American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1952)

returned to its original position, and shooting resumed. The improved crane was first used by Hal Rosson, A.S.C., in shooting the Technicolor musical, “Singin' In The Rain.” It enabled him to achieve the re¬ markable camera shots which highlight the musical and dancing numbers. Robert Surtees, A.S.C., used it with equal success in filming many scenes for M-G-M’s “The Merry Widow,” star¬ ring Lana Turner and directed by Curtis Bernhardt. Many of the intricate camera shots which mark the photography of Metro’s “Lovely To Look At,” with Kathryn Grayson and Red Skelton, were accomplished by George Folsey, A.S.C., using the improved RO Crane. Skelton, incidentally, was so intrigued with it on the “Lovely To Look At” set, he brought his cine camera to the studio, mounted it on the crane and made 16mm color movies with the crane going through its full cycle of maneuverability. Arnold’s next challenge in improving his “baby” is to devise a way to mount a fully blimped Technicolor camera on the crane, without sacrificing any of the freedom of camera maneuverability and accessibility that the latest improvement affords. As might be expected, this pros¬ pective improvement already is well ad¬ vanced in the planning stage. Inciden¬ tally, Arnold, inventor of the RO Crane, holds patents on it having 10 allowable claims. END. 'DECISION BEFORE DAWN' (Continued from Page 63) speed of the exposed negative is greatly increased by special laboratory treat¬ ment before developing. He had pre¬ viously used this process to good advan¬ tage in shooting scenes deep within the foundations of Boulder Dam for “711 Ocean Drive.” The air attack by a flight of P-47’s constitutes one of the most dramatically exciting and photographically spectacu¬ lar sequences of the picture. Planer’s camera picks up the planes as they come hurtling across the sky, and follows them as they drop bombs which send great fountains of fire and smoke leaping into the sky. The camera then pans sharply away from the holocaust and moves in on a closer angle of a hand-to-hand fight involving the protagonist — all this in one continuous “take.” The total effect has an immediacy and impact only rarely glimpsed in the most poignant documentaries of World War II. To prevent alarm and hysteria among the populance during the filming of sequences such as this, it was necessary to send out extensive advance warnings through the local press and radio. definition. with your new The micro printer is the microfilm printer you’ve been waiting for . . . that finally meets your greatest demands. Here’s what you want and GET in the new micro printer — ® Non-slip film drive with resulting sharper definition • 3-minute change-over from 16mm to 35mm film • All parts are corrosion resistant (guide rollers are chemically resistant and will not produce static electricity) • Film is “ironed out” before printing These and many other advanced engineering features stamp micro printer as the “buy” among precision microfilm printers. Send today for further details on how the famous micro printer can fit into your picture for condensing and preserving your records. MOTION PICTURE PRINTING EQUIPMENT CO. Mfr*. off Motion Picture and Micro Film Printers 8136 NORTH LAWNDALE AVENUE • SKOKIE. ILLINOIS SALES • SERVICE • RENTALS 35 mm. *16 mm. C AMER AS*MO VIOL AS*DOLL Y S Complete Line of Equipment for Production Available for Rental Mitchell: Standard Hi-Speed NC BNC 16 mm. Bell & Howell: Standard Shiftover Eyemos Maurer: 16 mm. Cameras Moviola: Editing Machines Synchronizers SPECIALISTS IN ALL TYPES OF CAMERA REPAIR WORK. LENSES MOUNTED “Whenever we shoot guns or use bombs,” the people were advised, “it does not mean the Russians are here.” Despite these warnings, many people in Nuremburg actually thought Hitler had returned. As Planer’s camera recorded the story, German adults looked on with mixed emotions — watching Wehrmacht uni¬ forms parading past posters of the Hitler era. And German children, too young to remember the war, thronged around the actors and movie equipment with the uninhibited curiosity and unstifled ex¬ citement of their youthful generation. “It was our aim to make a picture with all the blunt realism of a U. S. Army Signal Corps documentary,” Planer explains. “In order to achieve this result we had first to discard all pre Fep.ruary, 1952 American Cinematographer 85