Amateur Cine World (August 1936)

CONTINUING FILM PRODUCTION FOR AMATEURS Production Begins exaggerates his helplessness. Into this shot the boy enters and unties the ropes. Scene 15 is a close-up of his fingers untying the ropes, but during production this might prove quite unnecessary and should then be eliminated or improved upon. A long shot enables the broad action of lifting the owner from behind the counter and placing him in a chair to be established and the following close-up of his face plants the discomfort he has suffered. From this point the “ parallel action’’ begins, for the boy rushes from the shop to search for help. The importance of this method of simultaneous action cannot be too greatly emphasised, for suspense depends upon its treatment. In this case, to concentrate upon the owner of the shop would be unsuccessful, but immediately he is left and we realise that something else is going on, interest is kept alive. Establishing Altered Tempo Observe that a close-up of the boy’s feet rushing past the camera establishes the altered tempo of his movements since his first slow, plodding appearance. Thus, the double-action develops by showing, in more or less alternate shots, the owner slowly rising from his chair and approaching the counter, whilst the boy rushes hither and thither round the village, searching for the policeman. Ultimately, he reaches an inn, outside which sits an old bearded villager, drinking ale. Whether this should be shot from above or below, whether the swinging inn sign would help the composition of the picture, or be ignored ; whether the old man should face the camera or be in profile—be drinking or dozing—each and all of these points can only be decided by the producer on the spot. Obviously’*the old man is being asked where the policeman is, but the conversation is rapidly cut in half by the next shot, in which the owner is seen crawling along his counter towards his till. Next, the boy is running off in the direction of the pointing finger of the old villager. It might be found far more effective to show only the pointing forefinger of the old man instead of his whole figure, but there again the decision can only be made whilst shooting, Stage by stage the owner approaches his till, his efforts being regularly intercut with the activities of the boy who, by this time, has arrived at the haystack, from the bottom of which the policeman’s large boots protrude. This should give an idea to the producer to introduce a quick flash-back by showing the boy’s astonished face. He covers his eyes for a moment and a shot should then be cut in of the owner’s boots sticking out from beneath the counter. Then back to the boy’s face and lastly to the policeman’s boots. This plants the fact that one pair of feet reminds him of the other and he wonders if he is in the presence of yet another mystery. By creeping round the haystack and finding that the policeman is asleep, he is reassured. Just at the point where the policeman rises to follow the farm hand, we cut back to the owner, now at his till gazing at the open drawers, and the cause of the attack on him becomes apparent, by a close up of the open till drawers, allempty. Theft! The Director Must Decide Policeman and boy are now on their way back, followed by straggling villagers. Now, it is at this point that the imagination of the producer comes into play, for he may introduce countless shots of cottagers and shopkeepers peeping out of their houses, windows, doors, etc., and joining in the throng, or he may include none of them. He might obtain a shot of a cow looking sulkily over its shoulder at all the commotion and he might create a nice rhythm by a series of close-ups of cottage windows, opening one after another, separately, and a face popping out of each—all intercut with the excited throng running through the street. He might do any or none of these things, but he need never look for such details in his scenario. Reverting to our melodrama, the owner’s cleverness in concealing his money in a jar of bull’s-eyes is now revealed. Back we go to the running crowd and again to the owner, as he reaches for his pipe. It is at this point that we introduce the third angle, in the form of the thief, who, finding the till empty, has hidden in the shop and watched, unbeknown to either the owner or the audience, the bull’s-eye jar secret, and he now lifts the notes out of it and quickly withdraws his arm under the counter. It is at this moment that the crowd arrives and we stop production. What happens afterwards does not concern us at the moment. You will have observed that the scenario consists of a series of definite orders, but leaves the picture Stage scene from : composition and the duration “‘Murder at the Theatre Royal,” Bognor ‘Regis F.S. production made of each shot for the producer at the Theatre Royal, : : to determine. But it leaves Bognor.