The Cine Technician (1953-1956)

132 THE CINE-TECHNICIAN October, 1953 I II Ml M. "THE HO It I Herbert F. Margolis, our Hollywood Correspondent, sends us this article by Leon Shamroy, A.S.C., cameraman on Twentieth-Century Fox's CinemaScope production, " The Robe," due for London showing next month. Mr. Shamroy has won many Hollywood awards for outstanding photography. by Leon Shamroy, A.S.C. TOOTHING will jump out at you from the screen ■L* when you see The Robe. Instead, you'll have a keen sense of participation in the action. When Darryl F. Zanuck and Spyros Skouras decided that all future 20th Century Fox productions would be in Cinemascope they insured that audiences throughout the world will find more excitement and stimulation in the theatre than ever before. In watching the rushes I was immediately aware of the disappearance of the proscenium. This is one of the fundamental technical differences between CinemaScope and conventional cinematography. With the lack of consciousness of a framework imprisoning the action you feel as if you were actually witnessing an event, rather than watching a picture of it. To me this spells a new combination of objective and subjective entertainment. Now, for the first time, movies will be neither wholly objective nor subjective. By adding the subjective aspects without upsetting the audience, CinemaScope offers the ticket buyer a unique opportunity to help fashion a new experience. It is my personal opinion that CinemaScope should aways have colour film, though it is perfectly possible to use black and white. For The Robe Eastman Kodak developed a comparatively fast single-strip film that is suiting our needs. We are promised that a still faster film is being perfected. We are using a conventional black and white 35 mm. camera for The Robe, fitted with a CinemaScope lens which compresses the wider field of vision on to the 35 mm. frame. A compensating lens is later placed on the projector and this opens out the picture to the 64 x 25 foot screen which will be employed by most large theatres. Everyone wonders what differences in angles and acting CinemaScope will involve. Are close-ups out? Will scenes run fifteen minutes without a cut? How does it affect the actors? Close-ups are still possible, and they are more dramatic than ever; a full-screen head shot of Victor Mature, playing Demetrius in The Robe, packed such a wallop that I doubt if it will ever be forgotten by anyone who sees it. But they're not as necessary as before, because the screen is so large and intimate that most of the characters will be in the equivalent of close-up anyway, in the sense that their faces will be close enough for minute scrutiny. Yes, scenes will be longer, but this won't be apparent to most audiences because any well-edited film seems like one uninterrupted strip of film anyway. Actors will have to memorise more lines and more action, and the timing of scenes will have to be precise, as cutting to other angles will be less frequent and more difficult. The skilful actor will be at a premium. Less talented performers would do well to devote every spare moment to study and practice, because survival in Hollywood will not be easy. Fewer and bigger productions are likely to be the rule in the studios the next few years, and producers won't be apt to gamble on untrained or questionable players. In casting The Robe, for example, Frank Ross insisted on the most experienced actors he could find, anywhere. Richard Burton and Jean Simmons have been Academy Award nominees, Dean Jagger, who plays Justus, is an Oscar winner, and Victor Mature, Michael Rennie and Betta St. John are all ideal for their roles. Henry Koster auditioned 44 Broadway and New York actors in casting the supporting roles, with such stage personalities as Jeff Morrow, Jay Robinson, Helen Beverly and Frank Pulaski being selected for the coveted parts. Not enough has been said about the sound in CinemaScope. Without stereophonic sound a cameraman's work would be much easier — but not half as effective. I welcome this advancement because I know that when directional sound accompanies the picture I've shot it will make me look twice as good. The sound will come from the part of the screen where the action is taking place, and it will move with the action everywhere. As a cinematographer I shouldn't say this, but a person could sit in a theatre equipped with CinemaScope, close his eyes, and still have the sensation of taking part in a moving picture. Quality and not quantity will be the watchword in the new CinemaScopic era we are embarking upon. To me this means greater pictures. Today we paint on a canvas two and one-half times as wide as yesterday. We know our stories, actors and directors will " grow " accordingly. CinemaScope, and projects like The Robe, are leading the way to bigger and better tomorrows.