Moving Picture Age (Jan-Dec 1922)

MECHANICS of VISUALIZATION A Department Conducted by AUSTIN C. LESCARBOURA, f^SifcAme°Ln In this department appear each month discussions of the important materials of visual instruction ■ — projectors, films, stereopticons, slides, screens, cameras, lenses, and other items of equipment on which the non-theatrical exhibitor should possess authoritative and impartial information. It should be distinctly understood that all expressions of opinion emanate from Mr. Lescarboura, and that Moving Picture Age takes no stand upon the opinions expressed in this department. ?What problems are handicapping you in your visual in* struct ion work? Mr. Lescarboura stands ready to answer by correspondence the questions of any subscriber pertaining to equipment, when the inquiry is addressed to him at the offioe of Moving Picture __ Age and is accom *W panied by stamped, I addressed envelope • — The Editor. OUTSIDE OF THE PROJECTOR UNTIL that happy day arrives when all motion-picture film will be printed on slow-burning stock — and that day is eventually going to arrive — it is necessary for all of us to exert every possible effort to the end of safeguarding our audience and ourselves against fires. Too often the safe handling of highly inflammable motionpicture film is limited to actual projection of the picture; that is to say, our present-day projectors are so well designed and constructed that motion-picture film fires are reduced to an absolute minimum. In fact, the most that can burn in the average film fire in a projector is a few inches of film that happens to be traveling between the top and bottom fireproof magazines. But the great source of danger is in the handling of the film outside of the projector. It goes without saying that no one who is an incessant smoker should be allowed in the immediate vicinity of exposed films. Furthermore, all films, when not actually being projected or rewound, should be placed in their tin cans. In running the nontheatrical exhibition, the various cans of films should be arranged near at hand in regular order, and the cans should not be opened until the operator is ready for each reel. Only too often we come across several reels of inflammable film absolutely exposed, ready for handling. Such exposed film is a source of potential danger, and this practice should be seriously condemned wherever it is encountered. Furthermore, the various reels, just as soon as they are released from the projection machine, should be placed in their respective tin cans and put out of the way. The utmost precautions should be taken against fire when rewinding, and only one reel should be exposed at a time in carrying out this work. In the large motion-picture theatres no end of precautions are taken in handling films. Special steel containers are sometimes used to hold the reels, so as always to keep the films in fireproof containers but at the same time make them instantly available for use. The rewinding table in some instances may have a drop member that falls in place, and covers up the entire rewinding table in the event of a film fire. In view of these elaborate arrangements practiced in the commercial theatre, it goes without saying that a little care will go a long way in the non-theatrical performance by way of insuring the safety to which every audience is entitled. FEATURES OF THE PORTABLE PROJECTOR The Beacon Projector. Other Portable Projectors, Illustrations of 'Which Are Precluded Because of Space Limitations, Are: Aladdin, American, Cosmograph, Hallberg, Motiograph, National, Pathescope, Universal, and Victor Cinema Ar v'T this stage in the life of this department we come to a detailed k discussion of the various types of projectors for non-theatrical use. The first class we are going to cover is the portable or socalled suitcase tvpe. There are many offerings in the portable or suitcase type oi projector, although this class of machine is only a relatively recent lopment in cinematography. The first attempts at producing a portable projector generally took the form of a clumsy mechanism with exposed film reels, hand driven. The author well recalls a machine of this kind that he enthusi ■■■■ ■■■ astically borrowed for the examination of some reels of film he had made, and which he just as enthusiastically returned in very short order. The machine had as part of its optical system a prism, so that the beam of light, after passing through the film, was thrown at right angles onto the screen. The film was held on exposed reels, which made the danger of fire quite marked. The shutter was a large affair, mounted on the side of the projector, which from a projection standpoint was in this case really the front. The hand drive was accomplished through a large, unwieldy crank at the side of the machine, which became the back because of the right-angle projection. Needless to say, cranking was a hard job — and a noisy one, too — while the film suffered no little hard wear in passing through the machine. We may well be pleased that this early type of crude portable projector has passed into oblivion. The present offerings form a marked contrast with the early machines. First of all, they are properly designed and constructed so as to pass the film through with a minimum of wear and tear ; secondly, they are motor-driven, so that the operator has little more to do than press a button to start, and press it again to stop ; thirdly, all the mechanism is enclosed in a fireproof case, reducing the fire hazard to a minimum ; fourthly, the projection qualities have been so improved that the screen results now compare favorably with the work of the large machines, within the limits set. As in other types of motionpicture equipment, the portable or suitcase projector has been considerably standardized in recent years; and so in this survey of the offerings, as in future surveys of other types, we are going to confine ourselves to a general review of all offerings considered typical of this category, without mentioning specific names. In considering the portable type of projector, please bear in mind at the outset that it is not a toy. While it would not do to use a suitcase or portable projector to show films in a large theatre, it also follows that it would be sheer nonsense for a traveling salesman to carry a professional projector about with him in order to show films. Each machine has a definite scope. The portable or suitcase type has a wide scope and can take care of it very well indeed. In the first place, its main application is in all cases where extreme portability is desired. The salesman can make good use of the usual portable projector, weighing as it does but 20 to 30 lbs. Setting up the projector. is an extremely simple matter, and can soon be mastered by anyone with little practice. Current is supplied by the nearest lamp socket for both the lamp and the motor. These same features make the portable or suitcase type quite suitable for use in the classroom. A larger projector is not readily portable, and, when it is necessary to use a projector in a number of different rooms throughout a school, the portable projector is at its best. Again, the portable or suitcase projector can be used in the school assembly room, the church, the club, and elsewhere, if the throw is not too great and if the screen size is not excessive. All portable machines today, except those using non-inflammable 18