American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1952)

DIRECTOR of photography Karl Freund, A.S.C., (back to camera) looks on while assistant runs a tape from camera to Desi Arnaz during a camera rehearsal. Weekly production employs three complete camera crews which are supervised by Freund. THE THREE CAMERAS focus on Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance during rehearsal of scene on the kitchen set, while Karl Freund in center analyzes the lighting requirements for the shot. With the steady rise in popularity of the show, the photographic methods em¬ ployed by Freund and his camera crews are creating widespread interest among producers of motion pictures — both major and television. Production execu¬ tives from nearly every Hollywood studio have “scouted’’ the show during filming and have lauded Freund for his achievements. Visiting the sound stage during a re¬ hearsal or an actual filming of a / Love Lucy show, one is impressed by the methods and by the orderly manner in which production proceeds. There are none of the interminable delays which mark the production of films in the major studios. Delays could not be toler¬ ated because the show must proceed much the same as an actual live show telecast, inasmuch as there is an audi¬ ence also present on the stage. This audience is an important adjunct to the show and its audible reaction as the show unfolds is recorded simultaneously with the dialogue and becomes an in¬ tegral part of the production. The action in each weekly episode of I Love Lucy takes place on three basic sets erected more or less permanently on Stage 2. The sets, which represent the apartment of Ricky Ricardos (Desi Arnaz and Lucille Rail), consist of kitchen, living room, and a third room which is dressed as required. The sets adjoin one another and are, in fact “intercommunicating,” so that action, such as a player entering the living room from the kitchen door, becomes a natural thing; and when the continuity of such action is to be picked up by the cameras, they are merely moved before the adjoining set and filming is resumed in a matter of seconds, as will he de¬ scribed later in more detail. Beyond this three-set arrangement is still another set representing the nightclub where Ricky Ricardo is employed as entertainer. Here the orchestra is assembled for every show, whether or not it is to he used in the picture filmed that evening. The show goes before the motion picture cameras in much the same way it would as a live show in a television studio. Indeed, as Karl Freund points out, the almost continuous camera-ondolly technique employed is adapted from standard TV camera operations for live shows. The show is photographed on 35mm January, 1952 • film with three Mitchell BNC cameras mounted on dollies, as shown in the photos. All three cameras shoot the action simultaneously. The camera in the center makes all the long shots with a 40mm wide-angle lens. The cameras at either side record the action in closeups, using 3-inch and 4-inch lenses. In the beginning, the company used a cuetrack method, which permitted remotecontrol operation of the cameras indi¬ vidually for long shot medium shot and closeup, as the script demanded. This system was soon abandoned, however, in favor of regular film production methods, with the takes from the three cameras edited on the Moviola, ete. The ( Continued on Page 34) American Cinematographer 23