Motion picture photography (1927)

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MOTION PICTURE PHOTOGRAPHY There is and can be no set rules to govern its composition and no definite standard by which it may be measured. Its final form must be dictated by the intelligence, judgment and experience of the writer. There is wide diversity of opinion as to what constitutes a good and sufficient sub-title. Some people favor a florid or highsounding style, while others advocate a condensed, almost abbreviated form. As a matter of fact, each kind may have its proper uses, depending upon the character of the story and its interpretation in the picture. The sub-title writer should endeavor to sense the atmosphere and characterizations of the picture as they are shown on the screen. He must make the titles fit the scenes as played, not as he thinks they should have or wishes they might have been portrayed. Sub-titles should be fitted into a picture so that, instead of interrupting or irritating, they help the natural flow of the story and add to its interest. If they are too few or too short and abrupt they may defeat this purpose as effectually as when they are too numerous or too long. Everybody knows how interesting a spoken or written story may be when told by a master and how flat or insipid the same tale is when related by an unskilled narrator. It is often much more difficult and takes more time and study to decide not to insert a sub-title than to write one. If a subtitle will not help a scene, or if one is not actually needed, it is safe to leave it out. It is not always as simple and easy to write a suitable sub-title to fit a given scene as it might seem to one who views the finished picture. It is much easier to write a long and flowery sub-title than one which is terse and expressive. A caption of moderate length, designed to cover several points, is often revised and rewritten a dozen times before it assumes satisfactory form. Sub-title writing has its nuisances as well as music and art. Words that may express the desired thought must sometimes be discarded because they are too long or unfamiliar to the average motion picture patron. The best captions and the most difficult to formulate are expressed in a few words of simple, correct English devoid of technical or uncommon terms. Captions covering a considerable lapse of time should not be too short. There is a psychological reason for this. It may 202