The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-04-23
PUNCH WAR IS ON
Unsightly White BlOtehes on
Screen Are Explained.
Careless or Lazy Operators
Need "Change-Over" Signals.
SPOIL PICTURE CONTINUITY
High Glass Projectionists Never
Let Spots Appear.
Film Exchanges Consider Fines
for the Perpetrators.
Poll PICTURE CONTINUITY
BY XII.

Have you ever been to a movie
show? OF course you have, but while
at that movie show have you noticed
frequent white blotctes appear on the
screen? They are punch marks. You
have not seen so many of them of
late because the operators-beg par
don, they call themselves projection
lists now-are working to eliminate
what they and their brethren in the
earlier days of the film business, in
vented.
These punch marks are caused by
holes punched in the film several feet
from the end of each reel. They are
Change signals. They tell the
projectionist that it is time to shift
his machine and start on the next
reel of the picture he is showing.
They are out of favor in the motion
picture game now, the projectionists
using cues now instead.
About the only time one sees punch
marks these days is at the first show
ing of a film, when the projectionist
has had TO opportunity to eliminate
them by cutting out that part of the
film wherein they appear There are
still operators-the projectionists in
sist that such persons are only opera
tors-who cannot depend upon cues
which necessitate careful watching in
order to catch.
These persons, when they find no
punch holes toward the end of the
punch new ones. When the films go
back to the exchange, if they are not
Immediately shipped out again, they
are inspected and the punch holes
eliminated again, but if they are
shipped out immediately the pro-
jectionist must catch the error and
correct it.
Some of the exchanges are now
considering a fine system to prevent
the punching of films by the careless
4 II, l. 51rI7r -l11ner
projectionists, who have been forced
to extra work repeatedly in order that
their work continuous on the
screen, are considering an appeal to
their union for a rule against the
practice.
F. H. Richardson, projection expert
who conducts a department in THE
Motion Picture World" is also con-
Quoting a camp aign against the punch
hole artists in no uncertain terms. The
following is one of his recent TRADES
against the punch hole practice and
its practitioners In reference to a
sample of maltreated film sent him,
he says:
The Punch Fiend Again.
zone would suppose that experience
and the passing of the years would
teach even the most confirmed sap
head at least enough that he would
lay aside the punch
.21S75 1872 of an inch in diameter.
That the improving numbskul who
made them should be treated to a
dose of the old fashioned ducking
stool. goes without saying. but what
about the exchange manager 90
whose inspection co is so farcical
that the guilty one is not detected and
made to pay for the ruined film Is
or is he not worse than the one who
punched the holes? A
I'VE have about given up the task
of trying to stop the damaging of the
property of exchanges which are too
Internally shiftless to protect their
own property.
"In fact. if it were only them who
suffered we would not say a word,
because they could stop the outrage
in a week if they wanted to badly
enough to really inspect their films
and make the one doing wanton dam
age of this sort pay for the damage.
but the fact is that projectionists
and innocent audiences are the worst
sufferers. the former because they are
unable to put on high class work with
butchered up film: the latter because
they pay TO see a photoplay, not
series of white, disillusioning flashes
of light on the screen
Bessie Love has commenced another
series of Goodnight stories for chill
dren. The young actress varies her
screen activity with writing and her
first series of bedtime tales is now in
oat1rsf Of publication.