Home Movies (1944)

HOME MOVIES FOR MARCH AdDING a sound track to a 1 6mm. silent picture is neither a difficult task nor prohibitive in cost. Converting silent pictures to sound is fast becoming a major cinematic industry. Many well equipped laboratories with fine technical staffs are to be found in principal cities today offering sound recording service to amateurs as well as industrial and educational film producers. Among these are Telefilm, Inc., Hollywood, George Colburn Studios, Chicago, Spot Film Productions, Inc., New York City, and Photo & Sound, San Francisco. Amateurs with treasured travel films are having sound tracks of commentary and theme music added; schools producing their own educational subjects, film them silently and have narrative added later by post-recording. Many industries in war production are producing their own training films, then turning them over to sound studios to add the sound track. Perhaps you have thought of having sound added to one of your films. Or you may have opportunity to make a public relations or training film for your employer, as have many movie makers, and have wondered about the cost involved in adding sound. If so, you may find encouragement in the following facts: Let's assume you plan a one reel film (not to exceed 400 feet) in either black and white or Kodachrome, and wish to have added later, by post recording, a narrator's voice on sound track. Naturally, the first question is: "What will such recording cost?" During recent months, this writer has asked for estimates on this sort of work from several recording studios located throughout the country. Oddly enough there is a wide variance in the figures quoted by the recording studios responding with quotations. A total of ten firms submitted estimates ranging as follows: Studio A $ 95.00 Studio B 110.00 Studio C 130.00 Studio D 140.00 Studio E 150.00 Studio F 160.00 Studio G 200.00 Studio H 235.50 Studio I 295.00 Studio J 325.00 These quotations involved supplying the studio with the reel of film com * • In the sound studio, prior to actual recording, your picture is screened several times while the sound engineer familiarizes himself with the narration and music cues as shown here in the control room of Telefilm's Hollywood studios. UVE VOICE TO YOUR FILMS B y W R . M A R S T O N pletely edited and not exceeding 390 feet in length and a fully prepared script for the narrator with all necessary cueing directions. In return the studio would supply a combined black and white print of picture and sound track in the form of a reversal duplicate including narration, title and end music. Costs for Kodachrome prints range somewhat higher. No adequate explanation is available for the wide variance in the prices quoted except that a difference in labor costs in various localities could be a major item. Naturally the question arises as to the quality of the $95.00 job. However, as all of the studios solicited have been established for some time and are currently servicing important clients, it is reasonable to assume that all of them are producing good work. On the other hand, it is only human that, faced with a tabulation of this kind, we should choose a quotation in the middle of the bracket as the most equitable and of fering acceptable, or better, results. The figures quoted beyond the $200.00 mark are admittedly questionable. One studio, whose quotation is included in the "reasonable" price range offers the following comprehensive price list of all recording services available by them: DIRECT 16MM. SOUND RECORDING PRICES Quotations based on single reels not exceeding 400 feet in length. Prices include narration, title and end music. Black and White Picture from Negative Incl. 1 st Print . $140.00 Black and White Picture from Reversal Incl. 1st Print 160.00 Kodachrome Picture Incl. 1st Print . 180.00 Novachord Musical Background Add, per reel... 75.00 Musical Background from Discs Add, per reel ...^ 25.00 B & W Workprints from Negative, Per foot _ .03 B & W Workprints from Reversal, Per foot .06 • Continued on Page 1 1 S 103