Reel and Slide (Mar-Dec 1918)

REEL and SLIDE 23 Non-inflammable Film — Ho^v and When? The Leading Makers of Projection Machines Will Voice Their Views on This Important Question in the Columns of REEL and SLIDE. This Is the Third Article. By H. B. Johnson (Royal Projector) IN answer to a query as to what our theory is relative to the need for non-flammable film in the educational and industrial field, and whether, in our opinion, that same should be of a standard width, or special width, this is not the first time that this question has come up for discussion, but there is no doubt in our minds that if non-flammable film is required, it should be of the standard width. In the first place, nearly all machines have the standard width sprockets, and we are certain if any company figures on putting out non-flammable film in any quantities of a special width, they are going to make a failure in expecting that the demand is going to be an3thing like what they anticipate. It is up to -the film manufacturers to make the width of the film to meet the requirements of those who possess machines, and, as before stated, nearly all exhibitors' machines are equipped with standard sprockets only. Possibly it may be remembered that several efforts have been made in the past by projecting machine manufacturers to manufacture and sell a portable machine for educational work or home purposes with special width sprocket, and, if we are not mistaken, they found to do so was very difiicult. The public did not take to that particular style of a machine, because most of them, when desiring to rent any special big feature film produced by any of the large film producers using standard width film, found themselves unable to project same, due to the special width sprocket machine. Unless there has been a decided change in the quality of the non-flammable film in recent months, our experience has shown us that this class of film cannot be operated as many times through a machine as the inflammable film, in other words, the life of non-flammable film is not as long as that of the regular film as used in the regular moving picture theaters. With all the fireproof appliances and equipments that are now put on projecting machines, we do not believe that there is such a tremendous demand for non-flammable film as to warrant any particular company at this time starting out with it. ( We think this is the consensus of opinion of all exhibitors, also of the film producing companies, that there are not enough machines at present equipped with special width sprockets to warrant any company to manufacture special width film, either inflammable or non-flammable, neither would they care to go to the expense of endeavoring to locate all such special width sprocket machines that are in use. The film companies, like all other companies, want to do business along the lines of least resistance, and the universal or standard product is the only way that this can be conducted with success. nuimnnnmnDiiuiinnniiiTi iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiir'iiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiio Pictures Shown Near Trenches by Community Bureau W ( iW 7HEN the fight is the hottest on the other side, not more than six or seven kilometers from the front, our men are giving within range of bombs and shells 80 and 100 showings of motion pictures a week," said Warren Dunham Foster, president of the Community Motion Picture Bureau. He has just returned from a five months' trip abroad, where he organized the motion picture service not only for our own men, but for the Allies; including one interesting branch for the 125,000 Chinese laborers. "One of the Y. M. C. A. men," added Mr. Foster, "asked an American fighting colonel, chief of staff of one of the first of our divisions to go to the -other side, whether there was anything special he could do for him. " 'Yes,' said the colonel, T want three things : Some motion pictures, then some more motion pictures, and then some motion pictures. The motion pictures give the men relaxation and mental rest, they forget their troubles, and it makes them better fighters.' "Pictures are shown now between first and second line trenches, and many of our delivery men drive their cars on roads under shellfire. I was with one of them one day when we had a blowout just where only two hours before the boche had been sending over gas shells. We did not waste time in getting things straight." Mr. Foster has in his New York office a souvenir which gives an idea of how near the front the motion pictures go. It is a white muslin screen four by five feet, upon which the pictures were shown in a dugout and holes in it were made by fragments of enemy shells. "The Chinese, of whom there are many thousands working for the British, French, and Americans since China came into the war, will have specially selected film service and their own motion picture houses. "With our film service we will endeavor to give them an understanding of the Occident. There will be no proselyting, but we will let them see why it may be necessary to do some fighting and explain away, if we can, the apparent inconsistency between our commandment of 'Thou shalt not kill,' which they know, and our desire to put the Germans out of the way. "The Chinese like science, nature, hunting, adventure. We shall show them the different corners of the world, western life in America, some Chinese scenery and some comedy, for they have a strong sense of humor." Motion Picture Exposition Reveals U. S. Gov. War Films in All Departments THE National Motion Picture Exposition, fathered by the National Association of the Motion Picture Industry, opened at Madison Square Garden, Saturday, October 12. It was called a War Service Exposition, and the United States government was the largest exhibitor. Space was put at the disposal of the -Fuel Administration, the Employment Service of the Department of Labor, the Gas Defense Division of the Chemical Warfare Service of the Army, the Ordnance Department, the Red Cross, the Department of Agriculture, and the Food Administration, and was used by these governmental agencies to show their accomplishments and their needs. The private producers occupying space devoted much of their attention to showing what the motion pictures have been doing in the way of war work, and many propaganda films were exhibited in the concert hall. All money above expenses was appropriated to the war work of the National Association of the Motion Picture Industry. "Fabrication" Deplored in Production of Pictures Visualizing History ONE of the drawbacks to the movies is that some of them are such liars. What they present they give with an immense emphasis. You actually see what happens, and it takes much harder hold on the mind than what is merely told you. So much the more reason that what purports to be true should be true ; true to character in people, true to fact in situations. Much too often the pictures lie. In some great spectacles characters and historical situations are grossly misrepresented. An illustration appears in what the papers say about the Fox Film Corporations' absurd caricature of the Battle of San Juan Hill, in which, they tell us. Colonel Roosevelt is represented as rescued by Lieutenant John J. Pershing of the Tenth Negro Cavalry. ■ There was no such rescue. According to the newspaper stories, the scenario man admitted that he invented it and put it in to make the show more interesting. He seemed entirely unaware that the fabricated war film, misdealing with real people and real events, was any more culpable than if it had been fabricated out of whole cloth about fictitious personages. The government, or somebody, should open a' class in ethics for the picture people, and require of them, before they get a license, a certificate that they understand their obligation to make their pictures tell the truth. — "Life."