Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1949)

91 Titles at your fingertips With a simple set of lettering guides, every amateur can become a title artist GEORGE MERZ, ACL TITLES are like a ticking clock. You don't notice them much until they stop. But, if you have stopped short of titling your films because of the difficulty of preparing copy, if you feel that your title lettering is crude, unbalanced or in poor alignment, you need worry no more. For here is a simple method of title lettering that will produce letters of exceptional quality, letters that will compare Avith printer's type in sharpness, clarity and attractiveness. Lettering these titles is as simple as writing a note in longhand. You need not be a good penman nor have an artistic touch. All you need is a good sense of proportion. The equipment required to do this is simple and inexpensive; the unkeep is nil and literally hundreds of titles may be made with one bottle of ink. Needed are a draftsman's lettering guide or a set of guides (one for capital letters, one for lower case letters and one for numerals I , a guide holder or lettering pad, a lettering pen and a bottle of ink. If you have a drawing board, that will be a handy accessory. If not, a piece of composition board of any flat surface that will take thumbtacks will do. This equipment may be purchased in stationery stores where drawing materials are sold or in artist's supply stores. The ones I use are known as Wrico lettering guides, pads and pens. The lettering guides are strips of a celluloid-like material with a complete alphabet of perforated letters and characters. They come with the letters ranging from Ys of an inch to Y2 inch in size. With the smaller characters, you will use the small, SYz by 434 inch title cards; with the larger, you can use cards up to 9 by 12 inches. The guide holder or pad is of metal. The pen is of the open fountain type and is made to be used with these guides. The ink can be of any kind or color to suit the occasion, but India ink is recommended because of its opacity and strength. The use of these materials is simplicity itself. With the pen adequately inked, the lettering guide holder is placed on the title card and the desired lettering guide (capital letters or lower case) is inserted in the groove. When the guide is in place, the lettered part clears the top edge of the holder sufficiently to permit lettering. The groove, of course, is provided so that the guide may slide back and forth until the selected letter is over the spot where it is needed. You then trace around the full outline of the letter, keeping the pen at all times in a vertical position. Subsequent letters are then moved into position, lettered and, before you know it, the title is completed. The thickness of the guide holder at the place where the guide travels is about 1/16 of an inch, thereby raising the guide above the title card so that it does not smear the fresh ink as you move it to the next letter. Thus, a whole line or the complete title may be lettered without having to wait for the ink to dry. Another fine feature of the holder is that it is equipped with two rubber-like suction strips running lengthwise on the bottom side. These strips keep the pad from slipping out of the desired lettering position, thereby leaving your hands free to move the guide and ink in the letters. While the pen may be filled [Continued on page 115] COMPLETE lettering kit includes pen, ink, three guides and guide holder. CAPITALS and lower case letters, big cards and small, can be used with kit. Lower picture shows fitting lettering guide into holder. LETTERING pen is held upright in use. Lines guide positioning of title card.