How to add sound to amateur films (1954)

half expects to see shots of the devastation. You can meet both these objections by a rather different treatment: "We spent the weekend at Einmal. We little thought that only two years later this beautiful snow would carry away the whole village.'* The who-would-have-thought-it treatment is a useful excuse for referring to something which is not, or cannot be, shown in the film. It keeps attention firmly on the screen while referring to other events. But don't use it more than once in the same film or the audience will recognise the dodge. Titles and Music Professional newsreels employ sub-titles as well as commentary, although sub-titles rarely appear in documentary or fiction films. In both these categories, music is commonly used as well as speech. There are, however, a number of pitfalls if you employ titles or music indiscriminately in a film provided with spoken commentary. Titles consist of words. So does the commentary. Just as you cannot listen to two people at once, so you cannot read and listen simultaneously. If you use sub-titles in a film, no commentary must be provided while they are on the screen. If the commentary is on tape, leave a margin of silence for several seconds before and after each sub-title to allow for errors in synchronisation. Professional films use sub-titles almost exclusively to establish the place or occasion. If you do the same, your film can be suitable for occasional screening without sound, yet perfectly balanced with it. In a film of your holiday abroad, each new town or village can be introduced by a simple title, a close-up of a sign or a name on the map. When your commentary casually introduces the name later, the audience will recognise your pronunciation, right or wrong. (So thafs how you pronounce Meopham?) With music, much the same applies. Use it to help the film, but not to compete with the commentary. Use music when there is no commentary. The rest of the time, make 121