American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1952)

Record Details:

Something wrong or inaccurate about this page? Let us Know!

Thanks for helping us continually improve the quality of the Lantern search engine for all of our users! We have millions of scanned pages, so user reports are incredibly helpful for us to identify places where we can improve and update the metadata.

Please describe the issue below, and click "Submit" to send your comments to our team! If you'd prefer, you can also send us an email to mhdl@commarts.wisc.edu with your comments.




We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.

Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.

Amateur CINEMATOGRAPHY LEO CALOIA (right) is one of the increasing number of cine film makers who use Auricon single-system sound cameras tor making amateur movies with sound. With him is community playhouse director Frank Sinclair who directed Caloia's recent 16mm sound production, "Guest To Murder." A Way To Better Films A community playhouse stage setting and trained actors lend professional luster to a home movie film in sound. Ever since J acquired my Auricon Pro 16mm sound camera. I’ve wanted to produce a short horror film in sound and color — an ambition that was only recently realized, thanks to a happy set of circumstances. I am a member of The Cinema Associates, a Los Angeles amateur cine group, which has been specializing in amateur scenario films for a number of years. None of us are professionals, so far as the movie or theatrical professions go, so our films — mostly the slapstick type, built around simple, humorous situations, suffered somewhat from lack of polished dialogue and professional acting. Like most ama¬ teur movie makers, we were well aware that we could greatly improve the quality of our films if we could just get a little professional results from our players — impossible, of course, without profes¬ sional training. A happy turn in events occurred when, one evening, I chanced to see a play in my neighborhood community play¬ house. The skit, “Two Swans”; the actors, local people with some profes¬ sional training. But what impressed me more, perhaps, even than the story and the players’ performances was the stage setting. It was well designed but simply made to represent the interior of an old abandoned lighthouse — a perfect setting for a horror film. Indeed, I saw in it the ideal setting for the film story I had been planning to make. After the performance, I arranged to meet Frank Sinclair, who designed the set for the Gramercy Park Community Playhouse, told him of the movie idea I had in mind and suggested that we might get together and film it at the playhouse, using his set and his pro¬ fessional players. He was at once receptive. He thought it would not only improve the quality By LEO of our film, but also provide screen tests for his community players. He agreed to direct the film. So, following some helpful suggestions from Sinclair, I wrote the following screenplay, which has only seven lines of dialog, the rest sound effects: “Guest To Murder” 1. L.S. Fade In (on platform — front CALOIA of stage) Interior of old English Inn. There is no fire in the fireplace. It is a stormy night. Lightning flashes through the windows, claps of thunder are heard and the wind howls mournfully, via sound effect records. Seated at the table, facing the entrance (at a slight angle) is an old hag (wife of the innkeeper), sharpening ( Continued on Page 88) PHOTOFLOOD lamps were used as keylights for this set, and a single 500-watt spot in foreground was used in filming all closeups. SIMPLE one-act playlet Having but seven lines of dialog, was photo¬ graphed on stage set of a Los Angeles neighborhood playhouse. Fidiuakv. 1952 Am KKICAN ( UNEMATOGRAPHI.R 75