Home Movies (1944)

HOME MOVIES FOR AUCUST Daily Events Suggest Ideas For Entertaining Movies... By (AMES R. OSWALD f UOMMON, everyday happenings, packed with human interest, are frequently overlooked by the movie maker in the endless search for new cine material. Yet these familiar scenes are often the most suitable story material for our cameras. For example, the events that take place in the average household during the course of a day can furnish the basis for a good story-telling movie. From the first annoying tinkle of the alarm clock in the early morning until the lights go out at night, there are enough happenings of general interest to furnish plots for several home movies. Even if one was content only to make a movie record of such happenings in one's household, clever camera treatment of such activities as the struggle of one member of the family getting out of a comfortable bed, the preparation of breakfast, of hubby sitting at the breakfast table deeply engrossed in the morning paper while his wife sits tolerantly opposite him, and then the daily dash to make the bus or train, and mother's chore of getting the kids reluctantly off to school, can make an interesting picture. Just these events pictured with one's camera and carefully edited and titled will net a far more interesting movie than where random shots are made of the family in unrelated activities. Recently one filmer followed this idea tc picture his father responding reluctantly to the alarm clock, then arising and proceeding to the bathroom to shave. In the course of this action, the man encounters little aggravations such as knocking the alarm clock off the night stand to the floor, finding only one slipper under the bed, stepping on a rough object on the bathroom floor and then cutting himself severely while shaving. At the breakfast table, the man is dismayed when, picking up the newspaper, discovers it is Sunday. Without further ado, he returns to his bedroom and retires to catch up on his late Sunday morning sleeping. Here was continuity of the simplest sort abounding in natural homey action within the household. It required only good lighting and skillful camera operation to turn it into a humorous and entertaining movie. Owners of movie cameras are always looking for opportunities to make good shots of members of the family. Nearly everyone, of course, has a family moviebiography in 8mm. or 16mm. film to which they are constantly adding additional random shots as the opportunity presents. But how much better to go at this recording of the family more deliberately, seeking to portray the various members in brief continuities of action that will show them on the screen as they really are? When visitors are expected, or there's a birthday party or Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner guests are invited, such events promise many opportunities to record them in narrative form with a beginning and logical ending. The preparation of dinner in the kitchen suggests little human touches such as junior slyly sampling the frosted cake, or of the dog helping himself to a chop or chicken leg as the refrigerator door is opened. The rest of the day's activities can be told in interesting shots of members of family and guests at the dinner table, and of the afterdinner bridge game. One's home town is often similarly overlooked as a subject for a complete movie. Usually it is a case of being "too close to the forest to see the trees." The cr.meraist already may have made an occasional shot of some of the town's interesting points; but why not document it in true professional style? Is the town an historical one abounding in landmarks and points of historic interest? Why not sketch a tentative shooting script that, when followed with camera, will tell an entertaining story about your home town? Or perhaps you have shots made years ago of local scenes which have undergone civic improvement. These can be made doubly valuable by shooting the scenes today and editing them to show the "be • When visitors are expected or there's a birthday party or Thanksgiving or Christmas celebration, such events promise many opportunities to record members of family and guests in story-telling continuities. fore and after" effect of the improvements. Today, more than at any time in our nation's history, cities and towns are experiencing tremendous expansion. A movie record of new housing areas and new factories and civic improvements will become a valuable addition to one's film library in later years. Many movie makers who did not possess a camera at the time, now delight in recording the history of their courtship and marriage, by retracing some of the paths of yesteryear with their movie camera and bringing their personal movie history up to date. Another couple who began making movies when • Continued on Page )42 323