The Cine Technician (1939)

April-Ma ig: THE CINE-TECHNICI A N VA Growth of Camera Hire Service. Mr. Shaw Jones, an A.C.T. member, started professionally some six years ago as a still photographer to a Rockefeller Expedition on Anthropology in Central East Africa. Since then he has worked in several film studios and short film production companies in various capacities, finally settling down as a cameraman, specialising in exteriors. His experience made it evident that there was a continuous demand for good silent cameras for use over short periods. After using several makes of camera, experience proved that the Newman Sinclair Autokine was the best and the one Newman Sinclair in his possession had often been let out to various firms urgently in need of a camera. Frequently the demand could not be met, and in this way the idea of a camera hire service was evolved. It was decided to specialise in Newman Sinclairs, and in September, 1936, the Shaw Jones Camera Hire Service was started. The idea worked well and further cameras were added to meet the demand. After six months the equipment has grown to a fleet of eight Newman Sinclairs, each one complete with a selection of lenses, etc. In order not to disappoint clients, it was decided to supply only the very latest equipment and each of the seven new cameras added to the fleet came straight from Newman and Sinclair workshops. As the business expanded, cameras were provided for work in the Sahara, the Mediterranean, the Antarctic and even Piccadilly Circus. Calls frequently came through in the small hours of the night and a "day and night" service is now instituted. These cameras, maintained under the personal supervision of an expert cinematographer, ensure that they are in perfect condition at a moment's notice. Those who work with hired tools know how important this is. Sit-Down Strike of Kids. Let down, when Western thriller failed to arrive on time, hundred Lewistown, Montana, youngsters staged sit-down strike in local picture theatre. Manager had to give them tickets for another performance after kiddies had stayed all day and well into night. No doubt action will be taken for damages against Renter. Real Economy. I like the press report of one of the leading British film companies. Finding it necessary to cut down expenses by thousands of pounds a year, its first economy measure has been taken. From now on, members of the staff will have to pay twopence a cup for their afternoon tea (formerly free) and will have to provide their own towels, with a charge imposed of twopence a week for laundering. Technically Speaking. A newly-promoted circuit supervisor is lecturing engineers on sound equipment. At last very fed-up listener stands up and suggests that theatre sound can only be improved by the addition of Oxmeters to the various circuits. Supervisor, full of enthusiasm, assures proposer that this shall be added to every theatre in circuit at once and congratulates him on suggestion. Another engineer stands up, enquiring exact function of instrument, when original proposer explains simply for measuring Bull — . Western Electric Introduce Mirrophonic Sound Coinciding with their tenth anniversary, Western Electric introduced to the British film industry Mirrophonic sound. A series of demonstrations were given in London and the provinces, and at once the new system was acclaimed by exhibitors, renters and producers alike. With marked unanimity, the industry welcomed Mirrophonic, and within a few days after the first London demonstration, orders for its installation were taken. In the case of one Midland cinema, the new equipment was installed exactly a fortnight after the theatre had opened to the general public. For the purposes of the demonstration, Western Electric screened excerpts from a number of current films that wen; considered particularly suitable, and the results were truly amazing. From a sequence of "Born to Dance," Eleanor Powell's tap dancing beats could be clearly heard above the sound of a large band, while in striking contrast was Charles Laughton's recitation of the twenty-third Psalm from "Rembrandt", which was reproduced in a remarkably effective half-whisper. It needs to be emphasised here that no special recording was undertaken in connection with the demonstration. The name Mirrophonic was chosen, because any sound can be recorded as faithfully as a reflection in a mirror, while the outstanding features of the system are versatility, clarity and audio verity. Modifications and additions can be made to existing reproducer sets, and new amplifiers of advanced design are introduced for new installations, and necessary modifications or additions to existing ones. If an existing installation is converted, sound heads will require new lens assemblies and new drives. If these are already fitted, as in the case of Wide Range, it will not be necessary to carry out any further modification other than to the photoelectric cell amplifiers. A new range of amplifiers of advanced design are used in Mirrophonic systems, all of which are A.C. operated, and in addition there is employed for the first time a "Harmonic Suppressor." This may be compared to an electrical governor which automatically causes the amplifier to maintain constant quality, free from distortion, over an output range so enormous that the loudest sounds heard in the theatre may exceed the weakest by more than 100,000,000 times. All parts of the circuits in new amplifiers requiring adjustments can be checked by means of a selector switch associated with a "Percentage Meter," graduated to read percentages of the normal or correct value. All the operator need do when checking valves is to turn the selector switch to whichever valve he requires to test and read the percentage meter, which should show a reading of 100"o for a valve with satisfactory emission. The Mirrophonic equipment employs an entirely new horn system, the Di-phonic loud speaker, which was developed by Dr. Harvey Fletcher of the Bell Telephone Laboratories. The Di-phonic loud speaker is a two-way combination which employs a low frequency combination of baffle and dynamic speakers of the cone type for reproduction of frequencies below 300 cycles, and a multicellular horn system with dynamic units for the reproduction of frequencies over 300 cycles.