The New York State Exhibitor (1933)

D Page 12 JanlO’33 YOUR THEATRE Film Mutilation and Some of Its Causes NEEDLESS FILM MUTILATION may be caused by defective manufacture, faulty laboratory methods, poor inspection in the exchanges, careless handling in the projec¬ tion room and worn or imperfectly adjusted projectors, and, while it is difficult in many cases to fix the exact responsibility, each possible source of damage will be fully discussed. THE FILM can be blamed only when the manufacture is defective. The base or sup¬ port of motion picture film, which is of standardized thickness, is made from cotton and with reasonable care will fulfill the re¬ quirements of commercial use, but due to the nature of its origin consideration should always be given to the fact that it has physical limitations. Improvements in equip¬ ment and methods of manipulation in all the important laboratories have reduced the possibility of affecting the physical prop¬ erties of the film during the printing, de¬ veloping and finishing operations to an extent as to be almost negligible. INVESTIGATION of the general pro¬ cedure in the inspection and repair of prints indicates that a considerable propor¬ tion of the burden of print mutilation begins in the film exchanges. It is not so much that the exchange starts the damage as that it fails to stop it. Inspections are invariably too rapid to be thorough. Splicing is care¬ lessly done with the result that the films are frequently sent to the theatres in such poor condition as to be unable to withstand ordi¬ nary projection, to say nothing of the super requirements, particularly with respect to high speed of projection and rapid rewind¬ ing, which are all too frequently the case. In rewinding, care should be taken to see that the “rewind” is properly lined up so that the film will feed from the one reel to the other without striking the edges of the reels. The use of defective reels causes un¬ told damage in the rewinding operation. Cinching occurs when the person rewinding attempts to tighten the roll. This causes scratches on both sides of the film. Cupping the film to detect damaged edges, perforations, or loose splices is very apt to crack or split the film, more especially on subjects which have had repeated pro¬ jection on projectors using high amperage. Careful inspection and repairs in the ex¬ changes will result in better service to the exhibitor, eliminate breaks which are the frequent cause of film damage, reduce the amount of replacements due to break-down, and make the subjects available for constant service. Longer commercial life means in¬ creased earning capacity. SPLICING, whether done in the film lab¬ oratories, film exchanges or projection rooms, has such direct bearing on the wel¬ fare of the film as to call for special and constant attention. Much film is ruined by poor splicing. Splices that are wide, stiff, buckled and out of line cause the film to jumn the sprockets resulting in torn perfo¬ rations or breaks. Perforations in the vicin¬ ity of a splice of this kind will always be found to be strained or broken out. Stiff and buckled splices are caused by excessive scraping of the film, or a too liberal appli¬ cation of cement or both. The use of a poor quality cement results in splices pulling apart especially in the film gate or trap. This constitutes a hazard ; therefore, all weak or otherwise bad splices should be re¬ made before projection. WHENEVER FILM IS DAMAGED on a projector, it is generally customary to lay the cause of the trouble to one or more of three different things ; namely, sprockets, idlers, and tension exerted on the film by the springs in the gate or film trap. While it is true that in most cases the trouble can be traced to one or more of these points, it must be admitted that the direct cause of a great amount of film damage is never def¬ initely settled between the film exchanges and the projectionists, especially when the projectors in question have been gone over quite carefully and everything has been found to be in apparently good condition. In cases of this kind, it is only natural to assume that the film stock is at fault. There are, however, various projector parts, gen¬ erally considered more or less unimportant which, as a rule receive little or no atten¬ tion on the part of the projectionist. The result is that film trouble is apt to start at any one of them. THE FOLLOWING RfiSUM'fi covers the more important points which must be given careful attention by the projectionists, if the maximum wearing qualities are to be obtained from the film. ONE OF THE PRINCIPAL SOURCES of trouble is the use of excessive tension exerted on the film by the springs in the gate or trap. A great variation will be found in tension on various projectors being used in the trade. Moreover, there are some projectionists who are not familiar with the amount of tension which should be used, and as far as we know, there is no set standard which is generally accepted as being correct.1 It is common practice to set the springs just tight enough to hold the film stationary. Ex¬ cessive tension has been found to exist on certain projectors and causes badly nicked and pulled out perforations. Heavy tension on one side can be caused by a poorly ad¬ justed, weak or broken spring and results in an uneven pull-down strain on the film. The tension springs on some projectors can be regulated by means of small set screws while on others no adjusting device has been provided and springs must be bent by hand, but in doing this great care must be taken to get the proper adjustment. THROUGH CARELESSNESS AND NEGLECT sprockets are frequently left on projectors until the teeth develop bad hooks and knife-like edges. Film damage caused by under-cut teeth is unmistakable in ap¬ pearance and in many cases film is prac¬ tically ruined after one or two showings if run on a projector equipped with such sprockets. The changing of an intermittent sprocket must be done with great care as the shaft can be bent very easily. Equipped with proper tools any competent projec¬ tionist can make the change but in many cases it may be advisable to have the work done at the factory to insure the best re¬ sults. Before placing new sprockets on pro¬ jectors, a careful examination should be made of the teeth to be sure that none of them have been damaged by coming in con¬ tact with one another or some other hard surface. If a sprocket is accidentally drop¬ ped on the floor the teeth are likely to be burred or bent and if used on a projector, will cause untold damage to film. This will be true even if only one tooth has been damaged. ALL NEW FILM should be waxed to in¬ sure against adhesion or sticking in the gate or trap of the projector. When un¬ waxed film is run, it is necessary to clean the shoes frequently, otherwise the accumu¬ lation of hardened emulsion on the shoes acts as a hold-back causing a greatly in¬ creased pull-down strain which always re¬ sults in mutilated perforations. Needless to say, a new print can be completely ruined in this manner at one showing. In remov¬ ing the hardened emulsion deposits from the film tracks and tension shoes use no steel or iron implement such as a screw driver, safety razor blade or file. Instead use a dampened cloth and if necessary a coin as this will not scratch the highly polished surface. THE GUIDE ROLLERS located above the gate or film-trap are there for the pur¬ pose of properly guiding the film down past the aperture to the intermittent sprocket. If these rollers are out of line with the sprocket, the teeth will naturally strike the film perforations off-center. On some pro¬ jectors these rollers are adjustable by means of a collar and set-screw, while on others there is no regulating device. | THE TAKE-UP ADJUSTMENT should Ibe checked up closely from time to time. GOOD PROJECTION adds patronage and increased revenue to the theatre. Good projection is entirely dependent on the skill of the projectionist and the condition of the film and the projector. Through constant use projector parts become worn and out of adjustment. Projectors should never be per¬ mitted to get in this condition. Replacement parts are readily available and for the most part inexpensive, and any expenditure in this connection will improve projection and materially help in the reduction of unneces¬ sary film loss. Through the courtesy of the Eastman Kodak Company YOUR THEATRE is able to present a brief review of the causes of film mutilation, once again a serious problem in the business. More film is being damaged daily than ever in this industry, and proper handling is a necessity.