 |
|
| Hobby Forum Index » Arts - Disney - Animation » "Fantasia" had new technology even in its SuperScope... |
|
Page 1 of 1 |
|
| Author |
Message |
| RD in Kennesaw... |
 Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 10:41 am |
|
|
|
Guest
|
"Fantasia" had new technology even in its SuperScope release. I
realize that it is now anathema to screw around with images this way,
but when "Fantasia" was released in the SuperScope format (also known
as CinemaScope, but without having to pay royalties to 20th Century-
Fox), the Disney engineers came up with a system almost as complicated
as the original FantaSound, only for optics instead of sound. Below
is the text of an article I recently posted on another newsgroup, but
which is just as pertinent to this NG.
from INTERNATIONAL PROJECTIONIST, March 1956, pp. 14-15:
Special Projection Process Give 'Fantasia' New Look
By NORMAN WASSERMAN
Size of screen image can
be automatically expanded or
contracted to enhance sub-
ject matter of each sequence.
From Hollywood recently has come a unique mechanism designed
specifically to give a popular old picture a "new look." Walt
Disney's "Fantasia," which originally appeared in 1940 and was
heralded then as the first motion picture with multi-track sound, is
currently being revived and shown via a new projection technique which
not only expands the picture image, but having expanded it, also
contracts it back to standard proportions many times during the
showing. A more effective "Fantasia" than that which came out 15
years ago is thereby achieved.
The Buena Vista Distributing Co., distributor of Disney films,
proposes to distribute the reborn product in key cities throughout the
country. It was announced that no engagement will be contracted
unless the proper equipment for the new mode of projection is
installed. The Trans-Lux Normandie Theatre in New York was the first
to make the necessary installation and exhibit the film.
Variable Aspect Ratio
Projectionists may remember what "Fantasia" looked and sounded like in
the pre-CinemaScope days when it first came on the scene. No one then
commented on the size of the screen, because it was the standard 1.33
to 1 ratio that was used for every 35-mm film in those days. The
multi-track sound system, however, received much well-deserved praise
because it was a daring and successful venture. Today on the other
hand, it is not the sound that is talked about, though this aspect
also has been further improved upon. Today it is the versatile
screening, the right-in-front-of-your-eyes changing of the size of the
screen and picture image during the continuous projection of the
feature that is worthy of mention.
What happened at the Normandie "premiere" was that the live-action
sequences of the film appeared in standard 1.33 to 1 aspect ratio,
while most of the cartoon portions came out in 2 to 1 proportions.
The resulting contrast, with no break in the performance, was highly
effective, making the widescreen scenes appear wider and the smaller
screen image more concentrated.
This trick was accomplished by means of a variable anamorphic lens
unit coupled to an automatic control mechanism. Because the figures
in the cartoon sequences of "Fantasia" do not show effects of
distortion even if they are expanded from 30 to 40% horizontally,
anamorphic projection can be employed in these cartoon sequences even
if the print itself is unsqueezed. The automatic control mechanism
set the variable anamorphic at zero when footage of live musicians
appeared on the screen, and the picture contracted to 1.33 to 1
proportions.
As the apparatus controlling the picture size operates automatically
by electronics, film continuity was never broken. The contraction and
dilation of the screen image worked smoothly and rapidly. The shift
from standard to widescreen as well as the reverse
[figure of original optical four-track frame inserted here]
order shift, was completely executed in 20 seconds.
The mechanism effecting the varying sized pictures is a motor-driven
lens control, which was developed by Walt Disney Studio engineers
especially for "Fantasia." A flexible shaft connects an electric
motor with the anamorphic lens unit. A gear and chain linkage serves
to narrow or widen the picture by resetting the prisms. The motor is
activated by cue markings on one of the four magnetic sound tracks on
the new print of the film.
How Lens Control Works
When the cue marks are reached, an action is set up which changes the
"squeeze" ratio of the anamorphic lenses from widescreen to 1.33 to 1
and the reverse. Under such an arrangement, the necessary
accompanying changes in the screen masking may be accomplished either
manually or electronically. At the Normandie, a push-button system
operated by the projectionist enlarges or diminishes the size of the
screen at the same time that the anamorphics are undergoing
corresponding changes at the projector.
Another difference in the showings of the revived "Fantasia" is that
the sound is now carried by magnetic rather than optical sound
tracks. The regular CinemaScope striping system is employed, with the
program sound appearing on tracks 1, 2 and 3. The fourth track
contains only the cues that actuate the lens controlling mechanism.
When first released, "Fantasia" employed three optical soundtracks on
separate film.
Cues consist of short sections of 7500 cycle tones imprinted at
appropriate pre-determined locations along track 4. The projectionist
must be sure to have his lenses in correct position for the opening
scene of the show. This done, all further changes throughout the
entire running of the film are made automatically. Whenever a change
does occur, it takes place within 32 feet of running time, or roughly
20 seconds.
Assuming that the lenses on both machines are correctly set for the
start of the picture, they will remain in that position until the
first 7500 cycle tone is reached on track 4. This signal activates
the adjustment mechanism which in turn alters the setting of the
variable anamorphic lens to accommodate the next portion of the film.
There are a total of eleven changes in actual screen size, standard to
widescreen and back, from beginning to end of picture.
Automatic Adjustment
Two reels of the feature, Nos. 2 and 3, necessitate a new lens
adjustment after run-out in anticipation of a different sized picture
at the start of the following reel in each projector, reels Nos. 4 and
5. In each of these cases, a tone signal has been positioned at a
point along the track that sets the lens adjusting mechanism into
operation just before the changeover. The result is that the lens
adjustment takes place after the film has run out so that the lens is
already correctly set before the next reel is threaded up.
According to Irving Ludwig, domestic sales manager of the Buena Vista
Distribution Co., only those theatres that install the new lens
control mechanism will be able to show "Fantasia" in its present
reissue form. The first requisite is that the theatre be equipped for
both CinemaScope and stereophonic sound. These conditions satisfied,
Buena Vista will then provide the necessary units for automatic
adjustment of the lenses during performances.
The Trans-Lux Normandie Theatre uses a standard screen size of 12 by
14.6 feet and a wide screen of 12 by 22.5 feet. Each side masking was
moved in or out nearly four feet whenever a change of screen was
made. The intrinsic interest of the film together with the subtle
masking movement made it often difficult to determine when a
particular change took place.
All the live-action sequences, in which Deems Taylor and Leopold
Stokowski are seen with the Philadelphia Orchestra, appear on standard-
size screen; while the majority of the cartoon portions, in which
Disney illustrates the music of Bach, Shubert, Tchaikovsky and others
are all on widescreen.
It should be noted again that none of the sequences were "squeezed" on
the reissue prints, so that there is no anamorphic "unsqueezing"
during projection, but rather a gradual expansion of selected
sequences. Only the cartoon portions of the film - and not all of
these - were selected for expansion. The plain and practical reason
for this is simply that Deems Taylor and Leopold Stokowski, if
expanded, would probably come out Lew Costello and Jackie Gleason.
Even the Mickey Mouse section, illustrating the music of "The
Sorcerer's Apprentice," appeared on standard size screen lest Mickey
become too flattened out by the expansion process. For most of the
other cartoon sequences, expansion served only to enhance; this is
especially true of the dramatic dinosaur scenes of the "Rite of
Spring."
Limited Application
In its present form, application of the Disney lens-controlling device
is necessarily severely limited. No live action picture and even very
few cartoons lend themselves to the distortion where the print is non-
anamorphic. "Fantasia" in fact may be the ideal single exception. In
any event, plans for marketing the lens-control system have not been
determined beyond the current successful adaptation of it to
"Fantasia."
The modernized Trans-Lux Normandie Theatre in New York is the first
theatre to use the system. The men operating the two Century
projectors at the Normandie are projectionists Herman Epstein, Milton
Mark, Morris Daniels, and Jules Finklestein, all of Local 306, New
York City.
=============================================================
My comments:
In the first place, such a practice would never be tolerated in the
21st century. The purists screamed about this in 1956, and fifty
years later, they would be even louder. However, having seen this at
the time in North Carolina, I can say it worked reasonably well. Yes,
any round object, such as the sun, was oval, but unless you looked for
it, not that noticeable. But I thought the shifting back and forth
was somewhat annoying. Of course, if something like this was done
today, everything would be printed that way on the film. And rather
than expanding or contracting the image, cropping would be used. Hey,
if you're going to distort the image, does it matter that much how you
do it?
Second, it seems strange that they would go to so much trouble to
automate the changing of the lenses but yet leave screen masking
changes to a manual operation. Of course, there was always a
projectionist on station in those days. When I saw the film, the
masking was not changed, which is the way it's done today when
shifting between commercials, previews, and the feature.
Third, there has been some discussion lately about how small screens
used to be. The dimensions given here illustrate that assertion.
Notice that if you do the arithmetic, you don't get 1.33:1, or 2:1, or
2.35:1.
Fourth, I notice that they had cues at the ends of reels 2 & 3, before
going to 4 & 5. Now they use platters, so such changeovers don't
occur, but it seems to me that the reel numbers given are out of
sequence. Did they alternate between projectors such that 4 followed
2, and 5 followed 3?
Finally, it's worth noting that once again, "Fantasia" broke new
technological ground, even if this invention had no further
application. First there was multi-channel (and surround) sound, then
multi-aspect pictures, and finally, Imax 70/15 for "Fantasia 2000".
If there's another "Fantasia", I wonder what new invention they will
offer. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
|
All times are GMT - 5 Hours
The time now is Sun Nov 29, 2009 7:23 am
|
|