Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1947)

258 JUNE 1947 Filming the Big 3 [Continued from page 237] From Grand Canyon to Bryce you will be retracing your steps as far as Mount Carmel, but from there to Bryce will be virgin territory again. Don't forget the side trip to Cedar Breaks if you intend to include it. It is similar to Bryce, and it should be viewed first, as it would seem a little weak after seeing Bryce. Another scenic thrill will be beautiful Red Canyon almost at the entrance to Bryce, and which the highway traverses. Red Canyon is probably the most vividly colored terrain to he found anywhere. BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK Bryce is one place where exposure may trip you up. For here at Bryce exposure meters act much as they do when you use them over snow. In other words, the needle goes wild. On bright days, readings of //16 and higher are commonplace. Now, any experienced Kodachrome user knows that the emulsion does not take kindly to exposures above f/11, regardless of what the meter says — and now the manufacturer so instructs the user. Just remember that, when you are tempted to reach for some of these high numbers. Naturally, this admonition, both from the film manufacturer and the writer, is based on the assumption that your movie camera is delivering the correct rated exposure at normal operating speeds. I was filming at Bryce one day when a man walked up and asked what exposure I was using. I told him //9 for that particular shot, whereupon he exclaimed that he was using //16 and that, if he had a smaller opening, he would use that. Well, my film turned out perfectly; but I have often wondered how his looked. One thing I have found to be very helpful when exposure becomes difficult to determine; that is to fall back on basic exposure. Basic exposure is the film manufacturer's recommendation outlined on the little folder packed with the film. Many movie makers entirely overlook this valuable little guide. Another method of determining exposure, when the meter is erratic because of reflections, is to take your reading from the sky and to calculate your exposure from that. Naturally, you should not take your reading near the direction of the light nor use this method if the sky is diffused with clouds or haze. Your last resort is still basic exposure. You cannot truthfully say that you have seen Bryce unless you go down into the Canyon and along the trails. Don't overlook the more famous features of the park, such as Queen Victoria. The Cathedral, Ostler's Castle and Tower Bridge, or your film of Bryce will be incomplete. They are plainly marked on the map supplied by the rangers at park headquarters and are easy to find. Anything you get in addition will be welcome when you edit. >?MW ■ ■ W it <M. .**&"*-"*.•. ■ y'*C'V • ~"""S ■GjErij** Ex'mbJ fJAfi (*•'■ • u ''\flfL • Al Morton, FACL, lines up his camera in a "Big Three" setting. As to the best time of day to film Bryce, it is all day long. However, certain formations are best filmed at a certain time of day. For instance, Queen Victoria is best shot shortly after noon, Ostler's Castle in the morning, The Cathedral any time except midday and Tower Bridge any time, if it is viewed from the south. It is hoped that these suggestions for filming ''The Big Three" will be of genuine help to you and lessen, to a large degree, the handicap of movie making in unfamiliar places. Good luck, and good shooting! Welcome to Los Angeles [Continued from page 241] the oldest in Los Angeles. A view northward, down the street, gives the mood of the place. Move down the street, taking medium shots and many closeups of street vendors, sidewalk cafes, glass blowers, pottery and candle making. Much human interest is here. Catch the nimble fingers of the Mexican woman patting out the tortillas and baking them. Jose, the candlemaker, wearing a colorful costume and sombrero, is unusually good picture material. A closeup of liquid wax is followed hy a shot of him pouring it over some of the candles as they are rotated on the large frame; the sequence ends with various stages of completion and then a group of the finished colored candles held by Jose. The north end of Olvera Street brings you out on Alameda, looking across the street to the Union Station. The best long shot is obtained from the corner of Alameda and Macy (one block south) including olive trees and the tower. Inside the patio are citrus trees, palms, olive trees and flowers. Going south to Sunset Boulevard and west to Park Street, turn left and get a long shot of Angelus Temple — where Aimee Semple McPherson held forth — from the top of Park Street, which gives the best angle to obtain good footage of the round temple, with a theatre marquee advertising the services. Going north on Glendale Boulevard, which edges one side of Echo Park, we reach Riverside Drive, then go left to Los Feliz where we find the entrance to Griffith Park. Here you can select your own shots — four golf courses, a zoo, human interest in the children's playground, a miniature train, flowers and, at the far west end, Ferndell with its sub-tropical plants, giant ferns, elephant's ears and many beautiful blossoms. On up the hill we go from Ferndell to the Planetarium. Get a medium shot of the building and the obelisk, then move back to the far end of the parking lot, slightly up the hill, and take a wide angle long shot of the planetarium with a good view of the north end of the city below and the sun sinking into a maze of buildings in the west. SEQUENCE III Title. Hollywood is a state of mind, not a place — for the showmanship of the film capital is reflected in the everyday institutions of Angelenos. In the morning go west on Wilshire Boulevard to Western, right on Western to Melrose, then left to the 5400 block ; to your right you will see the entrance to the Paramount Pictures Studio. Three blocks West on Melrose at Gower is the R.K.O. Studio. Turn right on Gower to Sunset. On the north side is the Columbia Broadcasting Studio. Westward two blocks on Sunset is The National Broadcasting Company's Studio. Between these are the Palladium, on the north side, and Earl Carroll's on the south side of Sunset. The outside front wall of Earl Carroll's is entirely covered with autographs (enlarged in cement blocks) of theatrical people. Stand across the street and west of the building, to secure a long shot; then select your favorites for closeups of the autographs. Turn right on Vine to Hollywood Boulevard. Here is a corner that receives much publicity. Select what you find most interesting in the people passing. Most of the super-extroverts and exhibitionists of the lesser lights of Los Angeles find this a good corner to develop their ego-eccentricities — and some of them make good pictures. Continue west on Hollywood Boulevard to Grauman's Chinese Theatre, in the 6800 block. The best shot is obtained from directly across the street; be sure to get the Chinese Towers into the composition. In the front court, select the foot and hand prints of the stars. These are difficult, but can be filmed by having a girl place her hands and feet in the imprints to emphasize them, using light colored or red shoes, to offset the sameness of the cement.