Home Movies (1954)

IDEAS Vacation Titles This is the time for vacation films. Everything goes well till the film comes back from the processors, then all hell breaks loose — if your house is anything like mine. It is time to edit the film and to title it, and titles, it seems to me, are the toughest part of all. It is hard to find a title idea or background which fits in with the travel theme. I've tried to buy some and I can't. You've got to make your own backgrounds. I've solved the problem two ways: First, I shoot black and white stills right along with my movies. This way I can pick up any number of stills for title backgrounds later, when it is time to edit. The second way involves the purchase of picture post cards. These are excellent for titles. They are an ideal size for many titlers and they are in color which works well with black and white or color. Black and white presents a little more of a problem for color, but I think I've solved that too. In some cases I leave the black and white as is and use colored title letters for the color. Other times, I place a sheet of colored cellophane over the print, between the print and the title letters. This adds color over-all to the print. It is pretty difficult to oil-tint a black and white print with enough saturation to record properly on color film. I've never reached a good solution on this method and have settled for either the colored post cards or the cellophane for color. — Wm. Breecher, Seattle, Wash. » * * Plane Trip The only way to travel these days, is by air. It is fast, economical and easy as pie. Since more and more people are taking to the air, the interest in flight films as a momento of their trip has increased greatly. Filming such a trip is easy. I'd like to give your readers a few hints. First, planes always leave on schedule — except of course, in bad weather. This means the plane is on the flight line, ready for the trip about one hour ahead of the take-off. It presents a good chance for films of the ship, if you get to the airport early enough. Since you must check your baggage through, you should leave your camera out of your luggage. The plane crews like to have people take pictures of their flights so don't be bashful about your camera. Check your baggage, but keep your camera. Most of the air line terminals are well lighted and you may want a few feet of preliminary film on the baggage-checking operation. You could move in for a close-up of the baggage clerk writing out the ticket for the opening title. This would show your flight number and your destination. It would make a unique title. Then, shoot some long shots of the plane before it is loaded. When the gates are opened, make a few shots of the passengers going through, but make certain you get aboard early too. The planes are usually crowded and you'll want to get on early to get a seat near the window for the best films. When the pilot starts the engines make a shot, through the window, of the engine starting. It will make a dramatic shot. The propeller will start revolving slowly at first, then suddenly a huge cloud of exhaust w ill shoot from the rear manifold and the propellor will be running fast. Shooting the take-off is difficult. The plane is pretty bumpy at that time and you'll find it difficult to hold the camera steady. Instead, try shooting your fellow passengers' reaction to the take-off. There should be some which will be dillies. A few of the experienced travellers should be asleep by now, but the novices will be sitting at the edge of their seat, clutching their safety belts, wondering if the thing will really fly. After you are airborne, the sign telling you to fasten your seat belts will go off, and you are free to walk around. Make a few more shots of your fellow passengers plus some extra footage out the wndow. Then cover the stewardess' preparation for dinner. — Stewart Daly, Portland, Me. A Day in the Life of When we visit friends we like to get a little story of our visit on film. At the same time we like to say "Thank you" by shooting something a little better than setting them on the front porch. Such a film is dead, as it well deserves to be. I find that we can get better coverage, more excitement, and better films, if I add a little reality to the films. I try to keep things natural, showing them just as we'd like to meet them ■ — filming them during a regular day. That is, I try to get some scenes of them which will say, here is a day in the life of . . . Such films are very real. They are warm and and alive. Best of all there is no acting required and no tricks. The people do what they've been doing for many, many days and it comes out alive. If they live on a farm, they gather eggs, milk the cows, make the beds and weed the garden. If they live in the city, they wash windows, cook, make beds, gossip, relax. Whatever it is the scenes turn out real. In addition, it is easy to edit a story into such a film. It has a "built in" sequence. I start with the morning and follow them through to the evening. This does not mean that I shoot every little action or each minute. Instead, it requires selection and planning. Pick out the highlights of a typical day. If they have a baby, cover mother as she mixes formula, bathes the baby, changes the diaper. Since you are visiting, chances are the husband is home too. Show him puttering around the house. He may be cleaning the garage, mowing the lawn. But in each scene the people will have something do and the scenes will be real. Before shooting sit down with your hosts and explain what you want to do. They'll be pleased and they'll outline their day's plans. You'll like the films you shoot and they will be fun to see. — Ed. Kelley Muscatine, Iowa. • See "IDEAS" on Page 328 307