Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1953)

184 Games, Gags, and Girls — these are the big three in any picture of AN OFFICE OUTING SIDNEY MORITZ, ACL Holidays are always happy days — especially if they're "on the house." And company outings are just that: outdoor fun and frolic for everyone, with the boss footing the bill. Even the cost of the film is likely to be absorbed, for many companies will gladly underwrite this expense as part of its employee goodwill relations program. So plan your company holiday movie right now. The fun will begin long before you step inside the bus, or board the excursion steamer. Call upon your fellow photographers in the company to enlist their interest and aid. Seek as well the cooperation of members of the Outing Committee. Let them tell you what activities will take place. Then prepare an outline of your proposed operations, and your filming schedule. You're now ready "to shoot the works." No special equipment will be needed to produce the type of film under discussion. However, a tripod is an absolute must. Outing pictures should be rock steady. And a filmer trying to hand-hold his camera in a surging crowd is not likely to fare well. He need have no fear when his camera is tripod mounted. For a tripod will be respected even by the most boisterous. If you're an advanced worker, you'll find the telephoto, wide angle and faster lenses useful accessories. Nevertheless, excellent outing films have been made with a simple fixed-focus camera. The excursionists should be told of the plans under way for filming the outing. They should be briefed as to Sidney Moritz, ACL GIRLS ON THE MARCH! Here is an excellent camera position for any picture of a procession moving toward and by the lens. their behavior while this is going on. An announcement included in the "Events of the Day" program could read: John Jones of the Sales Promotion Department is to make a movie of our outing. John knows how to give his pictures the professional touch. Please cooperate with him and his assistants by observing the following: Do not under any circumstances look or wave toward the camera when it is trained in your direction. Continue doing whatever you are doing when your picture is being taken. Please follow carefully any instructions the cameraman or his assistants may give you. Planning the production of an outing movie is a simple matter. The continuity is really ready made. You just photograph activities as they occur. But a certain amount of discretion must be exercised in the selection of picture material. You should, for example, decide upon the total running time of the movie, and then subdivide the various activities within the allotted footage. Most important of all will be your obligation to include in the movie as many of the excursionists as possible. An ideal film length for a company outing picture is about thirty minutes. It is likely to drag if extended beyond that period. Filming within this allotted time will assure good tempo, variety and ample opportunity to tell the story fully. Furthermore, such a length will fit the film easily into your employee luncheon screen programs. The "Do's" and "Don'ts" frequently stressed in MoviE Makers for assuring good continuity, craftsmanship and camera treatment apply generally to the filming of an excursion movie. Here are some of the principle "don'ts": 1. Don't make the scenes so short that they are mere flashes. 2. Don't stop the camera in the middle of an action and then start it again a second later. Mystifying and disturbing jumps are created in this manner. 3. Don't overwork the 1-2 combination of scenes shot from one camera position with your normal and telephoto lenses. Move your camera instead. 4. Don't risk taking a shot without some substantial camera support, especially when using your telephoto lens. If you can't set up your tripod in time, rest your camera on some solid object, such as a fence or rock. 5. Don't be in a hurry to shoot if the conditions for doing so are not ideal. There will be ample opportunities for all kinds of interesting scenes. It won't be fatal if you miss one or two. And now for the "do's": 1. Do provide running gags such as Gus munching on hot dogs. First he watches the swimming contest. Later he surveys the parade of bathing beauties. Towards the end he looks in amazement at the score being made by an expert marksman. In each instance he is seen relishing his hot dog. 2. Do get plenty of human interest. Children at play are naturals for this. As is a [Continued on page 187]