Moving Picture World (Jul - Aug 1918)

398 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD July 20, 1918 be high and the relay continues to heat after it has been reduced, then the relay coil is damaged beyond repair by the abuse it has been subjected to through heating. Apprenticeship. There is just as much reason for the beginner in projection serving a lengthy apprenticeship as there is for the beginner in any other branch of human endeavor. About the only thing which does not need and require some term of learning is shoveling dirt, and even there the man who is advanced to position of foreman is the man who has learned how to "lay out work," and to use the labor of other men to advantage, which, in itself, requires a term of learning an apprenticeship, if you please. It may be conceded that the greater the required amount of knowledge required In any profession or trade, the longer the term of apprenticeship is required to master it, and if it be not mastered, then the novice must, perforce, gain what he lacks in knowledge at the expense of efficiency while posing as a full-fledged professional. And this is precisely what the non-apprentice projectionist has been, and still is doing. In seeking to induce the establishment of a reallv competent term of apprenticeship this department feel absolutely certain that it is acting in the best interest of all concerned. The interests at stake in the proper, high-class projection of the modern photoplay are too many and too weighty to be given second place as against the curtailment of the supply of half-baked projectionists, whose only recommendation is their comparative cheapness ; that is to say, cheapness in first cost — in salary, or wage. But the Incompetent man Is never really cheap. What his employer gains in wage reduction he loses, and very much more than loses, in Inferior results, or results which are excessive in cost. As the matter now lies, the average projection equipment for a theatrical show represents pretty close to two thousand dollars, where there are two projectors and a current rectifying device. Considerable of this is in the form of films, which are highly susceptible to damage through improper usage, and any damage done to films is, as has been repeatedly pointed out by this department, an overhead charge of the industry, which must inevitably come out of the box-office receipts ; for example, suppose that for the week ending July 20 there is a total film wastage of 7,000 reels (about what It is if we figure average life of Alms at four months). At $125 per reel this means $875,000 a «<■ k overhead on this Item, which must, of course. be assumed by the box offices of the country. Now suppose that by more careful, intelligent work In the projection room we can reduce this wastage by live per cent.. It would mean a saving of close to $44,000 per week, or more than $2,900,000 a year, In one item alone. And let me again tell you that the film wastage due to carelessness and lack of knowledge In the projection rooms of this country K very great Indeed. Hut film is not all. There Is something lik. worth of projectors in the modern projection plant, and often a generator costing well up to $7iK). Say a total equipment cost of $1,500, which is at tl. of incompetency. If that article Is pi in the projection room, added to which is an Input watta electrical power Which run> into the thousands, very much of which may easily be wasted through lack of knowledge. As a matter of fact, I myself have found cases when a projectionist was wasting more than half his electrical power, for no other reason under the canopy of heaven that an utter and complete lack of knowledge of the optical train of the projector, and the possibilities for width reduction in the blades of his revolving shutter, under the existing local oondltiona. I remember one instance of tin tori where a theater mm ployed me to look 0 nun plant, believing his projection expense was out of proportion I found the projection ist (?) using D. C. through two rheostats In multiple. The theater ran continuously thirteen hours a day. The current bills for projection (projection room on separate meter) a\ craned more than six dollars ■ day. It required little more than a glance at tlo apparatus to show the man in charge to be totally lacking In technical know knew who 1 was I asked bini if he had a Richardson Handbook, to which came swift reply : Naw ! What th' hell do I want with that junk"" I asked him If he had matched the revolving -.butter to his local condition, to which i I .Match it? How What do you mean? It's the shutter that cairn with the machine, and I guess the people know their business." To make a long BtOTJ short, I worked there that nitbt for just one hour, having secured the lenses, etc. I wanted during the day. and at the end of the hour made that by-maln-strength-and-awkwardneea projectionist admit that there was a better light on the screen, with LESS than half the amperage. He then bad more respect for technical knowledge, hut the fact remained that for two solid years be bad been wasting in excess of three dollars a day for no other than pure, un adulterated IGNORANCE). I do not claim that a competent apprenticeship would eliminate all or make all apprentices competent projectionists at the end of their apprenticeship. We would still have carelessness and laziness to contend with; also tlure would be the apprentice who would not learn were he to serve a ten-year period. But by and large a reason term of apprenticeship of say two years would be very much worth while. Even the most humble craftsmen (If there is any such animal as a "humble" craftsman in these days of King Labor) must serve at hast that period, whereas very many must serve much longer. Yet the projectionist who must, in order to be really competent, have at his finger tips accurate knowledge in electrics, mechanics and optics, and whose knowledge must be fairly wide in each of the things named, absolutely no real apprenticeship at all. In mechanics he Is handling machinery which must be true down to one one-thousandth of an inch. In optics he is handling a complicated and extremely difficult optical train, lack in efficiency of which costs friend Boss real money every moment it is used. In electrics he is using motors, generators, rheostats, arc lamps, electric speed recorders, electric programme indicators, and other things, all of which he must understand thoroughly if he is to handle them intelligently and efficiently. Taking these facts, and THEY are facts, mind you, into consideration, gentlemen, don't you really think the motion picture Industry is acting the part of the ingrowing solid-ivory top in. placing its finished product in the hands of men who have served absolutely no apprenticeship at all, many of whom are almost entirely lacking in the most elementary technical knowledge, or any apparent desire to acquire it? Of course we now have a large leavening of men who ha rved what amounts to the equivalent of an apprenticeship in a way, since they have been projecting pictures for years ; also there are many who are well equipped with technical knowledge, and a very large number partially equipped. But for the future don't you think it would be well to demand that the novice start in right, and serve at hast a reasonable period of apprenticeship? We would then at least have some guarantee that he did not learn his profession while showing people to their seats and rubbering in the port holes while returning along the aisle. Projectionists, What Is Your Experience? Burton Benwell, Los Angeles, California, puts forth the following proposition, which same I am not prepared to admit. I would like to have the views of projectionists, particularly those who have experimented with this particular thing. The point I wished to make in my letter, June first issuo, was somehow left incomplete. It was this : At the expense of more or less light, dependent on speed of intermittent, any projector may be made to reach the point of minimum flicker merely by putting on a cardboard shutter with all blades the same width as the width of the main, or cut-off blade. Whether it is advisable to do this with all machines and under all conditions depends on many things. It certainly is worth while with one very popular make of projector. Insofar as flicker be conned, the width of shutter blades does not matter, provided they all be the same width. This may be proven by trying out three shutters as per diagram. It will be found that all three will become ftlckerless at the same ■peed. You will have to illustrate that to me, brother Benwell. That is all I car at this time. Admitting that my actual knowledge on this point Is based on experiments made by projector manufacm my understanding Is that the most nearly tlickerless shutter practical for a projector is a three-winger, with blades of equal width, light openings of cental width. In other words all blades and openings to have equal width. As I understand it there Is increased tendency to flicker when this condition is departed from either way. This Is an Important and interesting question. Let us bear from you, gentlemen. If I am in error, let It be proven. If you make experiments, give as to speed in various tests. Maybe This Explains. In looking through one of John Griffiths' articles I came acros following Item : "The tendency is to advance the crater Image beyond the aperture, towards the projection lens, so that the beam does not begin to diverge until It Is quite Di el the lens This results In a somewhat higher candle power at the t there is no loss, or but slight loss through divergence. To accomplish this the crater Is advanced toward the condenser, but this practice has the drawback that it has tendency to introduce Mr. Ghost, the film being then in a section of the light beam which has uneven Illumination." I be this is d Illumination secured by the short distance from condenser to film in Mazda lamp practice. At what point does the condenser focus the lamp filament? Is It approximately at the aperture, or at a point n I ojectlons lens? Special Lenses Wanted. Our old friend, John Solar, Solar Building, Watertown, New York, wants some special condensing lenses made. Schneider, of New York, has no glass thick enough. Who can tell brother Solar where he can get the Job done. Projection Experience S HANDBOOK For Managers and Operators By F. H. RICHARDSON The recognized standard book on the wart of the operator. Complete desnrtptloa* ftnd instructions on til leadlu machines as*l opera tins* equipment MOVING PICTURE WORLD Thar* Isn't aa opera tor's booth la th* tul ram In whine tnU oare furu compiled book wlll not a»»t It* parohaa* prlot uc* djooUl Bay It Today M ta* C.p». rcwhj.ld Soklllar Bids Calaaaa, III. tit Fink Anna* Naw Vera City Ta «»v« time, arear tram laartwl rVloa. Wright & Calendar Bl«a. Lm Anitlu. Cmi.