Projection engineering (Sept 1929-Nov 1930)

Page 4 Projection Engineering, September, 1929 EDITORIAL September, 1929 JVE MAKE OUR BOW WE sincerely trust that you will find this, the first issue, and the forthcoming issues of Projection Engineering not only to your liking, but of sufficient value in contents to preserve for reference purpose. It is the desire and aim of the editorial staff to serve each and every class of reader; the executives behind the industrial guns; the engineers in the field who are responsible for the rapid strides in the development of light and sound projection equipment; the owners and managers of theatres and auditoriums, v/ho are obviously interested in receiving the best possible returns from investments in sound and light projection equipment; to the projectionists themselves, who have been vested with a new responsibility .... the men in the booths who can make or break a show; and lastly, to the new and growing legion of technicians and servicemen in the field, who likewise do their share in keeping the show going at any cost. The staff of Projection Engineering is aware of the fact that to serve such a large and variant group is no easy task — that in many instances it will be difficult to draw the line between that which is of value to the field in general, and that which is not. In no other field is the technique .... the actual art itself, so closely allied to the engineering side. It is through the engineering developments that the art of the film, of the stage and of the actors themselves is greatly enhanced. It is important to know where the art begins and the engineering ends. If the effectiveness of a film can be increased by the application of various shades of color — color that will play upon the emotions of the audience, build up the psychological angle of each turn of the play — then it is a subject of interest to the whole industry, from the executive heads down to the theatre managers. But the actual engineering value of the development rests only in the details regarding the depositing of colors on film and the effect the colors may or may not have on such matters as the increase or decrease in the intensity of light, the effect of various shades on the operation of the photoelectric cell, and so on. Thus, in an instance of this sort, it is the job of the editorial staff to judge, first, whether or not the angle and nature of the material is within the province of the publication, and, second, whether the material holds constructive value and is of sufficient importance to find a place in the general text section, or of news value and suitable for publication in the news section only. Since the true engineering phase in the light and sound projection field is not so clearly defined as it is in most other industries, it is not possible to maintain the same rigid editorial policy characteristic of the usual engineering publication. The matter of policy must rest solely on personal judgment rather than on a standardized routine, as the latter is entirely too inflexible for our purpose. However, the basic policy of PROJECTION ENGINEERING rests primarily on conservatism and constructiveness. Nothing is gained by the readers, or by ourselves, through the publication of engineering articles of a derogatory nature, even though the facts be true. If criticism cannot be constructive it is not worthy of publication. We feel much the same concerning articles on new devices or systems, worthy or unworthy, given unrightful importance through the gentle art of "comparison." Our principal objection to this class of material is that no actual information of value is offered. Being a technical publication, PROJECTION ENGINEERING is desirous of offering to its readers the facts and the facts only. We feel that the editorial policy outlined is by far the fairest to the reader, the advertiser and the publication. We are intent on serving the field rather than catering to it. We can serve only by keeping the publication clean and focusing our attention on such matters as specifically relate to the light and sound projection industries. M. L. MUHLEMAN, Editor.