Film and TV Technician (1957)

January 1957 FILM & TV TECHNICIAN In shooting, the left camera photographs the right side of the action, and the right camera photographs the left side. In projection, the reels are cross-beamed on to the screen. May and Baker announce the introduction of a new 2 J oz. pack of ' AMFIX ', the ultra-rapid liquid fixer. Intended for those who may require a small expendable container, the new pack is made of plastic and is similar in appearance to the sachets used for certain brands of shampoo. Price of the 21 oz. " Empak " of ' Amfix ' is l/3d. From the Fountain Press we have received Numbers 11 and 12 in the Cinefacts series; they are " Tricks with Movies ", by Denys Davis, and " Processing Amateur Movies ", by R. H. Bomback. They are practical and clearly written little books aimed at the amateur, and selling for the very modest price these days of half-a-crown each. " Tricks with Movies " describes in a straightforward way, with diagrams, how the amateur can produce the trick effects that lie within the scope of his apparatus; e.g., fades and dissolves, slow and speeded-up motion, animation, superimposition, making and using a simple matte box, etc. The professional also might pick up an idea or two. Did you know that four spoonfuls of Epsom salts mixed with half a glass of beer and painted on the windows of your room will give you a realistic hoar frost effect? The purpose of " Processing Amateur Movies ", as the author points out, is firstly to explain the mechanism of both negative and reversal processing, and, secondly, to show how the amateur may, with suitable equipment, undertake such simple operations as title development and after treatment of finished films. It does NOT encourage the amateur to set up his own processing laboratory. The photographic illustrations are good, and all the main processing formulae are given at the end of the book. INDEX FOR 1956 The index for the Cine Technician for 1956 will be published as a supplement to the February issue. Book Review PORTRAIT OF MONGOLIA " LAND OF BLUE SKY ", by Ivor Montagu. (Dobson, 25/-). On Wednesday Ivor Montagu will be at an Executive Committee or General Council meeting, the next he may well be the other side of the world bent upon one of his many specialities from peace to table-tennis. So no great surprise was caused by his announcement that he was off to spend a holiday in the Gobi Desert. But as lazing is not Ivor's idea of a holiday, he finished up with material for " Land of Blue Sky ", a portrait of modern Mongolia. Those acquainted with Ivor's style will find this book true to form. Just as in a written report of, say, a Conference he has attended, nothing either important or trivial is omitted. He bursts with information, filling in the extras with copious parentheses, footnotes and appendices, resulting in his inimitable style — comprehensive, meaty, apparently shapeless but supremely intriguing. You feel that not a single word which could be said remains unsaid. I read " Land of Blue Sky " during the height of the Hungarian revolt and the first thought which occurred to me was, whether one calls Mongolia a dependency or ally of the Soviet Union — a current argument within the United Nations — the two countries have managed their affairs with each other in a way which could well be a model elsewhere. There are no Soviet troops in Mongolia, the only Russians there are experts filling special needs, such as doctors. The relationship, economic and otherwise, is based on a practical basis and, as a result, a proud independent people as the Mongols are, have a mutually satisfactory and friendly modus vivendi with their big Russian neighbours. But " Land of Blue Sky " is as much a travel book as anything else. Few Western visitors have been to Mongolia and indeed Ivor's wife is only the second English woman visitor ever. For me, perhaps because I was more in the mood for bright hospital reading, the appeal of the book was its fascinating portrayal of the Mongols and their country from thirty-five years ago, when they were a million-strong nomad race roaming over 600,000 square miles, up to today, when in a most rapid transformation they have developed into a country attuned to and helping create the benefits, if that is the right word, of modern industrial progress. I am sure that most readers of " Land of Blue Sky " will wish on putting the book down that an opportunity would present itself to visit Mongolia to learn more about this exotic land and its hospitable people. If that be so, the book can need no better recommendation. G.H.E. A.C.T. Films9 New Production Following the completion of Suspended Alibi for J.A.R.F.I.D., A.C.T. Films has gone into production with another subject for British Lion. This time it is a comedy titled Second Fiddle, and it went on the floor at Shepperton on January 14th, with Bob Dunbar producing and Maurice Elvey directing. The stars are Adrienne Corri, Thorley Walters and Lisa Gastoni. Arthur Graham is lighting, with Howard Connell as Production Manager. Second Fiddle is an original story, set in an advertising office, and raises, among other things, the right of married women to work and receive equal pay ! GET YOUR NEW BADGE The new A.C.T.T. badges and brooches can be obtained from Head Office. Badges 2/-, brooches 2/4, post free.