Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1953)

323 lengths of the picture film and the leader film and place them one atop the other in the film channel of the viewer, as in Fig. 2. Care should be taken that the sprocket teeth of the viewer's mechanism engage the perforations of both films. For it is these sprocket teeth which act as the synehronizer, passing both of the films frame by equal frame onto the A and B rolls respectively. Once they are engaged, the viewer's cover is closed and not re-opened until the A and B roll editing is complete. Finally, at a point beyond the synchronizer (film motion editor), align the two films carefully and punch an identical frame out of each (see Fig. 3). This will serve you as a sync mark in all later checking or re-aligning of the films during the editing process. With the films thus synchronized, thread each into its separate takeup reel. It doesn't matter much which; but actually in Fig. 1 the reel on the extreme left was my A roll, the other the B roll. You are now ready to proceed with the actual editing operations. Drawing the two films carefully through the viewer, so that neither one jumps the sprockets and gets out of sync, wind the original onto roll A and the leader onto roll B — until you arrive at the point where the first dissolve is desired. The original is then cut at this point, operating always on the right side of the viewer (see Fig. 4) so that the two films stay locked in synchrony. You now count forward (toward the left) on the white leader the desired number of frames for the length of the dissolve (see Fig. 4) , and then cut the leader at this point. The left end of the original footage (that which has been going on roll A) is then spliced to the right end of the leader, and the right end of the original is spliced to the left end of the leader (that which has been going on roll B). When these two films are now held side by side (see Fig. 5), the amount of overlap of the picture footage — and therefore the length of the dissolve — will be readily indicated. Generally, printer-made dissolves are set for an overlap of 48 frames, or 2 seconds at sound speed. And, as will be seen in Figs. 4 and 5, the easiest and surest way of measuring off this amount is to create a film ruler of exactly this length. In Fig. 4 it is seen in use measuring forward by 48 frames for the cut on the leader footage. In Fig. 5 the rule is being used to check the exactness of the picture overlap after the splicing just described has been done. Now both the leader and the original are again wound forward together — but with this difference: the leader is now going onto roll A and the original is going onto roll B. This alternation of the two films can be seen at the left in Fig. 1 and is even more clearly evident in Fig. 6, where the A roll, right, and the B roll, left, are closeup-ed. When the point of the next dissolve is reached, the cutting, measuring, cutting and splicing operations arc repeated. Through them the original is returned to taking up on roll A and the white leader on roll B. This procedure is carried forward throughout the entire picture. Each time a dissolve is called for, the orginal is spliced from roll A to roll B or B to A, as the case may be. When completed, the A and B rolls are identical in length. But one is picture where the other is leader and vice versa, with the exception that there is always a picture overlap amounting to the exact length of the desired dissolve. To make the dissolves, the lab technicians merely run roll A through the printer, making appropriate fades with the printing light at the beginning and end of all picture sections of the roll, while leaving the print stock unexposed in the sections which correspond to the white leader. The print stock is then rewound, and the process is repeated for roll B. The picture footage from roll B neatly fills in the gaps left on the print by roll A. And where the fades from roll A overlap those of roll B — presto, you have a printer-made dissolve. And so a final word. If your pictures contain scenes where a dissolve would help, or a fade would improve, remember that these two effects can be made on a print by any competent lab. And for films that you know will be duplicated, you can plan for printer-made dissolves and fades from the beginning. FIG. 4: Picture film has here been cut (left) and the author is measuring forward 48 frames on leader to find its cutting point. FIG. 5: Here the 48 frame film ruler is being used to check the picture overlap which creates a dissolve between A and B rolls. FIG. 6: In the finished product, A roll (right) has picture at points where B roll has leader throughout course of both reels'.