British Kinematography (1950)

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12 BRITISH KINEMATOGRAPHY Vol. 16, No 1 own Farm Service consisting of mobile lecture units equipped with 16mm. films, 35mm. film strips and various lecture charts. These units operate in rural areas taking the information to the farming audiences, and naturally emphasise the lubrication and fuel aspect of the subject. Full use is made of each type of visual aid. Where the subject can be explained more easily in motion, a sound film is shown ; where the still diagrams are preferred, film strips are used. The strip enables the lecturer to adapt the material to the audience whereas the sound film is less flexible. By illustrating a lecture with both strip and film alternatively as each is considered appropriate the lecturer can make the most of each type of visual aid. The two frame sizes are matched on the screen to minimise any distraction caused by the changeover. This system was planned as a sequence from the start, and blank cue frames have been purposely left in the film strip where the film is intended to be used. It should prove a very effective scheme. So much for the instructional film and its wide and varied audience. It is shown from the village hall to the college lecture room and even finds its way into the workshop where some of the larger manufacturers are making good use of it to train their apprentices. This also serves to familiarize the factory workers with the practical value of the machines they have produced. Record Films In organisations such as the N.I.A.E., and the development sections of the larger manufacturers, machines are constantly being built as experimental models. More often than not they are afterwards dismantled, or at least extensively modified after trial. A few feet of motion picture film will provide an excellent record, not only of the details and construction of the machine but also of the performance. This enables later models to be compared side by side on the screen. One instance of record work has been a connection with the Institute's potato harvester development, which has spread over a number of years. Short records have been made at each stage so that there is now a complete film showing the evolution of the machine up to its present state. Another of the Institute's functions is to work in co-operation with the farmer and manufacturer, to give advice and assistance on all matters concerning machinery. Such films as the " Potato Harvester Development " are a great advantage in explaining points to manufacturers, especially when they come for consultation in the off season. Many of the Institute's enquirers are from abroad ; frequently queries come from foreign visitors on such subjects as, say, British sugar-beet harvesters in the middle of July. The film section is in a position to show them a film of the exact machine in question in the comfort of the projection room, instead of walking over acres of muddy fields. The Institute's film department has an " on call " service for making record films, and frequently receives very short notice to make such films — more often than not, having no alternative but to shoot in whatever conditions prevail. The time and place of filming is usually dictated by the machine and the conditions of work, and not by the cameraman. Various difficulties are experienced in making this type of film. Slowmotion speeds are often used to show the movements properly. The cameraman often has to be perched in some precarious position on tractors and implements in order to obtain the correct angle. Soil and small plants are often difficult to distinguish in monochrome, and so considerable use has been made of colour film, although for black-and-white work the contrast between soil and plant can be sufficiently emphasized by spraying the soil with water and using a green filter.