Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1948)

SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, December 4, 1948 E-9 How to Sell More Popcorn Proper seasoning increases the sale of popcorn two to one, according to a survey conducted in theatres by Howard C. Smith, President of American Pop Corn Company. The difference, Mr. Smith explains in reporting the results of his survey, is the difference between trying to sell corn, salt and oil, and trying to sell smell and taste. As a result of investigation, directed toward determining the amount of seasoning that produces the maximum sales, Mr. Smith recommends that in wet popping approximately 45 pounds of seasoning be used for each 100 pounds of unpopped corn. RCA Uses Television to Measure Optical Lenses Television, in cooperation with a microscope and a test pattern, is used by RCA to determine the contrast characteristics of optical lenses, and yields results not obtainable by practicable methods previously available, according to Otto H. Shade of the RCA Tube Department. An image of the test pattern is formed by the lens to be investigated; this image is enlarged by a microscope and then picked up by a television camera. The enlarged television image is easily studied. A second image, also drawn from the television camera, is formed by an oscilloscope. Curves plotted on a chart in accordance with these images show the contrast or detail response of a given lens at any degree of resolution. Electrical "lenses" used in television can be rated by the same processes. Fewer Insects Attracted By New Yellow G. E. Lamp Bulbs Theatremen troubled by insects clustering around the outdoor lighting may find a remedy in substituting G.E.'s new 60watt and 100-watt yellow-enameled incandescents for white ones. The lamps were added to the G.E. line because researchers found that night-flying insects are more strongly attracted to white or blue light than to yellow or red. The new lamps are priced at 16c and 26c, respectively. The .company also ■ suggests that when these. yellow lamps are used in locations where insects are objectionable, a further precaution can be , taken by putting a white light at a distance to serve as a lure of superior attraction. W.E.'s Postwar Recorders Used in 1 1 Foreign Countries Western Electric recording equipment of postwar design is now in use in studios in eleven nations abroad, according to E. S. Gregg, Vice President of Westrex Corporation. Countries using the new equipment, Mr. Gregg reveals, are Argentina, Australia, China, Egypt, England, France, India, Mexico, Morocco, The Netherlands and Switzerland. Revolutionary 16-MM British System Uses Center Sprocket Holes, Non-Reduced 3 5 -mm. Tracks, Picture Sequences in Alternate Frames Ampro Corporation has developed a new 16-mm. film splicer that combines single shearing action, rapid, repeated splicing operations, and narrow, pressurewelded splice. By JOCK MacGREGOR London Representative A 16-mm. film with a 35-mm. sound track is the remarkable achievement of the Harper Sound Film System, successfully demonstrated in London, that may revolutionize sub standard presentation. With its full range of frequencies, the reproduction proved to be comparable in tone and volume with the regular 35-mm. equipment in the preview theatre. The system relies on both a special film and a projector, but the latter has been, constructed to run the ordinary 16-mm. prints also. Using central traction, both edges of the film are free to take direct printing of a R e v olutionary 16-mm. film with sprocket holes in center be twe e n frames, standard, non-reduced 35-mm. tracks along each edge and two picture sequences occupying alternate frames. When the end of the film is reached it is turned around, re-threaded and run back, projecting the other set of frames and taking sound from the other track ; rewinding is not needed. Sound retains its 35-mm. quality and volume. 35-mm. sound track without any reduction, optical or otherwise, thereby retaining the frequencies and clarity of the original. When the track has been printed, the film is replaced in the printer for another track to be run down the other edge. Then the picture is reduced in the normal way and processed in alternate frames. When this has been completed the reel is again reversed for the pictures matching the second track to be printed in the blank frames. In this manner, two separate films of comparable length are in each reel. Perforations are the same dimensions and pitch as for standard film and are so positioned that the first two are side by side with their outer edges touching; the sound tracks,' and 8-mm. down is a single central perforation. The pattern is repeated throughout the film and appears as a "five" domino. The 8-mm. by 10-mm. spaces between perforations receive the action or picture part of the negative. The paired perforations are always at the bottom of the pictures, which in the finished print are upside down to each other. This prevents overprinting, or threading the film out of frame. The projector, which looks much the same as any other 16-mm. machine, does not have a claw and cam movement, but the Maltese cross mechanism of the standard theatre equipment. The film is sprocket driven throughout. Special dual sprockets are included so that the standard 16-mm. film can also be projected when desired. The projector has been designed for the hard grind demanded by the mobile showman and the prototype used at the demonstration had had a terrific belting. For one month, it had been run continuously; for the next two months, sixteen hours a day. It stood the test well-xThe picture on the screen was dead steady? , Printing costs are considerably reduced as the system does not call for a special re-recording of the sound track. The initial outlay for the laboratory is not excessive. The sprocket drive ' greatly ■ increases the life of prints and eliminates the necessity for a specially coated base film. The demonstration reel,-; for instance, had been run over two thousand times but showed little sign of wear. .In the ordinary 16-mm. projector, a single claw engages only one perforation, on the edge, 24 times a second against the resistance of the pressure! in the gate. The Harper System spreads the stress evenly over the whole film. This is taken first by one edge of the. sprocket, and then the other when the :..reel is reversed. Elimination of rewinding also gives added protection against film damage, while their central position protects the perforations. A further economy is afforded in the sound reproducer, since the 35-mm. track renders a more powerful signal to the amplifier, allowing for a greater output volume without distortion. The Harper System, which uses safety British-built Harper sound projector has dual sprockets, can run either special 16-mm. film with 35-mm. sound tracks, or standadrd 16-mm. film. film, may be installed in many established cinemas without extensive alterations. It will be on the market in the New Year with either arcs or "cold light," and several British renters have signified their intention of making their films available , in this system.