The deeper I dive into servicing the Fox Cine Simplex camera, the more fascinating engineering choices I find. As I was checking lubrication for the main drive, shutter shaft, and sprocket drive, I discovered the camera cavity was full of what looks like wool. A terrific early insulation, the wool would enhance the sound-proof nature […]
Continuing the Disassembly of the Cine Simplex Read More »
While I have seen Cine Simplex cameras in the past, this is the first opportunity I have had to examine one in depth. Like the many cameras I have worked on, the movement is the heart of the beast, so that is where I have started my service on this one. The movement on the
Examining the Cine Simplex Movement Read More »
Before I started to clean up the Cine Simplex camera, I took some time to clean and service John Hora’s Mitchell Mark II. Like much of the equipment John collected, this camera has been tweaked and modified to meet his exacting standards. This camera features a Cinema Products BNCR hard front (modified from the original
Mitchell Mark II sn. 182 Read More »
My dear friend Peter Anderson raised an interesting question about the drop-in sidefinder mattes, so I went back and looked at them more carefully. This camera has 2 sets, one marked TV and one unmarked, but probably for feature films. These are transparent acetate slides that have precision cutouts to match the field of view
Fox Cine Simplex Sidefinder Mattes Read More »
One of the most unique and sought-after sound era production cameras is the Twentieth Century-Fox Cine-Simplex camera. Camera number 109 was a key part of John Hora’s camera collection and will be my next major restoration project. Some of the key features that made the Cine-Simplex stand out were the design of the film transport,
Twentieth Century Fox Cine Simplex Camera Read More »
As more and more relics of the great motion picture past have come our way, we have needed to reorganize. That meant, unfortunately, pulling a lot of equipment out of the storage room. Unfortunate because much of this equipment is extremely heavy, and in the cases heavier still. After a couple of days of toting
Reorganizing the CinemaGear Storage Room Read More »
I am hoping the people that are reading these posts find this relic from John Hora’s collection as interesting and amazing as I do. Shown here is an original 3-panel slate from the epic western adventure “How the West Was Won” (1962) shot in Cinerama. For those unfamiliar with it, Cinerama was a widescreen format
Production Slate from “How the West Was Won” Read More »
As a quick follow-up to our post about John Hora’s Mitchell MK III: the camera has found a new home with my dear friend Mark Mervis who has spent countless frustrating hours cleaning rotted and broken belts out of its inner workings. Mark has managed to identify the correct parts from the shards and goo
Mitchell Mark III Repaired Read More »
From the collection of Jim Danforth comes another breathtaking piece of equipment, one of the very few surviving ARKO Background Projectors designed and built by Harry Cunningham for Willis O’Brien to create the visual effects for “Mighty Joe Young” (1949). Jim’s early career earned him the reputation of being an extraordinary stop motion animator, sculptor,
ARKO Background Projector Read More »
The Cine-Kodak Special II is a marvel of 1940’s engineering, with innovative features like a divergent lens turret, interchangeable magazines, a through-the-lens critical focuser, and an audible warning when the wind was coming close to an end, among others. Before we send this Cine-Kodak Special II off to its new home, I thought we would
Cine Kodak Special II with auxiliary viewfinder Read More »
