American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1959)

this new gun are increased aecuracy. greater velocity, use of larger projec¬ tiles. and improved reliability. As in recent vears. the Academy's dlst Annual Awards event was held at the HKO-Pantages theatre in Holly¬ wood and in the customary tradition, the Oscars were handed out to the lucky winners hy the cream of the cro}) of Hollyw'ood stars. Rock Hudson and Doris Day made the presentations for Rest Photography. Actor Jon Hall, neighbor and long-time friend of Sam Leavitt accepted the Oscar for Lea¬ vitt who Avas on location in Michigan shooting “Anatomy of a Stranger." ANIMATED FILM TECHNIQUES Continued from Page 399 motional film for TV that was pro¬ duced for one-fourth the cost of full animation. The problem involved sell¬ ing six basic advantages of the small college town: 1. More social life and activities. 2. Closer relationship with classmates and faculty. 3. Simpler transportation accommodations. 4. Less trouble finding work. 5. Greater col¬ lege spirit. And 6. more friends be¬ cause everybody knows everybody else. The studio palnned the animation se¬ quence and it was approved by tbe sponsor. Essentially, the work was done with silhouettes. Cutouts were used to show' students getting out of bed, in class, at field meetings, track meets and many other activities representa¬ tive of a typical day’s routine. A clock appeared in every scene and the hands jumped one hour for each changed sit¬ uation. ( See Fig. 2 ) . This film could have been live or could have been done with full anima¬ tion at mueh greater expense but it is doubtful if the message would have had any more impact on the audienee than was obtained with the less costly animation method. Cost of live photog¬ raphy would have been high since it would have involved many expensive set-uj)s around tbe campus. In contrast, ifie camera work and art needed to handle the job on a modern animation stand were relatively simple. Cutouts, which are actually drawings on pieces of pajAer, replace countless inked and painted cels needed for full animation. Cutouts also save shoot¬ ing time for the cameraman and per¬ mit more detailed rendition of characli'rs. \\ ith cutouts, faces can be airbrushed. hair can be glamorized, cross Joe Ruttenberg beamed happily as he accepted his Oscar for “Gigi” from Doris Day — probably contemplating bow it will look along side the other three already gracing his firepalce mantle. Telecast from coast to coast and minus “commercials" for the second year, the show' set a new* mark for the Academy. It Avas the greatest, longest, most star-studded, glamour-packed af¬ fair in the Academy’s history. It didn’t run quite the two full hours antici¬ pated, but what there was of it was great — great for the industry and for everyone connected Avith it. — A.E.G. ■ hatching and stippled effects can be added to clothing, fur and other spe¬ cial materials can be attached Avhereever desired. Not only that — ueAv arms, legs and heads can he substituted at will. Almost any action can be por¬ trayed Avith cutouts so long as motion is side to side and up and down on planes perpendicular to the camera lens axis. Similar effects and economies are demanded and obtained in business films. One recent production of this kind was made for a large textile mill and was designed to show details of the company’s promotion and merchan¬ dising program. The mill insisted that costs be minimized by reducing the number of cels and drawings. In this instance, the maximum num¬ ber of effects were obtained with cam¬ era moA'ements. Zooms, A^ertical, hori¬ zontal and diagonal pans, pop-ons, cels sliding in all directions, and various combinations of these techniques Avere employed. Drawings were made larger than normal and were designed to be interesting from all camera fields. This greatly reduced the amount of artAvork that would be required normally. The musical score was added after the camera work was completed. This method proved to be most economical and permitted many special effects to be introduced. As the camera panned the countryside, the music Avas light and airy. V hen the camera zoomed in for a closeup, the music built up. hen the camera receded, the music softened. Thus, it Avas easy to select and time the musical accompaniment to fit and dramatize the camera moAements. Many startling and pleasing 3-di¬ mensional effects are easily obtained on motorized animation stands by plac¬ ing the art on several different planes. Here, as many as six surfaces are used, some supported aboAe the compound table on wood and others on glass. Tavo recent 60-second films illustrate this technique. One advertised face poAvder and the other Avas an opening title for a live TV show. The face poAvder job involved a lady’s compact revolving in space Avith highlights bouncing off the surface as it turned. Lsing several planes, the task was simple. The compact was sup¬ ported on a revolving panel of clear glass 7 inches above the table on Avhich a sunburst background was mounted. In making the live TV show' title, a Aery interesting depth effect was intro¬ duced. It was simple in form yet ac¬ commodated 80 credits which were su¬ perimposed continuously during the 60-second interval, using zooms and pans. The multiple-plane technique also made it possible for the TV sponsor to make certain changes in the title to suit other shoAvs of the series Avhich followed. Now that we haAe discussed loAv-cost animation techniques that are current¬ ly used in modern studios, let’s take a look at the equipment that makes it possible to apply these new' methods. Fig. 3 shows a large professional-type Oxberry animation stand that requires a 10' X 10' Hoor space and 12' ceiling clearance. The integrated components of this unit make it possible to closely coordinate the functions of stand, cam¬ era, stop-motion motor and compound table. This achicA'es precision and speed in production for maximum flex¬ ibility in most studio operations. The camera carriage can be operat¬ ed manually or by motor and its posi¬ tion is indicated on a mechanical counter in hundredths of an inch. Cams, activating linkage and inter¬ changeable lens barrels provide for automatic follow' focus. Shadow boards MOVING? When changing your address, please no¬ tify us at least four weeks in advance. BE SURE to give your Former address as well as your New address. Our Circulation De¬ partment needs both addresses in order to properly identify your address stencil. Your cooperation will insure that Amer¬ ican Cinematographer will continue com¬ ing to you regularly without delay or omission of issues. Thank you. — American Cinematographer 1 310 AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER