American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1963)

A.S.C. RECOMMENDATION NO. 11 Society’s Research and Educational Committee proposes di¬ mensions for Safe Title Area for wide screen and anamorphic theatrical release prints with TV release potentials. 0.738“ FROM THE GUIDED EDGE FIG. "3" 0.738“ FROM THE GUIDED EDGE ously with the fuming is a more costly step because of the addi¬ tional equipment and personnel required to execute it. The advent of magnetic sound and more re¬ cently, the compact, transistorized and battery-operated portable re¬ corders, now makes it possible for 16mm film producers to do their own recording, thereby modifying the cost of this phase of produc¬ tion. Whether a film will require many interior set-ups or can be staged mainly out-of-doors will have considerable influence on both the budget and the shooting schedule. Shooting indoors can be expensive for the producer who must rent generators and lighting equipment. The extra time in¬ volved in transporting equipment to locations, installing power lines and setting up lights amounts to a very substantial item. Where in¬ teriors are small or where indoor action can be staged indoors in small areas, portable, lightweight lighting equipment such as ColorTran is ideal and adequate. It is compact and not too expensive to buy or operate, may be used for most all set lighting needs. The small producer today has the advantage of many sources where lighting, camera and grip equipment may be rented. (See Equipment Rental Directory in the December issue.) In setting up a shooting sched¬ ule for a picture it will be found advantageous to plan for earliest shooting those scenes which re¬ require the least staging — such as exteriors, natural location interi¬ ors, etc. In this way it is possible to get a substantial portion of the production “in the can” at an early date; and your crew will be kept busy while the elements of more complicated scenes are being assembled. One of the first steps necessary in planning and setting up the shooting schedule is to go through the script very carefully and list the locations, props and personnel Continued on Page 46 A.S.C. RECOMMENDATION #11 SAFE TITLE AREA FOR WIDE SCREEN (1.85:1) AND ANAMORPHIC (2.35:1) THEATRICAL RELEASE PRINTS 1. SCOPE 1.1 Data for marking camera ground glasses or title boards for safe title areas for theatrical pictures in 1.85:1 and 2.35:1 aspect ratios in view of future display and reada¬ bility on TV channels are specified. 1.2 Recommendation is based on pre¬ vious studies pertaining to TV release, outlined in ASC Recom¬ mendation #4, “Safe Action and Safe Title Areas for 35mm Films for TV Release’’, and especially ASC Recommendation #8, “Re¬ lease Methods Of Wide Screen (Flat) and Anamorphic (Squeezed) Theatrical Pictures on TV”. 2. DIMENSIONS A. Wide Screen (Flat) Release Prints 2.1 The main title and main credits on 1.85:1 theatrical prints should be within a width limit of 0.757" max. as per diagram “A”, having either straight or curved side lines. 2.2 Since height of titles composed for 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio is 0.446" max. they will be safely re¬ produced within the 0.565" safe action area height in TV transmis¬ sion as pei* ASC Recommendations #4 and #8. 2.3 The camera aperture for titles as per 2.1 shall be 0.868" by 0.631" (see ASC Rec. #9) with title cards and/or backgrounds covering this entire area to avoid wide-frame line prints and consequent black bars across top and bottom of home receivers as outlined in ASC Ree Continued on Page 49 AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER, JANUARY, 1963 35