Sponsor (July-Dec 1955)

/ he live-vs.-film argument on t\ baa waxed hoi almosl From the inception "I commercial \ ideo. Now, the proponents of Electronicam, I'ii Mont'a film-h camera, come along ami -a\ the w hole thing i a< a demic. Electronicam, -a\ it supporters, haa advantagee '>l both film and li\ c l\. I he li\c\ -.-film battle haa been waged along these lines: Hiose who carr) the banner for live t\ use such terms as "spontaneity, "presence, "the living theater." In other words, live i\ means the excitement <>f watching something at the moment it ia happening. \nd. live i\ i initiall) more economical than film. The pro-film legion points out that film offers a more polished product through elimination «>f fluff-. | shots, poor staging; a more varied product through use "I outdoors, .1 more profitable product through earnings on reruns. How due I In 1 1 nil i. a III combine the advantages of l>otli live and film? Basically, in two ways, sa] it — 1 1 1 > porters: 1. It provides film as an end product, yet is cheaper than conventional film production methods. 2. It permits staging in the manner of a live -how and 1 1 » 1 1 — gives a spontaneous air to programs shot with Electronicam. 1 \ will be pointed out later, the idea that Electronicam allows staging "in the manner of a live show" has got Ihi Mont in the middle of a jurisdictional hassle between two unions. I Though Electronicam has got wide notices and evoked much interest in advertising and production circles, SPONSOR editors found man\ misconceptions about what this tv-hhn camera system can do. So here's a hriel description of what Electronicam i>: Technical problems aside, the basic idea ..I lie tronii am, w hii h ia the brain-child oi I »u Mont lamea I , Caddigan, ia reall) quite simple. It in\ olvea mounting a film < amera and a t\ i amera side bj Bide. Both camei as, however, use the same lens. \. tually, dial all there ia to it. Bui ii should I" te <-\ idenl t>> anj one familiar with i\ i amera i haina and film cameras thai i ei tain ad\ anl are apparent i edit awaj . adi anl that neither the u noi film camera can boasl ol il used alone. Electronicam in brief IK m WAST? I iei utfvi i In. • i ol " I be Honeymooners" says rehearsal final filming isn't air} longei than ili"' live version BOW Ml CH? Production i osta ol the i .1. ason show run about _'",' | . heaper than film, but W • more than li\> how coon? i I dm thai Gleason Bhow on film looks like it i live does uot com im e l\ i i ii ics and some admen In the first place, the use of a common lens means that the picture picked up l>\ the i\ camera and the picture picked up bj the film camera are identical. This is made possible l»\ splitting the light beam coming through the lens (don't ask how) so that one part activates a tv image and the other exposes film. From the t\ camera's point ol view, something is added: a permanent tv picture on film. This could he done before with a kinescope recording but kine quality < annol • ompare m ith a film exposed dire tly. I i "in the film point of view, something ia also added: an ew> tronic viewfinder oi monitor. Film I .unci. i have v iew fni.l.i but I | lb. . are small, I _' I the a* tual picture b< exposed on film cannot be seen while the < amera ia "rolling" and I onl) the < ameraman i an use the \ iew findei dui ing the shooting. \\ ith a tv camel a < I i.i in. the cameraman haa an electronic image oi what ia being picked up "and exposed on film) and BO doe ihe dire* toi oi the show \ ia a monitor in the control booth. Vnd, nol bo ini idi ntallj . pei foi met i an also themseh es in a< tion I if onlj out of the I 01 in i ..| lb. ii ,• . es i w ith l\ in. .nihil.hi the Bet I he advantage oi a monitoi ia not onlj that it pei mita the direi toi i" Bee w hat ia being exposed on film but how ii w ill look on a home t\ screen, foi hi monitor i nothing more nor less than a home i\ screen. One more thing. \ in live l\ BhoWS, more than one i amera is used. I r i i — gives the dire toi a • hoi< e « . t angle or film shots. Most important and this i the heal t of 1 lc< limiii am l omj —it allow-, as in live t\ shoi . ontinuitj "I a< tion and doc awa) with stopping the cameras and laborious!) setting up for another shot. Electronicam results: The theon of Electronicam's econom) ia one thing. Are the actual results another? Three widel) different types "I programs have already been filmed with Electronicam, offering admen a wide field for comparison. \ number of agencies have also shot commercials. Attention has been centered on Jackie Gleason's The Honeymooners (which i Please turn to pi 'three cameras film "The Honi ntinu ously. Onlj majnr break i to reload film in cameras Show director decides from i ontrol booth monitors which camera shot will appear ..n kin. editing mastei Viewer with kine editing master helps •■•< i i t • >r pick out which one of the three -trip .4 film corresponds to shot chosen by director during filming oi pr..gram. ■ time it i decided to substitute another and r -hot for the one chosen bi -how' din 31 OCTOBER 1955 37