Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1953)

MOVIE MAKERS 337 a practical illustration, fade in on a long shot of a ski slope, with a skier coming up over the rise. Halt the camera, being sure not to move it on its tripod, and signal another skier to step into position beside the first, running off a foot or so of film every time another skier lines up in formation. When five or six are shown in readiness, film them as they come flying down the hill, with back lighted powder snow leaving a smoky wake. When projected on the screen, the skiers will be seen mysteriously popping up into position atop the hill before making the long glide downward. With reverse motion, the camera is held upside down while filming. The processed scene is removed from the reel, reversed end for end, and spliced back into the sequence to show the sportsman skiing backwards up the slope for a sensational uphill leap, or lifting himself up out of the snow in the foreground and disappearing rapidly over the distant hill. There are any number of variations here. No matter how carefully you film, it's the way you cut, edit and add sound to your movie that will make or break you. Remember that you can increase the tempo of the ski movie by shortening scenes and changing camera angle, just as you added interest by filming from the ski lift or strapping the camera to your leg as you started the downhill run. For an unusual main title, letter the wording on a snowbank, then pass the ski blade directly beneath the wording as you film for a clever fade-out. Or, invert the camera and you will show the title appearing magically out of nowhere on the blanket of white. A synchronized tape recorder [Continued from page 324] (see Fig. 2). It should be of a length which will extend through the projector case, through the base plate of the tape recorder, and make a suitable contact with the rubber tape roller of the recorder. In other words, at its extreme end this becomes the tape-moving capstan of the recording unit (see Fig. 2). But, you may well say, why not drive this capstan directly from the original hand turning shaft? Why interpose in the power path the hollow flywheel and its liquid rubber? The answer is a simple one. The rotations of the hand turning shaft are likely to be irregular, due to line voltage drops and other factors. Thus, these unsteady rotations are first fed into the liquid rubber via the paddle blades. This driving force is then picked up by the viscous liquid which, as it imparts the rotary drive to the flywheel itself, filters out all irregularities. In other words, the flywheel design serves as a sort of "hydromatic drive," or flutter suppressor, so that the rotation of the capstan as it draws the tape past the magnetic heads is smooth and regular. In order to obtain completely flickerless pictures, my Bell & Howell projector has been adjusted to run at 20 frames per second for either sound or silent projection. The tape recorder which I use is a Vollmer, of German make, and normally operates at either 15 or 30 inches per second. However, I did not feel that either of these tape speeds were exactly right for this new, integrated use with the projector. It was a simple matter, however, to fashion a hollow sleeve which could be slipped over the end of the capstan, thus increasing its diameter and thereby changing its speed of tape travel. With this sleeve in place, the tape now moves at 19 inches per second to afford 32 minutes of tape time from the standard reels shown. For longer films, the capstan sleeve is removed, the tape speed becomes 15.7 inches per second and the tape time is extended to 45 minutes. Electric power to energize the recorder's magnetic components is drawn from the rear amplifier panel of the projector, and the output of the magnetic head, from its single stage amplifier, is returned to the main amplifier of the Bell & Howell. These connections, both in full shot and in closeup, can be seen in several of the illustrations. Also, on the front amplifier panel of the projector (see Fig. 1), a white-knobbed control switch has been installed to effect the changeover from optical sound to magnetic tape operation. A further check on this selection is provided by the ruby-lamp indicators installed under the takeup snubber rollers. The tape takeup reel is also driven from the hand turning shaft, in my design by a system of nylon strings. When not in use, both of the tape reel arms may be detached for greater convenience in storage. The base plate of the recorder remains attached. But there is a large handle (see Fig. 2) which, by a partial turn, frees the rubber roller from the capstan to avoid creating "flats" on the roller. By turning the handle still further, the roller is removed far enough so that a protective sleeve or hood may be slipped over the capstan to protect it during transport. But these are design details of my own particular instrument. They will, of course, be different in your recorder, and you will have to work out slightly different answers of your own. But again I believe that my basic design will serve you well. It has served me unfailingly in synchronizing my tape scores and films. indoor movies made easy UGHTS Our instruction booklet on movie lighting FREE! JAMES H. SMITH & SONS CORP. Dept.F12, Griffith, Ind.ana KODACHROME DUPLICATES 8mm. or 16mm. II',1 per foot Mail Orders accepted HOLLYWOOD 16mm INDUSTRIES, INC. I453 N. Vine Street Hollywood 28. 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