Tne Rise of the Picture Theatre.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 17 January 1911, Page 4

Tne Rise of the Picture Theatre.

(Times Weekly Edition.) The fact that the London County Council have been called, upon to grant 87 new electric theatre licenses, and that already some 0000 of Ithe.se displays are in operation in different parts of the Kingdom, are sufficient to indicate the position thai the cinematograph has now attained in public estimation. Recent, scientific developments would appear to render 'it certain that the time is not far distant when the world's important events, or such of them as take the public fancy most vividly, will -b<s represented on the screens of the cinematograph theatre within a few hours, or at the most a few da\s. of their occurrence. We already read of the displays of the race for the Derbv on the same evening en the stage of a

LONDON MUSIC-HALL, and. with certain improvements now promised, wo may anticipate that the period is approaching when' we shall be enabled to witness events whi!'h have'taken place at great distances depicted with actual fidelity and even -in their true colors after I he briefest possible interval of rime. I't is important to hoar in mind that, though this form of entertainment is still in its infancy, the cinematograph is not a mere means of amusement and recreation. Im't that it is destined to become a n;n.-Jt valuable vehicle of instruction, and that it- will furnish a powerful medium in the hands of the teacher and j the public lecturer. , A good film may be run to a 'length of 1000 feet, and. as each piet ure is I in. liigih by lin. wide, there may lie ,16,000 photographs on a single film. The movement of this film is imparted step by step by a simple arrangement of bearing, and it N so contrived that the change from one picture to the next occupies hut one-fifth of the time that the film remains stationary and exposed. During the interval needed for CHANGING Til 10 PICTURE the projected image must bo entir 1 - ly cut off from the screen. This i- ! secured by means of a revolving I shunter or disc, with a perforation occupying four-fifths of the circumference; the solid portion of one-fifth .'••erring as a stop. I,j; is the short duration of the picture on the screen, followed by a rapid but complete shutting off of the image and 1 i;>;111, which gives rise to the objectionable vibration or 'flicker' of the pictures shown by these machines. ' THE n/rcKKR. In order to secure faithful and really life-like pictures i't is essential that the speed with which (lie scene on tho film is passed before tin eye should approximate as closely as possible to the time intervals between the photographs, but this, n. the existing form of the apparatus, presents serious difficulties. T.i ■•e----duce the flicker, which occasions uracil discomfort, and even in -one cases intense headache, it is eiis'turary to drive the- machines so rapidly as to-change the picture.*; at a miici i 'i'l'oi'ier speed than that at which j they were originally produced. The infect is give an on real and hu"ried appearance when the scene is one taken from actual life; the movements are intensified into gesticulations, and much of the action is changed into burlesque. Moreover the rapidity of the motion causes undue wear and tear and damage to the films. Among the expedients rhi"h have been adopted with a fair amount of success to overcome the dicker, is the use of a piece of vieba glass of wire gauv.c. inserted in the centre of the opening in the revolving shuHtor. exactly opposite the dark part and equal to it in area. This (ends to reduce the perl::.'icily of the, flicker, but it- is obvious that i' f must also cut off a good deal of the light. THE LATEST IMPROVKMKNTA recent improvement is embodied in the "dioptic cinematograj.'i. in which two projection lenses are used simultaneously, with two identical films, illuminated by preference from a single source of light. The shutters in this form of apparatus are so contrived that as (the. image projected from one lense is cut off. in order to permit- the change of picture to take place, the image projected from the other lens is being exhibited. In this way not only is the illumination of the screen at- nil periods absolutely equal and uniform, but also tine images in course of being projected on the s'-reen dissolve one into tho other without any obscuration or flicker. An advantage of this system is that the instrument can be worked at slowest speed and ydt project pictures continuously, without creating flicker. In the ordinary single lens machine it is difficult to synchronize the motion with the gramophone. This ■difficulty is chiefly due to the speed of working needed to reduce flicker, and has led. to the disuse of "singing pictures" in many theatres. But with the dioptie cinematograph it can lie overcome.