Motion Picture Herald (May-Jun 1946)

Carrying wall treatment entirely around candy booth or display panel focuses attention on booth or panel and minimizes interruption of wall. Marble is a good decorative material. If you can afford it, use it; if not, don't imitate it. Use another material. In a small foyer it is well to reflect an interesting wall in floor-to-ceiling mirrors on adjoining or opposite wall. An alcove candy booth is good with side walls different from foyer walls (say of wood) but ceiling the same. Walls should carry around doors (as above left, not as at right), and transom should be integrated (below, left). If door must be at corner, finish it to blend in with the wall. {Continued from page 19) the street in competition with other theatres. A marquee extending over the sidewalk is therefore less a necessity for mounting electrical displays. The small theatre operator's exploitation problem consists chiefly, as a rule, in keeping his community informed of the current and coming attractions, and for this he has at his disposal local newspaper advertising, film trailers, direct mail advertising, and interior and exterior poster displays. High illuminated towers, or vertical illuminated signs, are not necessary unless the patronage is largely derived from automobile traffic on main highways. It is very doubtful whether a 400-seat theatre can usually afford such a tower. DECORATIVE MATERIALS The proper selection of decorative materials is becoming more and more important in progressive theatre design. Modern practice stresses simplicity of wall surfaces, floors and ceilings, and interest in surface texture. It is, therefore, important that the covering materials be honest in their application. Imitation marble walls of painted plaster and other devices to make surfaces look like something that they are not, have no rightful place in correct architectural design. Ideas on the design of space within the theatre, and materials in that space, have changed so much in recent years that the majority of today's theatres are outmoded in apearance. Maintenance factors in the desirability of materials has also been neglected, so that the annual upkeep of many small theatres, especially, has been greater than necessary. The use of gilded plaster of the 1920's, and the garish "modernistic" modern of the 1930's are now too evidently in bad taste to form a pattern today. The small theatre has special reasons to avoid overdecoration. Use a metal moulding, for example, to cover a joint in a Avail board, but not merely to satisfy a decorative urge. The small theatre budget and the better concepts of modern design, both, dictate careful selection of the material for the place and purpose. Even a material like cement-asbestos board has its place as a decorative wall covering; its mottled grey texture harmonizes with any colors usedelsewhere, while its hard surface makes it easy to clean. Hard surface, permanent finishes should be used wherever they come into contact with the public. Painted surfaces should be kept to a minimum since they require constant maintenance. Painted dado finishes, which are subject to hard usage, should be avoided. Wherever carpets are subject to constant traffic, plain colors should be avoided unless they be in shades of earth brown or grey. A general over-all abstract pattern carefully selected as to color, and kept in scale with the size of the space in which it is used, is the most satisfactory. Linoleum, rubber and asphalt tile, when selected with care as to color and pattern, can be used effectively as a floor covering in traffic areas within the range of a minimum budget. Care should be exercised to avoid floors which lack non-slip qualities, as a measure of public safety. This type of floor covering can be extended as a dado covering, provided proper backing and adhesives are provided. In general, the same decorative finishes used in the lobby and lounge may be carried into the theatre auditorium. The acoustic treatment of the auditorium can form a major part of the finish, and is most effective when left in its natural manufactured state. Many acoustic materials have their own finish and need no painting. Their color should be neutral as should all other auditorium colors. Use of very dark or very light colors in the auditorium should be avoided as they give too much contrast with the picture. Excessively strong colors distract the eye from the picture, and especially so in the case of color films. Strongest color may occur in seat upholstery, which is outside the range of sight to patrons watching the screen. Strong patterns in curtains or wall decorations are to be avoided. The public attention should be in all ways riveted on the one important element, the screen and. its story. Simplicity of the modern decorative material applies not only to the material itself, but to the wall on which it is placed. Generally speaking, the small theatre will have a lobby, foyer and restrooms of small scale ; therefore, it is important that the appearance of the room be kept as large as possible. It is important to eliminate wainscot treatments, so as to let the wall material carry from floor to ceiling; thus the eye is conscious of the total ceiling height, unbroken by a change of wall material. Mirrors can be used effectively for this purpose when installed from floor to ceiling at right angles to a major decorative wall. If done this way, the color and richness of the major wall is carried on a greater distance through, reflection in the mirror. A colored mirror is decorative, and the color should be in harmony with the general scheme. Mirror section sizes should be as large as possible, with joints at eye level. BUILDING STRUCTURE Types of roof are (A) triangular roof truss, (B) flat roof truss or long-span steel joists, (C) gabled rigid frame, (D) hipped rigid frame, and (E) arched frame. These may be fabricated of wood, steel BEHER THEATRES, JUNE I, 1946.