THE SHOW MUST GO ON

[Music] remember when you could see a movie for a nickel back in the good old days of 1910 [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] yes those were the good old days of motion pictures anything would get by and everyone had a good time except perhaps the man who ran the projector he had his troubles many of them yet his day with its crude equipment foretold a day when motion pictures would take their place as a cultural and educational medium modern projectors have made it practical and profitable to bring educational films to our schools religious messages to church groups training and technical films to factory workers films that help sell goods and services or just as the art of motion pictures has advanced so has the science of projection the last link in the long chain of forces that bring the finished picture to the screen but oddly enough just as in the days of the Nickelodeon most film troubles still stem from projection for all projectors do not have the same high standards of performance the spreading is so complicated on our machine I guess that's why we scratch and tear so many prints in our school why don't they make the projector this is our machine works fine for the first year at our sales meetings but after that nothing but trouble why don't they make a projector that will give visible we like to show films in our church but the pictures never seem bright enough even fresh bulbs don't help why don't they make a projector I try to use more training films in our plan but I can't depend on the projector see like it's always in the shop being repaired why don't they make a projector to stand up that's what I mean do they all give trouble like that I'm supposed to buy a projector for my company how do I know I'm gonna get my money's worth what causes these troubles what do I look for in a projector well the things to look for the things that spell quality in a projector are relatively few and simple first there's the way in which your projector handles film and film handling starts with threading this should be easy and simple enough that a child can do it the film should travel in a direct line over a plainly marked path without twisting because twisting and cause film to break now film is moved through all projectors by sprockets that engage in the film preparations but a film gets out of position these sprockets can cause trouble can rip preparations and make film useless that's why safe lock sprockets are essential they lock the film firmly in position so it's either correctly seated or the guard prevents the film from touching the sprocket teeth once in place the film cannot become disengaged with the right projector design for straight line threading with safe locks buckets your films are guarded against breakage and sprocket damaged and when the picture area of the film passes over recessed rollers it's free from another hazard this is the danger of scratching that makes pictures look like this to eliminate all friction between film and metal the picture area must be held away from the metal another point to check is the shuttle the mechanism that controls the movement of the film directly behind the lens on a cutaway model the shuttle can be seen when the drive mechanism is operated by hands only one type of shuttle action is entirely dependable a straight in straight down and straight out motion the shuttle teeth should be entirely disengaged from the film during the time each individual picture is being projected this three-to-one movement in which the shuttle touches the film only one trip in three provides the smoothest possible projection free from flicker it illuminates soaring action but wears out film preparations provides the utmost film protection just as important steady pictures free from the troubles that other types of shuttle action can bring and to operate the shuttle as well as all other film moving parts only precision gears should be used they prevent the variations in speed and the frequent failures the belts and pulleys can cause precision gear drive makes a projector more versatile to a clutch allows you to stop action easily for study or discussion of any single picture makes the protector of better training and educational tools and incidentally for trouble-free operation be sure your projector supplies metered lubrication from the oiling cups lubricant flows down into felt pads that serve as reservoirs feeding filtered oil to all parts in exactly the right amount oil cannot see pawn to the film with metered lubrication and your projector should permit reversal of the film for a view quickly and safely at the flip of a switch it should have two speeds allowing for use of both sound and silent films and in choosing your projector don't overlook the take-up mechanism remember that winding too tightly or too loosely can result in film damage so make sure your projector maintains a constant tension on the film whether the take-up reel is almost empty or entirely full normally the tension would vary as the reel became weighted with more film but this device keeps the tension constant ymez film evenly and safely avoids another source of film damage rewinding - should be simple and fast you should be able to rewind a full hours program in less than 2 minutes yes in choosing a projector first consideration should be given to the film movement mechanism years of trouble-free service should be built into every part for instance the aperture plate it could be made inexpensively good enough to get by for a year perhaps instead like every other film Oh sound park whether stationary or moving this one is made to fit with precision exactness finally adjusted machines shape it to meet minut tolerances [Music] it's optically polished to obtain the smooth mirror-like surface so necessary for film protection then the aperture is inspected finally it's ham stoned another precaution to assure a precision made part capable of doing its job perfectly year after year it's because of such extreme care in the manufacture of every part of the film Oh sound that you can count on quality performance in all phases of mechanical operation prince whose total value adds up to thousands of dollars go through the average machine each year only if they're protected against damage can they do the job expected of them but safe handling of film is only one factor to consider in projection equipment equally important is how the picture will look on the screen that's why you should check the optical system of any projector before you buy it's this optical system that gives pictures like this instead of this the light source of course is the heart of the optical system but no to projection lamps are exactly alike that is the position of the filaments varies no matter how minutely and yellow lamp can send a maximum of light through the lens only if its filaments are accurately aligned in the optical system achieving this perfect adjustment is a critical process each lamp must be individually fitted with a special base that will position the filaments exactly for use in any film Oh sound projector the filaments of each bulb are lighted and the image projected on a target the lamp then adjusted up and down or sideways until the image shows the filaments are exactly centered then in this position the pre alignment gauge is braised onto the lamp base with this gauge permanently in place the lamp will be correctly aligned for use in any film or sound projector assuring you all the lights the lamp can give and optical efficiency means other features to the projector you choose should have a rhodium reflector unaffected by heat or corrosion and pre focused in the plant it should have two condensers to send the greatest amount of light through the film giving the picture on the screen maximum brilliance every part of the optical system should be easy to take out without tools even the lamp no matter how hot should be quickly and safely removable with bare hands condensers and lens should be readily accessible for cleaning a new lamp should slip into place with no adjustment whatever it's filaments in perfect alignment with the optical system with this straight line optical system all parts factory adjusted you have the best in projection illumination another factor to check in projectors sound reproduction is a complicated business but there's one point about it that everyone should understand and that's film speed and its effect on sound quality now in film speed is constant at 24 frames a second you get perfect sound reproduction like this but you start having trouble with film speed berries as in this demonstration minut variations show up to cause distortions or Wow's like this [Music] the idea then is to keep the film speed absolutely constant at 24 frames a second achieving this uniform speed without variation requires a combination of features in the projector the first precision gear drive taking the place of unreliable belts and pulleys the film driving mechanism of your projector should be operated only by gears and controlled by a governor and as a further step toward constant speed a perfectly balanced flywheel must regulate the rotation of the sound drum dynamic balancing of the flywheel is another extra step in the film Oh sounds manufacture the action of the flywheel is checked on precision instruments any degree of unbalance is readily detected to bring the part into perfect balance excess weight is removed from the flywheel [Music] it's ready for use only after rechecking shows it meets specifications assembled with the sound drum and mounted on roller bearings it forms a unit that will roll effortlessly with the film help keep the speed of the drum constant but still another safeguard is necessary for good sound reproduction because film movement through the gate is a series of rapid starts and stops a problem is created as shown here in slow motion the film picks up an uneven forward movement or flutter as it's called and as the film passes over the sprockets any slight variation in the film preparations may add still more flutter or change in speed but in the film of sound this flutter never reaches the sound drum because of the oscillatory stabilizer this device exerts a slight tension on the film just the head of the drum and immediately behind it in this way the flutter is made to bypass the sound head area the drum is isolated from sprockets and all other sources of flutter so at the sound head the film is moving steadily at constant speed and the result is clear undistorted sound [Music] [Music] yes mechanical performance optical efficiency and perfect sound these are things that spell quality in a projector but quality also means length of service proven by actual lifetime test after 2500 hours of non-stop operation in the testing laboratory stock film o sound projectors show no decrease in performance efficiency not the slightest sign of excessive wear in any part more than 2500 hours the equivalent of more than 8000 showings in normal use the assurance of service like this year after year makes the best projector by far the most economical one and only the best projector provides all these features ease of threading on a direct line over a plainly marked film path safe lock sprockets that secure the film in position machined and recessed film handling parts that cannot scratch film a shuttle that guards against film damage provide steady pictures an optical system with pre aligned bulb to ensure brilliant evenly lighted pictures controlled film movement producing clear undistorted sound a lightweight machine that's carried with ease be sure the machine you buy has all these features and above all make sure your projector is backed by more than a salesman's promise be sure it carries its manufacturer's guarantee not for a few months or a year but for life this is your one assurance of quality projection trouble-free at the lowest possible cost per hour of service today and for years to come there was a day not so many years ago when audiences were easy to please they were used to seeing the operators signal of distress but the modern theater has conditioned audiences to accept nothing but steady brilliant pictures clear lifelike sound today wherever motion pictures are shown in the church in the classroom in the factory or in the business meeting audiences expect and deserve perfect projection nothing less it's our responsibility and yours to see that the show does go on in the best possible way [Music]