The educational screen (c1922-c1956])

June, 1942 Page 235 "ART IN SAN FRANCISCO" A new 3-reel 16mm sound film The only motion picture ever made showing famous artists at work and at 1 lay. in a modern metropolis ... a story without props, without actors . . . laid In one of the most colorful seaport cities of the world. See the three famous San Francisco Museums; The California School of Fine Arts; The Open Air Art Show; Artists Studios; Ralph Stackiwle and Donp KinnmRn at work. Keoominended particularly for student and adult art classes. Bental, $3 per day. Write for purchase price to: 153 Kearny St., San Francisco Western Distributors PHOTO & SOUND, INC. Question Box on School Film Production 1. What is the best way for us to go about selecting an idea for our first film? The school can prevent a considerable waste in time and materials by approaching the production of its first film with intelligence and foresight. It is recommended that those in charge of the proposed project study such specialized refer- ences as Students Make Movies, Making School Moznes, and Producing School Movies. In the latter reference, Child and Finch suggest a few simple ideas such as these to guide the beginning group: (1) Choose a simple idea if you are just beginning: (2) Select a story that may be produced without overtaxing your school facilities; (3) Be sure that your story will be of interest to the audience for which the film is in- tended ; (4) Choose a subject that can be told by action. 2. What is the length of a fade-in and a fade-out? The length of a fade may vary according to the tempo of the action, but the average fade probably will use about six inches of film (20 frames, or one and one-quarter seconds of screen time at 16 frames speed). 3. Why is it so useful to have "depth of focus" tables for your 16mm lens? \V'hen working at close distances and at low apertures, the plane of focus must be fairly exact, in other words, the al- lowable tolerance is small. Under such conditions it is ex- tremely useful to know which objects will be in focus and which objects will not be in focus. The function of the depth of focus table is to permit rapid calculation of the nearest and farthest limits of focus at stated distances and aperture open- ings. For example, if the 1-inch lens is being focused on an object at six feet, by reference to the depth of focus table, the cameraman learns that at f/2.8 the limits of focus are 5'-0" to 7' -6"; at f/5.6, 5'-2" to 10'-6"; at f/8, i'-W to 15'-0". 4. Where can we obtain program material for our film production club? A great number of illustrated lectures and exhibits on photog- raphy are available on loan from the School Service Division of the Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N. Y. A series of teaching films for amateur cinematographers has been pro- duced by Kenneth F. Space under the title of "You Can Make Good Movies". The series includes such film lessons as "Com- mon Mistakes and Their Correction", "Exposure and Exposure Meters", "Film Editing", and "How To Use Filters". These films are available for rental from The Harmon Foundation, 140 Nassau Street, New York City. In addition to these suggestions, the richest sources of club programs are the films produced by other schools. 5. Would you recommend the use of film that is adver- tised to sell at a price considerably below the so-called standard? It is extremely doubtful if any "off-brand" mov.e film ever brings satisfaction to its user. Such film stocks, often advertised at emulsion speeds far in excess of actual value, and sold at figures far below standard prices, would lead one to believe that some of the established manufacturers are making enor- mous profits on their products. In truth, the purchaser always gets just about what he pays for, which in the case of standard brand films is represented by such things as perfection in manu- facture, standardization of performance, skill in processing the exposed product, and a number of other factors too numerous to list here. {Concluded on page 237)