Page 12 - SAFAR

The main things to remember about film are :
-a. ~That it is extremely expensive-costing upwards of £30 for a feature length ;
b. ,,..Jsually it is borrowed and not your own property; and
c. Film damage is regarded as the cardinal sin of all projectionists, whereas
d. FILM DAMAGE IS SO VERY EASY TO AVOID WITH A LITTLE FORESIGHT
AND CARE.
Film damage in the 16mm gauge usually takes two forms; damaged or torn
:sprocket holes, and scratching of the actual picture or sound track area. Actual
cbreakage of the film is rare.
Damaged perforations can be caused by:
a. Physical damage to a sprocket tooth (manifested by a cyclic appearance of
the damage);
b. Worn sprocket or claw teeth " undercut" by the continual friction imposed by
t he film, and hooking the film instead of smoothly disengaging;
c. Loss of eit her top or bottom loops, causing the film to be dragged past the
claw teeth;
d. Film cradles out of alignment;
e. Bent spools;
f. Incorrect lacing;
g. Fierce take-up.
Continuous or intermittent scratches can be caused by:
a. Obstructions of foreign matter in the film path ;
b. Roller out of alignment or jammed;
c. Loops too large, causing the film to drag on the case;
d. Sound drum scored ;
e. Use of metal scrapers, causing metal burrs in the film path.

Mount the projector on a rigid stand or support high enough for the aud ience to
be unable to obstruct the light-path from projecto r to screen, even , if possible, when
they are standing-although this last is not strict ly necessary. Endeavou r to secure
as much "presence " (the illusion that speech or music is actually coming from the
scree n characters and not fro m t he loudspeaker) as possi ble by carefully siting ofth e
loudspeaker. Suggestions on siting have already been given, but a fe w notes on t he
more aesthetic points of sound reprod uction will not be out of place.
It is important to remember t hat no amo unt of juggling with tone or vol ume
controls will produce an increase in intelligibi lity in a hall possessing bad acoustic
characteristics. Such hal!s are us ually bare and gaunt and of such geometric form as
to play havoc with sound waves coming from the loudspeaker. The only cure is to
·devise some means of absorbing or breaking up these echoes. Large expanses of blank
wall must be draped with heavy material, such as curtaining or blankets, and the
.speaker placed higher than usual and pointed downwards at a more ac ute angle to
avoid sound waves being bounced from front to back walls.