Horta's View From the Stalls: Odd Movie Factoids You Probably Could Have Done Without
May 6, 2003
Do you fancy yourself a true movie buff? Would you like to fill your noggin with
useless tidbits of information so that you can astound and amaze your family
and friends with a cinematic John Doe act? Will you be appearing on "Who Wants
To Be A Millionaire?" anytime soon and need to boost your movie trivia
knowledge? So not to pigeonhole myself
into the part of a reminiscent,
cinematic cynic, I’ve decided to forgo my whiny “back in the day” posts that I
generally impart to you 3 or 4 times a month. Instead, I’ve decided to present
a small list of interesting and little known movie factoids. A tiny piece of
Silver Screen Jeopardy to keep your brain churning the next time you head to
the theaters…or to save your life the next time you play that Trivial Pursuit
Death Match at a neighbors dinner party!
- Subliminal advertising was born in a movie
theater. An advertising expert named James Vicary went into a theater in the
1950’s to test his devious new tool for persuading others: subliminal
advertising. During the movie he allegedly flashed the commands "EAT
POPCORN" and "DRINK COKE" so fast that the unsuspecting audience
couldn't consciously see the words. He claimed Coke sales jumped over 18% and
popcorn sales leaped just over 57%. It is currently an illegal practice and
isn’t permitted by the FCC.
The typical two-hour movie requires an astounding 2.13
miles of film to present, not including trailers and previews!
Movie screens aren’t
simply flat pieces of white vinyl.
The screen is full of small holes to allow the speakers placed
behind them clear front channel audibility. These screens are also slightly concave in order to avoid
potential pin cushioning effects from cameras that are a distance away.
Ever wonder where the term "The Silver Screen" came from? Movie screens come in varying
reflectivity. In order to achieve
the full rich color and non too-intense brights we all have come to
expect, the screen mattes we watch are coated with various reflective
materials that are rated in reflectivity percentages. The most common type of screen called
the Pearlescent screen is coated with a SILVER coating. It
provides 15
percent reflectivity; black is dark gray and the image is bright,
providing the best overall contrast.
The first movie to ever use surround sound was Disney’s 1941 Fantasia.
Based
on a daily average, you and everyone in the theater will pass gas at least once
during the course of a 2 hour movie.
Though it is really a matter of preference, the best place to sit in a theater from a
technical point of view is about two thirds of the distance from the screen to
the back of the theater two or so seats from the center seat. Because sound
technicians generally check the audio levels from the center seat about two
thirds back from the screen the sound from right and left speakers are
equalized vicinity. Sitting slightly off-center will enhance the stereo effect.
Red Dawn, starring Patrick Swayze was the
first film ever to receive a PG-13 Rating.
The
famous HOLLYWOOD sign in LA that is synonymous with the movie biz in its
entirety, originally spelled HOLLYWOODLAND and it was a sign to promote
a housing community with lots of land to sell, during the early 1920’s. After
being given to the city of LA in 1945, the last four letters had to be dropped
because of the lack of maintenance. It wasn’t until 1978 that the Silver Screen
industry lead by the likes of Gene Autry came to the rescue and kept it from
certain demise by adopting letters and restoring them.
Movie
poster collecting is a common hobby. True poster collecting buffs really covet
the posters a theater receives current day over the general public reprints.
The way to distinguish the two is by looking at the back of the poster. The
paper glossy posters a theater gets is see through and the image on front is
easily seen inverted on the back. This is so the poster is well illuminated
when placed on the back light displays that adorn theaters hall.
Theaters
don’t really make money on the movies they show unless they are shown for an
extended amount of time. In fact they actually make their money at the concession
stand which is why the snacks and drinks are so expensive. With out the sales,
they probably wouldn’t be able to stay in business.
A
movie credits list is long and detailed. That is because there are many things
going behind the making of a film that we don’t always get to see or
appreciate. A common name listed early in the credits is the title of BEST BOY. From Cinem@: "There are
actually two separate best boy positions -- the best boy/electric and the best
boy/grip -- who are second in command to the gaffer and to the key grip. The best boy/grip is
in charge of the rest of the grips and grip equipment. The best boy/electric is
in charge of the rest of the electricians and the electrical equipment."
There
is more to Hollywood then what is projected on to the movie screen. The two or
so hours we spend in our stadium seats speaks very little of the science and
history that has brought us to this point. And as another Summer blockbuster
season falls upon us, why not take some time to research and learn about some
of the odd and interesting events, scientific tid-bits, and facts that our rich
Hollywood heritage consists of? You
never know when you may be in a life or death Trivial Pursuit game or playing
"Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" when your asked... "How often do movie patrons
pass gas while watching a movie?"
George W. Horta III
Additional Sources: howstuffworks.com
https://www.geocities.com/smvgrey/filmfact.html
https://tms.ecol.net/movies/whoplain.htm
https://www.mrfire.com
www.usc.edu
