cinemagic #33 (1986)

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cinemagic-33-1986 1/68

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


~ t . , "fIII.''''. contain 10 foldout

each measuring 16 "x ZZ" plus completeof the films, biographies of theand photos!

ROCKY IV S3 . 50

RAMBO S3 .50STAR TREK III : THE SEARCH

FOR SPOCK $3.00

• CONAN THE DESTROYER

S3 .00• SUPERMAN III S3 .00

fCIAL MOVIE MAGAZINESROCKY IV ,,-

ROCKY IV BOOK $"A VI EWTOAKILL S31"iEX PLORERS SJSTAR TREK II I : THE SEARCHFOR SPOCK $3 50STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OFKHAN $1,r,oOCTOPUSSY $3 51:

ROCKY III SJ 00BEST OF SYLVESTERSTALLONE $300

HIG H ROAD TO CHINA $l5OSTAYING ALIVE $l002Ql0 $3.00ANNIE ~

publlc,lIon ordered.oo-I, M.g u ln t - St .5O; Potl. ,'! I. llnt_Sl .5O; Pot l . e__ 1.oo

OFFICIAL POSTER MAGAZINESROCKY IV SJ50RAMBO 13 50STAR TREK III : THE SEARCHFOR SPOCK S3.OOCONAN THE DESTROYER 13.00SUPERMAN III 13.00

OFFICIAL POSTER BOOKSROCKY .. $1.50HIGH ROAD TO CHINA $1.95

SF SUPERHEROES $150

TV SUPERHEROES & SPACEFANTASY SI 50JOANIE LOVES CHACHI $1.95FAME $1 .95ANNIE $1.15

send elS". cn.c:k 01' montIy order to:

NAME

ADDRESS

C ITY

STATE

<HI•••" .

_ .---..STARLOG PRESS •475 Park Avenue SoUlh .New Yo rk. NY 10016 •

ZIP

••••••••••

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


--

Editor 's Bench_4 Blue Screen

Fill Light

Coming to terms with blue

screen photography. 3 2By Paul Mandell____Bui ld your own 6QO·watt fill 6light. 8 , Thom.. Full.,__ _ _ On Location

3 "0 Mov."es Walter Pitt's winning shortfilm , Welcome Back Mr. Fox. 36

Make your own 3·0 movies! 12 By John Clayton.___By Michael Riley.___

Searching FriendlyPlastic

for 3·D Figh ting the clock with

Filmmeking in 3·0 is still an looth and nail.38experimental form2lt . 18 By John Dods._____

By David Hutchi50n.___

Music VideosThe b<!lsics of tllking a song

from vinyl to video. 22By Rex PiMO .

Great MouseDetectiveDisney's latest lInimated

feature. 25By David Duward____

CareersStephen Frears' hi t film .My Beauliful LaWldreUe , wa s shot

in 16mm! 30By David Bacon .___

Back to theFutureArtist Andrew Probert talksabout designing the DeLoreantime machine for last summer's

biggest hit movie. 41By Di!lvid Hutchison.___

Stop Motionwith StyleDeveloping your own

stop·motion animation sty le .By Dougles Borton 45

Producers'Bulletin BoardllItest news of ou r readers 50productions._____

Issue #33

Festivals

News on film festivals

5 3eround the coun try___

Grip KitUseful accessories for 54filmmakers, _____

MakingMonstersCreate your own creatures,

Cheap-and fun ! 58By Thomes V i a , ~ " : ::::::;=::;;:-_

CinemagicMarketplaceClass if ied edvertising and 60announcements, ___

Filmmakers'ForumReeders' correspondence 63about fantasy f i l m m a k i n g . ~

Stop"MotionStudioIllusion Engineering 's 66precision armature kits,__

~ b o u l I!II C . . ...Sf 1roM1VtI1W,) Q;J.-icI Sw,man \ I e P I O f ' I ' ! ' ~ ~ prOl* lecMoQut wtlh lilt I ~ 90IP 3-D_, . . on JN9I18; _ 01 0II0iC Me"'1 it_ S

eo.illlJ)le O! 'IOCHI'IOt-on IlyIe$ ~ 45 ~ G EOlunol er.. . s-. model In \IIUrwMI1, IlJIl8 32 IDMIO ~ ~ MI,"fIO) -'UI I T _ " otIfI' _ Ill ....._' ~ prorluCIlilMJN9I 50; I ~ , _ 01 !)silly IIIIMI " '!"!IIe!I TuIU, . "'911 ~

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


@ //4 -Iuue "'33

PubU.tlers

Norman Jacobs/Kerry O'Quinn

A.Noclate PubUaherRita Eisenstein

Autun t Publlaher

Milburn Smith

V.P. Circulation DirectorArt Shulkin

Creative DirectorW.R. Mohalley

Production Director

Bob Sacks

EditorDavid Hutchison

Managing EditorJohn Clayton

Art Director

Emily Slaves

DesignersM8ggie Ho llands

Ann NelsonLewis RobisonDaniel Recchia

Editorial ContrtbutorsDavi d Bacon

Douglas BortonJohn Dods

James DuwardThomas Fuller

Carl KurtePaul Mandell

Rex Piano

Walter PittAndrew Probert

Tom Via ll

Special ProjectsMike Hadley

Rex PianoDamon Santostefano

Production Assistan ts

Connie BartlettEd Berganza

Maria DamianiElizlIbeth Dejesus

Joe DunnRichard Frllnzoso

Brent HatcherPeter Hernandez

Penny Layne

Financial Manager

Jo an Baetz

...",.."tlolr.glnlon'l'lMion: Rj.a Eloensteln(21l) 689-2830

4 CiNEMAG/C"33

Editor 's

BENCH

I

must have been out of my mind, How could I possibly have done this to my,

self? I scheduled two of the most di fficult technical topics for the sameissue: t ravelling mattes and ) ·0 movies. Both topics have been in the planning

stages for man y months, so I guess they j ust happened to come up together.The article on bluescreen travell ing mattes has been Included in CINEMAGIC ,no t

as a how·to, but as an "Oh,1 see" item. I do not eJlpect any of our rea ders to run out

and start making their own bluescreen shots; in fact, the purpose of this article is to

discourage you from attempting it. From time to t im e, Iget letters from readers who

want to shoot bluescreen mattes in Super·a, but run into problems. I remember oneletter which began: ") am shoo ting my models in front of a blue screen, so [can matte

them into a space background. But, I am having problems getting the blue to disap·

pear , . . " Paul Mandell's blue sc reen question·and ·answer format should give you abasic understanding of the process, but it's strictly for the pros, , ,o r brav!! am ateurs

with access to an optical l ab and lots of money.While ) ·0 movies are a lot more accessible to amateurs than bluescreen, the ) ·0

process is not for the fain t of heart, either. Th!! first article by Michael Riley explainsthe basics of ) ·0 filmmaking from a beginner's point of view and describes the con·

struct ion of an inexpensive rig, which will all ow almost anyone to experiment in ) ·0with a m inimum of fuss and expense. If you get the bug, and ) ·0 requires passion,

then the second art icle will acquaint you with some of the opt ions available to peoplewho wanllo get serious about ) ·0.

One of the most popular ways to get started in video is th rough the production of

music videos. Producerfd irector Rex Piano takes you through the basic steps of

music video product ion, lind lets you know what would be involved if yo u wanted to

graduate to brOlldcast standard.

We have two construction art icles in this issue, Thomas Fuller gives usan inexpen·

sive alternative to buying movie tights and Thomlls VillI! desc ribes his method forbuilding hand puppet monsters on a very low budget. An imation f!lns should follow

Douglas Borton's discussion of style in stop·motion animation , and then explore a

low·cost source of professional animation armature parts from a pair of midwestern

film buffs.

I have included two articles for the many "armchair filmmakers" who read thismagazine:a preview of Disney's latest animated film TheGreal MouseDefecliue and a

brief interview with British filmmaker Stephen Frears. Frears' remllrkllb le film, My

BeauUful Laundrelte, is currently playing around the country. It WllS shot in 16mm

and blown up to 35mm for theatrical release, It just goes to show that you don't have

to work in 35mm to get into the big time.

Al l in all. it looks like a very exciting issue (there are other great articles that I

haven 't even mentioned), it has also been a very compl icated issue to put together.

As I sit here typing this, r am wondering what is going to go wrong. I have learned over

the years, that no matter how careful you are or how many months yo u planthings . . . something can always go wrong ,Last issue it was the TenCommandments

color. The printer reversed the red and yellow plates, making the illustrations forthat

article took like they had been sprayed oay·Glo pink,

I have my fingers crossed that all wfUgo well with this issue. The travelling matte

article is particularly susceptible, If just one press operator or printing plate maker is

thinking about his girl friend or what's going to happen after he gets of f work. it ca nbe disastrous. Perils of publishing, it'scalled , In any case, this issue of ClNEMAGIC is

chock full of information, which can be found no where else. You may thank ou r

skilled writers and contributo rs whose names are listed in the left hand co lumn.

- David Hutchison

CINEMAGtc Is publislle<l q U I " I ~ r ! ) ' by STARlOO PRESS. INC, 41!i Pa,k A.-e1'lUe Soull>. New yon.., NY l00lli. Thls Ist s - ) J ( V o k m ' ~ 7. No. l) for Summer.ISSN . oogo.)(lOO. Conlent ls ... 1986 by STARLOO PRESS. INC. All righ .. reo

..,rve<I. RO"pf ln. 01 ~ 1 1 o n 0/ any "",1",,101 in pen or in ..._ ..,thoul ....rillen permlssion from In . publi .. . s I •HId!),forbiddM. CINEMAGIC e<:«pts n<> responolblhty for u n o o I i < ; l ..... nuocrlpu..l'hOIOl, .r l or other "",!enol. bu ' If fJffto"" "

oubml.ta ls . 'e IK'Compern..d by • . . , ~ · < t d d f e s . s t : d . • a ~ """'iopr,1hey w1ll be consI6erN_. f ~ r y , ' e l u ' ~ .P,C/dOCls _e.lioed ~ not nec<!SMf lly encIorso!d by ONEMAGIC. and " " y ~ ' apres.st:d In N o r l o l copy .r e no!

necessorflji tl>ose of CfNEMAGIC. ~ r l p ! i o n rat..: 1 ) . 9 6 o r o n e ~ a r ( f o u r ~ ) d o l i ~ r ~ In 1r..(J.5 . D , , ' ~ Mot••

leo. I<>noi{ln subsoc'OpIIon 118.98 In U.S. funds only. New Subocrlptlon. : .end clhwly to CIf'IEMAGIC, cJo STARLOGPRESS, IN( . 47!i P.rk Avenue South, r;".... York. NY 10016. Nodflc.11on 01 change 01 add ru - or ren. . . I• ..,nd 10CINEMAGtc. SubocrIpO:Ion o.,p!. P.O. 80>< 142. 1'I1./IIorrls. It. 6 1 ~ . ( ) 1 4 2 . PMI_ o' er : SeI>d charI{Ie 01 acid",. . 10

ONEI'IAClIC Subsc ription Dept. . P,O. 80>< 142.1'11 /'\ottls, IL 1 ~ · O I 4 2 . Seconclc_ l>OOI .p.Kl., '1 _ York, NY an d

",wllionol mailing offIcu. in U.s.A.

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


~ l p _I",,: Blood MaI<e\4I: Smoke

Generelor;Ugh t BHm EIIects;

Mailing an SF Logo,

' 3-RobcK Constn.IcIion;DevelopIng an Aroimation Style:Fluid Art Anlmoolion; ElecItonic

Sp.ci.1 EIIec1s:

'4 -Aef\Al lmage OpticalPfinler -Constructloo; Wire Ar·

malu .... ....e RoIlIng; Mor ,Ele<:tronlc Special EIIec1s; Fog

'I'ICI Mis t Ef1ecI l.

' I 5 _ A e r W I ~ O p t I c ..Prlnter-UNoge:WldnaHn

Supe<-8; Slit ScanE11_:

Gleaming Eyes for $lop.Mo!lon......

'S-Amuing ElIocIronicG ~ _ c n . " " , I Bring y"""

.... ien 10 L ~ - l . r e x Mash:8IISic EdIIlng TKtlniqun; In

YIIib1e Man E t t e c ~

l1_BaaIc: CartoOn Anlm._ ; c " r m - n o n : ~En.ct.; Profile_Damon

Santostfiano.

'S_VIdea Tape Tta",!ers;R_ . m i n g EM _ ; L..t>

SeNIces; cs.1h cI 11(11"/W»i

Preview; PfOi;le- Paul VIIOUI.ndMiI<aMlOr1ucd.

,V_AnImating Pogo;

lithograPhic film Tn"'; SetsonaSl\ontring; ProIile-The

UngIey Punk l.

CINEMAGIC BACK ISSUES

, 1O -Mast&rlng MlIIt .. Z"",BucIgoeI Sets:

CINEMAGICISVA AwardsN;gtrt; 6 u ~ l n g . Super SouncJ.trow;k; Pen SfI! B a ~ . n O - S o c k e tArmatures; Profile-,J.,. Rm .. .

., 1 GJass Shots: Miniatur.

& ~ Fogure AAlml!ion;8100dy Hal, HUfIka; pmt;Ie _

Koch.nd lori"

' ,2_MakeupM agIc_Yt.x

A p p I i a n c e s ; ~ : Z"'"BuOQM Aey Gun; Profile _

DNn Barnes_Gt90GIIget .

• 13-SIrt Scan: C.utlngUFO "lqmahlp'"; M0de4 In-

tenors; I.\ofe Electronic SpecIal

E"_:The Saturn Machine;

ProIi"'-Bonn'" Boruc:I<I.

• 1 4_S!orybcwding: SoundENeeI. Generator; Mi.... u .

O e v u " ~ C"*:Chm..Joow.' I&nmSj>actl Epic.

PfofiIe -Jeny PeriJI.

, 1 1 5 _ & ~ Wming:1 n ~ u . . lighting Special Et·

,_ . C.r .. . George lucas. , . . , JolIn Oyl'I 11 '; s.,p., Depth

... Oiofamas; Profile- Ralph

Mi l"' ,

, 1 Wmlng. Pan 2;EkK:vonic SPFX-LEDCII·

C U ~ ; An ExploU:rns;C.,. . , . . - F.ank Van " . .V_ ;

Build Your Own CameraC.ane:P!'o!ile-St .... Parady

and Bin RudOw .

, 11 _Scr\pI . ~ O n g . P." 3;Production Managing Low

B....:I\I81 ; Electronic SPf')(_Ligot>1"Ch...,-;

C1NEMAGICISVA Con

tn!Rulu ; Secretso! GraphicGore; Profi ._Ch" , a l l ~ h a n

and Bob Griffith.

, 18_Making Monsters; ro ..Downs lor ",,"m.1Ion Models;~ " " Fitmmakers;

Electronic SPFX-R_ignecl

Sound Generator; Profi" - AIM8QIl<>cMrtI.

, l V -C INEMAGtClSVA

Aw .. " NiOht: Build Your OwnCOO Web Sj)Ifmer; High School

Wa.......:>lt;c...Mrs-GeorQeMel;" ' ; EIIctronIcSPFX

Llg/tting GlIdgoe!s; Fronl

UghUBadr Ught AnimationTechnIQ .. .

'2G-Anieulll1ed FuHHeadMasks; Dream 50;."",; Preci

sion Ball-an6-Socltet At·

met"," pans; Elec1fonicSPFX- Syro:; Strobe; Prolile-

JoeyMl>um.

. 2 l -Cu . tom Spacehlj>s;Elec1ronic SPFX - DC Strobe;CarM .. _ Robe" StIon; Foam

RuIJbe< Build-up Method,C" ' ' ' ng . MonsI . PfoIiIe _

Deborah Von Moser.

'2 2 -M iN/l1Ure o c ~ ;Electronic SPF}( _ Strobe Ao

__Titifl Spon_: Ball

and-Soc:kat Armatur. PartS ;Making CrN1U. . Mal<.eup ;

f'fofile _ Dayid CQCi.

••••

•••••••

• 23_M ictocompuWAnima·tion, Makey " " ,OwnC_

Star Filter; Animetion Ar·mlltures: CINEMAGIC Back

ISsues Guide: Mali< Sulljv..,·sHiQI>riM; On Localion- Z)/Zak

is KlnQ.

• 24_Awa, ' " Night; $cralChBuild'ng _ Spacesh lpe;

Glowing E.,... for C . tureMasks; An,mation Tipa; EasyA,mSlu, .. Ca' ... . _ Roge'

Corman'S Mil" on"'m StOOioe ;EZEI!«1I - Make '1'"", Own

Fog Fillar .

'25-Build'l'OIIfOwnCame,a St.lbillzer: Color FiKer

FX. ShoOt'''9 PWlicitySml1l,

Make y"", Own Armor: EIeelronicSPFX -Oigit.ll F, . . . .

Counter: On Localion - Dr.~ ' ".211_Hand Puppoot

Monste,.; Ele<o1ronic

SPF)( _ lnle",alomot1er; 'Sta,Zoomer": Thr .. .Heacled A,·

mature: "s SIll!> Motion OeadTMeK'ng Man FX: An,mMor

Tony Loudali:On Local", ,_

MerodeIM."..

• 27 _N e . Doubl . . . . . .

lormaU The At1 01 SlOp MOtion:S p I ~ - S c " " ' n FX, Re . . $c .....Techniques : S<JPQlySoufC<M :

$cuipl'ngClay; J,mmy f'icker"'SUndft . . New Yorl<; M,n,aIU "

Planets; R,ppIe Title FX :C a s ~ " 9 MoIda;Caree .. -J im

Da n!or1l>. Pan t. Armalu,,,; On

L o c a b ( l ( l - R a y p t m ~ Nigluma ..

' 28 - 01 9""" 'ng a F'lm: Jim

Danlorth on Stop-MotOOfl; ASlop-MOl"" Epte; Ur>Oo<wa!er

F,lming: Pete Pe,OfIlOll; F. .Uy", ; Headlesa Dum""":

Casl'ng ACtors: ACtOOfl StuntS;

SlOP Motion Rock Video; Pin,0CCIIi0; Car Cra_ : Makel>/>

F)(: Beamspliner Ray FX

• 2 1 i J - ~ Ca.bie-Controi1 . . . . ln trOcluction to C-C ;

Bu,khng a C-C Conlro1 Handle;Build<ng a C-C Syslem.

C . . . .... Jim D.ntorlh. pan It;

M.ree! - M . . ero!

Miniatu . . Filmmllker KarelZ_n; E·Z F)( _ Anlmat""

Compound: Georoe Par. Wonderlu/WotId ct rIKt 8rofhen

Grimm: Miniatu,.MechanicalMonl l , , ".

' 3 0 - .0. Ha'ryhau .. . Gallery;Build an Aerial B ,_ : Beam·Spliner TechnlQ""It; Makeup

Eflectt.: Build an ",,"millionG1"II":Jim Oantorlh, Pari III:

LOS! SeqUflIlC8 From KlnQ

KMfI: $culpli"9Tools; EIeel'onOC Blinking Eyes: SlopMotionhntasy_ FfOQ andT,*,_Fri&ndo: Mote!

. 3 1 _ Paning!holt R-.!S<ta fn

OeMi l . • Ten Comm.-..nts:

Syr>lhetoc Flesh: Eyn ""Monsler a: Moire Pettem F)(;

Rea, Projection; Stop-Motion

E.e re . . . . . Fest;"aIo Guide;Ca , _ a' Ptlil Kell...,.,; On

Localion- SI". ~ I

'32_T..,Commandmentl _ Pan 2 ; 1m·

pI(XI'ng Head FX: SIeeI"ngBeauty: Phil Kelfis<)fl-Parl2:

How No! to Make Movies :

.,'"'

o . , - 53.00 0 ' 1 2 - . 3 .00

D. 3 - .3 .00 0 '13-53 .00

O . 4 _ .5 .00 0 ' 1 4 _ 5 3 . 0 0 '2 5 _ 53.00

O . 15 _ 53.0 0 0 ' 1 15_53 .00 .2B - $3.00

D' 11_ 53.00 0 ' 1 8 _ 53 .00 '2 7 _ 54.150

D' 7 _ 53 .0 0 0 '1 7 - $3.00 .2 B _ $4.150

D. 8 _ $3 .00 0 ' 1 8 _ $3 .00 129 _ 54.50

D. 1 iJ - $3.00 0 .1 9 _ $3 .00 . 30 _ $ 4 . 150

0 '10-53 .0 0 ::::: 120 _ 515.00 .3 1 _$ 4 .150

0 '1 1 _ 53 .00 0 '2 1 - 53.00 . 3 2 - $ 4 .150

NAME

ADDRESS

CITY

STATE '"

••••••••••••••

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


CONSTRUCTION PROJECT

Building a Better

Light BulbBuild this low-cost 600-waU /iI/light and save abundle on your lighting equipment budget

Whether you work with film or

video you need light. and Ictsof

it. Ev ery amateur producerknows how expensive professional quality

l igh t ing equipment is, and how inade·

quate the hobby ist grade lighting gcar canbe with its hOI spots, low l ight output. andoveral l poor construction.

To light some sets you may requireseveral units to achieve the desired effe<:t.

and the two or three lights that you may

now have just are not enough. forcing the

scene to be changed and the set rework·ed. usually with less than satisfactory

results .t have designed an inexpensive and

eaSily bui lt tungsten-halogen lighting unitthat is quite powerful. very versat ile. and

quickly put together by anyone basically

familiar with workshop technique. Youwill need the readily available materials

li sted at the end of this article .

Con s tructionThe first step in building your fill light

is the const ructi on of th e lamp house.

made from the alumi num chassis box.

The inner and ou ter halves of th e box aredrilled and punched as shown in th e

Diagram A. the largeven tllation holes be·

ing very importan t for sa fe operation of

the fi nished uni t. These l j ~ · i n c h diameter

holes are most eaSily made using a

Greenlee Radio Chassis Punch. availab le

f rom a large hardware store or industrialtoo l supply house. Wi th out this punch.

however. you can make the holes by drill·

ing with the largest bi t you have. then

enlarging the hole to size with a round file.

The outer half of the box will be bolted

to the outside bottom of the mixing bowl.which wi l l serve as the refie<::tor. Measure

carefully to assure correct alignment of all

parts in the finished unit. Drill a small pilot

hole in the front center of the box. as well

as in the center o f the mixing bowl. Line

up these holes. making sure that the box

is centered on the bo ttom of the bowl

before drill ing th e mounting holesthrough the bowl. Fasten both of these

parts toge ther with short '1 0 round hea d

machine screws. ma ki ng sure that the

pilot ho les are st il l al igned.

6 c/NEMAGIC'33

By THOMAS F. FULLER

Author ThI:Irns Fuller WIth the CQIlllIeIed 600-wan fill light project .

You are now ready to cut the I ·and·

\ ·inch diameter center hole. This hole is

also most eaSily done with a large

Greenlee punch. but an adjustable rotaryhole cu tter held in a bi t brace will also do.

In the absence of eith er o f these tools, th e

center hole can be made by drilling a ring

of closely spaced '-'·inch diameter holesand fi ling out the metal in between. To

prevent se ri ous cuts. be sure to smooth

the edge of the hole with emery paper.Remember. you will be cutting through

two layers of metal at the same time. the

chassis box and the ref lec tor bowl being

already fastened togeth er. Use the pi lo t

hole as the center point for whatever kind

of cutting tool you use. For even illumina

t ion. finish the renector by rubbing the in·

side of th e bowl with steel wool in a

smooth. circular moti on.

Nex t . make the mounting yoke from a

strip of steel natstock. bent and dr i l led asshown in Diagram B. The inside dimen·

sions of th e yoke should be 2 % 4 1/2 in ·ches . The easiest way to bend the riatstock

is to file a sha llow groove at the po in twhere the bend is to be made, and then

clamp the stock into a vise and hammer

l ightly for a sharp, even bend.Install a \ · inch l ight stand adapter

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


DIAGRAM ACHASSIS 80 X

OUTER HALF

00

ALL VENTILATINGHOLES trr

I. , " YOKEo 0

W ~ I ) MOUNTING

HOlE"" "

.ND 0 0EW

(I)

FRONTVIEW

. ' ->--.. "-

/ 'I

PILOT HOLE \

I 0 I (REFLECTOR

\I ~ - - MOUNTING

,, -HOLES

I :W1S"

/

~ " " ""ENTER HOlE TO BE CUT

AFTER REFLECTOR BOWLIS ATTACHED-t:wS"

CHASSIS DRILLING BOX

o

0 00

0 0 0BASE BLOCK

HOLE O 1'"'' DIAMETERHOLES

0 0 0

POWER CORD HOLE311"

CHASSIS 80X INNER HALF

through the bottom I/.-inch diameterhole, and attach the completed yoke to

the reflector assembly using the II. ,inchholes in each side of the lamphouse, Useshort 1/.,20 stove bolls with wing nuts on

the outside. as shown on page 29.

View of lamphouse Interior. large ventllatlonholes In chassis box are lmportanllo preventoverheating, Use only 16'gauge ruMler coveredheater cord fOr electr1Ca1 safety. Vinyl grommetplaced Into power cord hole preV6f1ts abrasiOO

The 6OO,watt DY H lamp is fitted with apairof large spade lugs, bent and crimpedto the two pins at the ceramic base, Besure to bend the lugs before fasteningthem to the pins, I have found that it ismuc h easier to place a crimp in the shankof the pre,bent lug and then press it onto

the pin, rather than trying to crimp the lugwith it already in place on the pin. Don'tforce the Jugs onto the pins; only

moderate finger pressure should be used.If a lug doesn't eaSily fi t ,discard It and try

another that has been crimped less. Workcarefully to avoid loosening the pins from

the lamp base,The IU9S will hold the lamp in place on

the lamp base block, made from a I %x 1

%,inch piece of hard wood as shown inDiagram E, The two wood sc rews hold

both the lamp lugs as well as the power

o

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


~

FIIOHT VIEW

DIAGRAM B

MOUNTING YOKE

-lOHl$TANO- ~

to" IIEN DIS

o

=-

HEAT DEFLECTOR PLA TES

- - - - - - - - -

DIAGRAM C

~ "•

O!'f.NIItO:~ IJl1r

8 ClNEMAGIC-33

' ' ' ' ' r ~ 1 I 1 rollUMINUM $H EfT

(2 R [ O \ J

~ _.1- -

•

cord lugs. The block itself is secured in to

the inner half of the lamphouse by a wood

screw from the outside. [nstall a viny lgrommet to protect the power cord from

abrasion where it passes through the box.

Pho to (on page 27) shows the com·

pleted inner half of the lamphouse.

Slide both lamphouse halves together

and secure them with the four sheet metal

screws provided. The t ip of the lamp

should protrude no less than 1 r.. inches into the reflector if all has gone well . If

necessary. loosen the two lamp mountingscrews (Not the reflec tor mounting

screws) slight ly and gent ly move the lamp

for exact centering within the reflector.

Retighten the lamp screws carefully. Our-

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


ing construction be sure to always handlethe DYH lamp with care.

The final stage of this project is to make

and install the heat deflector plates. Thesesimple yet crucial parts are cut from

scraps of sheet aluminum as shown in

Diagram C. For convenience. an extra'"270·235 chassis box can be purchasedand its inner half "cannibalized" for twopieces of exactly the right size. The notch

in the top plate must be cut accurately. so

that it fits around the rectangular lamp

base with as little dearance as possible.Also. the mating edgt!s of the top and bot·

tom plates should fit together tightly. asthe purpose of these deflectors is to pre-

(continued on page 29)

LAMPHOUSE

LAMP BA$f:

BLOCK

DIAQRAMD

TOI'YlEW

IIOTTOMYIEW

DIAGRAM E

ELECTRICAL SCHEMATIC

-INYL OAOMM I;TIN LAMPHOUSETO PREVENT

A8R.lSION OFP O W E ~ C O A O

POWEA COADCONDUCTOII

IN·lINE

ON/OFF SWITCH

TWO-PRONG HOUSEHOi.O TYPE PLUG

LAMP BASE BLOCK

lAIIlP liME IllOCl(

IlIdIO\¥OOO IILOCIl

, SII'" • 5/1" • , " OEEI'

0- ,5/,r - 0

iriS'" OIAME"TER GUIDE HOi.ES

OUIOEHOi.E 0 ,,,"O!AME"TER

•

ONEMAGIC "33 9

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


neE COMPUY OF WOlVESClassic , IoIk and . ina! melodies byGeorge FenlOn n:t Ihi:s dariI, haunt·Ing orcI1estra-with-ofgan SCOfe.

HAUOWtEJIChill all year 'roooo to musiccomposed and per1orml!(j byJohn carpenter.

STAR TREl TV- Vol 112Music from the classic series \fIa1started it . . . Available in IWO separale

""""'.

WSlTERKef1 Thome's drtmg Ofchestralsoundtrack 10 Tom StDeckdelectivt caper.

= ; . . ~ ....:'~ . ~ " ' .

.-.. \ '-

."" ........ . . t

TOf'SECRETMaurice Jarre conducts RoyalPhIlharmonic Orchestra (digitalnU)1or 1hisIush,madcap comedy.

AlFRED HnCMCOCX~ digital recooling (Utah Symphony)from ~ m i I u Plot"" John WIliams ." <:' ~ - ; - , Waxman , "Str.Y1QerS On AT ~ N o t o O O u s

BATTU: BEY'*D TttESTARSExcltino orchestral score lorhumorous Sf advefl1ure . RARE !

__The origi1aI motiOn picturesoundtrack, composed andconducted by Stu PhiHips .

SECfIfT AGIIT AU

18 cuts in all! Bond films. "Ace01 Spies," ·'U.N.C.l.E.," "1

Spy" '" othefS .

THE LAST STARRGHTERTtlriltino music by Craig Salan 1romcompulerllraphiC$ space adventure .

11tf AVENGERSThemes from the series , pltsTHE NEW AVENGERS and THE

PROfESSIONALS

HAUOWEEN IIMusic to scream 10, by the

maker ot Halloween.

STAll TRO I : WRATH OF....James Homer's SCOfe lor thepopular film . Digital.

stWTR ...N.GMusic by Peter ScIIckele ; songsby Joan Baez. Newly remastered.

a.OSE ENCOUNTERSOF THE THIRD IIINO

John Williams 's soundtradl,c,,,.

STARMANJack Nitzsche·s haunting,romantic score 10 John tafpef.I« 'S exciting alien adventure .

illN WOLfHianous, hit Michael J foK filmWith hot. pop music by MlesGoodman.

n 'sAUVE 28emartt Herrmann 's50th andlast soundtraCk score .

,

""EPSIICI!OSot.ndtriIck COIT"(IOSeCI by JohnHalrison .Wi! synthesizermusic and effeclS.

MUStC FROM THE 21stCENTURYTanoeme Dream , Neil Normanand others. Avaiable in cassette

"LP.

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


iI

THE TWI.UT ICMlEO r ~ soundIJd!TIU$C trom RodSer!ino'sclassc TV :strltS - releastdlor !he firSt bme . complete wrll! extefloSlYe notes on !he ePISOdes and

""0,."VOLUME I:Music by ~ Helfmann . FraNWUITI¥l. Jerry GoIdStnIfl . Van Cleave(includes Mall Title !heme by ManusConstant)

YOLUME" :MUSIC by fled Stener . BerNrd Herr·mann . JtrTy GoIdsmr\tl. "lalNn ScOIl(includes He!'nT\3M 's Main &End Me-IVOLUME III :MUSIC by Jerry GoIdsmth . BeINrdHen'mam . MalNn Viii Cleil\lf: . ltonaldRosenITl¥l and Milrl,lS ConsWlfs allel '/lite t.Qrn &End Title musIC

VOlUME IV:MUSIC by Jefry GoldsmIth . fred Sl!aner.Viii CIuYe . pIuS Bernard Herrmann 'si/terN1e Mall and End Title lhemes

VOLUMEY :Music by GokIsmilfl. Fred Steiner , VanCleave and Jeff Alexander-plus allefnate titles by Bernard Hwmallfl.

ICE MUlUSh , raw score by Bruce Smeaton toTim Hunon adventure/drama .

THE ROADWARRIORThe Ilard-drMl'lg sequet to MadMax wrth mustC by Bnan May

SHEENASoundtrack score by RiChardHartley. \'11k! film escapades ofthe popular comIC book herorne

OUTlI! ~ A C f SUITt:Muse tor TV & radio Pfogramsby !he Qrea t Bernard Herrmannr

STAR WARS TRilOGYFor 1st lime the 3 themes on 1alblJmr Jotv1 Wiliams 'mas tefl)lOCel

YOR·HIHfTEA FROM THE FUTUREUnusual pasVfulure heroic ar1venturemusic by John Scali &De AnoeIeS .

475 Park Avenue South

SUPfRGlRLComposer Jerry Goldsmi th and

National PhilharmonIC Orchestrawrlfl a flrilling original sooootrack.

MAD MAliDynamc. percUSSive music 10

futunsbC adventure film .

KRUlLRictt orchestral score by JamesHomer lor magiCal adventure film.

send s h checkOl" money order STARLOG PRESS New York. NY l001S

__ EEN WOlf __ ALLOWEEN __ UU ROGERSLISI S9 .95 s,.clll: SUS LIS! $9.98 s,.clll: $I ." List 59.98 s,.daI: $I."

__ TAR TAU TV VD!. I __ ATTlE IEYOND THE __ lIE COMPAHY Of WOI.VES-Album _ CasseUa STARS U$I 59.981f11d1t $I."List 510.98 s,.dII:SI." list: $1.98 s,.dIt: $7 .11

__ WlU6HT ZONE I

__ TAR TREK TV Vlt. Z __ AllOWEEN " l ist 59.98s,.d1/: I I . "-AlbtJm Cassette List ~ $I ."

__ WlU6KT ZONE "List $ tO .96 $j11d101:st .. __ T 'S AUVE 2 List $9.98 s,.daI: II •__ HE lAST STARFIGHTER Liat ~ $I."

__ WlU6KT ZONE IIIList $9 .95 s,.c. . $1.15 __ ASSITER List $9 .98 Sp1c111: $I.•

__ CEMAH Lis t S9.98 s,.dII: $I."__ WlU6KT ZONE tv

list 59.95 s,etIII: SI.I5 ~ R E D HITCHCOCK US! 59.98 SIMdII: $I.•

- -", list $9 .96 $tIIdII: SUIUS! $9.95 s,.clll: II ." __ UTERSPACE SUITE

__ ILENT RUNNING Uat 59.98 SIMdII: sa.•__KRUll Lis t ~ $1.1, -_ ..., ."is t $9.95 s,.c1ll: $1 .15

__ REEPSHOW list S9.98 $jIIdII: $I."__ OPSECRfT L1,t $9.98 s,.dIII: $I."

__ OAD WARRIORlist S9.96 s,.c111: $I." __ ECRfT AGENTFILE li sl S9 .98 s,.dII: sa."

__ TAR TREK II: -" , , , "m _ cassette__ f"" WARS TRIL OGY

WRATH OF KHAH l ist $1.96 s,.dIt: $7."Liat $10.96.".. . . . .li sl S9.96 s,.dII: $I." __ LO$E EHCOUNTERS

------AVENGERS li st $9.98 SjIIcIII: $I."

- - " '. "'"Li81 S9.98. . . . J"" Lisl $9.98 s,.daI: $I."

-M USIC FROM THE 21ST__ TARMAH CENTURY

__ tIEf,*"

Lis t $9.98 s,.clll: $I." _ Altrum _ Casselle li sl $9.98 SjIICIII: $I."LiSl $9 .98s,.c1ll: $I."

,1tI, Disc. . . . CeaponSa." Yo. Oter'' ' ' ' ' ' Per ReconIIII

NAME

ADDRESS

CITY

STATEf'OSTAGE Alii IWIDI. CHAlGiESU.S .A. - SI.IO lor!irst r8CCrd

$1 .51 lor each additional recordCanada - n.n lor first record

S1." tor each addit ional recoro

FweittI- 54.51 ea . record

ZIP

Total for records: S_____

Add postage:$___

Total enclosed:$___

Calilornia residents include 6 '12% sales tax .

(Payment in U.S. funds only.)

IO n: 11 )'OU do 1'101 want 10 cut !his pagt. send orde'r on ano thef p!eCt 01~ f Pltue allow 4 o 6wetks tor p n x e $ $ l ~ i I I ' I d ~ AJ records

l/Uotranleed ' Ask tor Ihtse exClbng soundlrK.ks II )'OUr la..ontc record S\()(" I0< Ofde"a.rec:I at" - . . . . ...-r IItIIS!

-.rUT: A IfIIllltctlofl 01 oundIrlCt "bums ""'" e.m.y...- IIorTW IfIID'IIn (_ oId"'- fa R , _ new) IIlVliiallle lIN mlillHdtr puR.... " IdJ_f1fprlee,IR neh. . . . 01 Fo\MGOfUA maoazirte .Thew .. lbumllIurt Ido rIOI."..IR lflii STARLOIIIIIktIOII .

I

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


1

MAKE

YOUR OWN

3-D MOVIES

Use this inexpensive technique to make 3 -0

movies that reach out and grab your audience.

By MICHAEL RILEY

3·0 camera system coosists 01 two mirrors, apair 01 I>ool<eods and a ~ p b o a n j Bookend closest to the

camera should be Oloed lirmly 10 the clipboard; the other should be left unglued so it can be repositionedwhen the clip is raised.

12 ONEMAGIC·JJ

R . r i r u ~ by petm155lon. Pci('f'5C!n$ i 'holog.apflk.

Ff"brulI'Y 1977.

If you've ever tried to find out anythi n9about filming in )-0. you've probablyended up with the impression that you

need expensive equipment, Ihllt theequipment is hard to find and that youwouldn't be able to use it unless you hada degree in mathematics. These weresome of my thoughts when I began to ex-plore the third dimension, but I stubbornly

set out to make my own 3·0 equipment,even thought I can', hammer a nail into apiece of wood without hitting my thumb.

I think the fact that Isucceeded surprisedme as much as it did anyone.

The apparatus described in this art de

can be used with any Super·S or 16mm

movie equipment. It is easy to build (youwon 't even have to use a hammer), easy to

use and the results are surprisingly good.I've had people tell me that the effectswere far better than any they had seen in

the theater. This Is partly due to the fact

that people can get closer to a small homemovie screen than they can to a largetheater screen.

Every 10 years or so, a new wave o fcommercial 3·D films hits the theaters,

and people rush to see them . Just asquickly as the rad dies out. a new genera·tion of moviegoers comes along. andanother brief wave surges through the

country . One explanation for the erratic

use of 3·D is that this kind of filming im -poses many restrictions on the way the

film is made. Certain techniques, such as

soft focus. fast cutting and excessdepth of

field, must be avoided in order not 10strain the audience's eyes. Furthermore.

with most 3·D systems loom, wide·angle

and telephoto shots are impossible. Addi-tional restrictions are imposed on the

mov ie theater. The seats in the center of

the theater offer by far the best viewing.

When light from the projector (whichvibrates in a ll directions) strikes the two

filters in the projector assembly. each pic 'ture passes through a different filter. The

lines of the filters are oriented so that the

pictures become coded. one in vertically

vibrating light and one in horizontal ly

vibrating l ight. When the light is reflectedback from the screen to the viewer. it

meets two more filters in the 3·D glasses.These filters are arranged so that the im ·ages become uncoded. For example. the

image that consists of vert ca Ily vibrating

light is the one that should be seen by the

right eye. It is sc reened ou t by the horizon·tal lines of the left·eye filter, but the ver ·tical lines of the right·eye fi lter let it passthrough. In a similar manner. the left·eyef ilter passes only the left·eye image.

Sinceour camera system takes two pic·lures from two different angles (corres·ponding to the two angles from whichyour eyes would see the scene if you wereactually there), and since each eye seesonly the picture that was intended for it .the movie appears to be 3·dimensional.

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


System Construction

Use epoxy to glue metal hinges onlo thebac ks of ase t 01ordinary bookends. Leavea l/a·inch gap between them: let paste

harden. Draw a l ine lengthwise down thecenter of a clipboard and position thebookends on the clipboard as shown inPhoto 2. The join t between them shouldbe at a 45° angle to the center line. Gluethe bookend that will be closest to camerafirmly to the clipboard. The other oneshould be left unglued so it can be reposi.tioned when the clip is raised.

Glue mirrors to the bookends withepoxy paste. leaving a gap between thetwo mirrors equal to the th icknessol onemirror. (Note: If your camera is a soundcamera. the mirrors may have to be gluedto the bookends so that they areabout twoinches higher than the ones pictured inPhoto 2. Thi sallows for the ext ra height o fthe lens on most sound cameras.) Uselarge dabsof epoxy so that mirrors can bealigned before the glue hardens.

Alignment ca n be ~ k e d by swinging

the movable mirror (the one whose sta ndis under the clipboard) back until both

mirrors form a nat plane. Hold a rulerhorizontally up to the mirrors so that itsreflection is vis ib le. Then note where theruler's re flection crosses behind the mir·

ror joint. lIthe rulerappearsbroken-Ihat

is. if the reflection in one mirror is sl ight·Iy higher than in the other mirror-then

one of the mirrors must be leaning awayfrom you more than the other. Squeezethe bottom edge of that mirror foward un·t il the edge reflect ion of ruler appears asa straight line.

Attach your movie camera to the clip.board with a V.·20 boll and wing nUl. Thecamera must be positioned so that its lens

is directly over the center line and aimedtoward the joint between the mirrors.Distance from the camera's focal plane(place wh ere film iswhen it is being expos·ed) and the mirror joint should be eight

inches.

Adj usting Conve ..gence

The convergence distance is the

distance from the mirror jo int of thecamera assembly to where the mirror's

two fieldsof view converge(see Diagram3). It should be adjusted correctly in order

to avoid eyestrain or double images whenthe film is viewed. For most of your film ·ing. the convergence di stance should benine feet. It gives the most rea l is t ic pic'ture. and it can be used whenever the sub·ject matter is more than five feet from themirror joint. For close· ups the conver·gence distance clln be temporarily

sho rtened . Th i s is cal l ed va riable

convergence.To set convergence. fi rst position your

camera on t he clipboard so that the mir·ror jOint appears in exact center of your

viewfinder. Then place an object nine fee tf rom the mirror oint. Thisobject need notbe something that you intend to film . 11 is

DIAGRAM 1

Mirrors 01 the prOjeCtion system are arranged SO that ooth PICtures converge on one screen. Polarizing filters

are arranged in your viewing glasses to that each eye sees only or.e picture.

DIAGR AM 2

l ight passes through two poIafllll'lO fitters whenpoIariza\lon axes parillel

used merely for a reference point to helpmake the convergence adjustment.

Aim your camera assembly so that theobject just touches the left·hand side of

the right hand picture in your viewfinder.For fixed convergence adjust the zoomlens, if you have one. to the widest possi·ble angle. Then make your convergenceadjustment by changing the position ofthe No. 2 mi rror. For variable con·ve rg ence. the convergence adjus tmentcan be made either by adjust ing the No.2

mirror or the zoom lens. Either of thesemethods will cause theobject in the right·

hand picture to re main in position whilethe object in the picture on the left willmove either closer to or farther from theleft side of picture. Make your 21djustmentso that the object just touches the le ft side

of both pictures.

If your camera is not a re flex. you willhave to make your convergence adjust·ment and then reposition your ca mera onthe clipboard so that the taking lens isaimed directly at the mirror oint .For bestresu lts, this should be done as accuratelyas possible.

light is Slowed by two fillerS with perpendicularaxes ThIS is called cfOSSopoiarizalion .

DIAGRAM 4

~ \ d'

I','..

....

~...... ,

..

The stereo window . (A) The movie screen appears to be awindow through which the actioo can be viewed .(B) When large objects are placed too lar inlrl)(lt 01 the window . the 3·0 illusion is destroyed . (e) This can be

solved by having small objects, which aren't cut by the screen edges. appear to rome through the windoW.

C/NEMAG/C-JJ 13

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


PHOTO 2

Two mirrOfS posltiOned side by side will reflect two slightly diHerent pictures 01 the same subject in the

camera's viewfinder . This double image must be recorded on film to produce a hree-dimensional movie ,

On the other hand. subjects filmed in)·D seem much more real. A movie'saction is much more exciting if the au·

dience can be made to feel that they can

actually reach out and touch the images

that seem to float of f the screen. Forthese

'easons you might want to try shooting

md sc reening films in three dimensions.

If so, then the simple. inexpensive system

described on these pages should be just

what you're looking for.

How 3·0 Works

When you look at things in real life.

each of your eyes sees a slightly differentpicture. In effect, you see things from two

slightly di fferent angles. Try holding your

hand about two fee t in front of your face

and then closing first your right eye and

then your left eye. Asyou blink your eyes.

notice how your hand seems to shift from

side to side against the back ground. The

di fference between t h e s ~ two images is

one of the things that enables your eyes to

judge depth.

In stereo photography two pi ctures are

taken of the same scene. These picturesare usually taken from two points that are

2112 inches part, which is th e same as thedistance between your eyes. The two pic·

tures are then presented so that one eye

sees one picture and the other eye sees theot her picture. Thisallowseach eyeto see

the scene from the same angle that it

would if it were looking at the real thing.

The first requirement for making ) ·0

movies is that two pictures must be taken

of the subject from two slightly different

angles. The easiest way to meet this reo

quirement is by using a mirror arrange·ment as shown in Photo 1. As you look

th rough the viewfinder of this setup. you'll

seetwo

picturesof the

same subject sideby side, The pic ture on the left side of the

viewfinder is the reflection of one mirror,

and the picture on the right is the reflec·t ion in the other mirror, The image that is

14 ClNEMAG/C It 33

recorded on the film is the same as the oneseen through the viewfinder.

When the film isprojected. the two mir·

rors that were used in the camera assem·

bly are placed in front of the projector.

They are positioned so that each mirror

reflects one of the two pictures and each

picture is projected onto the same screen(see Diagram I).

The second requirement that must bemet for stereo movies is that each eye

must seeonly one of the two pictures. This

is accomplished by placing polarizing

filters in front of the mirrors and in the ) ·0

glasses of the spectators. Polarizing filtersact as if they had microscopic lines in

them which screen out any light vibrating

in the opposite direction of the l ines but

allow light vibrating in the same direction

to pass through (see DiL!gram 2).

Filming in 3·0

Before shooting each roll of film, place

an object nine feet from the mirror oint of

your camera assembly. Center an object

in either one of the pictures in your

viewfinder and shoot a few feet of film,

Thispart of the film will be used laterasa

test pattern to line up the projectedimages.

Filming in 3, 0 is not exactly th e same

as filming in 2·0. The first thing you' l l

have to get used to is aiming the camera.

When you look straight ahead into the

viewfinder. the mirrors will show you a

picture of something that is of f to your left.If you're not using a tripod, you should

practice aiming the camera before shoot·

ing any film.

In ) · 0 , you have to avoid using a lo t of

fa st cuts, You should especiaJlyavoid cut·

ting back and forth between a distant sub·

ject andaclose·upone. This is because itHIkes time for an audience to adjust to

sharp changes in depth,

You should also pay attention to the

amount of depth in each scene, Subject

matter that is shallow to begin with will

also look shallow on the screen. When an

objec t comes closer to the camera than

about five feet. you should use the recom·mendat ions for super depth.

Super Depth

It seems that almost every 3·0 movie

has at least one scene where bats, arrows,

landslides. etc., seem to come right of f the

screen and out into the audience. The

secret for creating this type of illusion is to

use a small object and bring it close to the

camera without letting it touch the edges

of either picture in the viewfinder. This is

because the movie screen appears to be a

window through which the action can be

DIAGRAM 5

I- ' ''-I~ n..

~ J1= ''' -1 '''--II

CommerCially made 3-0 glasses tlave adiagonal

oneotalion . They req UITe that filters in the proje(:tionsystem be speciaHy cut.

viewed (see lJiagram 4). Your mind will ac·

cept the il lusion ofa small object com i ng

through the window, but it won 't believe

that a large object such as a car can come

through a 2 1h. x 3 1 l ,foot opening.

Another aid tocreating this type of illu·sian is to have the background the same

distance from the camera as the can·vergence distance (usually nine feet). Thisestablishes reference points so your eyes

can compare the near object with the

background. When these rules are follow·

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


ed, eac h member of the audience wil l seethe objec-t coming directly toward him. If

the object issmall enough, it can be mov·ed to within about four inches of the mir·

ror joint without touching the edges of

eitherofthe two pictures in the viewfinder.A member of the audience will then see

the object as being about 12 inches infront of his or her face.

Projection Equipmen tThe movie screen can be any 2 lfa I(

3 1/;z ·foot smooth. flat surface. The screensurface must be covered with aluminum

paint to insure that light from the projec-·tor remains polarized.

Aluminum paint does not make thebest 3·0 screen surface. but it will workand it is cheap. Standard matte white or

glass beaded screens will not work-they

depolarize the light. allowing your eyes to

see bot h images. If you use acommercialscreen it must be a silver screen. If youalreadyown or have access toan aluminiz·

ed video projection screen. you will findthat it will work very nicely for 3·0. Even·tually, i f you get the 3·0 bug, you should

buya commercial silver screen. Theya reavailable from nearly every major

manufacturer.The 3·0 glasses shown in Diagram I

were made from three pieces of thin card·board that were stapled together.The sidepieces are 2 x6 inches, and the front pieceis2x6lf. inches.They bow in to fit all sizesand are big enough to fit over prescriptionglasses.

A I x 2 x lO·inch wood block can beused for the filter stand. AUach two of the

6 x 6·inch polarizing filters side by side tothe sland with thumbtacks (see Photo 3).The other filters ca n be cut up into smallersquares and taped to the inside of theglasses.

Yo ur polarizing filters will probably nothave any markings on them to indicatetheir axis o f polarization. However, youwi l l still be ableto align them properly inyour glasses and filter stand. To deter·mine i f two filters are oriented perpen·dicularly to each other. place them

together and hold them up to a light(seeDiagram 2).lf they are perpendicular. then

the area where they overlap will appearblack or dark blue. If not. they can bemade perpendicular by rotating one of

them. Fi lters will be properly alignedwhen; I) two large filters on the filter standare oriented perpendicularly to eachother: 2) alileft·eye filters in ) ·0 glassesare oriented perpendicularly to filter on

left side of filter stand (when sight ing fromprojector to filters): and 3) all right·eyefilters are oriented perpendicularly to thefilter on the right side of the stand.

Some polarizing filters have a film sideand a base side. For best results the film

side of the projecto r filters should be fac·

ing the mirrors. and the film side of thefilters in glass.es should be facing thescreen.To determine the film side of two

A ear·screen previewer can tie constructed !of single viewers and editmg purposes. Plastic viewer can be

adapted from parts available from Reel 3-0 Enterprises (see source list on page 2t).

fitters. rotate one against the other until

thei r axes are crossed. If the film sides of

your filters are face to face. then they willcancel out evenly. and only a smallamount of dark blue light will pass

through. If. however, one or both filters isfacing away from the other. then somepatches of white light will be visible.

Pro j ec t ion Set-up

Drawa linedown the center of IO·inchx four·foot board. Remove the camerafrom the mirror assembly and attach theassembly to one end of the board. asshown in Photo 3. The center line of themirror assembly should be directly overthe center line of the board.

Place the filter stand on your board sothaI the joint between filters is directly

over the center line and is about six inchesfrom the mirror oint. Filters should beat

right angles to the center line.

Place your projector on the board sothat the lens is directly over the center lineand about two feet from the mirrors. Thelens should be aimed directly at the mir·

ror joint. If the projec-tor's beam of light is

too wide. not all the light will strike themirrors. and some of it will spillover theedge. In this case. you will have to movethe projector closer.

The best picture results when your projector. filters and mirrors are perfectlyaligned. I've found an easy way to insurethi salignment. First. mOve the filter standof f to one side and place a white piec-e of

cardboard nat up against the mirrors.Change your projectors focus so that theprojected image is visible on the card.This image will contain two side·by·sidepictures. Sight from the projector to the

card and aim the projector so that the linebetween the two pictures ralls directly

over the mirror joint. When the filter

CfNEMAGIC·33 15

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


assemb ly is replaced. the joint betweenthe filters will cause a shadow \0 fallon thecardboard. Th is shadow should also falldirectly over the mirror joint.

Ce nter the projected image on your

screen by moving the entire assemblyrather than just Ihe proje<:tor . To raise theimage. t ilt the assembly by placing blocksunder the board edge.

Run your film th rough until you gel tothe test pattern. By adjusting the positionof the No.2 mirror. you can move one of

the images on the screen from side to

side. while the other image remai ns still.The No.2 mirror should be positioned so

that both images o f the test pattern objectarc exactly on top o f each ot her and ap·pear as one image.

So far. if everythi ng has been done cor·rect ly. the two images should already be

PHOTO 3

camera alignment didn't change too

much during filming. you should be ableto do this without having to adjust the pro·jector mirrors each time you come to atest pattern. The basic rule to follow is: Thelen·eye imageon the screen shotlldneverbe1l10rcthan /hrc.'Cinches lolhele{to{therighl·

cyeimagc. Youreyesareonly21/2 inches

apart. so when the left·eye image is more

than 2 1f2 inches to the left of the right·eyeimage. your eyes would be forced to

diverge (the oppositeof going cross.eyed)more than parallel. This is something theyare able lodo. but on ly uptoa point. Too

much divergence can cause eye·strain.Before showing the film to an audience.align the images on the screen with one of

the test patterns. and then run through therest o f the film without wearing your 3·0glasses. You will find that some objects

proteCtor system LtSeS the same ITIIrrOf assembly that was made IOf the camera, PolarOId filters have

been placed on astand between the proteCtor and the mirrors

aligned verticall y as well as horizontall y.That is. neither should be higher than theother. If this isn't the case. the best way to

align them at this stage is to place a pair

of small wedges underneath the projector

legs in order to tilt the projector slightly toone side. This willlo"!'er one image while

raising the other.Unfortunately. changingthe vertical alignment will throw all your

other alignments off. and you will have togo ba ck t o the beginning of thi s section

and start over.

When your tes t pattern is aligned. youare ready for the moment o f truth. Put onyour 3·0 glasses and see how the rest of

your film looks. You'lI find that by moving

closer to the sc reen. you'll get a shallowerpicture. and be moving away. you' lI get adee'per picture. As soon as you've found

the best place to put the sea ts for you r au·dience, you are ready for the show.

Editing

l31'oken .nes fepresenlltle field 01 VIIlW Or nwror No2 The distance from the ITllffOf ICWlt 10 where thesetwo fields converoe IS the COf7IIefgefICt distance

OBJE CT

WHAT VIEWFINDER SEES

CAMERA ASSEMBLY

appear as single images, whileothersa p·pear as doub le images. Pay special atten·tion to objects that are fa rthes t f rom thecamera. Each t ime you find a pair of im·

ages that are displaced more tha n threeinches. check with your 3·0 glasses to seewhether the left·eye image is the one thatis the farthest to the left. If it is. then read·just the No.2 mirror to bring the imagesback totheth ree·inch limit. Your final ad·justment is the one that should be used toproject the show.

la rge Audiences

For large audiences you can avo id thetroub le of making your own 3·0 glassesby ordering ready.made glasses. Becauseprofessiona ll y made glasses have adiagonal orientation instead of a horizon·tal or vertica l direction, the filters will have

to be recut as shown Diagram 5. Becareful to cut them so that when they arearranged side by side on the filter stand:\) filter on the right ( ....hen looking from

projector to filters) is perpendicular to left-

~ filter in 3·D glasses: 2) filteron the leftis perpendicular to the right·eye filter in

the glasses; and 3) the film side of both

filters is facing the mirrors.Whenever a screen wider than 21h feet

is used with thi s 3·0 system. there is achance that far pointson the screen will be

displaced more than three inches. To

avoid this you can use the system foralignmen t that is described above in theEditing" section. or you can make a

spKial test pattern li t the beginning of

each roll. The following table shows whatcamera·to·object distance to use.

TEST PATTERN DISTANCEFOR LARGE SCREENS

S c . e ~ n Width 02' ; ' 2'1>·3 3·4 ~ · 6 ·D ' S I . n c ~ From g' 10· 17' 21' 26'

C.me • to CIt>ject

OlAGAAM3

PLACE OBJECT HERE TO

ADJUST FOR CO NVERGENCE

" \

... \

,," \

', \

'..''j

Pr",',,',\ "\ ...

, ,

: I: Ii I PLANE OF

CONVERGENCE

"ii/J !:

I : CONVERGENCE

I i DISTANCEI !

You may wish to splice several rolls offilm together to make a com plete show, If ~16 ClNEMAG/C"33

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


Applications Ihe h a r a ~ t e i s t i c o f 3 . D films.that 00

een exploi ted most often IS the i rZapability to make subjects seem more

real. This feature is espedallyvaluablc in

' - - I

. !orror movies. The illusion of being in the Aame room with a ghost or monster

makesscaryfilmsevenmorefrightening. I uTot only could you almost reach ou t and

touch the ghoul-it could almost pop Oul

of the screen and ge l you!

BuI 3·D can also subtly enhance its sub

ject. Images from nature take on newvisual fascination when the textures,leaves. branches and water reflections appear deep and real. The perception of

depth isa dramatic, important visual element that can be used to splendid effect inhome mo t ion pictures.

3·0 o ffers new chal lenges in composi·tion for the serious cinemalic art ist. In·stead of arranging subjects on the screenlike a painter would-in two dimen·

sions-the director must think like asculptor. The added dimension invi tes the

audience into the picture. Insteadof see·ing the movie as objective observers,viewers are able to mental ly explore thespace of each scene. With this dramat iccinematic effect your J·D movies arebound to be spellbinding eye·openers.

PARTS LISTLegal·size clipboard

Pair of plain metal bookends4·fool x lO·inch board12 ·inch ·20 bolt

1.·20 wing nut1.·inch washersPa ir of small me tal hingesPackage of epoxy glue

Small can o f i!lluminum paint21/z x Jlh·inch piece of smooth, flat

cardboard or Masonite for mov ie

sc reenPolaroid filters and viewers are

available in a specialexperimenter's package, which hasbeen assembled for readers of thismagazine. Twelve pairs of polaroid

viewers and enough polarizing

material for your projector areavailable from John Brumage of

LeaVision. P.O. Box JD.

Lyndenhurst, NY 11757 for $15.00

postpaid. Sheet polarizing materialis very thin, requiring a cardboardframe for support.

Two 5 x 7 x Yi •• nch mirrors

Note: Front surface mirrors have bet·ter optical properties than regular mir·

rors because they have the reflect ivesurface in front of the glass instead ofbehind il. Thus light t hat's reflecteddoesn·t have to be disturbed by pass·ing through the glass. These mi rrors

can be ordered from Edm und Sden·tific Company, 10 I E. GloucesterPike, Barrington, New Jersey 08007.

() I

SPECIAL3-D VIEWERSINCLUDED INEACH BOOK.

STARlOG's special effects wiz·ard, David Hutchison, has com·

piled a spectacular new additionto the famous STARlOG PhotoGuidebook series of quality paper·badts.lnonedetuxevolume is a col ·lectton of the best articles on 1o0techniques, movies, comics, andmuch more!!!

• Complete index 0' -3-0 comk:s &magazines!

• Complete guide 10 3-D mov ies(credits, plots, etc.).

• How to make your own loO photos

with any camera!• Sources of 3-D equipment and

supplieS!• loO books MCtIonI• List of 3-D clubs worldwide!• NASAIMars 1o0 photos!

• How 3-D TV works I• Hiltory of 3-01• Movie special effects in 3-D!

This excit ing 96-page oook Includesarticles by 1o0 experts on ItatHt'·the-arttechnology and is Illustrated with hundreds0' photos and special art. "Fantastk: 100'' Isthe one authoritative Y04ume covering everyaspect at this IncredItM field. ..u.o.--.. .___ f.

- - " I nd ........ 1IOat__----------- ---------- Please rush copy(ies) of

I" FANTASTIC 3-D" at $11.95each, pluspostage.

II ADD POSTAG E:

I1__ rdClass . . . . . . . $1 .55ea.

1_ _ st Class . . . . . . . . $1 .75ea.

I1__

oreignAir . . . . . . $2 .50ea.

IITotal enclosed: $,____NYS reelcienlS muSl add s.-ieoo I .. .I PIeaM allo<w 3-8WINIIb tor dIeI+"""Y.

Send cash, check Of money order to:

STARlOG 1o0475 Par1l: Ave . SouthNew York, NY 10016

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"""'..,- - - - - - ----ON

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


DAVID HUTCHISON

Seaching for

Filmmaking in 3-D is still an experimental {ormal.

If Michael Riley'sartideon the basicsof )·D movie making has whettedyour appetite for more. you may

pleased to learn that a few companies ac-tually manufactured ) ·0 movie outfits foramateur enthusiasts. The most common

) ·0 movie outfits are (or were) the Bolexand the Eigeet fo r 16mm users. and the

Elmo for Super·B.Unfortunately, all o f these ) ·0 movie

systems are allachmenls-devices meantto adapt ordinary 16mm and Super·Scameras 103·D filmmaking. No manufac-

turerha

s ever produced a )· D moviecamera for the amateur markel, nor has astandarized format ever been established

forSuper·8and 16mmJ·Dformats. Thisis in marked contrast to the situation of

) ·0 sti ll photographers. who have com·

paratively easy access to 3·D equ ipmentand established standard s. Several

manufacturers in the U.S. and Europe

The Bole. camera with normal 3·0 attach,ment fined to the Iront of the camera

18 ClNEMAGIC· 33

designed and manufactured a variety of

3·D cameras. which are readily availablein used camera shops everywhere.

The entire process of 3·D still

photography has been thoroughly

systematized. You just popa roll of 35mm

Kodachrome or whatever. into a Stereo

Realist. Kodak Stereo, etc. and shoot

away. Send the film out for processing andstereo mounting. and few days later you

can project your 3·D slides in any severalbrands of 3·D projectors. No such luck forwould·be 3·D movie buffs- i t is all strict·

Iy an experimental. make·do ope ration.particularly for Super·a users. as we shall

see.

Dedicated 3-D Bolex

The Bolex Stereo System. originally

marketed in the early 1950s. is probably

the most well· known 16mm 3·D movie at·tachment. Thereareessentiallytwo partsto the system. There is a special cameralens that fits the non·renex Bolex H 16. ex·clusively. and there is a special projectionlens which rep laces the normal lens on

many 16mm projectors. Bolex supplied a

number of adapter sleeves fo r thispurpose.The basic component of the Bolex

sys tem is the precision.engineered

camera lens. which is screwed into the tur·ret of the H16 in place of the ordinary lens.At the back of the stereo lens attachment

are twin Yvar 12.5mm fl2.a lenses sepa·ra ted by an optical axis of only 3.5mm. Aprism system widens this axis to an effec·tive separation of64mm-normal inl ero·cular spacing for 3·D photography. The

lenses arc fixed focus. set at the hyper.focal distance of \0 feel: the aperture iscontinuously variable down to f/ 16.

The stereo window is se t at approx·imately 10 feet. As you remember from

Michael Riley's article. a lO·fool window

means that when your 3·D movie is pro·

jected, anything closer than 10 feet from

thecamera will appear to hang inspace infront of the screen. wh ile objects beyond10 feet will appear to be placed behind theprojection screen. Bolex recommended

k ~ p i n g objects at least five feet awayfrom the camera. For close·up 3·D effects.ill special close·up attachment permitted

shooting at distances from 18 inches to

four f ~ t . Special parallax correc tingscales and viewfinder masks were sup·plied to maintain image placement ac·curacy with the close'up system.

The Bolex 3·D lens attachment placesthe left and right eye images side by

side-splitting the normal 16mm frame.For projection a special duplex. ens ob·

jective replaces your standard 16mm pro·jector lens. Inside the len! barrel are twin

20mm. f/ l.6 Petzvallenses with paralieloptical axes spaced 5.6mm apart. Stan·dard orientation pol&rizers are built into

the objective. so that your 3·D movies canbe viewed with common ly available 3·D

polarizing glasses.Other accessories in the Bolex Stereo

System included a special offset bracketfor the camera's viewfinderand the finderaperture mask which masks down thestandard 16mm frame to the Bolex stereoformat for accurate composition.

The co mp lete system. including

camera lens. offset bracket. viewfindermask, projection lens, two pairs of view·ing glasses and a silver screen. sold for ahefty $397.50 back in 1953.

Univ e rsal Eigeet 3·0

The only major competitor to the BolexStereo System was the Elgeet Cine·StereoSystem. The system operated in a mannelvery similar to the Bolex system, but the

Elgecl had two big advantages: it wascheaper and it would fit almost any movie

camera.The Elgeet Stereo lens was designed to

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


OpposllltOJl: The S!mOOn 3-0 att:rnmen, .AbcMi : BoIex 3-0 positions ,he left and righ t

Imagesside Dy side Below left: Spondon 3·0

creales a red/green anagfyJt1 3·0 image USing 'he

enlirfl Super·8Irare . !Wow right: 'Mdescteen 3-0Super-8 is possible wi/h altadvnents lllaI split the

frame and rome the image .

fi t all 16mm standard C-mount cameras.Twin 13mm, fl2.8 fixed·focus lenses at therear of the attachment were spread to

standard stereo interocular with rhom·boid prisms were fully color·corrected,hard coated and were supplied mask cor·rected the field of view in the finder of thestereo format for accurate composit ion.

The projection lens was also verysimilar to 8olex 's design with its twin f/l.6

coated lenses and built· n polcu izing

filters. A series of adaptersperm

itted

are discovered at gar1lge sales. But neithersystem is common or readily available.Professional dealers of used equipment,particularly those that s ~ i a l i l e in 3· 0

and/or used movie equ ipment may beable to find one or the other for you.However. you may find that thei r retailva lue hasappreciated a good bi t over the

years.

Super-S In 3-0

Amazingly . only o ne 3-D attachment

OavJd StarXffian 01 ReelJ-O EnTerprises tiemonstrates the 8oIex]'0 CIose·up System .

mounting the lens in a variety of different

16mm projectors.The complete system. including

camera lens, finder mask. projection lens,eight pairs of viewing glasses and a silverscreen sold for S249.00-conslderably

cheaper than Bolex's system.Both systems work well lind are easy to

use. The biggest disadvantage is the for·mat: the standard 16mm frame is spli t ver·tically to place the left and right eye im·

agessidebyside. This results in a very tall,narrower format which may be idelll fortaking pictures of trees, individuals andtall buildings. but can prove frustrating tothose of us who are used to working in thestandard sl ightly·wider·than·high image

format.From t ime to time, both of these 3· 0

systems show up in used camera shops or

was ever produced for Super·a users. TheElmo Super-a Stereo·Movie Unit ESM·J

was created in the early 1970s for use on

certain Elmo cameras and projectors,specifical ly: Elmo came ra modelsaS·40.as·60, the Super 104, 106, lOa, 110 andIIOR.

It was the only system made specificallyfor Super-a, and the only one of all thesecommercial systems which produces a3-D image In a horizontal format. The at·tachment was available directly from

Elmo in Japan, but was never imported bythe U.S. distributor. Elmo achieved theultimate in economy by using the same at·tachment for both the camera and , with

the addition of polarizersand bracket. the

projector.This single al l'purpose 3-D attachment

consists of a se ries of five front ·surface

C/NEMAGIC"]] 19

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


mirrors which split the movie frame ver·

tically for the left and right eye images,placing them side by side. However, the

side·by· side images are rotated 90

degrees in a foot·to·foot orientation. Theresult is a very pleasing wider.than.high

fo rmat. The fron t·surface mirrors are notprotected from dust and require frequentattention with a soft Cllmel's hair blower

brush.

Two brackets are supplied, which willmoun t the ESM·! to the front of spec if ic

models o f Elmo cameras and projectors.respectively. The ) ·0 attachment is quitelarge. measuring nine inches wide, by sixinches high and three inch es deep. Oncemounted, camera operation isnormal, ex·cept that the zoom lens is restricted to arange of IOmm to lSmm, Convergence isvar iable, but the control is not calibratedand requires some experimentation andpractice to achieve predic table results,

A viewfinder attachment rotates thetwo images from the side·by·side vertical

orientation so that one image maybe

seenfrom a normal hor izontal viewpoint. For

normal shooting the inverted image isignored.

A special bracket attaches the ESM, I toan Elmo projector: spec if icall y all SP andST series projectors: the Fp·A, FP,C, Fp·E and Fp·H projectors; lind the GP·E. GPDelU)ce and GP Hi·Deluxe models , Elmo

projectors have a threaded hole for at·taching various &CC6sories, including theStereo Projection Brac ket , which mounts

directly to the projector and conta ins itsown polarizing filters. The ESM·l unit isremoved from the camera and mounted

in this projection bracket. Convergence isadjusted using the same knob control thatwas used when filming. VertiCal align-ment is achieved by moving the entireunit in the bracket mount.

Your film should be edited with asplicerthat makes a cut between the frame lines,

John Hart p.oepare5 to screen a dualSmm 3-0 filmwiU1 apair 01 mechanically in terlOcked KodakproJectors -a custom,built rig.

20 ClNEMAG/C·33

Hmmaker JoIVl Han shoots SUper·S 3-0 'Mth acustom designed JI'Irror box attachment Image tor·mat IS the same as 'Mill the Elmo 3-0 anachment

instead of through the center of the frame.David Starkman of Reel )·0 Enterprisesrecommends a HervidM innette. as one

popular, easy·to·use mode l that does the

job.The Elmo projection bracket places the

polarizers between the projection lensandthe mirror box unit. The polarizers are nol

oriented in the standard position, whichmeans the polarizers in standard glasseswill have to be re·oriented. Alternatively,

Starkman recommends replacing the

Elmo polarizers with la rge standllrd-orien tation polarizers placed in front of

the mirror unit. " By making the polarizersthe lasl surface for the images to passthrough," Starkman explains, "ghosting

is reduced,and standard ) ·0 glasses may

be used."The final result." Starkman adds, " is a

very acceptable Super·S image that isalmost twice as wide as i t is high, with thesame film and processing cost as standard

Super·S. Ed iting is the same, although) ·0 viewing cannot be doneon a table,top

film editor. To edit out scenes with ) ·0

convergence problems. one has to firstview the movie projected in )·0. and

make noteson what scenes to edit later. "

Do I t Yourself 3· 0

It is unfortunate that the Elmo unit isnot more generally available . Com·

paratively few units found their way into

this country, largely through the efforts of

en thusiastic )-0 buffs and membersof theWidescreen Association. For this reason,

most ) ·0 filmmakers working in Super·Shave cobbled together ) ·0 rigs of thei r

own deSign.It is possible to adapt attachments that

were designed for ) ·0 still photography to

Supe r-S cameras. Quite a few varietieswere manufactured over the last couple of

decades. Most are readily available

through used equipment dealers andsome are still available as new equipment

from manufacturers.Thesedevicesare usually re ferred toas

) ·0 "beam·splitters" and are designed to

be mounted to the front of a standard

35mm camera lens via the filter threadson the front of the lens barrel. They aremarketed under various t rademarks in·eluding: Stitz. Pentax(sti ll mllnufactured),

and Stereo·Tach. Tri·Delta (available only

as used equipment).Experimenters have reported good

results with the Tri·Delta Prism Stereounit. The unit was not designed for

Super·S use and there is no convergenceadjustment, but the attachment producesa wide horizontal image similar to the

Elmo unit. The Tri·Delta Prism Stereo At·tachment can often be found at used

camera and equipment trade shows.Some years ago. SuperS Sound elec·

tronically linked a pair of Nizo Super·Scameras for filmmaker Lenny l ipton. Thisdouble system 3· 0 unit requires a pairof

interlocked projectors as well. The systemcan achieve brilliant high quality results.but only at enormous costs.

Anaglyph AlternativeHelf II decllde ego, before the video

boom many major motion picture com-panies releesed abridged versions ofthelr

theetricel felilures in Super·S. Home

movie buffs hlld access to everythingfrom Birth of a Nalien to Slar Wars withsomf! ti t les bollsting stereophonic soundend widescreen CinemaScope.

For consumer convenience.a few blacklind white 3·0 films were released in the

n ~ d J g r f ! t ' ! n anaglyph form, Requ iring only

rf!d end green glllsses (simi lar to the typeused for ) ·0 comic books) these filmscou ld be shown enywhere, with astanda rdprojector and on an ordinary screen.Among the titles released were: It CameFrom Quler Space. The Crealure {rom the

Black Lagoon, The Mad Magician and acouple of Three Stooges shorts. Red!Green anaglyph is not the best system for3·0 , but it is an inexpensive way to gel

sta rted In )·0.

The rf!d!green ) ·0 process dates back

to th f! middle of the 19th century, but su r·vives today as the medium of choice for

) ·0 comic booksand ) ·0 book and maga·zlne ill ustrations (as In my book FAN·TIISTIC 3·0 ). The quality of the anaglyph) ·0 imllge does not begin to comparf!with the more sophisticated polaroid pro -

Jection systems described earlier in thi sartielf!.

Howf!ver, thf!re are some big advan·

tllges. You can use the camera and projec·tor that you currently own. No polaroidfilters ere required . You will not have to5pf!nd hundreds of dollars searching out

and buying antique )·Dattachments fromthl! 19505. And . you Clln get big full frameimages without resorting to double sys-tem ) ·D- two ca meras, two projectors.

sync block. etc. Anaglyph ) ·0 presents a

mimlmum fuss, trouble and expense to

the )·0 experimenter.

Recognizing this, II British firm has Justintroduced a new ) ·0 attachment which

allows you to make your own anaglyph

movies In Super·S or l6mm. The Spon·don lInaglyph at\echment uses two mir·rors to superimpose the left and right eyeimages within a single frame. One Is a

(continued on page 24 )

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


From A,B,C, to MTV

Vin

to

Video

So, you want to make a rock video.

You've go t a camera, your friend'sin a band. and they've got a song

recorded. Great! Now what? Wel l, si l

down. turn on some music. get a drink and

read this. Having produced a dozen or so

videos myself. I'll teU you step by step how

to make you r own-cheap!Before I start. let me make one thing

dear; if you want your video to ever find its

way to television orMTV. it must be upto

professioni!ll standards and that meansthat the minimum you are going to spend

is around $),500. to make it look

good-unless you get everything for free.If you want to make a rock video just for

fun. or to try your hand at it: then it will

probably cost you just expenses.

Now that you are totally depressed atthe reality of what it actually costs. keep

reading. it gets better.Your fi rst step is to listen to the song,

and believe me that can be torture. Before

the video is done you will have listened tothe same song over and over a couple ofhundred times, and if you don't l ike the

music, then it' s even worse. When you

listen to the music. wri te down any ideasthe lyrics or the tune evoke: you'lI usethese ideas later when you are storyboard·

iog the video. After lis tening to the songa few times. the next step is to transcribethe lyrics and break them up into seg·

ments: Phrase one. Chorus. Phrase two,

etc. This can be a real pain. especially ifyou are taking them from a record instead

of a cassette deck with a pause lever.

After all of the lyrics are transcribed. laythe song ou t on paper. This will become

the blueprint of your video. and should in·clude all the timings. from the very fi rst

noteof the song to the last. Every sectionhas to be timed: choruses. any solos. etc.These times will later be used when you

storyboard the show.

Storyboardin gNow that you've got the song broken

down in terms of lyrics. chorus. and solos.all with individual timings. ,-,ou can startdirecting on paper by making sto ryboardsheets. Use regular8 lh" x II .. paper with

four horizontal frames running down the

center of the page (I've made my own by

outlining credit cards. their shape is al·most 1:85 scale-roughly the aspect ratioof a video frame .) On the left side of thecolumn will be the t imings of each shot

along with the lyrics tha I go with the shot .On the right side of the column should beal l camera and action directions.

When you are designing the video keepthese things in mind:

I )Make sure to cooer actions in close·ups! These include guitar solos. drum

solos, even drum hits. Thesewill save you

By REX PIANO

in the editing because you can always cut

to something Oi l the beat.2) (iet a 10tofcuL·awaysfSholsofthe

singer smiling, guita r and bass playersswinging their instruments. the drum·

mer's face, anything that has to do with

the band. This is especially important if

you are shoot ing a performance piece.

because you want to show a particular sideof the band's personality and this is con·veyed by their on·camera actions.

3) eoocr the same lyrics and so loswith lo t sofangles! Make sure when you

shoot that you have plenty of film ,because you're going to have to shoot the

same actions over and over from different

angles and possibly at different locations.Thiswill allow you show the singer indif·

feren t se ttings without disrupting the

C h o ~ e l close·up ot teat! singer John I'Isclot1a

C/NEMAG/C "33 21

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


song. missing a lyric cutting to another

performer.4)Moue lhecamera when you I1lml All

music hasa beat. and the came ra shouldenhance this beat through visual motion.

Do not be afraid to turn the camerasideways, or to move around the band as

they perform. It makes a more interestingshot. and also helps in the editing.

After you've finished all of this prepara·t ion-the script is written and the story·

boards a e complete-a script breakdownis next. You do this by going over everyshot and SCene, then pull out all the ele·ments that are necessary to the shoot andlist them, for example: location, props,day or night,etc.

Before you shoot. you should considerhow you want the video to look. If you in ·tend to "post it " (a term which means to

finish or edit, derived from "post.produc,t ion") on video tape. then you shouldshoot on negaUvefilm stock as this allowsyou the most latitude whencolor correct,ing. Etlch film stock looks slightly differ·

ent when transferred . and the choiceshould be made based on the aestheticqualities desired. The choice of film stockcould also vary depending on the condi·tions of the shoot. If your story calls forsomething to look like Super-B. thenshoot it on Super·B. and soon. Once youhave everything under control. then

comes the fun part: shooting the video.

Video Transfer

But wait, if the song is stil l on a recordor a cassette. how do you play that andfilm at the same time so the band is in

sync? Here comes the tricky part. Thereare several ways to do thi s. The cheapestway is to just play back the music from acassette deck and shoot the band lip·sync ing to it. But this isalso the most dif·

ficult wa y to sync up the exposed footage,and you may not get more than four wordsin sync with each take. However, it can be

done thi s way, although I don't recom·mend it. The most effective way to sync up

audio and video isas follows. This pertainsonly if you are planning to edit on l f ~ - iand one-inch video tape (this is where it

starts to get expensive). If you are going to

edit on film, using a flat·bed , I'll go over

Hand held two-sllol rroves past singer to captureguitar solo In close-up

22 c/NEMAG/C It33

that later.To finish on video tape. you must un

derstand the process_ Once shoot ing iscompleted. have the exposed film devel·oped only. Then transfer that to both one·inch and It.-inch video tape with identicalt ime code numbers on the address track.When you make the If.- inch specify thatyou want the time code numbers in a window wi th V.R.O. (visual read out). Thesenumbers will later allow you to match the

off-line picture to the I-inch picture_ Theoff -line is where you do the actual cutting

of picture to sound and make your "workprint" or "frozen cut." The next step is theon·line edit session. At this poin t youmatch. using the time code numbers.

your original picture to your "workprint."At the end of the on-line session. the rock

video will be complete.However. before you get to thi s point

you still have to have the mus ic transferred. You should take the cleanest formof the recorded song. preferably from theorigina l mastered recording and have it

transferred to II l ·inch four·track audiotape, with the stereo music on tracks one(, two. Nagra-tone on track three. and

time code on track four. at the same time.a Y-inch tape should be made for

playback during the shoot. While the labis doing these transfers, they should alsotransfer the music with the same time

code toone·inch and If.-inch video tape.These two tapes will become your edit

masters.When you go to shoot. your sound man

will need two Nagras: one for playback.the other for recording a scratch track: a

line connects both Nagras-thereby re'cording the song onto the sc ratch track. Aset mic will be needed to record the slateclaps. You willalso need a P.A. system. sothe band can hear the music being played.If you have some extra money. you canrent '"ear wigs,"' these are tiny radiotransmitted speakers that the musicianscan put in their ears and listen to themusic, cutting the volume of set noisedrastically.

Shooting begins l ike any other shoot:start rolling sound, film the sla te clapping,then roll the so ng on playback. Shoot allof .your storyboard s. plus whatever else

you can squeeZe in and then it's a wrap!

Editing on Video

Now comes the tough-but·fun part

Ediling!As mentioned before. have the film

developed and transferred. Have all of thesound transrerred to another :V.-inch tape.and then sync up the sound to the picture.Once all of the sound has been synchedyou are ready to start editing.

At th is point you will take the If.-inchmaster tape. that has just the song record·ed on it . and make insert edits using the

scratch track to sync up to the music.Al though th is system is very complex in

that it needs a lot or preparation, it savesyou the most time in editing. When the

show is completed. you simply take th£l,(" ·inch master edited tape into theon·line

session.For the on· ine session the elements

you wil l need are the original one· nchvideo. the one·inch master tape (that hasthe song on it). and the If.·inch edit

master. The time code numbers on theIf.·lnch edit master wi ll match the time

code numbers on the one· nch master.The window time code numbers on the

If,·inch master will match the lime code

numbers on thecamera original one' nchtape. Once the two tapes are in sync, thenyou can start laying clean video on to theone·inch master tape. If you want to doany effects . it i s at this time you lay them

in using an ADO (Automated Digital Optics), a DVE(Dig ital Video Effects), or thelike.

The off-line edit should last no longerthan three days and usually cos ts about

$35 per hour, however dealscan be madeso it's much cheaper.

The on-line sess ion should last no

longer than eight hours, and usually costsaround 5250 per hour. but deals can bemade to cut that expense too.

Editing on Film

As you can see. to shoot on film andedit on video tape requires a lo t or time

and preparation, many different stages ofpre and post production. and can run in ·to a lot of money.

Same lyriCs, dif1erentlOcations allOw lhe "sel"' tochange with amusical phrase

To edit a rock video on fi lm createsdifferent problems. The main differencesareas follows:I -Fo r editing purposes. the song

should be transferred to 16mm or 35mm

magstock. depending on what format youare shooting, instead o f to the one·inchand :V.·inch video tape. (Unless you areshooting Super·S double·system·sound,in which case you will need the songtransferred to Super·S magstock.)2-The scratch track recorded during

shooling should also be transferred tomagstock and rushes synched to It.3-You should then cut the show on a

six plate, allowing yourself to put theoriginal song magstock on one track. andthe picture and sync sound on the remain·ing sound and picture heads. Sync up

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


,both Iracks so that the sound is runningtogether and edit your picture to match

the original song.".

Once you have a frozen cut. you can do

one of two things: Ha ve the film negative

cu t.with a low·con print struck from it andtransfer that to one·inch video tape: or do

a sloppytransferof the selected negativeto one· nch video tape. I would recom·mend the former. as it Is cheaper and thegeneration loss is negligible.

There are still other ways to cut a rockvideo. most not as complex and efficientas these. but cheaper.

Video Adventure

I was in a situation 10 shoot. direct andedit a rock video with a total budget of

$2.000. and Idid il.l gota call on a Thurs·day nighl to shoot a band performing the

If .. \.J

.)

~\

-t:..14,! ,

following Friday night. I rented a camera Slow·motion sequence

and showed up. I shot the guys like mad.funning all over the stagl:: with them

even filming them getting dressed. ThenI had the fi lm developed. I had shot with7294. the fastest 16mm Kodak color

stock. because I knew I would be filmingwith available lights. Luckily the band'sstage show had lotsof ights. and when thefootage came back. much to my surpriseand delight. it looked great. Even so. I shota second night. still having no idea as to

whal song we were going to use for our

video.

..Jtt. . "~.-.~ ~ ~. . \

I •I .•

\

\

~t

By the time we were finished. I hadabout IwO thousand feet of film of theband performing completely out of sync.We decided on a song to use. I had Ihe

record transferred to 16mm mono and

35mm sterec. magstock and started lip.

syncing the video. The lead singer and Ilooked through the footage and pulled thebest shots out. Then I separated them interms of content: bass player. drummer.

singer. full shot. etc. Icut the video in twodays(two very long days. I might add)ona four plate. When it was done. I had the Aclose·up of a gUitar solo is a standard shot lor a perlormance video

negative cut. stuck a low·con print. andtransferred it. double sysler"l using the35mm. in a film .to·tape transfer.

We shot the piece in two days. without

playback. and finished it in another three.Sweet. neat-and Cheap!

It all worked out. but let me tell you. it

was tough to edit. If I were to do another

one. I"d shoot it on rilm and transfereverything to video tape. It costs a little

more. but in the long fun saves you time

and the quality is much better.Rock videos are great. You can be as

creative and weird as you like in inter·weaving a story with the band's perform·ance. The fact that most videos are only

three minutes long limits the time youshould spend on il . but also makes themeasier and cheaper to produce. Thafs not

to say you shouldn 't do your best. but ir s

not as big a commitment as shooting afeature or even a longer. narrative short

subject. So get some fi lm. find a band andshoot them!Just be forewarned. the entireprocess could drive you video·ga·ga. Extreme close-up covtIrlng guitar SOlO

(J(

'. ,--.,.

- tII!!JP',

. ~~ . ~ ~

? -....

....--

ClNEMAGIC"33 23

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


·-rot

I

._1ThIS diagram of the SoIex IWII1lens and BeamSpreader aUachment SOOWS IIle paUl 01 I>ghl rays

through each aperlure spaced al normalrnterocularand 1fIen through pnsms 10 the lim Va<!

tv .o SIOe·by·SI()e lenses

(cofllinued (rom page 20 )

half·silvered mi rror lind the other 1st! front

sur face, which is about two inchesof f 8l'(is.

The mirror separation is not adjustable.

Properly placed red and green rilters. col·or the left an d righ t eye im agesas they are

superimposed for the Climera', lens. The

fi lters and mirrors absorb a good bit of

l ight. requ ir ing an elltra 2 112 to three stops

exposure.The filters and mirrors are enclosed

w ithin the camera attachment , which Is

fi tted to your camera with a universalbracket (suppl ied), An extri!l adapter isavail li ble for folding handgrip ClImer<!lS,

such as t he Bauer. Project ion requires no

speclall l ttachments li t all. You may pro·

ject the film liS you would anyfi lm.andon

lIny screen.

Even though you will be using co lor

film in the cllmera (black and white film

will no t work ). there will be no perception

of color. The color layersof th e film are be·

ing used to encode the left and r ight eye

im ages; the 3·0 image. as viewed through

the red/green glasses. will appear in black

l ind white or slightly sepia toned.

While the Spondon 3 ·0 ll tt achment will

work with lIlmost any Cllmerll, it is perfer·

red that the lens diameter be no la rger

than 38mm 21nd no t recessed more th<Jn

12mm. Larger lenses will result in vignet·

ting. If your cllrnr.ra is equipped with azoom lens, you should have the foclli

length set at "normal"-25mm fo r 16mm

cameras, 15mm for Super·8 cameras and

125mm fo r regular 8.

For complete informlltion regllrding

the Spondon 3·0 anaglyph attachment

see the address listed at the end of thisarti

de.

J· f- ' - ._ .-··, ._ . -

I

By now. I'm sure yo u realize that 3·0

fi lmmaking is not for th e faint of heart. It

is the ultimate cra ft -near ly everything

has to be tinkered together from scratch.

But once you come to the realizat ion that

(lell isn't good enough. you ma y be hook ·ed. Working in t he third dimension reo

quires an odd assortment of diverse skills.

a love fo r tinkering. determination and a

IM'>!)IOfl for the 3·0 image. It is some in ·

dication of how rare these qualities arewhen you consider that 3-0 movies have

been in existence for nearly a century.

That"s r ight-almost lOOyt:ars! An d most

folks have never even seen one.

If yo u think yo u might want to take th e

plunge. yo u should probably start with

Michael Riley's system described in the

previous article. For further information

and sources of supplies and equipmen t.

refer to the list below.

r-;

~ f- - -. - .- - .- .-rr - -

t

A > f i i ~ I £ r s ~The Bolex Tv; 1\ L ~ Pro!pclOf Obfectlve haS r...... ~ a'Id tuit l f l polanmg IiIlffS The optJcal axes are

5 60vn apart ( ) I

3 -D SOURCE LIST

Furth e r Read in g There are regular sectlOOS devoted to rTlOVle and 3-D equipment A

subscription costs $12,00 lor one year.Foundat ions 01 t he StereoscopIC Cinema-A Study in De pth by

l en ny Upton. A comprehensive 319·page guide to 3-D filmmaklllgby a well known proponent of the Super·alormat, Available IromReel 3-D Enterprises. $2 1.95 plus shipping . See address below

Fantast ic 3-D by David Hutchison . A lively survey al3-D movies anacomic books, including annotated Indexes and numerous 3-0 il·lustra tions. Gl asses Included. Available Irom Starlog Press, see adon page 17. SI 1.95.

How to Make Your Own 3-0 Movies by lenny Upton. Th is three

pan an lcle originally appeared in Super·S Filmsker nearly a decadeago. All three pans are available as back issues from Supera Sound,95 Harvey SI. , Cambridge, MA02140. Ask lor: Volume V No. 7;Volume V, No. a: and Volume a, No. 1. Send $9 .00 lor atlthreeissues, shipped postpaid.

Used 3-D Equipm e n tMr. Poster, P.O. 1883, So. Hackensack. NJ 07606. Anestab lished dealer in 3-0 stitt cameras and accessories. who may oc·casionally have 3-D movie anachments available. Send a Ioog (110)

se ll·addressed. stamped envelope lor a copy of hiS latest list.

Ron Speicher, P.O. Box X, Far Rockaway, NY 11691. Send a self·addressed, stamped envelope with your inquiry concerning 3-Dmovie equipmen t Remember, aJl3-D movie items are rare. but a

dealer Will put you on a wailing list 01 you have a speclrlC request.

Shutterbug, P.O. Box F, Ti tuSVille, Fl 3278 1, A monthly tabloidpublication advertising used photographic equipment 01 every kind.

24 ClNEMAGfC-33

An ag ly ph MoviesSpondon 3-0 Att achment. A simple to use 3-D anaglyph

system Is supplied as a complete kit Irom Spondon Film

Services. The unit Is suitable for most Super.a and 16mm

cameras, but you should make wrllten Inquir ies before placingan order. Anaglyph fUms may be shown on any projec lo r andon any screen. The ki t Includes: 3-0 camera atl achmen l ,universal fixing bracket, lour pairs of viewing glasses and

instructions. Cameras with a loldlng handgrlp require an

adapter bracket, available at a small extra charge. Completeki t sells lo r 69. For ordering In formation write to: Spondon

Film Services, S Charles Avenue, Spondon, De rby, DE2 7AJ,England .

Ho w to Make Your OWn 3-0 Movlas by Lenny Upton. Th is

Ihree part article originally appeared in SUPflr-a Filmmakernearly a decade ago. All three parts afe available as backIssueS Irom SuperB Sound, 95 Harvey SI . Cambridge, MA02140. Ask for. Volume V NO. 7; Volume V, No. a; and Volume8, No . 1. Send $9.00 lor alllhree Issues, shipped pos tpaid.

3-D S uppl ie sRe el 3·0 Enterprises, P.O. Box 35, Duane. CA 91010. The world'slargest mail order source lor new 3-D supplies Owned and opel'atooby knowledgeable 3-0 enthUSiasts Send SI.OO lor a copy althalf

latest catalog From time to Ilme. they will have a lew used 3-D stillcameras and. occasionally. 3-D movie equipment lor sate . Excellentcatalog includes 3·0 books, viewers, a variety 01 polaroid glassesand other hard to find 3-D accessories.

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


ANIMATION By JAMES DUWARD

The Great Mouse Detective

More thanjust another animated "Mouse"adventure, this animated feature hints at the

coming revolution in animation.

Based on Basil of Baker Street III

series of children's books by EveTitus. the project was first pro·posed ti t Disney many years l I g0 - I IS fliT

back liS during the production of The

Rescuers (1977), and kept alive over theyears with the assistance of the youngergeneration of animators, some of whomwere ftans of Conan Doyle's SherlockHolmes stories.

Holmes, the relll Sherlock Holmes, isnever seen; liS far as the Disney IInimatorsare concerned, Basil is Holmes and thehuman world is barely noticed . But Basil

is not a watered·down Holmes, the charac-

ters htlve their own reality. This is not

"Sherlock Holmes with Animals," but thecomplete creDtion of a miniature world,very much In the tradition of "The Meg.

nificent Mr. TO&d" from The Wind In the

Willows.Produced by Burny MaUinson and di ·

rected by John Musker, Dlive Michenerand Ron Clements, Mouse reprl!sents areturn to the ric h chaTactl!r style of Songof the South or Wind In the Willows. The

emphasis for the animators is not what it

was in TheBIadcCauldron with its mllSSivecrowd scenes and vast sweeping action,but more focused on the individual

characters."Character animation is at the very

heart of this picture: ' affirms RonClements. ''The animators are absolute ly

integral to developing the personalities of

the characters:' In some fi lms. ananimator does liUle more than illustratethe story with his drawings. But in this

film. theon·screen drama iscreated by the

artists through the sheer force of thl! per·sonalities they create on paper.

"Everything that happens up to the

point an animator picks up a pend l

sc:ript, storyboard. etc.- is just planning.The story just suggests a direction, but theanimator , the really top animators, deter·

mine the character's personality. From

tnat, comes the drama. And that is the way

it should be! This is an animator's

medium, not a director·s.··

"Other studios pour al l their creativityinto story. layout and design. Theanima·

tion is just 'move it around 1IliUle: addsJohn Musker.

··Stylisticlilly. the film is much broaderthan the last few fi lms r ve worked on.lfs

more caTtoony than Fox and Hound.

CfNEMAG/C - 33 25

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


Animator Salldy Borgmeyer checks off key poses on her tnllng sheet

Artist Brian Sebem prepares a lew 01 the numerous backgrounds reqUired man animated 111m .

A view up through the clockworks 01 Big Ben.

Turning gears and wheels were ammated bycomputer, which rescued the el/eets animatorsIrom months 01 tedium

26 ClNEMAGIC"3J

Caj.lldfOfl. and even Rescuers. It's closer 10

the flavor of Wind in the Willows lind SOll9

of lhe South as far as the feeling of

caricature. It's Simpler. Our attempt wasto create characters who were easier todraw and construct. and who could affordmore caricature in their expression."

The Disney animation team has beenworking under the close scrutiny anddirection of the Company's new manage·ment team: Jeff Katzenburg and MichaelEisner, formerlyofParamounI, and FrankWells, who came over from Warner. Bythe time the new team took over, all thecharacter's voices had been recorded,

musk and song tracks had been workedout and a good port ion of animation completed. They suggested a number of

changes. which they hoped would make

the film more marketable. In spite of thefact that the picture was set in 19th cen·tury Victorian England, they wanted amodern score. In particular, it was sug·gested that Michael Jackson and Madon·na should do a few songs.

Moreover. Disney management voicedconcern over the less than boffo businessthat Paramount·s YOUTlgSherlockHoimes

garnered. Obviously, the public was not

interested in Sherlock Holmes. theyreasoned. Disney marketing decided to

distance themselves from the Paramountfilm by changing the title from Basil orBakerStreet to TheGreat Mouse Detective.

Only a few months before the film's

completion, marketing expressed dis·satisfaction with the character's Englishae<:ents. Could the film be re-dubbed witha more "American'· sound? Yes, but only

at great expense and many months of

work. Other studios animate characterswith flapping mouths in rough sync to thedialog. but Disney animators work veryprecisely to the spoken word. In the end,

management decided it was too expen·sive to change the voices.

Vincent PrIce emoIes fOr Ratigan.

Animated Backgrounds

One of the most startling sequences inThe Black Cauldron involved the use of

animated background. It happened earlyin the fim when the Horned King·s flyingminions and snatch Hen·Wen in their

claws. Phil Nibbelink was responsible for

this visually dramatic sequence in which

the camera appears to be fly ing a few feetabove the ground. Hills and trees come

flying towards the audience in thisunusual sequence.

Animated backgrounds are not new,but they are very rare. Back in the early

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


Animator Glen Kea ne based."LIaIn Rahgan's charactef design (inse() on Ibn MIIer. the looner head of the studlo Keane was alSo responsible lor the designs

of Ratigan, RdgeIl he bal. arK! 0IMa. as well as ammalmg Rahga.l"s key scenes

19305. Max and Dave Fleisc her built

three·dimensional SC"ale models to use asbackgrounds for animation. A special

horizontal "nimation camera wa s builtwith a special easel that suspended thece ls between the camera and the back·round which revolved on a turnable.

Disney's great contribution to creating

realistic backgrounds w" s in the form of

the multi·planecamera which allowed thecamera to dolly through landscape. TheOldMm(1937)premiered this technique.

Great Mouse DelCCfiue ha s been pro·duced under very severe budgetary

restrictions. After Black Cauldron wascompleted. animato rs and management

alike were embarrassed by the enormous Layout an!S! Dan Hansen sets the stage

cost over runs Incurred by that produc·tion. Steps were taken to make sure thatdidn 't happen on the next film . The fi rstcut back was in running time. The ani ·mators had to eliminate 20 minutes ofstory to bring the picture in at about 72minutes. Oth er restrictions involved pro·duction v"lues-only a Single color ofXerox toner w"s allowed (black) and thecharacters were limited to about nine col·ors. In the past, a character may have reo

quired more than two dozen colors. de·pending on the lighting and mood of ascene.

The anim"torswere also under the gunto work on a very short schedule. "Wepretty much had to eliminate the rough in·between phase," explains director John

Musker. "An animator will shoot posetests . that will not be In·betweened until

aflcrclean.up.ln other words, they clean·

up the extremes, the rough extremes. andthen i rs in·betweened. So you never seean in·between test until after irs cleanedup and a fair "mount of money has beenspent on it. It really pulS a lot of burden onthe director and the animator to be guess·ing right.

"It 's been pretty tough for the noviceanimator, who Isn't quite as fami liar withtiming or exactly what the effect on thescreen is going to be. to work in thatsystem. There is much less margin to go

ba ck and adjust things. We have changedsome things. but we are having to live with

some things that we might, In anothersystem , have gone back and said, 'Shoot!We made a mistake in this; leI's go back:And then, In some cases , we 've had to say ,'Close enough : So we 've thrown someanimation out for one reason or another,but a lot less. I'd sa y, than Cauldron. "

Entire backgrounds were animated byhand in Three Caballeros (1945) for theBaia sequence in which Brazilian enter·tainer Auro ra Miranda walks through a

town of dancing buildings.But imagine the complexities involved

if a came ra were to follow an animatedcharacter as he walked around a room or

through a landscape. Figuring out in·tricate changes in perspective is tootedious a job for any artist; irs a job fora

ClNEMAG/C#JJ 27

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


Ratigan announces his latest SCheme InlOt: The film is based on lhe lamJUS SEIIies BasH rJ lJakfJf

Street by Eve Titus

Kathy Zielinski flips th rough I'Ief animation 01 Fidget the peg-legged bat

computer. Not long ago, II test was madeli t Disney using a sequence from Sendak'sThe Wild Things (see ST ARLOG '17) inpreparation for the proposed filming of

Thomas Dis<;h 's story The Brave UttleToasler.

RlIpid camera moves and startling subjective points o f view weredemonstrated In the short test. But whilethe animators were enthusiastic, Disney

28 ClNEMAG/C-33

management put Disch's story Into turn·around.

The climax of Greal Mouse Delecliue

tll kes pil ice In the clock tower of Big BenlImidst the complex tuming lind thrllshing

clockworks. During th is drllmlltlc two·minute sequence. characters(anlmated inthe trllditional , painstaking manner byDisney artists) move through a room con,

sisting of 54 moving gears. winches.ratchets, bellms and pulleys. which havebeen literally drllwn by computer.

The credit for this Innovative sequencebelongs to lInimator Phil Nibbelink andTed Gielow, his associate from WaltDisney Imagineering lind a specialist in

computer programming for grllphic

artists."This sequence represents a hybrid of

whllt the computer does best and what

lInimlitors do best," says Nibbelink. " Acomputer is adept li t creating precise ,

geometric man·made or inanimate ob·jects. If an animl ltor tries to drllw a gear or

1I cl lror house. it 's Imperfect. What we dobest is fluid organic character lInlmatlon.By combining the two, we get the best of

both worlds and. hopefully,crellte a morebelieveable and exciting world for thecharacters to interact in ."

Nlbbelink cllutlons that computers arenot yet ready to handle the kind of

personality·oriented animation, which isthe hallmark of Disney lInimatlon. But. as

a too l, computers can be used to so lve themyrilld complex problems of changingperspective in a moving cllmera shot.

Several months were spent designingthe interior of Big Ben in ac<:o rd withstoryboarded action. Their deSgns were

i dig itized-built point by point in the elec·

Itronic brain of the computer. Once thecomputer had an idea of what the room

I looked like, Nibbelink used a simple!i }oystick to move around the room lind

establish a point of view from literallyanywhere.

''In being able tOCTelite the entire room,we were able to do the kind of cinema·tography that's not normally possible ,"

explaIns Nibbelink. "In normal animation,we are limited to simply trucking in or

panning left and rightona flat piece of art·work . With the computer, we can rotatearound the whole room and do any kind of

camerll move that best suits the dramll of

the sItuation . For the first time It waspossible to approximate helicopter or

Steadicam shots In which the camera isfloating free in the room and flies overgears. skimming over the teeth as thecharacters are running for their lives."

After the sequence Is completely laid

out in the computer , the computer printsout the background on a printout sheet of

animation·size paper-one printout foreach frame of film . These drawings arethen Xeroxed onto cels and painted in thestandard fashion. Character anImatorsmust match the changing perspective of

the moving camera as they work in a se·quence, effects animators have beensaved the agony drawing dozens of slow

ly rotating gears and Wheels .Manyanimatorsat Disney are very ex ·

cited by the possibilities that have beenopened up with greater use of a moving

subjective camera effect. Computergenerated scenes will be the biggestchange in f i lm-l ive action and ani,mated-over the next five to ten years.

(11/

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


FRONT VIEWOF REFLECTOR

REflECTOR

""

REFLECTOII

MOUNTINGSCREWS 8 ' '0- -,

lAMP GlOllE ~

DIAGRAM F

(conUnued from page 9)

TME I)EFlECTOIIPlATES MIJST

AT lIGHTLY,o,IIOUNI) THELAMP use

vent heat produced by the operating lamp

from en te ring the lamphouse and

overheating the base block and wiring, Toinstall the plates. simply loosen the reflector mounting crews(Nol the lamp mounting crews), slide the plates between the

lamphouse box and the back of the reflee·

tor. then retighten the reflector screwsfirmly. After you have attached the plug

and in-line on/off switch to the power

cable. your fill light is ready for use.Safety Note : This project is com·

pletely safe if built and operated as

described. However. if this is your first

electrical project, have the finished work

checked by an experienced do.it.yourself

before its inital use. The DYH lamp pro

duces a considerable amount of heat during operation. so always keep the refle<;.tor at least three feet away from any flam·

mabie surface. Remember, the tungstenhalogen lamp is especially vulnerable to

breakage when hot. so avoid jarring the

unit when it is in use. or until it has cool

ed comp letely. Clean any fingerprint

smudges from the globe of the lamp with

a soft cloth to prevent it from shattering

due to uneven expansion. Never operate

your fill light without the heat deflector

plates in place.

Advantages

This powerful unit has many uses in thefilm and video studio, yet it is light-weightenough fo r convenient location use as

LAMP s,o,se

REFLECTOR

CENTEII~ ,

well. lh e 600-watl. 3400° Kelvin

tungsten.halogen lamp is far superior to

conventional photoflood bulbs in that

both light output and color temperature

remain virtually constant throughou t its

rated 75·hour life.For the serious fi lmmaker or video·

grapher on a budget. several of these unitstogether can form the basisof a functionalstudiO lighting set·upeach being built for

less than S40-including the lamp.

MaterialsYou will need the following readily

available materials: One alumi num mix·

ing bowl, about 7 II I inches in diamete r.and 3 inches deep: one Radio Shack"270-235 chassis box: 1/4 x I f8 x 24-inch

stell flat stock: one light stand adapter

with 1/4 -20 threaded stud: Crimp'on ter·minal lugs. Radio Shack "64-406; onetype DYH TfH lamp: "1 6 gauge two ·conductor wire: 8 in·line on/off switch: one

standard two·pron g elec t rical plug;

assorted vinyl grommets. Radio Shack

#64·3025: assorted wood sc rews.

washers, nuts and bolts. two -sc raps ofsheet aluminum, and a small block of

hard wood: general collection of home

workshop tools, preferably including aIh ·inch diameter sheet metal hole punch,

an adjustable hole cutter. and a lugcrimper.

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


CAREERS

Stephen Frears:

16mm Goes Legit

Omar (Gordon W,necke) , an .rnbitious Pakistani In his late teens . convinces JOOnny (Daniel DayLewis), an old schooHriend Who hangs out with a group ot racist white you1hs. to help him manage aseedy and unprofitable South London laundrene. 'Mth money raised by the sale 01 drugs stolen from aPakistani pusher, Omar and JOOnny transfoon the laudre«e into a " Ritz among laundrettes," a gaudy ,llIIorHit paiace oj a gathefing place called "Powders ," complete with an aquarium, video QMneS ,

polled plants and a deejay console pumping claSSical music among the waShers and dryers.

30 ClNEMAG/C 1133

I n the United States, filmmakers havethree basic formats in which to work :

Super·S for home movies, 16mm forTV news documentllries and 35mm for

thelltrical features. In Europe and mllny

other parts of the world, filmmaking

cll tegories are not so t ightly drawn.

Super·S and 16mm formats are more

popular than in the United States; 16mm

is treated much more seriously and can bethe format of choice for theatriClll motion

picture production .Recently, a Brit ish filmmaker, Stephen

Frears, chose to shoot a feature film in16mm. Frears admits that 35mm would

have been his automat ic choice for a fea-

ture. but that budget and production economies dictated the l6mm choice. It was

not his first outing with the smaller fo r-

Uncle Nasser (Saeed Jaffrey) . a wealthyentrepreneur, shares a private waltz With hiS

mistress (Shirley Anne Fteld) moments belorethey perform the grand opening of the neWly

transformed laundrelle

By DAVID BACON

mat; Frears hes 1I very solid reputation in

England fo r millking TV movies, which ore

generl!llyshot In 16mm. And thisfilm ,My

Beautiful Laundl"eUe, wlIsspeclficlI1Jycom.

missioned for television.

Fn!lus was h ! : a ~ lind surprised whenMy Beautiful LAndrelte garnered IlIvlsh

praise from cri tics and began winningnotoriety in festive Is . The film , which had

started out liS a low.budget, 16mm TV

movie, was picked up by distributors forbig time theatriclil distribution . Since few

movie houses elln project 16mm films , it

was blown up to standard 35mm. and hillS

been playing to worldwide acclaim.

P,ut of the reason for Laundrelle's bigtime success as III 35mm blow·up Is thehigh quality Image. It doesn't look like a

16mm movie. The colors are rich and

saturated, and the image is fine grainedand highly detailed , Careful attention tothe technical side of f i lmmaklng

lighting, camera technique, etc,-has

allowed Frears to compete with the glossof 35mm ,

Though Frears Insists he shot Laun·

dreUe only fo r television , the film has a big

screen look , The endless sequences of

talking heads which populate TV movies

are not in evidence here. Laundrelle is a

stylish, high energy mix of unusua ll y richcharacterlzolltion tlnd rapid pace act ion.

The script Is by one of England's most

respected and controversial young play·wrights, 29 'year-old Hanif Kureishl , who

was born In South London to a Pakistani

father and an English mother. The materi·al for Laundretle was developed by the reo

quest of Britain's Channel Four Televl·

sion. Kureishl submitted the finished

script fo Frears, who immediatley agreed

to direct the film .Frears lIssembled an interesting mix of

highly talented and very experienced ac·

tors with some equally talented newcom ·ers to films. His actors' credits ranged

from lead roles in Attenborough 'sGhandi

and Lean's A Passage 10 India to

Spielberg's Indiana Jones and /he Temple

of Doom. Al l of them were seduced by thepower of Laundretle's script and Frears'

professional dedication to the project.

The characters are remarkable. Frears

and Kureishi hllve the power to create

characters thatafe, on the one hand, per·fectly ordinary people, but within the

film 's 93 short minutes become absolute·

Iy fascinating, The characterization Is so

skillful that anyone of them could havetheir own film , Frearsfound himself in the

enviable position of obtaining the services

of leading actors even for walk-on bits.

The parts are that good.In the past Frears has worked with the

Academy Award winning British cinema·

tographer Chris Menges (Killing Plelds.

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


Local Hero). but the film 's low,budgetob liged Frears to work with fresh faces Inkey positions, many of whom had neverworked In their respective capacities on afeature film before, Frearseppreclated theyounger crew's energy, Working in 16mmon a sill-week schedule, Frei!lrs movedquickly and efficiently from location to

location In London,"I don 't shoot a lot of coverage," Frears

admits, The more inellperiencedyou are,

the more film you shoot . because youhaven't learned how to do shots that tellwhat you want to tell and ellpress themoods,emotions and Ideas you want, For

some reason , we were very confidentabout making Laundn?l!e, I don't meancon fident that it wa sgoing to be a success,or anything llke that, but the people making this film /cnewthe mllterial, The ac torswere very ciear about It, the writer wasclear about i t. And when you have materl,al that Is so original. you don 't need toshoot a lot of coverage; you jus tneed to beable to shoot close·ups for emphasis."

For Frears, filmmaking Is a very cioseknit collaboration of artists. While heknows very spe<:iflcally what he is looking

for in any given shot, he relishes moments

of creative spontaneity that can come

from anywhen!:-cast or crew. His style isfast, intl!:nse i!lnd highly dramatic, Hepeers at Ilfewith his camera and generatesel(citement on thl!: screen. "Al l films aresort of like acts of piracy, arl!:n 't they]" hI!:

muses. "It's so unnatural to make a film ;you see a li ttle chink of ight and go for it."

Frears and his cameraman shol on vari·ous locations in London, But the laun·drette was a set built on location , lis broad

el(pltnse of storefront glass would havebeen II nighlmllre for Cllmeramlln. Stlln·dard intl!:rior lighting would hi!lve let thebackground street IIclion blei!lch out to aformless white In the London sunshine.But Frears loves to balllnce el(terior light

with interior scenes. Action Is pillyed out

in the laundrette with the big glass windows reveallng the background of theLondon streets, In fact, most of Frellrslocations have open windows with the city

skyline as backdrop, ''That's where lifecomes from, isn't It?" Frears believes. "Itcomes in through the doors and the win ·

dows. If you burn them out, it's all gone.wasted. A waste o f what God's given you,"When filming wa s compll!:ted and

Frears had assembled a rough cu t, hefound he had a very long film that wasn'tquite working thl!: way he had originally

envisioned it."I put it all together and looked at it with

a group of friends. It was quill!: appltrentthat I hi!ld the potential for a very seriousf i lm-the content was rl!:tlily good ,But thetone wtlsn't quite right. There were a lot of

somber, dark speeches,"A lot of time when you are editing, you

are trying to get your film to be about

something, When the rhythm works, thenthe content comes to the surface. Well ,this film hi!ld content spilling out of It.

Daniel Day leYtis , whoSe credits include Ghandi,The Bounty af'ld A Room W'ith A View , stars as

Johnny. a tough punk who decides to makesomething of hinself by helpu1{I a young

Pakistani on the road to capitalist success

When the con tent is that strong you can bemuch less intense about cramming itdown peoples' throats, There were lots oflong speechl!:s tlbout contemportlry Ilfl!:InEngland. WI!: took them all out, because

they were unnecessary. It was all quite ap·parent from the drama and thl!: characters,people didn't need to be told about it. We

Oirector Stephen Frears , veteran of more thantwo dozen television Iilms and t'NO features,combmes the best of both worlds by making aloW'blldget 16mm lilm Intended for televiSlOll inlO

a big·screen theatrical h"werl!: in the I!:nviableposition of being ableto tfeat serious issues very lightly and stiltha ve the ml!:ss&ge come tlcross."

Frears Is i!llso in the enviable position of

having producl!:d his award winning film

fOf 1I mere $900,000. With averllge Holly·wood features coming in at $12,000,000

and up , West Coast producers would dowell to re·el(amine the economies of the

16mm format. Thl!: result is a money 'making , high quality 35mm feature film .produced in money saving 16mm.

01

Johnny (Daniel Day Lewis) stands by uncomfortably as Omar 's falher (Roshan Se th) arrives twelvehours too late for the grand opening of his son's neon-llllaundrene .

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


Coming to Termswith Blue ScreenPhotography By PAUL MANDELL

Got the travelling matte blues? Get rid

of them, once and for all.

Question: OK, it's confession time. I'veseen the term "blue screen travel ling

matte" in every book and article rve everread on special effects. But f rankly. I justdon't understand it.Answ

er :Don't

fret. You're not alone.Many special effects fans have the sameproblem. But don't let it rattle you.lfsjust

one way of combining a previously filmedbackground scene with a studio·filmed

foreground scene. be it a spaceship or anactor in motion. Understanding the tech·nique is not that horrendous- it just reo

quires a visualization of the various stepsinvolved during the printing process.Q: I know that you're double·exposingone image on top of another somehow.A : Right. The big difference is that in asimple double exposure. one image canbe seen Ihrough another. You've seendou·ble exposures in ghost movies. where peo.pie are intentionally transparent. In situ·ations like that. the actor playing theghost was filmed against a black velvet

32 ClNEMAGIC"'33

drape, on a blackened set. The back·ground scene with "normal"' people in itwas filmed separately. Both were super·imposed in an optical pr inter.

Of course, there's a way to avoid that

transparency. You might want to makeyour studio actor appear as though hewere standing in front of the Grand Can,yon. If you could block out the exacl shape.

of the actor on the Canyon film. the dou·ble exposure would no longer betransparent because the background hasbeen masked in that area. When correct·Iy done, it can look as though the personwas actually on location.Q: So you're masking the background

with a black shape of the actor, then exposi ng him into that black shape.A: Right again. Obviously, to make thissystem work, you need three I-lieces of

film. One is the background scene. Thesecond isa film of the foregroundactor i l.luminated against a black background.The third is what wecall the malle f i lm-

an opaque silhouette of he actoron dear,

transparent celluloid. Because this matte

"moves" frame by frame, just as the actor

does, ir s called a "travelling matte,"If we literally sandwich the matte and

the background scene together, we'd see

the background through the clear area of

the matte roll. The black si lhouette, how·

ever, keeps the background from sho wingthrough. As you've observed. it's masking

the shape of the actor. holding it backfrom exposure.

Q: OK, we've sandwiched the matte with

th e background. What's next?

A: That sandwich is duplicated onto a newnegative (a "dupe" negative)one frame at

a time in an optical prin ter. Result? A sin·

gle st ripof film of the actor's silhouette on

the background scene.See what we ve done?The background

has been exposed onto a new negative

except where the moving sil houette was.It shielded it from exposure, in the exactshape of the actor. So what we literally

have is an area of raw negative moving

against the background scenery.Now, it's simply a matter of exposing

the actor(filmed against a black drape) in·to this raw space. If he fills it perfectly, wehave an excellent composite. Ifhe doesn't,a "matte line" will appear around theactor. And we've all seen those!Q: I'm with you so far. But howdo you geta moving silhouette of the actor in the firstplace?A: Well, in the old black and white days.the film of the actor was duplicated over

and over again onto high contrast negative stock. If his clothing was bright

enough to separate from the black drapebehind him. all the highlights and graytones would eventually ··dropout.·' A print

of this would show aclear shape of the ac·tor moving against the drape. But thenegative. of course. would show the op·

posite-a silhouette of the actor moving

against clear emulsion. Hence, a '"trav·elting matte:' The old Invisible Man filmsused this technique.Q: I'm sl il l a little hazy on how thehighlights of the actor "drop out," as youput it.A: Well, imagine Xeroxing white and gray

lettering pasted up on a black card. Thefirst copy still retains some of the gray, Butif you kept re·Xeroxing the copy. the graylones would gradually wash out. By thetime you reach your fifth "genera tion,"

you have white lettering against a verydense black background. However. if youcom pare the original paste up with thefinal generation. the geometry of the let,tering changes, The lettering ··bleeds."lt

no longer conforms precisely to the shapeof the original lettering. And, if this werea matte in trick photography, yo u would

John Dykstra of Apogee In Van Nuys. CAdisplays one nf his company 's optical printers.The printer is used tn create the variOUS elementsused in the blue screen matting process . and.finally , c o m ~ n e them into a finished composite.

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


David RobIn and Don 0tM Inspect the mOOeI of tile Battlestar GaJacIica which was used lor the TV series. The Dfiglnal Oykslraflex catnefll is visible In the

foreground and th8 backlit blue screItIIls VISIble In the reat .

inevitably wind up with a matte line. Thatwas a major problem in the old days, of

duping the foreground actor repeatedlyonto high-contrast stock to get a denseenough matte. With the coming of betterfilm stocks. the technique improved.Q: Ok, I understand the travelling matteprocess. But what about "blue screen"travelling mattes? How does thaI work?We're back to my original question.A: Right. I ust wanted to prepare you for it.Q: Fire away.A: Well, in color, the principle is the same.You have to mask the background scene

with a moving matte of the actor, and ex·pose him into the masked area on an op·tical printer, frame by frame. You couldfilm the actor against black. But how,then. would you get a clean silhouette?Since we're now dealing with co lo r film

and an actor wearing multicolored cloth·ing. a different method is required.

The blue scrf!en system solves thisproblem rather ingeniously by having theactor filmed against a bright bluescreen.Using a series of optical prin ting steps, thecolor blue is literally "filtered out" andultimately replaced by the desired back

ground scene.Q: How is this done?A: Well. the system is based on how black& while film responds to a color scene

when a corresponding color filter Is placedin the optical printer. In a nutshel l. theblue oi!!Ireas of the scene look trMsparent

on bloi!!lck (,. white film when filteredthrough blue light. Conversely, the blueareas looks dark on black (,. white film

when filtered through red light. Using thisprinciple, a troi!!lvelling matte of the actor inthe blue screen shot can be moi!!ldf!.

Q : I'm getting lost.A: Hang on. Let's take it step by step.

First, a black (,. white print of the

original blue screen shot is made on anoptical printer. During this step, o i!I blue

filter is placed in the path of the printer'sprojector beam. The result is o i!I black (,.

white version of the shot. The actor is re-

produced normally. But the bluearea(thesc reen) is reproduced as clear emulsion.Q :Why?

A: Because blue looks clear when seen

through a blue filter, remember? And

"clear" on black (,. white film translates astransparent emulsion. We call this black

(,. white print a "blue record " or a "blueseparation. " The terminology is not im·

portoi!!lnt.

Q : OK, I'm following you.A: The

next step isto

sandwich thisfiltered black (,. white print with the colornegaliue of the blue screen shot. If youlooked at this sandwich, you'd see that the

bl& ck (, white image of the actor " fills in"

the negative color image of the actor.They interface. It as though they canceleach other out and create an opaqueimage of the actor.Q: Goon.

A: The SlIndwich is printed onto anotherblack (, white film using red·filtered light,The red light "ne utr&lizes" the yellow.orange area on the blue screen negative(the color of the blue screen in negatiueform), leaving It clear on this new B (,. Wfilm. At the same time. red light increasesthe density of the "filled in" image ofthe

actor.The resulting black (,. white film (in

negative form) shows a clear shape of theactor against a black field. and print of hi:Jt

shows the actor's dense si lhouette sur·rounded by clear emulsion. That, at last,

is our travelling matte.Q :W hew!A: Yes. I know. But see what we've done!We've "pulled a matte" from the originalblue screen negative. We 've created, via

filtered light, a perfect silhouette of the ac·tor without resorting to repeated hlghcon trast contact prin ting, aswas done inthe old black (,. white days.Q: OK, we've got our travelling matte.Then what'?

(conlinued on page 61)

C!NEMAGIC·JJ 33

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


STEP 1

STEP 2

STEP 3

STEP 5

f__ t'_ MAli'

r " " ' " " " " ~ n / c . r I " , , ._",..."., cowt . a"n F.".n.

Addtt/oII.1 I I , . " . , 10 JoII" AI.. ., s.1HIyOWl... Id .Hell 1'1'11_ 01 1M 0 I I 1 1 c ~HOIIH, N,.., rOtfl City.

Foreground ,lement: A ull size or miniature IS

photographed against abluesaeen 01 a verypartiCular hue and brightness. The foregound

element IS iii in SlICh away as 10 match the lighting01 the background plate into whICh !he foregroundelementWlU be lnser1ed .

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


B:lckgrounclelemenl: This is the scene Into whiCh

the foregruund element Is insefted. The backgroundelement Is called a plate and Is usually shot with apin-registered camera to illSllre absolute steadiness ,otherwise the batkgruund and loregcond will no! be

locked together and the Illusion will be destroyed.

The original color negallYe 01 our lOreground elementIs sandwiched with the blue positive separation. In

doing this, the positive and negative Images of thespaceman cancel each other out. Tile sandwich Is

printed onto a new blaCk and white lilm uSing red-filtered light resulting In a black and white print inwhich the Insert area Is transparent and thebackgroondlS opaque . This blckRfOU nd mask Is

printed onto another piece of film to create the Insll1mask . These masks afe called Irt'o'tlmng matles .

A color print (or Int8flXlSitive) 01 tile baCkgroundplate is sandwiched with the insert mask and printedonto a new color negative . The mask protects thearea Into which the spaceman can be printed . This

new negative Is wound back to the beginning of the

shot for the next step.

Acolor print (or Interpositive) 0/ the foregroondalement Is sandwiched witf1 the background maskand printed onto the same color negative used in the

previous step . Tile mask protects the area Into whichwe have already printed the backgroond . This tinaldupe IIIQI tIve Is developed and printed revealing ourcomposlt8 . Spaceman and backgruund are as one.

•

A bluellPffllli1ll1 posllivt is pr8l)ared by printing the originat color negative 01

the loregruund element onto blaCk-and·whlte Iilm with blue-liRered light. Our

spaceman foregroond 8lement Is recorded flOfmally In shades 01 grey, but thebackground bllJ8SCreen Is clear lilm. Green and red separation positives may

also be prepared at this point lor making additional mattes that may becomenecessary In tricky or unusual situations.

I INSERT MASK

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


On

LOCATION By JOHN CLA VTON

The Making of

"Welcome Back Mr. Fox"

In the las! shOt in the IiIm. Fox Ie!s out a harrowing scream when he realizes thaI he IS condemned to fivethe rest of his life as a head In ahospital cubicle.

The winning 16mm film in the 1985CINEMAGIC Short Film Search.Walter Pitt's Welcome Back Mr.

Fox. is so well directed and produced that

it could easily bean episode on Tales {rom

the Darks/de or even Amazing Stories-

and it would stand out as one oftl'le better

episodes on either of these shows. Pitt.who made the film as a graduate thesisproject at New York University film

school , intentionally kept the runningtime to 21 minutes-the length of a Tales

(rom the Darkside ep isode.Welcome Back Mr. Fox is th e story of a

famous movie producer who has himself

36 ClNEMAGIC·33

cryogenically frozen after dying from lung

cancer. Several decades later, he is

brought back to life and finds himself ly-ing ina hospital bed, unable to move, An

overbear ing, egotistical man. Fox threllt·ens the orderlies, flirts with the nursesand

makes fun of a poor girl who tries to be-friend him. The girl has also been broughtback to life, decades after a successfulsuicide lIttempt. Still wearing bandageson her wrists, the gir l desperately seeksFox's friendship because she feels he isthe only person in the world who can un-derstand what it feels like to come back

from the dead to an alien world, decades

after every person she knew has died. In amerciless tirade of insults that reveals histrue character. Fox calls her a pathetic

loser and taunts, "What's the matter. Deb·bie. cu t yourself shaving?"

Towards the end of the film, Fox makesthe horrible discovery that he has no

body-his body was too ravlIged by

cancer to be saved-he is only a head at ·tached to a l ife,support machine!

'The idea for Welcome Back Mr. Fox

came from a newspaper article I readwhen I was in San Francisco about a group

of cryogenic facilities." Walter Pitt begins."There was one place where It wascheaper to get your head frozen than to

get your whole body frozen after death.

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


The scene showing the ordefly disconnecting Mr Fox's IIfe·support system arKl rolling ills hea<I arourl!!on the gurlleY was accomphsl!ed tllrougllllse of an In·camera matte The gllrney Illdes tile matte line

The pillces were going bankrupt and shut·ting down-they were discllrding thebodies of people who had paid big moneyto be frozen until some time in the distl lntfuture when medicIII science could findcures for the disellses that hlld killed

them-lind could figure out how to bring

them bllck to life. Along with the bodies,they were also burying heads.

"1 thought that the idea of freezingsomeone's head and then br inging i t back

to life in the future seemed like a greatidea for a movie. I had some specific gOClls

in mind when I decided to make Mr. Fox,"Pitt elucidates." I wanted to format thefilm to fi t onto television. The film is 21minutes long-thaI's the standard lengthof a Tales {rom the Darkslde episode. I hadseen several Tales {rom /he Darlcslde showsand thought I could so something Detter.I also wanted to work with an actor whocouldn"t move anything, so lIlI you wouldhave to work with was his head. My lead·ing IIctor, Ed Phillips, is very talented. II'svery difficult to perform with just faciale x p r e s s i o n s - w i t

any body move·ments-but Ed handled the assignmentbeauti fully, "

Pitt used an interesting mixed bag of

special effects tricks to convey the ideathat Mr . Fox was nothing but a living helld."Working with special effects was new to

me. Mycinematographer, Bill Tunnicliffe,was responsible for the visual effects. Bill

was more of i!I collaborator than just a

cinematographer, he's a very ti!llenteddirector in his own right and he thought upsome of the more interes t ing shots in thefilm, There's a shot of Mr. Foxonll hospi·tal gurney that estllbllshes that Mr. Fox is

just !I head. l fsa medium shot and all yousee is the orderly, played by Gene Borlo,disconnecting the head from its li fe·sup.

port system and rolling the head lIround

on topofthe gurney.lt'sll mlltteshot. Welined up the matte line with the horizontalsurface of the gurney and shot the top halfof the frame first. There was a hole cut inthe gurney for Ed Phillips to stick his hei!ldthrough , Ed isa big man and if we simply

laid him on the gurney his body wouldhave stuck up lind made the shot uncon'vincing. We shot the top half of the framefirst and then backwound the film lind

shot the bottom halfwith just the orderly'sfeet showing through the gurney. Ed'shei!ld was there, but his body wasn't. II's avery convincing shot and the naturalhorizontal l ine of the gurney hides the

matte l ine.

"The re'sa scene at the end of the film inwhich Mr. Fox 's head is pla<:ed in a cubi·cle in a wall full of cubicles con ta ining

other heads. The front and back of each

cub icle is glass and they are stacked righton top of each other, so you can see rightthrough them and you can see that thebodies of the people in the top row are not

there behind the cubicles on the bottom

row. II 's done with mirrors . We shot it ona sound stage at N.Y.U. We built a wall

with the little glass cubicle windows in it.The actors who were on the bottom rowsimply sat down and poked their heads in·to the windows, since the wall was solidbeneath them, there was no need to do

anything special to make them look like

disembodied heads, except to keep themlow to the floor. The i!lctors on the top roware directly over the bottom row, Theywere standing up and not really fa cingdirectly out the windows- they were shotthrough mi rrors placed in the windows ata 45·degree angle from the front of thewall. Since you can see through the bot·tom row of cubicles and can' t see the

bodies of the actor's on the top row, theshot creates a very convincing illusion,even though it 's a simple trick,"

The film opens with a se ries of shotsshowing the thawing process,The frozenhead-you don 't know it's ust a head un·ti l towllrds the end of the f i lm-emerges

from a va t of bubbling, steaming water.It 's covered in plastic, "That was a very

scary shot for Ed Phillips:' Walter Pitt ex·poses. "We used an athletic jacuzzi andweput Ed in it. Ed was very patient and un·derstanding, I told him. 'We' re going to

wrap your head in plastic for this shot and

we want you to hold your breath, go underthe water and rise very slowly.' It was a

(conl inued on page 40)

Fox. played tly Ed Phillips. makes the tlorritllediscovery tllat lie is merely ahead attached 10 a ife·

support maclline.

ClNE.MAG/C#JJ 37

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


Friendly Plastic

ByJOHN DODS

Fighting the clock with too th and nail.

Friendly Pla$lIc comes packaged In th is w ~ friendlylooking l1tio ·pourld contalner!Of $25. A4 4·ounceconlainer Is also available 'Of $15 .

A piece 01 r ~ n d l y PlasHc In its sott, pi!able slate . Itremains workable tor only 1111 mlnules.

38 CfNEMAGIC-))

When Friendly Plastic is poured Into hIM water tu rns intoa clay· ike . pliable material.

In lw o weeks!·· That"s when di recto rl

producer Fred Olen Ray was telling

me he needed a di sgusti ng rat ·l ike

creature to appear in his 35mm featurePrison Ship. I would usually lake thaI long

just 10 do a detailed sculplure. so I need·ed all the help I could find to get the job

done (a.s/. Help came in the form of

Friendly Plastic.Friendl y Plastic is a modeling materia l

which is hard until heated in hot water(135°F/60 °C): then it turns into a clay·

l ike. pliable material . While the plastic isso ft , ringersand lools can be used to fo rm

it into tee th. nails. or any shape that ca n bescu lpted in the shor t time the material reomains workable-about I Vz minutes. As

Friendly Plastic cools. it hardens in to apra ctica l ly indestructible solid. It is

somewhat flexible and does not crack or

brea k easi ly. It can be drilled and carvedwith tools.

tused Fri endly P I C l to makt! tile teethand nails for the deadly "Jager.rat: ' Thi stook minutes compared to the days Iwould typically need to make teet h ofden·tal acrylic cast from latex molds ofScu lpey too th forms. I attached the

Friendly Plastic teeth directly to the

model's foam-rubber mouth with SuperGlue.

Detailed sc u lptu res are difficul t to

make beca use of the shor t time that theplasti c remains workable; th is can , .

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


however. be extended by periodicalyholding the work in progress under hot

running water. A heat·gun can be veryuseful on larger projects for heating areasof the sculpture onto which additional

plastic is going to applied. Friendly plasticis white in its natural form : you can paintthe cooled material with most solvent·based paints including spray paints andmodel paints: it can be colored withpermanent-type fel t.t ip marking pens or

dyed by soaking it in cool fabric dye overnight. Other adhesives that bond to

Friendly Plastic are epoxy. model cement.and silicone bathtub glue.

CAUTION : The label on my con tainerof Friendly Plastic says: "NONTOXIC: ingestion may cause nausea but no harmfuleffects are expected:' The Fr iendly PlasticCompany plainly didn't see the con tradiction in Iheirphrasing: nausea is a toxicef

fect.ln general. however. Friendly Plasticappears to bean unusuallysafe material.John Kay of the Friendly Plastic Companytold me that if their material is being "dry

heated" (heated in an oven, or with a heatgun) for "extended" periods. the work

should be done in a ventil ated area. This

means: do this kind of work out of doorsunless you have a professional ventilation

system.Friendly Plastic isn't cheap but it is

reusable. It costs $15 for 4.4 ounces or

$25 for 13J . pounds(a 1112 quart volume).For further information contact Friendly

Plastic Co . 2888 Bluff 51. -233. Boulder.CO 80281. Tel. (303)530·5115.

a rnaner oI1T1nutes. It would lake dayS to make aSimilar claw out 01 denial actytiC. beCause you wouldfirsll\ave to sculpt In clay and IIIen make a mold

Use an ordinalY kitChen knife 10 stir lhe Friendly PlasliC '"ID the lID! water.

PRESERVATION!PrOte<:t your preclGU5 COOIeS or CINEMAGIC. whilekeePIng lhem on llana tor easy relerence In CUS!Gm

craf1ed ie.1thflfelle lite cases or mag.azme bjnaers em bossed In gold witn the CtNI:MAGtC logo These llaoosome cam you to StlP y!l\Ir copies otCtNEMA<]tC In·and-ou t ioolvldualty, while the metalroo blooers CO\'liM 01 CINEMAGtC togelher .rn1otel. like a book. allowing to teal throughIssue alter IsSllIIin chronological orller Eacn blMI)f orcase I!otds two year's i$sues'

UbrlfY en, , ; $7 95 e a c ~ . 3 tor $21 95 & 6 lor$39 95 Postpaid

8lndtrl: $9 95 eacn, 3 lor 527 95 and 6 tor 552 95Poslpald

U$.A ORDERS ~ 5 a ! l s l o t e l 1 O n guaranleecl Of

money gladly relunoeo Pleut allow. to 6 weeks tor

"''''''all DIcier to iM fNke the<:ks payable 10 Jesse

Jones Box Corp PO IIoJt 5120. Phl1a PA 19141

ForlligR Drdtn: AOd 52 50 pel' unrt tor aoorloonalposl . ana IlaM'rng GU1S1!1e!1Ie US A PUwymenlmust be rn US !unlts onty

[------------------------------- --1

SUBSCRIBER SERVICES iM issing copies? Moving? Renewals? I

Receiving duplicate issues? Questions about your subscription? Write

direct ly to :

CINEMAGIC

SubscriberServices,P.O. Box 142Mt. Manis,IL 81054 label

Goo'NEW Here

SU BSC RIBERS

ONLY:Do not send

money .nd orderto the lbove Id -

dress. Se e

subscription Id

Iisewhefe Inthl,l,sul.

Subscription inqu iries addressed to

the editorial offices will only delayyour

request.

NAM E _____________,,

OORESS_____________,

I CITY StAlE liP __ ,__ ________________________ __ ____- !

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


The shot in the beginning 01Mr Fox in which Fox's head 15 tl'lawe<l out inwater was dangers 10 actor Ed Ph illips

The ' ·DOdy'·. Wth its bllflklflg lights and tubes hlled Wth moving colOred Ii·qUlds added prodoctlOn vatue to Mr Fox, It was bUilt by artist Tyler Sll'II th

Fox discovers Il'Iat tie's nothing bul a head attached 10 a machine when tiesees himself retected in ahospital elevalor ceiling

Fox srnolles hiS irst cigarette alter De91fl brooghl baCk Irom a death causedDy tung cancer OnIV hiSheaa could be saved

Mr. Fox(continued (rom page 37)

very dangerous situation because thejacuzzi was surrounded with movie l ightsand one could have fallen in and elec·trocuted him, Hewasa real trouper. he letus do several takes before he couldn 'tstand it any more."

The life·support machine-which Pittcalls the "body" - is a very elaboratedevice with blinking lights and tubes fullof flow ing. co lored liqu ids.The prese nceot the "body" in the film raises the produc·tion va lues to a very high level and helpsmake Mr, Fox look like a production doneon a sizeable budget.

"The body was built byan artist namedTyler Smith, and it was oneofthe aspectsof the production that I actually had to payfor ," Pit t con tinues. "Tyler has his owndi stinctive style, which worked very wellfor our purposes, There was one timewh en the body shor ted out with EdPhillips in i t-which Ed didn 't appreciatetoo much. It was another hazard Ed had toendure to play Mr. Fox. I was very lucky tohave so many talented people working onmy film for liUleor no money. Mr. Foxwasdone as a student film for a budget of

$ 12 ,000. If Iactually had to pay everyone

involved it would have cost at least fivetimes that much, Ed Phillipsand BUlTun·nieliffe would get up with me a dawn onthe days we were shooting, help load the

40 CJNEMAGIC-33

equipment into the van and spend long

days on the set-and I couldn't afford to

rea lly pay them for their efforts. Their

devotion to theo j ~

was incredibleandit would have been impossib le to make

Mr. Fox without that kind of support. Edhas gotten acting jobs as a result of Mr.

Fox. so his devotion at lellst paid of f for

him in the long run." Actors are really tak ing a big chance

when they sign on to do a student f i lm

they are committing their time and talentin the hopes thllt the film will be worthshowing around to cast ing people onlarger projects-they 're also hopiJ1g thatyou will make it big somedayand remem·ber the sacrifices they made for your ellr·Iy work. The principal actors in Mr. Fox:Ed Phillips. Gene Borio (who played theorderly), and Gustav Vintas (who playedthe psychiatrist). were lilt terrific-espe·cially Ed. Casting 1I student film is usual·Iyvery difficult , I was lucky to find the rightactors to fill the roles in Mr. Fox.

" I spent one month writing WelcomeBack Mr. Fox," Pitt reveals. "We had twoshooting sc hedules. We spent about two·and·a·halfweeks in the fall shooting mostof the principal pho tography,and then weshot one week of pick·ups in the spring. Idon 't believe in shoot ing a film in dribs

and drabs-it isn't fair to the actors and

other people who are con t ributing theirtime to force them into a shooting sched·ule like that. I think you should haveenough money to shoot the entire film ,

and then- iF necessary-go out and getmo re money for post production. Mr, Foxcost S12.000. most of which came out of

my own pocket. I worked odd jobs while Iwen t to school to finllnce the project. I alsogot a $2 ,5000 grant from the Louis B.

Meyer Foundation , but about half of thatmoney went towards paying my tu ition.

"I now have a partner. Randy lippert.

and we ha ve formed our own productioncompany. We haveseveral projects in theworks. We ju st finished shooting a45·minute dO(umentary about the fash·ion modeling business for the LearningAnnex in New York. It fO(uses on the Elitemodeling agency. We shot it in New Yorkand Wes t Palm Beach. Florida . I'm alsocurrently writing a feature film which Ran ·dy and I are looking for ba cking for. Wehope to sta rt shooting this coming fall. I'min terested in mixed medills and llikl! theidea of shooting on film and editing on

video, so I'm looking to shoot some rockvideos . We have lots of ' irons in the fi re .'

Director Walter Pitt and his partnerRandy Lippert. who isa producer. havebigplans for the future. Welcome Back Mr.Fox is currently serv ing as an impressivedemo reel that proves they can do bigth ings. Welcome Back Mr. Fox is beingdistributed on TV . film festivals. localca ble stations and the American fil m

market by I.F.X. (The Internationlll FilmExchangc)-wa tch for it . You will un·douhtedly be seeing more work fromthese talented fiJmmakersin the future.

Of

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


T ime travel Is one of the staples of

science fiction. Every writer from

Mark Twain to Robert Heinlein has

explored the possibilities. When time

travel comes to the screen, designers have

a field day creating contraptions that willbecome time machines. Over the yearsdozens of time machines have been buil tfor the movies. They've taken almostevery shape imaginable-everything

from ornately elegant 19th century barberchairs to awesome chrome and plasticsculptures. For the 1985 hit movie Back Lo

{he Future, writers Robert Zemeckis andBob Gale envisioned a shiney stainlesssteel DeLorean as the basis for their time

machine.The original design work was done by

conceptual artist Ron Cobb, whose work

has been seen in many SF pictures In·

cluding Close Encounters and AUENS.Cobb worked up very complete designsfor both the Inside and outside of Dr. Em·mett Brown's DeLorean time machine,but was forced to go onto other projectsbefore Backlo theFuture actual ly went in·to full production.

The producers wanted to see somemore design variations on the DeLorean,so they turned to their own storyboard art·ist and production illustrator, Andrew Pro-

bert, for the task. Conceptual design Is

nothing new for Probert who spent agood Ideal of time re·designing the Enterprise for

Star Trek-The Motion Picture and design· Iing TV'sAirwoI/helicopter, inside and out.

PHOTO: CI 1l1li UNIVERSAL CITV STUOIOS, INC.

Artist Andrew Probert shows offsome

of the DeLorean deSigns that were created

for the hillime travel movie.

By DAVID HUTCHISON

among other credits. Ii L..______________________________

CINEMAGfC-33 41

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


"I went to Arts Center and majored in!n.dustrial Design," explains Probert, "so the

projectwa

s a natural for

me. The pro·ducers wanted me to produce some vari·ations and update what Ron Cobb hadstarted. Essentially, my big design con·

42 ClNEMAGfC"JJ

tribution was on the outside of the car.Even though Ron and I had done interior

drawings, the finalve

rsion was assembl·ed by the Effects team."Many times production ar t is used not

so muchasa literal planas it is for inspira'

tion. The art suggests a direction. gener·ates exci tement and gets everyone work-ing on the same wavelength. The finalproduct mayor may not end up looking

like the origiMlart. Usually, the spirit of

the original art is maintained."Once a concept has been approved,

it's up to the director, initially, and thenthe art director or production designer. to

either use that as a springboard for an ap·proximate feel or direction to go. or, if

they love it, then they can come as closeto it as possible, to the point of actuallyfabricating the various components. But,

essentially these concept sketches a e on·Iy to provide a feel. or a general orienta·tion, for the various bits of detailing to beused.

"In this case, they went in a totally d if·ferent direction," says Probert. "Most of

what I had proposed for the interio r wereitems that could be found at your localelectronics store-keyboards, mini·

computers. etc."'The directi on Rob Cobb took was still

a found.parts situation, but his was more

in the line of older hardware-airplane

parts, you know, throttles. gauges,dials . . . that sort of thing. So, I think whatthe Effects Team came upwith was sort of

a happy medium between the two of us.

''The producers wanted the car to look

like it was assembled not only on the in·side but the outside, from bits and piecesof th ings the professor would be able tolay his hands on. In the original script. this

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


car was described as having wires andsuch taped and rivetted along the side of

the car up to the front. As you know. thefront is a trunk. so there was 50rt of anunderstood concept that there would be

an additional power·supply up front: youknow. generators or what·have.you. Now,Ron came up with the idea of the exteriors:oils that would create sort of a flux or

time warp bubble. which was a great idea.because in my initial concepts I had just

thought orthe car as being in a stasis fieldor something that would be generatedfrom within the car: he came up with theidea of a bubble being generated aroundthe outside of the car. So. essentially,when he left the show, that was an ideathat I wanted to hang onto. The director,Bob Zemeckis. thought it wasa good ideaas well. 50 that was one of the ideas thatstayed. Visually, it works very well."

In addition to his storyboard and il·lustration chores. Probert created theTales {rom Space comic book with thecover story "Space Zombies on Pluto."

"The comic book appears In the film

right after Marty crashes through the barnand the e a b o d y s c o ~ o u t to Investigatewhat's going on. They see this mysterious·looking vehicle. and then th is guys stepsout. in thei r eyes. wearing a spacesuit. Thekid advises his Dad to shoot it. bKause it'sfrom Pluto and It's going to fry his brain.To prove his theory, hesho ....s his Dad thiscomic book. Dad looks at the comic, andthen lowers it to reveal the car in a reason·ably approximate position of the ship inthe comic book.

'"The comic was very heavily reo

searched, to be as euthentic as possible

for the era. So. taking my cue from myresearch, I noted the I l lustretors'

signatures were fai rly large. so I put mine

on the comic the same size. But when theyshot the insert of Mr. Peabody's polnt·of·view. he had his thumb right on my

name!" Probert sighs. ()(AbM: Probert's COrrIe cover. Below: SceIl8 IllustratiOn.

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


NEW!SPECIAL EFFECTS , Vol. 4Just published , this newest volume in the STARLOG Photo

Guidebook series on Special Effects lakes you inlo themagical realm of fantasy filmmaking . Detailed accounts ofsuch films as TRON, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Dragons/eyer,

E. T. . Something Wicked This WeyComes, Star Trek II, DarkCrystal and Poltergeist are lavishly illustrated w ith page afterpage of photos (many in full color). Journey inlo the realm ofpure imagination thaI is fantasy fi lmmaking at its best-new

worlds, new creatures, ghosts, aliens and l ire breathing dragons.

FANTASY EFFECTS!SPECIAL EFFECTS, Vol. 1See the amazing world of miniatures and model animation- from King Kong to Ray Harryhausen and TV's Land of theLost. Special blueprint section includes: the Nautilus from

20,000 Leagues Under The SeB, Robby the Robot , the C-57Dflying saucer from forbidden Planet. Behind·the-scenes

color photos from Bart/estar: Ga/actica, Space: 1999, TheLost Saucer and SF classics like Close Encounters, Flight ToMars, Thunderbirds, War of the Worlds, Star Trek . . . morel

SPECIAL EFFECTS. Vol 2

Exclusive Interviews with masters of mane painting , effects,make·up and cel animation. A festival of effects films from

,o;pace epics to splalter movies-pictured in cotor photos and

technical diagrams. Special section on making the giantsquid from Disney's 2O .CXIO Leagues Under The Sea, theTIme Machine from George Pat's movie. and the Enterprisedesigns-from TV to theatrical. All this , .. plus more!

SPECIAL EFFECTS . Vol. 3

- -::::::-.!Take a trip into the gleaming world of modern filmwonders-the technologies that create Hollywood's special

eff9C1s for science fiction, horror and fantasy movies.la v ishly illustrated, this book explores computer animation,

robot cameras and new optical processes. Journey behindthe scenes of Star Wars. Flash Gordon. ALIEN, The Empire

Strikes BaCk. Altered States, The B/ack Hole. TVs Dr. Who,

Cosmos, and morel Discover the innerworkings of DougTrumbull's new Showscan process and the double 70mm

~ ; ; ~ ~ ; ; ; ; ; ; ~ ~ 1 I 1 1 I.. ------------,

ISend 10:

STARLOG GUIDEBOOKS475 Pork Avenue South

New York, NY 10016

Add postage to your order:

Total enclosed: ~ _ _ __NYS residents please odd oppl'oprlote

soles tox

Please allow 4 to 6 weeks tor •delivery of 3rd Class mail. First •Class delivery usually takes2 to •3 weeks. I

__ VoL I .. ""."." S8.95__ Vol. II ".". , , , , , " .. , ." . S8.95

Please make check payable to Starlog Press.

__ Vo t ll l . . . . . . , .. ,. S8.95

.. ~ ~ l V ~ " ' i ' ; ".

"..

,. S9.95

fOfobove :

IIIOm€________________________1

__ st closs ._ _ FOfeign Air

.. ,. $1.5590.$175 eo.

$2.55 eo.

Address_______________1City'_____ 510Ie'_____ Zp,____1

.,.,.,11______- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


Plllt Tippett works with the go-mollon aragon at Illdustnal ught and MagIC Duong the IiIlflng 01 [}ragonSlJyef The teet alld head 01 the ()ragon are connetleoto motorized rods. but some smatt IT'OYe'l'IeI'lts 01 the mouth and the figure are made With tradltlOl'lal stOP-motiOrl

Stop-MotionWith Style

Add a new dimension 10 y our

animation by recognizing and

developing your own sly e.

By DOUGLAS BOR TON

To some, it might seem strange totalk about style in relation to any

area of special effects. Travellingmattes and process project ion are Simply

techniques used to approximate reality as

closely as possible; minia tures and evenmatte paintings are designed not for their

artistic va lue but to supplement andmatch live·action footage.

But stop-motion animation is a techni·que of a different kind, At its best, it is

used to create a performance-to breathe

life intoa model and let it interact with thelive-action characters, almost as another

member of the C.!lS\. Not.!lll actors ha\-e adistinctive style, but the great ones usually do. The same is true of the animatorswho stand behind their creations' onscreen performances,

Lefs look at some of the leading model

animators and t ry to identify atleasl themajor facets of their dist nct vely personalanimation styles, Then we will considerhow a young animator might learn todevelop his or her own style. as one more

step toward becoming a pro,

Willi s O'Brien

Willis O'Brien was the pioneer in theuse of model animation as a special·

effects technique. In his younger days, hetried a number of odd jobs, including

ranch hand, boxer and cartoonist; whenhe turned to filmmaking his first effortswere animated short subjects fe<lturing

caricatured latex puppets of cavemen anddinosaurs. The elements of the C<lrtoon

exaggeration, humor. and a certainroughness around the edges-found theirway into all of O'Brien 's animation. e\-en

that of his feature fil ms. Those elementsare the essence of his animation style.

O'Brien personally animated major

portions of on ly two feature films. the

silent Losl World and King Kotlg. In KingKong the strengths-and weaknesses-of

his unique approach to animation aremost readily apparent. Kong con\-cys arange of emotions unparalleled in a stop,motion creature: O'Brien invests the giant

ape with elements of pathos. humor,nobi li ty and horror, The animation isvigorous: the fight scenes. especially. cap·ture an overpowering vitality, a rough.

and·tumble wildness that makes mostlater animated brawls seem timid by comparisen. O'Brien's fe rtile imaginat ion

Jim Danforth arlifTLate(! the 1ncre(!IIJHl Beetle Man fromme rarely seen parody Flesn Gorann

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


gave rise to an astounding variety of ac·tions; in the battle with the tyrannosaurus,Kong first boxes with the dinosaur, thenpulls i t down by its leg, somersaults it ontoits back, and finally mounts it to crack itsjaws, O'Brien was an expert, as well, atproviding small touches calculated togive each animal the illusion of life. Thetyrannosaurus, entering the glen, pausesto scratch its ear: Kong, after killing thecreature, lifts its head and lets it drop tomake sure it is dead; sniffing Ann

Darrow's dress, Kong's nostrils twitch andhis brows furrow in bemusement,

Willis O'Brien was a master, and King

Kong remains unquestionably the great·es t stop·motion film and arguably still thescreen's most awesome exercise in

special effects, Nevertheless, O'Brien'swork does have its faults. His animation,though powerful and even emotionally

moving, is generally rough and jerky.Often, actions are speeded up beyondanything possible in reality. After being

initiall y felled by Kong, the tyrannosaurusleaps to its feet in a sp l it second; later,Kong climbs almost instantly onto theanimal'sback, PossiblyO'Brien found thejob of concealing the wires or supportrods required for those actions so tediousthat he simply rushed through them, Cer·tainly the aerial·braced action in Kong'sfight with the pterosauf is among thecrudest animation in the film, and theanimated portion of Kong's fall from theEmpire State Building, where he finallylets go and dropsaway on wires, isalso toofast. O'Brien'sanimation is further marred

by a tendency to sl ip too rapidly into"held" or frozen poses and to maintainsuch poses too long, without enough in·cidental animation of the figure to fullymaintain the illusion of life. This, too, mayreflect a certain sloppiness on his par t -

the desire to expose as many frames aspossible for the least effort.

It is important to note, however, thatmuch of the vitality and drama ofO'Brien's animation actually sterns fromthe very elements which can be criticized

as sloppy. If it took the tyrannosauruslonger to get to its feet, or if it took Konglonger to mount the animal's back, therealism of the scene would improved butsome of its frantic pace and energy wouldbe lost. If the motion of Kong 's arm throw·ing a punch were smoother and mo re

natural. the punch itself would not havethe samevisuaJ impact. When Kong, roar·ing, shakes his head or pounds his chest,the action is powerful in part because it isfrenetic, strobing, even jerky. Smoothermotion would have been more realisticbut less exciting-and in a fantasy adven·ture. which of the two is more important?Undoubtedly O 'Br ie n wanted to

achieve the most flu id action possible -

but perhaps it is a good thing that he did

not always succeed, Whatever wa s lost inphotographic accuracy may have been

9ained in shee r power.

Ray Harryhausen

If O 'Brien 's work re flects some of theelements of the cartoon. that of his pro-tege Ray Harryhausen can be more aptlycompared to the storybook illustration,lnthe mythological fa ntasies he loves best,Ha rryhausen ha screated a plethora of col·orful, stylized beasts and brought them to

life with dazzling artistry. In contrast toO'Brien 's rough, loose animation. Harry.hausen 's work is clean, streaml ined,deceptively simple, tig htly controJled

and unerringly fluid. Hi s style is mostnoteworthy for two key elements: charac·terization and economy of movement.At their best, Harryhausen 's models

give virtuoso theatrical performances.

replete with melodramat ic gestures andfacial expressions, The gentle but unpre·dictable Mighty Joe Young (largely ani·

The spectacular dinosaur roping sequence Irom Ray Harryhausen's Valley ofGwangi,

Ray Harryhausen in his london studio sets up a shot with th

mated by Harryhausen ), the greedy,rec lusive Cyclops of The ll h Voyage of

Snood. and the scheming Calibos of

Clash of the Titans are only three of themost obvious examples of Ha rryhausen'sexpertise in imparting character to inani·

mate miniatu res, His non·humanoid crea·tures are almost equally memorable: theskittish, delicate Eohippus in Valley of

Gwangi; the deadly. grinning skeletonswhich battle Sinbad and Jason; even thegiant octopus of II Came From BeneathThe Sea, with its immense glistening ten·tacle sightlessly probing the streets,

[t is for good reason that Harryhausen isknown as the dean of stop.motion anima·tors. He is known, as well. as the fasteststop·motion animator who can turn outenormous quantities of footage in recordtime, Part of the explanation for this lies in

his mastery of simpli fying act ion-reduc·ing a movement to its bare essentials, bywhich he reduces the amount of time andeffor t needed to reprod uce the actionframe by frame, while actually increasingits impact on screen. All animation, by itsnature, requires such stylization to somedegret!: but HarryhClusen hCls rCl ised thestylization of his animation to the level,literally. of an art form.

The Cyclops remains the best example.Limited by time and budget. Harryhausenclearly devised a variety of ways to stream·line the animal's actions wherever possi·

ble,lna conventional walk cycle, a humanor humanoid being will swing its arms. anaction difficult and tim e·consuming to

animate. Harryhausen's Cyclops walks

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


with its arms held stiffly, bent at theelbows with its menacing claws out·stretched. The pose is at once less tediousto animate and more dramatic. TheCyclops walks swift ly-al lowing theanimator to speed it through the scene,while giving the finished action more

energy. It is designed with goat.like legswhich are both easier to animate thanhumanoid legs and more fantastic in ap·

pearance. It reserves most of its blinking,eye· rolling and lip·curling for the reactionshots, thus freeing the animator from con·centrating too much on these details inlong shots and giving added shock valueto the closer inserts. Generally thecreature will pause in its walking in orderto react, rather than reacting on the

·move-again simplifying the action whileenhancing its theatricality. Held takes areused when possible; in one shot theCyclops raises its head and roars in a total·Iy static pose which lasts for what must be20 frames before segueing efrortlessly in·to the walk cycle once more.

Danforth and Allen

Jim Danforth, inspired by Ray Harry·hausen, has developed a meticulous

animation style with an emphasis on

smooth. naturalistic action. Conventionalstop·motion strobes unrealistically; toreduce or eliminate strobing. Danforth

will double-eltpose (or quintuple·eltpose)key frames to simulate a blur, or painstak·ingly apply Vaseline to a sheet of glassbefore the camera to lightly obscure andblur a portion of the model.

Danforth's creations. in comparison to

Harryhllusen 's, underplay their emotionsand individualinglraits-butdefinitely do

display them. In When Dinosaurs Ruled/he

Ear/h. the hero shoots the mother

dinosaur which has "adopted" hi sgirlfriend; the dinosaur reluctantly drawsback, then flicks its tongue. Later. thedinosaur appears when the hero and thegirl are in danger: it picks up the girl. turnsand leaves in one majestic. disdainfulmovement-leaving the hero behind. In

AeshGordon the bizarre Beetleman fightsby assuming a variety of karate·J ke poses.pincers snapping; as it closes in for thekill, its metallic wings beat in eltcitement.

By his own admission, Danforth works

None of this should be taken to imply

that Harryhausen shuns work-only un·necessary work, which would detract from

the crisp. stn!:amlined action he prefers.He is.of course. an enormous ly dedicatedand hard·working animator: the skeletonfight in Jason and the Argonauts and theroping sequence in Valley of Gwangistand, with the Imperial Walker sequencesin the last two Slar Wars films, as the mostcomplelt model animation set·pieces ever

attempted.Tight. clean, economical and endlessly Agiant octopus frOO1 Harryhausen 's 1/ Came From 8efllJalh lite Sea probes skyward With glistening tentacles

ClNENAG/C"33 47

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


The powerful Cyclops !rOOl Harryahusen 's magic 7th Voyage of Sinbad gives avinuoso perlormaTlCe or atormented giant.

more slowly than Harryhausen , and

perhaps partly for that reason he has not

made as many films. But the work he has

done-most notably When Dinosaurs

Ruled the Earlh, Flesh Gordon·s

Beetleman. Dioskilos. the two·headed

hound of Clash o{ the Titans, and someshots of Pegasus in the same f i lm-com·

bines a flair for character which ap·

proaches that of Harryhausen and O·Brien

with a subtlety of movement which sur·

passes anything else recorded in conven·tional stop·motion.

David Allen began his career with therough but effectiveanimation in the ultra·

low.budget Equinox; later he founded theDavid Allen Studio. which has employed

the talents of numerous animators. Most

animators have assistants. but the David

Allen Studio appears to be a true group ef·

fort. a fact which makes il virtually im ·

possible to know which animator did any

given shot. As a result the overall product.

though of high quality . has an unavoida·bly homogenized look. But in Allen·ssolo

efforts-and in the Studio·s designs of the

creatures and sequences. which Allen

presumably directs-more of a personalstyle emerges.

Allen seems most intrigued with brisk ,

vigorous. hard·edged action reminiscent

48 ClNEMAGIC"33

ofO·Brien·s best work. Heonce remarked

that he never i m i t e d ~ i n fact. preferred

the strobing quality of most animation.His models, like those used by O'Brien.

have an exaggerated, faintly cartoon sh

quality-the grotesquely proportioned

Equinoxape creature. the lizard·likealiens

in Laserblast. the various monsters built

for ThePrimeuals-and thisquality carries

over into the animation itself. It is not sur·

prising that his award·winning Volkswa·

gen commercial featuring King Kong was

praised for its fide lity to the o r i g i n a or

that his Equinox ape recalls Kong evendown to specific actions. When the ape

picks up a man it has been chasing and

flails him against the ground. it is Kong all

over again-lashing out at those pestynatives or mnging the dying elasmo·

saurus to the floor of his cave.Allen 's tentacled monster in EqUinox.

with its coils strobing wildly , stands in

sharp contrast to Danforth·s plesiosaurus

in WhenDinosaursRuledllleEarth, with itsserpentine form blurring sensuously. It is

the contrast between the raw power of a

more refined O·Brien and the balletic

grace of a more naturalistic Harryhausen.

ILM and Go-Motion

The most controversial model anima·

tors around are Phil Tippett, Dennis

MUTen and the high·tech wizards at In·dustrial Ught and Magic. For Dragon.

slayer they developed a computerizedapproach to animation which they call

Go·Motion. The idea is toeliminate strob-

ing entirely by programming a computer

to move the model, via concealed rods,

during each single frame exposure

rather than moving the model by hand be·(ween exposures as is t raditionally done.

How significant an innovation is this? Itis possible to see a difference between the

st robed action of an O'Brien, Harryhausen

or Allen sequence and the smoothness of

the ILM product. But personally I candetect no significant difference in smooth·

ness between the Go·Motion shotsand the

best Danforth an imation.

More important, smoothness is only

one aspect of animation style.ILM has yet

to prove that itscomputer·assisted anima·

tion is any better than hand animation at

creating a memorable character, such asO·Brien·s Kong or Harryhausen·sCyciops.

For Dragonslayer. the ILM effects teamdid create a memorable monster capableof expressing at least one emotion: rage.But how much of this is actually attributa·

ble to the animation? Consider the scene

where the dragon discovers its slaugh.

tered young. First, the Go·Motion dragon

sees the carcasses and stops. The film

then cuts to a shot of a hand puppetdragon head sniffing the bodies, followed

by an extreme close·up on the hand pup·

pet as the head slowly rises with an

ominous growl. Next the film cuts to a

long shot of a misty cavern, where we

hear-but do not see-the dragon howl·ing in fury. Finally the Go·Motion dragon

lumbers ou t of the mist, executing its

standard walk cycle. In this scene as in

many others. the dragon·s emot ions are

conveyed largely through the hand pup·

pet. sound effects and editing. The

animated footage. with only minorexcep·

tions. contributes little to the animal"s

characterization.

At present. with major Go·Motion se·

quences limited to Dragons/ayer and themechanical walkers in Retum 0{ lfleJedi,

the most that can be said for the system is

that. in skilled hands, it can provide pleas·

ingly realistic motion. The models exhibit

a sense of weight, mass and balance,which is difficult to achieve and shows

considerable technical mastery on the

animators· part. But despite its superb

realism, the animation seems- to me, at

least-emotionally empty and stylist.ically impersonal . . . spec tacular bu t

soulless.

Your Own Style

An animator's style reflects his own per·sonality-the cheerful. vigorous rough·

ness of Willis OHrlen. cartoonist. boxer.

cowboy; the intense. controlled energy ofRay Harryhausen, the most prolific anima·

tor; the sense of grace and beauty shownby Jim Danforth, a meticulous perfect.

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


ionist; or the tendency toward straightfor.ward. dynamic action found in an anima·tion purist, David Allen,

If you are an animator, you might askyourself which of these styles most ap·peals to you. Even better, you might

choose to disregard other people's ap·proaches and develop your own original

style-one that suits your unique per·sonality and preferences. Do you have a

quirky .sense of humor-or a serious turn

of mind? Do you prefer the beautiful andpoetic-or the bizarre and shocking? Do

you like realism or artifice-photographs

or paintings? Do you like to get thingsdone in a hurry-or are you only satisr1edi f you take your time?

Befc..re you decide too quickly whattype of person you are. you might try to

see if there are any hidden sides of

yourself that you can uncover. The cre·ative process-including animation-is

an excellent way to do this. Try new and

different approaches; see if they appeal toyou or open up other possibilities thaihadn't occurred to you be fore. If your

tendency is to strive for the smoothestpossible motion. doa shot that deliberate·Iy throws smoothness to the wind; freeyour mind and talent. at least temporarily .

to concentrate on other things. If your

subjects are always horrific or melodra·matico try something light, fun. even zany.Maybe you won't like it: maybe you will.Experiment. see what feels most comfort-able. and ask yourself why.

As you develop your own style. you willprobably find that it improves your anima·tion, making it more distinctive, recog·nizableand interesting, by giving it a vi talnew dimension. The actions on the screen

will no longer just be yours. they will beyou. And when that happens. your anima·t ion- like thai of O·Brien. Harryhausen,Danforth and Al len-wi l l go beyond

merely a skill or a craft. to become an art.CJI

Dave Allen 's lizard alief1s Irom Lasert)ear had a very playlul quality

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


Producers'

BULLETIN BOARD

Zippy th e Pinhead . The Prequel is an animated film

based uponBill

Griffith's offbeat underground comicbook character. Zippy's adventures include Cumby, Rambo

lind Godzilla , and will be as strange as it sounds. Fi lming

will be done in lower Manhattan fo r some l ive-ac tion se·quences. Animation includes day·mation type characters, cut-ou t and xerox animation and hand puppets. Zippywill be filmed In Super·S using an electron ic fla sh l ight ing

system to co ntrol color temperature and depth·af·field.

(K rllftwork Productions. do T. lsold;, 3770 Richmond

Ave., Staten Island. NY 10312.)

Bloo d less : A lurid vlImpire ta le conserning migrating fruit

flies that carry a Cllnnibalistic virus. One man makes III liv·Ing l i t destroyinglhese vampires after U.S. infestation beco

mes large scale. A good friend of his. and scientis t whois investigating the cause for these ou tbreaks of mass

murder is put in the hospital by his girlfriend who is a vam·pire. He checks out of the hospital and takes it upon him·

se lf to kill the woman and then himse lf. After out bounty·

hunter hero finds out about this he becomes no less than ahuman vampire killer. WriterlProducer/Directo r/Editor/FX:Matt S. Jaissle. Cast: Scott Alien, Tim Stheeff, Jay Allen,

Richi!lfd Massey, Bob Ender. FX include: gun shot effects.deep chest scratches, a rotted corpse, hatchet in the arm.and half of a head blown away at close range. Filmed in

and around Ann Arbor , Michigan. Super-8, co lor, sound ontape. Running time: 25 minutes. (Bluefilms, do MaU S.J&issle, 211 Welch St ree t, Milan, MI48160.)

A Bad Thing In Smallvl l le. Ir s been five years since thebrutal death of Sam Prentice, a demented gardener, andnow he rises with the powers of the forest to take his gory

revenge. Four teenagers, Kr isten. Scott, Mark, and Rose.

raU prey to Sam's wrath. As the hunt progresses, Rosediscovers the secrets behind the killer and quickly plans hisdeath. Highl ights include a powerful love scene and the

decomposition of Sammy Prentice. Produced by

Nightdream Associates. Writer/D i rector: Brian Riley.Camera: Phil Ruttledge. Spedal Makeup FX; Brian Riley.Cast: Allison Grewcock, Brian Riley, Ralph Reda , JohnaDevin as Rose, and David M o r as Sam Prentice. FX

include: blood and gore effects, crumbling walls, and acomplete , seven.piece makeup for Prentice. Running time:

about 25 minutes. 8m m to video. Nearing Completion.(Nightdream Associates. do Brian Riley, 3 Blakeman Dr .Monroe, CT 06468.)

50 C1NEMAGIC-33

The Sliver Scream . Horror/comedy anthology. Harry Is amovie buff with an old projector set up In his basement.The projector shows its own horror f i lms-whdh come of f

the screen lind happen in real life! Producer/Direc·torlWriter: Robert Tinnell. FX Include: makeup, full ·size In·ter lor dungeon and graveyard se ts. 16mm, colo r, sound.Running time : about 15 m inutes. (Robert Tin nell , 1356 N.Gardener . Apt. 0, los Angeles, CA 90046.)

The Tomb . Veteran low· budget d irecto r, Fred Olen Ray

(Scalps, Biohazard), is current ly wrapping up post·production on The Tomb, a supernatural action adventurefilm that is Ray's most ambitious effort to date. The Tomb

boasts a cast of stalwart talent including hor ror veteran.John Carradine. the versat ile Cameron Mitchell, RussMeyers former pro tege Kitten Natividad. former '40'sserial star. Carot Foreman (Supennan, Black Hawk) and theunheralded "Queen of the B's," Sybil Danning. Rounding

out the cast are Michele Bauer(Terroron Tape) as the evitdemon goddess, Nefratis, and David O'Hara (Biohazard)and Susan Stokey, (The Power).

The film features a variety of elements ranging from

desert chases and gun battles to ho rrible events in ancient

Egyptian crypts to upbeat rock·and·roll product ionnumbers. The quirky humor of director Ray is also evident

throughout the film and the resulting combination of al l ofthe above makes for one of the most offbeat fantasy films

in recent years.Special effects make·up is provided by Makeup Effects

Lab (Friday the 13th-3D). Optical effects are by Bret Mix·

on who handled the same duty on Biohazard.Ray's company, VF1, is well on its way to becoming one

of the most prolific in town with Dark Universe, Cornman·droid, and Blood Relatiues on the slate before the years end

as well as Prison Ship which Ray is currently shooting in

Hollywood. (Viking Films International. Inc • P.O. Box3563. Van Nuys, CA 91407.)

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


se Colored Glasses. Howie Barbidian is a teenagernothing mo re than to be accepted by hisfamily and his dog ··Bob.·· His dreams come

when he stumbles upon a magical pair of rose coloredHowie discovers thatlife's problems seem to

the world through rose coloredThere's just one catch-reality! Producer: Daniel

. Keseloff. Director: John Lawrence. Story: Tim Minear.John Lawrence. Music: Arran Hallas. Makeup:

Morrow. Cast: Daniel R. Keseloff. Maria O·Neal.Po kr llcki and Oreo as "Bob the dog '" Super·B. color.

t rack sound. Running time: 25 minutes. (Timeless.do John Lawrence. 5808 Washington

e . Whittier. CA 90601 213·696·0945.)

e Mr . Bubble Series . Par t One: Atta ck of th e Killer. Bubble . This girl is scared of bubble bath: a fear of Mr.

she has had since a you ng child. This time whenbath . the soap bubbles incarnate into

e rea l Mr. Bubble. Obsessed with fulfilling the gi rl's irra·Onal fear of him. Mr. Bubble holds a sma ll lottery-which

e cheats at by making the chips all of the same number.girl her number is up . With a knife in

and the look of murder in his eyes. Mr. Bubble beginss essay of murder. The girl tries to out·smart the bubble·

maniac. but Mr. Bubble ends up out·smartingthe girl

playing a game o f hide and seek. But the girl reasonsMr. Bubble is just that-a bubble. She proves her

l way. and the killer Mr. Bubble again takeshis less hostile form-foam . And once again peace is

upon the bath tub. This film is an exaggeration of

sister"s fear o f bubble bath. Six part series. Film bylas T. HawoUe: Original film score by Andrew Pelter·

Int roducing Melissa Buford . Mr . Bubble operated bytal Buford. Makeup by Paula Buford. Super·8. sound.

Running time: 21 minutes. Sloo.00 budget. (Unitedin Film and Comun ications. do Douglas T.

o ll e. 2312 8 Street Si lvis. IL 61282.)

reamstat e. A boy is brought to another world of magic. creatures of all sorts. and Satan himself. It

ually turns out to be a dream-I think! Producer/Di·

/Writer: Frank Cuomo and Tommy DeVita. Cast:ommy DeVita. Frank Cuomo. Kirk Caliendo and many

ures. FX include: a full·size mechan ical skeleton, athrough someone's stomach. a spike through

head. a stake through someone's stomach. aand more. Video tape with sound. Running

ime: about 15 minutes. (Deco Productions. do Frank133-48 11 8thSt. South, Ozone Park. NY 11420.)

e. A film about a man who is an adventurer andhas /oiS of adventures. Producer!Director!

Ryder. FX: Stop·mo t ionand stunts. Super·B. color, sound on separate

nsfilm Pictures, do Eddie Ryder. Hawthorne

Rd .. Newtown. CT 06470.)

of Pain Muffy, a typical suburban cheerleader. ishocked and terrified to find out that her brother and his

Punk friends don't just b e l i e v ~ in Satan-they

him . They even start sacrificing neighbor 's dogsto their god for fun. Fun becomes terror when the

leader (who goes by the name of Lucifer) dec ides to

virgin-M ur fy! Producer!Director: William Cate.: Glen Gordon and William Cate. Cast: CeCe

Gordon. Tyna Oft. John Gallagher, William

Hay as Lucifer. A Unicorn Pictures

Super·B. color, sound . Running time: 30(Unicorn Pi ctures. do William Ca te. 69 Princeton

.. Arlington, MA 02 174.)

..

Nightmare (nlt 'mar)-n.I)A Very dreadful dream.n.2) A

Gary Waxier Production starring Be th Ball. Chriss ie Olson.Brian Price. Julie Price. Mi ke Salewski. Chris Sherman.and Robert Tozier. Coming home from a party, threecouples must abandon their car on a dark gravel road andre ach shel ter quickly in orde r to avoid be ing hi t by anoncoming storm. Their first mistake is entering amysteriously opened house in which the owner doesn'tappear to be around (at least. only to them he doesn't seemto be around!). Thei r next mistakes cost most of them their

lives. Written/Produced/Directed by Gary W(lxler. Super·B,sound, color, and liz inch video by Pat Ryan and GaryWaxler. Assistant: Rich Springell . Edited by Alan Knight

and Gary Waxler. Running time: 30 minutes. In producti on.(Gary W(lxler Productions. 6409 Kilkenny La ne. FairfaxStation, VA 22039.)

Crystal Dawn . Derik Strand was on another rou tinesurveillance mission in his SR·71 Blackbird. He never askedfor an adventure beyond his dreams, but he got it. YoungStrand and his aircraft are drawn into a vortex where Strandfinds himself in a strange tower, lying beside a suit of ar·mour and a sword whose blade is cu t from a single whitecrystal. Strand dons the sword and armour and sets out toexplore this strange land. In his travels he meets a vindictivefire bre(lthing dragon. the bridge keeper and a large creaturewithin a cavern. Strand finds himself finally within a crypt in·side a volcano. With in the crypt Derik meets a being of

awesome sorcery. Strand manages to slay this wizardouscreature and escape the mountain before it blows apart. An

Im(lgineering Films Production. DirectorlWriter/Producer!FX:Brad Hruboska. Cast: Brad Hruboska and Cam Haygarth. FXinclude: Rear.projected stop·motion sequences, l ive andanimated combined footage, miniatu re flight sequences us ·ing actual aerial footage rear projected. beamsplitter glows.pyrotechnics. blood effects. latex masks. articulatedmechanical monster head and numerous special sound andlighting effects. Shot on half·inch in video and Super·a, col·or. Running time: eight minutes with sound effects. music

and narration post.dubbed. Transferred to half·inch vi deo.(Imagineering Films. do Brad HrUboska, 266 LakeviewAve., Burl inqton On ta rio. Canada L7N I Y6.)

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


Producers '

BULLETIN BOARDDaylight Bu rial. A small mid·western town encounters anelectr ical storm. The storm causes a nuclear power plant todisc harge thousands of volts into the ground. The corpsesin a nearby cemetery are suddenly brought back to life andter ror ize the neighboring town, This film is drenched withexciting special effects and morbid murders. A must forhorror fans. The special·e ffects makeup is done by Rob

Hinderstein. Sets designed and constructed by Sean Mu r·doch. A HindersteinlMurdoch Production. (Robert Hinders·tein, 2413 EI Alameda. Palm Springs. CA 92262.)

Saps i n Space. Slightly offensive film about college kidswho steal a spaceship and search for the perfect planet.Writer/Direclor/FX: Kevin Orban. Cast: Ken Orban andRichard Hauge. FX include: models and rear projection.

Super·8. color. cassette sound. Running time: about 15

minu tes. (Arena Films, Bottom of Barrel Productions. c/oKevin Orban, RD"'4. Box 355 Riva Avenue. North

Brunswick. NJ 08902.)

I f A God Should Fa ll . Hercules is ordered to Earth by hisfather. the great god Zeus. His mission: to stop themurderous rampage of a killer Cyborg. Plenty of actionand stunt work. Producer/Director/Writer : Gary Whitson.Cast: John Whitson, Brad Whitson. Gary Whitson, Dom

Pi no and Sandy Whitson, FX include: crashing through awall, jumping of f a cliff and more. Super·8. color, trans-ferred to videotape with a synchronized soundtrack . (Whit·son Productions, c/o Gary Whitson. RD#4. Box 207.Dealtown Rd .. Elmer. NJ 08318.)

Shadowplay , A 35mm feature·anthology film in the vein of

Cals Eye. Creepshow, and Nightmares. We are looking to

contact talented filmmakers, writers, FX people, artists,composers, etc. who want to be involved in making movies

but don't know how to "break into the business," SendResumes, photos of your work, letters describing you rtalents and quali fications, etc. to: (TAK Productions Inc.,443 First Street, Palisades Park, NJ , 07650.)

Details At Eleven. In this surrealistic production. theviewer rinds himself engrossed in the deadly plot and sittingon the edge of his chair until the bizarre and climatic end·ing. Filmed in Super·B. color. and transferable to video(V HS.aETA ). Produced by Antares Cinema. Written anddirected by Ka y Fa lconer. Running time 20 minutes. (An.tares Cinema Creations, c/o office of G.S. Turner. SouthEa st 30? Dexter Street, Pullman, WA 99163.)

Delta Force. In the wake of the political assass inations of

the American ambassador to East Germany and six of hisaides by a terrorist organizatlon, the President of the UnitedStates has assigned the Delta Force to their most covert anddeadly mission ever. A team of five men, chosen specificallyfor their abilities in the special forces, will infiltra te the

socialist republ ic of Yugoslav ia (a suspected location for theterrorists' secret base) to seek out the terrorists and elimi·

nate them. Producer: Rob Martin for Da rk Harvest Produc·

tio

ns,

Director: Shaun Sulli van. Writer:Bob

Lucius,Edit

or:Ron Zimmerman. Sound: Ron Zimmerman and StephenLamarre, Cast: Bob Lucius, Rob Martin. Roger laRose,Danny Thompson and Jim Ba rzik. FX include: pyrotechnics,stunts, fight scenes and fantastic locations. Super·8, color.sound (narration and music soundtrack). Running time:about 21 minutes. (Dark Harvest Productions, do ShauinSullivan, 7 1 Jordan Rd., Chelmsford, MA 01863 .)

No Greater Glory. Lydia Rutledge marries a British of·ficer, Sir Brian Fitzroy, long be fore the outbreak of theAmerican Revolutionary War. Once war becomes in·evitable, Lydia, born an Ame rican and a patriot at heart.

spys for the rebel cause but is discovered by her husband.Fitzroy has only two choices: one. to bring her to t rial

which wi ll result in his death ; or two. let her go which wi l lresult in his downfall. He loves his wife and his family andhopes desperately that Lydia will reach the safety o f thecamp of her brother, an American General. before Fi tzroy'scavalry can catch her. But will she? 16mm color. soundfilm. The film ends with a climact ic battle with over 1000extras! Running time: 65 min. A Reflection ProductionsFilm. Producer: Thomas E. Miller. Director: Chris A,

Heckman. Cast: Ken Siegel. Lynn Montuori, Russ Greve.Cinematographers: Mike D'Elia f., Ed Askinazi. Sound:John Palmaro f., Peter Russell. (Reflection Productions, do

Chris A. Heckman, 18B5 Wash ington Avenue, Seaford.New York 117B3. 516·728·2432.)

1 Dare Ya! Two little girls dare a boy to ring t he doorbell ofa spooky house. And we know how dangerous thai can be.Producer/Director: Rik Joel Carter. Di r(;dor ofPhotography: Katherine Butler. Production Designer: John

Jockinsen. Music: Bill Parcley. Makeup E ffects: DavidStennitt. Production Manager: Ruth P. Mulligan. Cast:Joseph Broumand. Kerry Rogers, Augusta O'Neill andAngela Rowe, 16mm. color. Running time: 4 minutes,(Center Cinema Enterprises. 11601 Walnut. Orange, CA

92668.)

Things That Go Bump in the Nigntl-Clay animated shor t

subject. An animator"s sculptures come to life after he goesto sleep and wreck havoc among themselves. Animated by

Mi ke Salewski and Gary Waxler. Super·8, color, silen t.Running time: about 3 minutes. Comp leted. (Gary WaxlerProductions. 6409 Kilkenny Lane, Fairfax Sta tion, VA,22039)

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


fESTIVAL NEWS

Short Film Search

The eighth annUll1 CINEfo'IAGIC Short Film

Sellrch hilS

been IInnounced by publisherKerry O·Quinn. Copies of th is year's ruleslind entry forms should have been prin ted bythe l ime you read this. For your copy send asel f addressed, stamped envelope(*IO.long

size) to: ClNEfo'IAGIC Rules. 215 ParkAvenue South. New York. NY 10003.

Delldline for entries will be October I,

1986with the Festival sc reening scheduledfor late November. Al l amateur and non·professional filmmakers are invited to sub·mi t entries in Super·S. 16mm or video. En·tr iesClln not el(ceed 20 minutes in length .

Super-B Workshops

Phil Vigeant of SuperS Sound inCambridge. MA. IInnounces the latest in II

series of workshops emphllsidng the latestin Super-S productioo. editing. lind specialeffects techniques. These workshops liretaught by the SuperS Sound Staff. woobelieve that Super-S offers amateur andprofessional filmmakers the opportunity to

make quality films at affordab le prices.

A highlight of the workshops are thedouble system sessions, which include everyaspKt of production and post·productiontechnique of double·system soundfilmmaking. EJitensive hllnds·on el(perlence

includes the production of a short film. Forregistration information and dates contactGuy at SuperS Sound. 95 Harvey St .Cambridge. MA 02140. (617) S76-5876.

Film Festival Guide

September Deadline

Central Florida Film & Video Fesllv . 1

C.F.F. (, V.F.6722 E d g ~ t e r Dr.OrlllndO. Fl32SIO

Month Held: Octoberlocation: Orlllndo, FlGauge of Film : Super-S. 16mm

October Deadlines

The Ki netic Image Film Festival

Kinetic Image Film GroupBol( 11465St. Petersburg. FL 33733(81 3)577-2086

Eligibility: Amateur and independentlyp r o d ~ llOn<OlTlmefcilli films.AlIIlItds: Cash prizes.

Month Held: Octoberlocation:St. Petersburg, FlDa te Established: 1977Gauge of Film: Super-8. l6mm

MAKING A LATEX MONSTER MASK!START wml ARMATURE SCULPT M O ~ D

PAINT AI<II', VO ILA - MASK!

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


GRIP KIT

Crystal Camera ControlThe SuperB Sound Crys!el Camera

Control will match the.speed of the Nlzo6080 to II qUllrtz oscilllltor to produce aprecise 24 ffllmes-per.second runningspeed, allowing cebleless sync-soundfilmmaking with I!Iny sound recorder usingthe crystal sync system (Nagra, Stelillvox ,SuperB Sound, etc.)

At the heart of crystlli sync are

Independent quertz 05(:iIl8\or5 tuned to

produce a pure and unvarying slgno1. Thisextremely lIC<:urete signal is the sync

r e f e r e n ~ for both the climera motor controland the recorder. Because of the DccufltCy ofcrystel 05(:1 1I810r5, there is no need for !Illy

sync connection between the camera andrecorder.

For filmmakers shooting Super·a. crystalsync literally cuts the umbilical cord tyingthe Climer!!! pe rson to the soundperson-

mlIking It possible to shoot Super-8 usingthe SlIme filming and recording ttchniquespreviously only possible in the larger film

formats. SI.-.ce any camera goV1!rned by acrystal motor con trol will be precisely In:sync with any other, It is possible to cover an

event with multiple cameras, and even withmul tiple formats, The creative potential of

crysta l·sync Super·S Is tremendous. as wasdemonstrated recently by the production of

54 ClNEMAGIC "33

an Aerosmllh rock video using Super·S and

35mm film by Jerry Kramer G Associates of

Hollywood.

The NilO 6080 Crystal Camera Control is1" x 1 112" x I " and weighs 1 112 ounces. It

attaches d irectly onto the camerll whichseV1!S as its power o u ~ A I I g h t ~ m i t l i n gdiode indicates proper sync operation. Amodification to the camera Is necessary forit to p t the crystal control.

The Nizo 6080 Crystal Camera Control is

available from SuperS Sound of Cambridge,MA 02140 for $250. Mod if ication of the6080 to I C ~ p t the crystal control is alsoavailllble from Supe rB Sound for $95.

New 16mm FilmEastman Kodak Company has in troduced

a 16mm high·speed color negative film withnot iceably Improved imaging <:hara<:teris·

tics, Eastman color high speed negative film

7292 features readily apparant improve·ments In Image sharpness and grain structure. The new emulsion, which will replaceEastman color high·speed negative film

7294, has" recommended exposure index of32 0 In 3200 K tungsten light"nd 200 indaylight with an 85 wratlen gelatin fIIte. _

This new 16mm film is specifically design.ed to provide producers with the widelatitude that they often require to work innaturol or low· light conditions withoutsacrificing Image quality. It is an excellentcompanion for the popu lar medium·speedEastman color negative film 7291 .

Filmmakers will be able to in tercut themedium and high·speed emulsions withoutnoticeable differences in color , sharpness, or

grain.The improvements in the image structure

of the 7292 film are most noticeable by thereduction of grain in shadow areas, especial·Iywhen the film is uposed in low,light con·ditlons. The use of th is advanced emulsiontechnology In the two green·sensitive layers,which normally provide the biggest con tri bu·tlon to sc reen grain iness. enables us to

sign ificantly reduce gronular it y in the toearea. Using this technology in the "s low"blue·sensitive loyer affords granularity im ·provements in the mid·scale to shoulder of

the blue·sensitive layer. The overall effect ofthese changes Is readily apparent in the finaldisplayed image whether it is an opticall yprojected print or a telecine transfer.

The improvements In the grain structureof the new, high speed color film are mostevident In the "toe" of the green·layer sen·sitometri c curve, which relates to the shadowareas of the picture, There are also somegains made In the mid ·scale to "shoulder," or

the mld,to ·br lgh test part of the image are Inthe blue·sensitlve layer. Improvements in im·

age structure such as these <:an sometimesbe compromised as film speed increases.However. Eastman Kodak's con tac ts with16mm users Indicate that speed is not as 1m·

portant"f a c t ~

as image quality for this f ilmformal. The granular ity improvements in thetoe region will be seen as image quality im·

provements in shadow areas of the picturewhen 72g2 film is exposed Els higher than320.

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


Minolta HQ VideoMinolul Corporation has introduced the

CR·ll00SAF-li new. videoClImerll-

recorder fellluring the new "HQ" high qualitycircuilry for improved picture quality. Thenew Minolla CR·l100S AF is an all·ill·oneunillhat IIc(:epls full ·size VHS cassettes. TheCl!lmcorder features infrared autofocuslngand auto exposure. and a large electronicviewfinder that doubles as an instant replaymonitor.

The HQ system provides betler video pic ·tures in four ways: white-clip level cxptm·sion. to sharpen the edges of objects in II picture; detail enhancement. to improve overallpicture sharpness: luminance noise reduction. to (u t down on "snowy" pictures: i!md

(hrominence noise reduction \0 reduce"snow" in the picture"s color sig nal.

The shooting con trols on the new Mlnolta

CR·llOOS AF are poSitioned lo r fingert ipoperation so that users rarely have to look

away from the viewfinder to make ad·ju stments. Its design makes the Mlnolta

CR· 1 1005 AF a lightweight and com fortably.balanced uni t.

The 112·ineh. 4.3 MHz High·band Salieon

picture tube In the CR· I I 005 AF providessuperb video quality. even ....hen shootingdimly IiI s«nes as low as seven lux .

The camera·recorder's 2J3·inch viewfinderhas a visual signal thaI indicates ...henrecordlll9 is in progress. The playbiKk

feature lets videographers instantly view thescenes they have jusl recorded.

The Minolla CR· I 1005 AF also has II

manual iris control . Users can use thisfeature to improve backlight shols and make

adjustments to create fade·ins and fade·outs.The Minolta CR· I I OOS AF also features a

special recording drum around which thetape instantly ....raps ....hen the videocassetteis inserted inlO the camera· recorder. This

mokes the CR·IOOS AF ready to record ondemond. Additional features include 0 unl·directional microphone. and input jock forconnection to a standard TV or another VCR.an eorphone jack. a remote pause con trol

j ack, a track ing control dial to ensure op·tlmum video performance.

The Mino lla CR· I 1005 AF is powered by aone·hour battery. which is included. Abattery-level indicator sho ...s ....hen the bat·tery needs recharging.

Suggested retail price for the Minolta

CR·llOOS AF is S1.833.00.

- •

VHS CamcorderA lightweight battery po ...ered portable

camcorder. that combines a VH$ video cas·sette recorder and co lor video camera inone unit. is no .... available from RCA at

authorized dealers nationwide. The ne....

RCA "P roWonder" camcorder uses stan·da rd VHS video cossettes and retails forunder S1500.

In one self·contalned unll. consumers canno ... enjoy the full benefits of a portable

video cassette recorder and a co lor videocamera- .... ithou t the hassles of lugging

around extra .....eight. po ....er cords andcables. Weig hing a mere 5.5 pounds. theRCA ProWonder makes home video movie

making simple. Al l the consumer has to do

is insert a standard VHS video casse tte .mllke sure the camera's aUlo focus and 10 ...light modes are on . and shoot.

The camcorder felltures an 1/1.2 lens ..... ith

6: I power zoom. a buill· In in frared autofocusing system . automatic Iris. and a cons't llnt automatic white balance thaI automat·

Car BracketWhenever it is impractical to use a tripod.

the GitlO Cambrac altiKhment may be your

answer to support cameras. projectors.microphones. electronic flash. floodlights.telescopes. other instruments up to 20 Ibs •

in mo torcars or boats. on fences. shelves.doorstops. chairs. tables. ladders. etc . andwith a stirrup bracket. even on a tripod. Thesolid 10"x 3" support bracket with movablev." camera screw has a 6" wide. I v. " deep

overlap for hook·ups. wherever possible. It isbriKed with a hinged second bracket with abracing arm lo r angles from 0 to 100degrees. Any pan·t il t 01ball·and·socket headcan be mounted between CamblltC andcamera for additional tilts and pans. Aspecial Cambrac leaflet illustrates just] 7 examples. but there are multiple olher applica·tions for camera positions. which wouldotherwise be impossible. As .... ith all Gitzotripods. monopods. heads and accessories. il

is covered by the Full Gilzo Warranty BuyerProtection for life. Price S1 19.95.

ically adjusts fo r proper color balance In·doors or out . The new system incorporatesa half-Inch Sa l ieon pick·up tube that deliv·ers an extremely sharp picture even at l ight

levels that are as low as 7 lux. making it

equa lly Ideal for use indoor; and outdoors.lIS l/,· inch electronic vie ...finder doubles asa monochrome monitor fOf viewing "i nstantreplays" immediately after taping. The RCA

ProWonder also features a built·in micro·phone and an adjustable diopter that allowsIhe electronic viewfinder's focus to be

Changed. permitting users who ....ear eye·glasses to remove Ihem when operating thecamera.

Included .... Ith the purchase price of theRCA umcorder unit is a detachab le carry·ing handle. shoulder strap. audio·video

cable fo r playback on a mon i to r TV. ear·phone. AC adapterlbat tery charger ond aone·hour rechargable battery. Because the

AC adapter/battery charger operates on 1 10or 220 volts . 50 or 60 Hz , the unit can beused In many foreign countries.

ClNEMAG/C"33 55

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


GRIP KIT

Beaulieu 70088The introduction of the new e ~ u 1 i e u 7008

firmly establishes Super-S as 11 professionalproduction format. Similar in design to

16mm cameras, with such features as II

mirror shutter. ground.glass focusing.interchange;:lble (·mount lens. and a crystalsync C(lmera control, the new Beaulieu 7008

further advances Ihe professional productioncapability of the Super-8 format.

Beaulieu hlls engineered into the new7008 a digital frame counter fo r the pre<::ise

placement of multiple exposure effects-afeature unparalelled in any format.

The new Be1lulieu 7008 comes with anf/ l.4. 6-90mm Angenieux lens, with multi-

coating for excellent color rendition, and 11unique m<:lcro focusing down to two feet atany focal point in the lens's norm!!1 range

(6mm to 9Omm).The 7008S features a variable speed

motorized zoom that will trIlVel the 15: 1rllnge in from 4 to 10 seconds, lind II quick

zoom button for drllmillic zoom effects.Finally, the wide rllnge of focal lengths in

the Angenieux's 15:1 zoom ratio-the

greatest of any Super·8 camera-all buteliminates the need for interchllngeablefixed focal length prime lenses.

For filmmllkers who require still grelltertelephoto or wide.angle capllbillty, the new7008S features an interchangeable C·mount

56 CiNEMAGIC It 33

thllt offers the option of using II fullcomplement of fixed focIII point prime lens.

Thc. Beaulieu 7008's C·mount 11150 mllkesit ideal for scientific research. It can bemoun ted on microscopes, telescopes, or

IInywhere a 35mm SLR camerl:l can be

mounted for research IIppliclltions.The new 7008's digitlll frllme counter

counts frames, forward and backwards, from

0000 to 9999, i.e. over a period of sevenminutes 8t 24 fps. Such precise back·winding control enables you to do a number

of lab effects in camera.The 7008's backwinding c8pability lind

digital fr8me counter also gives you thecontrol required to create ml:ltte effects suchas split screen images.

When doing such spedal effects. 8 5O·foolcartridge IIlIows you to bllckwlnd the film fora full 10 seconds of double exposure. But to

give you even greater crelltive controllhe

70085 accepts the 200·foot cartridge which

allows you to bllckwind over the entirelength of the twelve·minute cartridge.

Designed more like a 16mm Cllmerll thana Super·8 camerll, the new Beaulieu 7008

employs a mirror shutter. It enables you to

see through the viewfinder the effect of theselected llpertu re on Ihe depth of field in IIp!lrticuillr scene.

The 70085 features Bellulieu's patented" Hall Senser System"-8n electronic designwhich keeps II perfect loop between the

picture gate and the sound head. ThisInnova tion keeps "wow" down to anincredible lind inaudible 0.3 percent. Thefrequency response Is from 50 to 12,000 Hzat 24 fps with a signaHo· noise ratio of60

dB. The qUlllity of sound is then better thlln

Ihat of the average lape recorder orprojector.

A flash/sync contact enables you 10 recorddouble·syslem sound in lieu of, or alongwith, the buil t·in sound system. Double·system filmmaking is accomplished by usingtwo pieces of equipment-a C8mera lind aSuper8 Sound Magneti c FuiJcOllt Recorder.In this sync set·up, called "c8ble sync", 8cllble connects the cllmera 's flash/syncoutput to the sync input of the Super8 Sound

Recorder. 8nd the recorder mllintains syncag8inst the sync reference pulse generatedby the camera's flash/sync contl:lct.

Fin811y, the 70085 enllbles you to controlthe speed of 8ctlon by shooting li t 4, 9. 18.

24,36, or 56 fps (8lthough sound film canonly be shot lit 18 or 24 fps). It will accept theKodak 200·foot sound Cllrtridge for twelveminutes of uninterrupted shooting. The70085 I:llso features s ingle·frame capllbilily

and a built·in interviliometer that will exposeI fr8me per 5e<:ond. I frllme per 10 seconds,or I frllme per 30 seconds. The 7008 will runon rechllrgellble nicad blltteries or ak81ineblltteries. and Clln be remotely powered by II9·volt battery pack.

Hokushln X-600The new Hokushin Model X·600 16mm

Xenon projector is so lIutomatic, it is virtual·Iy l ike having II robot li t the ope rator's com·

mand.Introduced in the United States by

Rangertone Research Inc . the X·600 offersoptionlll wired or wireless remote control forevery function-including opening the film

gllte, stllrting projection, lind rapid rewind·ing without rethreading.

Even without remote control. these func·tions are high ly automllted through the useof SOfHouch switches 8nd micromotors

designed into the X·600.Ide,,1 for thelltriCII!. industri8!. and educ8'tional purposes, the lightweight, compactX·600 offers opticll18nd magnetic soundreproduction, a powerful 75' 11'1111 audio

IImplifier. and 6OO·ohm line output. Film isconvenien tly threaded along roliers in theX·600's slot·loading design.

Besides wired or wireless remote contro l .II host of other useful options is offered from

II electronic auto·repeat adapter to lIutO·mlltic changeover control. lind a long·play(6,ooo·ft. ClIpacity) reel unit,

For furlher in formation on the Hokushin

Model X·600 16mm Xenon projector. con·tact Rangertone Resellrch. Inc" 115

Roosevelt Avenue, Belleville, New Jersey07109. Phone: 20 1·751·6833 in New Jersey,or toll free in other stlltes, 1·800·221·1823.

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


Video SystemThe Panasonic 3500 Production System,

comprised of II WV ·3500 co lor video Cllmeril:l

and a WJ·3500 speciil:ll effects generil:ltor, hil:ls

been designed for use in both the studio andiI:IS iI:In electronic; f ield production (EFP)system, The WV·3500 camera offers highperformil:lnc;e with I:I high.band 213-inchSatkon tube. whic;h provides 350 lines of

horizontal resolution and requires iI:Iminimum illumination 01 3 footC;il:lndles atfl2. Accepting power from a vil:lr iety of

SO\.Irces. including portable VCRs as well asthe WJ·3500 special effects generator. theWV·3500 indudes I:I 1.5·lnch viewf inder withdigital indicators. internil:ll and external sync.external mic jack. audio moni toring

facilities. aulo white balanc;e.lndoorlouldoorfiltering_ iI:Iulo gain control. buill·in unidirectional microphone and a negative/positivereversal switch for use with telecine

equipment.A professional 12: I power zoom is Includ·

ed with the WV ·3500. The wide focal rangeof 10mm to 120mm enables the user to c;ap·ture action far in the distance or on a bladeof grass with the macro function . The f/2lens

is equipped with power ~ o o m operation andautomatic; iris a.djustment control. The inter·c;hil:lngeable btlyonet mount lens acceptsstandard 72mm filters lo r special effects and

precise image contlol.

The WV·3500 inc:orporates iI:I genlock in·put (BNC). whic;h will accept compositevideo (VBS) as a referenc;e signal. When con·nected to the WJ·3500 special effectsgeneril:llor. the genlock signal is receivedthrough the cameril:l 's IO·pln connecturcable. When connected 10 conventionalSEGs. the genlock is received through asepil:lrate BNC connector on the camerabod,.

When using Ihe WV ·3500 with theWJ.3500 special effects generator or otherSEGs. Ihe sub·carrier "nd horizontal phasecontrols on the c" meril:l can be adjusted toprovide matching with other comeras within

the system, These con trols are eil:lsily iI:IC'cessible on the cameril:l. Horizontal find ver·tical blanking widths are switch selec: table.

The fil:lde·out mode on the cameril:l automa·tically ac\ivil:ltes the stop mode on the host

New Kodak 5243/7243

The improved Eastmlln color In·termedle!e film 524317243 featuresenhancement' in speed, grain lind Imagesharpness. 5lI)'s Leonard F. Colemlln,

general manager lind vice-president of

marketing fo r Kodak ' , Motion Picture andAudiovlsuel Products Division .

Coleman explilins thaI severllliayers ofthe color intermediate film have beenmodified , in pert. by employing teehnologictlllldvances made In T·Grain emulsion.This hils resul ted In an Increase In the speedof the blue-light-sensitive layer of the emu l sion of almost II full stop. and im ·

provements In sharpness and grllin.The faster speed in the blue·llght·sen.

sllive Illyer of the improved Intermedillte

VC R when the signal goes to black.When used with the optionil:ll WV ·AD 15

nf!gative/positive film adapator. theWV ·3500c;amerll can convert posi tive or

negative pictures into positive video imagesfor instantaneous film transfer recording.The reversal switch on the camera c;on alsobe used independent ly to c;reote special ef·fects when recording normol video.

The WV-3500 olso provides the capabili tyto fade in and out both the iI:Iud io and videosignals.

The WJ·3500 special effects generil:ltor of·fers iI:I wide range of capabil ities. It clln wipeor fade between c;ameras one and two iI:IS wellos b e t w ~ n c;"merotwo lind line video in·puts. Both horizontil:ll iI:Ind ve rt icil:ll wipes lind

sp lit-screen shots are easily Kcomplished .The swi tching features of the WJ·3500 cllngrelltly enhance vi deo production quality.

The standil:lrd accessory titling c;omcrll thatis integrllted with the WJ·3500 allows for thesuperimposition of a variety of titles inlo

video images. Seven c;olors can be keyed Inon seven c;olor backgrounds. It is iI:Ilso possi·

ble to iI:Idd graphics for additionil:ll effects.The WJ·3500 incorporates iI:In advanced

digit,,1 sync generator with genlock so thatyou c;an integril:lte different video sourceswhen recording final produc;tion. Titling ondbockground colors are always iI:Ivil:liloble

without any external input SO\.Irce. When us·ing a camera without genloc k capability or I:Istable video linf! input, the sync: generil:ltorwill odjust the system to use this input as areference signa1. Thus. there is no need toworry about using existing c;omeras withoutgenlock capability. However. for comeroswith gen lock c;apability. a black burst output

is available on the WJ·3500. Th is black burstoutput can also drive time base cor rectorsfor sync:h roni zing VC Rs.

The WJ·3500 also allows m ixing of audio

signals from camera one ond two. or fromthe line input and iI:I microphone input. Youcan also mix or add signals from a line inputwith that of camera one or two.

Designed 10 c;ost no m,ore than 0 few reno

tals of special effects and post·productionequipment. the 3500 Production System hil:ls

a suggested retail price of only 52 .900 ,00:$1.750.00 for the WV·3500 camera and$1.150 for the WJ·3500 system switcher.

film will give optical printer operil:ltorssomewhat more flexibility in exposure c;on·

trol.11 will alsoollow them to operil:lU:printers faster. 'This could ollow oplkil:llhouses to handle some Jobs a little fnter .and it could. therefore, permit them to hon·die more work," Coleman notes.

Colemon believes that enhanc:ed Imageshil:lrpne5S ond grain characteristic;s iI:Ire iI:In

even more signific;il:lnt development . Hepoin ts out thil:lt it is a common practice foriI:In intermediil:l te film to be used ot both In·terpositive and internegative duping stagesbefore prints or video transfers iI:Ire mil:lde .

'The improved imaging c;haracterlstlcsinherent in the new co lo r Intermediate fUmare compounded through eil:lch generation:'

he e ~ p l a i n s _ "There should be 0 generil:llim.

provement in both video tape transfers and

Fax Mini Stand

11,,·1." ( ' " ~ ; ' ' ' ' ' , ' ~ L . P I ' ; I " · ,\ ,n '

T.,'" "'I"'! '" ' ' ' ' ' ] ! d",j "J I p ..•. " f l ' ,, k,··,\ ,,, "I"d" , ( ''''','r.' ....1."',: i f ; ' , , : ," I"

I',,,'",,, " ' H " ' ' ' ~ TI'," , '<llh,J"hl, ' ',,',·,d"\H",,,j,·,,t ',I"-,,,,,k,'" 1'1" I'," '.'

.... I,"' . ! ' """." '>[1'1""\0' ·",th" 'l 1,"1 .1

""" "'(1\""11<,1' d·,J t)( l t ' () ·" ~ " " " " ' , , ,

,I,,(] ',,,,': h," ",,"[1:"" ", '1 ' I",,,,,··,,·"",,,.,., ~ " ' . I . · ~ t . " i'.' ,,",II' h,."," 'i", , ' , .... , .1' I.Hi".j, , , " ' i I 1"<1 " , , , . ,"1', . "•..

", "i ....1."·,: ",.,.1,,1>1,' tn ' 1'.>'11'" ..."d \ 'o j ,"

.'·"'l1"t" ". 1 H' . I : ~ . ,;0,," ,,,,I " , ~ , ' T < ' 'h

I""" , ,> , : / · l ' n , f , , , , , I , " , ) ~ . - I , , , , , , , , , , t \ ;"I """""1,,,,, " ' 1'1',"" ,,,,el "'lJ( h ·W)"O·

v.>ph" \ J(, ,,10',1 ',""': , . , " ."" \ " : "q" ,I' "pm

An'''fl,! Ih,- "nwr <''1l''I'' ' ' ' ' ' '\ "-ld 'UP!',"'' ' '

I , " "" . rl""",,!'{)fl d ,, , ""d t,!bl .. , ,-h

(! ,,,I I"" " \ ~ ) d ' d ' h."" ( ,- I I' ' ' ' '' h , ' ~ 1\

I""h ,,,,-Idt ,, , "h , T\ (" I " '\

, hM h . 1" ' ld l J , d "",1 bo ok ' " h" ' Jt ,,,,,,n,,

I ,,,,, T W r< ' " d $; ' , u() ",,,,,," urn ,) 1) dl l

, - r ~ W' ;h·l", t l1 ,-" (, ,!t.J loq f:d \ C",')

1 '' '' 1 14 \() ( ' . ,hw ' '''1<1 Ht.d H" III""",j ( .\90018

film prints made from intermediil:ltes.especially prints mode for overseos release.

since these are usuolly one generation fur·ther removed from the original."

Colemil:ln that the improvements in

the color intermediate film will produceresults which very dosely rival color rever·

Intermedlil:lte film. 0 one· step iI:I lternoUvefor moking color release prints.

The new intermediate film is scheduled to

replace the current emulsion by early 1986."We anticipate 0 smooth transition sincethere are no chonges in processes or hondl·Ing." he soys. "Even the nome of the c;olorIntermediil:lte film will remain Ihesome.However. our engineering staff will be work ·Ing ve ry closely with labs usi ng the new In·termedlate film to mil:lke sure that every·

thing goes smoothly ."'

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


For a awhile in Ho llywood. it seemed

that any self· respect ing monster

had to be larger than l i fe-King

Kong in the ea rly 305. Godzilla in the 50s.Even most aliens were life size or bigge r.Gort the robot stood at seven p lus feet, as

did Rid leyScotf sAUEN. But. here we arein 1980s. Everything from cassetteplayers to computers are getting smaller

and sma ller; things that go bump in the

night are following suit. From E.T. to the

Gremlins, creepy things arc shrinking

faster than Grant Williams. For the low

budget filmmaker this can be both a curse

and a blessing.

Since th e invention of am m , the disc i·

pies of Roger Corman have had friends in

makeup and masks. costumes and cos-

me t ics to star as the rn8in distractions in

theirspace operas or fright flicks. But. forthe filmmakers who want to stay up on big

budget technology. it is time to make aminiature monster. It is t ime to chuck that

rubber mask and start thinking smal l.Whi le Carlo Rambaldi spent $700,oooto

bring E.T. to life. the budget consciousdirector can create an alien for far, far less.

Al l it takes is a little imagination, a lot of

inventiveness, and a few dollars.

First , it is important to decideon the ap·

proximate size of your creature. Along

with thisdecision you must detemine how

your crea ture will be operated-this is

where the inventiveness comes in. For myfilm Oashsite, Idec ided that the pilot of a

wrecked spacecraft should be about four

feet ta ll and look like a cross between an

all igator and a BEM-(Bug .Eyed Mons·

ter). Theon ly visible parts of the crea turewould be the head. operated mu ch like a

puppet, and one claw, again operated by

hand. The rest of the creature, including

the kneeling operator, would be coveredby a robe.

The head is the place to start. To get a

rough idea of what the finished creature

will look like. model a small head out o f

Plast icine. This way you can get a good

......... I" "I

Plastic milk bottles and ot/1ef pIastk: hoosehold ~ e m smake a great foundatiOn Icr the monster's s!(ull. Astyroloam ball cut in I'IaIt works well1cr bulging eyes.

o

idea of how the monster wou ld look from

all angles. The next step is to foragearound the house for shapes to make the

skull. Plastic milk bottles , shampoo bot·t ies. small plastic planting pots. and

straws make a great foundation. For the

eyes that make a BEM a BEM. I used a

sty rofoam ball cut in half and glued on to

both sidesof the skull. Shape, ratherthanappearance, is the important part of th is

step. Use sharp scissors. a modeling knife.

and plastic tape to build the form.

Neatness here does not count; just tapethe shapes together in the way that worksbest. When you are satisfied that the can·

glomeration of odds·and·ends is the ap·proximate shape of your plasti cine head,cut an access hole in the base for you hand

to fi t through.

The next step is to purchase a bottle of

liquid latex rubber. A good art supplyhouse or theatrical makeup company

should carry thi s Item. A IO·ounce bottleshould be enough for the job. With a small

paint brush, coat areas of the head with

the latex. Then. whi le the la tex is still wet ,lay pieces of ti ssue paper over the area.

Using your fingers, press the paper down

so it absorbs the latex,

You will find tha t wi th a l i l l ie practice

you can mold wrinkles into the paper by

pinching the paper between your fingers.

Large veins can be made by rOiling the

tissue into sma ll tubes, dipping them

directly into the latex. and then applying

them to your form.

Your monster can be made 10 show only the Ilead andone arm an can be designed 10 be operated as shownin this illustration. Don't hide the rest at the moost8f

betlind objects . jusl crop il out at the lrame.

,

6)Pieces of vinyl can be used to cover

large, smooth areas by taping the vinyl

down along the edges and latexing over

the sides. Becolluse this is the skin of your

creature, it is important to work a lot of

texture into this part of your creation.

Also. be sure towork in a ventilated area.

The latex has an ammon ia base and the

fumes are unpleasant. When the latex isdry. fumes will no t be a problem.

I decided to give my creature a long

neck. To accomplish this, I used vinyl

scraps to make a cylinder big enough for

my fist to fi t through, Because sewing is

not oneof my strong points. I simply sta·pled the sheets together. Then, armed

with my latex and tissues, I attached thecylinder around the hand hole in the skull

and "s kinned it up" to match the textureof the skull,

Adding sCoIIles is a snap by using thin

styrofoam sheets. Start hoarding trays

meat comes in from the grocer, egg can·tainers, and the like. Using the biggestsheets possible. cut the sheet into stripsabout an inch wide. Next, cut a series of

short. round waves out of the styrofoam.

Glue, or tape the strips down in Illyers sothat the rounded edges overlap the

straight ones. Once again latex over thestrips. Working this way you can build up

a very scaley creature indeed.

In many ways hair is easier to add to

your creation than scales. First. buy an old

wig from a resateshop. ora Salvation Ar ·

my thrift store, Cut tufts of hair of varyinglengths from the wig. Wet an area of your

monster with the latex and then lay oneend of the hair over the wet area. Then

gently brush the non· st icking hair away

from the monster. Working insmollil areas

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


Oneway II) make an ahen haOO is II) build one up froma rubber glove . You can bind the fingers together for a

t h r e i n g e r e d hand. Covet" with lissue and latex.

LA , £ xG L ov e

it is possible, with time , to make a veryhairy creature.

By this time your creation should beginloo king very al ien. It will have an awfulyellow.white skin and wouldn't fool any

one. II is time to paint.Unlessyou·vedone

so already, it is also time to jerry· rigsomething to hold yourcrea ture's head upwhile work ing. I simply sl ipped mine overan old tripod to hold it steady during

painting.Using spray paint. give the head and

neck a base color. usuallyadark brown or

green.Use black to give the ba se co lo r some

texture by holding the can away from thehead and hitting it with shor t blasts from

the can. For my alien J used a base color

of flat black and then held a can of orangeinane hand, and a can of gold in the other

to blend together a very alien skin tone.Avoid painti ng the eyes white, with

pupils. Instead, make them a solid co lor.slight ly darker or lighter than the rest of

the head. Eyes are the hardest things to

recreate realistically-a bad paint job

here wi ll rob your creation of allcredibility.

Last. but not least. you may want to coatthe head with clear enamel spray paint.This will add a gloss to the skin color thatwil l make it seem moist, often a desired

effe<:t.For the experienced head builder. a

hand or a foot is not t rouble at all. For analien hand. buy a pair of latex householdgloves at the grocery store. Then, usingthe liquid latex and tissue go towork. Youmay want to bind the fingers together in·to a permanent Vulcan salute for a three·

YGUr finished rronster may kXlk sanethlng like thiSCreative lighting and editing can help make )'GUr

creature convmcing on screen.

,

"S S V£'""

( 'oAT £"l:> l...oJl'TH

LATE")(

•

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


fingered monster. or build up the lengthof each fi nger into a Nosferatu·1ike claw.Paint the hand the same color as your

alien head.To make feet. I suggest const ruct ing

them in the same manner as the head.First determ ine shape, then create a form,and lastly go to work wit h your latex andpaint. After they are comple ted, attachshort dowels to the top of each alien foot.

Chancesare you will not be showing themtoo much. It is rare that any film spendstoo much t ime on feet of any ki nd. Re·member to keep the color of your alienappendages consistent with the head. If

the monster hasa hairy cranium, give him

hairy knuckles as well.Shooting is where you really bring your

pint ·s ized creature to life. Remember thatit is best never to show your wholecreature at once. Show the head in oneshot and the hand in the next. If this isdone correctly, your crea ture may not

need to have a formed body. The more left

to the imagination the better. Cut fastremember, a good effect is never dwelt

on. Show it fast and leavethe viewerwant·ing more.

The most ir"portant aspect of getting

your creatu re on film is movement. Prac·tice moving your wrist and arm to giveyour creature su btle, fluid motions. Kee peye contact with al l other characters anddevelop a personality for your creation. Inamed my creature Bernard and tried to

think of him and his operator as one

character. It wil l help you asa director to

first shoot a test ree l of the creature to

determine proper lighting and differentmovements. The darker the ligh ting thebetter. Back lighting works best.

You may decide you want a shot show·ing the whole body of yourcreature. If thisis the case, I suggest outfitting theoperator in loose robes, or a satin sheet.Have him or her kneel , or even lie downwhile keeping the head of you r monster

held high. If you choose your cameraangle carefully, you should be able to

keep the operator hiddt:n. Avoid sticking

the operator behind obvious objects, suchas bushes or furniture. It ;s better to film

just the head rather than having the headsticking up from behind a I iding place.Remember, most puppeteers work on astage. where viewers can look anywhere

they want. Because of this, they rave to reo

main hidden behind a wall pr f ur tains.But, as a filmmaker, you C?[l fprce ,theviewer to see just what yqu )ltant, howmuch you want. and for as long as youwant.

Most of all , watch how the big budgetguys do it. Pay careful attent ion to Yeda'smovements-or even Yoda's distant

cousin GroveronSesameStreeI. See how

a good puppeteer like Frank Ozcan bringa sock and two ping pongs ballsalive withgood movements. You can get as fancy asyou want building your own monster. Youmay wish to use string to open and closethe mouth, or try almost anyth ing else.Bernard had a tube that ran from hismouth to the operator's mouth. so that ona cold night the creature wou ld haverealistic breath steam. While any

innovation is possible, my advice is to

keep your goals realistic. You will be sur·prised to see how much you can get out of

a basically stolid creature. If you work

hard, you will receive one of the best com·pliments any director can hope for-aviewer asking, "Gee, how did you do

that?"

FOI as linle as $15.00 you cao reach all OUrspllCial etlects faos. CATEGORY:DEADLI NE: CINEMAGIC ~ 3 4 l n our oflice by July 30 .

CINEMAGIC ;35 in our Office by September 4.BASIC RATE: $.5.00 per lIoe. l imi l -45 characters per line. Minimum

throo line5. Puoctu-aHOfi. symbols aod spaces count ascharacters. Small Display ads- $40.oo per column inch(camera·readyONLYI!l

HEADLINE: First lineonly-Word(s oj yoor choice{underlinethem)will be printed in BOLO CAPS.

PAYMENT:

MAi l TO:

Oroginal MOVIe Posters!Fasl Personal ServIce

C a l ~ 1 o g S2 .00 (Refundable)POSTER GALLERY, BOX 2745

DEPT. f l , ANN ARBOR, MI4Bl06

MERC H AND ISE

SHAPE UPI Wear this mask and everyone will be talk·ing about the nighl YOU came home! The "WhiteShaOow" lsonly$39.95. NIGHTMARE FACTORY. 700tGranero Or . EI Paso. TX 79912.

SOUNDTRAK MUSICI New cassel1e composed Justlorlilmmakers! One ful l 1l0urofmusictochooSll lromlDolby Stereo! Only $8.95 + 51 posH Custom scolesoone 1001 Also. Space ProJeclion Sl ides Vo l. 1-$7.951Scott Weaver Prod .Sooy Lane. Absecon. NJ 08201 orwrite for inlo.

ANIMATION MOOELS. films. how-to books. and otherEFX memorabilia lor sale. Send $1 .00 for currentcatalog. Wallace Jones StudIOS. 53t2 Manson Rd .•Jutian. NC 27283.

MAKEUP FX ARTIFICIAL EYES- Hand painted eyescustom made to order in any size or COIOf. Alsospecialized items and lab SllfVices lor the effects an istor mask maker. Send SOC and a long SASE lor catalog

and price list to MILLENNIUM STUDIO. PD. BOX19932. Birmin!lham. AL 35219.

EFFECTS -MagazInes. Books. Films. Front Scloon,An imation Supplies. Latex. Flash·Smoke Devices.Miniature Supplies . Catalog 52 .00 - EFFECTSUNLIMITED. P.O.Bo.2246, Rockville MD20852.DepteM.t .

HARRYHAUSEN & OTHER STO P·MOTIONMEMORABILIA. Selling IS yearcolillCliofl . List Nt outno N. Send $2 bill to Allan Osborne. 435 Bay Strel!l , Pol"!Melbourne. 3207. Victoria . AuSlfalla.

PLEASE BE SURE TO INDICATE THE CATEGORY YOUWANT TO BE L1STEO UNDER.

Cash. ci1eck or money order must accompany ad order.(checks payable to Slarlog Press. Inc.)

CINEMAGIC,do Starlog Press, Inc.215 Park Avenue Sou lhNew 'lbrk. NY tOOO3.

SEMI.DERANGED COMPOSER is capable 01 cfealingUn;que OI igin<>' MUSic lor Horror/Sci·li l ilms. JosephProgler. Box 2"9w. Mshopac Falls. NY 10542.

START YOUR OWN MA SK BU SINESS! Everylhingyou need to kllOW : dIagrams. lormulas. suppliers,sculpture tips, dIstributors' addresses. etc. Send aSASE to Oavid Ayres Special Effects StudiO. 204 N.Fraser 0 •.. E . Mesa. AZ 85203.

Magnetic Sound Striping . Finest magnetic striping.'NeI:>erllng lamlnatlOfl Super-818 mm per It.se per It .with balance stripe. Rush Service. MAGNETSTRIPE,333 Aycngg Ave . PassaIC. NJ 07055. (201 ) m.4633 .

OISCQUNT P R I C ~ S IWOI!LO'S LARG tSI SElECTION Of QUAIJIY PRINT YOUR FILM or vH:lIlO club's 10 OIl lellelS or

MASKS. MAI{f.Lf'. a. ,ocESSOI!IES. slamp your own 10 labels for your fi lm cans. v>d1lO

AT LA ST! A MASK A FACIAL APPLIANCE KIT . LOtex opplonces,opecioIe!Teclll!eml. cassettes.film&videollQulp . ( ) f s a m p ~ r I D O f I b & c kEverything yoo need to make your own custom latex mcwIeond hoo.nted hoo$4I prOPS. 3.0 oiyourphotoswith yourown three·l ineretum addressmasks and prosthetics. Kit InCludes plaster. clay. latex. ~ _ .. rare COIeCIlbleI. an d much roofel .ubber stamp. Send only 54.50 plus 35¢ postage perpaints. hair. tools. complll1e instructioflsandmore. Only Ca toloQ ....S3.00 (1IottIVnda1l+e) stamplo STAMP CRAFT. PD. Box 389. Burgettstown .$44.95 NIGHTMARE FACTORY, 7001 Granelo Or . EI ~ PA 1502t. Add 75c /or each exira line of info required .

" ~ X ~ " " ~ ' : 2 C ________________________L:t. ___ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ __ J r - - L " : ' : ' ' = : " : ' ' : ' : ' ' ~ ~ : : ' ' : ' : ~ : ' : - - - - - - - - - - - - J

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


-------- --------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ,

(conlintled{rompagcJ3)A: Well, now we're ready to combine theactor with the background . To do this, we

have to take the origina l color (blue·

screen) image of he actor and isolate him

against a black field. A t the same time. we

have to insert his silhouette onto th e col·or background, so he can be exposed in-to it.

The first step is to take the negative ofth e silhouette (the counlennatte. a clear

"window" of the actor surrounded byblack)and sandwich it with aco lor print ofthe blue screen shot. The black area"blocks out" the blue screen; al l that

shows is the color image of the actor.Then , as you've probllbly'guessed. the

actor's silhouette issandwkhed with a col·or print of the background .ThaI sandwichis printed onto unexposed color negative,

yielding a single strip of the film of thesilhouette moving against the scenery.

Since this isour final "dupe negative".we don 't have to take it out of the camerasection of the optical printer . It's simply

wound back to the beginning.and the col-or image of the actor(now against black)is exposed in to his sil houette.

When the color dupe negative is pro-cessed and a print of it is made, Voila .'Foreground and background are as one .Q : I think I've finally gotten a handle onthe blue screen process. But hey, th is iscomplicated!

A: Oh. sure . I'm not pretending that it's asnap. You can see just how many film

str ips are needed to marry a foregroundand background intoa single scene. And

believe. me , I've simp lified everything in

explaining it. Depending on the complex.ity of the shot. many intermediate stepscome into play.That'sstandard operatingprocedure in most optical houses.Q : You mean . no t all blue screencomposites are done the way you've ex·

plained it?A: The principle is always the same. Weneed a color print and a color negative of

the blue screen shot (the "insert "). Weneed a blue·filtered ve rsion of the inserton black [, white posi tive film . We need a

silhouette matte of the insert. and acountermatte. And we need a color print

of the background.Allthi s.

justto

get anactor or an object inserted intoa duplica·

tion o f that background.Q : So what are those intermediate stepsyou mentioned?

A: The most important one is the use of in·lerposiliues.Most optical houses transferthe co lor print of the blue·screen inserland the color print of the background onto

Ih is special interposi tlve stock.Q : Just what is "i nterpositive" stock andwhat's the reason for it?A: Well. remember, we're rephotograph·ing color material and transfering it onto

a new negative. And i!lnytime you do that.

you build up contrast To avoid thai . theoriginal color prints are duplicated onto

thi s interpositive stock. It's a positiveimage, except it's on a legaCiue film base.

In olher words. it looks just likea print of

the insert and a print of the background.except it has an orange tint to i t - the

same tint that you find on acolor negative.

Q: Alilhis, to avoid contrast?A: Yes. You see. the interpositive stockhas a low contrast level. And the interposi·tive stock is compalible wilh the finalduplication negative. That's the mostimportant thing. A ll the mattes andcountermattes are usually sandwichedwith the interpositives of the actor andbackground during the optical process.Theonly time the matlesare run with theorigina l color prints is to achieve ade/iberale increase in contrast.Thai might

happen if the bluescreen shot .and thebackground were slightly washed out to

begin with.There are so many variations of the blue

screen process. What rvedescribed isonebi!lsic app roach. T he "color difference"system. far too complicated to explainhere, breaks Ihe original blue screen shot

into red. green. and blue " records" and

makes possible the reproduction of anycolor in the foreground . along with thepouring of liquids and smoke.Q: Somethingjustoccurred to me. Whatif the actor in front of the blue screen has

a blue shin on? How do you deal with that?A : Of course. one tries to avoid any bluecolors in the actor's clothing . Once they

blend with the screen. the background

sunery could bleed right through the&Clor in the final composite. Even so. bluecolors are reproducible in convent ionalblue screen setups. as long !lS they can belonaJJyseparated from the bluescreenon

black and white film . In The Ten Com·mandmenls. several shots of Yul Brynner

.. earing a blue helme t were " blue ·screened" on to desert backgrounds. Andthe flying bikers in E. T, wore blue jeans.Q : Why is blue used as a backing?A : Well. any of the three primary colorscan be used behind the actor. There canbe Kre<J screen" and "green screen. " Eachcan be filtered out on the op t ical printer

for the production of a silhouette matte.Blue screen is the most acceptable for tworeasons: ( I) since flesh tones do not con·

tain the color blue. they separatedeanlyfrom the screen, and (2) should a matte

line occur, a blue " fringe" causes lesseyestri!lin and generally blends better withbackgrounds, particularly if a sky is used.Of course. the goal is not to get a matte

line at all.Q: What causes those nasty matte lines?

A : lots of things. The " blue fringe" youoften see around the actor is an artifact of

the blue screen that had been behind him

during the original take. Generally speak.ing, it's visible because the travelling

matte shrank during development. Thesilhouette and the color image of the actorno longer fi t precisely. When that hap-

pens, the countermatte also diminishes

it cannot completely block out the bluescreen. So you getan edge. A blue edge.On the other hand, if the matte and

countermatle "bleed" during develop-ment. they are enla rged. They cui off thescreen and the actor ever so slightly in thefinal composite. And you get a black

matte line.Q: I see what you mean. If a red screen is

used behind the actor to make the matte,and the matte shrinks. you would see ahorrible red outline around his body,A : Yup. It wouldn 't be so bad. though. if

the actor wa ssupposed to be on Mars! But

that shrinkage of the matte roll has alwaysbeen a problem, and still is. Bad regis·

tration on the optical printer can alsothrow the system out of whack. Even thet iniest difference in sprocket holes be·tween the various film strips can cause theactor to " weave" in relation to thebackground.

Blue screen work can be perfect. Thefilm Hawaii had su perb shots of peoplematted onto ocean baCkgrounds. Theblue screen work done by Albert Whitlockand Bill Tay lor for The Hindenburg wa sfirst class. And the pastry sequence in

YOlmg Sherlock Holmes, where food char·acters come to li fe and swa rm around the

actor, was flawless.

Q : What's the secret?A : Irs just a matter o ftighting the or iginalblue screen shot properly-avoiding bluereflections on the actor-and having thetime to make the necessary adjustmentsbefore the elementSi!lre printed together.If the si lhouette of the actor shrank. itwould be a matter of enlarging it to

tolerances of 1/1 0,000 of an inch. Some·times ir s just trial and error. and havingthe time and money to do those trial runs

on the printer. In a mammoth productionlike The Ten CommandmenlS. it wasn'talwi!lYs possible to do thi s, Time simply

ran out.Controlling the density of the matte is

also crucial. If it's /00 dense. it tends to"bleed" around the edges. as rvealread ypointed out. The result is a big fal matteline. To avoid th is. co mpanies like In·dustrial Light [, Magicno longer producesilhouette mattes on high contrast stock.They use panchromatic stock and do

some rather neat tricks with it. If the matteis not dense enough. they might tak e twolow.densi ty exposures of the matte andsandwich them together. That way. thesilhouette becomes blacker but the edgedoes not bleed. Also. if the actor in a bluescreen shot moves ri!lpidly for a second or

tWO.lhe silhouette of his figure would in·tentionally be Ihin and gray. just for thoseparticular frames. to maintain the actor 'snatural blur. By 90inga frame at a time onthe printer. you can make those adjust·men ts. Of course. none of thi s is easy.Q: 111 sayl lf you keep this up. you 'lIlose

meagain.

A : OK. I've said a mouthful. But I'll bet theterm "blue screen" no longer shakes you

up .Q : Slowly. but su re ly. it's sinki ng in.Thanks a lot.A: No sweat.

'"lNEMAG/C"33 6 1

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


Send cash.check or money order to=1'f!!!!U!61'1!1YS. •

475 Park Avenue South =New York. NY 10016 •

OR. WHOCOllECTOR'SEDITION OR. WHO PlCTlRE OISC •0S!6.9$ DSlO.93

OR.WHO SOI.N>£FFECTSo C<mene 0 lP$8.96

OR. WHO THEME a.

'"'""""'""$>X>GENEsrsOl= THE DALEKSo sa..

OR. WHO- "THE MUSIC"OS ..

SPACEtNAOERSo SM .

IK.AKE"S7D$>X>

WHO IS W 0ClC10Q?

D$>X>

SCI-fI SOI.N> EFFECTSDsa .

OUT 01= 1HS WOIllD0$8.96

. . . . . . . "",0..0. P<><otOQe on<!

NAME

USA $2.00 tcw." ~ O I "SI.50tcw each 0<'"'''''''''' ' ' :01 ' '

CANADA S2S2 c w " " ' h ' ~ O I "'0Ii'I1GN S4 .S2tcw .......h " ' :01"

RECORDS!( ... fecao.orel2"" 33V. rpm...-o.m OIherwIM noled)

BESTSELLERS

DR . WHO COLLECTOR'S EDITIONA Two-Record Set

1. ·'Genesis of the Daleks"2. "Dr, Who Sound Effects"

Plus:A 45 rpm Bonus Record!

'·Dr. Who Theme"'·Dr. Who & The Astronauts '·

A Giant Full-Color Pos ter!7Souvenir Photos!All for only $16.98 + postage

ALSO AVAILA.LEIE*. WMO _MO . , ne l l....... ,.-.,....,.,....u .9t • IXllIogoo

"MII I I or " ' DAUOS ' ' ' ' ' ' 'Q 10m Il00.. .$UI • IXllIoQIo

-"1 '174 ~ , c : m

suo. ()Oflog.oo

0111 or 1N "_0

II ' .CI INYADln

S " " ' ' 1 ( : t [ " ~ , , " o m , ,'''''''''v Spac..... " "S6.9t.1><)OIagoe

A1moIOtoOtC Soor>Os a ! n ~ " "om_ N C ~ o c w " " ' " " " "U9t.(>OOIooIt

Be the filS! in your galaxy to own acomplete set of paperback

featuring the incredible adventures of everybody's favorite Time Lord.• • • • • • • • • • OCTOR WHO Boo ks Please send me the title{s) I have checked below•••••••••••••

DOCTOR WHO PAPERBACKS . S2.95 + postage Stariog P'es.s 475 ParkAvenue South, New YOlk, NY 10016

20131 -.M egln zt2f1 __ iml·fllght21:I13Z -.M onlllrolPtlHOR zoa23 __ ImeWamOI:!1HO ~ l I l I n t s 21171 __ omb 01 CVbermln21:IllO ----.-.-NlglItnIIre 01 Edln 200II __ ndlrworld21252 ~ a n . 1 01 Dllelel 21:1144 __ nNIIIIIy Child21112 ~ a n l 1 of hl i 21:1135 __ llliliion20ISS -"1 l1li11 of Spldtfl ZIOI% __WII Gam"21:1101 -" e . , r 01 Kroll 21:1141 __ lrrlOI1 ' Gile21111 - " mm l d s 01 MIn 21581 __ lrr1011 of Deep"14 ' _ _ _"'0 ,wlllook 21D14 __WebofF..,HII2 _ '''boa Optrlllan 21324 ~21011 -"otIob 01 o m 21:1131 -D I. WIKI Crossword loot"300 __ ea Dmll 21:1131 - 'k . WIKI frog"""", ~ l d l~ __ eond Qull BDOIc VoIuml 1. . . . __ ukllllnce 20142 -D I. WIlD ProgllllllM Owlde21M. -"'fttlrln bperilMftl Volume 2"033 __ ,.eW... DOCTOR WH O HARDCOYIR21:1133 ~ Deely_ __ 1oR" 0I81DDd 23351 ~ WIlD : A CIInllllDn ·201$1 ~ R I I \ I U TwoDItId" I I l ' I I I I g ~" . . __ lnltll'lll1l1 fime Spec l2I3IS T, rmlnWI $11.85 + lIIH1IDe"' ' ' --TlrrorfDrAlilo., 23m __ hlKIfIo'nIM-21578 TIl,.. 0De1l1l $2.4.15 + IIH1IDI

~ : : : : : : DOCTOR WHO SPECIALS. S2 .95 + poslage

",.-________________~ : : E : ~ ~ ~ ~ 2tOI3 -- JUNIOR DR. WHO AND THE

MI.M! BRAIN OF MORBIUS $U S,.,__ THE ADVENTURES OF K ' AND= ~ - - - - - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ OTHERTHI,.GS SUS

$TRW 10ft"" 21115 __ THE MAKINO OF DR. WHO(d _boU-Sl .50• ~ ________________ Udtq,_ _ S . 50

ONI enclose $__ " --'"--

.....DALEK SPECIAL

$U STHE OOCTOA WHO DINOSAURBOOK $U S

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


Filmmakers'

fORUMA regular department devoted to readers' comments about filmmaking, the ir problems and solutions.

Twenty Questions

. . . 1hevc been reeding CINE·MAGIC fo r three years lind I em

plcllsed with your !lrtides lind

project s In them . However. Ih t l ~ come (leTO" some prob·lems thllt need to be solved or

l o o k ~ li t.IMve purchesed lIli of your

maglulnes lind reed every one ofthem. bu t I have need of some

Information on e few of thefollowing subjects: ceble con·trois, travelling maUe systems.

lIudlo' lInlmatronlcs, mechanicaleffects, lind rod puppetry .

I would like some Informationon cDble control systems. Thebooks I have read talk II greatdealllbout cables in puppets lind~

crceturcs. rd like to kn owIf you have any books on th issubject, lind if you can give me

the names of the people that usethem in their jobs so I am wri teto them (ex. the people whoworked on Return 0( the Jedi i!lndThe Dane Clysla/). I would like toknow how the eyes move in themasks of the Skeksis in TheDarlc OySIIII.

I would i!l lso like some infor·mation on trevelling mettes (op.

tlcel prin ting). Do you h"ve "n ybooks th"t am tell you how tomi!lke an optlcel printer end (noten oeriel.il1li!lge prin ter).

Next, I to know how

"udlo 'i!lnimetronics ("u tomete)works i!lnd how to use it In my

movies. I h"ve looked into th issubject for ebout e year i/lndci!ln 't find i!lny books reli!lting tothis subject. i Wi!lS wondering jf

you know of i!lny books on thisor If you know of i/lnyone in thisfield I could contllct, like GeorgeGibbs wh o worked for Tempk o(Doom on the buming dummy

end the felling dummies in themovie.

I would also l ike Informationon mechllnlcal ef fects like wiresend rlldiO<Ontrolied puppets. Ifyou kn ow of IIny books or peo.pie reillt ing to this subject plei!lgeconti!lct me or give me a list of

them .Finally, I wo uld like some in·

formllt lon on rod puppetry andhow I l ls used In films todi!ly. 1would appreciate It If you couldhave an article on th is subject inyour I1li!Igi/ldne.

Oon M. Asco lll, Jr .

1404 E. Dunbar Dr.Tempe, AZ 85282

Most 0 ( your questions concernCflff/s prltC l /c«1 by It very fewpeople. There Is very lilrie publish·ed mltleriai covering these topics.Do 1lOlltUempf to build yoor own

opllcal primer. JK Engineering(510 1 San Leandro Sl., OakhtndCA 94601 ) sells relaliuely Inex·

pensive CIp(/cal printers forSuper·8 and 16mm. Rod pup.petry hM been ltlOUIld fOl"

thousitnds 0( years an d you

should be able to rtnd books 01"1

the subject. In your local library.

Sony, we can) give out names

"'"-.".,.

Soundtrack Composer· . . 24 yellr old composer/syn·theslst whishes to colillborlltewith experienced filmmi!lkers na ·tlonwlde. 111m especill ily in·terested in developing sound·trllck ing for fi!ln lasy sci·n. horrorlind computer generi!lted films

lind videos.

Scott Knol10824 1st . Ave. S.E.Eve rett, WA 98204

Cable Outlet· . . Attention filmakers! Are youInterested In showing your

movies on Creative Outlet (acable TV show In New Jersey)? If

so, plei!lse send II self·&ddressed,stllmped envelope to us for IIrelellSe form lind more Informa·lion.

Independent Filmmakers

Box 2241

Bloomrleld, NJ 07003

Blood Bath

· .. 1WIlS recently purcheslngPhoto· flo solution at a localcamera store for use in Dick

Sm lth 'S blood formula (CINE·MAGIC M2), when the SlIlesmeninformed me thllt Photo·flo isnothing more then diluted dish·washing detergent. I confirmedthis when I llsked my photo·graphy teacher ebout i t -he

I1li!Ikes his own .I tried using diluted dish·

washing detergent instelld of

Photo·flo In the blood formula,lind It nOI only works-iI 's

cheap! You can I1li!Ike roughlyforty times liS much Photo·flofor the SlIme price of buying i t.Whllt 's more, you can more ellsl·Iy Ild]ust the thickness of theblood. as the detergent formulll

allows for experimentation.Don't use any colored deter·

gents-they discolor the blood

and don't photogr<llphy we i l. luse Ivory. which hes good col·oration lind wa shes out of

dothes e<llsily. Now I m<llke bloodby the gallon-not by the ounce!

Ru ssel Richards] 621 Trailridge Rd .Charlottesville, VA 2 2903

Super·8 to Video

.ASi!ln lndependen tfilmmll ker wh o uses Super·a liS IIvideo production formllt. I feel

the press hilSmisconstrued theImplica t ions of the video boomfor Super·a film product ion.Inste&d of milking Super.8product ion obsolete. video hasopened up new opportunities forSuper·8 i!lS i!I televisionproduction form"t that clln rival16mm and broadc<lIst.qui!llity

video tllpe.Professionall y tri!lnsfered to

one·lflCh video tJ)pe. withelectronic color cor rect ion lindimi!lge enhllncemen\. Super·8of fers the video producer th i!lt

sought lift er ""film"look, with the

dynamic con tr i!lst ri!lnge <lindassociated color shifts that hllvebecome synonymous with highvideo production values. This" film"" look-as I can personallyIlttest. and es reported in theSMPTE Journal and in AmericanCinematographer-is the SlImewhether the original film is16mm or Super·a. Wi thelectronic color correction. it is

extremely difricult 10 distin guishSuper·a from 16mm In off·the·monitor tests.

Todllys Super-8 offers thevideo producer broadcast quality

Images in II format thai utilizeslight weight, extremely portableCi!lmeres and cassette sync·soundrecorders. or single systemcameras that combine picturelind sound recording in a singleunit. Super·a camerlls clln goi!lnywhere, operate on penlight orrechllrgellble ba tteries lind film

In extreme low l ight situlltions(approxlmlltely 10 foo.-cllndles)In full color.

The potential of Super·8 as IIvideo prodUC1lon formlll istremendous, as evideflCed by therecognition it has recentlyreceived from profe55ion<llmedia producers-Dan Ratherand his CBS crew shot Super·aln

Afghi!lnisti!ln for na t ionalbroadCllstlng on CBS News,while Frllnk Christopher shot hisACi!ldemy AWllrd runner·up In theName of he People in Super·a.

Guy B. Holt .

95 Harvey St.

Cambridge, MA 02140

. We cooldn'/ agreewith youmore, Guy. ~ Mike Hadley 's

article, "FUm and Tape. T h e B e ~ofBoth Worlds .. in this issue.

St i l l Looking. .. We i!lre dedicated young film·makers i!lnd i!lre looking for

others in the i/lrell of FllirfieldCounty Connecticut to join us Inthe filming i!lrts. I tyou lire veryinteresled in the filming businessplellse wri te.

Drellm Associatesclo Robert Betts

30 Hunters Ridge Rd .Shelton, CT 064a4

Soundtrack Composer

• . . Perhaps the most difficu lt

project in completing a film iscoming up with i!ln origi!)elsoundtri!lck. You could hire JohnWilliams to compose the score.Then again, you probi!lbly Ci!ln' tafford it! And no, you don't Wi!lntto use the Star Wars soundtrll-Ck,

since iI's not origin<lli. Besides, It

would be ilIeg,,1 to use it withoutperm iss ion. How about hiringsomeone that doesn't cost liS

much?In &ddition to filmmi!lking, I've

been composing music forIlmateur films. Thesesoundtrll-Cks are or igini!llcomposi tions mastered in multi·track DBXnr ste reo using digiti!llsynthesizers. drum ma-chines,effects processors. and.sequeflCers.

If you lire interested in asoundtr i!lck for your fi lm, pleasewrite to the below address for

more In formation. Demo-tapeslire available upon request.Andrew PettersonRI. 8, Box 268

Tucson, AZ 85730

FX Studio Addresses

. l llm very interested in ob·teining the i!lddresses of vllriouSspedlll effect model studios inCal ifornill. Could you piellsesupply me with these or inforl1li!l'tlon es to where I could getthese.

Terry Veenstr a154 Mai n SI.

Box 304Beachville, Ontario, Canada

.. . Consult file Los Angeles yeI.

low pages at !JOUT loclillilxary 01"

telephone company offICe.

Rhodelsland Almmaker

. . 1am 16 yellrs old and wouldlike to get in conti/lct withenyone who is in Rhode Islendor the New England area wh owants to help in any way in I1li!Ik·Ing a horror, fantasy or science·fiction film . If enyane is in·terested. please contact me IIIthe IIddress below.

AI Caldarone6 5 Pleasant View Ave .Greenvil le, RI 02828

CfNEMAGfC ""33 63

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


Drawing a Blank

· . . Being an amateur film·

make r. I often use guns in my

movies. The only problem is thatwe have to dub the bullet soundeffects In at the studio (my

room). I would like to know

where I can get some blanks formy guns.

Charles CranberryF· 17 Kemang IndahJakarta, Indonesia 12

Almost any gun shop will have

blanks In stock.

Long Island An imator• •. 1would like to either corres·pond aJldlor co llaborate withother filmmakers in the Green·lawn/Huntington area of LongIsland. l"m rapidly becoming anexcellent animator of clayfigures.

Imaginative Product ions

cio John Kelly

12 Colony Court

Greenlawn, NY 11740

Brazilian FX Artist

· . . rm a Brazilian filmmaker

and rm very Interested in

science fiction. fantasy, ani·matl!d cartoons. makeup. stop·motion. mlltte paintings and lIli

kinds of specilll effects. Here in

BHUil we don't have any infor·matlon about special effects, ali i

know about the subject isthrough rellding American

magazines. I like Douglas Trum ,bull lind other ef fects artists'work very much. I would like to

correspond with anyone whoshtlres my Interest in film ef·fects. Plese write!

Mario Azevedo CostanetoRua Commandante Vergel ro

Da CruzNo. 58 0 PenhaRio De Janeiro, Brazil

Front Projection

Supplies· •. 1hllve II question that willprobtlbly help other filmmakers

as weiLl htlve been wanting to

use the front projection systemin my recent film but [a m hav,ing a lo t of trouble trying to findthe Scotchlite 7620 projectionmateritll. 1would appre<iate it if

you could possibly give me anyaddresses of suppliers where Icould purchase some.

John Schmitt

6780 Eller LaneCincinnati, O H 45239

SaXchlite {ront·f.'XC!ieC1ion matenal

can be purchased {rom the Raven

Scrren CoqxwaIiOn. 124 EasI.

2 4th St., New York. NY 10035(212) 5J4·B4OB or from /.he

Front ProjectiOn Comp.my. Inc .

49 East /Sl 51., New York. NY10013 (212) 673· 7290. Somemajor pllcxographlc suppl y com·apanles also supply front screen

matenal {o r studio pllOtograpilers.

64 ClNEMAGIC·3 ]

Movie Scripts

• •• 1am 8 reader of your maga·zine and e sci·fi movie buff. I en·joy watching sci·fi movies not

only for sheer pie8sure, but 81:50

for Improving my knowledge ofEnglish. I rellily regret the f&d

that, because English is not my

mother longue. I can not unders·tllnd everything the characters ina movie SlIy. A solution to thisproblem could be to come bythe scripts of the moveis. Do youthink it Is possible fOf me to ac·quire them? If il is. could you

please tell me to whom I should8pply? 18m pl!Irticularly in·terested in the movies directedby Steven Spielberg, namely

Oose Encounters of .he ThirdKind, Raiders of /.he Lost Ark.and E.T.

Giorgio Roves iVi li agg lo Iialcemen t i 9240 22 Al zano Lom bardoBG, Italy

See the ad fo r SaipI. Gtyln the

CINEMAG/C Marketplace sectiOn0{ lhis Issue.

Prop Master Wanted· . . 15 there anyone out there whocan make realistic,lookinglaser

rifles Dnd pistols. costumes andminiatures? If you would be in·terested in helping me. pleasecontact me al the address below.

Mat thew Ed wards36·C Tide VillageSI. Croix, U.S. V.I. 00820

Finding A Film School

• •• 1am writing to request yourguidance. I am a freshman atClear Creek High School in

League City. Tex8s. My in terestsare in the area of ""special effectsand set design" 8nd I would like

to have your suggestions con·cerning preparation for II pro fe s·

sional career.It would be helpful if you

could direct me to some professionals who would be willing to

advise me on what high schOOl

8nd college courses thtlt I needto take. I am especially in ·

terested in leorning which col,leges or universities offer thebest prepl!lrlltion for thi s field of

the art. I don't even know whereto stort. but 1do know this iswh8t I want to do.

Patrick D. Ellis

18619 Prince William

Houston. TX 77 05 8

Petersen 's College Guides used 10

publish lhe American Film Insti·tute Guide to College Courses inFilm lind Television. Un/or'lunalely this e;n;eIlenl guide bookis no longer published. but !JOU

should be able /0 rrnd il In a local

library , Petersen"s Guides are nowauai/able Of l line through Compu·

Serve. Use your own home com·puter (i f you haue one) 10 conducl

your ow n film school search.

Stuntman Services• . . lI m 8 stuntman interested Incorresponding wi th any film·

makers needing my services. For

this purpose. I am presently com ·piling a video resume of my

work. That work includes highfalls, cor hits. motorcycle f8l1s,

motorcycle to truck tr8nsfers,drllgs, st8ir falls, moun tllincl imbs. 8nd repels. J recently ven,tured Into the art of sword·lighting, and have wor ked much

with horses In the past. Fight

scenes 8re 8 specialty of mine

which I have not only par·tlclpl!lted in, but have coor·dinated 8S well. These fightscenes varied in style from mor·tl81 8rtS, to boxing. to " fre-e forlin '" brawls.

For amateur films. la m willing

to work for free. Ali i osk for is acl ip of my stunts performed.

Any filmmakers. amateur or

professionlll in the Sacreamentoorea. can contact me by mol l li t

the following address. Any

potential stuntmen in this tlreaInterested In getting together onstunts. piellse, contact me, 81sa.

Dean B. St. Duran5320 Jerrett Way

Sacramento, CA 95842

Potatoe -Eyed Producer. . . 18m an 18'year,0Idfilmmakerl video producer thatnel!ds your help. I produce atelevision show called Spudu;·

$iOn. which consists entirely of

films and videos produced by

amateur. semi'professional. andstudent filmmakers. The more

films lind videos I can get. themore shows I can make. II I canmake enough shows. I will beable to syndicatp. nat ionally oversmall . low'power broadcast or

cable television stations. getting

your films exposed to lots of peo,pie. And if I can get advertisers. Iwill be able to pay the peoplewhose films we use.

Another thing I can accom·plish by doing this is forming anationo! network of filmmakersc811ed TheSpudvision Networkwhere lIlI members would receiveo qU8rterly newsletter andmembership card. I then wouldbe able to get the members inyoul area to contact each otherso you would be able to makeFilmsor videos with each other.You would also be able to con·tact people in your area withspeciallalents. such as makeup

artists and FIX people.For a flee membership or in ·

formation on sending your filmsto S,JUduision. please wri te me li t

the Address below. Please be

sure to included a self·lIddressed,

stamped envelope.Spud vlsionclo Da vId Foss88 7 Woodm ar Dr.Crys tal Lake, IL 600 14

Flashy Logo Wanted. . • 1om looking for someone in·terested in creating a "F lashy'"logo·introduction for my films .rm looking for something bright.d8lzling. eye,catching and color·ful. If you think you can crelltesomething thlltlits my needs.ond hllve the talent to do it.please contact me.

Exodus Film Productionsc/o John Martin

1920 West Rive r Rd. South

Elyria, O H 44 035

Seeking Super-SServices

. .Ovel the past several yeors.

video popularity has increased.Due to thi s. I am finding it dif·

ficult to locate certain Super·8services. It seems that mostlaboratories that used to offer

them have now switched tovideo. or have gone out of

business. rve talked to numerouspeople and labs. but thi s always

seems to be the case. £,camplesare tC L (International Color

Lab). Alpha Cine, M,P,L (Mot loo

Picture Lab). and SuperCine.I am doing some travelling

mattes 8nd I need a negative of

the mattes I have to producecountermall es. I tr ied to find sa·meone who could make aSuper·8 internegative. but didn·\.An optical blow·up would work.go ing to a 16mm internegativeand then having a reductionprint. but no one could do this

ei ther. Do you know of any Illbthai offers these types of se ..... iccs

lor Super·a users? I am gellingtired 01 hand,articulated mattes.

Kevin Crowder5 1 Yellow Brick Rd.Stillwater , OK 74074

I {anyOfle can help Keuin. please

cOl1!acl him. Kev in. try colltacting

tile "Norwegian FX Artist"' Kar"/·

Er ik Ruud wllose letter also ap·

pears in this section.

Ten Commandments

, , , Thank you for your letter: Iremember our talk a long time

lI90 lind it is nice heoring from

you tlgain. rm pleased you

though t to send me the tlrticleand I want to congrtltul8te you

on its quality. rm delighted I wasable to make a contribution to it.ri l iook forward to seeing the e ll '

panded version in the book you

plan. {lntil then. my best wishesand my thanks.

Charlton Heston

Los Angeles, CAAuthor Paul MandeU {orwarded

this thank!JOU leller to ou r o{rlCe,

afler copies of ONEMAG/C {ca·turirrgourTen Commandments

FX articles had berm SOlt 10 Hes·

Ion. Mandell is cUfTCfltly preparinga compn!/ICfN!ivc t u d y 0(spe.

cial effects with special cmphasiS

on alCmost spectacular $C .

quences eu er filmed.

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


Norwegian FX Artist.1 am II 22·yellf old Norwegian

optical FX artist who works inSuper·a. I have recently finishedbuilding II two·he&ded optlcill

printer. Anyone who wlln ts goodop t ical effects. plellse write to

me. Here lire some ~ l I m p l e s ofwhat I am able to do with theprinter: Al l types of composing,posterizlltion. 1111 types of trllvel·ling mattes. laser lind r lly effects.lind combinations of those ef·fects mentioned above. The pos,sib ilit ies afe endless. so it Is bet·ter to IIsk me if I am able tocreate your effect.

Here is II tip to those of youwho lire looking for good engineeffects for your spaoce models:First. glue II piece of 3M front·projection material in yourengine. Then pul ll regulllr glllssplate at a 45·degree angle infront of your camera lens. and II

slide projector at a 45 degreelingle to your glass pillte (90

degrees to the front of your

camera lens). Put color filters infront of your protector lens, Readthe light meter. and lock it

before you start Ihe slide projec·tor and start filming.

Anyone who wants 10 c o r n ~ s ·pond with me. please write.

Kart·Erik Ruud.Krakeveien 29 .

N· 1500Moss,Norway

California Clnemaglclan, , . 1am 15 and would l ike to

get in con tact with anyone in theOakland/San Francisco areawho Is Interested in creatingdazzling. spellbinding films. Iwould also like some script ideasfor making a film with II come·dic slant. Please wri te to me.

Kevin McNu tt

32 Chatsworth Court

Oakland, CA 94 6 11

Winging It. . . Recently while making an8mm fUm I decided to enhance II

scene by lidding a small flyingcreature to the ~ c k g r o u n d (11111

King KOtJg). Unle did I realizeth<lt making .... ings for thiscreature would b(ocome such II

challenge.Things were moving too

smoothly, I had desIgned thecreature (II cross between II one·eyed boll and a mllntll) in aboutan hour lind made the armatureand sculpted him in llbout two.Even the two·piece plaster of

paris mold came of f without ahitch. but when it came time tocreate the bellst'S wings all workcame to a screaching hilit.

I was stumped. I had builtmany animation models butnever one with wings. The more Ithough llbout it the more Iwanted the wings to look realand perform well during Mirna·

NIZO INTEGRAL 7

A New Dimension in Filming

• Lens: f/1.2 7-50mm 7:1 Schneidermacro wI power zoom .

• Exposure: TTL metering, automaticwi full manual override.

• Film Speeds: Single frame, 1B ,24 fps.

• Sound: Built-in boom mike.

• Special Effects: Fade-in/out,5 & 15 second time-lapse

• Options : 4mm ultra-wide lens,mike extension, nicad batteries.

For complete details on all SuperBEquipment & Supplies send $3.00 for the

SuperB Sound "Info Pack"

tion. A friend suggested cuttlog

the wings from a plastic g andgluing them to the IIrmllture with

latex. This approach had a fewpi tfalls. First. the plastic WIIS stiff

and unrealisti c. and secondly.the acrylic and paint peeledof f eaSily.All WIIS not lost. from this ex·

perlment came the final so lu t ion.I realized tM t if I painted Illtex ona cement walk and let it dry

there. one side wou ld have II

bumpy sort of scaly finish for thetop of the wing. and the otherside would be smooth. perfe<:tlysuiting the fteshy underside. I setthe wing IIrmllture to the flappedposition and drew a patternaround it on paper. I pieced the

~ t l e m on the fully dried la texskin and tract:d with II pen. Next 1turned the pattem over and reo

peated the process. Once tr im ·med. the wings were fai r ly thinbut stroog enough to resist tear·Ing "'hen bent. Next. I glued thewing dov,'nonto the wjre ar·mllture stays with Krazy glue.Krozy glue is the perfect adhesivefor this job. b(ocouse It &dheres toboth metol and rubber withoutreoctlog lI.ith either. When theglue dried IlIpplied 1 0 1 e ~ 10 thejoint belll.een the Dody and thewiog. making it smooth ondolmosl unnoticeoble. I mixed up

o sllghlly thicker thon usualbotch of ~ l l n t for the Says. liS it

From :Super8 Sound

would be.1I thIIl &hemThe rest of the -. g got • __COIIt 10 avoid hiding.

detail

The beauty 01 rNIarIg n g l

with this method ISm. anybodyclln make ~ q..tCkI)- - .d canVlIfy the design on the '"9f by

simply pouring the ~ O D Mferent surfllC'ft.. After

lhe crellture ....h!ch I later '*"*Geeter. I relilized tho!: ewoen the

smaliest effect can bot anpeeted chollenge.Peter We lssenberg12439 Persimmon Rei.

Opper Marlboro. 11\0 20172

A D irect Line!. . , Reoders who l ICaW 10

CompuServe li n contactCI NEMAGIC's Editor DavidHutchison directly throughEasyplex E·Mai l. HisOser 1.0 IS

71036. 1477. He can also berellched th rough M.C'!. Mail"136·7254.

A d d r e s s a J J ~ t o . :ClNEMIIG/c-FdmmaJrers'

Forum. c/o Starlog Press. Inc..2/5 Park ll uenue Sou/h. Ntw

York. NY 10003,

Due 10 Ille enormous uoiume 0(

mall recelued. /he edilor e g r e ~tluIt llldivldual replies arelmpO$Sibie.

"The Source for Super8"95 Harvey St. , Cambridge

MA 02140

(617) 876·5876

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


Stop-Motion

STUDIO By CARL KURTE

ILLUSION ENGINEERINGA mid·westem company creates high

quality armatures, affordable by both

amateurs and pros.

T

he most beautifully sculpted crea·

ture in the world is no better

than a Jump of shapelessday, if thearmature Inside does not perform properly. A good armature must allow your crea·ture to move realistically. It must support

the creature's weight-often in extreme

66 C/NEMAGIC " 33

The Ilrootosaurus ki t

•

armatures have been individually design-Tif!-dOwns are included WIth eaeh kit. ed and machined by hand-a very expen

sive, time consuming process that reo

quires precision tools and very profes·sional know·how. Custom machined arm·atures costing SIOO li n inch (and up) are

positions of precarious balance. It must bestrong enough to survive thousands of

minute position changes without failure.It must move when the animator wants it

to move and hold any position the anima-

to r requires.Trtlditionally, the best ball-and-socket

not unusual. But not everyone has the reo

sources of Ray Harryhausen or the big

budgets of George Lucas. Few film makers have the desire to become firstrate machinists.

Fantasy filmmaker Tom Sullivan hadto face these problems when he started

working in animation as a youngster. "My

first armature was made out of popsiclesticks and wooden macrame balls. It

worked pretty well, but it was not strongenough to support a foam rubber body,My first steel armature took 40 hours to

build with a hack saw and dr ill. It was

unrelii!lble i!lnd therefore unusable,"Sullivan confided his frustrations with

an old friend, engineer Bob Meese. To·

gether they have worked for many yearsto develop new materials and new ap·

proaches to armature construction thatwould benefit from the efficiencies of

mass production- low cost. but withoutsacrificing quality,

Meese discovered that the key to mass

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


'!'le.,. '"\IS ~ armature kit Head and wire aetajls are not Incluoeo Wi th the kll

prn$......... as in the sdection ofspeoa .un.anum alloy that was selected

few ~ . Th is alloy is primarily used

.., ~ industries. since it has the

same ~ l e r ~ n g t h as medium grade

cast ron. tout with all the I i g h t n ~ S 5 of

a:Umnum. m is a l l o y ~ d with sll·

vet. wtuch bnngs the cost to eight or ten

tuT'teS tN t of ordinary alum inum . TheaUoy is no t in ba r stoc k . which

m ~ a n s you could never m a c h it into

a n n a t u parts. The alloy is melted .poured into molds and heat treated .

Casting l a t ~ s for the soc:::kets in this m an·

produces parts of I ( t r a o r ds t r ~ g t h and absolute uniformity. Drilling

and tappi ng holes are the only hand

mIICf'Iming steps remaining in the pro·.,...

The remaining parts of the armature

«InSI:5tof stainless steel rods. nickel ·

p&..rd .gh t r ~ g aluminum balls and~ steet 5 C r ~ w The nickel plating~ a smoothly rotating joint without

..." 01 the ~ n n g or st icking that chara<: ·ter. le5 an alumlnum·to-aluminum joint.

"'Ox annatures have been used allthe U'1 ted States, and in Japan and Aus·

t r - . . for several years." Meese affirms.

"'Or • piece has ever been returnedl ind -"tat was because a ho le wa s mis·~ . We've never had a pa rt fallure .

We use a sped!!1 t a i n l steel button-head fastener . which cannot bend thesoc:::ket plates no matter how tight youmake them . Ultimately . you will strip the

th reads of f the screw before you bend theplate:'

But for all it's strength. the materials are

amazingly l ight w ~ l g h t . Meese reports

that he rou tinely sends out a complete

one·foot high human armature in a one-

pound overnight Federal Expres.<i enve·

lope.Though originally designed to solve the

problems of low·budget and amateur

fil mmakers. Illusion Engineering hasbeen supplying parts to the big boys as

well .Currently . they are produdng minia·

ture and full·scale r m a t u r ~ s for Evil DeadII. which is filming in North Carolina.Tom

Sullivan is in charge of the animation FX .

as well as supplying el(pertise for thespedal makeup FX. Fantasy fans will be

pleased to learn that the magic of anima·tion and special effects will outweigh theblood and gore in this sequel.

Interested filmmakers can write fortheir 32·page catalog. which fully des·cribes their line of stop·motion armatures

and accessories. Send $3 .00 (refvndablewith your first order) to Illusion Engineer.

ing Inc . p.o . Bol( 526, Marshall. MI49068.

Sku ll and hands 3re nol lnc luded in this gorillaarmalure kll. Put are eaSily cralled

7/14/2019 Cinemagic #33 (1986)


YOUR PERSONAL

PASS TO

"STARLOG;s a lusty

giant, symbolic of the

new stature of

science fiction in the

visualmedia ."

- ISAAC ASIMOV

-------------'QUINN STUDIOS

475 Park Ave . South

NewYo

rk, NY 1001'

DISCOUNT SUBSCRIPTION Total Enclosed $

FORM: (cash, check or money order

dra ....n to O 'OUINN STUDIOS)

cinemagic #33 (1986)

Documents