Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1949)

158 APRIL 1949 NOT MIND READERS PERIODICALLY, we receive at League headquarters a letter which reads something like this: "Dear Sirs: As secretary (president or publicity director) of the ABC Amateur Movie Club, I have been asked by our members to write you concerning the scarcity of news of our group that appears in your Clubs department in Movie Makers. "We notice that the New York, Kansas City and Los Angeles (or Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco) clubs get in your column regularly, but that our club never gets in at all. I feel sure that you are getting regular reports of our meetings. . . . What's the answer?" The answer, nine times out of ten, is just what you expect: (1) the club has been sending in "reports," but they haven't been sending news; or (2) the club hasn't even been sending reports, because Joe thought Charlie was doing so, Charlie thought Bill was, Bill thought, etc. Correction of this latter mistake is easy — appoint one member specifically as club news secretary. Correction of the former difficulty, however, requires an understanding of the difference between reports (Members of the ABC Movie Club enjoyed a swell program of films recently. . . . Thanks, Jim, Erma, Don and Elsie!) and genuine news items. Names, for example, make news — whole names, exact, specific and correctly spelled. What films were on the swell program? And who are Jim, Erma, Don and Elsie? We're not mind readers, you know. THE AMATEUR CINEMA LEAGUE, INC. Founded in 1926 by Hiram Percy Maxim DIRECTORS John V. Hansen, President Ethelbert Warfield, Treasurer C. R. Dooley, Vice President Mrs. L. S. Galvin H. Earl Hoover Harold E. B. Speight Philip N. Thevenet Stephen F. Voorhees The Amateur Cinema League, Inc., sole owner and publisher of MOVIE MAKERS, is an international organization of filmers. The League offers its members help in planning and making movies. It aids movie clubs and maintains for them a film exchange. It has various special services and publications for members. Your membership is invited. Five dollars a year. AMATEUR CINEMA LEAGUE, Inc.. 420 LEXINGTON AVE., NEW YORK 17. N. Y.. U.S.A. description of the scenes written down. Using the wire in this way, instead of the film itself, does away with the several added screenings needed for rehearsal. This preliminary recording, or the time sheet you have made up from it, can also be used in selecting and synchronizing the musical score to be used with the film. When this has been decided on, I then record it on a fresh roll of wire to check on its final fitness. You are now ready to write and time your final narrative — for it should be understood that your earlier factual comments were not intended as a finished commentary. I find it desirable to make one or two dry runs of the finished narrative against the projector and scene sheet, before committing it to wire. Then, when it has been recorded, I make a final test run of the narrative wire alone against the picture. If all is in order, you are now ready to combine music and narrative in a master recording. In its simplest technique, this con-i-i merely of playing records on a phonograph, with the microphone of the recorder placed in front of the phonograph loudspeaker. At the proper instant, from the prepared script, the microphone is drawn slightly away from the speaker and the appropriate narration is spoken into it. Assuming thai ili< liming has been accurate, the finished wire will then be found to co incide exactly with the projected film as it is timed against the strobe disc on the recorder. GETTING STARTED Starting does not present so much of a problem as might be expected. It is possible, for example, to start the projector on the first note of the music. A more exact means of starting is to have a punch mark in one frame of the leader. This punch mark is set just past the gate of the projector, and the projector is started with the clutch engaged. The recorder is then started and allowed to make a predetermined number of revolutions, at the comple STROBE DISC for 17.7 frame per second projection has 28 segments to sync with the recorder tion of which the clutch on the projector is released. There are other methods of starting, and some may suggest themselves to you. As your interest in magnetic sound increases, you may wish to have your local radio serviceman make up equipment for recording through an electronic circuit, rather than picking up your music through the speaker of the record player. While better reproduction is obtained in this way, it is not an essential to satisfactory results. You may even find it desirable to use two turntables, so that one record may be faded out and the other faded in — although it is surprising how smoothly you can change musical selections with a single turntable. FIDELITY IS HIGH Doubtless, you will want to know how faithfully a wire recorder will reproduce your music and narration. I can only say that I think you will be amazed at the fidelity of one of these machines and that a demonstration will convince you. Priced from just over $100.00, there are now many recorders available to provide added enjoyment for your films. And. if you are worried about what the Little Woman will say when you bring that new recorder home, relax! The rest of the family will have as much fun with it as you do!