Making a Silent Movie (Part 4) - Shooting and Finishing the Film
Early Film Technology
Shooting a film in the 1920's in Canada was very different from shooting a video today, mostly because of the technology available.
The Port Arthur Amateur Cinema Society used a 16 mm movie-camera to make their first movie, A Race for Ties in 1929. Early filmmaker, Dorothea Mitchell, explains some of the challenges that the group's cameraman faced.
"A great measure of its success [Race for Tie's] was undoubtedly due to our cameraman, who for exterior scenes used no tripod, having constantly to make quick change of position on order to keep up with action. True, he sometimes lost part of a particularly humorous scene, because he himself was laughing!"
Source: Dorothea Mitchell, "A Race for Ties (Its Inception)" (1963): 1-2. Personal Collection of Elinor Barr.
During the group's second movie, SleepInn Beauty, the group had purchased a box camera that stood on a tripod. This was used primarily for interior shooting. However, the group's filming was affected by environmental factors. Dorothea Mitchell relates,
"…Unfortunately, photography was considered marred by smoke from surrounding bush-fires."
Source: Dorothea Mitchell, "A Race for Ties (Its Inception)" (1963): 6. Personal Collection of Elinor Barr.
The Filming and Editing Process
Here's the process that the Port Arthur Amateur Cinema Society used to shoot and finish their films, after the script had been written and the actors assembled:
- On the script, mark scenes as INT (interior) or EXT (exterior).
- Insure continuity by marking items that carry through from one scene to another.
- On the set, mark boundaries and inform actors of range of camera.
- Decide where the camera will shoot from i.e. the point of view of the camera. Decide if the view will be panoramic, close-up, zoomed in, action shot, left-to-right or right-to-left.
- Specify the background or setting required.
- On the script, mark any transitions fading from one scene to another. This eliminates jerkiness and allows for easier editing later.
- Think about title cards and where they are required.
- Film the scenes.
- Physically cut out all defective or poorly shot footage. Splice the pieces together to create the movie.
- Colour film add tinting or toning to the film.
- (toning colouring the shadows and leaving the highlights white)
(tinting coloring the entire film)
- Using the original master copy of the film, have copies made for viewing.
Editing a Silent Movie
Dorothea Mitchell described the process of completing the film once it had been filmed and processed.
"[As soon as they completed filming, Mitchell and the cameraman would send it away to be processed.] Directly, a roll was exposed, it had to go east to be processed. On its return, cameraman, director and I would congregate in my office
, run it through the projector and cut it up. As Sec. Treas. (and a few other odd jobs for good measure) I kept a record of every clipping, placing them in numbered sections of egg-boxes I'd dozens of them! until interiors were taken and could be inserted in appropriate spots."
"Yes, there was ample unseen work, as well as fun."
"It may interest modern amateur-movie makers to know that projects at that time were treacherous creatures! If stopped while the lamp was 'on', the film scorched naturally adding to the ticklishness of the constant reviewing necessary."
"…200 ft of film came back [from the processing company] 'positive' instead of negative and of course unusable…"
"…Interiors finished and processed, came the task of cutting and egg-boxing them, preparatory to the no mean job of co-ordinating and splicing them to form the complete narrative. We elected a sub-title committee. The inserting of these was quite the most tricky work of all deciding on the exact spot for each, with all the cutting and re-splicing this entailed."
Source: Dorothea Mitchell, "A Race for Ties (Its Inception)" (1963): 3-5. Personal Collection of Elinor Barr.
Compare with the process that videographers use today to create home videos, commercials, and even movies!
ACTIVITY 1: TECHNOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS
- What are some of the considerations that early filmmakers would have to take into account when filming outdoors? Indoors?
- Now compare these concerns with the options available today. When using a video camera, are any of these technological concerns still important? What adjustments can be made for...
- lighting?
- sound?
- special effects?
- Early filmmakers would send their film away to be processed. If they could afford to pay a film artist, additional colours could be applied to "tint" or "tone" the film and thus add colours and hues to the movie. How can today's filmmakers make adjustments to their films?
ACTIVITY 2: VIEW AND EARLY FILM
As a group or class, watch a silent movie together. As you watch, keep notes about the interiors and exteriors in the film, and the way the camera was used. Discuss these notes once the film is over.
- List all interiors and all exteriors; how many locations or sets where there? Were there any difficulties in filming in these locations? How did the camera person adjust for these?
- Were any of the sets constructed?
- How did the camera person adjust for lighting?
- Were there any long or panoramic shots? What positions did the camera person shoot from? Were there any unusual shots such as car scenes? Wide angles? Overhead shots? Over-the shoulder?
- Was the film tinted or toned? Is there any change in colour during the film?
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