Muviton (cinema)

Mixed camera system "Fox Muviton"

Muviton ( born Movietone ) - one of the first sound cinema systems with an optical combined phonogram on film . The technology provides accurate synchronization of sound with the image, independent of the settings of the film projector , through the use of common media . The track of the variable density of Mouviton standard films is suitable for reproduction by any modern film projector , since both the projection frequency and the track offset relative to the image coincide.

Content

Creation History

Theodore Case is considered the author of the Muviton system, who made a great contribution to the improvement of the previous technology “ Forest Fonofilm ”. The principle of light modulation, used to obtain a track of variable optical density, was developed by him together with his assistant Earl Sponable during the First World War for the maritime optical telegraph. The main components, such as the low - inertia gas-light lamp ( AEO-light ) and the thallium sulfide- based photocell , were developed by these engineers in the infrared inter-ship communications of the US Navy . After the conflict with Lee de Forest, Case and Sponsabel started creating their own sound film technology on the same components ^[1] . Since 1924, the development of a special mixed camera designed for shooting images and recording sound on the general negative film has been conducted. The first attempt was a remake of the Bell-Howell 2709 serial unit ( Eng. Bell & Howell 2709 ). A better camera was designed and assembled by the Wall Camera corporation, later known by three-film motion picture cameras for the panoramic cinema system “ Cinerama ”.

The main difference of the Case system from the standard of De Foresta was the frame rate increased to 24 frames per second, which coincides with the widely used “ Whitephone ”. In addition, now the phonogram has become ahead of the image on the combined film, while in the "Fonofilm" she was behind. This arrangement was needed in order to place the sound unit of the camera and the projector after the frame window during the film, and not in front of it, as it was before. This solution made it possible to increase the uniformity of motion of the film in the area of the sound block, better isolating this section of the tape path from intermittent movement in the area of the projection head ^[1] . The phonogram shift was 368 millimeters or 19.5 frames, almost coinciding with the modern SMPTE standard of 21 frames. Of the disadvantages of the technology, the most unpleasant was the almost square image on the screen with an aspect ratio of 1.16: 1 ^[2] . Placing the sound track between the perforation and the image forced the developers to narrow the “mute” frame 18 × 24 mm to the size 18 × 21 ^[3] ^[4] . The flaw was eliminated in subsequent systems with a classic frame of 16 × 22 mm.

The result of the work was the sound film system, surpassing all previous ones. Gramophone technology " Vaytafon " suffered from problems of synchronization with the image, which was far from ideal due to separate media. Compared with the "Forest Fonofilm", free from the difficulties of combining sound with an image, the sound quality of the Case system was incomparably higher. The possibility of shooting and recording with one device and compatibility with most existing projectors allowed the technology to quickly press down the main competitors in the sound film market ^[5] .

Commercial use

After the purchase in July 1926 of the rights to use by the founder of the XX Century Fox film company William Fox, the technology was named Fox Muviton. Although Fox already had the rights to the similar inventions of Freeman Harrison Owens and the German sound film system Triergon , the new technology was based only on the developments of the Keyes laboratory. In the same year, Fox hired Earl Sponsabel to further improve recording principles.

During 1926, "Muviton" was used to shoot several short films and the picture "How much does a victory cost?" ( Eng. What Price Glory? ) With an asynchronous musical-noise phonogram ^[6] ^[7] . In 1927, the " Sunrise " came out with the same sound design. Several replicas were pronounced on general plans that did not require precise synchronization. Less than a year later, the film company fully purchased the rights to the system, continuing its use for all of its sound productions until 1931. After that, Muviton replaced the similar technology of Western Electric with a more progressive modulator, called the “light valve” ^[8] ^[9] ^[10] . However, even after this, the news clips of the Movietone News studio continued to shoot in this standard until 1939.

Notes

↑ ¹ ² Lee de Forest, 2013 , p. 25
↑ 35 mm / 4-perf becomes standard (English) . Film Formats . Cinematographers. The appeal date is September 7, 2014.
↑ Principles of widescreen cinema, 1962 , p. ten.
↑ The End of the Silent Cinema, 1929 , p. nineteen.
↑ Cinema Technology, 1998 , p. 9.
↑ Fox Movietone Sound Films (English) . Early Sound Films of the Silent Era . Silent Era (May 20, 2012). The appeal date is January 9, 2015.
↑ Cinema Technology, 1998 , p. eight.
↑ Basics kinotehniki, 1965 , p. 380.
↑ Technique of film and television, 1975 , p. 67.
↑ Edward Bernds. Motion Picture Sound Recording In Its Infancy (English) . The State of the Art - 1928 . Art and Analyzes of Film Sound Design. The appeal date is January 10, 2015.

Literature

Weissenberg E. The end of silent movies. - L .: “Teakinopechat”, 1929. - 32 p.

E.M. Goldovsky . Principles of widescreen cinema / L. O. Eisymont. - M .: "Art", 1962. - 211 p.

E.M. Goldovsky . Basics kinotehniki / L. O. Eisymont. - M .: "Art", 1965. - 636 p.

Samokhin V. P., Mescherinova K. V., Shchechikov P. D. Lee de Forest (on the 140th anniversary of his birth) (Rus.) // Science and Education: electronic scientific and technical journal. - 2013. - № 8 . - ISSN 1994-0408 . Archived July 23, 2015.

To the 80th anniversary of the invention of cinema (rus.) // " Technique of cinema and television ": the magazine. - 1975. - № 12 . - p . 64-67 . - ISSN 0040-2249 .

Bernard Happé. The History of Sound in the Cinema (Eng.) // Cinema Technology: magazine. - 1998. - No. 7/8 . - P. 8-13 . - ISSN 0995-2251 . Archived October 11, 2010.

[nio-1] ¹ ² Lee de Forest, 2013 , p. 25

[2] 35 mm / 4-perf becomes standard (English) . Film Formats . Cinematographers. The appeal date is September 7, 2014.

[_0b9857201aed557c-3] Principles of widescreen cinema, 1962 , p. ten.

[_a508ff2c13399c81-4] The End of the Silent Cinema, 1929 , p. nineteen.

[_b759f0d5d5df042e-5] Cinema Technology, 1998 , p. 9.

[6] Fox Movietone Sound Films (English) . Early Sound Films of the Silent Era . Silent Era (May 20, 2012). The appeal date is January 9, 2015.

[_b759f0d5d5df042f-7] Cinema Technology, 1998 , p. eight.

[_ec089e8b965ee9aa-8] Basics kinotehniki, 1965 , p. 380.

[_768002dc0003ccdd-9] Technique of film and television, 1975 , p. 67.

[10] Edward Bernds. Motion Picture Sound Recording In Its Infancy (English) . The State of the Art - 1928 . Art and Analyzes of Film Sound Design. The appeal date is January 10, 2015.