The Moving picture world (November 1925-December 1925)

494 MOVING PICTURE WORLD December 5, 1925 picture and we have found that to obtain real steadiness the proper amount must be spent on an accurately-made instrument. That is why I advise the purchase of a good camera as the first move in the establishment of a small laboratory. .•\fter the camera is obtained attention should then be turned to equipment of the laboratory. For the development of the film on a small scale there is nothing to compare with the Stineman system of reel development. The maintaining of the rack system requires the using of such an amount of chemicals as to make the cost almost prohibitive to the small plant, while the chemical expense with the Stineman system is practically nil. Other advantages, such as ease in handling and manipulation I will list later on in the article. Whatever you do, be sure to purchase the 200-ft. Stineman system in preference to the ones of shorter capacity. This is usually the smallest length in which a raw-stock company desires to sell negative or positive film, the magazines of your camera will probably carry 200 ft. and, all in all, the 200-ft. system is the convenient one for the small laboratory. As with the camera, any reliable dealer in motion picture apparatus will forward a complete descriptive pamphlet describing the Stineman reel development system. As for the printer, used in "printing" the image from the negative film to the positive, this will in many cases prove a bugbear in the installation of a small laboratory. Professional printers such as the Duplex, Bell and Howell, when new, command rather high prices for a small theatre with a limited amount to spend, although at various times opportunities are present to secure a used printer of one of the above makes at price within reach of the small-laboratory operator. In our case, I had the good fortune of being able to obtain a second-hand "Shaustek" step printer, in good condition and at a fair price. As with a camera, the important thing about a step printer is its steadiness and that this Shaustek has and then some. We have been using it continually for almost three years and it is still going strong. If any professional laboratory worker or expert reads this I don't want him to glean from the above that I am lining up the Shaustek along with the wonderful instruments now being manufactured, but for the small laboratory with a limited amount to spend it will fill the bill in a most excellent manner. Of course, other small printers of the Shaustek type are available at reasonable SPECIAL ROLL TICKETS Your own special Ticket, any colors, accurately numbered; every roll gxurantee*). Coupon Tickets for Prize drawings; 5,000 for $7.00. Prompt shipments. Cash with the order. Get the amples. Htnd diagram for Reserved Seat Coupon Tickets, serial or dated. ' All tickets must conform to Government regulation and bear established price of admission and tax paid. SPECIAL TICKET PRICES Five Thousand $3.S0 Ten Thousand 6.00 Fifteen Thousand 7.00 Twenty-five Thousand 9.00 Fifty Thousand 12.50 One Hundred Thousand 18.00 National Ticket Co. Shamokin, Pa. l^ifjures 5 and 6 prices and any conscientious dealer in apparatus will be glad to make suggestions. The drying pan, for a small laboratory, can usually be made in the planing mill and should be large enough to carry at least 1,000 ft. of film at one time. The size of the drum is usually governed by the space available in the room to be used as a laboratory. Illustration number 2 shows a view of our drum and the darkroom worker winding a short length of film onto it for drying. Titling or placing the reading and descriptive matter in the film is the next thing about which one installing a small laboratory must worry. Of course, these titles may be lettered by hand by the local sign writer, but we found that by investing approximate. ly $75 in a small 5x8 printing press and several fonts of type the appearance of the finished film could be greatly improved. Illustrations 3 and 4 show the lay-out of our title printing table and a sample of several of our titles. The border, the words "State News" and the circles containing the letter "S" are printed in the local job printing office with the center space left blank. Then when an event occurs, all we have to do is set the name of the city up in a 42 pt Gothic type and the body in 36 pt. Cheltenham. This confines the types to only two sizes. The illustration containing the four different title cards will give a general idea of the lay-out of our titles and sub-titles. It will be noticed that the two title cards are almost similar, one reading "Uniontown triumphs over Washington" and the other "Washington triumphs over Uniontown." These titles were made up in advance so that no matter which side won the game the title would be okay. This arrangement aids in putting the picture on the screen with greater speed inasmuch as it relieves the bother of title-making when the negative and positive film of the actual scene is being put through the tanks. Illustration 5 shows the operator photographing one of the sub-titles. It may be in order to explain here that the titles are printed with black ink on white cardboard. Then, positive film is placed in the camera and when this is developed it will give white letters on a black background, the style usu ally used. By using this style of card film is saved inasmuch as if white letters on a black card were used it would give a negative and this in turn would have to be run through the printer against another piece of unexposed film to obtain the white letters on the black background. These direct positive titles will serve the purpose very well and with a little care very good contrast can be obtained. For the lighting of these titles we use fifteen 100-watt daylight blue nitrogen bulbs distributed around on the inside of the title box as the picture shows. The box must be high and wide enough to allow the placing of an additional frame wide enoug-h to shield the lens of the camera from the direct rays of the bulb. A small, steady platform with grooves to fit the bottom of the camera was made, leveled and tested so that the camera could instantly be placed in correct position for the photographing of the titles. When using positive film for the direct titles care must be taken to place the smooth or glossy side of the film next to the lens. Illustration 6 shows the printer with the title frame in the background, while illustration 7 shows the operator about to place some film in the fixing bath after it has been developed and given a short rinsing. At this point in the description of our laboratory it might be well to state that a sink is most imperative and should be constructed so that it is wide enough for the Steinman trays and long enough for three of the trays placed end to end. The sink should be about 18 inches deep and should be constructed of at least one inch material. (Second half next week) The patron pays to see a good print — exchanges and exhibitors, think this over — and let your equipment give nothing less. FOR SALE THEATRE in Ohio town of 15.000; doing fine business; satisfactory lease; requires no large investment; equipment in A-1 condition. Good reason for selling. Give possession at once. Box 382, Moving Picture World, New York City.