problem. One laboratory spokesman indicated that of the many projectors on the market, each had some small variation — not only in sound separation, but in cartridge configuration. "A complete hixlgepodge," he said. Fvidently. many users are unaware that projectors do have different sound aiul picture separations. Lab iKTsonnel's n)ost consistent cry seemed to be that their customers frequently neglected to provide adequate information — including the projector and film lo be used. Another problem related to projectors was voiced — the difficulty of 24 finding one that can withstand constant use. Many lab spokesmen indicated they were forced lo use stationarv projectors in a price bracket of $ loot) upward. These difficulties, along with the growing use of videotape and cassettes, account for the fact that laboratories have been actively tr\ing to predict the future impact these two media will have on the film industry. Few film labs currently are equi|iped for scry'icing them, so iipinion is somewhat divided. Larry Lippnian of Design Effects noted that tape is making inroads on the film indusliy. However, he reassured, "I think there is room for both. They arc compatible, despite the fact that both have their good and bad points." Some laboratories are considering expanding their facilities to be able to deal witii the new developments. For example. Neal Keehn of De Luxe General, said. "In the not too distant future, we ourselves should he in tape duplication. But on the whole, we think tape is going to be a stimulant for the total visual product market. Whichever way it goes, we will go." Similarily, at VPI Center, top officials indicated that the future of video tapes is very much on their minds. "We feel there is going to be a marriage of electronic ta|X' and television, and we are investigating the video tape and cassette. Audio visual techniques are leaning more and more on cassettes," they said Some industry leaders, however, were less receptive to either cassette or videotape usage. They described the cassette as an industry "frill that in eight years might become a ten dollar business. This, loo remains an open question. Decisions regarding such new de vclopments, as in other areas, is to a large extent a function of management attitude. Management outlook was cited as the source of another difficulty that is present in the film industry. Neal Keehn cited his own company as an illustration of the point "When G. Carleton Hunt became president five years ago. much of the equipment was old. The lab handled the equipment lovingly, and it turned out beautiful prints. Laboratory morale was a factor." He added, "Essentially, every lab has the same equipment. What makes the difference is altitude. Two labs can have the same equipment, but getting out the same amount of work in three days will be normal for one. while the other will take three weeks." A somewhat related industry complaint is that not enough formal lab I technician training is .i\ailable. High schools and ciilleges offer creative training in educational and industrial films, so that they turn out many eaj^able priulueers However, technical lab skills arc develoj->ed only by apprenticeship in the industry. One lab has de.ilt with this situation hv instituting a rot.ition.il tr.iining program. Participants are moved everv six months from processing, to printing, to liming, until they are BUSINESS SCREEN