Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1951)

MOVIE MAKERS 377 interlude in the film. Other shots of coyotes and bird life complete this story of everyday life, work, play and tragedy in Beaver Valley. The moral the amateur movie maker should draw from Beaver Valley is this : Manufacturers have given us all the equipment necessary for filming successfully the most difficult nature subjects. The remainder of the road to sensational pictures is traversed by a combination of intimate knowledge of the subject — and infinite patience. Not many amateurs have the money or time to play around with truly big game. But Disney himself has shown that long-distance safaris are not the only paths to great films. His Nature's Half Acre could have been made in your own backyard — an area concealing creatures far more unfamiliar, more beautiful and more terrifying than the world of mammals affords. In the next issue of Movie Makers I shall review Nature's Half Acre, its characters and its photographers. If you love nature pictures — and who doesn't — I urge you to see what I consider the finest nature drama ever made. Just seeing it once has inspired me to make another film. The subject? Well, a nature story, naturally. But I don't dare say what exactly, for I might find it produced by Disney Studios before I ever got started. Making exposures fit [Continued from page 359] and preventing harsh lighting contrasts. For the most pleasing results, especially in color, the shadows should receive at least one third as much light as do the highlighted portions of a scene. This is a balance which is hard to find naturally outdoors, so that on personality closeups (see Fig. 5) a reflector should be used. In long shots, it is best to have the sun at one's back if there are many shaded portions, since reflectors are out of the question. SUMMING UP To sum up, then, we find that socalled "correct exposure" depends directly on the relationship existing (or arranged ) between film sensitivity range and subject brightness range. Where the latter exceeds the former, a deliberate choice of subject must be made and. to a degree, other parts of the scene may suffer. Where subject range matches sensitivity — which is happily in the majority of cases — correct exposure may be achieved throughout. And, finally, where subject brightness is less than the film's total sensitivity, selective exposures can be used, if needed, for selective effects. The result all depends on where you put your picture along the 16 inch ruler. Make mine Norway! (Continued from page 367] pretty swell ones in U.S.A. ! ) I myself used Nerlien's and I'd defy anyone, this world over, to find a more helpful outfit. Yet other American tourists have defied me to equal Foto-huset, or Fotomagasin, etc. In any event, we Americans here do seem agreed that, although Norwegian photo shops have almost nothing to sell us, the service these shops give us is incredible. Such courtesy! My films were air mailed to France and I got them back in less than two weeks. As for the quality of the work, I personally can see no whit of difference in the sharpness or depth of color from American processing. There aren't very many American tourists here, but all those I've come across agree with my findings on all scores — that this is the most sensational scenery in the whole world and the most challenging to photograph. Why, alongside of Norway's incredible roads, the Swiss Alps, the Grande Corniche, even the great Rockies look weak and puny. These roads creep stolidly around the outside edges of the mountains in a manner that any sane engineer would tell you was impossible ; they seem to hang in space and when you look out of the bus window you're positive you're in a plane! There are no bus accidents! These excellent buses are public transport running quite on schedule — although the driver will cheerfully halt for you to snap that stupendous shot! For this is Norway, where everyone takes time to be courteous and friendly. There's a place called Frogner Park which defies description because there's nothing to compare it to. For sumptuousness it equals our New York World's Fair of 1939; yet it's a woodland devoted to the most forceful and compelling sculpture I've ever seen. Here. Vigeland's bronze and granite statues seem so pulsatingly alive that you'd swear they breathe. It's probably the only park in the world devoted specifically to the sculptures of one man and I can't understand why in America we don't know more about Vigeland — he's terrific! It must be Norwegian modesty! There's a coastal Express Ship service going above the Arctic Circle which offers photographic shots unobtainable anywhere else in this world. Called Hurtigruten, the fleet is comprised of thirteen ships as comfortable as any first class little luxury liner. And if you want to really rough it, you can go on Hurtigruten, 1250 miles from Bergen to Kirkenes (see your map!) for $16. Of course, at this rate you'd need to take a sleeping-bag, your own food, and sleep on deck, which you may PROTECTS YOUR FILM STRIPS ALL STEEL FILMSTRIP CABINET MF-6 — This roomy, yet compact 6 drawer cabinet holds up to 336 filmstrip cans, each in its own compartment . . . each individually indexed. Drawers are equipped with adjustable dividers for desired division widths. 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