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Author Topic: Two Bad Ideas
Paul Adsett
Film God

Posts: 5003
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003


 - posted December 12, 2017 11:50 AM      Profile for Paul Adsett     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Sometimes even the most brilliant engineering ideas can destroy companies. Here are two prime examples in our own world of cine:

First up, Pathe's 1957 4.75mm, so called widescreen, system. They tried to copy double 8mm by splitting 9.5mm. The problem was that despite the advertising hype it wasn't wide screen, and operating the projector was a nightmare:

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Sales were miniscule, and Pathescope were bankrupt soon after this debacle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGfv_Ub5XfY

Next up, the Polavision instant movie system, the idea of the brilliant scientist Dr. Edwin Land of Polaroid. The sytem gave you two and a half minutes of color film that was processed in the TV type projector in about 3 minutes.

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The problem was that the system used an additive color process that produced an image so dense that it could not be projected on normal 8mm projectors. The little TV screen was as big as you could get, and even that needed two halogen lamps focused on the gate. But the real killer was that there was no way that anyone who had seen 8mm Kodachrome would take a second look at this sytem, the picture quality was pretty bad. Plus super 8mm already had sound when this came out and Polavision was silent.
Eumig went bankrupt almost immediately and Polaroid stock took a huge beating.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exuJ8TSJGQ0
The moral of this story is that clever engineers, operating without thorough marketing research and support, can get companies into a heap of trouble! [Big Grin]

[ December 12, 2017, 01:46 PM: Message edited by: Paul Adsett ]

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The best of all worlds- 8mm, super 8mm, 9.5mm, and HD Digital Projection,
Elmo GS1200 f1.0 2-blade
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Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003


 - posted December 12, 2017 11:59 AM      Profile for Steve Klare   Email Steve Klare   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
When I was in business school Polavision was actually a case study we used. First of all it was how companies headed by very successful entrepreneurs often follow them right over a cliff. (Ref: Ford Motor Company circa late 1920s) Dr. Land was passionate about Polavision, even though his marketing people told him that even given complete success the entire home movie market wasn't worth the investments they were making. The second half of this was all about timing: home VCRs and video cameras were either on the way or already there: it never had a chance.

I like the Pathe Monaco: it looks like a robotic lobster! [Wink]

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007


 - posted December 12, 2017 02:32 PM      Profile for Maurice Leakey   Email Maurice Leakey   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
And Pathescope never did learn, for instance, what about the Princess 9.5mm projector.
https://collection.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects/co8084897/pathescope-princess-9-5mm-cine-projector-projector

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Maurice

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Paul Adsett
Film God

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From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003


 - posted December 12, 2017 03:14 PM      Profile for Paul Adsett     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
The incredible thing is Maurice, that one of these Princess projectors sold for about $1,500.00 on ebay a few years back!

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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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Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003


 - posted December 13, 2017 12:43 PM      Profile for Steve Klare   Email Steve Klare   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
If it is OK to add other bad film equipment ideas, I'd like to nominate the Wittnauer Cine-Twin.

Jack of All Trades, Master of None!

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Joe Vannicola
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 108
From: Lincoln, DE, USA
Registered: Feb 2014


 - posted December 13, 2017 11:21 PM      Profile for Joe Vannicola   Email Joe Vannicola   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
At the time Polavision came out, I was delivering films and film supplies to camera shops, pharmacies, ect. I remember the color was quite good,especially since Polaroid was known for it's inferior color. One of the guys who worked at the camera shop told me Polaroid was planning to make so you could edit the films onto bigger cartridges which could be opened up. Unfortunately, the system was in the dumper before these changes could be implemented. I must say that I did like the idea of a movie film that would develop instantly. But the idea was woefully impractical.

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Joe

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Brian Fretwell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1785
From: London, UK
Registered: Jun 2014


 - posted December 14, 2017 03:22 AM      Profile for Brian Fretwell   Email Brian Fretwell   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Here Polavision soon ended up being sold at bargain prices at Dixons - as did the Agfa Family system.

The only thing I could think was good with the Wittnauer Cine-Twin would be that the zoom lens would stay in focus when zoomed to fill the screen during projection. You could st for telephoto to focus accurately then zoom back to fill the screen.

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007


 - posted December 14, 2017 03:46 AM      Profile for Maurice Leakey   Email Maurice Leakey   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Some twenty years before the Wittnauer Cine-Twin came to the market in 1959 there was the 9.5mm Campro. A dual-purpose camera and projector.
http://www.pathefilm.uk/95gear/95gearcampro.htm

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Maurice

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

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From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003


 - posted December 14, 2017 05:37 AM      Profile for Steve Klare   Email Steve Klare   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I saw a show about very early filmmakers and a lot on them operated with a single machine. They'd be out during the day shooting film and then convert over to projection and show their films to get some income after sunset.

The guys in the film were traveling by car from town to town and their theater was just a big tent.

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Paul Adsett
Film God

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From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003


 - posted December 14, 2017 09:46 AM      Profile for Paul Adsett     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Here's the Wittnauer Cinetwin in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GwQ-G38wIQ

Somebody give this guy a bigger take up reel.....FAST! [Big Grin]

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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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Barry Fritz
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1061
From: Burnsville, MN, USA
Registered: Dec 2009


 - posted December 14, 2017 11:45 AM      Profile for Barry Fritz   Email Barry Fritz   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Paul, that is my video! I have 8 of those goofy things and will be selling most of them soon. There are two models, the Zoom 800 and the four lens turret model that I think is the WD400. They are not very practical, but are neat little display items. I have no idea what happened to that video as the last part of it is the same as the first, but without sound. It was not filmed that way.
I have a lot of videos of projectors running on youtube (mostly 16mm). Search under my youtube handle.

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Paul Adsett
Film God

Posts: 5003
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003


 - posted December 14, 2017 08:02 PM      Profile for Paul Adsett     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Barry, I will gladly buy you a take up reel for Christmas! [Big Grin]

--------------------
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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Barry Fritz
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1061
From: Burnsville, MN, USA
Registered: Dec 2009


 - posted December 14, 2017 08:10 PM      Profile for Barry Fritz   Email Barry Fritz   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Ha! I think I did that video about 7 years ago and if I recall, just grabbed the nearest empty reel I could find. Just was going to run a few feet of film for demo and never gave it a second thought about how funny it looked until you mentioned it. Nothing escapes the guys on this forum!

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Clinton Hunt
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 845
From: Waharoa,North Island,New Zealand
Registered: May 2010


 - posted December 14, 2017 08:55 PM      Profile for Clinton Hunt   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Watching the YouTube link that Paul Adsett provided for the Polavision Instant Movie System implies that the image is great!
Today's advertising standards wouldn't allow that sort of misleading info unless there was a T&C like "image may not appear like this" or "results will vary" or even "simulated and enhanced image shown"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exuJ8TSJGQ0

And although the Princess 9.5mm projector wasn't well-made according to comments,it is a beautiful looking projector in my opinion.They must be fairly rare to fetch that sort of money in auction?

[ December 14, 2017, 10:10 PM: Message edited by: Clinton Hunt ]

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Cheers from me in New Zealand :-)

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Scott Alexander
Junior
Posts: 4
From: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Registered: Jan 2018


 - posted January 30, 2018 06:19 PM      Profile for Scott Alexander   Email Scott Alexander   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
For kicks, yesterday I tried shooting two rolls of Polavision! They had expiration dates of July 1979. I acquired a working camera and a working projector for the big experiment.
We had a lot of fun running around in front of the camera. We tried one roll outside and one roll inside. BUT... we got no exposure of any kind. When we played it back, it just looked like clear leader, with little specks on it. I was disappointed, though I knew in advance that film that expired 39 years ago was probably doomed! My assumption is that the chemicals just dried up.

For any of you have who used the player, the one odd observation is that the "developing time" was much longer than the manual said it should be. The film went back and forth a few times, playing and rewinding, before the lamp decided to turn on and do playback.

Am I the last person alive who will try to shoot Polavision?

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Osi Osgood
Film God

Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005


 - posted January 31, 2018 12:06 PM      Profile for Osi Osgood   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
A projector that seemed to have done well, but most collectors don't like them, are those Kodak Moviedecks! Yep, only up to 400ft and from what I have read, they were not all that kind to film, but I had a sound version of this projector and I always thought it was pretty nice that the reels were sideways/flat and it certainly didn't take up to much room, and they were also both super and standard 8mm.

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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "

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