Movies for TV - Early Television Foundation

CHAPTER 10
TITLES AND
SPECIAL EFFECTS
Films today do not rely or depend on subtitles to get their intelli-
gence across to the viewers. The same thing applies to television
and films for television. The medium should, and must, rely on
visual presentation so that sound and explanations are merely
supplemental or even incidental. However, programs whether on
film or live do require titles to identify them and give credits to
certain people. Irrespective of the factors of celluloid or flesh and
blood, film is seen in its best accessory position
when it comes to
making titles.
The flexibility and unlimited possibilities of film for title-mak-
ing are not always realized by producers. The only equipment re-
quired is a comparatively cheap and simple camera, a supplemental
lens, and some form of titling-board support. If the camera
has a single exposure feature, it will make it more flexible, but this
is not by any means essential: in any case, these extras will be
discussed later.
It may seem strange, but titling is not a subject
which can be
dismissed lightly with the idea it's only a set of words on a piece
of card. As a matter of fact, there are four kinds of title, and
although the death of the silent film removed the need for one
the subtitle a thorough understanding of the remainder will help
the director to achieve a better and more polished production.
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