Download Report - Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

ought together all the various Branches of the
Academy. Another thing has been accomplished
and, in my humble opinion, this is so valuable that
you cannot put a commercial figure on it, you cannot
say in dollars and cents what it amounts to. It
has brought into closest co-operation three great
bodies of men, the Atnerican Society of Cinematographers,
the Society of Motion Picture Engineers,
and the Technicians' Branch of the Academy, hence
the whole Academy. I believe that the weeks that
we have been working together and the fact of the
Society of Motion Picture Engineers meeting here
on the coast last week, their co-operation I'r'ith us
this week and the co-operation through the past
three months of the American Society of Cinematographers
have so closely knitted those three organizations
that it is going to be very difficult to
say where one stops and the other begins. Of course
the three will continue as separate organizations,
but there will be a fraternity and co-operation that
would not have existed if it had not been {or the
Engineers' meeting here last week, together with
this meeting and our joint efiorts with the American
Society of Cinematographers. Besides that, there
has been a shuffiing of the interests of the East and
the interests of the West so that the East and West
are as one, each understanding the problems of the
other. Out here a great many of us almost failed
to realize the enormous work that is so quietly and
unostentatiously being done in the laboratories in the
East. I speak particularly of the members of the
industry who are not technical men. Having lived
in the East myself and having.done engineering
work there for many years, I was fairly well in
touch with the Eastern experimenting research situation,
but with due respect to many of our
"Bosses" (and I do not object to the secretary taking
this down either), I think many of the Producers
do not fully realize the enormous importance
of the engineering and general scientific research
work, investigations and developments that are being
carried on by our brother engineers and scientists
in the East. No matter what the thought is,
no matter what the picture is, no matter what the
idea is, no matter how artistic it is, nevertheless,
in the final analysis it can only be put on the screen
and before the public by mechanical, engineering
and scientific means. It is through science that you
are able to translate a thought into a visual reality.
There is no writer, there is no director, there is no
artist, there is no Producer who is capable of putting
the story that he has conceived or wishes to
produce or act in on the screen in other manner
than through scientific and engineering mediums.
Consequently, with the gentlemen who came out
from the East working here with the engineers and
scientists in the West, I believe that that point has
been driven home to the controlling powers in the
industry in a way that it has never been driven
home before, even though some o{ these powers may
not understand everything from a technical standpoint
that has been discussed or done. When the
Producers realize the fact that to a Targe extent the
future possibilities and probabilities of the industry
as a whole lie in the possible development of the
sciences back of it, I believe that then you will find
they will back up one hundred per cent any effort
that is being made along engineering and scientific
lines.
The Academy does not want to hand down any
engineering rulings, neither does the Technicians'
Branch of the Academy wish to hand down any
technical decisions, but we as technicians, co-operating
with and working with our brothers, are merely
striving to give out technical facts as we find them.
In other words, we want to say, in Problem One
there is decision A, and in Problem Two there is
decision B, and whether you use A or B it is up to
you, but here is all the information about A and
here is all the information 2fes1 !-n6w choose
yourself whether you use A or B. In other words,
to try to present to the industry all of the facts and
the true facts of any problem of the industry. The
Academy does not advocate, promote or try to push
the use of any type of equipment or of any engineering
or scientific brand of opinions entering into the
motion picture industry. The Technicians' Branch
does not sponsor, advocate or endorse any type of
equipment or any brand of material that is used in
the industry. It is merely attempting to scientifically
analyze and examine everything that is being
presented to the motion picture industry, and give
the true facts, and leave the decision entirely with
the producers as to what they use and do not use.
I want at this time to particularly register our
appreciation and thanks for the assistance rendered
by all of the members of the American Society of
Cinematographers, which Society is so extremely
fortunate in being headed by one of really broad
vision. its President. Mr. Dan Clark. I wish to
thank the Society of Motion Picture Engineers for
their co-operation with us. We o{ the Academy
wish to thank also all corporations and individuals
who have contributed to the success of this undertaking.
We have a tremendous debt of gratitude
to acknowledge to the Association of Motion Picture
Producers, as represented here tonight by its
Executive Vice President, Mr. Fred Beetson. Gentlemen,
although Mr. Beetson is present, I have to
say what I think. We are very fortunate in having
had Mr. Beetson as Executive Vice-President o{ the
Association of Motion Picture Producers, because
although this is an Academy Convention, the Producers'
Association has financed the majority of the
tests. The whole thing at one time really rested in
Mr. Beetson's hands. He could have almost stopped
it by not getting through the necessary appropriations.
He is a man of the broadest vision. He has
thrown himsel{ whole-heartedly into this thing with
a courage and efiort that we cannot acknowledge
just in words.
Among my suggestions, may I respectfully,
through our Secretary to the Board of Directors'
suggest that a motion picture projection machine be
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