The Educational screen (c1922-c1956])

Audio-Visual Trade Review NAVA NEWS 1952 Convention & Trade Show The "audio" got special emphasis this year at the trade show and meetings of the National AudioVisual Association (Chicago, August 2-5). The only two NAVA sessions on equipment dealt solely with audio items — magnetic striping and tape recorders. At the trade show there were as many exhibits (16) devoted solely to audio aids as there were to projected pictures without sound. Twenty-nine others combined the two in the form of projectors and sound slides or films. Among the new developments was the reappearance of the Movie-Mite projector on the educational market — running magnetic-sound-striped 8mm film, striped by Reeves Soundcraft. RCA joined Victor Animatograph in offering a low-cost adapter unit for running magnetic sound on any RCA 16mm sound-on-film projector. Eastman Kodak's new sound projector will run both single and double-perforated magnetic-striped film at either 24 or 16 speed, according to reports from audio-visual dealers appointed under a new special educational dealer franchise. The Revere Camera Company attracted much attention at the show with its new "Synchrotape," developed in collaboration with the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company. Striations printed on the tape appear to stand still when a 3.75 recorder is run in front of a projector operating at 19 frames per second — due to the stroboscopic effect of the shutter interruptions of the projector beam. Narration and other sound effects recorded against pictures projected at that speed will stay in step with the picture when the lines on the running tape are held "stationery" — by holding the projector speed constant at 19 frames. The latest model Revere tape recorder was demonstrated in connection with this new development. Binaural recordings were featured at the Dukane booth. Hearing separate recordings from each of the two earphones gave an often uncanny stereophonic effect, and the headphones at the Dtikane counter were in lively demand. (A further development along this line is the "Synchrotone" dual recorder offered by Magnetic Recording Industries to play back two separate tracks made either simultaneously for binaural effect or in alternating question-and-answer sequence. See next page.) Magnetic projectors and tape recorders were in considerable use in the suites of the various exhibitors as well as in the exhibit hall. Prior to the show, Bell & Howell offered to lend any exhibitor a Model 202 and to Soundstrips any demonstration film free of charge for the purpose of broadening the use of the magnetic projector. Eastman Kodak had its "Pageant" projectors running in many rooms on a similar basis. Screens by Da-Lite and Radiant were seen everywhere in both booths and suites. Something relatively new in projection was three-dimensional motion picture in color and with magnetic sound — made with an attachment to the Bolex 16mm motion picture camera and shown by its distributor, Paillard Products, Inc. A polaroid principle is People plus product used to split the image so that each 16mm frame holds two binocularly photographed pictures side by side. These are superimposed in projection onto a window-shaped, smooth, aluminized screen, black-bordered to absorb slight fringe areas on the sides. When the picture is viewed through individually worn Polaroid spectacles, the illusion of depth in motion is startling. As to application fields of the A-V medium, once more the church users and those who serve this field were more prominent than any other — and more numerous even than a year ago when we first noted the same situation. The religious film and filmstrip standbys were there: Cathedral, Family Films, Concordia, ChurchCraft, Church Screen, Moody Bible Institute, Religious Film Association, SVE, United World. In addition this year's exhibitors included The Catholic Educator magazine. Christian Life magazine. Unusual Films (Bob Jones University), and the Visual Education Fellowship of the National Council of Churches. Two of the best attended and most fruitful of the NAVA sessions were devoted to the church field and what the dealer and the film library can do in the way of better service to foster it. Consumer use of audio-visual materials in other areas also came in for major attention. The presence of many educational groups (see page 268 resulted in a larger consumer attend ance at the show than ever befort Exhibitors generally welcome thi firsthand opportunity to bring thei products to the attention of the lead I ers in the various field they servf They welcome the chance to discus with them in the presence of thei dealers how effectively the needs o these markets are being met. The 1952 NAVA meetings market a new high also in friendly consults tion between the various component of the audio-visual industry and th' principal fields it serves. Sessions oi' educator-dealer relationships, oi "serving the church", and on manufac turer-dealer relationships were co chaired by leading representatives o the two or more "sides" involved an( produced many constructive sugges tions for the improvement of serviet ■ and relations. The earnestness of these gathering! was best typified, perhaps, by the Ad visory Members' breakfast (startinf: promptly at 7:30 on the morning afte) the social highlight of the meeting the Radiant party). In attendanc( were 28 of the industry's leading rep resentatives, presidents and public re lations specialists of most of the largest as well as some of the smallest manufacturers and producers. Th( meeting set up a committee structurt headed by the three advisory membei representatives to NAVA (W. A Moen, Ervin Nelson, and Gilbert Heck), agreed upon similar meetings at future NAVA conventions, and outlined a program of constructive activity to help dealer and user alike to get the most out of the audio-visual resources now available and constantly growing. All in all, people plus product added up to a fine 1952 NAVA Convention and Trade Show. — WFK They've Moved • GoldE Manufacturing Co. to new and larger quarters at 4888 N. Clark St., Chicago 40, Illinois. • Jack C. Coffey Co., manufacturer and distributor of Standard filmstrip library plan cabinets and filmstrip filing systems, to 1124 Greenleaf Ave., Wilmette, Illinois. • Patterson's American Educational Directory, published by Educational Directories Inc., to the same address. Mr. Coffey heads the firm. • Best Devices Company, Inc., manufacturer of slides projectors, to their own new factory building at 10921 Briggs Road, Cleveland, Ohio. John MacNellis recently acquired full ownership and control of the company. 294 Educational Screen '