Projection engineering (Sept 1929-Nov 1930)

Projection Engineering, April, 1930 Page 23 being locked in position when once focussed. Each lens is mounted on an adjustable, pivoted arm to permit of its being swung to one side when not in use. The adjustment consists of a thumbscrew device for centering each lens in the optic system. Should a "soft-focus" effect be desired, each lens can be easily and quickly slid on the base tubes to the proper focal position. Means are provided for placing an interchangeable assembly consisting of a light shield, dowser shutter and effect holder, before each projection lens and when so placed, the unit is complete for that particular projection lens. The entire working mechanism of the projector is carefully counterbalanced and can be easily swung from side to side, or tilted up and down. Effects or gelatines can be placed in holders, either in front of the condenser lens or in front of the respective projection lenses. It is true, some difficulty is experienced in preventing the colored gelatine, when so placed, from burn ing up too rapidly, although Ibis problem has been solved, after a fashion. Heat resisting, colored glasses seem to offer the best solution to this problem. There is one other method of obtaining animated effects on which little has been said so far ; that is, by means of motion picture films projected in the ordinary manner, or by rear-end projection through a translucent screen as is done in the Roxy theatre, in New York. This would, after all, seem to be the most logical method and strangely enough, it has been but little used. Natural scenes, otherwise unobtainable could then be employed as the background for prologues and similar work instead of building up effect scenes by use of two or more animated effects. The principal objections which, undoubtedly, have acted, so far, to limit this method to strictly special cases, are that it is a more costly means of obtaining something which, in the main, can be easily produced from the front of the house. Then too, a certain minimum projection distance back stage is required so that most existing theatres would have great trouble in applying the method. Lastly, strange though it may sound, effects projected by means of strip film, "movie" fashion, do not appear to be as realistic as those obtained in the usual manner. It would appear, therefore, that this method of projection is suited only to the showing of complete natural scenes, unattainable by any other means. It is quite probable that the "movie" method will find more extensive application, especially in the new theatres although it is quite unlikely that it will seriously encroach upon the now commonly accepted method. Whatever the outcome, this much seems certain ; that effect lighting in motion-picture theatres is here to stay and will be even more generally applied in the future, since, to use a rather crude analogy, it represents the sauce which makes the "movie" more palatable to the average fan. THAD C. BARROWS OF BOSTON ELECTED PRESIDENT OF PROJECTIONISTS ADVISORY COUNCIL By Jas. R. Cameron The annual meeting of the Projectionists Advisory Council was held on March 25 at the Town Hall in New York City. P. A. McGuire of International Projector Corporation opened the meeting and introduced Nathan Golden of the Motion-Picture Division of the Department of Commerce, who gave a resume of the work accomplished by the Council during the past twelve months. The following are the officers who were elected to serve during 1930 : Thad C. Barrows of Boston, president ; Sidney Burton of California, first vicepresident ; Lawrence J. Katz of Harrisburg, Pa., second vice-president ; Harry Rubin of Publix Theatres, New York, treasurer. Lawrence Jones of New York was again elected to serve as secretary. Regional vice-presidents are: Chas. F. Eichorn of New York ; Roger MacKelvey of Pittsburgh, Pa.; T. H. Eckerson of California ; Arthur Gray of Boston, Mass. ; Frank Sutton of Norfolk, Va. ; Victor A. Welman of Cleveland, Ohio; C. L. Greene of Minneapolis, Minn. ; and C. A. Dentlebeck of Toronto. Chairmen of the various committees are being named by the president within the next few days and in all probability a list of these will appear in our next issue. A GERMAN MOVIE MEN WILL TOUR UNITED STATES An extensive and elaborate American tour of study and information for European moving-picture theatre owners is being arranged by the Berlin Travel Bureau of the HamburgAmerican Line. On June ISth, a party of members of the German Association of Photoplay Theatre Proprietors and numerous theatre owners and managers from the principal cities in Austria, Czecho-Slovakio, Poland, Hungary and other central and southern European countries, will embark on the Hamburg-American liner Milwaukee, the largest motorship of the German merchant fleet. The party is due in New York, Saturday, June 28, where they will stop at the Knickerbocker Hotel. The program for their three days' sojourn in New York includes visits to the Roxy, Paramount, Embassy and other theatres, inspection of sound film and stage installations and appliances, and a visit to the offices of the Paramount and Publix Theatre Companies, where the guests will familiarize themselves with these organizations' systems of booking, accounting and other administrative and technical matters. In addition, a reception will be tendered by Mr. Will Hays ; another by the American Association of Independent Moving Picture Theatre Owners. Upon arrival at Los Angeles, the visitors will make a round trip through the city and the Beverly Hills colony of movie star homes. On the following two days (July 11 and 13), the great talking film studios of Hollywood and several theatres will be thoroughly inspected. From Los Angeles, the party goes to San Francisco. A short stop-over is contemplated at Salt Lake City, and two days will be spent in Chicago. Here, as well as in every other city, wherever time permits, the latest moving-picture houses will be visited. In Cleveland, the party will inspect the plant of the National Electric Lamp Association (Nela Park) ; from Buffalo, an excursion to Niagara Falls will be made ; in Rochester, the visitors will devote themselves principally to the Eastman Kodak Company's department for projectors, and will also inspect Mr. Eastman's private photoplay theatre. HIGH INTENSITY ARCS The amount of light used at the aperture plate of the motion-picture projector has steadily increased until at the present time only the high intensity arc can furnish the light concentration necessary to satisfy the demands of the larger theatres. An excellent paper on the subject of the characteristics of high intensity arcs, written by D. B. Joy and A. C. Downes, of the National Carbon Company, research department, appears in the March, 1930, issue of the Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers. W2XCR INSTALLS COPPER MAST ANTENNA IN order to obtain the most efficient radiation for its television signals, the Jenkins television station, W2XCR, has just installed a copper mast antenna and an elaborate counterpoise on the lofty roof of its factory building. The copper mast antenna comprises many sections of corrugated copper tubing such as is used for leader pipe on the outside of buildings, ingeniously reinforced with soldered brass bars and joined together with wooden plugs, rising to a height of 110 feet above the roof. The vertical antenna thus formed is guyed in all directions and reinforced with wire bracings so that it cannot buckle or collapse.