International projectionist (Jan 1963-June 1965)

INTERNATIONAL PROJECTIONIST Volume 39 May, 1964 Number 5 Equalizing projectors for sight and sound Noticeable changes in projection quality on changeover can be prevented through competent operation, matching of equipment. Among the defects in projection considered especially annoying by filmgoers are bad focus, uneven and discolored screen illumination, picture jump, improper sound volume, and noticeable sudden changes in the quality of the projection when changeovers are made. The last defect is unavoidable when the others are present because it is unlikely that both projectors would be malfunctioning in the same way and to the same degree. The use of more than one projector in a theatre installation is necessary, of course, for uninterrupted performances. A few very large theatres have three, or even four, projectors, providing even more opportunity for projector imbalance to show up at changeovers. And even the most subtle changes in pictures and sound quality are noticed by movie patrons. Nearly every motion-picture audience includes a few individuals who are aware of the fact that two projectors are normally employed, and they know just enough about the projection process to determine (by glancing up toward the projection room) which of the two projectors is malfunctioning. It bodes our craft no good when such a patron informs the manager which projector is performing like a mechanical lemon. "Projectionists" versus "Operators" IP has frequently repeated the truism that "competence is the only commodity the projection craft has to sell," for without competent handling of the sight-andsound process there is nothing worthy of the name projection. We therefore find it incredible that the denizens of certain projection rooms simply don't give a damn how the picture looks or sounds so long as film travels through the mechanism. We hesitate to call such fellows projectionists; they are "operators," and not competent ones, either! Like anyone else, a projectionist is not personally enthralled by each and every picture that comes along. But a good projectionist never forgets that the motionpicture industry strives to cater to all tastes. There are all kinds of audiences; and the films that would bore one audience may enchant another, and vice versa. Because every audience deserves our best efforts, every film must be projected as well as it can be projected. This involves the ethics of our craft. It does not seen quite ethical to take special pains with an "art" film which draws a small, select audience, and allow a western that packs the house to run out of focus just because the hackneyed plot isn't worth a twist of the focusing knob! Laying aside his personal preferences in the matter of film fare, therefore, the truly professional projectionist views the picture as an optical image, and the sound as an electro-acoustic reproduction. He may privately damn the short-sightedness and inanities of Hollywood, but he is not satisfied as a projectionist until the image and its accompanying sound reproduction are as good as film and equipment allow him to make them. Fortunately for the industry in these days of a return of the public to the movies, the vast majority of projectionists adopt this professional attitude, and there is nothing "sloppy" about their work. Watch that Focus! Poor focus stamps projection as "sloppy" as does nothing else. When one projector is consistently operated out of focus, the audience is made painfully aware of the mechanics of the process at every changeover. For every eighteen or twenty minutes of a sharp, easy-toview image, there is an equal interval of eye-straining blur. The audience indirectly pays our salaries: is this the best we can do for them? The maintenance of sharp focus is an important facet of the projectionist's art, a job that requires a watchful eye and a skilled hand. There's no such animal as an automatic focusing device — you have to perform the operation yourself. Focus should be checked ( 1 ) at the commencement of each reel and (2) again when the reel is about halfway through. Arc currents in excess of 100 amperes may require more frequent focus checks, especially if short-focus lenses be used. It's the "operators," not the "projectionists," who set the focus once at the beginning of the day and expect it to hold until midnight. The "operators" place Please turn to Page 7 International Projectionist May 1964