The Cine Technician (1939)

223 t ii ]•: J X K-T F. ( II N I (' I A X March-April, 1938 Recent Publications THE FILM GAME By LOW W \Ki;i;\. Werner Laurie, 10 6 Low Warren is one of the real old-timers of the British film industry, an active participant for over a quarter of a century. He started "The Cinema" with Sam Harris, and later edited "Kine Weekly" [or mam years. He lias written an entertaining volume oi personal reminiscences, and many of the great names oi the industry in its earl\ years arc mentioned in his pages, often with some anecdote which helps us to appreciate i heir human qualities. He has many an amusing story to relate. For example, of the producer nearly driven frantic by a wouldbe "star" who hadn't the faintest idea of what was re quired of her. "My dear, do please try and put a little life into your acting," he said to the girl. "Think now. haven't you ever tried to stop a man from kissing you'.'" "No" was the frank reply. I liked the ston oi Sidney Olcott, who was casting lor "From Manner to Cross." He went to an agent and stated his requirements. "Where do you want to take these people to'.'" asked the agent. "To Jerusalem." "Where's that?" "Why, in Palestine," explained Olcott patiently. "And who's going to pa\ to] 'em'.'" "I am." The agent set to work, and to get the required biblical types advertised lor men "with whiskers." The next morning Wardour Street was full of them. Some of Low Warren's recollections provide striking contrasts with present-da^ practices. In one of his films the whole of Barnet Fair was hired lor hall a day for £50 ! He relates in detail the stoiw oi the I anions "Nelson" film, which was destroyed in a fire just when it had been completed. Nothing daunted, they re-shot the whole him, and at the Trade Show sold it for £16,000, the highest sum ever paid tor a British-made picture! This is an entertaining hook. Not profound or vers thought provoking, hut easy and pleasant to read. RALPH BOND PROMISED LAND By CEDBIC BELFBAGE. Oollancz, 8/6 net Horace Henderson Wilcox, crusader against the rum demon, and cobbler by profession, discovered Hollywood in lSoT. Promised Lund here picks up the story and races along till the present day telling, in a novel with a great deal of fact, the histon of the city and giving due place, of course, to the industry with which it is so closely associated. As an historical document the book will interest him technicians. lint it is much move than that. It tells of the exploitation of Hollywood, in which paper fortunes rose and fell — "a goddamned insane asylum with a million inmates all believing tluy could eat pieces oi paper." Film workers must read this hook. It will make them think, ft may make them better trade unionists, as the author does a couple of his characters. Readers may disagree with the lesson Air. Belfrage sets himsell to preach, hut they will surelj thank him tor writing a film hook that is different — one of social significance that docs not epitomise the industry as a make-believe world focusing its sole attention on the Harold Darewells and Norma Lovelips of the screen G. TL ELYIN SOUND RECORDING FOR FILMS By W. F. ELLIOTT. Pitman. 10/6 net Though sound has keen established in the film industry as a commercial possibility for some ten y and lias reached the remarkable stage of fidelity it now holds, there is still very little literature available on the subject, and when a new book such as Air. Elliott's comes on the market, every sound engineer looks eagerly for it. Tin book deals mainly with what may be called "the aesthetic technique" of sound recording lor the first time. A tew years ago there were various schools of thought; there still are to-day, hut the differences are only small. Air. Elliott gives us his line of thought, and though w might not agree with him in every detail, we shall find his exposition of "Sound Perspective" very clear and very instructive. Air. Elliott states in his preface that this book is not an explanation of technical detail, but a study of what 1 have called "Aesthetic Technique." I have examined the hook from two point oi view — from my own as an engineer of ten years as a him recordist, and from the view of an assistant engineer, who has been in the "racket" for only one year. In this latter respect I asked Air. A. Simpson to help me. His view was that the first four chapters on the growth of Sound Becording, Sound Photography, the Script and Studio Boutine, were helpful to him. hut that several points were left incomplete. For example, in the treatment of background noise the method of elimination was not sufficiently described; again, the question oi the correct reverberation period of the studio. the method of reducing the reflection from hard tlats and so on, left him rather in the air. The chapters on Sound Perspective would be more useful to hitn when bis experience extended to mixing. From my own point of view, 1 would say that the chapter on the development of tracks is unnecessary. Correct development is very essential, but Mr. Elliott does not describe in detail which methods the engineer should employ to get the correct exposure on the track tor the required gamma — his part of the business-whilst describing in too much detail the chemical pn 1 do not agree entirely with his idea of "Volume Compression" in recording music, in which he states bhat the gain control should be set on the loudest passag and left. A. certain amount of "knob twisting" is lie: • sary, and is surely quicker than arguments with the Musical Director, whilst the actual volume is not always the same lioiu take to take. The complete range from pianissimo to fortissimo can still be maintained with judicious use of tlie gain control. But this is probably jusl a matter of opinion. Filter circuits are verj necessary in re-recording and in direct recording also, provided the complete perspective is held in view, and Mr. Elliott could have enlarged on these, because filter circuits do help m "Aesthetic Technique. " During the last few years, there has been an enormous growth in the practice of synchronising the picture to a sound track already recorded, and whilst this allow the recordist to obtain a first-class track, there is a very great danger of long shot and close-up sound being the (Continued on page 227)