The Cine Technician (1935-1937)

90 The Journal of the Association of Cine-Technicians February, 1936 Trailers By leslie eveleigh, f.r.p.s., Produdlion Manager, National Screen Service, Ltd. The general idea of the making of a Trailer is that a few scenes are taken out of the picture, joined together, a few titles stuck on to them, and that is a trailer. Nothing could be further from actual fact. In proportion to its length in relation to the length of a feature, there is just as much thought, preparation, trouble and expense per foot goes to the making of a trailer as to the feature it represents. Let me give you an outline of the procedure. First, when a film is near completion, before it has the final music dubbed on to it and the final polish applied, it is viewed, generally in conjunction with either the director or the editor of the film, and a careful note taken of scenes which will stand by themselves without a context and still mean something interesting, intriguing or humorous. It must be remembered that in constructing a feature film, incidents are very carefully led up to, to get the full dramatic effect required, and very often a scene which the average person would consider to be invaluable for a trailer may be useless becau.se, divorced from its leading-up scenes, it becomes just meaningless. Having decided upon the A Corner of tlie Art Depar'tment at National Screen Services. 17 Artists work in the Cornplete Departrnent. scenes to be used, a complete scenario of the treatment the trailer is to receive is made, and this treatment is discussed, altered and approved with, and by, either the owners or the renters of the film. Work now commences on the trailer proper. The list of titles is sent to the Art Department and the ncessary cards made, either for superimposing over actual scenes from the film, or for use in conjunction with abstract backgrounds. Two different treatments in the Art Department are used for these alternatives, and if abstract backgrounds are to be used for the trailer, then those backgrounds relative to the wording to be used are also made at the time of the title cards. These are then sent through to the Camera Department, with the necessary instructions for the various types of trick work in wliich we specialise, and while this is being done, the scenes which have been chosen are being cut and edited to obtain the agreed tempo for this particular subject. This cutting and editing process is an extremely fascinating one, because the scenes are presented irrespective of their chronological order, but in such a way as to build up a definite interest in themselves. It is a maxim with us that a trailer must be an entertainment in itself. If the trailer is entertaining, tlien the film which it advertises has been impressed upon the minds of the viewers, and subconsciously suggests that it is necessary to see the film which the trailer represents. When the scenes are in the order in which they are to appear in the trailer, the titles are joined in, the necessary music or commentary fitted to them, and the complete trailer is then in rough formation. If we are satisfied that the correct rliythm for that particular subject has been achieved, then the negative is cut, a print taken off and submitted for the approxal of either the owner or the renter of the feature. The foregoing is just a rough outline of the procedure in making a trailer, but of course there are details it is impossible to go into in such a short article as this. Suffice [Continued on page 91). One of the Animators at National Screen Services.