American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1942)

working with all of the freedom we would have expected shooting silent pictures with, say, a Cine-Special. Yet in every instance, the recording was satisfactory. The quality was good — by no means of Academy Award quality, perhaps, but fully intelligible in spite of the fact that with one exception our lens-fodder consisted of wholly untrained actors. In other words, good, commercial sound, actually a good deal better than some I've heard in commercial 16mm. pictures, and a very great deal better than most 16mm. reductions from a professionallyrecorded 35mm. original. Our method of working was to begin with a very rough outline of what we wanted to get over in any given scene — ■ the people involved, and an idea, at least of the thoughts we wanted them to express. Then between us we worked up impromptu dialogue. There would follow one or two rehearsals, to get the actor accustomed to his lines, and to set the lighting, camera-manipulation and recording levels. Then we would shoot the scene — at a single take. This method worked out very well. So well, in fact, that all of us would recommend it very strongly to any group not working from a very rigidly set dramatic scenario. For by it, we maintained a surprising degree of spontaneity and naturalness in spite of having no professional actors. Exposures, incidentally, were metered with the writer's Norwood meter, which worked perfectly, since the Auricon camera, at the standard 24-frame sound speed, gives the l/5()th second exposure for which the Norwood is calibrated. In one or two takes we experienced a slight hum in the sound equipment. This made itself easily evident through the monitoring head-set, and was traced to the lighting equipment. It was overcome by grounding the recording amplifier by reversing the polarity of the lamp which proved to be the noisy one, and by taking care that the cables powering the lamps did not lie across or otherwise in tooclose proximity to the cables connecting the units of the recording system. Another thing we learned was that some revision of directorial technique is advisable when you are using singlesystem recording. It fell to my lot to direct most of the scenes; being accustomed to 35mm. professional practice with double-system sound and professional cutters who can easily clip unwanted words and actions from the start and finish of sound and picture films, from force of habit I used the professional signals, saying "Camera," and "Action," as a signal for starting camera and action. But using a single-system set-up like this, with sound and picture permanently on the same film, 24 frames apart, it is a great deal better if you get in the habit of giving these signals in pantomime, rather than verbally. Then they don't have to be cut out of the film before you show the completed picture! In the same way, we learn that it is necessary to allow plenty of time between throwing the starting-switch and commencing the action for the camera to get up to speed. Professionally, this is usually signalled by either a buzzer, or a verbal report from the sound-man that the equipment is up to speed. With the Auricon, it is a good idea to count slowly to yourself "one — two — three," to measure this interval. (A longer count won't hurt, nor will it waste enough film to worry about). The reason for this is that whenever the camera stops, since the recording light of the variable-area recorder remains constantly on, the film that is standing in the sound-aperture is fogged, sometimes (if the camera stops long enough) well into the picture. Also, the camera may possibly stop with the shutter open, in which case the pictureframe is fogged, and the fogging often seeps over into the sound-track, as well. This results in a white-flashed frame on the picture, and a disturbing "pop" in the soimd, at the points fogged. They can be cut out, of course, but unless sufficient time is allowed between the start or finish of the action and the beginning or end of the scene, cutting out these fogged frames will result in cutting out a bit of the sound-track or a bit of the picture (according to whether the cut is at the beginning or the end of a scene) with not only a jump in action or sound, but also throwing picture and sound momentarily out of sync. With these exceptions, however, making synchronized talking pictures with the Auricon proved every bit as easy and as convenient as making silent ones with any good 16mm. camera. The results on the sound side were uniformly excellent; as a matter of fact, we learned that making recordings on this equipment using Type A Kodachrome seems almost automatically to present the sound at its best. And finally, there was the incomparable thrill of not only seeing your pictures — in full color — move, but hearing them talk — and talk veiy intelligibly — as well. Either for use by 16mm. professionals or by advanced amateurs, we can report the new Auricon as a thoroughly practical method of making your own 16mm. sound films. END. 8mm Show (Continued from Page 212) a happy thought — line voltage drop! He rushed down to his office, picked up a voltmeter and a step-up transformer. The trouble was uncovered by the voltmeter, which showed the line was only delivering 90 Volts. In consequence the efficiency of the projection was extremely low. The step-up transformer was plugged into the line and the projectors were again hooked up, with the voltmeter in the circuit. Results were astonishing as the line voltage was lifted by the transformer to 115 Volts, the rated light power. A fur ther step-up to 125 Volts inci-eased lightintensity to a point where extremely brilliant pictures were produced. All problems had been solved and when the doors of the theatre were opened the following evening a milestone in the engineering of 8 millimeter filming was passed. From the opening fanfare to the final "The End" the show was handled with dispatch and precision. Excited guests found themselves viewing for the first time a brilliant and sharp 8 millimeter l)ublic showing of theatrical magnitude, and their response to the eiTorts of members to entertain them was full compensation for the many hours that the committees had given to this "showcasing of their hobby." END. Set-Building (Continued from Page 211) ing. Next time you go to a movie, notice how much the professional cinematographer gains from playing with contrasting highlights and shadows at points where the set-wall has a little projection, or is recessed. You can get this sort of design just as easily as we do by simply making up a few special flats, of normal height but only one or two feet wide. With these, you can provide interesting little projections or recesses in what would otherwise be flat, uninteresting walls. And your cinematographer will thank you for giving him a chance to get more of an illusion of relief into his set-lighting. Another trick you can use, especially where you are shooting at the door of a room, with a hallway or corridor beyond, is to use a pair of simple flats for your set, with the door between, and then a third flat beyond the door to suggest the opposite wall of the hallway. If the scene is in a hotel or some similar semi-public building, you can get an interesting lighting by simply casting on this back-wall a shadowpattern, say from a potted plant, or even a high-backed chair. And if your scene calls for a shot shooting from one room across a hall and through the door of another room, you can do this with but three sets of flats — one to represent the wall and door of the near room, the second, to represent the door of the room across the hall, and the third — somewhat wider, and perhaps with a window, to represent the far wall of the distant room. Unless your script calls for them, you won't need the side-walls of either of the rooms. And if you do, nine times out of ten a single "wild" wall will do the trick. Where you need them, you can often get standardized pillars and columns from millwork firms and especially from house-wreckers. For that matter, if you plan your shots carefully, you'll find you don't need a full column, but only the half-surface that shows to the camera. You'd be surprised how much "production value" you can get out of a American Cinematographer May, 1942 225