Moving Picture News (Jul-Oct 1913)

healxe tistructioii Department Suggestions Invited, Questions Cheerfully Answered Address: Construction Department, Exhibitors' Times CONSTRUCTION, APPEARANCE, ADVERTISING— THREE IN ONE AS so many exhibitors take such a deep interest in our Construction Department by submitting plans and asking for particulars, and as a great number of architects are subscribing to "The Exhibitors' Times," and offer to loan plans, photographs and even give us some notes on theatres they are building, we have decided to increase the Construction Department. The increase will be in the shape of contributions from such well-known architects as Messrs. De Camp, Nathan Myers, Stewart & Stewart, Borzner & Wood and many others. In our next issue we will publish notes, plans and views of a theatre designed by Mr. Nathan Myers, the well-known architect of Newark, N. J. While the reader may not contemplate the building of a new theatre at the present time, we never know what the future has in store for us. The theatre of the owner may be destroyed by fire, he may have a chance to dispose of it at a good advantage, in fact unforeseen circumstances may place him in the need of a new house. It is then wise for the exhibitors, ready or not to build a new theatre, to read the Construction Department -8 A E and to keep posted on its numerous features. While I am in charge of this department I will continue my personal investigation of theatres, and, as in the past, praise the good features and criticize the blunders of certain supposed architects, who have no knowledge whatever of the requirements for a motion picture theatre. A general bad disposition of the front doors is to have them to face both the audience and the curtain. As soon as such doors are opened they send a disagreeable draught over the shoulders of the audience, and, during the matinees, they throw too much light on the screen. I take the liberty to submit the following plan. Fig. 1: Diagram No. 1 A shows the lobby. B B shows the auditorium. C shows the ticket booth. D E shows stores or store-rooms. F shows the partition between the lobby and auditorium. G shows the entrance door. H shows the main exit door. J shows the rays of lights from door G I shows the side wall of the auditorium. K L shows extensions to partition F. The dotted lines show the rays of light, how they will strike the side wall "I" when entrance door "G" is opened, and not reach the curtain during the matinees. The same dotted lines will show that the cold air will not reach over the shoulders of the audience but break against the side wall "I." If partition "F F" extends on both sides beyond the frames of the doors, as shown in extensions "K L," the results will be still improved. The side doors "G H" as suggested offer another advantage; they allow enough space on both sides of ticket booth "C" to insert extra exit doors "M N," to be used in case of emergency. While I do not like to find fault, it is necessary to criticize certain bad features to put the exhibitors wise. Fig. 3 shows us the poor side light arrangement of the Savoy Theatre, of Phoenixville, Pa.: Diagram No. 2 A shows the ceiling. B shows the side wall. C shows the reflector. D shows the electric bulb. From the ceiling "A" and only a few inches from the side wall "B" is suspended a reflector "C," in which is an electric bulb "D," as shown. From this disposition of the lights, the light rays strike the side wall "B" and practically illuminate only the upper Tic 2. part of the house, just under the cornice. This arrangement of side lights is worthless and nothing less than a waste of current, without giving sufficient illumination to find the seats. Most likely the architect and the livery-stable man, the owner of the theatre, have heard that side lights were required, and placed them at any old convenient corner, as long as they could save some wiring. A very common bad feature in theatres with a balcony is that the stairs are made to reach the last row of the balcony, forcing the patrons to climb too many steps. When the stairs, as in some theatres, reach the first row of seats of the balcony, the climb is so much easier as to not be objectionable to the patrons. At the Parkway Theatre, of Chicago, it was practically impossible to