American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1941)

AMONG THE MOVIE CLUBS CALLING CLUB SECRETARIES! This department of THE AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER is your department. We feel that there is a great deal to be gained all around by making these reports of club activities available to other clubs and to independent cinefilmers all over the country. To that end, we ask all you club secretaries to consider yourselves special reporters for THE AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER with the assignment to "cover" the activities and meetings of your club. Send us those reports as quickly as possible after the event has happened — and make your report accurate and prompt. Wherever possible, we'd appreciate getting reports of meetings that have actually happened, rather than of those that are scheduled to happen in the future, so that none of us will be embarrassed by reading that something is going to happen at such-and-such a meeting, only to find later that some switch in schedule made the actual meeting very different. And please — remember that printers and editors wait for no man — so get your reports in for the next issue by not later than the 20th of the month. The Editor. So. Cal. Clubs Hear Clarke Members of all the amateur cine clubs of Southern California were guests of the Los Angeles 8mm. Club at the Club's March meeting, held in the auditorium ;|of the Southern California Edison Co., (with a capacity attendance of over 400 enthusiastic 16mm. and 8mm. filmers, many of whom had travelled fifty miles i lor more to attend. A delegation of 40 members of the Long Beach Cinema Club attended en masse, arriving in specially•hartered busses; the Los Angeles Cinema Club had abandoned its regular midmonth Technical Meeting to take part in this joint meeting, and delegations from the three other clubs in Los Angeles proper, as well as clubs in Pasalena, Alhambra, Santa Monica, Santa \na and other localities were present. I Chairman for the evening was VicePresident Foster K. Sampson of the Los Angeles 8mm. Club, who had arranged an unusually instructive programme dealing with movie-making unler artificial lighting. The first speaker n-as W. H. Robinson, Jr., of the General Electric Company, who described and iemonstrated his firm's Photoflood lamps, and how they may best be used. He was followed by Irving Andrews, of the East Los Angles 8mm. Club plays host to members of the Amateur Cine Clubs of Southern California. Left, Charles G. Clarke, A.S.C., during his demonstration of lighting; right, part of the audience of 400. Photos by W. H. Robinson, Jr. man Kodak Stores, who discussed films products. The next speaker was A. Bernard Shore, of the Max Factor Make-Up Studio, who demonstrated the application of make-up, using Miss Edith Williamson as a most charming model. The concluding speaker was Charles G. Clarke, A.S.C., a member of the Board of Governors of the American Society of Cinematographers and an outstanding Director of Photography with the Twentieth Century-Fox Studio. He gave a most interesting informal discussion of lighting, speaking from his experience not only as a studio cinematographer but as a 16mm. home movie maker. He followed this with a demonstration of lighting, using Victor floodlights provided by Winter, Inc., and Dinkie Inkies and Baby Keg spotlights provided by Bardwell-McAlister. Miss Williams was again the model. Clarke's demonstration concluded with the projection of a 50-foot reel of 8mm. Kodachrome showing similar lightings on the same stage and with the same model and lighting equipment. At the close of this he spent a considerable time answering questions from the audience. The meeting concluded with a showing of the 16mm. sound Kodachrome film "Sailplane," made by James H. Love and John W. Love (see AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER for February, Ed.). BETTY BARNEY, Secretary. Sioux City Sees A.S.C. Prize Films The March meeting of the Amateur Cinema Club of Sioux City, Iowa, featured screenings of two Prize films from THE AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER'S International Amateur Movie Contest. The films shown were "Prize Winner," made in 1937 by J. Kinney Moore, and "Early Summer," made in 1932 by Tatsuichi Okamoto, of Japan. Thev were most enthusiastically received. EDWARD H. SIBLEY, 'm.D., Program Chairman. New Club In Paterson, N. J. A group of amateur movie enthusiasts from Paterson (N.J.) and vicinity have banded together to form a club known as the Paterson Cinema Club, Inc. The purpose of the club is to foster amateur movies and to bring together the individuals interested for an exchange of ideas and suggestions of how they can improve their technique. About four meetings have been held thus far. The Secretary of the new club is Irving Diamond, 130 Walnut St., Paterson, N.J., who states he would be glad to receive inquiries from any interested amateurs in his locality, and particularly "we would more than welcome correspondence from any other organizations interested in helping a new gang get going." Philadelphia Elects As the Philadelphia Cinema Club enters its sixth year of activity, it starts out under a new set of officers, elected at the Club's March meeting. The new administration includes B. N. Levene, President; George A. Pittman, VicePresident; William A. Brink, Secretary, and Robert R. Henderson, Treasurer. Through the courtesy of the Eastman Kodak Co., a new form of ballot for use in judging films was explained, and an opportunity presented for its immediate use. The Club, departing from its former practice, has decided to include all films shown by its members at any meeting during the year in the Club's Annual Contest. A special committee headed by the Chairman of the Technical Committee will be charged with maintaining percentage records on every film shown. These will then be used in the final judging for determination of the Annual Prize Winners. The film-feature of the March meeting was a 1000-foot 16mm. Kodachrome titled "Sagebrush and Saddles," made by Boyd Bernard and completely synchronized with sound. The majority of the film-rating sheets turned in gave (Continued on Page 196) American Cinematographer April, 1941 181