American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1952)

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JUST OFF PRESS. 72 pages crammed with THOUSANDS of newest PHOTO TOOLS, CAMERAS, (Press, Studio, Candid, Special Purpose, etc.), LENSES, PROJEC¬ TORS, Lighting Equip¬ ment, Developing Equip¬ ment, ENLARGERS, etc. for the amateur and professional, in every day, scientific or industr:''l work. Splices Not Holding? TRY JEFRONA ALL-PURPOSE CEMENT! Write for free sample CAMERA EQUIPMENT COMPANY 1600 Broadway N. Y. 19, N. Y. adequately to the screen presentation enhancing the continuity of the slick editing of this picture. Venezia, Pearl Of The Adriatic — Oscar Horovitz, in his recent world travels, gives us the benefit of his dis¬ cerning eye with a studied and beautiful account on color film of the beauties of Venice, Italy. In this picture, he es¬ pecially demonstrates his uncanny knack for searching out the most dramatic points of interest and for capturing them with his camera in such a manner that even without a running commentary, the picture has unusual appeal. The secret, of course, is Horovitz’s trick of following up his shots with more de¬ scriptive shots, in order to tell the com¬ plete story. Every sequence, no matter ho w brief or what the subject, is com¬ plete — sufficient. His compositions are artful, adding much to the interest of the picture. Considering that he spent but two days in Venice, he has achieved a remarkable documentary of this beau¬ tiful and interesting city. W aters Of Lodore — Unlike most letter carriers who go for a hike on their vacation, letter-carrier Morton and a party of friends set out on a boating adventure down the Colorado river during his 1950 summer vacation. Mor¬ ton recorded the adventure from start to finish, and edited the footage into an absorbing documentary having many thrilling moments. Although the picture is a little slow getting started — the pre¬ paration and get-away sequences being somewhat overly-lengthy — the picture, once the boats get underway, is packed with interest and not a few thrills. It must have been a monumental job making movies on such an arduous journey, for it was often a tough enough job just to keep the boats afloat. Staging the boat action in the rougher waters required infinite patience and camera skill, but Morton has been rewarded with some excellent shots of his fellowboatmen navigating the dangerous rapids. Morton shot the picture on 16mm Kodachrome at 24 f.p.s., hoping later to combine the narration on a sound print. At present, the narration is re¬ corded on wire and synchronized with the picture. Limited space here precludes any¬ thing but brief comment on the Honor¬ able Mention films: Harold Ramser’s “Acapulco — Mexican Riviera” is a beautiful Kodachrome documentary of the colorful Mexican resort city. Newell Tune’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” has some outstanding photography in which distortion lens attachments were used for some fantastic effects. William Hahn’s “Emerald Stairway — Sulu Seas” is a 16mm Kodachrome dicumentary of life and scenes in the Philippines, and notable for its consistent color quality and expert photographic treatment. Jos¬ eph Fischer’s “Goldilocks And The Three Bears’ is an unusual amateur ac¬ complishment in which the filmer and his associates staged the age old nursery tale in miniature, building all the sets, props and the marionette figures them¬ selves. A drawback is the lack of sound narration or continuity titles. George Merz offers a masterful job of photog¬ raphy in his travel film, “In The Sky Over Miami.” A1 Londema’s “The Black Satchel,” is a pretentious photoplaylet in 8mm color, showing good camera work and direction. Leo Caloia’s “The Thing,” is an ambi¬ tious effort in a storyfilm production, demonstrating excellent camera work. Oscar Horovitz clicks with a second entry in this competition with his “Tulips, Canals and Wooden Shoes,” documentary on native Holland. Fred Evans’ “Vacation Highlights” records the family’s experiences on a trip east to pick up a new car at the factory, with humorous touches and a surprise gag at the fiuish. Leo J. Heffernan’s “What God Hath Wrought” pictures some of the wonders of Nature, with emphasis on the mighty Niagara Falls. His color photography is excellent. There’ll be another competition next year. The editors therefore take this opportunity to invite all readers of Am¬ erican Cinematographer who are ama¬ teur movie makers, to start now and plan a film entry for next year’s compe¬ tition. There are ten gold trophies and ten honorable mention certificates to shoot for; and besides, entering a film affords you an opportunity to have your work evaluated by some of Hollywood’s most renowned directors of photo¬ graphy, who each year comprise the jury that selects the Top Ten films in American Cinematographer’s Annual Amateur Motion Picture Competition. NEEDED— A NEW DEAL (Continued, from page 212) a) In most of our amateur film clubs, you find oidy camera owners, and these at different levels of ability. Under such circumstances to try to shoot a cooperative film is as difficult as organizing an orchestra where everyone is a conductor. It is quite logical that a cine club should be organized among men who have the same interests. But the idea retains its validity only as long as these men are willing to vary their experiences, seek advice and mutual criticism about their own films. But it is a difficult task one undertakes when he asks the other fellow to put aside his 224 American Cinematographer May, 1952