Home Movies (1954)

means that you'll hold up the work of the factory even more. When this fact has been accepted by all concerned, all you have to do is to know what you want and go about getting it in an efficient manner. Here is where your research and pre-planning will be of great value. You shouldn't have any difficulties with any of the personnel, no matter how high, so long as you let them know that you have a job to do and that you intend to get it done in a businesslike manner. When shooting, refer to the script to be sure you get enough footage to cover the length of time the narration will take. Don't forget to slate each scene. This may take a little longer than not slating, but will save you much time in editing. And finally, do not hesitate to protect yourself by shooting . enough cut-aways of workmen's faces or whatever is appropriate. Remember that it's a lot easier (and cheaper) to shoot a little more footage or make an extra take for protection now, than it is to come back and set up again. Don't forget to take some stills. The major items of interest in the factory will be lighted for the movie shots. The cost of shooting stills at this time will be a fraction of their normal cost. Your client will appreciate the stills because he'll be able to use them in advertising. It is a good idea to get some production shots as well — scenes of you behind the camera or directing the film . You will find they help in publicizing your operation. Folowing shooting, the editing process begins. There is no essential difference between editing an industrial film and your previous ones. Two procedures that might come in handy, in case you have not been using them already, are: (1) You will find that it is economical to run your original over a light box or through a viewer that doesn't scratch and eliminate the obviously n. g. scenes. (2) When you send in the balance of the footage to have a work print made, don't forget to specify that edge-numbers be printed. There is one question which always arises when "rushes" come back from the laboratory. Should you show your uncut footage to the client? Remember that there are few people, even in Hollywood, who are able to look at uncut film and visualize what the finished picture will look like. If it can be done without creating an embarassing situation, you'll probably be safer to delay the first showing until you have a rough cut of the entire film. As the process of arranging, tightening and re-arranging scenes comes to an end, it will be necessary to rewrite the narration. You will probably have to shorten some sentences. Possibly certain scenes will need to be pointed up or clarified because you could not get on film the exact effect you had hoped to achieve. The style of narration which you use, will naturally depend upon your subject and the way you have decided to approach it. Test the narration with the edited work print by projecting it at sound speed and reading the narration to each scene. Bring in a few people who have never seen the material and request their honest opinions and reactions. Get approval of the final cut of the work print and the finished narration before you go to recording. If it has not arisen before, the question of whom to use as a narrator must now be solved. You'll probably have several volunteers including the president of the company and his sixteen year old son who wants to be another Clark Gable. You had better resist all these offers firmly and choose a professional. There is nothing that can more quickly ruin an otherwise good film than a poor narrator. If you are located in an area where you are unable to obtain a man with film experience, you can probably find a pretty good voice at your local radio station. Unless you have interlock projection and a narrator who is used to reading the film and watching the screen for his cues, you are better off to record to time. Measure the footage for each sequence and convert this into seconds. As each paragraph is read, time the narration with a stop watch to be sure the reading will not exceed the length of the available footage. Many important details of production could not be covered in this article. Final syncing of the sound tracks, dubbing of music and sound effects, and negative cutting are subject you must be familiar with yourself. If this is not the case, you'll have to hire an editor to complete the film. After the film is finished, and you have presented it to your client you might say your job as a producer is over. It isn't. Try to be present at as many showings of the film as you can. Observe the audience and their reactions. Listen for any comments that might be made during or after the show. In this way you'll learn many points that will be of benefit to you when you make your next film. A producer can always learn — even from his old films. CAMERMAN • Continued from Page 435 shot, although I've burned up around 30,000 feet of film since then. Supplies of film were speedily exhausted in Rio de Janeiro after that, with a guy named Morrison going crazy over his new hobby. • See "CAMERMAN" on Page 438 NOW! MULTI-CHANNEL STEREOPHONIC MAGNETIC SOUND FOR YOUR HOME MOVIES! with BINAURAL STEREOPHONIC lllicxodaptfrt FOR WEBCOR • RCA • PENTRON WILCOXGAY • KNIGHT and other tape recorders ! 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