Journal of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (1950-1954)

SMPTE Exhibitor Conference on 3-D Stereo, Cinerama, Cinemascope, widescreen and stereophonic developments have added yeast to the motion picture cake and the dough is already rising. The practical application of these innovations raises serious questions of operating standards both in production and exhibition. The major producers, through the Motion Picture Research Council, are actively engaged at present in efforts to answer the production questions connected with 3-D. In an effort to clear the air for the exhibitors, the Society called and held a conference of the major exhibitor organizations (including two producer groups) on February 5, 1953. Invitations to attend the conference were sent to the organizations listed below, with but the latter three unable to send representatives: Allied States Association of Motion Picture Exhibitors — Wilbur Snaper Metropolitan Motion Picture Theaters Association — Emanual Frisch Motion Picture Association of America — John McCullough Radio City Music Hall — Vincent Gilcher RKO Theatres — Charles Horstman Theater Owners of America — Samuel Pinanski Warner Brothers — Frank Cahill United Paramount Theaters — Harry Rubin Independent Theater Owners Association — Harry Brandt Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers — Ellis Arnall Representing the SMPTE were: President, Herbert Barnett ; Engineering VicePresident, Henry Hood ; Chairman, Stereoscopic Motion Pictures Committee, John A. Norling; Executive Secretary, Boyce Nemec; and Staff Engineer, Henry Kogel. Herbert Barnett chaired the meeting. At the outset, Mr. Barnett clearly outlined the Society's position, "This meeting has been called by the SMPTE in an attempt to coordinate the engineering aspects of the development of systems utilizing third dimension and wide screen which have caught the imagination of the American public in recent weeks." And to avoid any possible misunderstanding, he stated further, "It will be necessary to scrupulously avoid any attempts at comparative evaluations of competing systems, or the preference of one system or the individual features of one system over the others." To lay the groundwork for the discussion, John Norling sketched briefly the chief characteristics of the new developments and the equipment changes, exhibitor-wise, required for each system. Cinerama: This system is designed to create the illusion of reality through panoramic effects. To do this three cameras are used in the taking process and three projectors are used in the theater. The three projected images are interlaced as a mozaic on a wide, curved screen to provide extreme wide-angle pictures involving the use of both front and peripheral vision. In addition, 6 microphones are used for recording the sound from different action areas on separate sound tracks and 6 or more speakers are used in the theater to further aid the illusion of reality by having the sound come from the apparent source location. The sound tracks are recorded on a separate 35mm magnetic coated film. Installation of three projector booths, the special, wide curved screen, additional speakers and a magnetic sound reproducer are the required minimum equipment modifications. Cinemascope: Previously known as anamorphoscope, this too is designed to create the illusion of reality through panoramic effects. Here special lenses are used on the camera and projector, the one to compress extreme wide-angle shots for standard 35mm negatives and the other to expand the compressed image for projection on a slightly curved screen roughly twice the present width. This requires, besides a wide screen and special lens, a higher projector light output. 190