Home Movies (1943)

HOME MOVIES FOR DECEMBER • A smooth running show results when the tilm is carefully edited to fit the musical recordings. The fewer cues to watch, the less fades to make, the less obtrusive but more effective becomes the music background. T, HE ordinary procedure in preparing a musical background for presentation with a home movie is usually to title and edit the film into a compact and solid unit, and then select music and sound effects to fit. Although musical accompaniment should at all times be subordinated to the film itself, a better production will result if the amateur will give more consideration to the music and consider it a vital part of the motion picture he is preparing. To accomplish this end, re-editing the film will often be found necessary. Changing the sequence order, lengthening some scenes or shortening others, or adding several additional feet at certain intervals — all in favor of the intended accompanying music — often will make a world of difference in the picture when it is presented. To begin, an extreme example might be pointed out. Walt Disney in his masterpiece "Fantasia," started with the musical background and then made the picture to fit. His emphasis in this film was on the music itself. The alternative is the common practice of making the film first and then selecting music to be played along with it. Somewhere between the two extremes lies the ideal medium for the amateur. The uninitiated amateur sound dubber often makes the mistake of choosing his musical recordings hastily and unwisely. I recently had occasion to see an amateur's vacation film screened with the accompaniment of phonograph recordings. The picture started off with a lively tune; then FITTING YOUR FILMS TO MUSIC as scenes of lofty mountain peaks appeared on the screen, the music was changed and the somber melody of the Barcarolle was played in keeping with theme of this part of the picture. Then scenes of speedboat races on a mountain lake appeared. The somber melody was abruptly cut and replaced with a faster, livelier tune. And later, as other pastoral scenes flashed upon the screen, the record of the Barcarolle was resumed. In the space of a very few feet of film, the background music was very abruptly cut several times from fast to slow tempo to the extent of distracting attention from the picture. Now the musical background of this film can easily be changed and improved by simply re-arranging sequences of scenes to favor the recordings and eliminate the necessity of frequent cutting back and forth from one recording to another. This may be done by first checking the playing time of a recording or a substantial portion of it, then filling out one whole sequence with scenes that correspond with it in screening time. The mountain scenes would probably precede the pastoral scenes, thereby lengthening the slow-tempo sequence so that the entire record of the Barcarolle could be played without interruption. The boat races and other action shots, then, By GEORGE W. CUSHMAN could be assembled together in another sequence or two and cued to a faster melody. If the mountain and pastoral scenes combined were not sufficient in length, additional footage may be inserted but not necessarily of the same subject; for additional mountain or similar scenes may cause this sequence to drag. Here, then, is opportunity to cut in reaction shots — closeups of persons looking at the scenery, of location markers or signboards imparting information pertinent to locale of the shots. Reaction shots, similar to these, often can be filmed locally months after the vacation is over. It is not to be construed that such a film as described here should contain all the slow tempo sequences at the beginning, with sequences of faster tempo placed at the end of the reel. A generous mixture of both cut in the best editing technique is desired. Each sequence should be a complete unit in itself, including the musical accompaniment. Unlike the theatrical film producer, the amateur has not the resources of special orchestrations and of highly paid • Continued on Page 420 405