The Cine Technician (1935-1937)

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80 The Journal of the Association of Cine-Technicia7is Dec, ig36-Jan., 1937 A GOOD YEAR FOR MOST OF US During 1936 Assistant Directors have probably been more acutely aware than any other technicians of the state of flux through which the industry is passing. Although like others they have to some extent benefited from its expansion, the appearance of new studios and the fluctuating plans of production concerns have led to increased instability in organisation and conditions of employment. At one time the A.C.T. employment bureau had as many as 30 unemployed assistants of various grades on its books. This position has not been helped by the intrusion of many more or less talented amateurs into a field of work in which there is no substitute for experience, as the Director said to his assistant when he scheduled the leading lady's bathing scene for the wrong date. However, the A.C.T. 's rate of expansion has been at least equally rapid. Although Assistant Directors as a class have not been as quick as other technicians to realise that their best chance of procuring stability in salaries and working conditions is by supporting the Association in its work. This in spite of the fact that nobody in the business works such long hours for such varying salaries as Second Assistant Directors. Nevertheless, 1936 has been a good year for most of us, and we can but hope that 1937 will show an equal advance both in the A.C.T. 's work and in the Industry as a whole. Pen Tennyson. RECORD YEAR FOR PUBLICrfY FILMS 1936 has been a record year in the production of publicity and propaganda films. Not only have we made far more films than in any previous year, but the standard of production has improved out of all knowledge. This improvement has only been made possible by the high standard of efficiency maintained by our technical staff. In this connection I want to pay a tribute to the A.C.T. which, during an unprecedented rush period, never failed to supply us with men of high calibre. I was pleased to read in a recent publication your secretary's statement that in his opinion the use of the film for propaganda purposes should not be restricted. I thoroughly endorse that view. After all, the printing press suffers from no such restriction. Why should the most modern method of disseminating propaganda be bound by prejudice ? The job of my company is to provide film propaganda for industry. This is an undertaking which is, I know, welcomed lay the leaders of the cinema industry, since nothing but good can come out of a close association between them and the other great industries of tliis country. G. E. Turner. REpUCED RECORDING COSTS There has been a good deal of discussion during the year about the steadily increasing cost of production, but it does not seem to be generally known that the cost of recording a picture has, if anything, fallen during the last few years, due partly to technical improvements and methods which speed up working, particularly on musical pictures, but mainly to the objective view of production that the experienced recordist takes nowadays. He cooperates smoothly with his fellow-technicians, knows when to give and take and still get a commercial result, and on the rare occasions that he makes an error of judgment, usually has a trick or two in reserve to put matters right without an expensive retake. With regard to recording practice, I was very interested to see in one studio, lightweight portable equipment being used on the stages. This is definitely a step in the right direction. In my opinion the development of sound recording apparatus for use on sets in and out of studios should be towards providing light and mobile gear that could be moved around and set up ready for taking with the same speed and facility as an ordinary motion picture camera. \\\i\\ such equipment any type of shot could be covered, including several different camera angles on big spectacular scenes. \\'orkihg in conjunction with this portable apparatus one would have, of course, a permanent studio installation for use in connection with mixing effects, music, and re-recording of all kinds. This plant would perform the same functions for the production recordist, as the optical printer does for the cameraman. We have not yet reached this ideal, but I am confident that it will be standard practice in a few years' time. F. George Gunn. NEWSREELS SHOULD TAKE CHANCES Kenneth Gordon, who is all of the Three Musketeers of British cinematography, but more particularly Porthos, suggests that I should give my opinion of the standard of camera work in this country. That is simple. I have never known it so high. A great deal of publicity is given to brilliant foreigners like Georges Perinal, but to my mind their work is not half so significant as the day by day work being done by the British newsreel men. It seems to me that it is relatively easy to take a good and impressive picture when you are allowed a day to light the scene, but it is not so easy when you hoist a camera up on to a rickety tower in a gale to catch the Grand National horses as they come by. Particularly if some benevolent gentleman is pulling at the guy ropes of the tower the while. The result may not be high art, but it is darned good craftsmanship. Only one thing worries me. I get the impression sometimes that newsreel cameramen in this country are afraid to take a chance. I have seen the same thing happen time and time again in Fleet Street. (I used to be an Art Editor). You send one man out to cover a wedding, and he will bring you back a safe picture. If you send one man out to get the best picture of the wedding and tell him he can leave the stock stuff to the agencies it is on the cards he win bring you back a front page picture. It seems to me that British newsreel cameramen are being sent out to cover a job rather than to get the best picture. I think the standard of newsreel photography in tliis country might be improved 100 per cent. — not by the operators themselves, but by the news editors sitting behind their desks. If they would say to the men as they send them out, 'T'U take a chance on missing this item altogether to give you the opportunity to get me just that one shot that is different from everybody else" — the problems of newsreel work would be halved. But they don't take that chance. Paul Holt.