The Cine Technician (1938-1939)

Jan.— Feb., 1939 THE CINE T E C H M C I A N 159 constant in order that the clouds maj always behave in the same way. This effect was done by the present head of the department, Lawrence Butler, who had the gas belched out ut special guns so that it just hung where wanted. Every now and then the whole studio had to be cleared of the fumes when a new take had to be done. Another shot was one of the dropping of painchutes, done w itl i little silk parachutes and plaster models dropped from the studio root. 1 could go on giving countless examples of the sort ol special forms of trick photography that we do every day, but most of the processes are known in one form or another to most cameramen. The big thing that we have tried to do here is to do our work better and with more attention to every detail ot the process than it gets in the majority of studios in this country. 1 cannot let you into any secrets, because there really are none that you do not already know. The majority ot our work is confined to backgrounds and the shooting of back projection shots, shooting of miniatures, and in mj own particular case the shooting of all the stages of composite shots that are eventually put together on the optical printer. Optical printing of special shots is also part of our department, and we also have our own little laboratory, for there are many differences in grading, density, contrast ot print, and so forth tint we require that is best done by ourselves father than b\ the ordinary lab. Tom Howard, outoptical printer, is one of the lu st men at his job in the Four stages of trick s country, and has done some really outstanding work ill this department, for which, had he been of any other nationality than just plain English, he would have got a Lot ot publicity long ago. As it is he goes steadily on with his job, calm, efficient, and painstaking, only hoping that the job he does adds something of value to the film it goes into. Indeed, the same may be said for the whole ot the department. As 1 spoke of backgrounds 1 may as well tell you our own way ot making these. We don't just set up a camera and shoot, then stick the artists in front of it and rephotograph. First we find out from the director how big the artists are going to be in the final action, close, mid, three-quarter, or lull figure. On the shooting of the plate we send the assistant out into the foreground so that we can line up on the subject as it will eventually be seen. We take a tew feet with the assistant in position, to let the director get a line up when he sees it screened, and then shoot the plate, with all the usual provisos as to steadiness, and taking care that there is no object in front of the camera less than 25 feet away. We then make the special shooting prints ourselves, as we are best able to judge what degree of contrast will be required in the final set-up. For less important or moving backgrounds the continuous printer is quite good enough, but lor work requiring more contrast or for static backgrounds we use either the step printer or the optical, the latter giving the greater degree ot both steadiness and contrast. We for "Spy in Black