Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1953)

258 OCTOBER 1953 This department has been added to Movie Makers because you, the reader, want it. We welcome it to our columns. This is your pl-ce to sound off. Send us your comments, complaints or compliments. Address: The Reader Writes, Movie Makers, 420 Lexington Ave., New York 17, N. Y. AID IN ANN ARBOR Dear Members: I shall be going to Ann Arbor on November 21 to photograph my youngest brother John's wedding. I would greatly appreciate hearing from any ACL member in or near Ann Arbor, Mich., or Detroit who has an Auricon Pro camera or a tape recorder. I shall be bringing my H-16 Bolex. but I would also like to record some scenes in sound. I will remunerate very generously for this favor. Philip Lalonde, ACL Terminal A Toronto, Ont., Canada CINEMASCOPE ON 16 Dear Movie Makers: Have just read through with the greatest interest your excellent September account of Bell & Howell's development of wide-screen movies and stereophonic sound for the 16mm. amateur. Thanks for keeping us posted and keep up the good work. Harvey B. Woodworth, Jr., ACL San Francisco, Calif. ASTONISHED! Dear Movie Makers: I have just read Helen C. Welsh's account of her filming in Paris (Sept. Reader Writes), and I'm astonished to learn that she found it so difficult to film in the French capital. I myself have more than 400 feet of film on Parisian monuments only and not once have I been told that it was either forbidden or that I had to pay a sum up to 400 francs. As for the Luxembourg Gardens, my footage includes shots of both the Luxembourg and the Tuileries gardens. How come I was left free to film them? Is Miss Welsh sure of not having been done in by practical jokers or by particularly zealous agents? Robert Bartolo, ACL Paris, France SURPRISED! Dear Miss Welsh: I've been very surprised by your story, Permits in Paris. and I can hardly believe it! I have lived a whole year in Paris and I've been a salesman there in the biggest photo and cine shop — Photo Plait, if you know it — and never have I heard something about such a permit, nor was I tapped myself on my shoulder, though I was shooting all Paris from upside and downside and often with a tripod. I only can guess that you have been fooled. Those "gentlemen," or whatever they may be, try it with Americans, counting on the difficulties an American will have to defend himself in French. So next time you go to wonderful Paris, enjoy filming and don't pay any permits. Kurt Hagen Zurich, Switzerland HELP ON HEADLINES Gentlemen: Many thanks to Captain Maurice Dallimore, ACL, for his letter regarding headlines to order in September Movie Makers. Had I been aware of this, I would have saved a lot of time in the production of The Man With The Box. Rest assured I will take advantage of Capt. Dallimore's information in the future when a specific news headline is needed. James L. Watson, ACL Worcester, Mass. NO DIFFICULTY Dear Movie Makers: Capt. Dallimore and James L. Watson would have had no difficulty in obtaining a newspaper headline for a particular script had they owned a Moviecraft Title Letter Set ($3.00), which contains among other things a dummy newspaper on special contrast stock, with letters for filling in your headline at home. No visit to Times Square is needed. Ralph Bannett The Moviecraft Company East Meadow, N. Y. LEADERS AND TRAILERS Gentlemen: Your September issue of Movie Makers has an excellent article called Leaders and Trailers. Finally someone has given us authentic advice on how to load and start exposing roll film in the proper place, viz: run the film off till the perforated numbers have passed the lens opening. Lyle E. Williams Peoria, 111. ACL HOSPITALITY Dear ACL: Thanks to our ACL membership, we came on a recent holiday trip to Norway into contact with Egil Christensen, president of the Norwegian Film Amateurs. We had a grand time in Oslo, where Mr. Christensen took us on a sightseeing tour and above all arranged a special open-air folk dance gathering where we could film to our heart's desire. Later on this club arranged a meeting and screening of some of their best films, followed by a supper with our fellow film amateurs. Indeed hospitality to the extreme! Three cheers for Mr. Christensen, for his friends, and for the ACL whose membership enabled us to meet such nice people. J. Scholten Bzn., ACL Wierden, Holland G. J. Gast, ACL Almelo, Holland DEFINITE SUCCESS Dear ACL: May I express my personal appreciation, as well as that of the Board of Governors, for the cooperation of your organization in making the National Institute for Audio-Visual Selling at Indiana University, July 26 to 30, a definite success. Hazel Calhoun Sherrill Chairman Board of Governors National Institute for A-V Selling Atlanta, Ga. As part of a clinic on the developing audio-visual uses of magnetic sound on film — conducted by John Flory, of the Eastman Kodak Company — ACL's allmagnetic package program, The Top of the Ten Best, was screened and studied at the Fifth National Institute for AudioVisual Selling, held this summer at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. In this column Movie Makers offers its readers a place to trade items of filming equipment or amateur film footage on varied subjects directly with other filmers. Commercially made films will not be accepted in swapping offers. Answer an offer made here directly to the filmer making it. Address your offers to: The Swap Shop, c/o Movie Makers. STREET SCENES IN SINGAPORE Dear Friends: I was recently on a trip to Singapore and took about 400 feet of Kodachrome on my 8mm. Bell & Howell. However, when I received my films back from processing, I realized that I had not taken sufficient shots of typical street scenes in and around the city. I would like therefore to get in touch through your columns with an 8mm. enthusiast in Singapore and have him take for me another 100 feet of color. I could either send him the money or equal footage of typical scenes here in Perth, Western Australia. G. Pilkington 604 Hay Street Perth, Western Australia