The Film Renter and Moving Picture News (Jan-Feb 1923)

January 1, 1923. THE FILM RENTER & MOVING PICTURE NEWS. (Technical Supplement). ee ‘Tne Cameraman « His Work. Abusing the “Close-Up.” SOME K.C.S. NEWS AND NOTES. O one will deny that in the art of the kinema the ‘‘ closeN up "’ is an absolute necessity, if those in the back benches and remote corners of the picture house are to see clearly and have their money’s worth. But even this use can become an abuse if producers of films are destitute of propriety and good taste. For the screen picture is closely akin to its inanimate brethren of the art gallery, inasmuch as inspection at too close a range brings out the blighting crudities of canvas, colours and form. Standing within a couple otf feet of an oil painting, one is overwhelmed by its shapelessness It has the appearance of one huge smear, of a conglomeration of colours thrown indiscriminately: and allowed to settle at will, and stay there to perplex and confound man’s mental and optical senses. But step back a few feet and note the change. The hodge-podge of colours begin to take form, the various tints resolve themselves into distinct units, or blend harmoniously with each other. A little further back and the picture itself is in detail. Gone now are the coarse threads of the canvas, and the eye is greeted with a work of art, a thing of beauty. The Uniovely Picture. So with the ‘‘ close-up.”” The nearer one is to the screen, the coarser and more unlovely is the picture to thé human eye. It is no libel to state that American producers of poor taste and judgment are to blame for the abominable and hideous caricatures flashed upon the screen under the technical title of ‘‘close-ups."’ It is a distinct shock to picture-goers not blessed with the God-sent attribute of good eyesight, to be suddenly confronted by a hideously grimacing face—a huge face dominating every available inch of the screen, a physiognomy enormously magnified and showing every facial blemish and grotesque contortion. And, if this is a shock to the adult kinema enthusiast, what must it be to the immature child whose world is always peopled with ghouls, goblins and bogey men? Frightening the Children. ; “The detrimental effect of this type of ' close-up (writes George Hughes in the ‘' Toronto Mail '’) ‘* never was more forcibly impressed upon me than when one of my own children—a gitl—always very fond of the kinema, suddenly took an unaccount -able dislike to it, and refused to pay her usual Saturday night visit to the local picture house. ~ Wondering what could’be the matter, I questioned the child, and learned that she had been terrified by a facial ‘ close-up.’ My little yirl’s experience was the menns of accentuating my own distaste for this item of I studied the matter closely, and soon vo ki-erma construction. The K.C.S. extend Hearty Greetings to all Sections of the Trade and wisb them all A Prosperous New Year! came to ‘the conclusion that the ‘ close-up,’ as used by the American producer, was really an abuse, and that 65 per cent. of American picture plays consisted of this objectionable element. ‘: So accustomed had I become to this 65 per cent. abuse that when British films were introduced in Toronto, I felt the lack of something that, at that time, I could not explain. I analysed the pictures, and found that the semi-* close-up ’ had been largely substituted for the ‘ close-up '—with the best results. It was in ‘ Possession ’—a Hepworth picture, by the way—that I noticed more particularly this welcome repression of the ‘ close-up.’ Where the average American production is ‘choppy,’ ‘ Possesicn,’ due to judicious use of the semi-‘ close-up,’ ran along with the easy rhythm of an unbroken stream, and I found that I could sit back in my seat and enjoy the picture to the full, comfortably confident that my ecstasy would not be rudely interrupted and my nerves shocked by the _sudden appearance on the screen of the grimacing physiognomy of my favourite screen artiste." K.C.S.—News and Notes. The annual dinner of the K.C.S. will take place at the Holborn Restaurant on Friday, February 16 next. It is hoped by co-operation to make the function more than ordinarily successful. Tickets can be obtained from A. Kingston (B. and C.), A. Arch (Community Motion Bureau), Dan Yates (‘‘ Topical Budget "’), D. Cooper (Stoll’s) and Kenneth Gordon (Pathé's). The members of the K.C.S. have received with general favour a proposal to affiliate twith the Royal Photographic Society, and the matter will be settled carly in the New Year. The Society is now negotiating for more suitable official premises, at which all the meetings will be held. The new H.Q. will be announced shortly. _ The Secretary of the K.C.8. (Kenneth Gordan) announces that many new members are joining up, the past few weeks being the most busy of the year in respect to new members. The meetings are also better attended, and there is an evident desire on the part of the Brotherhood of Cameramen to be in the van in the better and improved conditions which the New Year promises in the trade generally. A specially interesting program of lectures and technical discussions is being prepared for the coming year. Phil Ross, one of our most efficient cameramen, has left for Milan (Italy) under engagement to a leading firm of Italian producers. This is a deserved compliment to British cameramen.