Motion Picture News (Oct 1913 - Jan 1914)

28 THE MOTION PICTURE NEWS and what is termed the "Junior'' or "Home" Vanoscope were carefully inspected part for part and a careful study of the duty required of each part and its fitness both as to performance and durability. The general design has been well thought out; and the parts of ample section to ensure rigidity in operation and perform with the least motive effort the function for which they are designed. The machine assembled as a whole consumes a, surprisingly small amount of space in comparison with other machines of similar purpose. The mechanical and optical principles involved in the construction and operation of the Vanoscope are absolutely foreign to any machine manufactured to-day, which precludes the possibility of paying royalty to a patent company in which the patents covering the essential features of present-day motion picture machines are pooled and for the use of any one or more of these patents the manufacturer pays royalty to the holding company. This feature alone represents a saving in manufacture figuring into thousands of dollars per annum. Principles and Operation First — As the machine operates without the usual shutter there is absolutely no interruption or diminution of the light projected through the film onto the screen. The elimination of the shutter precludes all possibility of flicker and the eyestrain resultant therefrom. Second — The Vanoscope operates without an intermittent movement, therefore there is not present the jar and noise which is usual where nonreciprocal movements are in use. The absence of these in a machine eliminates the usual mechanical tremor which is transmitted to the screen in a magnified state and is evidenced by a blurring of the picture. Third — As the film in the Vanoscope travels in a continuous, unbroken motion, the wear and breakage of the film are reduced to a minimum, thereby greatly lessening the cost of same and also the annoying stoppage and interruptions which at present exist by reason of the film being subjected at all times to the sudden strain and pull of an intermittent movement. A continuous moving film is a feature absolutely new. Fourth — In view of the fact that all parts are continuously running, greatly reducing the friction in the machine, thereby consuming less energy to operate. Fifth — As the projection of the arc is not brought to a focus on the film, it is possible to stop the film at any point without fear of ignition. This is a feature that is absolutely new and could not be accomplished on any other machine. Sixth — In the Vanoscope the picture does not move off the screen from top to bottom, but one picture is dissolved into the other directly, thus always insuring a full picture on the screen 100 per cent of the time. Travel ghost cannot exist, as it does not become necessary to move the pictures off the screen at a speed of 16 per second or greater in order to maintain the persistence of vision. The Vanoscope projects pictures at eight per second and even slower without any visual perception of change from one picture to another. This feature insures an initial saving in the length of the films of 50 per cent and over, which in turn effects a saving in material, labor, bulk and transportation almost beyond estimate. Seventh — The Vanoscope projects pictures with distinctly stereoscopic effect. This result is evidently obtained by the dissolving principle, by which one picture is dissolved into its succeeding picture, and projected through a common source of light. The pictures on the screen have great depth and stereoscopic roundness and completes the illusion of the existence of the object projected, which seems to be actually seen rather than pictured. When the Vanoscope projects one, two or three pictures per second it is impossible to see the change from one picture to the other because of this dissolving effect, and the more slowly the pictures are projected the more evident is this remarkable stereoscopic principle demonstrated. The Market for the Vanoscope Leaving out entirely the use of projecting machines for amusement purposes, there remains a vast untouched field in commercial and educational use. The use of the machine of to-day in these fields is at a standstill by reason of its being inadequate to meet the requirements demanded for these purposes. As the Vanoscope removes all the objections above tabulated and entails improvements and economies not as yet broached, we have no hesitancy in saying that in gauging the period of improvement in projecting machines of the past that the Vanoscope is about 20 years ahead of the times Our full report, including all data collected and results of tests, is now in course of preparation and will be submitted as soon as it can be properly tabulated and reduced to writing Respectfully submitted, The International Research Co. W. F. Herzberg, Director. A Christmas Trio In keeping with the Christmas spirit, the Vitagraph Company of America is releasing three Christmas pictures this month : "A Christmas Story," "The Spirit of Christmas" and "The Ancient Order of Goodfellows." This Christmas trilogy, somewhat on the order of the ancient Greek idea of developing a great dramatic episode in a series of three plays or dramas, portrays the Christmas idea from its three-reel, well-established and well-beloved aspects, namely, the dawn of Christmas in the birth of Christ, the spirit of Chris! mas, manifested through the lives of little children, coupled with the sympathetic desire of grown-ups to join them in their love of the openhearted season, and the beneficent power of the Christmas spirit over the lives of everyday folk. In "A Christmas Story," the first of the three productions, the birth of Christ in the manger is allegorically portrayed in a scene in which a daughter comes back to her father's house with her husband and their little child on a co'd Christmas eve, and finding all the family asleep, spend the night in the stable, where they are found in the morning, asleep on a little pile of brush and straw. The loving mother is clasping her baby in her arms, and it is through the child that she is forgiven for having of Vitagraph Plays married against her father's wishes and welcomed back into the family circle for this happiest of all Christmases. In "The Spirit of Christmas," the second of the three, a daughter of the poor commits a small theft to buy presents for her little brothers and sisters. She confesses to the rich woman from whom she took the money. Her confession is overheard by the woman's brother, in whom there dawns a new spirit of Christmas. The girl is forgiven, and a happy Christmas is arranged for the little tenement youngsters when the two with all their wealthy guests go from their home with the girl and bring her brothers and sisters many pretty gifts. A thread of sympathy runs throughout this play which admirably suggests the ennobling spirit of Christmas. In "The Ancient Order of Goodfellows," the last of the trio, it is shown how a man who spends his life among the poor performing his daily services as an officer of the law awakens to a realization of all the good men of his class and age may bring about by simp'y being kindly to those who need their assistance. In all three plays there is a bright light of good cheer and gladsome Yuletide spirit, which is entirely in keeping with the idea of peace on earth, good will towards men.