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with which they were familiar, and in less than a quarter of a minute the African audience, oblivious of their acquired European civilisation, had flung their scanty clothing into a corner of the hall and were dancing, shouting and drumming to the rythm of the moving picture as if they had never left the black continent. Before long every syllable pronounced by the film negroes, thousands of miles away had been read from their lips by their brothers in Europe and promptly put to paper. Only when the medicine man pronounced his ritualistic formulae were they at a loss to interpret him. Whether he speaks a different, more exalted language, or whether his words are so sacred that they may not be repeated, we could not discover.
The drums we used for the dancing were as authentic as the men who thumped them, for our efficient director had sent to the African Museum in Hamburg for them. In this way, after months of hard work, the sound synchronisation was achieved. It could not have been more true to nature if it had been done on the spot.
But it frequently happens that such subsequent synchronisations of the « sound » of already filmed objects is either impossible on account of the lack of a satisfactory mechanism, or undesirable because the sound to be added is not interesting or characteristic enough to be worth reproducing at the cost of so much labour. In such cases, especial lv when the scenes have no acoustic value, music is often used to accompany the film in a more or less satisfactory manner Discreet and suitable music, interspersed with « sound » effects, may give quite good results. In this connection we will quote the film « With Byrd to the South Pole », and « Himatschal », in which film the metods have been used on a vast scale with considerable success.
The effect and impressiveness of the pictures was heightened by this process, and the success of the Byrd film may be attributed to a very great extent to the humoristic touches and high lights of the accompanying music.
It is quite true that a really good orchestra might have produced the same effect (and in this connection we will quote the frequently brilliant orchestral accompaniment to the « silent » Ruttman film a Metropolis Symphony ») ; but such orchestras are scarcely to be found, for which reason we are obliged to resort to « canned music », which compares most favourably with the piano, formerly used in its place.
But another method has been adopted for the synchronisation of sound films. This consists in omitting the captions and accompanying the film by a synchronised lecture, very similar to the lectures which were customary at the period of the sound film.
This explanatory lecture which must be substituted in schools by the master's word (for only the master can adapt the explanation to the age of his pupils, and the social status and intelligence of the class) will be found