BRITISH TALKING PICTURES

Taranaki Daily News, 28 September 1929, Page 26 (Supplement)

BRITISH TALKING PICTURES

A NEW SOUND-PROOF STUDIO. FIRST OF ITS KIND IN EUROPE, When the new sound-proof studio at Wembley is opened next month, British Talking Pictures will be in the enviable position of possessing the first genuine building of the kind in Europe. Special precautions have been taken to prevent loss of time during production. All necessary workshops, the power house, heating plant, offices and dressing rooms are' adjacent to the main floor. For compactness, the studio, that side of the Atlantic, is unrivalled and no doubt will be the envy of talking picture producers. Built with substantial concrete . outside walls, with air spaces between the outer and inner sides, the studio is specially' designed to exclude all exterior noises and prevent internal reverbrations. Inside the studio, there is a complete inner shell made of a soundabsorbing material. This does not touch the outer wall except through sound insulating material. The floor is laid on thick runners with a layer of plastic material adhering to the underside of the boards. The object of this material is to prevent reverbration due to people moving about during- production. It alsodamps out earth vibrations caused by heavy- motor traffic and electric trains. Recording will be controlled from ■small portable sound-proof cabins which can be wheeled into convenient places on the floor. Through the. windows of these cabins the' recording engineer can see the artists and control the sound by means of amplifier controls and other special devices. The sound recording gear will be in a room adjacent to the studio and connected - to the recording, cabins by wires. Arrangements have been made so that, if required, as many as twelve, or fewer, cameras can be operated synchronously. Special attention has been given to lighting for production purposes. All lamps and cables will be operated from overhead galleries instead of from the floor as is the case in most studios today. Rotary convertors of British manufacture supply approximately 10,909. The result is that every incite of space is available for sets, travelling shots can be taken without interfering with the lighting, and it is impossible for artists to come into contact with switch controls which may be alive. A large tank, 33ft by 32ft. capable of holding 4'2,000 gallons, has been sunk in the studio floor. This will be used for water scenes. Attached to the tank is a camera pit sft by sft. This is fitted with plate blass screen at a level of sft 6in from the bottom of the tank and permits of shots being taken under water. Adjacent to the studio are painters’, plasters and prop rooms, and a carpenter’s shop fitted with the most up-to-date machinery for wood working. British Talking Pictures now possesses a sound-prqof studio 120 ft by 90ft, the largest of its kind in Europe, In addition to two smaller studios, each 80ft by 35ft.