The Film Renter and Moving Picture News (Mar-Apr 1923)

10 THE FILM RENTER & MOVING PICTURE NEWS. April 14, 1923. THE ELIMINATION OF REWINDING. Wonderful Invention which Abolishes Rewinding and Eliminates Tension on the Film. NE of the most important inventions to do with the () kinematograph industry was exhibited last week when Mr. Kdward J. Way, a South African engineer, demonstrated The Way Non-rewind, at a private luncheon party given at the Hotel Cecil. This invention, it is claimed, eliminates the tension of the film during projection, and, therefore, abolishes the strain on the sprocket holes and consequent jumpiness of the film on the screen. This elimination of tension is one of the most important contributions of the Way Non-rewind. it also eliminates the cause of 90 per cent of damage to the film, does away with the scratched or rainy picture, and makes it possible for a film to be shown six thousand times without damage, whereas, hitherto, after a picture has been run through the machine on two hundred eecasions it is practically ruined. How Device Came Into Being. Mr. Reginald C. Bromhead, chairman of the K.R.S., presided at the luncheon and was supported by many members of the K.M.A. and K.R.S. The chairman, in introducing Mr. Way to the assembly, pointed out the importance of this invention and sincerely hoped that it would be taken up by renters and exhibitors throughout the country. Mr. E. J. Way, before demonstrating his invention proceeded to explain to those present exactly how this device came into being. He was a resident of South Africa and the idea was suggested to him when chatting with the general manager of the African Films Trust, who remarked that if something could be invented that would do away with the scratching on films it would be of incalculable value to the whole of the trade. After six months he had perfected an invention which he claimed entirely abolished rewinding and eliminated tension on the film. Demonstration and Explanation. After several speakers had testified to the excellence of this invention, which they had personally tested, Mr. Way proceeded to demonstrate his machine. In the course of his demonstration Mr. Way said: It seems obvious, if you take the film from the middle of the coil instead of from the outside, and wind it on to a split spool from which you can ugain tree the film by simply removing it from the spool without winding, that to take it from the middle again would avoid rewinding. There is no discovery or invention involved in this, and such a process could only be patented in connection with a means or an apparatus or a process which would carry it out. If a split spool, having a centre six in. in diameter, could be brought -$nto universal use, then exchanges between rewind and nonrewind projectsrs would be greatly simplified. The beginning of the film is always in the centre of the coil, and after projection such a film could be at once reprojected on the non-rewind machine without further manipulation. Then, again, a spiral had to be dealt with, and though the mathematics of a spiral may appear perfectly simple from a mere basis of circulation, it was necessary to deal with a spiral consisting of a thin ribbon of material of an average thickness of one six-thousandths of an inch (this thickness varies slightly) which has to be joined together in varying leneths, and which, cwing to the methods employed in the development of the picture upon it, varies in hardness and flexibility. Thus it was found that no two spirals of celluloid film = ever behaved in exactiy the same way. It was alsc found that using one film only, and winding it a number of times the result in each case was always different. Many investigators were misled by encouraging results from short lengths of film, and found on applying their systems to commercially used lengths that results were disastrous. It is easy to understand if a film 2,500 feet long were in one single strip. of exactly the same thickness and wound to. exactly the same tension, that the setting of the spiral would be uniform throughout, and under similar conditions of thickness every wind should be alike. But wherever there is a joint, at that joint the film is naturally about double the original thickness. Now it is possible to have a length of film 2,500 feet long with seven joints in it. It is more usual to find 25 to 50, and in the course of experience films of that length have been handled wth a joint every ten feet, so that to expect a mathematically uniform spiral is out of the question. It was also found to be practically impossible. to wind a spiral of any reasonable length of film at an absolutely equal and uniform tension throughout, so that it can be seen that though the non-rewind machine is based upon a very simple problem in mensuration, many other points. had to be taken into consideration before the first film was successfully discharged from the revolving table. The Methods Employed. The first machine constructed was a failure for many reasons which it is not necessary to go into on this occasion. The second machine, designed on a totally different principle from the first, started work ut the end of 1920, and was constructed to handle films up to 1,000 feet in length, and has up to the present projected over. 15,000,000 feet of film. The third machine was constructed to take from 1,800 to 2,000. fect of film, and has projected four million feet of film, and finally, six machines have been completed, each of which will handle 2,500 feet of film. The work of the Bijou Theatre, Johannesburg, was done by this type of machine. Machines could be constructed on similar lines to take up to 8,000 feet or more. In his opinion, the law should not allow any reel greater than, say, 2,200 to 2,300 feet to be used. The reasons are obvious both from the standpoint of fire risk and film loss in event of fire. The larger the reel the greater the damage and loss. The methods employed, all of which are covered by patents, had to be modified as the greater lengths were operated upon. The machines are constructed under a serics of patents using the contact reel principle, whereby the centrifugal force generated by the machine itself is used to move the driving disc radially outwards, its movement being restrained, and its position kept accurate by means of a contact recl operating in the internal aperture of the film. As the revolving table which helds the unprojected film has to deliver it at a constant linear speed to the projector, the angular speed of the film revolving mechanism must be accurately decreased for every revclution cf the spiral; and if the centrifugal force is not sufficient to keop the reel in contact with the internal:aperture of the film, then the tanchine will be operating at a speed greater than that required by the projector. ach revolution of the spiral necessitates a radially outward mcvement of the driving disc of one six-thousnndths of an inch. The centrifugal force be (Continued at foot of nert page.)