Home Movies (1943)

PACE 336 HOME MOVIES FOR OCTOBER HOW TO MAKE HOME MOVIE GADGETS HOME MOVIES MAGAZINE SERIES Do you get a lot of pleasure from building your own home movie gadgets? Then here is the very book you want. Chock full of ideas for gadgets for 8mm. and 16mm. cameras and projectors— things easy for any amateur to make. HOME MOVIE GADGETS and how to make them $400 PER COPY postpaid Nearly 100 pages profusely illustrated with photos and sketches telling how to make gadgets and accessories for cameras; for making wipe-offs and fades; title making; editing and splicing; and a host of others. No theories — every gadget tested and proven by an advanced amateur. The plans and specifications of just one of the gadgets alone is easily worth the price of the book. Limited printing on first edition. Order Now! Ver Halen Publications 6060 Sunset Blvd. HOLLYWOOD 28 CALIFORNIA it exceedingly fair, that all who come here will acclaim my skill.' And behold — mountains, forests and desert came into existence." Then follow about 200 feet of colorful scenes of desert and rock formations of the Petrified Forest, amply explained by informative titles. Following this, the Death Valley sequences are introduced by appropriate titles and this famed region is displayed upon the screen with equal cameracraft. Here indeed is a picture that will hold any audience spellbound to the final fadeout. It justly deserves the 3Star merit leader awarded it. A Carribean Cruise" is title of the 800 foot 1 6mm. Kodachrome picture recently submitted by Capt. Wilbur C. Robart, Camp White, Oregon. Another exceptional job of color photography, it can be made even more impressive by re-editing. The picture documents the filmer's travel from New Orleans to Guatemala and thence through the hinterlands of this fabulous country. But the picture would be greatly improved if the scenes within New Orleans and those taken aboard ship were omitted entirely and the picture begun with the first scene made in Guatemala, and the whole probably retitled "Guatemala." The picture also needs a terse informative narrative in the form of descriptive titles or a recording telling about the country and events pictured. There are frequent closeups of flowers, too, made in Guatemala that have little or no bearing on the more interesting scenes of the Central American republic. These should be omitted, probably edited into a separate reel devoted to flowers native to Guatemala. Excellence of photography and the interesting editing of the Guatemala scenes as a whole justifies a 3-Star merit award for this film. It has still greater possibilities if further careful editing is given it. TITLE TROUBLES By CEORGE W. CUSHMAN I1 you have anv questions pertaining to titles or title-making, Mr. Cushman will be glad to answer them. Address him in care of Home Movies or his residence, 1333 Locust St., Long Beach, Calif. In explaining your title troubles, include information such as type of equipment used, film, light source, and when problem occurs in finished title film, send along a sample of the film. Enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope if you wish a direct reply. Q: I have been trying some backuaid title uork uith my %mm. camera but can't get the image to appear normally on screen — that is, the lettering appears spelled backwards. What is my trouble} }. M. N. Pasadena, Calif. A: We presume you are attempting some reverse action filming in your title work. This requires shooting subject with camera mounted upside down. The finished film must then be turned end for end before it is spliced in with the picture and projected. With 8mm. film — since perforations are on one side of I film only — the film also must be turned over and projected with shiny side toward lens and this results in lettering reading reversed on the screen. To corect this, title should be lettered in reverse on title card. A slight re-focusing may be necessary when the title is projected. In order to obtain best results with film photographed in reverse — that is, to be able to project such film with emulsion side toward lens, as it should be — shoot title on clear base positive, threading it in camera with shiny side of film toward lens. The title, lettered in reverse, is then photographed upside down. After film is developed, turn it end for end before splicing, but with emulsion side toward projector lens in usual manner. Some camera lenses will not produce a sharp image when film is threaded with emulsion side away from lens, even when the smallest aperture is used : and for this reason, tests should be made to determine exactly what the camera will do under the circumstances. Q: My camera lens can be adjusted to focus on titles at closer than z feet by removing a small screw in the lens barrel. Is there any danger in throning lens out of adjustment by doing this? — C E. S., Rome, N. Y. A: Good closeup photographic results are often obtained where it is possible to remove the focudng ring set screw. However, with some lenses, there is some danger of throwing them out of adjustment by removal of this screw unless great care is exercised.