HOME MOVIES

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 783, 2 October 1929, Page 16

HOME MOVIES

Outdoor Interiors For Amateur Work SCENE CONSTRUCTION (By, *‘Homovie.”) (Continued from last week). DOOR OPENINGS In making door flats, it is wise to remember that a door should always open on stage, and never off stage, unless a particular effect is desired, j as an off-stage opening would disclose too much of the void behind the scenery. Therefore, every door must be hung to swing toward the front and not toward the back of the flat. If two doors are made, one should he a “left opener,” and one a “right opener.” The former will be used when the longer wall is at camera left, and the “right opener” will he used when the wall is at the right of the camera, thus always turning the body of the door to the audience. If the door is in the back wall, the camera should be placed to give the same result. In making the fireplace, we build a three-piece box to represent the inside of the chimney, of sooty bricks, usually, and stand it up behind the opening. Even with doors and windows and a fireplace, we are not yet through. We need three drops at least, a corridor, a city skyline and a landscape. Each drop is an eight-foot wide flat made of canvas, the same as the fiats. The corridor is easily made with panelled walls in brown. For the two scenic drops, it is best to take a still picture of the desired scene, make a lantern slide of it, and project it on to the eight-foot blank canvas. While the image is on the canvas which may be for hours or days—we copy the design accurately, in pencil or charcoal and, when we have thus transferred the whole design, we paint it in with various shades of brown corresponding to the tones of the photograph. These drops are used,, of course, to give us a glimpse through a window or door, but never as complete sets by themselves. Shifting the drop to right or left, we secure the effect of different scenes. ERECTION OF SET We are now ready to erect a set. We may combine our units in one of many ways, for example; six foot, window, four foot; ( right angle, then down to right) six foot door, four foot, other door (not to be opened), two foot; country drop behind window; corridor drop behind first door. Our next problem is to diffuse the daylight. If we can build 12ft or so above the floor and parallel with it, a wire frame on which we shall slide some light-weight sheeting (7ft wide, at Is •6d a yard), we shall be able to overcome the worst obstacle. Such a frame would have to rest on several wooden pillars, or two-inch iron piping. The diffusing sheets must not be mounted on wooden frames themselves, as such frames would cast shadows on the set. If we can do no better, we may simply throw the diffuser over the tops of the flats. A large -wooden frame, made to stand up, will hold a movable diffuser to place at the side from which the sun comes, when it is lower on the horizon. If the set faces north, we sh4ll have to protect the camera lens with a good “fog-horn,” or long lens protector. With light varying, morning, nooii and afternoon, with clouds or clear skies, there will be problems of lighting to solve, but all this has been done and is even now, to a certain extent, being done in regular movie practice. Photographic tests of lighting, of make-up, of evenness of painting, will have to be made. As there will be more light toward the top of the set,, it will he preferable to shoot lower. Reflectors, of course, will have to be used and a few good thousand-watt lamps will be of great value, if available.

Such an outdoor studio, apart from the cost of flooring, can be made at very low cost. A beginning can be made with even much less. Of course, the dressing of the sets will depend upon one’s resources. The placing of portieres, curtains, settees, pictures, the selection of rich or poor furniture to accord with the story—all that will afford endless pleasure and no little education in the judging of character as expressed in the things that people handle. But that is another story. (To be continued next Wednesday.)