Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1948)

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106 FATHER has a baby ELMS, ACL FATHER, the forgotten man in the family film plan, gets featured billing in this lighthearted Day in the Life of Baby theme. Mother and Baby, however, appear regularly in alternate action with Pop's kitchen police. EVERYBODY makes family pictures. There is something about a baby and a roll of film which makes your finger itch for the release button. With a first camera and a first baby, the fact of producing any movie at all is a satisfying thrill — for a while. After that, this random film burning can be passed off as record shots. And, of course, these can be edited later into a sort of newsreel. It is not my intention to say that this type of movie should never be made. It fills a real need. It does not, however, command much audience attention outside of the family. You know the familiar jokes about bored audiences for the family film. Don't they ever stir you to do something about it? They do? Then here is something you can do about it. This is going to be a baby picture, about a very young baby. Since it is going to be interesting, it must tell a story. And, since you are going to tell it with a movie camera, it must move. Finally, the weather being less than perfect for outdoor shooting, it is going to be done in the house. These conditions should not be taken as limitations, but as guides to the design of your story. So let's make it short and simple, no fancy sets, no difficult acting assignments and all lighting done with two, three or four No. 2 Photofloods. A baby is a perfect actor, but he will not respond to direction. You can film him doing only what he wants to do. This is fine, but it will not in itself tell your story. The most obvious thing is to shoot A Day in the Life of Baby. Baby eats, sleeps, is bathed, fed and taken for a stroll in the carriage. Mother and Father do these things for or to him — and thus the cast is complete. But perhaps this all seems a little too obvious. It has been done countless times. How can this get any more interest from your friends than the Photographs by Jordan C. Smith