There are 2 things I thought would be interesting to share this week. Back in the mid-1980’s, I was buying equipment from a fellow who lived in Sacramento, and one of the things that was included in the pile of stuff was a set of the shop blueprints and handwritten notes from the Twentieth Century-Fox […]
Fox Cine Simplex Video Read More »
We acquired Mitchell Standard #532 in 2021 from the camera inventory of John Lemmon Films, Inc., a studio based in Charlotte, North Carolina who specialized in clay animation. The camera was originally purchased by the United States Army Signal Corps in 1943. When the camera arrived in our shop, I found that the variable shutter
Mitchell Standard sn. 532 Read More »
At the heart of the Fox Cine Simplex camera is the film transport. The differences between the much loved Mitchell NC and BNC style movements and the Fox movement are very difficult to describe in words. The answer seemed to be a short video demonstrating the unique features of the Fox camera’s pulldown and registration
Servicing the Fox Camera Movement Read More »
In my last post, I talked about the soundproofing material I found inside the Fox Cine-Simplex camera. As I dig deeper, I am more and more impressed with the lengths the designers went to in their efforts to isolate all of the moving parts from the body of the camera to make it as quiet
Examining the Soundproofing in the Fox Camera Read More »
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 »
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 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 »
A couple of days ago, Worrall Geared Head #192 limped its way into the shop. This geared head came in with the BNCR #136 that we showed in our last post, and believe it or not, it was in worse condition than the camera. I spent time this week evaluating and disassembling this geared head
Worrall Geared Head sn. 192 Read More »
We have just received this wonderful, but in need of much love, Mitchell spinning mirror reflex BNCR, serial #136. So far, we are unable to decipher who the original owner was, but we know that it was first purchased in 1954. Unfortunately, this camera was stored poorly and suffers from petrified grease, minor corrosion and
Mitchell BNCR sn. 136 Read More »
