Home Movies (1954)

the story behind §j Tk TITLE | By AUSTIN EDWIN HOW MANY of you can remember jjj groping your way into the HS neighborhood movie theatre with a ig bag of popcorn clutched in one hand IB and your best girl's hand in the other; ■ and, as you settle back in your seats ■ to the noisy and often discordant H sound of the piano down in front, you H bemoan the fact that those extra min W utes your gal took to comb her hair K caused you to miss the opening of the H show. But you are both soon lost :r— in the hot buttered popcorn and the jg gripping drama which is unfolding silent] v before you on the screen. B Here was a world of wonder and B= amazement in which the movie aud S iences of thirty years ago found them ■ selves completely absorbed. In many H respects the silent picture left a great H deal more to the imagination, and con H sequently had a much greater hold on B its audience than the talkie. The H movie title was the only bridge be tween the often disjointed action on ■ the screen. The more accomplished the pantomime the less demand there was for a written explanation. jaj But with the advent of the talking picture, the actor whose voice did not §H match his barrel chest or his wavy H hair, the director who only thought in ■ one dimension, and the story teller. faded away into a not too beautiful Hj sunset. HI The business of making titles is ■ now but one of the many facets which [g contribute to the effectiveness of the || motion picture as a medium of enter BJ tainment. Just as the jacket of a 1 novel can influence the sale of a book, H so can the title aid in setting the prop 11 er mood for the story to follow. This ■ is assuming that the story warrants §H this mood setting trouble — a point j=l which often escapes many a producer. H After a sneak preview the producer 3 of a recent picture remarked that had gl he been able to end the picture right ■ after the introductory titles, he was ■ certain he could have won an Acadeniv Award. Facetious though this re |B mark was and bitterly so ■ — it was true. The titles were outstanding. The PJ story fell flat on its face. 11 So that you will have a little better PJ understanding to appreciate the pro I duction of titles, let us follow through the various phases of title development.. Many stories lend themselves naturally to the making of effective titles. Outdoor stories are particularly good, especially in color where the deeply • Sec "TITTLE" on Page 193 Figure 1 illustrates a form of breakdown sheet that I use and have found to be very effective since it provides a format for the noting of almost any information that is required in the preparation of a musical score. I If your experience leads you to prefer a different form, bv all By DOW GARLOCK (Part VI means follow the dictates of your experience. ) In making a breakdown sheet to a frame count, I Veeder counter, Wilson Syncro-Meter or similar device), first make a frame count of the separate scenes, making the frame count at the cut (to the next scene), at the end of a fade out or at the middle of a lap dissolve. If there is action within the scene that calls for separate cueing, indicate the frame count at that • See "MUSIC" on Poge 204 i Set. 18 FffAMtS i Fdmt= .MbbltiCH teAe IT 2 3 4 2 3_ 4 tiCLte. IDtdTlFlCATiOtf JWIAI TJTL6 Dneec-roie bo(*r shot of firry lap inssoLve £NT£A*JCe Of OffiCE BufLDIrtG -r-rv LAP DiSSOUC rlALL ' DOuJM HALL— EoTfeHlS DO OA. — tor zeeaertOH Desk.— musoH ai&SHes Past tte&ePrtoiJtsr—As oe TAK6S DOC* KAiOfc tJT FULL Otl SHOT > <2A*vreie. at uesic LOOKS OP S1A»CTl£J)" DAu>S0fJ llJ XOOfttJAy CAitfeA Rises FRAME COoMT 92 275 379 92 127 64 122 65 in. 5.10: ism 21.036 5.i0i> 7049 $562 4.771 3.053 .1.39. PICTURE FRAME COUNT 92 367 746 838 %0 iOQA 1146 1201 122fe 1285 14M| 836 44.51 122. wkDT£S ONMU5lC,400(\ID, iVawatioaI or effects. iLD£-4 ifW AT li34 T^LAV 12 SCC. CUT 6. 49 PlM 34.51 FAD£ IDDuW LeVdL, CVJ LAST 3 Sec (43.51 To 46. 61) M.Pl£TJR£ ^ 2b SPOT AT 19 5£.0u) FXD£ out I 191