Home Movies and Home Talkies (Jun 1933-May 1934)

HOME MOVIES & HOME TALKIES 211 HOME MOVIES OLYMPIA COMPETITIONS JUDGES' AWARDS CASH PRIZES AND GOLD MEDALS HOME MOVIES AND HOME TALKIES has much pleasure in announcing the Judges' decisions in the Home Movies and Home Talkies " Oljinpia " ComjDetitions for the best cine films. They are as follows : — Subject No. 1 £10 and a Gold Medal for the Best Amateur News Film. The fortiuiatii l)rize\vinner in this class is Miss Ruth Stuart, 68 Platts Lane, Rusholme, Manchester, whose film " Growth of Imperial Airways," with the arrival of passengers and departure of the 'planes, is an outstanding accomplishment in photography, cutting and continuity. While there were many other excellent entries in this class. Miss Stuart's stood out so brilliantly that the Judges had no difficulty whatever in awarding the prize. The editing is particularly well done and the story told excellently in a minimum space. This film was taken on 16-mm. reversal stock. In the same section, however, we should like to commend Mr. John F. Heming's " News Reel " on 9| mm. The general level of this film was excellent, with splendid photography, but it lost a large number of marks in the judging through bad editing and lack of cutting. Mr. G. L. Rogers' " Cart Horse Parade " was another fine effort in the 9i-mm. entries, being distinguished by good cutting as well as good photography. Mr. James Masterton's " Opening of the New Dock at Southampton " was also a good 9i-mm. film in this section. Subject No. 2 £5 and a Gold Medal for the Best Child FUm. Here also there was a considerable number of entries, but here again the Judges had little difficulty in selecting the best, for the film entitled " Trefor," entered by Mr. Walter K. Meyers, of 1 Grove Gardens, Teddington, was a splendid example of the kind of film we hoped would be entered. From the beginning to the end the picture displays splendid and consistent photography, good camera angles, excellent cutting and continuity, and a sense of proportion and interest which imfortunately was lacking in many of the entries. This film also was shot on 16 mm., parts being on reversal and parts on negative-positive. It is interesting to note that whil(> the photography on the 9J-mm. size in the News Reel Section was in the main at least as good as that in the 16-mm. entries, in the " Child Film " Section the 9 J -mm. films were often very poor photographically, with, however, one or two brilliant exceptions. The main trouble in this classification was the dislike (quite iindorstandable in the case of a family film) of cutting out even a single frame ! Subject No. 3 £5 and a Gold Medal for the Best' Animal Picture. Here the Judges had the most difficult task of all, for there were more entries in this class than in any other and decidedly more skill was shown. Technically, there was on the average little to choose between both 9| mm. and 16 mm., and the final decision to award the prize to a film in the latter size was due to the fact that the winning entry sent in by Mr. E. C. Le Grice, of 2 Merton Road, Norwich, received practically full marks in every section of the Judging awards. The best of the 9|-mm. entries, good as they were, could not approach the same imiform excellence. Mr. Le Grice's entry was simply titled " The Swan," and notwithstanding tliat many of the shots show the birds during the nesting season — the eggs and the yomig cygnets must liave been extremely difficult to take — the photography was on a very high level throughout, while camera angles, the story, interest and continuity are all admirably treated. This film was taken on 16-mm. negative -positive stock, and in view of tliis we think it likely that several cojDies will find their way to the Libraries — at least we hope so ! Home Movies and Home Talkies hopes to be able to circulate a copy of this film during this coming winter to cine societies, as an example of what can be done by an amateur in making nature study films. A film which was a close runner-up in this section was entitled " My Friend the Mink," entered by Dr. Maurice Coburn, of Muswell Hill. Here again the photography was on a very high level. " Yo-Yo, Son of Yo," entered by Mrs. F. G. S. Wise — a charmiiig study of a kitten — ranked very high in interest, but was unfortimately marred by a good deal of bad photography. An exceedingly well photographed 9i-mm. film dealing with Siamese cats was entered by Mr. J. H. D. Ridley, but would have been greatly improved Ijv considerable cutting. Zoo films, both of Whipsnade and Regent's Park, formed a large proportion of the entries in this class, but in the main were very disappointing, for too frequently the constant swinging of the camera in order to get closeups of the animals caused great eye-strain to the beholder. On the whole the film entries of pets were much better and more sympathetically treated, but the Judges were disapi^ointed to find so maiiy good subjects spoilt by bad photography. Mr. H. T. Cadd's " Animotion " contained the best 9|-mm. photography, irrespective of class, but lost a considerabla number of marks for cutting and editing. Subject No. 4 £10 and a Gold Medal for the Best Film taken in Olympia during the Ideal Home Exhibition. This section was extremely disappointing and no film entered succeeded in obtaining the minimum number of marks decided ui^on for an award. Here is an example where someone undoubtedly missed a prize through thinking his own film of Olympia could not be good enough. We know for a fact that a large niunber of films were taken during the Exhibition, but a disappointingly small number of entries was sent in. A Further Competition In view of the fact that no one qualified for a prize in Subject No. 4, we have decided to utilise this prizemoney for a further Competition to be announced in our December issue, in which, by the way, a special article will be published dealing with the entries at greater length. CHRISTMAS IDEAS! FOR SUGGESTIONS FOR PRESENTS AND PARTIES SEE OUR CHRISTMAS NUMBER A Booklet on Microphones The new interest now being taken in home recording, due to the arrival of greatly superior means of recording on disc, has brought us a number of enquiries with regard to microphones. This gives added interest to the excellent little book " Your Microphone : The Marvels of Electrical Soiuid Transmission," which has been sent to us for review by Electradix Radios, of 218 Upper Thames Street, E.C.4. In this little book, which is packed with practical information and is fully illustrated, readers will find answers to most of their questions, as well as much practical information on how to apply the microphone to home recording. We understand that Messrs. Electradix Radios have a new line of model microphones in production, and we hope to review these at an early date.