Page 8 - RD_2021-06a

This is how the movement works:
Attached to the camera aperture plate,
just above the picture aperture, are two
fixed registration or pilot pins. These
pins are machined to be a perfect fit in
the film sprocket holes. The film passes
vertically between two supporting
plates called "leaves" similar to a
normal camera gate except that the
leaves are actuated by a cam, and move
the film forward horizontally to engage
the fixed registration pins while the
film is exposed. The leaves then
withdraw the film clear of the pins, at
the same time engaging a vertical claw The camera fully dressed, ready for a starring role in Phillip
that pulls the film down exactly one Noyes great film on our golden newsreel years "Newsfront".
Newsco was the fictitious name for Cinesound in the story.
frame ready for the film to again engage
the fixed pins and be exposed. The only head in the back shed! Speak to one of our
limitation of this movement is that it cannot technical people!" Bang!.. he hung up. (The
operate at film speeds much beyond 26 frames Receptionist was at lunch and my call had
per second, and at 24 frames per second it interrupted a top level conference between the
sounded like a very noisy chaff cutter-but in Studio Head and a TV series Producer from
the days of Silent Cinema that was not a Hollywood- bad timing). Four STD calls later
problem. I was taking to Keith Kanaar - he services the
Studio's cinema projectors. Yes, he would
Now back to the saga of my 2709. You have a look in the shed on his next service
remember my casting bread upon the waters- visit-if it was okay with the boss. (I didn't like
well, at last the phone started ringing. Phillip my chances). About a month later a large
Grace remembered seeing a Bell & Howell heavy box arrived in the post with a note from
geared tripod head c. 1912 up on a shelf at the Keith, the Studio Chief had given me the
back of the old engineering shed behind what tripod head, with his compliments. Oh yes, it
used to be Fontana Studios in Sydney-that was was exactly where Phillip Grace said it would
about four years ago "I reckon it's still there ... be. Thanks fellas, that made my day!
it's worth a try".
Ron West rang. He had a 12" Dallmayer Lens
"Oh! For God's sake- No! I don't know from a 2709- needed some work on the lens
anything about an old Bell & Howell tripod mount-and there was part of a matte box too.
He would swap both for a 16 mm camera
body. Done!

Michael and Gillian Franklin, film-
makers and exhibitors from Canberra
popped in to see our Movie Museum, and
Michael mentioned he had a couple of
1000 ft Bell & Howell magazines in a
Movietone case that had been used in the
film "Newsfront" if I was interested? Oh
yes, and there's a big Akeley gyro head
tripod "that would carry a tank". or a
2709.

8 REEL DEALS June 2021