American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1941)

Transitions and Tempo By CLAUDE W. A. CADARETTE, Founder, L. A. 8mm. Club AS soon as movie scenes start trying to tell a connected story-idea to audiences, we come up against the problem of making transitions to bridge the mental and pictorial gaps occasioned by changes of place, time or action. These transitions should be so smooth as to fit imperceptibly into the flow of the pictured action. At the same time, each transition should be directly proportionate in tempo and abruptness to the change of thought it bridges; that is, quick, abrupt transitions should be used between scenes closely related in time, place or action, while slower and smoother transitions should be used between scenes between which there is a greater change of thought. Fortunately, the professional moviemakers have developed a regular language of transitions, and since many of these are mechanically adaptable to 16mm. and 8mm. filming, we amateurs can — if we will — take advantage of them and add this professionalizing touch to our own films. Basically there are four — maybe five — fundamental types of movie transitions. First and simplest is the direct cut, made by simply splicing one scene after another. It is the quickest, and also the most abrupt. Next come the fade-out and fade-in, in which the picture gradually fades out to complete blackness, or the reverse, as the case may be. This is slower and much more positive. It can be made in several ways: by slowly closing (or opening, for a fade-in) the lens or shutter as the scene is shot; by using a graduated "fading-glass" filter or, if the fade is to be made after the film is processed, by applying "Fotofade." Third comes the lap-dissolve, in which one scene blends smoothly into the next. This is made by shooting a fade-out, then rewinding the film to the point where the fade-out was started, and starting the next scene at this point by making a fade-in. Thus the two fades are superimposed, so that as the first scene starts to fade out, the second one simultaneously starts to fade in. This is the smoothest of all transitions. Fourth comes the "wipe," much used in professional films, in which one scene apparently seems to push the other off the screen. These are made professionally with an optical printer, and are rather too complicated for most amateur use, though they can be done if one has a camera equipped with a windback and one of the "wipe" gadgets commercially available. Finally there is the "whirl," which isn't used very often, but which can, as Robert Teorey showed in his prizewinning 8mm. film, "The Golf Widow," often be a good substitute for the "wipe." On the screen the effect is that the whole world suddenly does a tailspin — and when it stops spinning, it is on a different scene. All that is necessary is to have a camera-mount wrhich permits you to whirl the camera along the horizontal center-line of the lens. End one scene with a whirl like this, and begin the next with a similar one. Then splice the two together at the top of each: the scene will usually be so blurred at this point that the cut won't be detectable. But the mere mechanical ability to make these transitional effects isn't enough to assure good transitions in your picture. It is necessary to study the places and reasons where they'll be used. The transitions have got to coordinate with the changes of place, time or action they bridge or they have failed their purpose, and merely disturb, instead of help, the rhythmic flow of the picture. If, for instance, you were to splice scenes of Yosemite next to views of the Washington Monument, you'd have a transition — but the change of subjectmatter and locale would be too abrupt. The result would be confusing. You should either use a more gradual transition, or add a few scenes which will help you to provide a connecting link, and give a smoother result. When using a direct cut, the transitional subjects must be very closely related, because if the change of ideas is too abrupt, the minds of the viewers can not readjust themselves to the change in such short periods of time. Consequently, if are using direct cuts to complete a change of thought in the minds of the audience, you are treading on thin ice unless you have carefully studied your scenes and edited the film extremelv well. The simplest way to transfer your audience from one time or place to another is by the use of the fade-out and fade-in. In this manner, you completely blank out the first subject matter and fade-in to new ideas, subjects and localities. Don't, however, use this method except at the start and close of a complete sequence. Otherwise you will disconnect your subject-matter and break its continuity. A fade-out, like a period, instinctively informs the audience that the sequence has ended, and if the same subject-matter is again used after the fade-in, the continuity is muddled and broken. It must be remembered that the speed of your fades will affect the tempo of the picture, and as a result, the transitions should have the same tempo. It would be incongruous to insert slowfades in a fast-moving picture, or quick, short ones in a slow-moving picture. In many instances, when the sequences are closely related, and the subjectmatter is separated only by the element of time, the fades are better replaced by lap-dissolves which give a smoother change of thought. As an example, to quickly portray the ageing of a pera a series of lap-dissolves can be used through which the person is seen constantly becoming older and grayer. With this type of subject, you can age the person any number of years with a minimum amount of film, yet if you were to attempt this by direct cutting of each scene, the impression would not be effective at all, as the change from youth to old age would be too great. (Continued on Page 194) 171 April, 1941 American Cinematograi'Hek