International projectionist (Jan-Dec 1954)

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be reasonably argued that, in America, indoor theatres are too few and too large. In 1947 a lamp manufacturer declared that "it is impractical to use more than 1500 lumens, as it would damage the film. ... It is furthermore wasteful, as well as futile, to burn more than 70 amperes in any reflector lamp." We heartily agree. And yet that same manufacturer has subsequently marketed several 90-amp., 120-amp., and 135-amp. reflector lamps which are, admittedly, absolutely necessary for 3-D and widescreen projection, but with unavoidable deterioration of picture quality. Apart from its dullness and the clumsiness of its technique, polarizedlight 3-D has nibbled away at pictorial quality in other ways, well known to the reader. So let us pass on to the latest, most expensive, and most heavily financed process, CinemaScope. CinemaScope Presentations CinemaScope has destroyed trueness of pictorial perspective with its curved screen. Its anamorphic optics has indulged in a damaging whack at image-definition. (CinemaScope focus is sometimes awful and sometimes fair, but never good.) And, like true 3-D, CinemaScope demands the use of film-withering arc currents. The widespread use of short-focus lenses for the projection of standardformat pictures is due in no small measure to the present aspect-ratio fad. The worst effects, of course, are produced by the small depth of focus of short-focus lenses; but there is another very important point to be considered. Celluloid personages are daily suffering various degrees of decapitation and amputation by such extreme aspect-ratios as 1:2.5, 1:2, 1:1.85, 1:1.75, and 1:1.66. It is impossible to trim such large areas from the top and bottom of a standardformat picture without scalping someone in the close-ups. Pictorial surgery of this sort is utterly barbaric — and a bit unfair to the cash customers. It is hard to escape the conclusion that the use of undersized apertures is a species of optical cheating. No matter how thin the conventional picture is sliced, it isn't Cinerama, and everyone knows it. The standard format is 3:4 or, more exactly, 2.9:4, which corresponds to an aspect-ratio of 1:1.37. It has been in use ever since the movies came into being, and it is extremely adaptable, suitable for both close-ups and longshots. However, a slightly wider picture might indeed be an improvement. An aspect-ratio of 1:1.5 suggests itself as a picture-proportion which would not interfere with the dramatic fluidity of the movies. Recommended Aspect Ratio But we do not recommend that the area of a standard picture be cut down by the use of a l:1.5-proportioned aperture. What we do recommend is a wider film to accommodate such a picture without loss of picture detail and without loss of footage due to thick framelines or interframe spaces. Such a recommendation, however, might not seem sufficiently spectacular to an industry which is interested only in applying expensive frosting to the same stale cake. In fact, film standards should have been radically revised when the inception of sound-onfilm offered an excellent opportunity to do so. It is only fair to state that a clever use is made of short-focus lenses in a few theatres by reserving them only for selected scenes in certain types of feature films and for one or two of the Altec service men ... 200 skilled, sound-wise field engineers . . . Altec-trained technicians equipped with Altec-designed precision tools and insirunnents ... at work in theatres fronn coast to coast . . . installing stereophonic systems , . . servicing . . . repairing . . . replacing . . . counseling exhibitors . . . solving difficult problems . . . assuring perfect performance day in and day out . . . for 6,000 Altec-serviced theatres! You can put an Altec service man to work for you tomorrow. Let us show you how. . . today! ALTEC SPECIALISTS IN MOTION PICTURE SOUND 161 SIXTH AVENUE NEW YORK 13, N.Y. Clayton Ball Bearing Even Tension Take Ups For all Projectors and Sound Equipments ALL TAKE-UPS WIND FILM ON 2, 4 AND 5 INCH HUB REELS. SILENT CHAIN DRIVE THE CLAYTON REWINDER FOR PERFECT REWINDING ON 2000-FOOT REELS. CLAYTON PRODUCTS CO. 31-45 Tibbett Avenue New York 63, N. Y. 1 INTERNATIONAL PROJECTIONIST • MARCH 1954 33