Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1947)

MOVIE MAKERS large horn rimmed glasses as he looks intently into a book, which rises into the scene showing it to be How To Figure Your Income Tax. The book recedes and Billy looks straight into the camera, shaking his head in bewilderment The picture closes with The End arched over the kitten's tail which draws itself through a hole. The title fades nut. While this description has not been put into script style, a few of the necessary fades were mentioned. The opening prolog of titles was in large type, to imitate the theatre trailer style. The "take off" on M.G.M.'s famous trademark was made with a tigerish looking kitten of medium gray color. A cardboard, nine by twelve inches, with a hole cut out for the kitten's head, was covered with black velvet. The title letters were mounted on the velvet with rubber cement. The kitten thought that the hole was a miniature guillotine and objected at first, but soon we could hold her head through the hole with no trouble and she meowed with genuine gusto. By the way, we shot The End title first, because a smaller hole was needed to accommodate her tail. After shooting the closing scene, we enlarged the hole and changed the letters for the opening title sequence. Casting the letter carrier's part was easy, as we knew one who was an amateur movie maker himself. Of course, the barrel "gag" was made by stopping the camera, just after a youngster had been lifted out of the barrel and moved out of the scene. While the removed children were getting out of the way, I put my hands on the edge of the barrel in preparation for receiving another "surprise." When the camera stopped, I held still, while another child was put into the barrel. At the word "Go," up came the youngster. It was very important that the barrel be rigidly anchored. The baby scenes used in my wife's reminiscing sequence were taken from earlier record footage. The final closeup of Billy nearly stumped us. Being strictly a "gag" shot, we wanted him to wear large shell rimmed glasses (dime store specials with the lenses removed). At first he would pull them right off. and it was some time before we could put them on with any assurance that the glasses would stay put for the filming. We lined up for the shot, but could not keep Bill's attention on the book. This was finally accomplished by pasting in several pictures of "bye-byes" (cars to you). Mrs. Evans was holding the book witli her hands just out of the camera range; after a few seconds, she tilted it up to let us see the book's title. When she tilted it back again, we wanted Bill to look into the camera with some kind of bewildered or stupe 33 Now Ready • • • TH** ' t**° so** ***** Embodies the slimness, ruggedness, sensitivity, selective viewing angle, and the dependability of the famous Universal Master II; but also provides the following features for movie makers: • Calibrated especially for cine' cameras. • Calculator dial "pre-set" for film, type of camera, and shutter speed... no manipulation while in action. • Virtually direct-reading in use. • Invaluable for black-and-white ... a "must" for color. See the new Cine' Model Master II at your dealer's . . . Weston Electrical Instrument Corporation, 626 Frelinghuysen Avenue, Newark 5, New Jersey. Weston £fH UNIVERSAL an'd CINE' Models See your dealer or write for literature. GEORGE K. CULBERTSON COMPANY 5133 Juanita Avenue, Dept. M • Minneapolis 10, Minnesota