Home Movies (1944)

HOME MOVIES FOR AUGUST I, IGHT scenes, campfire scenes, lightning flashes in a storm — these are some of the nocturnal cinematic problems which eventually confront the serious movie maker. Often, success follows only after endless testing and retakes, due principally to the filmer's inexperience or to the lack of authoritative reference data. Actual exterior night scenes can be photographed where fast film and an abundance of light is provided — the same as for photographing interiors. However, filming night exteriors frequently calls for different lighting in order to achieve the subdued, dusky effects of actual night time. Placing the photofloods farther back from subject or background will provide the right balance of light. Correct exposure can be determined through use of a critical exposure meter, such as the General Electric, and taking a reading of the incident light by removing meter hood and pointing meter toward source of light. The meter responds to the intensity of light falling upon the subject and gives the best average exposure for the amount of illumination. It often happens, of course, that a desired night scene is located far from a convenient source of electricity, making use of photofloods out of the question. Such lighting problems can be solved through use of photographic flares. These are paper tubes filed with inflamable chemical powder, similar to a roman candle in appearance. Before the war they were generally obtainable at photographic supply stores. Today, because of critical materials used in their manufacture, flares are more difficult to obtain — usually only from wholesale dealers in fireworks. The flares are made in a number of sizes timed to burn for a definite number of seconds from 10 to 180 (3 minutes) or more. The 10 second flare sells for approximately 50 cents; the 60 second flare for about $1.50; and a 120 second (2 minute burning time) flare for approximately $2.35 each. Photographic flares produce a white light of high intensity and one flare is equal to several No. 2 photofloods. One is usually sufficient for the average outdoor medium shot. One drawback is that they give off a great deal of smoke while burning and for this reason must be carefully placed about the scene so the smoke will not interfere with photography. Usually the flares are placed alongside or a little back of the camera when filming a medium shot out of doors, and with the air currents blowing the smoke away from the scene and out of camera range. A populaf use for flares is in lighting nighttime scenes of vacationers • All the effects of a campfire's rosy glow can be achieved by placing a photographic flare near the flame. Flare furnishes adequate, light for Kodachrome or black and white scenes such as this. Try These Sight Time Effects With Your Camera B y w . c . gathered about a huge bonfire. The flare is placed in back of the bonfire (with relation to the camera) and ignited an instant before the scene is to be made. With the average movie scene of not more than 7 to 10 seconds in duration, the 10 second flare is the one most used, and is more popular with photographers because of its lower cost. With this type of scene, the smoke element is rarely a problem as, in the picture, it appears quite natural issuing from the bonfire. When medium cioseups of groups about the fire are to be made with flare illumination, a better scene will result if light from flare is masked from camera lens by placement of some of the people in the immediate foreground to effect a silhouette A R L E T 0 N framing for the scene. The majority of the people appearing in the scene should then be placed in back of the fire and facing the camera to receive the full illumination of the flare. Flares, like fireworks, offer an element of danger in that they throw off particles of the molten chemical as they burn and therefore should never be held in the hand or placed too near a person while burning. A moonlight scene is one of the most frequently attempted amateur cinematic effects. The light from the brightest full moon is not ample for satisfactory photography even when hypersensitized film and fast lens is used. Therefore, moonlight must be imitated. • Continued on Page ))} • Arthur Faure, Los Angeles filmer, produced effect of lightning in miniature shot by intermittently flashing a photoflood in reflector held above the camera as the scene was filmed.