The educational screen (c1922-c1956])

Page 22 The Educational Screen SCHOOL MADE MOTION PICTURES ONE of the outstanding school-made films of 1942 is Hoover High Prepares, the timely production of the students of Herbert Hoover High School, San Diego, California. Winner of a first award in the New York University High School Motion Picture Contest, the film contains many ideas in which school film makers are interested today. Through the courtesy of Miss Ruth Henry, faculty advisor of the Herbert Hoover photography group, the complete shooting script of the film has been se- cured and is partially reprinted below. The script gives full details for 98 scenes, numbered consecutively 1 to 98, with customary opening and closing titles. Every scene is marked as close-up (C.U.), middle shot (M.S.), long shot (L.S.), and special techniques required in certain scenes, such as panning, camera angles, camera positions, etc., are always indicated. The film is divided into 10 parts by content titles as follows: By HARDY R. FINCH Head of the English Department Greenwich High School, Greenwich, Conn. To show the form and detail of the shooting script, the subject of Stretcher Construction above is re- printed in full below: Title— Stretcher Construction Scene 32. C. U. Sign on wire around aluminum pile on lawn. "Aluminum for Stretchers". Two completed stretchers arranged in front of it. Scene 33. M. S. Six boys bring boxes full of aluminum and put on pile, then walk away. Scene 34. C. U. Pile of aluminum showing sign and com- pleted stretchers again. Scene 35. C. U. Furnace red hot. Scene 36. C. U. Pot of melted aluminum. Dipper stirs it around. Scene 37. C. U. Dipper pouring aluminum into mold. Scene 38. C. U. Taking stretcher leg from mold. Scene 39. C. U. Completed stretcher legs on table and more being placed there. Scene 40. M. S. Two boys working at lathe turning stret- cher arm. Scene 41. C. U. Hand working on one end of stretcher arm. Scene 42. M. S. Two boys take arm from lathe and ex- amine it. Scene 43. C. U. Drill going through braces. Small pieces of metal flying about. Scene 44. C. U. Hands putting bolt in to hold braces to- gether. Scene 45. C. U. Hand hammering rivet in braces. Scene 46. C. U. Girl unrolling stretcher canvas. Scene 47. C. U. Girl measuring with yardstick on canvas. Scene 48. C. U. Girl cutting canvas. Scene 49. C. U. Girl folding and creasing hems in canvas. Scene 50. C. U. From over girl's shoulder, two shots of canvas being sewed on power machine. We are pleased, as our readers will be, at the re- appearance of "The Question Box" in this issue. It will be conducted by Donald A. Eldridge, as successor to Godfrey Elliott who joined the Army Air Forces last September. Mr. Eldridge is Director of Visual Instruction in the New Haven Schools and has long been interested and active in the making of school-films. We are fortunate in having the able continuance of "The Question Box" thus assured. Nelson L. Greene Scene 51. C. U. Drilling hole in wood for fastening on braces. Scene 52. C. U. Working braces to check them. Scene 53. M. S. Three boys tacking canvas on stretcher arms. Scene 54. Hand hammering tacks in canvas. Scene 55. C. U. Stretcher opened up, showing stencil of Red Cross on it. Scene 56. M. S. Row of completed stretchers. Boy places another in row. Scene 57. M. S. Student carrying completed stretcher out of shop and placing it in Red Cross station wagon. Scene 58. M. S. Another student doing same as scene 57. Question Box on School Film Production Question: For some time now we have been discussing the possibility of producing a film based on our school activities, and have just reached the point where we can make definite plans for this, due to the kind interest of an amateur movie-maker of our community who has offered to underwrite our first production. However, we have heard rumors that all 16 mm film has been, or is about to be "frozen," and consequently we are hesitant to procede with our plans. Can you either "spike that rumor" or confirm it? Under the circumstances, what would you advise us to do? Answer: Last spring there was a report that public sale of 16mm film would be halted by December, 1942. As this is written, however, this "freeze" is not yet quite com- plete, although the supply is definitely and drastically curtailed. By October, most film dealers had been cut to 7% of their 1941 quotas, and this is still in effect in December. This means that dealers whose normal sales were small in volume now have shelves which are nearly if not entirely bare. One dealer we know has been wait- ing for several weeks not only for his last film order to come through, but for assurance from the manufacturer that it will be filled. Yet casual inquiries have revealed dealers who still have several hundred feet of 16mm film of most types in stock, though they are not expecting to have it very long. Thus, the best advice we can give you is to consult your local dealer or dealers immediately. (It might be wise in your case to have your "benefactor" do this for you since, if he has had a sizable account in the past, he may be on the dealer's "preferred list." For we suspect that in some cases the last few reels of film may be doled out on a basis similar to that used by some grocers in disposing of their last precious packages of coffee a few weeks ago.) In any event, you should certainly estimate the amount of film to be needed as accurately as possible, and, if you are certain of completing your production, you should buy {Concluded on page 24)