Home Movies (1954)

GEO. W. COLBURN LABORATORY INC. 164 NORTH WACKCR DRIVE 'CHICAGO 6 -TELEPHONE STATE 2-7316 8 and 16mm SERVICES How to Make^ a Good Movie on any budget! FILM and the DIRECTOR by Don Livingston $4.50 Mr. Livingston, an experienced Director of more than 60 films, tells you how the professional gets the best results from his actors and equipment. You'll learn, for instance: • How to achieve good composition and continuity • How to coordinate the three major elements of movie production • How to eliminate unnecessary expense and save valuable production time If you want to write, produce, or direct better movies on any budget for any audience, you'll find much practical help in this book. For an ON-APPROVAL copy, send a postcard to Box FI , 60 Fifth Ave., New York 1 1 MEXICO • Continued from Page 101 more sophisticated than anything on Fifth Avenue or the Champs Elysees. Mexico is a land of vivid contrasts that can startle a stranger. First day we were there we saw an Indian guarding two chickens tied to a string and anchored to a fence. Next door a sleek Cadillac slid up to the door of an exclusive French restaurant. And further up the street two Indians were carrying a load of baskets which they had brought from a nearby village to sell in the city. On New Year's night we heard a marimba playing "Stardust' somewhere in a distant cantina, and then we wandered into a four hundred year old cathedral and thought of the thousands of Masses said there since the church was built. We looked at the tranquil faces of the people and somehow felt better for the faith we saw there, despite their poverty and simplicity. But don't get superior about the beggars. Remember that we have them too, scattered all over the country from Skid Row in Los Angeles to the sleasy stumble-bums on State Street in Chicago, and even on Main Street and Logan in Winnipeg, Canada. Look rather for the wonderful Indian faces for sheer beauty and dignity. Somehow they have a submissive patience that passes beyond mere resignation and becomes sheer serenity. They seem to live in a state of philosophical timelessnes sand accept without argument what fate brings them because they know that Providence gives with one hand and takes away with the other. Take it as you find it and accept the paradox, because Mexico's chief charm is in its startling contrasts. You'll see barefoot women with babies in their rebozos, (shawls) and women fashioning the latest styles; modern department stores and dim holes-inthe wall where Indian women make everything from soup to nuts. Mexico City's streets are a melee of Indians squatting on sidewalks with all kinds of produce, and of vendors driving flocks of turkeys, or selling hot sweet potatoes. Its market places are a pageant of colorful activity where you can have a tooth pulled, your hair curled, or your future told for a few centavos, and where bargaining is an art and exquisite rugs, blankets, baskets and silver work are an eternal temptation. All and all, it's a land of warmth and friendliness and a place where politeness is a fact and servility does not exist. Everyone has a natural dignity without arrogance — and this, to us, was the most marvelous thing to behold. And all of this makes it easier to shoot the kind of films you want to make. Anyone will direct you with a smile, and the police are especially polite. Watch for a small American flag pinned to the left pocket on the tunic of some officers. This indicates that they speak English, and you will find that all are anxious to please. If you are interested in shooting from the air, get a seat near the wing when you get aboard the aircraft, or the Aeronovas de Mexico hostess will point out the best seat. A haze filter is a good bet because we found a thin haze present almost every mile of the way. Best shots: the mountains from Cuadalajara to Mexico City, with the Pacific Ocean in the background. I in some spots) and the Gulf of California, in others. Be sure to take a nice long sequence of Mexico City from the air. The plane will circle the city prior to landing so take your time and choose the best angles. As we said before, the subjects you choose will depend upon your own taste and these can be found with patient requests for information from other tourists or the people at the hotel. We shot a general film with which we attempted to tell the story of Mexico as contrasted with our own way of living, and in doing so covered the city very thoroughly. Best bet is to tour this metropolitan city by taxi. The rate is about 16c • See "MEXICO" on Page 109 ^Tr^V| THE COMPLETE PHOTOGRAPHER Central's new complete photographic catalog is ready now, with complete listings of still and movie and a remarkable selection of photographic accessories, unduplicated elsewhere. Send 50c for your copy today; you will receive full credit on your first order. CENTRAL CAMERA CO. • Dept. 15-C C 230 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago 4, III. Photographic Headquarters Since 1899 105