Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Feb 1945)

Published in every fourth issue of Motion Picture Herald GEORGE SCHUTZ, Editor RAY GALLO, Advertising Manager A Film Fire Tragedy I That Proves a Rule Alfred Weatherby, projectionist of the . Orpheum theatre in Ortonville, Minn., died I recently of injuries received in fighting a film I fire in his booth during a performance, I and it minimizes not a jot the heroism he displayed in trying to put out the fare, to say ' that his efforts were contrary to approved I conduct in such circumstances. He had the ; courage to do what he thought should be done j even at the risk of his life. ! What a projectionist should do in the event I of film fire has been discussed in many conI ferences of the Society of Motion Picture I Engineers. The ultimate consensus of these j meetings is: Get out of the projection room. ! Burning nitrate film is dangerous. The I slower it burns, the more dangerous it is. I Burning nitrate film produces nitrous oxide ' — harmless "laughing gas" — which, however, I immediately becomes (in the presence of sufficient oxygen, as in a projection room) nitric oxide, and the latter, when inhaled and coming in contact with the moisture of the body, is compounded into nitric acid. The nitric acid burns the lining of the lungs, which usually results in pneumonia, and often in death. The rule, when film is ignited, is: Get out as quickly as you can! There is nothing effective to be done, anyway. Film will burn even under water. Carbon tetrachloride fire extinguishers, turned on burning nitrate film, produce another harmful gas — phosgene — though hardly enough, in a projection room, to be very injurious. But the use of any fire extinguisher may cause just enough delay in leaving the room to allow inhalation of the deadly nitric oxide. It has been said that if you must have a fire extinguisher for fighting film fire, hang it outside the projection room — this in the hope that by the time the projectionist gets to where it is, he will decide to let it stay there and keep on going. As Don Hyndman, president of the SMPE, once said, the projection room, if properly built and equipped, is a good incinerator. Get out and let the film burn. Projectionists' Training For Theatre Teierision How much will a projectionist need to know about television, when — and not to forget if — television enters into the motion picture theatre's regular scheme of things generally? Nowadays, while this new electronic art seems to be approaching the day of broad application, without, however, anyone's knowing just how or what with, considerable instructional material on it is being made available to projectionists. Some of this raises the MEETING THE DANCER OF FILM FIRE THE RECENT DEATH of a projectionist in Ortonville, Minn., in consequence of his efforts to put out a film fire, suggests that we take stock of our devices and practices to prevent such tragedies in the theatre. Nitrate film is al\^ays a potential source of disaster when not handled properly both in equipment operation and in storage. The reels on which the film is to be wound should have the sides perfectly straight, with no sharp edges. Reels that are defective will cut into the sides of the film during rewinding, and in the projector cause breaks that can result in fires. Exchange reels used for shipping the film should never be used on a projector; they are not properly aligned, due to rough handling of them during shipment. In rewinding film one should make sure that it is started slowly and evenly, with no excessive loop dragging on the table or floor. Careful inspection should be given the film while it is being rewound, so as to spot any defect which might cause a break. Weakened patches or sprocket holes that do not look right should be repaired before screening. These defects have a way of showing themselves up while in the projector; then it is too late to remedy them. A tricky home-made rewinder, especially when the motor pulleys and belts have been picked up in a junk shop and adapted to rewinding purposes, should be looked upon as very dangerous and a potential fire hazard. Film splices should invariably be clean and free of oil, and the sprocket holes should match perfectly, with the sides lined up and the entire patch flat. Only sharp scraping blades, and fresh film cement of the best quality should be used In making splices. Whenever possible use only a proven type of mechanical splicer, which Is more accurate and consistent than hand splicing. Never leave any film, either loose or on reels, laying on the bench or near the projector. Film not In immediate use should be stored In approved film cabinets having tight-fitting doors and individual reel compartments that are properly insulated from each other. When changing reels on the projector or carrying them to the rewind table, never let the the film end drag on the floor. In threading the film In the projector use very good judgment In allowing the proper slack to reach the lower magazine without having excessive film colled up on the floor. In every case, the lamphouse arc should not be burning when the film Is being threaded in the projector, and the hand dowser on the lamphouse should be closed. When one projector has completed Its run It should not be threaded Immediately, but only after the head, heat shields, aperture plate, etc., have had a reasonable time to cool off. To help heat dissipation, all doors on the projector should be left opened during this Interval. The tension on the lower magazine should always be such that the last few feet of film are taken up evenly and without any jerks. The magazine doors should always be closed with the film in the projector and they should have firm latches. These latches are very Important, for in case of fire they will tend to hold the burning film confined long enough for the projectionist to move clear of the machine. Defective or worn sprockets, strippers, guide rollers, film guides, tension shoes and film valve rollers should be Immediately repaired or replaced. When in poor condition these can cause film fires. Always make sure that the automatic fire shutter mechanism Is operating properly at the starting and stopping of the projector. Where the projector head has an automatic trip arm at the first film loop from the upper magazine. It should never be tied back because it Is not operating properly. In most cases in which this trip arm Is [CONTINUED ON PAGE 12] question asked above. And from this question follows inquiry as to how much of practical value the projectionist can learn before he knows definitely the essential characteristics of the theatre equipment that he will have to operate. These have seemed questions which could be answered with peculiar authority by Dr. Alfred N. Goldsmith, whose familiarity with television, both theoretically and commercially, is informed by comparable knowledge of the motion picture. A noted New York con