Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Cord Screen

This is topic Cord Screen in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Hugh McCullough (Member # 1542) on 07-08-2003, 05:49 AM:

Can anybody tell me what is an Ecran Cordon, or Cord Screen ?
Apparently it is a type of projection screen, but I have never heard the name.
Thanks for any help.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 07-08-2003, 07:28 AM:

Sounds like French to me.

Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 07-08-2003, 07:49 AM:

A quick google search for "Cordon Ecran" comes up with screened cord(or cable) but no cinematic references.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 07-08-2003, 08:13 AM:

quote:
Sounds like French to me.

Oui! As a masculine noun has it two meanings; cord, as in a synonym for string or rope (e.g. cordon d'alimentation - power lead, or cordon médullaire - spinal cord) and cordon as in barrier (e.g. cordon sanitaire - quarrantine).

If you were trying to describe a screen made of cord (i.e. 'cordon' being the adjective, not the noun) I would expect it to be 'écran de cordon' (like écran de fumée - smokescreen), not 'cordon écran'. 'Cordon de écran' would be 'cord of screen', whilst omitting the 'de' turns 'écran' into a verb, i.e. the 'screened cord [cable]' uneartherd by Dick's Google search.

There again I haven't formally studied French for 16 years and my only recent experience of using the language is on holiday and after having drunk significant amounts of the substance which I understand the US now refuses to import on patriotic grounds, so the above might not be quite right!

Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 07-08-2003, 09:41 AM:

quote:
'screened cord [cable]' uneartherd by Dick's Google search.

Leo was the pun intentional

Posted by John Anastasio (Member # 607) on 07-08-2003, 03:59 PM:

Maybe "Ribbon Screen"? Conceivably like some of the panel screens of the past.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 07-08-2003, 06:54 PM:

How about a lenticular screen? -- the grooves might translate as "cordon".

Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 07-09-2003, 02:33 AM:

quote:
Maybe "Ribbon Screen"? Conceivably like some of the panel screens of the past.

Quite possibly. Doesn't Cordon Bleu translate as Blue Ribbon?
So perhaps it is a Cinerama type screen,just like ours in Bradford
[Embarrassed]

Why didn't I think of that [Confused]

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 07-09-2003, 12:14 PM:

Dick sair "Quite possibly. Doesn't Cordon Bleu translate as Blue Ribbon"
If it is a blue ribbon screen it must be for sin-eramma blue movies [beer]

Posted by Bob Maar (Member # 763) on 07-09-2003, 12:48 PM:

Screen Cord is used when you install a curved screen. in plan view looking down at the curve of the screen draw a line from left to right from the outer edges.

You then measure from the center of the screen to the line.

This measurement is the cord.

When you measure the projection throw distance you measure to the cord not the screen surface. Remember to measure from the aperture plane not the port.

Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 07-09-2003, 01:13 PM:

From THE WIDESCREEN MUSEUM of Marty Hart:

Screen Chord

Posted by Bob Maar (Member # 763) on 07-09-2003, 01:23 PM:

In Mark's terrific post, they are measuring from the picture edge which is the correct way to proceed.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 07-09-2003, 03:24 PM:

quote:
Leo was the pun intentional

Nope, just a typo - sorry to disappoint!

Posted by Hugh McCullough (Member # 1542) on 07-09-2003, 03:57 PM:

Thank you everyone for your replies.
A theatrical friend tells me that he thinks an Ecran Cordon was used in the live theatre.(Probably Victorian)
It seems to have consisted of a central panel with a number of reflective panels, angled towards the centre, on either side.
A picture, probably from a Magic Lantern, was projected onto the centre, and reflected by the side panels thereby giving a type of 3D effect.
So this could be an early form of what we now call a lenticular screen.
The name still survives in the world of French made wide angle of vision plasma screens.Or so Google tells me.
I rather like Gordon's explanation.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 07-10-2003, 02:18 AM:

This book (which a friend of mine translated) is pretty much the definitive history of Victorian optical media technology. A colleague has my copy, but I'll try and repossess it from her and see what it says about écrans cordon.