International projectionist (Jan 1959-Dec 1960)

AUDIO VISUAL EDUCATIONAL • INDUSTRIAL • COMMERCIAL Film-Conservation Program for Schools THE START of a new school year is a good time to re-examine audio-visual techniques and procedures. In which ways was the use of AV materials unsatisfactory last year? Can a substantial improvement be effected? The loss of valuable classroom time by frequent film breaks during 16-mm showings is an expensive and unnecessary nuisance. Students learn nothing from a dark screen and a silent loudspeaker! All films for school use should be inspected and repaired before projection, just as professional 35-mm theatre films are. The AV supervisor can thus learn from the professional projectionist a valuable lesson which will help conserve the busy teacher's time and patience as well as the film. Projector Maladjustment at Fault? Why are so many 16-mm instructional films in atrociously bad physical condition when received by the teachers who are to show them? Much of the blame may be attributed to the use in many schools of worn, maladjusted projection machines operated by persons who are not always as familiar with good projection techniques as they should be. One cannot reasonably expect every teacher to be a projection expert, but it is only good sense to assign responsibility for the care and repair of the school motion-picture projectors to a person who has the time, the facilities, and the technical know-how to detect mechanical faults which may interfere with the quality of the pictures and sound, and which may tear or scratch the films. Such flaws, discovered early, may be corrected by the equipment custodian or, if serious, by an experienced repairman who has at his disposal an adequate stock of tools and spare parts. The specific projector defects which are definitely known to damage film range all the way from accumulations of dirt in the projector gate to worn pull-down claws and edge-guiding rails. Therefore : Precautionary Procedures 1. Make certain that the projector will be operated by a person who is familiar with the location and proper use of all controls and adjustments, who has previously demonstrated his ability to thread film into the machine, and who is likely to handle both the sound-projection apparatus and the films with practiced skill. Student projectionists should be thoroughly trained. 2. Be sure that all film-contacting parts (gate runners, gate pressure plate, gate edge-guiding rails, all sprockets and sprocket shoes, the sound drum, and all idler and snubber rollers) are free from dirt and grime. Clean these parts only with lintless cotton cloth, an orangewood stick, and "Carbona" cleaning fluid (which is used only when necessary, and very sparingly, for the removal of grease and stubborn deposits of gelatin emulsion and film wax). 3. Inspect all film spools, or reels, for bent flanges which may cinch or scratch film and interfere with take-up action. Never use bent or damaged reels! 4. It is extremely important to inspect very carefully two film-gate parts in particular, and to have the repair serviceman replace them immediately when they show signs of wear. These are the intermittent pull-down claws, which in time become hooked and tear the film perforations, and the lateralguide rails which press against the edges of the film in the gate. When the guide rails become grooved, film splices may jam and pull apart in the gate. Sprocket teeth should also be inspected at intervals, as they may become hooked after many years of use. 5. Instruct the operator to check and double-check the threading of the film before turning the projector motor on. Motor Start and Stop 6. If the projector has no automatic "fire shutter" or safety device to guard the film from the blisteringly hot light rays should the film stop in the gate, the operator must be warned never to turn on the lamp until the film is running at normal speed, and never to stop the motor without first turning off the lamp. Unless special means are provided for the safe projection of single film frames as still pictures, failure to heed this precaution may result in scorched film and burned-out frames. It must be stated again that no film should ever be projected without first inspecting it for tears and breaks, weak or otherwise faulty splices, and torn sprocket perforations. The sprocket holes of a 16-mm sound film are subject to excessive wear and damage for two reasons: (1) there is only one perforation per frame, and (2) claw-type intermittent movements are much more wear-inflicting than sprocket intermittents. Worn perforations cause the pictures to jump and weave. Torn perforations result in loss of the lower film loop and, in consequence, an annoying displacement of sound synchronism which destroys all illusion of naturalness. Sections of film containing severely damaged perforations should be excised and the good film rejoined by splicing. Weak or improperly made splices and all torn sections should also be removed. To last for the life of the film, splices should be made with fresh film cement on a good splicing block. Scrape the emulsion and gelatine binder from the NEW KALART-VICTOR 70-15 PROJECTOR Upper: projector set up for operation with speaker door at right. Lower: complete projector in single aluminum case. INTERNATIONAL PROJECTIONIST • NOVEMBER 1959 19