Moving Picture World (July-Dec 1909)

THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 117 Plain TalKs to Theatre Managers and Operators. 3 «: 0 CM EN By F. H, Richardson, Chicago. CHAPTER XI THE SPOT. Many operators govern their light almost entirely from the appearance of the light which shines on the gate, called the "spot." This is decidedly wrong. Aside from the length of the arc and effects produced by something wrong in the carbons the thing which should be your sole guide in regulating your light is the picture itself. Aside from the two above named things it will tell you every lamp adjustment you should, make, tell you when you have made it just right, and tell you better than can anything else. Looking at a bright, brilliant spot, or sitting, as the operator must, where it strikes the eyes, is very hard on them. The writer protects the spot with a rather light (but not too light) strip of green glass. This glass, which must be made different sizes and shapes for different machines, he has a tinner bind the glass in a narrow frame of tin to which is soldered a flange, by which it is attached by two screws to the gate or cooling plate. Fig. 30 shows the idea. You must drill screw holes in the cooling plate or gate, usually, to attach it. The glass should stand out about V/2 inches and be deep enough up and down to show the whole spot, especially its top edge. This glass takes away all the glare and one may look straight at the spot as long as one likes with absolutely no eye strain at all. After you have used it a day or two you will wonder how on earth you ever got along without it, though at first it will bother you some. Use hard solder for fastening on the flange or have it made in one piece with the frame. Some operators use a metal plate instead of the glass, but the latter is best. The shield should be set back about ^ of an inch from the picture opening, on the operating side, of course. The writer has said in his hand-books and in various articles, and now repeats, that the operator who produces the best results watches his picture and not his spot, making his lamp adjustments according to what he sees on the curtain. Like all other rules, however, this must be qualified. At times it will be found impossible to get the desired result by any lamp adjustment you may make. This indicates that there is something radically wrong, and nine times in ten the trouble will be found in the arc itself. Perhaps a "mushroom" has formed on the lower carbon tip. Perhaps your carbons are not set just right. But to ascertain precisely what is wrong and intelligently remedy it without stopping, you must be able to closely examine the arc. This may be done as completely as you would examine the flame of a tallow candle, and with less eye strain. When burning a crater on a new carbon before the show starts the writer frequently opens the lamphouse door and watches the whole operation for several minutes, and he is using a very powerful light on a long throw with one of the largest pictures in Chicago. He can gaze right into the crater and examine every detail of his carbon tips and does do it several times in the course of each day. How? Simply by the use of two pieces of glass, 5 inches long by 4 wide, one red and the other green. But the shade must be just right to get the best result. This is a matter of extreme importance to operators and the writer is going, at the risk of being misunderstood, to offer to send these glasses to those who wish them. Colored glass cannot be had except in cities usually, and even then it requires considerable experience to get the right shades. The glass house here charges me 20 cents for each glass, or 40 cents for both. Send me 50 cents to 116 Chicago avenue, Chicago, and I will mail you one of each. Those who think I make this offer in any other than a spirit of pure accommodation will confer a decided favor by keeping their money. I have dwelt on this matter somewhat because I consider the ability to closely examine the arc as of great importance — so great that I am willing to go to the trouble of getting the glasses and sending them out to all who will'pay the cost. A red or green glass alone is of small practical value in examining the arc, unless it be a very weak one. The top edge of the spot is the best guide in shortening the arc (closing the carbons). When the carbons are too far apart (too long an arc) there is usually a sort of nebula of light forms at the top of the spot. With direct current it will be orange with a purple center when it gets large, and with alternating it will be purple. With your carbons set just right this nebula (I use the term for want of a better) will form quite rapidly and the careful operator will not let it get more than l/x inch wide, closing the carbons just so that it disappears. If closed more than that the light will usually sing, indicating that the arc is too short. Trim your lamp little and often is the only right rule. The nebula will vary somewhat with the set of the carbons, also with the size of carbon used, but if the carbons are set right it nearly always appears and forms a perfect guide for trimming the lamp. If it does not form it is usually an indication that your carbons are not set right or are not burning right. Another guide to carbon adjustment is to drill a Vs-inch hole in the front of the lamphouse on a line with the top of the condenser and about 1J/2 inches to its left. Through this hole will be thrown on the wall two points of light with a purple band between. The width of the band will indicate the relative length of the arc. Still another way is to set the condenser vent-hole (if you have a condenser casing which will allow it) on top, or a little to the right of the top, and bend the forward edge of the hole in a trifle. Through the hole will be projected on the wall, magazine or film guard a multi-colored band edged with orange or white, indicating the relative length of the arc. But. after all, the top of the spot is the best guide for carbon adjustment and he who can read all that it tells will find it a great assistance in securing good light. The spot should be as small as possible and get a good, clear picture, since all light which does not enter the picture opening' is wasted. But even this must be qualified. Looking through the light beam you will usually see a clear, white center edged, top and bottom, with a more or less deep strip of orange. This latter portion of the light is, of course, very poor for projection and it is possible that by using it you will not get as brilliant a picture as though only the white center were utilized. This depends on circumstances and how "orangy" the light is. Just what causes this phenomenon the writer is unable to say', but believes it to be due to (a) wrong set of carbons, (b) uneven heating of crater, (c) imperfect lenses, one alone or all combined. The spot should be perfectly round. An oblong spot cornerwise of the gate indicates carbons out of line with each other sidewise. Oblong straight across the aperature indicates crater too low down. Move bottom tip ahead or top one back according to circumstances. The size of the spot is controlled by moving the lamp toward or away from the condenser. If the spot is edged with light, bright blue and has a sort of "puckered" appearance the lamp is too far from the condenser. This is a condition which will usually only appear when using long focus condensers. It is possible with short focus lenses, but it is not likely you will ever get the lamp that far back with them. NOTES OF THE TRADE. Fulton, 111. — McKee & Still have closed their moving picture show here. Perry, Iowa. — A. S. Monroe is planning to erect a new airdome theater here. Hudson, Mich. — Ezra B. Dodge, of Eaton Rapids, is preparing to open a nickel theater here. Topeka, Kan. — A. G. Goodwin has leased the new Frost building at 718 Kansas avenue for a moving picture theater. Philadelphia, Pa. — Jacob Rose is making arrangements to open a new moving picture theater at 226 East Girard avenue. Brooklyn, N. Y. — John Johnstone is erecting an open-air moving picture theater at the corner of Buffalo avenue and Fulton street. Alma, Mich. — John Drew has sold the State Street Moving Picture Theater to L. J. Rainsberger, of Dundee, and L. D. Spencer, of Angress. Wallingford, Conn. — The C. F. Wooding Company has been awarded the contract to erect a moving picture theater here for Paul. Russo, of New Haven. Prairie City, 111. — Guy Arter, of this city, and Clayde Raymer, of Walnut Grove, have formed a partnership and will open a moving picture theater in the Emory building. St. Louis, Mo. — The Fisher Amusement Company lias been incorporated with a capital stock of $10,000. The incorporators are Louis Fischer, August Wahbrink and Herman Roeske.