Home Movies (1953)

shots are used for this purpose. The term "cut-in" applies to a shot that is spliced into the principal action in order to explain or clarify it. If, for example, we are showing a man engaged in fishing, a closeup of his hand reeling in the line would be a cut-in that would add interest to the sequence. Again, in filming a marriage ceremony, a closeup of the groom placing the ring on the bride's finger would be a cut-in. The cut-away is related to the cutin from the standpoint that it is incidental to the main line of action, but here the similarity ends. For while the cut-in shows in detail something in the chief story line, the cut-away shows something of secondary importance that is going on at the same time as the main action. Suppose we filmed two men engaged in a fight. A closeup of a spectator watching the fight would be a cut-away. There are two kinds of cut-in shots that deserve special mention — headon and tail-aways. Head-on shots, as the name implies, shows a person or object headed directly for the camera and has a strong dramatic quality, particularly as the opening scene of a new sequence. Opposite to this is the tailaway shot which displays action moving away from the camera. Tail-aways are frequently used to close a sequence although they may be cut-in at any time to explain related action. SCRIPT • Continued from Page 50 shooting a picture, but from screening it for an appreciative audience. So your Choice of Subject will be influenced first by the things which interest you, and secondly by things which you feel we can make interesting to others. It will be influenced too, by the question of what is available. If we live in Iowa, there is not much point in making a film about the architecture in Mexico City — unless we are planning a trip there. If that is so, then it is perfectly all right. The subject may be purely personal — a hobby, the kind of work we do, or perhaps some special interest. It may consider the family or the home, the community as a whole, or something on even a broader sphere. It may be in our own back yard or it may involve a journey to a distant place. Having found a subject, we still have an endless range of possibilities in the decision as to what we are going to say about the subject. For example, suppose that you decide to make a film about your town; let's call it Suburbia. All right, so you are going to make a film about Suburbia. What are you going to say about it? Your idea might be: "Suburbia is a beautiful town". In that case your problem is to find all the beauty spots and film them with all the decorative charm you can bring to bear on them. Or perhaps you may want to say: "Suburbia has a rich historic past". The job would then be one of collecting the historic facts which demonstrate this thesis. Or, again, "Suburbia is badly in need of new housing". Here the problem would be one of collecting material showing how many people are badly housed in overcrowded dwellings. Or it might be: "Suburbia through the four seasons", or "Suburbia is an excellent site for a new manufacturing enterprise", and so on through literally hundreds of possible angles. No short story, or play, or picture is big enough for two ideas, so we must decide, clearly and definitely, which one of the many possible ideas about the subject we want to utilize. It is important, at this stage that we think of ideas, and ideas alone. We should not be thinking of running gags, or trick effects, or particularly striking shots. These things are never more than a means to an end. And that end is the clear expression of an idea, and if we start thinking now about the means, we shall soon reach the point where we won't be able to see the woods for the trees. While we stress the fact that a film should have only one idea, there may be many legitimate subdivisions of that idea. For example, if we were showing Suburbia through the four seasons there would be four sections: the town in the spring, summer and so on. A film is made up of sequences or chapters, and, in a limited sense, each sequence is an idea — but if it is a good film, the sequence idea is a logical subdivision of the broad, general idea, and not an independent set of facts. Best way to go about this is to put down the subject you have chosen at the top of a sheet of paper, then jot down, as they come to you, every single solitary idea which that subject suggests to you. Just sitting and thinking about it easily deteriorates into idle day-dreaming of the "I-wish-Icould-make-a-good picture school". Jotting things down is a wonderful preventative of that kind of thing. Don't wait for a great idea. Put down the first idea that comes to you, un • See SCRIPT on Page 62 INAUGURATION OF EISENHOWER and Nation's Capital i Both in One Film) 16mm Sound 350 ft $21.75 16mm Silent 360 ft 9.75 8mm 180 ft 5.95 (Postpaid cast with order U.S.A.) Orders filled in order received Commercial and Home Movie Service 727 N. 19th St. Allentown, Penna. 16mm COLOR TITLES Price List and Samples free SOUND COLOR PRODUCTIONS FILM RENTAL LIBRARY Catalog Free ZENITH CINEMA SERVICE, Inc. 3252 Foster Ave. Chicago 25, III. The TRI-LITE Fits all cameras. For pictures that sparkle. Three lights around the camera lens. Eliminates shadows. Ideal for color. Off-on switch, 15foot cord. Can be used y*-. on tripod. Postpaid $4.95 Lights not included. Money back if not satisfied. Walter Williams 1 5237 Promenade Detroit 24, Mich. CASH for Still Photos for Home Movies Magazine COVER PICTURES $15.00 per photo for good 8 x 10 glossies, vertical composition — for cover use. Photos must be sharp, have good contrast, and should illustrate seasonal subjects. Large heads are preferred, singles or groups in action acceptable. ★ ★ PHOTOS FOR EDITORIAL USE $5.00 to $10.00 depending upon interest, and quality. Pictures should show cine filming activities such as titling, editing and other phases of home movies. ★ * TECHNICAL PHOTOS Any photo illustrating a cine idea, gadget, method or new way in motion pictures is acceptable. $5.00 to $3.00 depending upon quality. ★ * Home Movies will pay upon acceptance. Contributors must include return postage and self-addressed envelope. The publishers assume no responsibility for unsolicited photos or drawings. Reply in five days. 57