Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1942)

220 MAY 1942 ing the armed forces in the skill of mechanized warfare are being used to great advantage. Airgraph, involving photographing letters at the sending end, greatly reduces the bulk of mail sent by air across the seas. These are but a few of the functions of photography at this time. The Eastman Kodak Company has undertaken major commitments, extending beyond the ordinary functions of its factories, and has expanded and converted its camera and optical plants from civilian to military purposes to the extent that more than eighty percent of its 1942 output will be war production. Projection for defense [Continued from page 196] the heads of the audience and thus eliminate the necessity for a wide center aisle. If at all possible before starting out, check the films that you are to project, on your own rewinds. By running the film through your fingers (wear well washed cotton gloves), you can find any weak splices or torn spots. When you rewind, after inspection, clean the film of surface dust. If, as is often the case, you cannot check the film first, be prepared for any breaks which may occur. Either carry a small roll of half inch cellulose tape or stick several six inch strips of the tape on your projector case or other convenient place. Should a break occur, rethread the film as quickly as possible and stick the broken ends together on the takeup reel with the tape. Don't call for house lights during these repairs! Carry a flashlight (I find a pocket pen light most convenient) and use it. It is also good practice to stop the machine by throwing the clutch, which will leave the motor and lamp running. This little trick produces a good psychological effect on the audience— people realize that only a momentary interruption is occurring. If you switch the machine off. there will be total darkness, and somebody may get a little panicky and call for "lights." At home, practice threading the machine without the help of room lights. It is not difficult, once you learn to "see with your fingers," and, with a little practice, you will be able to thread a projector as fast without light as with it. I have seen reels changed on a sound machine by high school boys in eleven seconds without the aid of room lights. A few small items which should be in the kit bag are spare line fuses of proper size for your machine, screw in and three way plugs, adapter plugs for Edison or polarized receptacles, a screw driver and pliers, a knife and a roll of friction tape. And don't forget the flashlight! Be sure to reach the location in ample time to set up equipment before the audience arrives. Ascertain beforehand how early you can get into the hall. When you arrive, find the janitor or houseman and, with his assistance, check the electrical outlets and fuse boxes. Find the outlet nearest the spot where you will set the projector, but be sure that it is on a clear circuit and that it will not be affected by any house light switches. Be sure that the fuses are of proper weight for your load (fifteen amperes is the usual requirement) and be sure that there is no other drain on that particular circuit. If it is impossible to find a clear circuit, add up the existing load, allowing one ampere for each hundred watts and see if your additional load will be within a total of twenty amperes. Inserting heavier fuses is dangerous in the case of most wiring. If necessary, check other circuits or find ways in which to reduce the existing load, to make the circuit safe. Remember that your duty as an operator is to consider public safety first and to do a good job of projection second. You are taking part in a program of training the public in safety measures "in the event of . . ."; so don't subject people to hazards at the same time. When you have located the proper electrical connection, select the place for the projector in accordance with the screen size and lens equipment which you are to use. The screen location usually is obvious. Set it up and pace back to the proper distance for the projector. When you set the projector up, do not use space in the middle of an aisle. If it happens that you cannot project from the rear of the hall and if there is a center aisle, remove a few seats from one side of the aisle and set the projector up there — not in the aisle. Placing the machine at the side of the aisle means that you must project over the heads of the audience. If only an ordinary table is available, you will have to use sturdy boxes to raise the projector to the required height. The projector carrying case also can be used. The operator should also discover from the janitor the location of exits and exit lights. Many States have laws requiring that exit lights be turned on during any public gathering, and, while it is actually the janitor's duty to see to the matter, the operator should check the janitor. The next point of safety for the operator to consider is the placement of his cables. The ideal system is to arrange to carry all cables overhead, securely tied to beams, pipes or whatever offers itself. Often, this arrangement is impossible, so that the cables go on the floor. When you run cable on the floor, never allow it to cross in front of an exit. If the wire must pass an exit, carry it up and over the door, tying it in place as may be necessary. If you must cross an aisle, and if there is no other way than to lay the cable on the floor, be sure that the cord is flat on the floor and that it is tied to seats on each side. Also tie a few strips of white cloth on the wire itself, which will catch people's eyes and thus warn them to watch their step. When you run cable to the front of the hall, as in the case of a sound projector speaker cable, it is permissible to place it under the rows of seats, but tie it to the seat legs at intervals. Do not run it in the aisle itself. When you join two cables, tie them together, to prevent the plugs from being separated accidentally. This job is done by making a simple knot with the two wires, plugging in the connection and making the knot fairly snug. The plugs, being bent back on each other, will not separate. In placing the speaker for sound films, you will find that the generally satisfactory position is as high as possible on one side of the screen or directly above it. Point the speaker downward, toward the audience. Acoustics are different in every hall, and this variation makes it most difficult to prescribe for proper speaker placement. It is really one of those things which come with experience. Another generality which can be given is to get the tone control well over to the "high" side — some projectors have this point marked "voice" — and then be careful to keep the volume down so that the sound does not blast. Film should be threaded in the projector and it should be operated briefly while you check focus and approximate volume setting before the audience assembles. It will be found that, with the audience in the hall, tone quality will automatically improve and that a little more volume will be needed. Having run the film backward to the start, be sure to see that the machine is set to run forward again and at the proper speed. The Academy leader usually found on sound films (that piece with the numbered frames from eleven to three) should be past the gate. Never let those numbers flash on the screen. If you make a reel change, cover the lens with your hand, until the numbers have stopped flashing by. Also watch for the end of the reel and turn off the projector light before the blank film reaches the gate. In other words, never show a white screen. If you are running films at a meeting in conjunction with a speaker or speakers, check with them beforehand on the sequence in which they want the picture to be shown.