Amateur Movie Makers (Dec 1926-Dec 1927)

JAMES CRUZE, DIRECTOR OF "OLD IRONSIDES", PRESENTS A SILVER MEDAL AFTER THE FILMING OF "THE COVERED WAGON". ons nearby start to move. A messenger rides through, starting that part of the caravan. Miss Wilson and Ethel Wales move toward their wagon. Scene 248 Exterior. River. Long Shot. Across toward accident, as Ogle is seen swimming his horse out that way. Scene 249 Exterior. River. Medium Shot. Where the train turns to one side to ford the river. Wagons keep on going across as before, among them the Ogle wagon with Miss Wilson and her mother in the seat. Scene 250 Exterior. River. Fairly Close Shot. Of the accident. Scene 251 Exterior. River. Long Shot. At slightly different angle than scene before last, as the Ogle wagon is seen already in the stream and making for the other side with the other wagons and stock. FADE OUT. Scene 252 Exterior. River. Long Shot. Fade In. On the wagons coming toward camera, (the camera now being on the opposite side of the river from where shown previously). Cattle, etc., in the mass, but it should be plainly shown that the last of the caravan has left the other side. Ogle wagon, Miss Wilson driving, is well toward the bank on this side. Scene 253 Exterior. River. Closer Shot. On Ogle wagon with the mules in deep and the water up to the wagon box. Miss Wilson and her mother appear to have been through danger in crossing. Scene 254 Exterior. River. Long Shot. As the wagons keeps coming toward the camera. The Ogle wagon is coming closer to camera as we FADE OUT. You will note that at the beginning of the sequence there is a fade-in. If yem have no fade-in device on your camera, a foot or two of black film will answer the purpose — film which has not been exposed but which has been finished at the laboratory. Frequently you will find several feet at the beginning and end of your roll of film when it is returned to you. The first scenes in nearly all sequences is usually a long shot. This is partly in order to establish the surroundings before jumping to the medium shots and closeups. Thus, scene 240 shows a general view of the river, the people who participate in the action and the location as a whole. In scene 241 we jump to a medium shot and in 242 to a close-up. That, originally, is the order in which motion pictures should run — long shot, medium shot, close-up, and then working back. Of course no motion picture follows this order entirely. The arranging of the scene angles and distances depends entirely upon one's action. But if one is able to follow that order without losing dramatic suspense, one's picture will have a better sense of balance. TOMORROWS HAPPY HOME The Lady Who Wanted to Uplift the World was very much pleased. For here at last was a means of keeping the family all at home together every night. One can get all the kick of going to the movies without the effort of travelling down town, and can have lemonade out of one's own icebox at intermission. Aunt Elizabeth can come in and give the preliminarv news reel by word of mouth, and Sister Maybelle can see Dickie Barthelmess in her own parlor, on a film that has been reduced to fit the family projector. Moreover, she and the boy friend can sit on the sofa in the dark while Father is too busv running the projector to notice whether all her attention is fixed on Dickie. — Kathleen Halladav in The Boston Post. "THE CALIPH AT HOME" "Other times, other manners. And, one might add — other costumes. Nowhere was this more apparent than at the last Bohemian Club encampment. Ten years ago everybody was running around camp with cameras. This year the grove was full of motion picture machines. Even Harry Howland had the amateur motion picture bug. Surely we leap from one wonder-fad to another these days." — Charles Caldwell Dobie in the San Francisco Bulletin. Twenty-three