Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1949)

296 STOP OFF AT AUSABLE! A product of the Ice Age, Ausable Chasm in northern New York is a rewarding stopover for touring movie makers MANNIE LOVITCH, ACL IF YOUR summer touring plans call for a route into northern New York State — say on the way to Lake Champlain or into Canada — be sure to set one day aside for a visit to Ausable Chasm. A product of the Ice Age and of centuries of erosion, this two mile long cut in the rock channels the Ausable River in its northeastern flow from the Adirondack region into Lake Champlain. The chasm varies in width from twenty to fifty feet and in depth from 100 to 200 feet — but it is a fascinating filming subject throughout. Getting an early start on your tour will be essential, since most of a single day will be consumed in your combined sightseeing and filming jaunt. I would say that 9:00 a.m. would be an ideal time to get going, since you will want the lighting in the chasm itself to be favorable when you start going through. Also, travel as lightly as you possibly can, for cumbersome equipment will begin to tell in the day long tour of steep and narrow paths. As for your filming needs, a light meter is a must and extra lenses such as the wide angle and a 2V2X or 3x telephoto will be helpful. With the latter, of course, a tripod (or at least a unipod) is desirable for best results. Study the grounds carefully before you start, for here you can shoot most of your footage in continuity. Take a long shot of the grounds from the high bridge overlooking the chasm below, then follow this with some long and medium shots from the top of the hilly side road. License plates of the cars coming into the parking space from all forty eight states lend variety and color to your introduction, while recurring scenes of the other visitors should be used throughout for human interest. Your sequences of the grounds should take no more than an hour and a half, so that by 10:30 a.m. you are ready for the descent into the chasm. And, at this time, NYSPIX-Commerce EtEPHANT'S Ausable Chas (above) the h the sun is moving into its most favorable position for illuminating this deep cleft. And, believe me, you will need all the sunlight available if you are taking color movies. Still using your light meter? Down in the chasm you will need it more than ever, for the lighting there is tricky, with reflections bouncing all over the cliffs and the water. Don't think that because the sun is shining all over the place all you have to do is set your lens at //8 and let it go at that. No, a new reading for each new scene is the only safe way. This may be more than you are accustomed to doing. But it is likely to mean the difference between simply shooting a lot of film and making a good movie. Each sequence should tell its own connected story, with the proper long, medium and closeup takes. This will be a little more difficult than it was on the upper grounds, since there is so much more distance to cover. Thus, before you move on, study the prospective scenes ahead of you carefully. Take the long shot for each particular sequence before going ahead, or you will find yourself walking several miles back and forth to catch the needed scenes. Rearranging them later at the editing board can be done with far less fatigue. You are ready to move on now, and as you come to the foot of the stairs you see a rocky path leading directly to the onrushing waters, with a high cliff in the background. Take a shot of this, framed by one of the trees in the path. Then, as you move up to the w.ater, you will find it tumbling majestically over the midstream rocks in the most beautiful formations imaginable. Take your medium and close shots here, changing the angle slightly on each one so as to avoid the static one-two-three followups that are so common in the average movie maker's telephoto scenes. Where the color of the water is unstained, close down a full stop to allow for the reflections; and if you find the water of a muddy or brownish hue, a half stop will be sufficient for the additional brightness. There are several forks and winding turns throughout the chasm, with each formation becoming more beautiful than the other. But don't take too many of these, since even they can become monotonous when repeated too often on the screen. There are several small islands in the middle of [Continued on page 308] Ausable Chasm Co. HEAD, left, is halfway mark of m jaunt, with shooting the rapids ighlight of the day's trip.