Amateur Movie Makers (Dec 1926-Dec 1927)

CONVOY FIRST NATIONAL (ROBERT KANE PRODUCTION) Directed by Joe Boyle Photographed by Ernest Haller News Reel Inserts: Thrilling shots of actual world war naval battle films, are inserted in the action of this picture, and prove the point of greatest interest in the film. This device, frequently used by professionals, is equally practicable for the amateur. From the news reel companies you can secure the footage desired of any great news event which has been filmed, and by inserting such shots, appropriate to your film, greatly increase its interest. THE NIGHT OF LOVE SAMUEL GOLDWYN PRODUCTION UNITED ARTISTS DISTRIBUTION Directed by George Fitzmaurice Photographed by. .George S. Evans Shadow Emphasis: Shadows of the characters and of various properties are used with great effectiveness in this picture to emphasize moods and action. In the accompanying illustration the shadow of the instrument of torture is more gruesome than the device itself. Thought on this point will suggest practical applications. Photography: Study of the photographic excellence of this picture will repay the amateur. This picture and Flesh and the Devil represent two of the outstanding achievements for the year in artistic photography. A MILLION BID WARNER BROTHERS Directed by Michael Curtiz Photographed by Hal Mohr Use of Double and Triple Exposure: This film shows what can be done by the use of camera tricks with a routine amnesia story, already shown on the screen some years ago. By his swift juxtaposition of shots of a moving train, of flashbacks, and of a wedding that is taking place simultaneously, Mr. Curtiz has given psychological significance and emotional power to an ordinary coincidence scene. As the train rushes through the night, by his moving shots of sections of the engine, of the rails and the ground rising to meet it as it tears through space, he has conveyed an overpowering sense of speed and power. Again, in the triple exposure of the flashbacks he suggests the swiftness and unreality of life. The film is filled with bits of virtuosity, especially in the derangement and loss of memory sequences in which the villain sees distorted visions of the girl, and a partial insanity is suggested by a mere technical device. Such films as this take the taboo off the cinema as a medium incapable of psychological expression. Tempo and Cutting: The suspense of the train journey is heightened enormously by swiftness of tempo and the dexterity of the cutting throughout this sequence, notable in the entire film. Use of Shadows: Mr. Moler has also used gigantic shadow projected takes place in one or two sets and with only three actors. As in so many of Ufa's best, there is an admirable lack of extraneous detail. Everything depends on the camera motif, and the power of the director to concentrate on it, in this instance, the circular staircase which gives title to the film and determines its ligne. It is a genre film, detailed with extraordinary simplicity and poignancy. THE MAGICIAN OF TALOO Produced and directed by Ewald Schumacker Animated Silhouettes: These A GRIM SHADOW FROM on the wall ahead of Warner Oland to suggest the menacing aspect of the man. The shadow shrinks as he goea out of the story. BACKSTAIRS UFA FILMS Directed by Leopold Jessner Economy of Setting: Practically the entire action of this film "THE NIGHT OF LOVE" silhouettes, evolved by the German artist, Schummacker, who spent two years over them, are manipulated in much the same way as were the stuffed models for "The Lost World," in addition to the regulation silhouette treatment of shadows and lights. They are often quite amusing and lyrical; in one sequence, there is a suggestion of depth conveyed by the use of half tone silhouettes. T w e n t y t h r e <