Business screen magazine (1946)

name who is still active in the industry, as Walter is. I keep these columns anonymous, not because I'm afraid of lawsuits, hut because I have tried to relate to broad generic principles, to industry-wide trends, and to large-scale problems, rather than to individual personalities. But, as 1 said in my very first column, 1 plan to break my own rules whenever a broader purpose can be served, as in this case. Walter Lowendahl was Executive Vice President of Transfilm at the time, and videotape had just begun to establish itself as a coming thing. In a fit of depression one day, 1 asked him whether he thought this would mean the end of the film industry, and should I start planning for some other career, uid how would this affect the writer when you could just rewind a tape and play the scene a different way, and what about the possibility of films that write themsehes, and all the rest of the nonsense people were spouting? Walter thought for a long quiet pause and then he said: "It's just another way of capturing an image . Good ideas will never be outmoded by machinery." Learn to use it In retrtispect, that seems so ob«ous. But it did change my life. 1 decided not to be scared by videotape, but to learn to use it. And, obviously, as the years went by. it "established itself as a vital element [in TV, as a desirable element in j;losed-circuit sales conventions and iihows, and in a lot of other ways. lAnd . . . we learned to use the video!tape wisely and well. But ... it L'ertainly did nol make film obsolete, and ... it made writers more iiniportant than ever before. ( Tluii ;is what is known as a [■Kirsonal pro|fessional plug). I Similar things arc happening today. If you get an FA'R assignment, you will find that you must first lihoot the show on 16mm film, because in the present state-of-theiirt, 16mm is the most workable j'orm to begin with if you want to end with an EVR cartridge. Needless to say, a year from now that jnay not be the case, but thafs the iname of the game . . . technological jjhange. j Personally, I like technological change. I like to learn all there is to know about it so 1 can sound hi|i and also so I can adapt my writing in order to survive. I know that for example, writing a lot of wide screen meetings with all their special advantages and limitations helped me to do a better job of writing conventional films. And, quite frankly, I get terribl\ bored with the simple repetition of previously established techniques I have already mastered. I can understand why performers hate to repeat their hits on the Ed Sullivan show, which they do. I once talked with Benny Goodman about this. (Twd big names in one little paragraph, let's just watch it!) He said the reason is that if you want to improve, you have to keep trying new ways of playing, that a real performer wants to practice the things he has trouble with, not the ones he's already mastered, or that come easily to him. I like that idea ... I like the basic idea of challenge. I think that if you want to be in this business and enjoy it, you have to like the idea of challenge. The kinds of people who give this industry vibrancy and originality are not afraid of new technologies, but tend to regard them warmly without falling into the trap of believing they will solve all their problems overnight, just by buying some new lens or camera or gadget or product or technology. On the other hand I fear and tremble when I meet a client who leaps into every new technical process fifteen minutes after reading the first press release. Thafs bound to spell tragedy every time. The brand new technique can cover up a lot of basically bad ideas . . . but it can never substitute for really good ones. And films, my friends, come out of good ideas . . . whatever the techniques that may come along. PARADOX i.s a reiiiilar column written from the writer's viewpoint each month. It is written hy Stanford Sohel. a New York-based freelance writer, who.ie scripts have been prodmed in all I lie technologies mentioned in the column. ONLY S9QQ00 transistoti/ed hand unit for complete conttot of /oom motor NEVIffS moooth MOTORS tor ANGENIEUX 12-120 and ZEISS 10-100 Vario Sonnar Ttie popularity of zoom lenses is due to theit versatility and potential for more imaginative camera work. Both features are considerably enhanced by the addition of a zoom motor. We are pleased to offer two specially designed Electro Zoom Motors for the Arriflex 16SB and 16MB cameras. One each for use with the Zeiss 10-100 Vario Sonnar and the 12120 AngenieuK zoom lenses. They are mounted without tools or lens modification. Split clamp mounts do the trick in moments. Each zoom motor comes with a fully transistorized hand unit that controls all functions —stop, start, direction and speed Infinitely variable and smooth from 5 to 50 seconds across a lOX zoom Operation from regular Arriflex 8 volt battery or from any DC source of 5 to 16 volts. The precision, reliability and dependability you have come to expect of Arriflex equipment are built into these two Electro Zoom Motors. They're available now at all authorized Arriflex dealers. See them! ONLY $29500 Zoom Motor lor 10100 Zeiss Vario Sonnar Lens fA cou^.iroi «Mi«ic» PO Box lOM.Wooai'iie N > n377 1^ EBRUARY, 1971 21