Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: 28mm Film & Projectors.

This is topic 28mm Film & Projectors. in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Bernard Tonks (Member # 809) on 03-19-2002, 03:01 PM:

Doing some clearing out I found a small length of 28mm film. I have heard of this gauge, but if anyone has any history about the film stock and projectors, I would be interested, thanks.

I have sent a sample picture of some frames, which are poor quality, as I don’t have a transparency scanner, but you should be able to see the type of perforations adopted.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 03-19-2002, 03:13 PM:

Here's some links:

28mm camera:
http://members.tripod.lycos.nl/cinemat/Pathescopcam2x.jpg

28mm film and projectors:
http://www.xs4all.nl/~wichm/pathkok.jpg
http://people.a2000.nl/awichman/victor28.jpg
http://www.xs4all.nl/~wichm/bing28mm.jpg
http://members.tripod.lycos.nl/cinemat/28mmproj.jpg

Other links:
http://www.sci.fi/~animato/filmhist/filmhist.html

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: +1 585 477 5325 Cell: +1 585 781 4036 Fax: +1 585 722 7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 03-19-2002, 03:54 PM:

I have a Victor safety cinema and a Pathe 28mm projector in the collection

Posted by Gerard S. Cohen (Member # 994) on 03-19-2002, 08:39 PM:

I believe my 28mm hand cranked Pathe projector dates from 1908. It was found in an upstate New York home for the aged. They then went to a pair of Holmes Educator Eight 35mm sound machines, which I also acquired.

The perforation pattern you show prevented the film from being threaded reversed laterally. But this was abandoned for later films
which had the same pattern on both left and right.

The films that came with it are short documentaries. "Oil Well Fire"
was printed on red/orange stock (or tinted) to enhance the subject.
A cartoon is on yellow stock. Each film is about 200' to 400' in length, and came in a colored can with printed label. Of course 28mm
film is safety stock. I think it was invented to prevent standard
(35mm nitrate) film from being used in homes, churches or other places
for safety, and to bypass Edison's strictly enforced patent monopoly
on the manufacture, sale and use of perforated 35mm stock.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 03-20-2002, 05:18 AM:

28mm negatives and intermediate elements are nitrate and (if memory serves me correctly) have four perforations on both sides, but release prints are diacetate with only one perf per frame on the left (as shown in Bernard's picture).

I agree with Gerard - the Motion Picture Patents Corporation had something to do with this. I'll have a look in Raymond Fielding's 'Technological History of Motion Pictures and Television' this evening and see if there's any info there. David Puttnam's 'The Undeclared War' also has a chapter on Edison, the MPPC and European attempts to break it, but I don't think he goes into much technological detail.