Showmen's Trade Review (Jul-Sep 1945)

46 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW September 15, 1945 The Modern Means of Converting A. C. to D. C. as a stable power supply for projection arc lamps STRONG COPPER OXIDE AND TUBE-TYPE RECTIFIERS Low original,operating and mai^• tenance cost. Quiet operation. Distributed through leading Independent Theatre Supply Dealers. The Strong Electric Corp. 87 City Park Avenue TOLEDO 2, OH lO The World's Largesf Manufacfurers of Projection Arc Lamps Are You Planning To Build?— No. 4 NATIONAL X Otvt«:«n of Naiionol • StmpliK • Blvi(iw«rih.lnc. THERE'S A BRANCH NEAR YOU' FOREST oAc-Zi^ PRODUCTS UNIVIMAl TIIM ONI KILOWATT LAMPS no 0 FOREST MANUFACTURING 740 WASHINGTON AVE. BELLEVILLE, N. J. (Coiifinued from Page 36) Terrazo flooring has become one of the most widely used materials for theatre lobbies where uncarpeted areas are involved. This type of floor surfacing, executed in varicolored inlays of patterns conforming to the general decorative scheme, offers durability and ease of maintenance. Asbestos tile flooring, a composition product which has been used extensively in theatre, ofifice and industrial buildings, may find continued popularity where carpeting is not essential. In the last analysis, the judgment of a good theatre architect who is familiar with these various products, should be followed. We point out these important considerations in the belief that the prospective builder should be familiar with the wide variety of materials available to the degree that no worthwhile product from the standpoint of quality, durability and maintenance ease be overlooked. Equipping the New Theatre The selection of the proper equipment for a new theatre is of prime importance. No matter how solidly a theatre is built, how beautifully it is decorated, equipment, like pictures, must be the best if you are to operate a successful business. In a sense, poor equipment is worse than a poor picture for bad projection or sound or seating can make a bad picture even more obnoxious.to the patron. First let's talk about the heart of the theatre, the projection room. Your equipment there can make you or break you. If you have spent thousands of dollars on a theatre structure, this is the last place to start pinching pennies. Only the latest and finest in sound and projection equipment should be considered. Great strides have and are being made in the perfecting of this equipment to keep pace with the refinements in sound recording and photography in the studios. No matter how well a [jicture is made, bad presentation makes the finest picture poor from the patron's point of view. It is important, too, that the equipment selected will meet the particular needs of the theatre as you have built it. ,A.coustic conditions, light absorbtion factors, distance of throw from booth to screen, all add up in choosing the proper equipment. The intelligent way to select the right equipment for the right application, is to begin by seeking information about the specific models offered by manufacturers with a national reputation in the field, and do business with the local dealer who has a recognized standing in the territory in which you are located. Then when recommendations of particular apparatus are turned in you might check with fellow exhibitors who operate theatres similar to the one you are planning to build. From tlie consensus of such opinion you can be reasonably well guided in choosing yotjr equipment. A sound engineer should be consulted even before you start construction in the interest of providing proper acoustical treatment in the contour planning of the auditorium. jVIuch has been learned in recent years through research into tlie characteristics of sound, how it travels, what deflects it, which way it bounces around an enclosed area, etc. From these studies it is today ])ossible to "build" proper acoustics into the tlieatre structure instead of padding a section liere or installing baffles there, as a makeshift resort. There has been a growing advocacy of the wisdom of installing a third projector in the average booth instead of carrying an extra mechanism and spare machine parts. Numerous theatres are today adding an extra projector as an insurance investment against breakdowns which in many instances -have cost refunds amounting to almost as much as the added equipment would have cost. .A.nother advantage is that by distributing the wear and tear over three machines instead of the customary two, the mechanical life of all three machines is measurably increased. (See .A.dvisory Council Report on this subject in issue of October 13.) The services of an engineer are necessary in determining the type of lamp required. The throw must be measured and the factor of economy of operation considered. You will need I'ewind equipment, film splicer, metal tables and fireproof film cabinet, non-synchronous turntables, sound monitor, film refuse container, fire shutters, rectifier or generator, house and stage light dimmer controls, and numerous other incidental items. In the choice of any of these products it is well to buy the best for the initial savings in the purchase of cheaper equipment is often dwarfed by the consideration of dependability of service and longer life of the better (though more expensive) item. Now let's proceed to the equipping of the auditorium, foyer, mezzanine and lobbies. In each instance the item of maintenance ease must be borne in mind when choosing products. The life expectancy of the products can now be ascertained to a reasonably accurate degree if the buyer is inclined to investigate rather than to "fall" for a bargain in the sales talk of a glib salesman. Reliable carpet and seating companies have availed themselves of scientific test devices which subject a product to normal or greater varying degrees of wear and tear, thus placing their salesmen in a position to prove the claims made. Obtaining good merchandise is no haphazard task today and the trend is toward an even higher degree of quality in theatre products than was offered prewar. No theatre owner wants to go through repeated reseating or recarpeting operations and can readily see the wisdom of paying a slight premium for quality to avoid it. Drapes should be obtained in warm and cool colors which will blend harmoniously with the surrounding" decorative scheme so that a distinct change of environment can be achieved in the transition from summer to winter. Stage drapes should be adequate for the handling of local civic activities even though live talent shows are not immediately contemplated. In "dressing" the stage you should plan to install in addition to the required front asbestos or fire curtain, an attractive front curtain and a screen curtain, with the latter two operated on travelers with booth control (unless local union regulations forbid operation of mechanical stage devices from the booth). These close-in curtains can now be had in fireproof fabrics which are equally beautiful in decorative motifs with the velour or velvets which of course can still be used and treated with fireproofing chemicals. In the selection of lighting equipment, this again is more of a job for the experts than was formerly the case. Lighting as a means of decoration has grown by leaps and bounds. Fluorescent tube channel lighting, and downlight and fluorescent, or black light have been the (Continued on Page 49)