Motion Picture News (Apr-Jun 1917)

2530 ACCESSORY NEWS SECTION Vol. 15. No. 16 EQUIPMENT OPERATING PROJECTION By I. G. SHERMAN QUESTIONS ANSWERED iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Film Renovator THE matter of film renovating has been a subject that has caused many exhibitors to become prematurely gray, as has also the matter of first-run films, which being green, cause the machines to pound and in a number of instances work great injury upon both film and projection machine. There is no reason to doubt that the poor condition of some of the present-day productions is due largely to the fact that exchanges neglect the all important necessity for proper renovation of the film after it has been returned by tlie exhibitor. It is this fact perhaps more than any other that has driven so many of the smaller exhibitors out of business, and it is all so unnecessary if the men who are selling the goods would only take proper care of their stock. The device shown here is a film renovator* that has many advantages; it is not only for old film, but also for the protection of new film. Many film.s are weakened during the first week's use by the undue Film Renovator strain put upon the sprocket holes on account of the tension springs and aperture plate tracks becoming gummed up with the deposit of emulsion that is always found where new film is being used. It has been remarked that the first day's run will break the film in and prevent this* trouble, but that is a mistaken idea; some films will still be green even after several days of use. The added tension exerted on the film where llie tension springs and aperture plate has colletced much of this emulsion is approximately 50 per cent greater, and it is here that so many films have their life shortened. Operators when running new films try to avoid this trouble by squirting oil on the tension springs; this sometimes prevents tlie noise of the projector, but meanwhile it is causing the film to be damaged in other ways ; this oil gets on the film, which causes it to become cloudy, blotciiy and out of focus. It is impossible to remove oil from film, unless the film is buffed severely; this heats the fdm and causes it to shrink. When film shrinks and Iiardens it loses its transparency and will not fit tlie sprocket, and naturally becomes worthless in a very short time. Film corrodes the same as metal, such as nickel, brass, copper and even glass. If you neglect to wash your windows for a week or two it is not only dirty, but scummy and foggy. It has lost its transparency. The same is true of motion picture film. The one drawback of these film renovating processes has been that too much has been expected of them; exchange managers have seemed to think that " renovating" means making new. They expect when a film is all shot to pieces, such as scratches, weak and torn sprocket holes and full of poor patches, that a film renovator should be capable of removing all defects. That is impossible. No machine will ever be built that will accomplish the above, but it is the belief of the writer that 50 per cent, of the film troubles can be overcome if not eliminated altogether by a judicious use of one of these machines. If it is essential to keep the condensing and projection lenses free from dirt and oil, and we know that it is, why is it not equally essential that the film should be so kept? It is. The OPEitATOR is the fall guy, as usual, for no matter how good an operator he may be, he cannot make a new film out of an old one, and we know that if some of our exchange managers should attempt to fill this position they would make an awful mess of it, but still, if the exhibitor makes a complaint regarding the film that has been sent him the reply is " Your operator is to blame." We have seen features of five reels where three out of the five have been in an abominable condition, the other two in first-class shape, but the answer is the same : The operator. Now this is not true, for if it were the operator who was at fault all HEELS WOULD BE DAMAGED. The manufacturer of films or feature pictures are today spending thousands of dollars to deliver the prints to the exchange in first-class condition, but after the exchanges receive it, they seem to care nothing for its future condition. But with proper agitation on the part of the exhibitor this state of affairs could be remedied, and it is up to those exhibitors who are paying the price to see that they get what they are paying for. The Rex Film Renovator, as illustrated, is a device that has received hundreds of testimonials from users in all parts of the coimtry and the cost of same is within reach of every exchange, and they should investigate carefully into its merits. The claim of the manufacturer is that after a film has been treated with the Rex Film Renovating Fluid, it is entirely free from any coating which has been applied, and has a velvet finish which allows it to pass through the projection machine SO per cent, smoother and easier, keeping the tension springs free from any accumulation of emulsion and relieving the operator of any responsibility of damaging first-run film. Those exchanges who have adopted this method claim it not only relieves them of many of their troubles, but also claim that the film lasts much longer. Oil troubles are a thing of the past where this device is used, as they have a new patent method of removing oil from film without its passing through the renovator, which is furnished with their outfit; in this way the oil can be removed from the film in about twenty minutes, whereas it now takes at least a couple of hours where this is dpne by hand, and then the oil is not thoroughly removed, as is the case where the Rex is used. When a film has been cured by this process it is possible to chase, it through the projection machine in six minutes without any damage to the film. This is not advisable, though, for the projector is not supposed to be run at that speed. The Rex Film Renovator Manufacturing Company are located at 272 North Third street, Columbus, Ohio. R. D. Hanish is the general manager, and I would again call the attention of the exchange managers to the claims made by the manufacturer and users, Notice MANAGERS and operators are invited to write this department asking any information of a technical nature or otherwise, where it concerns the projection; suggestions are also welcome. These inquiries or suggestions may be sent, anonymously or otherwise. In either case the strictest confidence will be observed and replies viadc through the columns of this dcparUneitt only. 1 am forced to make this announcement from the fact that a number of my correspondents desire personal letters, and as there is no charge made for this service, that is impractical.