Description
Walter Beyer (1913-1969) joined Paramount Pictures in 1952 as a special projects engineer and worked on shutter timing devices,
design of stereo-camera setups, experimental stereo projection, and the development of VistaVision, Paramount's wide screen
process. In 1955, he joined the staff of the Motion Picture Research Council (MPRC) and oversaw mechanical and optical design
problems. He worked briefly for Review Studios before becoming head of research engineering at Universal Pictures. The collection
consists of correspondence, reports, catalogs, brochures, manuals, files, and ephemera related to Beyer's career as motion
picture engineer.
Background
Beyer came to the U.S. from Germany in 1951; joined Paramount Pictures in 1952 as a special projects engineer and worked on
shutter timing devices, design of stereo-camera setups, experimental stereo projection, and the development of VistaVision,
Paramount's wide screen process; joined staff of Motion Picture Research Council (MPRC) in 1955, and oversaw mechanical and
optical design problems; later he worked briefly for Review Studios; became head of research engineering at Universal Pictures;
died on January 14, 1969.
Extent
45 boxes (22.5 linear ft.)
3 oversize boxes
Restrictions
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright,
are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright
and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Availability
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE: Advance notice required for access.