Projection booth, Gaumont-Palace, Paris, c.1914. Two projectors for ordinary films, and the one on the right for Chronochrome colour films.

By 1912 it was common for cinemas to have two projectors, to enable longer films to be shown without a break for re-threading.

The cinema projector comprised three basic units: the projection mechanism or 'head'; the lamphouse with electric arclamp; and the stand. A generator was often required to power the arclamp.  
 
 

The mechanism was usually based on the Maltese cross design popular since the 1890s (and still used in cinema projectors a century later). For safety reasons, spoolboxes were fitted to projectors to enclose and protect the flammable film. Short reels were still sometimes hand-cranked, but projectors were by now fitted with electric motors. The capacity of a projector was usually 2000 feet of film (running at around 16 frames per second), giving a 30minute presentation. Popular makes in Europe were Pathé, Gaumont, and Ernemann, but there were many other manufacturers.

Now back to THE ELECTRIC PALACE

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