Exhibitors Herald World (Oct-Dec 1930)

36 Better Theatres Section November 22, 1930 You should have a copy of Building Theatre Patronage for handy reference This is not a book to be read over once. It is a treatise embracing theatre management in all details. It is needed on every manager's desk to be consulted whenever inspiration is needed. The wise manager will consult it many times daily. Have this inexpensive assistant at your command — price $5.10 at Herald-World Bookshop 407 S. Dearborn St. Chicago, III. Order accompanied by certified chec\, money order or draft receives immediate attention. Will also mail C.O.D., if desired. VITADISC SOU N D-ON-FI LM Photo Electric cells carefully inspected for perfection. Aluminum Filmheads. Double belt drive, positive, quiet. Samson Head Amplifiers. Complete with Constant Speed Motor. Simple, reliable and positive in operation. A leading value for the medium sized house. Ready for immediate delivery. Write or wire for prices on Viladisc Sound-on-Film and accessories. VITADISC COMPANY 130 S. CLINTON AVE., ROCHESTER, N. Y. v ^ . I I^H Humphrey Davy & Associates Consulting Electrical Engineers 4324 Market St., Philadelphia, Pa. Lay Out Plans and Prepare Specifications, incl. Projection Room, etc., details Each Project STUDIED INDIVIDUALLY Correspondence Solicited Next Issue— European Theatres have in mind at any time for the improvement of the device. "If we are to show our audiences a product which will, without effort on their part, give the illusion we plan, this guidance must come from both producer and exhibitor," Mr. Miller told me. "The studio must anticipate the problems of the theatre, and the latter must exhibit the product in a manner approaching that designed by the producer. This combination alone will result in a high average success in terms of audience appreciation. "Because of the newness of sound reproduction on its present scale, there is a tremendous lack of understanding on some of the details. This is naturally less apparent in the studios and among the producers, as they are closer together geographically, and as they were the first to have to meet the problems of the new business. Largely through their own analysis of the situation they are for the moment in the position of being able to help the exhibitor get the results both desire — to please the audience. Among other things, they are trying to do this by making proper sound reproduction as nearly automatic as possible. "The squeeze track is Metro-GoldwynMayer's latest contribution. Continual efforts are being made to improve product in every way possible and all we ask is that the exhibitor gives us the full measure of his cooperation. If he does so, it will mean money in his pockets as well as our own." Mr. Miller pointed out that there was one phase of sound proportion which the studio cannot deal with. This, he said, is a variation in the acoustics in different theatres. "We are urging exhibitors to give intelligent consideration to the acoustics of their theatres in making proper fader adjustments," he said. "The tendency of the average exhibitor at present is to run his product with too much volume, which results in distortion and unreality. This will correct itself as time goes on and a better understanding of proper volume is gained." Now the purpose of "Realife" film is to give the exhibitor more life-like product at minimum cost. It involves shooting on a 70-mm. negative, and printing on 35-mm. positive, and has unusual advantages over the old 35-mm. negatives printed on 35-mm. positives, which have been standard for so many years. A study of "Realife" film in the projection room at the Metro-GoldwynMayer studios reveals clearly the vast improvement over standard practice. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer already is shooting "Realife" film, the operation taking place simultaneously with the shooting of standard film. "Realife" has deeper perspective and causes figures in the foreground to seem to have a third dimension. It also gives far more detail in both foreground and background. Since "Realife" principles permit a wider range, there is much more background than formerly. This is not only clearer, wider and richer, but has an unsual quality of depth not heretofore possible on 35-mm. negative. Exhibitors may use "Realife" at a minimum of expense, according to Douglas Shearer. Mr. Shearer declares that the insertion of a metal mat to change the dimensions of the aperture on the projector, a wider screen to handle adequately the change in shape, the use of a short-focus lens, and brightening the light to illuminate properly the larger screen, is all that is necessary for successful exhibition. In standard practice it has been necessary to use negative film with large silver nitrate grains. Large grain film, when exposed, registers objects brought to it through the lens with rapidity, and motion picture cameras necessarily must expose with great speed. Small grain film registers slowly and cannot be used in a camera as negative. Large grain film, when projected on the motion picture screen, will show lack of definition of objects (due to the large grains) when enlarged more than 80,000 times, which is about normal enlargement for a big theatre. To obtain small grain prints, thus overcoming this distortion, was one of the problems faced. Another was the widening of the side range of the camera. Under standard practice it was necessary to set the lens at a comparatively long distance from the film. The angle of light running from the standard lens to the 35-mm. negative was acute, and naturally the angle running from the lens to the background of the set was also narrow. The result of this condition was that objects in the foreground blotted out the background, and objects which were widely separated seemed to be not only flat, but directly behind each other. "Realife" solves the first problem by photographing on large-grained 70-mm. film, and printing on 35-mm. positives of small grain. The small-grained positive gives no lack of definition when enlarged to more than twice the size practicable with standard positives. Hence, the possibility of great detail on a larger screen. Analyzing the second problem, Mr. Shearer said, "to increase the side-limits and to get in more background meant either increasing the size of the negatives, or decreasing the size of the lens. It was impossible to decrease the size of the lens, because one as small as we would need would not photograph clearly. "The only answer was to increase the width of the negative, which we did. The result is that we are using the same size lens but are shooting on the 70-mm. negative. The advantage is perfectly clear. The angle of light from the lens to the new negative is wider and, inversely, the shooting angle is much wider, giving the camera a greater scope."