Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1953)

MOVIE MAKERS 109 northern side of this world famous thoroughfare are club and hotel buildings, while the southern side, where large numbers of stands are being built, is open to the trees and greenery of St. James's Park. Passing the end of Park Lane, the Royal procession will make a right angled turn through the arched gateways (D) into Hyde Park at Hyde Park Corner. Running roughly parallel with Park Lane, the route through the park itself is slightly uphill and along the East Carriage Drive. Through the Marble Arch (E) another right angled turn brings us into Oxford Street, which runs roughly east and west. This street is lined with shops and buildings on both sides; but as the sun should be fairly high and there are a number of cross streets running into Oxford Street, the lighting is fairly good over most of its length. Where Oxford crosses Regent Street, the junction (F) is known as Oxford Circus, and it is at this point that yet another right turn is made down into Regent Street towards Piccadilly Circus. Regent Street runs slightly east of north and south until it curves around at the lower end into the Circus. Here on the map the statue of Eros (G) is indicated. Out of Piccadilly Circus the procession will wind its way down the slope of Haymarket to Trafalgar Square and turn back into The Mall, again under the Admiralty Arch, and so return to Buckingham Palace. On the map, in front of the Palace, the circle with a dot in the center is the Victoria Memorial surmounted by its winged figure. By the time the procession returns from its long journey of more than five miles, it is more than likely that the sun will be off the front of the Palace. This is a great pity because there is always the chance that the Royal Family, after their return home, will come out onto the balcony over the main arch in the central part of the Palace facade. Coronation Year is also the centenary of the Royal Photographic Society. If, photographically, you are in need of help, may I suggest that you get in touch with the Secretary of the Society, L. E. Hallett, Esq., who will, I am sure, be delighted to do anything that he can. The Society's House at 16 Prince's Gate, South Kensington, London, S.W. 7, is also well worth a visit. It is next door but one to the London home of your own ambassador. You also will find the British Travel and Holidays Association, at 61-65 St. James's Street (on the procession route near C on my map), most willing to be of help in matters of accommodations, trips, etc. Another place which is a particular American rendezvous is the American Express Company at 6 Haymarket, London, S.W. 1. This also is on the royal route between Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square. The head office of the Kodak organization in England is on Kingsway, London, W.C. 2, which lies to the east of Trafalgar Square, while the London showrooms of the British Ilford company is on Holborn, a little way north of Kodak. At either place you will be able to get help on photographic matters. However, I would still advise you to bring with you your minimum estimated requirements of movie film, especially in color. And in this connection, declare it openly to the Customs authorities, together with all your apparatus. You will not find them uncooperative if you treat them sensibly. Finally, may I hope that your prospective visit will be a happy one; that you will return home with an even better film than you had ever expected — and that the sun will shine for all of us! Narrative techniques [Continued from page 97] just-right narrators for their films. Also it is good to engage a co-worker to sit next to the narrator to give him his cues. For, if the narrator is watching the screen, there will be a time lag between the instant the cue flashes, his recognition of it, and the moment he utters the first word. But with an assistant watching the film and swiftly prompting the narrator with a tap on his arm, tension subsides, timing improves and there is less chance for error. The need for proper rehearsal cannot be stressed too strongly. Neither can the suggestion to divide up your film into relatively short segments for recording. Don't run off a 1600 foot reel and attempt a full three-quarters of an hour recording session. Professional studios rarely do such a thing; so why should an amateur? There are now certain procedures I can recommend for handling a microphone. But before we review these, permit a word of advice concerning the placement of the mike itself. It should be isolated from the projector and any other noise-producing sources whose sounds would be reconstituted on the recording. To get away from these noises, most of us will be persuaded to move a considerable distance from the projector. But if you are using the projector's amplifier to record with, the ordinary crystal or high impedance type microphones supplied with such machines will not be adequate. They just won't give quality reproduction when extended any real distance. A low impedance mike coupled with an input transformer, preferably of the cable variety, is required. Microphones differ considerably in price, but the trans BOLEX ACCESSORIES STEVENS Bolex Camera Accessories and Authorized Service exclusively • Battery-Operated Camera Drive • A. C. 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