Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1938)

174 HOMEMADE CINE DEVICES A collection of projects for the home mechanic KENNETH F. SPACE, ACL Multiple light support A piece of square aluminum bar, about one inch by one inch by six inches in size, can be drilled as shown in the drawing to support a number of lights on one stand. The bar may be placed on any substantial stand simply by drilling a hole of the proper size to fit the stand top. The other holes, provided with set screws, serve to hold single reflector units in various positions. These holes Aluminum Jiar drilled n>t//i /zolci and fitted i*>ith Thumb screv^s Block/or* Clamp Lamps should be about one half inch in diameter so that, in case the reflectors are fitted with rods, they may be slipped into the block. If spring clamp reflectors are available, one can make wooden pegs to insert in the holes in the metal block and then one can clamp the reflectors on the wood. A plan for the block and pegs is shown. Map emphasis One of the problems in animating maps is making a particular geographical area especially prominent so that it stands out from the rest of the map. It often is desirable to focus attention on a country or state to clarify a point that is being made in the motion picture. One of the best ways to achieve this effect is to draw the whole map on a translucent sheet of paper. A sheet of opaque cardboard or paper, the size of the map, is next provided, and an area in the cardboard is cut out in the same size and yra/is/ucent Paper Cardboard Cut-out Pap>er 01 >cr Cardboard lump ',/,*: i jjjl !.-;.\ '" : i i A liqht Map Liy/it %./ | 4 Liyht I Camera the cardboard placed behind it, with the hole directly in back of the area to be given special attention. Light the map in the normal manner and film it with slight underexposure to subdue details. A lamp in a reflector, placed behind the hole in the cardboard, will illuminate the map from the rear and cause a portion of it to stand out by transmitted light. The principles of this method are shown in the drawing. Rewind for the dark room If one makes dissolves often, or does much double exposure or similar trick work, yet does not have a camera with a mechanism for rewinding film, some sort of dark room facility for the purpose is particularly convenient. It is awkward to juggle the spools of unexposed film in the hands, and the standard type of re shape as the map area to be emphasized. The map is stretched on a frame and wind is not very convenient for the purpose, either. I have found that the best solution is to buy a set of inexpensive rewinds and to mount them close enough together so that there is just room for the 100 foot spools to clear. This arrangement is light and compact, and it may be held on the lap easily. Scroll title device Recently a movie maker required a scroll title in a hurry and, not having one of the accessories available for this purpose, he made a temporary device that produced satisfactory results. The strip of heavy paper on which the title was lettered was placed over a smooth board, and two glass headed pins were stuck into the board on either side of the strip so that they would serve as guides to keep the title card in place as it was drawn past the lens. One end of a piece of heavy wire was bent into a crank shape. The wire then was laid across the top of the board, with the crank protruding, and it was held in place by a couple of staples which permitted it to turn freely. One end of a string was attached to the top of the title strip and the other was fastened to the CranK r\/^«4^"* wire shaft, so that, when the crank was turned, the string would wind up on the wire and would draw the title along. One end of a rubber band was fastened to the bottom edge of the board and the other to the bottom of the title so that the tension would make the movement smoother. The scroll titles made with this arrangement proved to be entirely satisfactory. Projected backgrounds Rear projection, the system used by Hollywood to add natural backgrounds in motion to studio sets, is a tempting cine trick, and a number of amateur movie makers have tried it in spite of its considerable complexity. The method is to place, in the background of the scene, a translucent screen on which motion pictures are projected from the rear. The actors and set in the foreground are lighted carefully so that the motion picture image behind them will not be affected. While, by this means, Hollywood readily can do such things as adding a Paris street scene background to a shot of two actors actually on a studio set, it is not possible for the amateur to undertake such ambitious applications of the idea. Obviously, he would require a very large translucent screen and a projector of great power, while the proper lighting would be quite a problem. Projector a mera. The amateur can apply the idea best only on a very limited scale. For example, he might use it to represent a scene [Continued on page 204]