Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1949)

263 SOLENOID FRAME COUNTER SHIFT-OVER FOCUS SCALE ELEVATOR TRIPOD, LEGS REMOVED GROUND GLASS VIEWER A MINIATURE DOLLY, above, created from Quickset elevator tripod on its side, made possible the gear-smooth zoom shots featured in No Credit. COMPLETE PRODUCTION setup shows remote control, solenoid, shift-over for centering, special viewfinder and a lens-turnout focusing chart. but the audience will have no base of reference to detect this. The lighting intensity must be sufficient to allow you to shoot at f/5.6 or better to insure adequate depth of field. Fortunately, most cameras give a fairly long exposure when single-framing. For the camera you will need two basic abilities: a means for taking pictures one at a time, and a lens setup which will focus down to one foot. Two most desirable accessories are a remote control shutter release and a device for correctly aligning the camera with the scene. More elaborate accessories include mechanical devices for panning and dollying. These must be gear driven so that they can be moved evenly between each successive frame. The illustrations show how we have adapted our Filmo 70A for this type of animation. For example, frame counting is accomplished by means of a pointer inserted in the keyhole. The fixed focus lens has been calibrated for unscrewing to focus at close distances (see Fixed Focus Closeups, Movie Makers, November, 1948). We recently solved the problems of parallax and a critical-focusing viewfinder by obtaining a war surplus shift-over, so that the viewfinder may be slid into the position normally occupied by the lens. To insure the correct size of image at all distances, the front element of the viewfinder was replaced by a short tube containing a ground glass and a simple lens, which can be focused. TRY AN EXPERIMENT As for the technique itself, let us imagine shooting a simple scene as a beginning experiment. The camera is set up overlooking a small table or desk (see illustration on opposite page). A backdrop is needed to conceal the rest of the room — a colorful cover of a phonograph The producers of "No Credit," a popular award winner, discuss the pleasures and problems of filming animated modeling clay album will serve the purpose. For lighting, a couple of reflectors with 150 watt bulbs will be sufficient. The camera is focused for 18 inches, which will give a reasonable size of field with a normal lens. The inspiration for your starting clay figure can come after molding a piece into various shapes until a pleasing form is obtained. The clay figure is placed in front of the camera, and the animation is ready to begin. Move as the fancy strikes you, but for smooth animation it is best to calculate the number of moves necessary for a particular action (see From Here to There, Movie Makers, May, 1949). This is done by tracing with a finger the projected path and timing the movement. If, for example, a move should take about two seconds, you calculate that at a projection speed of 16 frames a second, this movement takes 32 frames. You accordingly move the figure roughly 1/32 of the distance between each frame exposed. It is a good idea to start with small moves and gradually increase them and, simi [Continued on page 277] DANCING FIGURES in this distorted-perspective set may move from side to side, but must stay in same plane to keep sense of depth.