Motion Picture News (May - Jun 1926)

May 22 , 1926 2483 Theatre Management Equipment Construction Opepation Colors That Cool Your Theatre in Summer House Decorations and Lighting as a Weapon for Combating Hot Weather Slump By JACK SAVAGE Prosciitatioii Artist Universal Pictures Corporation. COLOR as a means of expressing or communicating one's feelings or thoughts, with its known and unknown psychological tendencies, plays an important part upon the human emotions. In itself as pure and exquisite a pleasure as music, color, with its power to attract attention, to stimulate emotion, to cheer and animate, or quiet and subdue, can be made to create and build up a suitable atmosphere for any situation. The theatre must be beautiful as well as entertaining. It must be inviting, restful and cool. By making it the most suitable ])lace to be in during the hot summer day, you are immediately insured against the usual summer slump. A mere outlay of expense is not sufficient. Well chosen coloi's and decorations in structural harmony with the lines of the theatre, lighting which is soft, cool and void of any discordant and irritating color combinations, will create the desired atmosphere. There are certain laws passed on to us wliich govern the various symbols, combinations and relationships of color. For those who may not have a working knowledge of color the following brief outline of the fundamental principles applied to the theory of -color may convey this thought more clearly. There are three primary colors^ — yellow, red and blue, which are the basis for all other color tones that can be produced by mixture. There are three secondary colors, orange, green and violet, which are produced by mixing equal parts of any two of the juimaries as follows : yellow and red produce orange; yellow and blue produce green ; red and blue produce violet. Complementary colors are those that by their union will theoretically produce white or neutral gray. Thus, the secondary colors become the complimentaries of the primaries, inasmuch as by mixing any secondary with its opposite primary we have, to a certain extent, the elements that go to make up all the colors of the spectrum. For instance, as red and yellow make orange, red and blue make violet, yellow and blue make green, etc., we have by a coml)iTiation of red, yellow and blue all these six colors. Therefore, the complementary f)f any one of the primary colors will be the secondarv color that contains the otlier two primaries. Green becomes the complementary of red; violet of yellow, and orange of blue. Complementary colors are in the strongest possible contrast to each other. Yet they have a peculiar power to enrich each other, when placed together. As in the mixture of equal parts of a complementary pair neutral gray is produced so in variated mixtures of complementary pairs all the other hues are produced. Warm and cold colors : Examples of warm colors are yellow, orange, yellow-red, orange-red, etc. A cold color is one in which the blue predominates. Examples of cold colors are blue violet, blue-green, etc. Warm and cold colors produce in one, the mental sensations of wai'mth and coldness respectively. Blue, because it is cold, modest and retiring, and because of its quietness and restraint should be the dominating factor in our summer color schemes. Yellow, a warm color, should be vised sparingly. A small amount of intense yellow, orange or red for relief, such as a bowl of flowers, panel decorations, etc., should l)e eonti'ollcd and balanced by large areas of subdued color tones. Green, the combination of yellow and blue, shows the psychological tendencies of both components. It is lighter and more cheerful than blue in effect, and has more dignity and repose than yellow. Green being restful to the eyes and nerves is a relief from the heat of the summer sun and should be used extensively. The lighter tones in drapes, seat covers, ceiling decorations, etc., and the darker ones should be limited to shrubs, flowers, and the floor. Violet denotes seriousness and solemnity. It is not used much in interior decorations. Red the warmest of colors, as a dominating factor in a color scheme should be avoided entirely. It is symbolical of warmth and has a strong stimulating, attractive and exciting power. The use of it would prove disastrous on a hot day. With the free use of the lighter tones of coloring which are cheering end enlivening, colors that express coolness, in fixtures lighting, drapes, etc.. and above all, keeping the theatre itself as cool as possible, we, therefore, create or effect a quiet, restful and serene atmosphere in contrast with the heat of the suiiinier da vs. Equipment 3,200 Per Second ■By P. M. ABBOTT 3,200 pictures a second. 12,000 feet of film per minute. 200 times normal speed. This is the almost unbelievable performance of a motion picture camera that has been invented and perfected by a member of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers, C. Francis Jenkins. Science, engineering and mechanical ingenuity — these are constantly at work toward the broadening and betterment of motion pictures. Usually, there is nothing spectacular about technical inventions and improvements. A new method is tripd out here and there — and, as a result, a better practice may be established. But it is seldom that an invention stirs the imagination of those uninitiated into the technical phases of motion pictures. It is only through such sensational inventions as this super-speed camera that the industry in general becomes aware of the consistent progress the technical end of this business is making. The remarkable strides that have been made in adopting miniatures and models to picture production has saved millions of dollars for producers. Efficient projection apparatus has effected even greater economies for exhibitors. Modern show places of today are made possible through the improved practices learngd by engineers through years of specializing. Stage and general lighting effects that add their charm and atmosphere are all worked out from basic engineering data. And so it goes on down the line. Just what technical research and invention hold forth for the future of motion pictures is beyond conception. That which appears as only the dream of a fanatic today may well be actual realization tomorrow. Here, at least, is one phase of motion pictures that gives no indications of stagnating.