Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1936)

Filming fishers ORMAL I. SPRUNGMAN, ACL PERHAPS the most distracting job confounding any sportsman is this business of making a fishing movie while the fish are biting best. If you're a dyed in the wool angler, it isn"t easy to lay aside your rod and to pick up the camera after the "lunkers" once start breaking water or rising to flies and "socking plugs." When you can reach for the camera without batting an eye, you've made the first hurdle. While this article will not treat of continuity themes, it might be well to mention that movie making anglers should attempt to give each fishing film a slightly different slant. Instead of portraying action in the usual manner, why not have one member of the party tell the story as he sees it? Or. better still, unfold the sequences from the point of view of the fish you're pursuing, interjecting, from time to time, humorous bits of dialog revealing the fish's own idea of the fisherman as the battle progresses. Suppose that the fish broke the line or snubbed off the hook, what "wisecrack" would such a fish hurl at the angler if the fish talked his language? Fish movies need not always start with preparations for the trip and the arrival at the lake or stream. Just for variety, open your film with a medium shot of a campfire scene, showing tasty looking fish frying over the open fire and members of the party well along with their meal. Smudge the fire so that the smoke covers the lens field. Next, swing to a hazy shot of a fisherman smoking. As the smoke clears from in front of the lens, you will have a closeup of your subject's head. Now pull back to a medium shot and show that the angler is wading the stream or casting from a boat. Include all your fish action from here on. At the end, return to a closeup of the same angler relighting his pipe, then drop back for a near shot showing him and his party reclining outside of the tent. Finally, swing to closeups of fish bones on a plate. Suggested methods and equipment for cine fishing reels Don't neglect the dramatic closeup when reeling fish 197 grease hardened in the frying pan and glowing embers slowly dying in the fire. Maybe you can throw in a good sunset. Anyway, you'll give your fishing film a refreshing slant. The sportsman whose business limits his fishing trips to short weekend jaunts usually does not want to overburden himself with an array of movie equipment. Nor is this necessary. A camera with an //1.9 or faster lens is preferable to a slower lens, since this permits shooting under unfavorable lighting conditions. This does not mean, however, that a slower lens will not take first class fish pictures. A telephoto lens is handy for extreme closeups of fish action at safe distances, so that there is no danger of either camera or operator being splashed when a big fish starts surface thrashing. The telephoto also gives an opportunity for candid photography of the party members without their knowledge. While the best length for this lens will always be a matter of dispute. I believe that the three inch is perhaps the most satisfactory. For bringing out cottony clouds in a broken sky, a yellow filter or two should be included in the angler's movie kit. A filter of rather heavy density can be used effectively when shooting into sun dazzled water and for capturing lakeside sunsets at the close of day. If your fish film is one hundred percent color, you'd better take along the haze filter for distant shots. It is understood, of course, that the yellow filters for black and white work cannot be used with color film. Tripods are terrible things to tote around on a weekend outing, and yet they're most necessary for "jitter free" pictures, especially if you're using that telephoto lens mentioned above. It isn't easy to hike along a brushy stream with a fly rod in one hand, the tripod in another and the camera tucked under the arm. If you strike a spot where it is practically impossible to set up a tripod, rest the camera against an old stump, a boulder, a fence post or any ether firm support and shoot away with confidence. A range finder provides a swift, accurate method of determining the distance of your subject from the camera, but a metal measuring tape which can roll itself up will serve also. When filming objects within fifteen feet of the lens, accurate focus is essential. And if your outdoor guesses on the light don't come out so good, you'd better carry along an exposure meter on your next trip. The amount of footage to shoot will depend on circumstances, the kind of fishing and the scenic interest of the country visited. For a weekend journey, two or three 100 foot rolls of 16mm. film, or the equivalent in 8mm.. should be about right. More footage may tire your audience. With less footage, you can't do justice to your subject matter. The best method of carrying even this limited amount of equipment may cause some head scratching. It can be carried about in a small suitcase carryall or packed away in a discarded shell kit or tackle box which is seamless and waterproof. By removing an extra shelf or two from your fishing kit and lining the inner surface with felt, you can adapt your box for movie making as well as for fishing. This will necessitate leaving home that extra reel for the fly rod and casting rod, as well as the surplus lures and lines. The box is bound to be heavy and will have to be carried by hand, which is not so good for woods travel. If the camera and accessories could be stored in one or two compact units, I'd suggest stowing the stuff away in a small packsack which can be shouldered, thus leaving both hands free for fishing and filming. The same donts that apply in sports filming often hold good in fishing movies. In football, for instance, nothing is more disconcerting than witness [Continued on page 218]