YOU ME AND US (Concluded)

At one of the Widex’s we invited a man from Scotland to show what he called an Audio Visual programme - It was two GAF slide projectors coupled together by an Imatronic slide dissolve unit. This means that slides are projected under the influence of this Digital controlled box of tricks which can change slides from one machine to the other and can also fade one: machine in and the other out depending on the degree of fade that has been programmed by the system . Well this was a real eye-opener and it wasn’t long before I had such a system ... you know the feeling don’t you - you see something good and you want it. The units full title is an Imatronic Digital SX 2500. I also use it with GAP 502 projectors and it also works two Kinderman slide projectors recently bought from the Widescreen Centre.

As this AV programme was such a great attraction we have included such shows on every Widex since. This year will be no exception, but more about that a little later.

I have already told you that I take a lot of slides in widescreen and initially I used an anamorphic lens, but obviously it follows that if you are using coupled slide projectors then you need two anamorphic lenses. Unfortunately, due to the bad. exchange rate between the Japanese Yen, the German Deutch Mark and Sterling, these are very expensive, the Kowa range of A lenses being Japanese and the Isco range of lens being German.

So, to overcome this we at London ^tWidescreen. (that is my own~ Club and for my sins find myself, its Chairman) pioneered what was to be called PAN-35.

PAN-35.

This is a non-anamorphic system. On the GAF 50? (and some other other GAF machines) the gates - or as GAF call them, editor viewers - can be removed. ~e placed metal masks at the top and bottom of these ~ate~ which obviously masked part of the slide top and bottom. We arranged the masks so that we had a picture on the screen in the ratio of 2.66:1. Several people have pointed out some disadvantages with this system, but to-date n-one has proved conclusively that there are disadvantages. Most people have been very impressed. In fact, by using PAN-35 you do have two systems. You can show the slide’s masked of course (although you have to be aware of the fact when you take the slides that you intend to mask them) or you can show them in their original form simply by putting back the original gates. More recently, GEPE have introduced a number of thin metal masks in various shapes, one of them is a mask 17mm x 35mm and this gives a very nice widescreen ratio of well over 2:1 but not so wide as 2.66-1 .These masks are very useful if: YOU want: widescreen but cannot remove the-gate on your projector The item code for these masks being ART 6805 priced at about £2.50 per box of 20 complete with glass mounts. The results are very pleasant. Replacement GAP Gates gates by the way are about £3.00 each. Much less than. The £400-5O0 you would have to pay for good anamorphic lenses.

And so to. Widex. This year I am organising it with the help of my Club, London Widescreen. It will be held at the fabulous Dolphin Centre in Romford, Essex on Sunday May 10th from 11.00 am until 6 pm. Tickets on the door (or from the Widescreen Centre) at £1.25 for non Association members, 1£ for Association members, children 50p or free with an. adult.

We shall be having three new AV programmes on show during the day. One, by Tony Shapps called ‘Tony Shapps Presents’ will be shown anamorphically and two others, ‘Calpe’ by yours truly and ‘African Snapshot’ by Larry Moss will be shown using the PAN 35 or masked slide systems Also on the bill will be widescreen films, the London Widescreen premiere of its latest film ‘Goneration Six’ and ‘129 Days to Die’ by the prolific widescreen film maker John Rushworth. Package movies and 3D slide presentations complete the days events. There will be specialist dealers in attendance and your very own Colour Reversal Club have.already booked a display stand. So why not come along and have a good day out.

By the way, London Widescreen do give public shows so if you belong to a club maybe you cou1d like to consider such a show on your Club calendar. We make no charges for such events except for something towards traveling expenses. Our programme is both cine and still and can be as long as you want it.

If on the other hand you live fairly close to my home I am always prepared to talk and show widescreen, so if you would like to drop me a line or telephone me arrangements can be made for such a meeting.

Finally, If anyone would like to send me a few ‘home processed’ slides for me to mask and see the effect on the screen I would be delighted to get them, who knows, I might get re-hooked on the idea and then we would have something really in common.

Its been nice writing for you. Hope to see you at Widex 87.