FILM PROPAGANDA BY MOTORVAN,
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A London Company Achieves Success in Designing Mobile Cinemas on Motor Chassis.
IN our issue for last week we made brief mention of the activities of Blunt and McCormack, Ltd., 20, Bedford Street, Strand, London, W.C.2, in connection with the designing and equipping of touring cinemas, motorvans being used as the transport media. This form of mobile cinema has only been made possible by the use of an ingenious invention which enables films to be shown even in bright sunlight, the image being projected from the rear through a special screen.
Blunt and McCormack, Ltd., has specialized for a number of years in the production of high-class instructional and technical films and, therefore, is in a good position to cater for the political, medical and other bodies which employ these vans, mainly for propaganda purposes. We should imagine, also, that this type of vehicle would have a great future in semi-developed overseas areas, where places of entertainment are few and very far between. The railway, of course, cannot be compared for mobility with the road motor for this somewhat unusual class of work, although one believes that trains have been used for this purpose, particularly in South Africa.
It is to the credit of Blunt and McCormack, Ltd., that it specializes in and recommends the construction of these vans on British chassis. Amongst those makes alrealy used may be named Thornycroft and Morris-Commercial. So far as the general exterior appearance of these vehicles is concerned, there is nothing, other than the nature of the publicity lettering, to distinguish them from the normal type of van used in many trades. The rear entrance, however, is formed by two tailboards, the upper part of which can be raised and held horizontally, whilst the lower is dropped and secured to form a speaker's platform. Behind these boards and inside the body are two false doors, as they may be termed. These, when opened, are secured to the tailboards,
thus forming a shadow box for the screen, which, we understand, can be stowed in an overhead locker when not in use.
An electric generator is driven through a power take-off from the gearbox, this also operating the projector. Incidentally, fire-engine-type gearboxes are used in most of the chassis employed. The projector supplied is of an up-to-date type and the larger vans are equipped with an extra appliance of this kind, which can be removed to enable displays to he given in halls, etc., when unfavourable weather is encountered. In the ordinary way the van is driven to a convenient space and the films are shown in the open air.
Special ventilating apparatus is employed, fans, which are driven from the generator, being placed behind louvres in the forward end of the body. An operating room is, of course, essential for this work, so the driver's cab is fitted with curtains which are drawn down when it is required to use the projector, the last-mentioned • being operated through an opening in the forward bulkhead.
With regard to the general equipment of the van, this includes lockers for tools, etc., a switchboard for use in connection with the generator, Pyrene fire extinguishers and boxes for the reels of films. Incidentally, the company's special non inflammable film is supplied, thus greatly reducing the risk of fire in the van.
The body of the vehicle is panelled in armoured plywood, the flooring being 1 in. thick and being equipped with steel runways for the projectors. Asbestos lining is used throughout the interior of the van. A special compensating resistance controls the engine speed when the generator is being run. Generally speaking, these vans are designed in two sizes, the larger costing approximately £1,400 and the smaller £900.