American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1963)

SMOOOOOTH That’s the word for MILLER FLUID ACTION TRIPOD HEADS! It’s because Miller Heads are true fluid heads . . . the load rides on the fluid and all tension adjustments take place within the fluid chambers, giving a velvety smoothness unmatched by any other tripod head. There is no slack, no bounce, no backlash, no jitter. They are available in two sizes: The Pro¬ fessional, for cameras of 25-35 lbs., and the Model “D” for cameras weigh¬ ing 12-14 lbs. MILLER MODEL “D” FLUID HEAD with Ball Leveling Top Miller Grooved Leg Tripod. “D” Head: . $150.00 B/L Tripod: . 139.50 Total: . 289.50 MILLER PROFESSIONAL MODEL Fluid Head with Ball Leveling Top, Miller Grooved Leg Tripod. Ball Leveling Pro Head: . $299.50 Tripod: . . 154.50 Total: . 454.00 For the finest possible combination, get the new Miller Grooved Leg Tripod with Ball Leveling Top. These are the easiest and fastest leveling tops avail¬ able coupled with the finest and most rigid tripods in the Junior class. At your dealer, or order direct from MILLER PROFESSIONAL EQUIPMENT 1619 NO. CHEROKEE HOLLYWOOD 28, CALIF. PHONE: HOLLYWOOD 7-8189 units and includes 15 Mitchells, plus several Arriflexes and a wide range of special purpose, high-speed units. The sound stage is equipped with a variety of standard studio lighting equipment. Masterlite and Colortran portable lighting kits are used for much of the filming of location interiors. An experienced animation staff, working with top-grade equipment that includes the latest model Oxberry ani¬ mation stand, turns out technical ani¬ mation sequences to effectively portray abstract or extremely complex ideas, the workings of intricate mechanisms, or a cross section of an atomic weapon. The Lookout Mountain Sound De¬ partment is headed by William A. Mueller, former Sound Director of Warner Brothers studio, and a veteran of 30 years service at that studio. The Sound Department, which was totally destroyed in a fire a few years ago. now boasts the latest and best recording equipment available. Its installation, designed and supervised by RCA en¬ gineers, is entirely new and includes a twelve-channel recording console with every possible quality control. Original sound recordings processed here are received from Air Force pro¬ duction units situated throughout the world. Whether on quarter-inch tape; 16mm, 1714mm or 35mm magnetic film; or optical tracks on 16mm or 35mm film, regardless of the medium the department is capable of reproduc¬ ing and re-recording all of them. An important adjunct of the sound department is its wide and varied sound effects library to which new additions are made regularly. It goes without saying that since a typical audience of Air Force personnel in¬ cludes many experts in many fields, the sound effects dubbed into Lookout Mountain film productions must be completely authentic. Because the sound tracks and the entire content of each film production is subject to the critical approval of APCS headquarters, critical screenings are presented with the sound on a separate film interlocked with the pic¬ ture. All final dubbed masters are set up as triple-track on a single magnetic film. The dialogue, music and effects, if any, are recorded on this film side bv side as separate tracks in dubbed bal¬ ance for interlock screening, using a triple-head playback pickup. Thus, anv changes recommended as a result of the critical screening of the picture can be easily made simply by changing the relative balance of the tracks or bv inserting new sections of recorded sound. In this way, costly, time-con¬ suming re-dubbing of productions is avoided. While a lot of the film unit’s per¬ sonnel production know-how rubbed off on them from close association with technicians in nearby Hollywood, much of what is now established as regular “Zanuck saw his home movies — thinks the guy’s got possibilities.” (Reprinted by request) 242 AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER, APRIL, 1963