Motion Picture News (Jul-Oct 1914)

THE MOTION PICTURE NEWS 63 The Operator's Exchange Problems of the Operator EDITOR'S NOTE.— r/!ij section is designed to be of service to the experienced operator for assistance in the solution of problems of the booth. No matter hew long an operator has been following his profession points are constantly arising upon which he feels the necessity of expert advice. It is with this purpose in mind that the present departtnent has been inaugurated. How to Handle Carbons I. B. asks: I don't understand much about theories but I would like to know if there is any theory regarding carbons and what other people before me have tried to do. Thanking you in anticipation, etc. Answer: Carbons must be handled with great care. In order to get good results they must be set at the proper distance, which varies between three and si-x millimeters, accord.ng to the intensity or strength of current. As you probably already know, when used with direct current, the positive carbon is of greater diameter than the negative one. When an alternating current is employed the carbons are generally of equal diameter. With direct current the positive carbon must be a little behind the negative. In other words not quite as near to the condenser as the negative, wh le when using alternating current the carbons may be opposite each other. In any case, it is always wise to have a few sets of carbons at hand. It has proven to be more economical than to have to run for them just when you nted them. If you add your own e-Nperience of carbons to the above I don't doubt that you will never be bothered by any carbon trouble. I must add that you will find a little more information connected with carbons if you read cur recent art'.cle on the manufacture of carbons and one that appeared several months ago on arc controllers. What Causes Finger Prints S. W. F. asks: I have been myself an operator for many years and now I am the owner of the theatre where I have a very gocd operator whom I pay a fair price. I am puzzled by the fact that every time my operator returns a film to the exchange the latter complains of finger spots which I never heard of before, when I was an operator myself. Can you tell me if the films manufactured now a.^e different from those of a few years ago ? Answer : The fi'.ms manufactured to-day are not much different from those manufactured when you were engaged as an operator, at least as far as finger spots are concerned. The trouble, I believe, is due to perspiration and there is little dotibt that the moisture which e.xudes from the pores of your skin is or was less ac'd or strong than that of your operator. Ycu will get rid of spots of any kind in future if you g ve your operator a pair of cheap silk or similar gloves, unless you prefer to buy a few rubber finger protectors which he will also be able to use when manipulating electric wires, lenses, etc. Qu"ck Drying Films G. R. asks: Can you tell me if there is a reliable method for speedily drying films after they are developed? I do most of my camera work outside and my films must be shown soon after they have been taken. Anszvcr: Dryin? films as quickly as possible is a problem which has been solved in several instances. You will perhaps be interested in seeing the film drying department of the Standard Film Print Corporation, 120 School street, Yonkers, N. Y., where four electric heaters of a k.w. tach have been installed and which warm the film on the drum while it is revolving. The drums of the Standard Film Print Corporation are ten feet long and nine feet in diameter, and each one takes 2,000 feet of film. They are revolved by electric motors at the rate of fifty revolutions per minute. On a dry day the films are said to be dry after half an hour. On a day when there is considerable moisture in the air, the electric heaters do their work in an hour or an hour and a half. The above process enables the company to turn out 40,000 feet of film a day with the machinery on hand. The time for drying may still be reduced, if additional blades are arranged within the center of the drum so as to disturb the air inwardly and distribute it on both sides of the film. WHY? Why is it a fact that a man who has invested many thousands of dollars in a theatre, for the display of motion pictures, will, without question, turn his projection over to the tender mercies of an inexperienced operator ? How can the manager expect to obcertain results when he will insist on engaging an operator at the ordinary prevailing rate of wages, instead of taking into consideration the fact that the class of patrons to whom he expects to cater will naturally look for something better than the average projection in the better class of house? The operator who applies for a position in the class of theatre that is lately being devoted to the exposition of the motion picture art, naturally expects to receive a little larger remuneration, for his work, than he would expect in an ordinary store-show. And in return, he realizes that a little better work is expected from him. In fact, he expects a SALARY instead of WAGES, and knows that first-class results are demanded from him, instead of ordinary projection. The manager does not take into consideration the experience or ability of the applicant, but engages the man who offers his services at the prevailing rate. Just as long as this condition prevails, just so long will poor projection predominate in the better class of theatre. If I can obtain the same salary for working in a small theatre on Eighth avenue that I can at Hammerstein's Lexington Avenue Opera House, and with less worry on my part, why should I desire to work at said opera house 1 Honor does not buy beef, and it is a rather DOUBTFUL HONOR at best, W. D. CHANEY. UNION DEMANDS INCREASE Special to The Motion Picture News. Cleveland, O., Sept. 3. Union motion picture operators have notified the proprietors of the Cleveland picture houses that beginning September 1 the scale of wages demanded will be raised $5 a week. Under the present scale the minimum wage is $15 and the maximum is $25. Under the scale presented by the operators the minimum will be $20 and the maximum $30. A meeting of the Motion Picture Exhibitors' League of America will be held soon to take pction UDOn the situation. The sentiment of the members is that the demand of the operators -'s proh'bitively high. The exh'bitors rece'ved their first intimation of the union demand last Friday. President Samuel Morris, of the exh'bito-s' organization, stated that it would be imposs'ble for the proprietors to comply with the order bv September 1, as many of the theatres have barely been paying expenses during the summer. VISITORS IN THE CAPITAL The big motion productions now holding the screen in the large theatres of Washington, D. C, have brought several guests to the Motion Picture Operators Union, Local 224. These are M. Silverman manipulating "Cabiria"; G. A. Huntley, with the Lyman Howe Travel Festival, and A. S. Fuller, who is looking after tlie Paul Rainey African Hunt Pictures. All of these men have enjoyed the hospitality of the local organization. B. A. Spellbring, president of the Washington operators, stated that the organization was in a prosperous condition with increasing membership. Regular meetings, which have been postponed on account of the extreme heat, would soon be resumed when semimonthly instructive talks would be inaugurated. IN CORPORA TIONS Among the latest companies to be formed and registered are the following: At Albany, N. Y. : LEWBERG OPERATING COMPANY, INC. General motion picture bulsness, realty and construction, $10,000, Manhattan. Samuel M. Berg, Henry Lewis and Henry Kaliski, of New York. ALBUQUERQUE FILM MANUFACTURING COMPANY, INC. Motion picture business, $200,000, Manhattan. Gilbert P. Hamilton and Henry F. Connelly, of Los Angeles, Cal., and John Traphagen, and two others, of New York. BLINKHORN PHOTO PLAY CORPORATION. Deal in motion pictures, films and to erect buildings, $50,000, Manhattan, Albert Blinkhorn, Frank J. Willis, John C. Trouth, and two others, of New York. THE MARLBOROUGFI AMUSEMENT COMPANY, INC. Manufactures and -sells films and film pictures, $10,000, Brooklyn. Morris and Anna Hansen, Abraham Miness, and one other, of Brooklyn. SIDWIS PRODUCTION COMPANY, INC. Theatrical and motion pictures, $10,000, Manhattan. Geo. Sidney, Howard F. Kinsey, Sam Myers, and one other, of New York. STANDARD PLAYERS FILM CORPORATION. Manufactures and sells motion picture films and photographic material, $10,000, Manhattan. Joseph J. Roberts, Joseph W. Strouse and E. J. Brucker, of New York. PREMIER MOTION PICTURE SERVICE COMPANY, INC. Deal in Jurgensen motion pictures, non-flickering projector service and general motion picture business, $100,000, Manhattan. Cornelius Fellows, Samuel Proskauer, Geo. H. Leonard, and two others, of New York. CLASSIC PHOTO PLAY CORPORATION. Theatrical and motion pictures, $50,000, Manhattan. C. A. Harris. C. S. Skinner and Edwin C. Hill, of New York. At Springfield, 111.: SCHILLER FILINT COMPANY. Motion picture business, $30,000, Chicago. F. Plotke, M. J. Drezner, C. Borneinan, of Chicago. UNITED FILMS CORPORATION. Motion pictures and operat'ng picture theatres, $100,000. Robert Jonas, Nathan Rosenthal and James Christience. THE RANDOLPH AMUSEMENT COMPANY. To enter the amusement, theatre and moving picture business, $10,000, Chicago. Richard H. Hollen, ."Abraham Levin and J. A. Maassen. At Dover, Del.: BUREAU OF COMMERCIAL ECONOMICS, INC. To disseminate industrial and vocational information by means of moving pictures, no capital stock, Philadelph.a. TKE FIRCO MOTION PICTURE COMP.-\NY. To manufac'^ure, sfell and deal in and w'*h motion picture films of all kinds, $100,000. Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Henry G. Hones, Tohn W. Hines, both of Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; V/. J. Crcrrley, West Moor, Pa.