Home Movies (1944)

HOME MOVIES FOR JUNE vertical moulding. When not in use, the unit rests against the wall with the screen box resting upon top of mantle. There is a third piece of wood about 36 inches in length which supports the screen when erected for use. The screen box is raised, as shown in Fig. 3, and held in position for use by the third support. The screen is then drawn downward, and when fully opened, is well above the heads of spectators. Thus, if the visitors move about — as they invariably do, seeking a light for their cigarettes or refill of a cocktail glass — they cannot obstruct the view. Compact as is the 3 Yz foot by 7 foot projection booth, it boasts more innovations than the average home theatre. There is a switch panel on the wall which affords centralized control of projector motors and lights individually, operation of dual turntables, and also provides a dimming switch for the room lights. This latter feature is interesting in that it consists of a single "Dim-A-Lite" unit obtainable at eletrical supply stores at low cost. The living room floor lamp circuit is connected with the "Dim-A-Lite" affording the professional light-dimming effects of a regular theatre. By merely operating a small lever, lights are raised or lowered. As may be seen in Fig. 1, the projector rests upon another switching box, and this affords control of projectors, and the fad ers for the record turntables. The turntables are conveniently located below the projector. Both are portable and may be used when showing pictures outside the home. Mr. Billings uses headphones plugged into the sound circuit which enables him to regulate the sound as heard through the radio in the room where pictures are screened. Not all sound is by commercial phonograph records. Mr. Billings usually cuts special recordings on his Wilcox-Gay Recordio cued with his pictures. His library of sound effects records — some of his own origin — include everything from footsteps to firecrackers. Interesting is the method by which Mr. Billings makes his recordings. With the Recordio permanently situated in his living room, it is necessary to have some means of signalling between operator in the projection booth and the recorder when cutting discs cued with a picture. He made a lengthy four-wire cable by taping together two two-wire strands of duplex extension cord. At one end, the wires are connected to a block fitted with three small candelabra lamps and sockets. The other end is connected to a similar block, slightly larger and containing besides three lamp sockets and lamps, a three-way switch wired to control one lamp cir • Fig. 4 — (Above) Projection booth portholes are ingeniously concealed by framed picture which is hinged to wall at bottom. • Fig. 5 — When movies are to be shown, framed picture is lowered away from wall by means of small cable controlled from projection booth, thus exposing port holes. These are covered with optical glass to exclude projector noises from room. cuit at a time. On each block, the No. 1 socket is fitted with a red lamp; the No. 2 socket, a blue lamp, and the No. 3 socket a white lamp. Thus, by turning the switch to the No. 1 position, the red lamps on each block are lighted, etc. In operation, the cable is extended between the recorder in the living room and the projection booth. Signaling is controlled by operator of the recorder. Flashing on the No. 1 (red) light indicates recorder is idle. The No. 2 light indicates recorder is started — disc is turning and speaker at microphone should prepare to read narration. Light No. 3 is signal to start narration. Thus accurate cueing is accomplished even though recorder and projector are separated some distance. All of these features add up to just one thing — a smooth, professional showing of home movies. The room lights grow dim and, as the first strains of music sound from the radio speaker, the lights fade out completely, and the picture title fades in on the screen. The combination of truly silent projection and recorded sound skillfully blended together lends the exhibition the illusion of a genuine Broadway show. The artisian who so expertly designed and built all the innovations for this home theatre was none other than Mr. Billings himself, whose long list of cine gadgets ranks him one of the top cinebugs in the hobby. Among his gadget accomplishments are an alignment gauge for his 8mm. Cine Kodak that includes a built-in focuser and a tapeline for measuring distances in closeup shots; a novel device to expidite making fades by the dye process; a tin-can scroll device for a typewriter titler, and a balloon-tired camera dolly. This last item sports twin floodlights, portable lighting switchboard and a lighting boom that supports either a floodlight or spot high above the camera to illuminate subjects when being followed by the dolly-mounted camera. % \ Naturally, with such comfortable appointments as are afforded by Billings home theatre, screening of pictures is almost a nightly ritual in his home. For one thing, there are three rollicking youngsters in the family whose activities have been recorded on film since their cradle days, and filming of this family document goes on regularly. Naturally there is a keen desire to frequently review these pictures on the screen. So, all in all, the Billings theatre is a pretty busy place. It has come to be known as a model home theatre layout among Glendale movie amateurs, and there are frequent visits by strangers who have heard of the place and who wish to adapt the scheme to their own home. Our description here, we hope, will suffice for those amateurs in distant cities looking for similar ideas. ~h if ic 235