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22 THE CINE-TECHNICIAN
A FILM
TECHNICIAN'S
NOTEBOOK
Compiled
by
A. E. Jeakins
The Precision Film Editor, with Tin. x 9m. viewing screen
OUR best wishes to the British Journal of Photography on the occasion of its centenary. The first issue of the B.J. appeared on 14th January, 1854, and since that date it has recorded and commented on the development and progress of photography in all its branches. This column has drawn on its informed reports on many occasions; notably the series "Colour at the Cinema " ; so we gladly seize this opportunity to say both "Thank you!" and "Many Happy Returns."
For a great many years — from well before the last war in fact — a British designed and built editing machine using a non-intermittent movement, has been part of the equipment of many cutting rooms here.
It is interesting therefore to hear of a machine recently developed in the U.S. which also utilises a continuous projection system.
The illustration gives an idea of the general layout of the Precision Film Editor. The 7in. x 9in. screen is flanked on one side by the loudspeaker grille and on the other side by a dummy grille which conceals the amplifier. The projector mechanism and soundhead are grouped in the centre of the table, with the turntables for sound and picture film on either side. The controls are on the front of the desk. The extreme left-hand control is for adjusting synchronism between picture and sound. The sound reel always runs at constant speed — although that speed may be varied; the control is used to adjust the speed of the picture reel faster or slower in relation to the sound reel, until synchronism is attained. A frame counter shows exactly how many frames displacement are
needed to achieve sync. Another control allows the speed of both sound and picture reels to be altered simultaneously between 2 and 56 frames per second.
Combined picture and sound prints or separate picture and sound prints can be run on the machine at choice. Film markers, which nick a small chip out of the film, are provided at the sound and picture apertures.
A 220 volt 3-phase motor, with a built-in stepless gear for continuous variation of speed, drives the apparatus. Light for projection is provided by a 10 v. 75 watt sound exciter lamp which gives a 7in. x 9in. picture visible with normal room lighting. The light from the lamp passes through a condenser, then through the film, it then traverses a 12-sided revolving prism, each face of which is approximately the size of a film frame, and the rate of rotation is 2 prism faces per frame in the same direction as the film. The projected image is claimed to be free from flicker even at 2 frames per second. The Precision Film Editor is made in 35mm., 17^mm. and 16mm. versions and can be fitted with a magnetic soundhead.
The British Journal of Photography in its issue of 1st January carries a very detailed review of Circular No. 533 published by the American National Bureau of Standards. The full title of the Circular is " Method for Determining the Resolving Power of Photographic Lenses " and the authors are Francis E. Washer and Irvine C. Gardner. This Circular supersedes one published 12 years ago, which was regarded as one of the first important efforts to assist photographers