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MAKINGFILMSFORTV 239 produce only a mediocre film if the pictorial composition is poor. This is too wide a subject to be dealt with in part of a chapter, so only a few important points are mentioned here. The story is to be conveyed to the audience by pictures primarily. The sound which accompanies it is supplementary rather than complement- ary. Too many directors forget this and allow speech to detract from the story told in the picture. The picture must tell the story, and only one story at a time. Therefore, there must be only one theme running through the picture, and everything in it must add to its strength. When it is realized that television consists of 90 per cent close-ups and medium shots, with people forming most of the scenery, it becomes apparent how important rhythm and variety are in the picture. Rhythm and variety go hand in hand with balance. The small size of the screen makes it extremely easy to get in a rut and allow shots to follow a monotonous pattern while using the excuse of the size as a protection. Four characters in a row across the set are balanced and static—a picture without life. If they are unbalanced by turning the end man so that he faces in semiprofile across the screen, and one drops back to form a second rank between two others, a very strong and interesting unbalance is formed. In most cases simplicity is the keynote, except for special bizarre effects where a complicated, confused set is symbolic. The small screen makes it easy to confuse the viewer, and a confused viewer is a lost viewer and too many lost viewers mean lost sponsors! Editing brings in rhythm and variety by the introduction of fades and dissolves through the use of the optical printer. If there is a strong vertical line in the center of the scene, it will divide the set into two separate scenes in effect, or even a repeti- tion will do it. For instance, Figure 11-4A shows the four men referred to above in a very balanced scene. There is no vertical line apparently present, and yet the monotony has the same effect. In Figure 11 -4B the balance has been improved and the scene has more interest. To close this chapter, the mechanics of filming the opening scene of The Singing Death will be discussed. The script for shoot-