Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1934)

160 APRIL 1934 Wollensak Movie Lenses Making Glorious Pictures In Every C ine Velostigmat ..... . f/l.S — ultra-rapid Civilized Land for poor lighting Other types: f/2.7 Wide angle //3.3 Telephoto //3.5 Anastigmat //4 Telephoto Projection Lenses — Filters Try before you buy. Write for trial offer. Catalog free. WOLLENSAK OPTICAL CO. 0S1 Hudson Avenue Rochester, X. Y. WOLLENSAK Photo and Cine Lenses • Binoculars Microscopes « « Telescopes Special A nnouncement CHAS. H. HUESCEN &SONS formerly of HERBERT & HUESCEN CO. of New York A nnounce the opening of a new PHOTO & CINE DEPT. Equipped for full service in sales, consultation, photo finishing, enlarging in association with ALEX TAYLOR & CO., Inc. All Movie Makers readers are cordially invited to pay us a visit CHAS. H. HUESCEN & SONS 22 East 42nd St. New York, N. Y. STIK-TEX LETTERS FOR TITLES SWEEPING THE COUNTRY LIKE WILD-FIRE! For those who like to experiment and make their own titles. Letters stick anywhere. Hundreds of unique uses. 100 letters, numerals and other characters to each set. Background included FREE. Celluloid $1.75 per set. Cardboard $1.00 per set. HORNE MOVIE SERVICE Sole Distributors Times Building, N. Y. (See our other advertisement) THE NEWTON SPOTLIGHT A 500 watt Spot that is brighter than many 1000 watt Spots Furnished complete with extension stand and bulb, $15.00. A Head Spot Lens attachment that gives a clean cut 1 foot Spot at a 12' distance, $4.00. Write for price list and description. CHARLES I. NEWTON COMPANY 255 West 14th Street New York t^ioli Spots ill '934 PERSONALIZED TITLES 25c per title of 8 words or less, additional words at 3c each. During this month we will include FREE the title shown above, or a hand lettered "The End" with every order, minimum $1. Brochure on request PARK CINE LABORATORY 1250 — 51st Street Brooklyn. N. Y. Smoothness and coherence should be the aim at all times. In a sequence, the action of which takes place in one room, there should be no jumps in time or action. No matter where the camera is shifted — above, below, near or far — the action should go on smoothly. If, in a long shot, a woman is standing, she should be in exactly the same position and pose if we switch directly to a medium shot. If a cigarette is being lifted at the end of a medium shot, in the closeup that follows immediately the character must finish the movement and not already have inserted it in his mouth. However, this rule does not hold in the event of any kind of interruption, reaction shot or time lapse indication. There, when we return to the incompleted action, it should have progressed a normal amount. Between sequences, fades or dissolves are the simplest devices to show the lapse of time. Or a title can cover or explain the change in time or place. After the scenes and sequences have been planned in one's mind, it is a simple, mechanical task to put them on paper. Jot each scene down as it is visualized, giving it a number and heading it with an approximation of the camera position. A number of simple scenarios have been published in Movie Makers which could serve as models for the final draft. It is much better to select fairly simple action stories for the first scenarios. After all. this type of tale makes the best silent movie. Camera angling [Continued from page 144] Paint the box dull black and it will become your property camera. Now let another angler take your real camera and photograph you at a distance as you hike along the bank, pointing the property camera at various scenes. Suddenly, you stop short. A nice trout leaps out of the water and drops at your feet. Grinning, you bend down, pick it up. look around and hot foot it through the woods back to camp. (The action from the point where you stop short to the point where you pick up the trout will be filmed later.) Back at camp, set the camera on a tripod, pointing towards the campfire, and, by means of remote control, the three of you will appear in the final scene, reliving the day's experiences with exaggerated gestures as you gorge yourselves with crispy trout. That's your picture. There is but one more scene to shoot — the sudden appearance of that trout flopping at your feet. Proceed as follows. Invert the camera and point it downward near your feet. Ask one of the anglers, standing slightly out of camera range, to throw the trout, tail first, in a rather high arc so that it will clear the grassy bank and alight on the smooth surfaced water. Allow the camera to run at least three or four seconds before the fish is tossed and after it disappears under the foamy pool. This reverse motion stunt needs only to be cut out of the developed roll, turned end for end and spliced into the continuity just before your registered look of surprise. The projected film will show the trout leaping out of the smooth topped eddy into the air and bouncing about on the ground. Then splice in shots of yourself picking up the fish and returning to camp as the real hero of the day. (Needless to say, the property trout will be dead and perhaps securely hooked to an invisible line. Even for this effect it's not worth while throwing away the day's biggest catch! ) Successful sports filming [Continued from page 145] plauding spectators. Brilliant sunshine aids greatly in producing an attractive tennis picture and permits the use of a heavy filter which will give a good contrasty result. With a heavy filter, the ball will stand out very well against the sky. One may be certain that, in track and field sports, many angles and subjects will be available. Slow motion scenes can be made easily with little risk of objection from the performers. Action shots, such as the close finishes of foot races, high and broad jumps, pole vaults and others, are most interesting screen material from a pictorial standpoint. Try making the scenes of pole vault and jumping performances against a sky background, keeping the camera close to the ground to accentuate the height of the jump. A short tripod or low camera stand proves its worth in this type of scene. Never repeat from the same camera position. In the running races, make closeups of the runners "digging in" for the start, and then an angle view which will show the starter firing the pistol. A scene made with a long focus lens from the center of the field and showing a number of the leading runners will give a pleasing follow shot. It is necessary to make these different scenes of starts, running scenes and finishes during different heats except, of course, the finish scene of the final race. In filming javelin or discus throwing, it is very difficult to obtain a satisfactory scene from the side unless the camera is held in the hand. Practice following the flight of the javelin or discus before taking-the throws by the best performers. Overexposure must be guarded against, as it will tend to obliterate the shaft as it passes across the bright sky. A heavy filter is very desirable to aid in getting contrast. Make closeups of the more important contestants when they are about to start and then film the complete