International projectionist (Oct 1931-Sept 1933)

30 INTERNATIONAL PROJECTIONIST November 1931 FILM MUTILATION Abstracts from a report of the Projection Practice Committee of the S.M.P.E. THE Projection Practice Committee wishes to direct attention to what it considers one of the foremost causes of waste and monetary loss suffered by the motion picture industry, namely, the mutilation of positive prints. This mutilation not only results in a greatly shortened life of the individual print, which is serious enough in itself, but in addition to this, it is impossible to obtain the maximum screen results, which are highly important in creating the proper illusion so necessary to the motion picture play. Both visual and sound results are affected by mutilation of film^ It is generally understood that the mutilation of film is frequently caused through the misadjustment of projector parts, worn projector p'arts, accumulation of emulsion during projection, excessive oiling of projector or oil leakage, and careless handling of film. The Projection Practice Committee is of the opinion that there is urgent need for the setting up of standards dealing with the various tensions the film should be subjected to during projection, the clearance of adjacent projector parts and The School 'Racket^ {Continued from preceding page) agency for the dissemination of reliable information anent such enterprises is not now functioning, as a prospective student now has no way of determining the worth, or lack of it, of any such set-up. International Projectionist purposes to delve deeply into this matter in an endeavor to supply its readers with information on all such enterprises. The latest "racket" is the television school, the propaganda of which invariably refers to television being "just around the corner." Projectionists are particularly easy marks for television schools, as there is a natural inclination on the part of the man in the projection room to fortify himself against any contingency. Already many projectionists are enrolled in television schools, and it is likely that there will be many more who will do likewise. International Projectionist has been offered the advertising of certain television schools but has declined, for the reason that it bears a very definite sense of obligation to its readers and will not be put in the position of seeming to endorse any such institution. It is a very difficult matter to establish whether a given school is worthy or not, and International Projectionist will not accept this responsibility by printing such advertising. sound apparatus, allowable tolerances, and the degree of wear projector parts may develop without impairing the quality of screen results or causing mutiliation of film. The committee therefore plans to conduct a thorough investigation which will be nationwide in scope with the view of obtaining all necessary data for submission to the Society for the purpose of adopting such standards. In order to accomplish this, the committee requests the earnest cooperation and support of the Society as a whole and also associated individuals and organizations. Their assistance will be needed as this work will be of magnitude and should, when completed, prove invaluable to the industry. Non-Uniform Processing The committee wishes to call attention at this time to the lack of uniformity in the processing of prints, which constitutes another serious loss. In regard to the processing of film, there seems to be no standard for this work at the present time. One producer will use a certain method of processing film; another producer will simply wax the margins of the print, and a third producer will not process the print at all. This condition works a hardship on all concerned, inasmuch as it frequently happens that the producer who has processed his product suffers by reason of the theatre using unprocessed film at the same time. This evil adversely affects both the sound results and the visual picture. It is well known that with unprocessed film, there is a tendency to accumulate emulsion at the tension points in the projector. Formation of emulsion greatly increases the tension applied to the film and imposes a serious strain on sprocket holes. Occasionally a positive print is irreparably damaged during its first projection. To Investigate Methods The Projection Practice Committee recommends that thorough investigation to find the best method of methods of processing film be conducted by some designated committee of the Society so that such methods may be recommended as a standard for the industry. Unless such a standard is adopted, generally accepted, and put into use hj the producers of film, the industry will continue to suffer this serious loss now occasioned through faulty (or the absence of ) , Drocessing methods and such benefits which should accrue through the adoption of the standards relating to projector tensions, adjustments, etc., would be largely nullified. In the opinion of the Projection Practice Committee, this work is one of the most important contributions that the Society could make to the industry. Committee Personnel: Projection Practice Committee: Harry Rubin, Chairman; Thad C. Barrows, G. C. inwards, Sam Glauber, J. H. Goldberg, Chauncey Greene, Herbert Griffin, Jesse J. Hopkins, Lester Isaac, R. H. McCuUough, P. A. McGuire, F. H. Richardson, Max Ruben, H. B. Santee, L. M. Townsend. PROJECTIONIST RECALLS WORK WITH EDISON WHEN the lights in a Brooklyn theatre flashed off on a recent evening— as they did everywhere throughout the country in commemoration of their inventor's death — Louis A. Hammond, chief projectionist, peered into the darkness and let unfold from the cinema of his memory his own association with the great Edison. There flashed into mind a day 16 years ago when Hammond was chosen from 21 motion picture "operators" to be Edison's assistant in perfecting the synchronization of phonographic recording with motion pictures; chosen, he says modestly, because he "was not afraid to get his hands dirty." That was in October, 1912, at the laboratories in New Jersey. Less than a year after getting the impressive title of "Chief Operator of Kinetescope and Kinetephone," Hammond was sent to Europe. The "Hoch Geschenck" Among the notables before whom Engineer Hammond demonstrated his 12reel novelty was the Emperor Franz Josef of Austria, who was then 83. The Emperior was so pleased with the performance that he gave Hammond a "doubledecker" gold watch, which was the "hoch geschenck," or highest gift, the Emperor could bestow upon a commoner. "We gave an exhibit in the castle of the Grand Duke and the Duchess of Mecklenberg, and the following night the ancient fortress was burned to the ground. The peasants of the section firmly believe the fire was started from the kinetoscope's celluloid reels and looked upon us as incendiaries." Investigation proved the fire started in another part of the building from that in which the apparatus was stored and the Hammond party was exonerated. Their machine and the films were destroyed in the fire. This accident did not, however, end Hammond's association with Edison, for he returned to America and, as he says, "puttered around the Edison Laboratory for more than a year," after which he was detailed to the San Francisco Exposition.