British Kinematography (1952)

34 Vol. 20, No. 2 TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF "THE TALES OF Christopher Challis Read to a meeting cf the Film Production Division on November 21, 1951 . 2 HOFFMAN" THE earliest beginnings of " The Tales of Hoffman ' ' was a meeting, attended by the producers, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, the designer, Hein Heckroth, the choreographer, Frederick Ashton, the ballerina, Moria Shearer, and the author. A special recording of the music of the opera, a piano solo by Sir Thomas Beecham, was played. Hein Heckroth, in the form of sketches, interpreted visually the opera as he saw it. Ideas were developed in relation to a modest budget in which the main characteristic was that fantasy, imagination, colour and atmosphere took the place of plaster and wood. Hein Heckroth is a painter of the modern school, in which the medium is colour, light and air. If the mood of his designs was to be retained this medium would have to be used when translating them on the film. A means had to be found of achieving the desired effects on the studio floor without recourse to special effects after shooting. Takes were seen daily in order to judge the visual aspect in relation to the designs and the music. Too much use can be made of special effects and thus there is a danger of technicians becoming too specialised. The approach was greatly influenced by Hein Heckroth's theatrical background. The Prologue In the prologue of the Tales it was desired to indicate that a performance of the ballet " The Enchanted Dragonfly " was being held in the Opera House of the City of Niirnberg. A simple design was used. Cut outs of weather vanes against a night sky backing, the facade of a theatre, the cloakroom, and, finally, craning into a programme on the counter. There was no set and there were no artists, yet the desired effect was complete. The story of the ballet which followed was that of a female dragonfly. She emerged from a pond, the male jumped down from the branch of a tree, and they danced together on the lilies in the moonlight. After mating she killed him, and as he sank she climbed grotesque branches to the moon. The set was simple, a painted floor and a backdrop being used. The shots of the female dragonfly rising to the surface of the pond and ascending to the moon were both achieved with gauzes. In ascending to the moon five separate planes of gauze were used, with leaves painted on them to hide the ramp on which she danced. Each layer cut the light by about ten per cent., so it was quite a problem to get sufficient illumination on the backing. In rising to the surface of the pond the dragonfly danced at the top of a 20-foot tower placed in front of a blue-green backing. The tower was painted and lit to match the backing, and in front of the dancer was lowered a gauze, stretched on a frame, on which were painted under-water effects and the surface of the pond with lilies on it. As the surface of the pond appeared in front of her, the hard edge of the effects spotlight was panned down her body to give the impression of the breaking of the pond's surface and the emergence into the moonlight. Act I. — The Tale of Olympia Each act of the opera was basically a different colour, in order that the diversity of the loves of Hoffman in character and environment be stressed. Act I takes place in a puppet maker's house in Paris. It was to be light and airy in character. The sets chiefly consisted of draped yellow gauze and lighting, by different effects, both the back and front. On all the large ballet sets the Mole Richardson 350 amp. effects spotlight was used, as it was felt that it added feeling to the story and helped focus attention where it was required. Olympia's bedroom consisted of three concentric rings of draped yellow gauze, beyond which was painted yellow candlelight and chandeliers on a cyclorama, also yellow.