Animated Viewers

Some cutting rooms are equipped with an animated viewer. Amateur movie makers frequently do all their editing on a viewer of this kind which they call an ‘editor’. Animated viewers usually consist of a few rollers and a small viewing screen, three or four inches across, on which the picture is projected via a rotating prism. They are often fixed to a small baseboard with a rewind arm on either side. To move the frames through the gate you increase the tension on the film, which is fed from one rewind arm to the other via the viewer. The speed at which film can be viewed depends entirely on the speed at which the rewind arms are turned. This kind of viewer can be useful in finding material to make a first assembly but its professional applications are strictly limited. The main reason for the limitation is that as the rewind arms are not power operated but controlled by hand, the speed at which film passes through the machine will vary depending on the amount of effort applied. It is thus impossible to gauge the exact effect of any shot duration accurately.

Function of the Viewer in cutting

Two particular makes of viewer are sometimes found in cutting rooms. The Zeiss Moviscop and the Muray viewer are both quite widely used. The Muray is one of the cheaper viewers and gives excellent performance. It is made from metal, is reasonably sturdy and gives a good bright picture on a ground glass screen. The film passes under two guide rollers, the second of which holds the film on a sprocket. This sprocket turns a rotating prism immediately under the film gate. Light shines through the film to the prism and the picture is then back-projected on a ground glass screen. The lamphouse can be raised and lowered by hand to give direct access to the film in the picture gate. When the lamphouse is raised the lamp cuts out. You can then mark the film at the point at which you want to cut, lower the lamphouse again when the lamp will turn itself on again. If you are thinking of buying a machine of this kind make sure you get one which gives a clear bright picture. If it is dim and difficult to see you will soon find that you get tired of looking at it. Make sure too, that the film is easy to mark without having to burn your fingers on a lamp or turn the machine on its side. These are small points, but they are important enough when you are working on a machine for a long time.

ANIMATED VIEWERS

For locating and assembling material

1. Layout
Viewers are normally fixed to a baseboard with rewind arms on either side. Picture is back projected via a rotating prism on to a small screen. The lamphouse, above the film can be raised and lowered so that you can mark your cutting point.

2. Projection by prism
A prism under the film path rotates, conducting the film images frame by frame via mirrors to the screen.