Home Movies (1943)

PACE 412 HOME MOVIES FOR DECEMBER Make His Xmas Merry! FOR the movie maker on your Christmas shopping list, what better gift than a subscription to "Home Movies" magazine— a gift that renders happiness not alone on Christmas day. but every day in the year? Here's the gift that repeats itself 12 times a year; brings useful information, filming ideas and news to spur the movie maker on with his hobby. Not even a roll of hardto-get film would be more welcome this year! Mail the coupon below, today. We'll start the subscription with the December issue and send the lucky movie maker a special Christmas card announcing your gift. P. S.: Are you a subscriber? If not, use the coupon for your subscription, too. With paper shortage looming bigger than ever, newsstand copies are bound to be scarcer. HOME MOVIES 1 Year $2.50 2 Years $4.00 Hollywood's Magazine for Moiie Amateurs t HOME MOVIES t * 6040 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, Calif. ' f Gentlemen: . Enclosed please find S J I Please enter Year subscription to t * HOME MOVIES to be mailed to: ' t Name 4 * Address 0 Zee 0 City No. State J 0 Signed _ 0 j Address . J Hunch and Big Boy, who lived at our north woods Sanctuary. I have noted that audiences are impressed at once with the appearance of these animals. Bears are such powerful creatures, and associated with them are the erroneous traditions of ferocity and viciousness, so that any picture of them is valuable. But groups looking at this film do not rise to the level of enthusiasm I love to see until those bears of mine pull a washing off a line and drag it on the giound. The prank obviously is intentional and thoroughly enjoyed by the bears. Here is the drama, the human element. It is the kind of thing we like to do — rough, carefree fun. It is akin to the practical joke of our social clowns, the type of "awful thing" we look for in our lovable bad boys. And these scenes draw not only interest and laughter but frequently ripples of applause. Some years ago I captured a picture of a maginificent buck along the shore of a northern lake. The animal had beautiful antlers, and was the very personification of wilderness alertness, power, and wise caution. The picture always drew a little murmur from the audience, but not the enthusiastic acclaim I had hoped for. Later I chanced to catch a scene of a buck standing guard before me while a small herd of does and fawns ran to safety. This scene stirred the handclapping. Here was the prototype of the human hero standing between his loved ones and approaching danger, willing to give his life if necessary to protect those dependent upon him. It was wonderful drama, and drew approval. We love to see such heroism in nature and in ourselves — and certainly, we should. There is drama of this kind everywhere if we seek it, and our cameras can record it if we demand that they do. It is in the flowers and trees as well as in animate creatures. Perhaps you record a bush of lovely red roses, and in the general view the flowers are strikingly beautiful. Onlookers will smile with pleasure, nod their heads, whisper their approval. But now bring in a closeup of a cluster of blossoms, and then one flower selected for its perfect petals and rich color. Enlarge it until it fills the screen. Make it dominate attention, monopolize thought. Now it is not only beautiful, but all the sentiments associated with the red rose are awakened in the minds of those who look upon it. The audience sees in it the messages of love, sympathy, congratulations, and good wishes that have been entrusted to such glorious flowers throughout our history. Or perhaps you record a pine tree — always attractive and beautiful against any sky. Remember, the pine tree is prominent in our traditions, it is revered by our race. Pine trees speak of the rugged frontier, the primitive cabin, the realm of adventure and freedom. Therefore, come close with your camera and catch the deep furrougfcs of its bark ; catch the view right up its graceful trunk and record the way it salutes passing clouds. "Shoot" right into the luxuriant mass of its foliage, bring it closer and closer to the audience until the sentiment associated with it dominates consciousness. Make spectators feel its strength, its power of growth, its record of service to mankind. Then you have captured the drama in the pine tree. It would be impossible to catalogue the unnumbered subjects of nature, and analyze the dramatic value of each one. Yet, unquestionably, there is a way to search out and record in our films the human side of the particular subject we find before us; and when we have dene this we have found the dramatic value. This seeking and finding is individual. It is the background of originality and art. The attaining of that which is desired may be difficult. But we have started out on the right road when we define clearly our objective and patiently pursue this higher virtue in filming nsture pictures. PoU -war Projector . . . • Continued from Page 398 wanted for years, adding them to the basic projector "chassis." I, for one, hope for two important improvements: first, a thoroughly silent projector and, second, one with the lamphouse completely shielded against escape of light. Almost every movie amateur expects to include sound, particularly music, in his home movie shows of the future. In most cases, this will be by means of disc recordings; and in the limited area of the average living room, where people must be seat ed close to the projector, the mechanical noise makes impossible full appreciation of sound, dialogue or music. I suggest that mechanism of post-war projectors be completely enclosed and soundproofed, with a glass-windowed door permitting ready access to sprockets and gate for threading. A wider use of fiber gears is also suggested as a means of reducing unwanted mechanical sound. Light escaping from top of lamphouse has long been an annoyance that easily