8mm Forum: The Scopitone 16mm Jukebox in Action

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Topic: The Scopitone 16mm Jukebox in Action

Claus Harding
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1149
From: Washington DC
Registered: Oct 2006

posted December 11, 2016 11:48 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIQSZ2DwbW8

If you've never seen the "guts" of one of these, here's a quick glimpse of the machine at work. Truly an ingenious design.

Claus.

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"Why are there shots of deserts in a scene that's supposed to take place in Belgium during the winter?" (Review of 'Battle of the Bulge'.)

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Evan Samaras
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 513
From: Queens, NY, USA
Registered: Oct 2015

posted December 11, 2016 12:44 PM

Thank you for sharing this Claus!

I have never seen one of these. Is this how they played the soundies?

I wonder if any places still use these. I would love to see one in action

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...When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the Earth...

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David Guest
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1704
From: Lancashire, UK
Registered: Oct 2011

posted December 11, 2016 01:00 PM

I have a friend in derby who has one of these and I have been trying to buy it for the last 10 years he says he will sell it me one day I also have about 100 juke box films

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Claus Harding
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1149
From: Washington DC
Registered: Oct 2006

posted December 11, 2016 02:27 PM

Evan,

Yes, you selected a "soundie" like you would a record on a disc jukebox. It's thanks to this technology that we wound up with filmed performances of songs that we otherwise might not have.

Claus.

PS: David, keep trying, don't let it get away! :-)

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"Why are there shots of deserts in a scene that's supposed to take place in Belgium during the winter?" (Review of 'Battle of the Bulge'.)

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Dave Groves
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 508
From: Southend on Sea, Essex, UK
Registered: Feb 2015

posted December 12, 2016 08:09 AM

What an astonishing piece of kit. How I envy the clever folk who work these things out. Thanks Claus for making it possible to see the innards.

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Dave

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Paul Adsett
Film God

Posts: 5003
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted December 12, 2016 10:34 AM

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The best of all worlds- 8mm, super 8mm, 9.5mm, and HD Digital Projection,
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Paul Adsett
Film God

Posts: 5003
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted December 12, 2016 10:35 AM

Simply amazing! Reminds me just a little bit of Edison's 24 cylinder phonograph jukebox.
Were there any super 8 Scopitone machines?

Here is an iconic 16mm Scopitone film,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgQKzFOidW4

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The best of all worlds- 8mm, super 8mm, 9.5mm, and HD Digital Projection,
Elmo GS1200 f1.0 2-blade
Eumig S938 Stereo f1.0 Ektar
Panasonic PT-AE4000U digital pj

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William Olson
Master Film Handler

Posts: 287
From: Poughkeepsie, NY USA
Registered: Jun 2010

posted December 12, 2016 12:23 PM

Very very cool! Fascinating mechanism.

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David Guest
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1704
From: Lancashire, UK
Registered: Oct 2011

posted December 12, 2016 04:53 PM

I have this nancy Sinatra on 16mm

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Paul Browning
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1006
From: West Midlands United Kingdom
Registered: Aug 2011

posted December 12, 2016 06:35 PM

A friend of mine also has one of these, but in quite poor condition, he rescued it before it got skipped from a café complete with all the films, but he won't sell it or move it for fear of it falling to bits !!!!!. One look inside tells you don't go near it, unless you know something about relays, lots of them, lots and lots. Did I read somewhere they were built from army surplus electronic parts after the second world war, there is one in the superman movie in the café scene where he fights the baddies.

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