Movies for TV - Early Television Foundation

INTRODUCTION
Television and the manner in which its programs are produced
have been treated many times by many competent authors, but
since the publication of most of these books another factor has required
increased attention. This is the motion picture angle. The
earlier books dismissed films in a chapter or so, mainly because
there was not a great deal to say.
Since then, however, much has been learned about movie tech-
niques and methods of handling film. Its use for commercials is
beginning to be understood, and production arrangements are now
fairly well standardized. Technical methods for reproducing film
over the television system will require improvement, and this applies
particularly to video recording equipment. The future of tele-
vision is inevitably bound up with movies, and, to a lesser extent,
the future of movies is bound up with television. Thus, the ways of
the film industry with its half century of know-how are proving
invaluable in the studios of the television stations. Hollywood's
techniques are not wholly applicable to television, but the best of
its experience added to the radio experience of broadcasters should
blend to build a solid foundation for the future union of the two
media.
Unless motion picture films are used intelligently, many of the
smaller, one-station towns far from the coaxial cable, or the microwave
link, will not make the best of the facilities granted them to
use in the public interest. For a while the novelty of seeing pictures
on a screen on the end of a big glass bottle holds the audience, and
all the oldest and deadliest movies are received rapturously. But,
the day comes when even the latest five-year-old government war