Cinemaya:

Rare and irreplaceable

Ishara Jayawardane

Old Projector

English Printing Machine

Arc House

Oldest Editing Machine

Gordon de Silva is a cinematic genius. Indeed he may be called one of the first historians of media. He has converted his simple home into an extensive media museum featuring media equipment of all ages - most of them priceless in antiquity. He is in fact a proud collector of all devices, rare and irreplaceable.

His museum is called the Museum Cinemaya.

Gordon from childhood has been an inventor who got involved in photography through his father, a printer cum photographer. From a very early age Gordon was told by his father to make his own toys. His father, perhaps sensing the potential in son, took Gordon to all the movies screened in Colombo. And that was how Gordon took an interest in movies. Little by little he acquired the expertise and the knowledge.

This is the first museum of its kind. All five sections of media are on display in this museum making it a timeline of media. Gordon provides all information pertaining to this collection. To view this collection one must meet with an interview with Gordon for security purposes.

As soon as you enter the museum you will see the oldest editing machine.

"After filming the shots you have to combine those shots to tell a story. So this particular machine is one of the oldest. But in this machine you can run two optical or magnetic tape with the visual. So now we are not using this kind of thing, it is in the past. Now we use computer software for that," said Gordon de Silva. Also on display is an English printing machine. This is worked by man power, not electricity. You have to rotate it with the foot peddle and it starts working. So this is the oldest technology they have used, but for this particular machine they have used lead and wooden letters and also block.

Another device used for theatres is an old projector. In early ages to show a film you need a minimum of two projectors.

"Normally we had to show 12,000 -13,000 feet for a movie, meaning 12 or 13 reels, one reel containing 1000 feet, odd numbers running on one projector, even numbers running on another projector. But this machine runs 6000 feet. One reel runs before the intermission and the second reel runs after the intermission. A projector is divided into three parts: Arc House (that gives you the light), a Mechanism Part and a Sound Part." said de Silva.

First Cinematography was silent. Then it came with the record, later on it came with Mono, then Stereo and finally Stereo Dolby. The entire projector cannot be replaced from time to time, so one part has to be removed and the new part has to be fixed in.

The particular Arc House belonged to the Regal Theatre Colombo. Now they run a Senon Lamp.

This has a very bulky chamber, because inside the heat generated by the Arc is intense. The Arc contains two negative and positive rods of high voltage when it comes within five millimeters of each other. Then the illuminated arc appears. Now we have the Senon lamp. The whole chamber has been compressed to 11/2 ft size. The only problem is the carbon rods that only work for limited hours. This particular light gives you 1000 hours of perfect crystal light.

One of the very first video cameras that came to Sri Lanka in 1981 is also featured in the collection, along with the first digital camera that came to Sri Lanka. The others are old studio cameras, domestic recorders, playbacks, the oldest color television and one old studio professional monitor.

In Addition to this Gordon has designed a data system about Sinhala cinema history. From 1947 up to now he has compiled all details about movies. For example if anyone wants to know about a particular aspect of a movie, Gordon has all details in his laptop. With his laptop Gordon has created the facility of listening to the songs in a movie - the very originals. He also possesses materials such as posters, show cards and other relevant items.

Gordon has also worked as a Graphic designer in Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation since 1983. And he was the first 3D animator in Sri Lanka.

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