Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 1978 - 15

The system uses a special screen assembled with segmented
lenticular-like surfaces of a photosensitive material mounted
in a hollow curve called a "holographic mirror" that reflects to
all parts of the theatre. Two lasers project separate holographic pictures for each eye. The screen reflects the images in
interleaved vertical zones, each the width of normal eye spacing and these dual images are combined instinctively by the
eye to produce the stereoscopic effect. (David D. Dudley,
Holography: A Survey, p. 64.)

Soviets
Explore

Dr. Ralph Weurker, who currently works for TRW, has
developed an alternative idea for a projection system. First,
he would reduce the size of today's theatres and replace all
their screens with large parabolic reflectors. Using a projection room below the "screen," the holographic images would
be bounced off mirrors onto the large reflector. In this manner the image could be enlarged without too much loss in the
3-D qualities.

". .. time, technology, and imagination should eventually solve
these problems . .. holograms will
find their place in theatre design.

Neither of these projects, however, has advanced beyond
the paper stage. Theories abound for putting holography into
the projection phase, but technical, financial, and patent
problems continue to slow down its development. Patent
wars are currently making it impossible to gain information
on any projection system, and fear is keeping much of the
recent progress underground until the patents on the systems are settled. The narrow viewing plane still remains a
major stumbling block. Although major commercial backing
has been slow in coming, research is still proceeding. Russia,
which at present is leading the research and development of
holographic movies, has produced a one minute movie that is
being shown around the world.
Even with the secrecy surrounding these projection systems, talk and rumor abound that the problems they presented are being solved and results should be seen in the
near future. The Conceptioneering Company of Mountainview will reportedly be trying out its 3-D projection system on
a July 4th crowd in Chicago. A New York based firm hopes to
be marketing a projection system developed in England by
the end of the year. It is obvious that no matter how these
projects turn out, interest in this field is growing and it is only
a matter of time before the right combination of technology
and imagination solve the technical catches.
What does all this mean to the theatre profession? For the
time being-very little. We keep getting scintillating hints of
the fantastic effects that could be done on the stage, but the
technology is still very much lacking. Artists, advertisers, cinematographers have all seen the possibilities for expression
through holography. It is now up to theatre professionals to
help generate their own enthusiasm for the medium. For the
theatre designer a whole new dimension is being offered up
for use in filling up and redefining the theatre space. But the
energy, ingenuity, and imagination of theatre designers and
technicians with a real interest in holography will be needed
to make all the dreams a reality.

Several
Systems
for
Holographic

Mo vies *
Three ideas underlie the production of monochromatic
holographic movies, according to Victor Komar, deputy director of the All-Union Cinema and Photographic Research
Institute (NIKFI), Moscow. Large aperture lenses are used for
shooting and projection to provide a wide viewing zone. A
holographic screen capable of mUltiplying and point-focusing
an image projected upon it is necessary. Indoor shooting is
achieved through the use of pulsed laser light.
In shooting, Komar explains, the camera uses a lens of
about 200 millimeters in diameter. Laser light pulsing in
bursts of 50 nanoseconds is reflected by the subject and
passes through the lens, which focuses the image on the film
plane. From interference at the film plane by the object beam
and a reference beam from the same laser, the resulting
hologram diffraction grating is formed.
Film stock of 70 millimeters is used. It moves at a rate of
about one meter per second through the camera. While Komar does not specify the film used, he indicates that the film
needed must have a sensitivity of two to four microjoules per
square centimeter, high diffraction efficiency and a low level
of noise, similar to the BE and 10E films of Agfa-Gevaert.
Research at NIKFI has eliminated several misconceptions
about pulsed laser shooting, Komar writes. Extremely highpower pulsed lasers are not necessary, because the wide
aperture of the lens admits a high degree of light and the
reference beam also strikes the film. Thus, even though the
film is slow, it receives sufficient light for exposures of acceptable speed. Object beams may strike the object from several
directions at once. The laser light is not dangerous to performers, and incoherent light can be used to offset the potentially harmful flickering of laser light at low frequencies. The
camera's shutter can be adjusted so it is only open for the
period of the pulse to eliminate the effect of the incoherent
light. It is also possible to build a camera which can move
during shooting .
* Excerpted from holosphere, Vol. 6, NO.1 (November 1977).

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