International projectionist (Jan 1959-Dec 1960)

especially useful when making up reels of prevue trailers, permitting the projectionist to silence the large number of splices present in such composite reels. On occasion we have warned against the presence of more than three feet of black film between the number "3" frame of the standard threading leader and the first frame of the actual picture. More than 3 feet of film (48 frames) in this part of a leader may result in a momentarily black screen when the changeover is made. Black screens, even if they last only for a fraction of a second, are noticed by the audience and are embarrassing to the projectionist. The excess leader footage, which must be removed, is usually the result of leader replacement in subsequentrun prints by exchange inspectresses who apparently believe that if a little is good, more is better. Check your leaders carefully when inspecting a newly arrived shipment of films. Another Print-Assembly Defect A less common defect arising from careless print assembly, and one found on rare occasions even in prints of topdrawer productions, is the inclusion of a foot or so of sound "run-out" in the middle of 2000-ft. rolls of film. The "run-out" footage, which always adjoins the "mid-reel" splice, has a sound-leader print-through with various frameline and identification patterns in the soundtrack area. A drawing of a sample of such film found in the middle of a 2000-ft. reel of a brand-new feature-film print is shown in Fig. 3. Can you imagine the indignation of an audience treated to this unexpected outburst of clattering noise during a dramatic scene in a premiere performance of a first-run picture ? Any projectionist who finds this kind of clutter in the soundtrack at the midreel splice (the point where the end of the "A" half of a 2000-ft. reel is spliced to the beginning of the "B" half) must excise the offending footage and resplice the film. The splice should be blooped, of course. And there are other items of "celluloid garbage" which should be removed from reels of release prints — licenseseal footage which has framelines printed across the soundtrack area, for instance. Even though the law in a few states may require the presentation of such stuff on the screen, no law can force any theatre to play footage which is unsuitable and absolutely cannot be run through the projectors. Film Scratches No. 1 Problem The ubiquitous "scratch" problem is yet another, if not the chief, obstacle to good projection. All of us can agree that it's a shame how brand-new prints i D □ D D D-D D D D-D D D 0-0 D D D-D O oundtracK, "noise" which must he removed by the projectionist to avoid pops and loud clatter in £ in the middle of the 2000-ft. reel. *) c%d-reel splice FIG. 3 — Soundtrack "noise" in the middle of a 2000-ft. reel resulting from inexpert print assembly. (A 2000-ft. "double reel" is usually made up by joining two 1000-ft. sections commonly called the "A" and "B" sections.) get ruined these days by one or two showings in theatres having magnetic reproducers mounted on the projector mechanisms in such a way that the film cannot avoid rubbing against rough metal. We often see thousands of feet of relatively new color prints marred by deep lengthwise scratches, or by the multitudinous fine scratches that give the disconcerting effect of rain. The fire-valve rollers of the top and bottom film magazines are usually the source of the damage. This is proved by sideto-side weaving of the rain, indicating that, in some instances, the film was wound on a bent reel. If the fire rollers jam and stop turning, the raised portions which contact the perforation margins of the film will wear down, permitting the picture and soundtrack areas to rub against the middle portion of the rollers. Important General Precautions Accumulated film dirt is usually the cause of fire-roller jamming, hence the necessity of keeping all parts of the fire-valve assemblies scrupulously clean. A single drop of light machine oil at each bearing is all the lubrication the fire rollers ever require. The only real cure for "rain" is complete prevention by keeping the projectors clean and properly adjusted at all times. There is little or nothing that can be done to restore a print afflicted with scratches, particularly if the emulsion is deeply scratched. In some instances the film can be cleaned and lacquered, or otherwise treated (by patented or secret processes), to minimize the effect of the scratches. "Wet printing" is sometimes resorted to if the film is valuable, and the expense of making a copy can be borne by the owner. Much film is scratched by improper rewinding. Lateral scratches caused by loose winding and slippage during shipment may cross the soundtrack and produce frying noises. Deep longitudinal scratches are sometimes scraped into the emulsion by the fingernails during inspection. Exchange inspect A great deal of film damage is caused by "cinching" loosely wound rolls of film, i.e., pulling down the free end of the roll. Loose rolls should be rewound under proper tension on a correctly aligned and adjusted rewinder. Bent reels should be discarded; and in this connection exchange managers might well consider that new, solidly made reels are far less expensive than replacement footage. It always pays the projectionist to handle film gently for the benefit of the next projectionist to use it. Except when we receive brand-new "laboratory prints," we, ourselves, occupy the shoes of the "next projectionist." iP Cinerama Inc. Buys Altec Speakers As part of a major national expansion program, Cinerama, Inc. has purchased 650 Altec Lansing Voice of the Theatre speaker systems to be installed in 50 New Cinerama theaters, Altec President Alvis A. Ward reports. Each theatre will house a set of 13 speaker systems consisting of Altec's basic A4 and A7 series. Total cost of the equipment is approximately $200,000. To achieve the illusion of reality in Cinerama adventures, the high degree of technical perfection employed in film must be combined with specially engineered full fidelity sound systems. Ward said that Cinerama purchased the Altec units after conducting exhaustive tests on a variety of speakers. Delivery of the Altec equipment is scheduled to begin in December. 8 International Projectionist December 1960