Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1953)

110 APRIL 1953 BACKYARD BOUNTY RECURRENTLY, over the years, the plaint comes to our ears that the really big prizes in amateur movie competition — say on the Ten Best and Maxim Award levels — go invariably to elaborate productions made in far-off places on inevitably glamorous subjects. But for the stay-at-home filmer, our unhappy harpist concludes, the chances for glory are singularly slim — perhaps (he hints darkly), nonexistent. This is an interesting charge, and, at first glance, even seemingly reasonable. For the grass, as the saying goes, is always greener in the other fellow's yard. But unfortunately for these slightly malcontent movie makers the recorded facts do not bear them out. Take, for example, a look at ACL's own selection of award winners now being featured in our Top of the Ten Best program . . . In their order of presentation, these pictures are The Man With The Box, a simple but psychologically tense little film story made in the environs of "Worcester, Mass.; Poet and Peasant, a technically intriguing musical tour de force produced wholly within the confines of a Toledo, Ohio, living room; Birds of Washington, an outstanding nature study filmed by a pair of Washingtonians in and around our country's capital; Muntre Streker, a delightful cartoon comedy made (we would guess) in the artist's studio; Bulbs and Beauty, a glamorous record of the gladiolus produced in and around Momence (ever hear of it?) 111., and Duck. Soup, a rollicking saga of family life filmed, of course, in the heart of the family. In other words, here are six outstanding amateur pictures — five of them in the Ten Best class — and every last one of them is a product of backyard bounty. And so, by the way, were the five other award winners which we could not include in the Top of the Ten Best program. The moral should be obvious. Fine movies are made with an observant eye,, a creative mind and a responsive heart. They are not the product of geography. Our advice to aspiring and unhappy filmers is to take their eyes off those far horizons — and get out among their fellows. Momence, when you really look at it, may be every bit as glamorous as Mexico. THE AMATEUR CINEMA LEAGUE, INC. Founded in 1926 by Hiram Percy Maxim DIRECTORS Joseph J. Harley, President Frank E. Gunnell, Vicepresidenl Walter Bergmqnn, Treasurer Arthur H. Elliott Fred Evans John V. Hansen James W. Moore, Managing Director George Merz Stephen F. Voorhees Roy C. Wilcox The Amateur Cinema League, Inc., sole owner and publisher of MOVIE MAKERS, is an international organization of filmers. The League offers its members help in planning and making movies. It aids movie clubs and maintains for them a film exchange. It has various special services and publications for members. Your membership is invited. Eight dollars a year. AMATEUR CINEMA LEAGUE, Inc.. 420 LEXINGTON AVE.. NEW YORK 17, N. Y.. U. S. A. formers cost about ten dollars. I would advise those contemplating or already using the Bell & Howell 202 projector to consider seriously the purchase of the "Slim Aire" microphone, a more expensive but much more versatile instrument than is offered by B&H for use with their machines. The Slim Aire is a dynamic type mike, with provision for both high and low impedance output by merely changing the cord plug internally. There are four basic types of microphone in common use today. They are the condenser, the dynamic, the crystal, and the ribbon. It isn't necessary to go into the technical aspects of these instruments to discover why you would talk across rather than directly into the face of a dynamic microphone to reduce sibilance. Talking across the front of a condenser or crystal mike produces less effective results on sibilance. And such positioning has no effect whatever on the ribbon mike. The best control of sibilance with the latter three microphones is achieved by manipulating the tone control, or bass and treble controls if both are fixtures. Slim the highs, or treble, and favor the lows, or bass. Any initial effort with a microphone may produce popping. This is caused by the pronunciation of letters such as P and B with the lips too near the mike. The remedy is obvious ; move back from it. A mike-to-mouth distance of about TOO CLOSE and too cluttered is this recording setup, with narrative sheets in disorder and the mike so close it will create popping. 12 inches is a good standard. Or, if it is "psychologically comfortable" to be near the mike, talk across it instead of into it. Unless you have an off-and-on switch convenient to the narrator, his mike will be "live" all the time he is recording. For this reason one must be careful not to clear his throat near the mike. Clearing the throat is a perfectly human thing to do. But you brand yourself as a rank amateur, with emphasis on the rank, if audible throat clearings are present on your tape or stripe. Another caution I would give you is this: Avoid rustling papers by the mike. If it is difficult for you to turn over a page when it has been read, slide that page right off the table to the floor. Noises from your arms, hands and legs striking the table or mike can be picked up and recorded, too. So seat the microphone on sponge rubber, heavy felt or some similar absorbent material. This will decrease the mike's sensitivity to sound shocks. Now, seat yourself comfortably, and begin.