While we welcome enquiries from readers,
we
regret that it is not possible to send
individual
replies. Questions of sufficient
interest,
however, will be answered by our
technical
experts in this column. Please do
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enquiries.
Reproduced from the November 1972 issue
of Movie Maker This page was last updated 02 Dec 2002
I have devised a method of transferring sound
from six tape tracks onto stripe. As the tapes used
are perforated I can cut and edit the two tracks
carrying lip-sync speech and spot effects, the
remainder of the tracks being dubbed by re-
recording methods. I use two quarter-track stereo
recorders fitted with extra stacked stereo heads,
reading tracks two and four, and fitted with record
and replay pre-amps. One of the recorders is to be
a variable speed type or to be capable of being
speed controlled by an external variac. My idea is
to put pulses from a tone generator onto two of the
perforated tapes. What I want to know is: will the
Farnell-Tandberg FT1 unit show the state of sync
when the two perf/pulse tracks are fed from the
two recorders to the FT1 ? - Roy Alexander, Borth, Cardiganshire.
The FT1 will only control the
Tandberg 11 battery recorder but it can be used to show the state of sync if the second recorder has its own variable
speed control.
Like Bill Fleming whose letter was published in
your June 1972 issue, I am interested in 3D
movies and have had some success with a beam
splitter. My problem is to find some optical method
of aligning a prism stereo splitter on a 13mm lens.
As yet I have found no one who can divide a 16mm
frame into two equal parts. Would you happen to
know of any optical firm in your country that
would undertake such a project? J Kane.Jr. USA.
One of the specialist lens companies
that advertise in the American Cinematographer should be able to do the line
up but it is essential that you send the camera as
well as the lenses. The use of a reflex camera would of course help you to do it
yourself. The Elmo 3D device is intended for one of the Elmo super 8 cameras so you would have the
same line up problems. I am sure one of the main London dealers would be pleased to supply one to
you.
I have just read Peter Mountain's article, Backwind with Sellotape, in Q the July Movie
Maker and I am wondering if it is true that taping
over the take-up disc so that it cannot revolve, in
no way damages the camera mechanism. - M.
1. Seccombe, Doncaster, Yorks.
The camera mechanism will not be damaged
as the drive is designed to slip.
I have seen the Eumig Mini 3 camera advertised in Movie Maker and would
Q very much like to
read a test report on this model. However, on looking through some back numbers I can only
find a report on the very similar Bolex 233. Would this report apply also to the Eumig mini 3 ? - _7.
Lincoln, Acton, London.
Yes. The Bolex and Eumig are basically the same camera but the Bolex
has a slightly longer zoom range and
focusing down to 4ft.
I have just received the enclosed standard 8 film back from processing
Q and it appears to be fogged down the left side. The opening for the film
insertion in my camera is very slightly loose after closing but there is a deep enough flange and no
light should get through. Can you suggest any reasons why my film should be spoiled? A. Brown, Prestwich, Lancs.
The film is not fogged but unexposod. It
looks as though something is stuck
between the lens and the gate.
I have been using the Eumig Chemo
splicer and am very dissatisfied with the
results. When running a piece of test
film with six splices through the projector I
found that while none of the joins actually
failed, one chemo join had started to open at
one side. Is there a fault in my splicer ? -
H. Mason, Pinner, Middx.
After examining your test film, we s found that
too much cement was used on the joins and the film base had buckled. To be successful with any
joiner, you must keep it spotlessly clean and use just enough fresh film cement to cover the join.
Can you help me with these four queries about
the Bolex 233 super 8 camera?
(1) Is it possible to
film in very bright light (i.e. in brilliant sunshine)
?
(2) In the unlikely event Of Kodachrome II being
replaced by a faster speed film would this camera
be unusable
P
(3) Would I be able to film at night P
(4) Finally, do the CdS cells last indefinitely
or do they need replacing at intervals ? -
N. Hinde, Hounslow, Middx.
The automatic system in the Bolex 233
As
camera should cope with most light
conditions and the latest models will take the new
160
ASA
Ektachrome film, which is also the ideal
stock for night filming. The CdS cell should last the
life of the camera.
I recently bought two films from a
library and, on projecting them on my Boots 200 Zoom super 8 projector, discovered that the film
often jammed in the
gate. I had the projector repaired but as the trouble still persisted I consulted a dealer who told me that when the film was being printed
down from 16mm to 8mm the distance from each sprocket had to vary slightly to give the correct speed. The library confirmed this and
explained that this was the reason for the closing down of their super 8 hire service. Is this true and have I spent
£15 for nothing? - F. S. Treves, London SW20.
The reason given by your dealer seems
to us a
fanciful one. The super 8 film stock on which
library films are printed would have the sprocket
holes on a standard pitch and there is absolutely
no possibility of this pitch being altered to suit the
running speed of the film. We know that some
libraries have discontinued the supply of super 8
prints on the grounds that these are more
susceptible to damage than standard 8 (sprocket
holes are smaller and therefore a greater degree of
precision is needed in the claw mechanism) and we
have reported this argument at some length in Movie Maker together with a carefully researched
reply from Kodak Ltd who supply most of the film
stock used.
