Home Movies (1944)

PACE 134 HOME MOVIES FOR APRIL ★ ★★★★★★★★★★★ ILEX TELEPHOTO & PROJECTION LENSES Here's a combination that can't be beaten — an Ilex Telephoto on your camera and an Ilex Projection Lens on your projector! Ilex Telephoto Lenses are equipped with focusing mounts for both 8 and 16 mm. cameras. Their flat fields provide images that an Ilex Projection Lens will project on your screen with thrilling brilliance and detail throughout their entire area. Ilex manufacturing facilities right now are devoted entirely to supplying precision optical equipment to our Armed Forces. However, plan now to get fullest pleasure from your movie -making when Victory is won, by standardizing on Ilex lens equipment. * ★ LENSES AND SHUTTERS OPTICAL INSTRUMENTS Ilex Optical Co. Rochester, N. Y. ★ ★ S The Reader niu Brittle Film Gentlemen: Several times I have read in this column the complaints of 8mm. tilmers that their films, when projected, go in and out of focus. Recently, one filmer thus plagued, brought his projector and films to me and asked me to diagnose the trouble. Some of the films projected normally while others went in and out of focus frequently. Some were bad, others fair. The filmer blamed his projector. While projecting the films that went in and out of focus, I noted that the pressure plate on the film gate fluctuated as the films passed through: also, that each time the gate thus moved, the picture went out of focus on the screen. I carefully measured the thickness of these films with a micrometer but found them to be uniform. But I also discovered that those films which had been recently processed or which had been carefully stored in cans did not vary in focus on the screen. Further investigation showed that the films giving trouble were more brittle and less pliable than the others. These were humidified and, presto! the trouble vanished. This, I think, proves the wisdom of storing all films in metal containers at all times. Also, when purchasing library prints, it is advisable to transfer to cans those packed only in cardboard boxes. These, unless carefully stored, are liable to dry out and become brittle, leading to troublesome projection. — Arthur M. Sharp, Centrcdalc, Rhode Island. Soundies Sirs: Ever since I began making movies, I have had the desire to add sound to my pictures. Last Christmas, I received a record album of Piano Interludes which I had intended to use as background music for some of my films. Then the idea occurred to me: "Why not make a musical short like some of those seen in theatres? Picture my daughter playing the piano and have a record supply the music?" The first thing that was necessary was to check the playing time of the record selected — two and a half minutes. Then I set up my projector and found that in two and a half minutes about twenty-five feet of film runs through — one side of a roll of 8mm. film. I then proceeded to film the opening title. Then I filmed my daughter at the piano from long shots to closeups using a variety of camera angles to break up any monotony in the repetitive action. When her fingers are seen on the keys, on cannot tell that she is not playing the very notes being heard from the record played simultaneously. Even when the picture does not run at the same speed every time, one cannot tell the difference because, unlike with lip movement, the piano playing action is more or less uniform. — Fred A. Hager, Akron, Ohio. 10.5mm. Film Sirs: Manufacturers may frown upon any suggestion of a new film size, but a little thought on this subject will show that a new size is almost mandator}' if continued development is to go on and talkies are to be in homes of amateur cine filmers. As the frame size of present 8mm. film is as small as is practical and still reproduce satisfactory images on the screen, it is not desirable to cut down on this in order to add a sound track. I suggest a new 10.5mm. size film. This would be the present 8 mm. film with 2.5mm. added to the side for the sound track to be recorded upon or for additional perforations as with 16mm. film. Amateurs who would want this new size film, along with the equipment that would be available, would have all the advantages of i6ram. film but at the lower cost of 8mm. The film having perforations on both sides, would make for stronger film than present 8mra. and the amateur would be able to turn end for end in projection as is sometimes done with 1 6mm. film. It would be unnecessary to scrap present double 8mm. equipment. It could be converted by the manufacturer to the new film size at not too great a cost, or the owner of this equipment could continue use of it. I do not advocate the total discontinuance of 8mm. film. The amateur that wanted to convert his present equipment would find that the gearing would remain the same, the sprocket holes the same size and the same distance apart, and that the only changes necessary would be in the width of the film gate and sprockets. As the frame size would still be the same, the image on the screen would not be changed in any way. These ideas are presented here for the approval of cine fans. Some of them may not all be acceptable, but I believe on the whole they are a step in the right direction. Ri^ht now is the time to • Continued on PtRe :bs