American television directory (1946)

USES OF FILM IN TELEVISION Suggestions for incorporating film in tele-programs, prefilming broadcasts and preparing news telecasts. _ By JOHN FLORY Executive Producer, Grant, Flory & Williams The growth of television, to a great extent, will depend upon adequate pro¬ gramming quality. Motion picture film promises important contributions to¬ ward the achievement of this objective, hence the following advantages of film are worth keeping in mind. Film inserts — either specially shot or compiled from library footage — can be interspersed throughout a live talent show to give greater scope, a feeling of reality to a program, and to bridge un¬ avoidable gaps caused by costume changes or set changes where studio facilities are limited. Until television pickup cameras now in use are improved, film will be found to be more sensitive and accurate in reproducing the tone values of reds and other shades of color. Film, therefore, is particularly important in displaying fashions and packaged merchandise. The motion picture camera also sur¬ passes the television camera in depth of field, making it easier to keep actors and objects in focus. Until satisfactory television lighting units are developed, preparing the video material on film at the outset will pro¬ vide a more artistically lit composition on the receiver screen. Comparisons with Movie Production Most actors prefer film over live tele¬ casts because it permits a more polished performance. “Blow-ups,” “flubs,” and poorly-paced scenes can be discarded and redone in the movies; not so when a video show goes out live on the air. Prefilming a program means a lot to the sponsor footing the bill. He knows in advance exactly what he is buying. Unlike radio, television requires ac¬ tors to memorize lines and action. Any sudden illness or absence of a key actor, therefore, precipitates a pinchhitting problem. Prefilming of telecasts avoids this possibility and assures bet¬ ter continuity. In the same way, mistakes and “blow-ups” during product demonstra¬ tions can be forestalled. Imagine the sponsor’s consternation in a live tele¬ vision demonstration were a crucial zipper to get stuck, or a particular brand of jiffy suds to fail at the vital moment to look impressively cleansing. Live talent shows require a large crew of actors, production people, and engineers for studio maintenance. Thus, as one authority points out, if satis¬ factory motion pictures can be pro¬ duced at reasonable prices, the over¬ head of a small station (in the early stages of the industry) can be reduced — through a projector pickup iconoscope camera — to two engineers and a projec¬ tionist. Many new stations, obliged to start out modestly, will discover that motion pictures can satisfactorily pro¬ vide the bulk of the programs they put on the air. Film and Networks Film offers a practical way of achiev¬ ing a national network. It would overcome many cost and technical diffi¬ culties and tie remotely situated sta¬ tions together more economically than either coaxial cable or relay stations. In present-day radio broadcasting, differences in time — such as exist be¬ tween New York and California — fre¬ quently mean that an advertiser want¬ ing national coverage for a network show is saddled with the expense of a repeat performance. Such repeats will be a far more serious matter in tele¬ vision network operation, in view of the greater original cost of video program¬ ming. Film would seem the solution. Technical advances will soon permit elaborate live talent shows to be tran¬ scribed on film from the station’s moni¬ tor screen or from a receiver. These film transcriptions can later be telecast from other stations — thereby effecting an all around saving. For reference pur¬ poses, or as a lasting legal record of what went out on the air, such films may prove invaluable. Portability of motion picture equip¬ ment is another advantage of film when a television station, attempting to operate with a small personnel, must cover remote pickups. Many news events will not occur at times when a maxi¬ mum television audience is tuned in. But a film record can be telecast to take advantage of the greatest number of set watchers. The minute movie type of film tran¬ scription offers an economical way of handling spot advertising. A whole new field is opened to tele¬ vision through the use of animated motion picture cartoons. Many points can be made more effectively by this technique than by live action, particu¬ larly in devising commercial plugs which entertain. Animated cartoons of¬ fer an ideal way of illustrating a com¬ plicated machine, process, or concept. (Continued on page 124) TYPICAL tele-filmed news events were Washington and New Yorlt receptions to General Eisenhower, filmed and televised the same day by WNBT. Filming permits dramatic editing. 44