Making Of British Films

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 99, 20 January 1939, Page 14

Making Of British Films

English Studio Through Colonial's Eyes

A COLONIAL’S impression of an English film studio is given bj a A writer in the Johannesburg “Star.” He takes as his example Sound Citv, at Shepperton, near Denham, where hordes of men work in enormous buildings set in Hie green English countryside to create moving pictures." •

QHEPPERTON is a haven on the Thames, states the writer. The road runs through it, past beautiful glimpses of enfoliaged river bank ; past the friendly pub; and on till it readies the cross-roads. Bear to • the right, up and over a humped and rustic bridge, and you are at the gates of Sound City, one of the smaller studios in England.

As you go toward rhe buildings you will give an inquisite .glance to the incongruous sight of an old and beautiful country manor standing cheek by jowl with the modern studios. This manor dates back to the year 1100 when the estate of Littleton was inhabited by monks. But your high expectations and interests in the studios ■win not allow you to delve into the amazing and unexpected beauty of the place, and shutting out the coolness of the daylight, you enter the studio. To you the bustle and activity behind the cameras wilt seem but a mass of confused humanity, deluged by surplus debris, struggling in a confined space —unnecessarily so, you will think, looking at the distant walls —but when the “floor” is seen by you in the light of later experience, these same scenes of confusion will reveal to you the little-known aspects of life behind the camera; the co-operation and interest, the dullness and humour; the activity and depressions of film production. Blinding Arc Lights. As the shout to “kill it” reaches the high roof, "Sailor,” the man on the catwalk up in the girders, puts out the blinding arc-lamp and the warm; summer sunshine streaming through the latticed windows fades, away. “Niggers” and “kidneys” are the different types of shields which are placed in front of a light in order to cut off ai portion of it.

On the set the elaborate and slow process of lighting is going on. The man whose name appears'as cameraman on the sbreen, but who never actually handles the camera, calls out to the electricians on the catwalk above the set telling them which lamps to light. .; While this tedious process goes on, Tom Walls, who is directing as well as acting in this latest., film of his, “Old Iron,” converses wtib Angela, the continuity girl. The only girl among a host of men, she will stand, watch in one hand, and her book in the other, noting the positions of the players' hands, direction of their eyes and other details.

All this is most ■ important since scenes are shot at varying times and must be accurately matched. While | she is doing this, she will always be ready to tell a player of his uncertain lines. She times and records each shot and it is surprising to find that after a day’s work of nearly 11 hours, all the work done represents three minutes’ screen time. More than three minutes is considered a good achievement. While the scene is being lit, the camera will be put into position' for 'the next take, and the “boom,” which carries the microphone, will be placed in the most convenient part of the set. As each player speaks his or her lines the “boom” is extended, turned, or retracted to allow the microphone to catch every sound. It is always just out of the picture and often the shot is spoiled and must be retaken because •the microphone has cast a shadow on the players, or has just come into the picture, These preliminaries settled, a dgep coma will envelop the set; with a snapping back of switches the lights will fade away and everyone will wander around till the director appears and life surges again, with incredible speed, through the dormant studio. “In the Can.” The players are then rehearsed and when their lines are delivered to the satisfaction of the director and their movements to the liking of the cameraman, the shout goes up: “Bell, please! Quiet, everybody; taking this time.” Then silence, falls on the set —woe to the luckless fellow who even breathes loudly—and the camera “rolls.” In a short while the shot is “in the can.’ ’ Few scenes are rehearsed before being acted on the set, and each scene is of a few lines only. The director decided the camera's angle, and this is one way in which he can stamp a film with his originality. A scene may be shot many times before a good “take” is recorded — aS/ often as 20 —so that it may be understood why for a final length of about 6000 feet, over 100,000 feet is

exposed. On longer films the exposed length may easily run to 300.000 feet. Most scenes are taken again because of actors’ mistakes, or “N.G.. for camera,” or sound, but sometimes there arise circumstances which permit of only one take, and that must be a good one.

The cameras, and there are usually a few, cost about £2OOO each. To work one a crew of about six people is required. When the scene is ready to be shot, the “clapper-boy” goes in front of the camera with a board on which is marked the name of the film, the cameraman, and the scene number. Holding this to the lens he calls out:—

“Three, five, one, take two” —or whatever the scene number and the “take” is.

Slapping the levered top down with a clap, he jumps nimbly out of the picture, which is then “shot.” The purpose of this clap will be seen if you visit the editing-rooms. There are many genii on the studio floor in adition to the obvious ones and rating high in this order are the men popularly known as “Chippy” and “Props.” Among the amazing' sights in the studio to a visitor are the ingenuity and speed with which these men create from the flimsiest materials a solid-looking article. “Props” will come out with ideas that ore very practical and' yet original. , z England’s Hollywood By now they will be lighting the next set so, with the usual impatience of visitors you will decide to go to the other studio. With a whisk you will be away from “Sound City” and at. the gates of Denham. Denham is to England what, Hollywood. is to America, except for the absence of many embellishments which is not regretted. Denham Studios were originally 'built, with all their seven stages, for the use of London Film Productions. When the days came round when you had to look under every can of film to find the so-called British film industry, and it was so elusive that 8000 out of the 10,000 people in British films failed to find it—or a job—Denham was rented out. to any company which wished to make a film. It was here, that some of the biggest British films were made, and the latest one is “The Citadel,” Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s interpretation of the book of that name.

Denham is enormous. Its buildings corer acres and acres, while its grounds extend for miles. Herein can be found all sorts of scenery.

If’you walk round the grounds the spectres of past films will rise before you, for you will see, standing che'ek by jowl, the Elizabethan sailing ship from the film “Fire Over England,” and the bombed remains of “Everytown,” from “Things to Come.” There is nothing lacking in the studios at Denham which Hollywood is proud of, even to the technicians, for one of the grouses of the British technician is the preponderance of Americans, and others, in this British film industry. There is a joke about the five flagposts which fly outside the studios. They are supposed to represent one flag for each British worker in the studios. Running Repairs. It is difficult to say exactly what will interest you most as you are ushered on to the set. Perhaps the nimble clapper-boy looks interesting with his impertinent excursions on to the scenes, but I feel that the make-up man will have a good following. Always in attendance, he will dash up, cut. off a hair here, comb down an invisible one there, or deftly cut it with his ready scissors. Should' the actor’s face be shiny with perspiration, he will dab it with his powder puff. A look to the left and a look to the right, -his mind at rest, the make-up man wil retire into the darkness behind the cameras while the next person takes control. Each player is made up before “shooting,” a slow business necessitating the arrival of the stars at 7.30 in the morning.-. On the set they have a yellow face, the shade depending on the facial characteristics of the actor. This make-up is necessary because of the effect on the fast colour-sensitive film of the untouched face, which would appear very white and pallid. This make-up compensates for the loss of colour. Clothes, too, must be chosen for their colour, which brings about the incongruous sight of a person in evening dress with a yellow tie.