International projectionist (Jan 1963-June 1965)

Chicago is famous for its beautiful theatres, among irhich are the Avalon, Chicago, and Capitol. Here is the truly gorgeous auditorium of the Capitol photographed in the days of the old conventional 1 .375/] ratio. lovies, ami i> distinct!) unsatisfactor) to patrons who ave become accustomed to a more panoramic vista on he giant theatre Bcreen. I he standard non-anamorphic ISS-nim print gives the dosI pleasing picture at an aspect ratio of 1.75 1. using m aperture which measures 0.825 \ 0.171 inch. This >pinion is strong!) backed l>\ the thousands of projecionists who arc alread) using the 1.75 1 ratio, and b) lozens of producers who advocate it > use for their m>ninamorphic 35-mm relea>es. K\en th<' older pictures, iceleased from time to time, look better with tin aspect atio! The 1.75 1 aspect ratio is wide enough to impart a panoramic visual impression, and yet sufficientl) "conlervative" to preserve good photographic acutance without excessive graininess. undue magnification of picture unsteadiness, loss of light, or loss of contrast. The higher aspect ratios formerly used in man) theatres for standard jrints — ratios as high as 1.85 1 and even 2/1 — are going he way of the picture-ruining curved screen. To state he matter bluntly, a non anamorphic 35-mm picture ooks like hell at 2 1 ! Even CinemaScope. itself, has undergone a reduction in aspect ratio. Originally 2.55 1. the addition of an optical soundtrack to the magnetic-track C Scope print has reduced the ratio to 2.35 1. But even this is pretty big. and just about right for Technicolor epics featuring mobs of sword-wielding warriors and throngs of bosomy dancing-girls undulating in clouds of pink smoke. Some theatres, however, are physically unable to accommodate the full CinemaScope aspect ratio of 2.35/1. 'The lower ratio of 2 1 must be used. This is not too bad: but wherever possible, the full ratio should be used in order to reproduce on the screen the visual composition planned by the director and captured on film by the cinematographer. Aim for a Constant Picture Height! The modern indoor-theatre screen, then, should be flat, white or pearl-surfaced, free from visible seams. International Projectionist September, 1963 blemishes, and streaks of dirt, and capable of receiving two projected aspect ratios, nameh . 2..15 I lor 2/1) for CinemaScope anamorphic prints and 1.75/1 for standard non-anamorphic prints. No other ratios should be used — these two are best. II 70-mm prints are also shown, the CinemaScope aspect ratio should be used for these, the 70-mm projector apertures being proportioned accordingly (that is, for either 2.35/1 or 2/1, whichever is used for C'Scope). Now, here is something we consider very important. The proper lens focal lengths should be chosen to maintain <i constant vertical dimension of the projected piclures. The standard 1.75/1 non-anamorphic picture and the CinemaScope 2.35/1 anamorphic picture should both have exactly the same aperture image height on the screen. The overall visual effect is good this way, and the need for movable top and bottom masking battens is thereby eliminated. With a CinemaScope aspect ratio of either 2.35/1 or 2 1. and a standard-film aspect ratio of 1.75/1, the C'Scope prime lens should have a focal length (E.F.) 1.518 times that of the 1.75/1 standard-print lens, or as close as you can come to this with the usual ^-inch lens E. F. increments. Or, to state the matter conversely, the E. F. of the 1.75/1 standard-print lens should be 0.6587 times that of the C'Scope prime lens — again, as close as you can come. It is comforting to realize that, even though the total screen light on a 1.75/1-ratio non-anamorphic picture is slightly less than on a C'Scope picture, the quality of the image is approximately the same — Sometimes better and sometimes worse, depending upon the photographic sharpness of the original negatives, the quality and adjustment of the anamorphic lenses used for C'Scope photography and projection, etc. Indeed, theatre patrons often have to look at the extreme sides of the picture, to see how far out they extend, to be able to distinguish standard from CinemaScope projection. And most patrons simply have no interest in these minor technical matters: