Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1931)

MOVIE MAKERS 597 Amateur clubs ARTHUR L GALE Latest news of organized group filming activities Members' films ■ No amateur movie club activity is more important than the regular screening of members' films. Any movie maker will benefit even from the casual comment of fellow cameramen on his films and, when discussion is organized and club members give careful and critical attention to the pictures being projected, the value of their comments is doubled. For that reason, to treat the projection of members' films as a program filler or to delay it until so late in the evening that the audience is restless and ready to go home, is to slight the most important field of service a club can offer. For the same reason, program committees should search for methods of stimulating interest in the screening of members' pictures and of varying the manner of their presentation. One of the best methods is the informal contest, judged by the votes of members present at the meeting. Prizes may be offered or not, as the club elects, but, if prizes are offered, they should be inexpensive enough to permit an informal contest once a month or at least once every other month. A roll of film is an excellent prize for such a contest. A variant is regularly to select the month's best amateur film and to substitute the honor of the recognition as maker of the month's best film for a prize. In that case, the names of the members who win this honor each month might be inscribed on a placard in the club rooms and, at the end of the club year, the member who takes the position the greatest number of times might be awarded a special prize. A similar plan is to prepare a club leader and to award it as a prize to the member who submits the best film of the month. It is curious that more clubs have not made a special club leader. Although several clubs have spent a deal of care on monograms for stationery and club news sheets, so far only the Philadelphia Amateur Motion Picture Club has planned a leader. Such leaders need not be animated like the A. C. L. leader; an attractive background and neat lettering would be entirely satisfactory. In addition to their value in encouraging members to bring their films to meetings and in giving the screening of these films extra significance and interest, regular informal contests prepare a club for a contest with some other club. So far, this is the most exciting of all movie club activities and it is certain that, this year, there will be an even larger number of interclub contests than there were last year. South Sea romance is subject of Taft, California, group Winter programs ■ Each year a larger number of amateur movie makers edit and title their films and, hence, each successive year, editing and titling are more broadly useful program subjects, serving a larger number of club members. Discussions and addresses on editing and titling should include the arrangement of scenes and the wording of titles as well as the mechanics of editing and the technique of title making. Perhaps some active member of the club may be prevailed upon to make a "before and after" editing demonstration reel that will illustrate the methods of sequencing and building up continuity. If this cannot be managed, some picture made by a club member might be selected and sent to the League's continuity consultant who would return it with a general survey on the editing. This reel could then be screened, followed by a reading of the critical comments and then by an open discussion of the points raised in the critique. This plan could be substituted for a speaker. The fast film ■ Immediately following the appearance of the new superspeed film, several clubs changed their program schedules to include demonstrations and discussions of it. However, many other clubs were already in summer recess and, for these clubs, a demonstration of the new fast [Continued on page 612]