The Cine Technician (1943 - 1945)

:i Edited by Fred J. Hyson THE C I X E T E C H X I C I A X LAB. TOPICS March— April. 10*,:, The Road to Fame 1 spent a very interesting evening when I attended a meeting of the Technical Standards Committee. This Committee, formed by the Genera] Council "to consider the technical standard demanded of A.C.T. members, in particular relation to the post-war situation and future planning " is attempting a task of immense conception, calling for the unstinted help of all sections of the Association. During the Committee's discussions with the Laboratory representatives it did my heart good to hear studio members of the Committee welcome the idea that lab. technicians should be given opportunity to enter the studio as approved trainees ; in fact-one member suggested that no-one should enter into a technical job in the studios unless they had received lab. training first. The Lab. Committee had prepared a fairly sound scheme which was presented to the Technical Standards Committee by Pro. Hilson. Generally speaking the main points were that the more experienced technician should receive official recognition and that the lower grade of technician be encouraged to become mor( efficient and more skilled and that courses of lectures and demonstrations be arranged to that end. also that opportunities be given whereby lab. technicians receive lectures, etc., to enable them to become conversant w ith studio technical practices and so lie able to acquire a job in the studios. The Late Percy Skinner It was with very deep regret that I heard of the death of Percy Skinner, of Humphries. Both he and his daughter were killed in a recent V-bomb incident. Our Shop Steward at Humphries, Eric Task, tells me that although Mrs. Skinner was very gravely injured she is making steady progress, I had known Percy for nine years for we worked at Humphries together. He had suffered many anxieties concerning the health of his wife, but he bore every vicissitude with patience and serene quietude that was admired l>\ many. He never sought power or position, but went about his job in a quiet and conscientious manner seeking to hurl no one. Such a man will be missed by many. "Dad" Maynard Passes On It is with great regret, writes Wallv Durham, that I have to record the passing on December 20th of William .Maynard, known to main oldtimers in the labs as '* Dad" Maynard. A first-class photographer of the pre sticky -bacH era, " Dad " served his apprenticeship with a wellknown Windsor firm of photographers and many times photographed Queen Victoria and her family. In 1011 lie migrated to films and i; in that year I met him first, when we were working in Wardour Street for the late Charles Urban on Kinemacolor and Kineto productions. Came the first Great War and a parting of the ways. But later " Dad" and I were once again together at Chromatic Film Printers. Of late years he had severed his connections with the industry, but I am sure the many who knew and loved him will be grieved at his pass for a more loveable fellow to work and play with would be hard to find. It was always a joke, a smile and a laugh with him. May he rest in peace. All In A Day's Work During a discussion on Sensitometric Control a little while back I heard a certain Control department declare that it had no troubles in their own particular lab. Well just on the spur of the mon here are one or two queries that have confront* 1 me : — Some time back I received a sound negative of a speech of welcome from a Hollywood stni to inaugurate the opening of a Services Club in London. Whilst grading the negative 1 notice! that from a join in the middle of the roll the tracl had a peculiar look about it, something about :i looked wrong, so I decided to hear the print tie following morning . . . and with what star! results! The first part of the roll was good so but from the join to the end it was just a gabbk i unintelligible string of noises. Have you gui the reason? The second half somehow had I duped, and the wrong way round, and was b projected backwards. That was soon rectified. Another time we received from the States a master print for duping of exceptional contras The chief grader and I discussed the correct fig for the dupe — what should it be'.' We knew the approximate gamma oi normal master prints, b ' this was abnormal. Alter a close scrutiny 1 dis covered that the print was printed on fine grain stock, the usual stock used, but in this ins! it was printed on tine grain release stock and ultimate gamma was soon arrived at and the d made.