International projectionist (Jan-Dec 1956)

theatres and elsewhere. M. D. O'Brien, director of projection and sound for Loew's Theatres, who has written extensively on the subject, makes the following interesting point regarding local adapatation of the national code. In many areas officials lacking the knowledge and experience of the NBFU have still seen fit to amend or add to the code and establish their own standards, often with very peculiar deviations. This leads to such wide divergence of operation procedure that theatre men frequently find it difficult to perform in exactly the prescribed manner of a specific locality, not to mention the economic adjustment to be made. O'Brien favors a national standardization program, using the most exacting scientific fire safety research available, for all motion picture theatres. IP studied the reports issued by the fire department on the New York inspections in an attempt to determine the role of the projectionist in regard to the violations found. Actually the majority of the violations were completely outside the projectionist's domain. Projection rooms, on the whole, were in fine shape. On the other hand, the most serious violation of the recent drive was the reported finding by an inspecting team of a can of "highly flammable oil stored alongside films." As an example of the type of violation found outside the projection room, one large theatre alone was ordered to: "place pressure gauge on fire pump in proper working order; remove all combustible matter from near stage; remove all empty paint cans from storage room on second floor and replace all paint and varnish on metal shelves." Typical Violations A breakdown of all the violations charged disclosed that the sources of trouble varied from alleyways, to corridors, to backstage, projection rooms, storage rooms, and exits. With such diversity of area, it is apparent that only the general manager of a theatre can see to it that everything is in tiptop shape. The general manager not only has a moral responsibility, but along with the theatre owner, a legal responsibility as well, to take every necessary measure to insure the safety against fire of his patrons and the staff, not to mention property and equipment. It is the duty of the manager, among other things, to conduct a fire drill with the other employees once a month, to see that all equipment is in safe operating condition, and not to allow dangerously damaged film to be run. Overall theatre surveillance is an absolute necessity because fire and panic in theatres tend to spread rapidly. Readers of IP's December Spotlight page will remember the description of the disastrous Sydney, Australia, theatre fire, in which projectionist Ivan Bailue was burned. This fire started behind the screen, but within minutes Tender (Fire) Trap While conducting deep research for the accompanying article, IP (I is truly for International) discovered that the New York City fire department was not the only such agency making thorough theatre inspections of late. In Japan, theYamaguchi City fire department recently uncovered what is probably the most unique and debatable "fire hazard" in the motion picture theatre world. It seems that the promotionminded proprietor of the Zinzen-za Theatre in this western Honshu city had installed what he termed "romance seats" way back m the rear of the auditorium. There were a half dozen of these to be exact, each six feet long, each partitioned off into a small cozy compartment, the door of which could be locked from the inside. A curtain was also provided in front which could be lowered, should the activity on the screen be too distracting. In addition, the investigating team found that the romance divans had been equipped with a pillow by the considerate management of the Zinzen-za. When queried by the fire department, the manager had a ready explanation: "Considering the structure of our establishment, lighting conditions and acoustic problems, we installed bed-like seats." Officials of the fire department, however, were not completely satisfied. Said they, "We still cannot decide whether the romance seat constitutes a fire hazard." When the department of building construction was called into the case, an officer in charge of permits announced: "There is a clause in the book to prohibit the seats," while a spokesman for the police volunteered, "We must study the question deeply." swept across practically the entire theatre. At the time, one of the projectors contained a reel of highly combustible nitrate film. Fortunately, however, the projection room was the least damaged part of the theatre. Nitrate film has now been almost wholly replaced by safety acetate film in the U.S. Approximately only 1% or less of all film shown here is nitrate. Accordingly, there has been a definite decrease in the number of projection room fires with film as the cause. The dangerous nitrate base ignites under intense heat and emits clouds of panicprovoking poisonous smoke. Safety acetate film, on the other hand, burns about as quickly as paper. The tremendous reduction in film fires, since the widespread use of acetate film, was strongly emphasized by Harry Rubin, in charge of projection at Paramount theatres. He pointed to the rarity of projection room fires with film as the cause where safety film is used. Rubin also offered the idea that fire potential is greater in the more spacious areas of a theatre, such as backstage, where a large amount of clutter can gradually accumulate. The projection room, being the small size it usually is, must be kept tidy and clear for the sake of mobility, as well as safety. However much the ultimate responsibility lies with the manager to safeguard the theatre against fire, every person in a theatre at any time can do his part. This includes everyone right down to the ushers and usher ettes, as well as the patrons themselves Of prime importance here is the pro jectionist, for his domain consists o a heavy concentration of electrica apparatus. (Electrical causes accounted for an estimated 94,100 fires in all buildings in the U. S. during 1954, with estimated losses amounting to $95,400,000) . It is for his own safety as well as everyone else's that the projectionist should follow all precautionary measures. Precautions in Projection In reply to a special request by IP, New York City Fire Commissioner Cavanagh listed the precautions to be observed by projectionists. Although the precautions contained here relate directly to the fire laws of New York City, they can very well serve as guides for projectionists everywhere. It should be borne in mind that as long as nitrate films occasionally go out of INTERNATIONAL PROJECTIONIST FEBRUARY 1956 13