Page 7 - pm_1951_12

A Visit to Pathescope

The following article is reproduced by kind permission of the P.O. A. journal
So great was the volume of film coming
NE of the last public utterances of
0 Charles Dowers, late Managing Director through at the time ,we wer-e there, that,
of Pathescope Ltd. was a r-eaffirmation with two machines ~ ril.ing continuously,
of his absolute faith in the future of 9.5 mm. there was a delay of up to two weeks in
film in the amateur field. An excellent in- return of customers' films.
dication Qf the enormous demand for film
and equipment in this gauge was afforded
when we recently visited the works-a ver- Printed Film
ita ble hive of industry in all departments. In another room we watched mac.hines at
work printing Pathescope films for general
Having been cheerfully welcomed by the
Secretary and Sales Manager we were sale. The original feature or other film
negative, having . been edited, is optically
handed over, in turn, to the heads of the reduced, three frames side by side, on to
various departments. They all were most 35 mm. film . The prints are subsequently
helpful and obviously enthusiastic about their
respective sections of the . organisation. slit and perforated to 9.5 mm. specifications.
To those who occasionally complain of the
quality of some 9.5 mm. prints of old classics,
it must be said that the print quality is
Film Proce111ring
qover~ed by the quality and condition of
We passed first into the room where the original negative.
chargers of exposed film are received for
processing. These are sorted into the vari-
ous types and makes so that each shalf Projeetor •anu(acture
receive the correct treatment. Here, the On our way to the assembly shop we
first headaches occur. Films ar-e received looked into a pitch dark room where there
from time to Hme without the name and could be heard a rustling of paper and
address of the sender. They are processed, foil. In there several blind men were
their contents noted and are subsequently loading chargers w:th film . In the work-
filed while awaiting the inevitable irate letter shop we followed the building of the
accusing the company of undue delay, etc., various Pathescope projectors from the
etc. Sometimes a considerable amount of castings to the finished product. Gradually
correspondence -ensues as the customer fails the machine took shape as component
to supply satisfactory clues. · Such lame after component was added and perform-
descriptions as "my son playing on the
ance checked at each stage until the final
beach" are deemed sufficient to identify a inspection bench was reached. There, a
film . Even then, there are those who return
short length of film was run through and
a film declaring that it is not theirs, only the projected image inspected. Then into
later to agree that after all, it was. The their boxes they went and on to the stock-
explanation is that they had not projected rooms where they did not remain long.
it. Again, some users reload Pathescope Some were dest;ned for export and they
c.hargers with film other than that indicated were finished in a diff.erent colour from
on the charger without indicating the fact. those which you will receive. In one
If taken on the face value of the charger, corner of the assembly shop there emerged
the film may not receive optimum treatment.
shrieks and groans followed by music and
speech. Over there "Son" projectors were
Having been recorded and allocated a
serial number, the films are passed to the being proved before they were packed.
processing plant where they pass in a con- Like so many factories nowadays, space
tinuous length through the successive baths. was at a premium _and supplies of raw
Girls clamp the films together to feed the materials were lamentably short of require-
machine, the baths of which are meticulously ments but there was no doubt that every-
controlled. After leaving the final washing thing was being done to supply as many
bath, the film passes an "air squeegee" which machines as possible to meet the apparently
removes the major portion of the superficial insatiable demand.
water, through a drying cabinet and is spool-
ed as it emerges. The full spools pass to Ser'tJit'e Department
girls who separate the individual films, splice
on leaders with an incredible speed and the Our final point of call was the service
films are ready for sorting into the waiting department where cameras and projectors,
env- elopes which are perforated simultan- many of them having seen years of service,
eously with the film, with an identification are overhauled and given a new lease
number. of life.
Page Seven