Movies for TV - Early Television Foundation

TITLES AND SPECIAL EFFECTS 211
been executed in black letters on a light gray background. It is
important that the two be in very close and constant contact;
over the two and
therefore, it is usual to place a piece of glass
to ensure accurate focus. The combination
clamp them together
card is now filmed in the usual way on positive film.
This results
in a combined picture of the title with a thin background picture
behind it. The final print is, of course, white lettering on a fainter
dark picture background.
Still backgrounds are often made into moving title back-
grounds by the addition of the live studio camera to the film
chain. If a title is of the moving variety, such as a strip or drum
it may be run on the projector
while a camera is trained on the
studio set. At the studio control position, the video control engineer
mixes the two signals so that the title appears over the back-
ground of the studio action. This is often very effective, but sometimes
details of the studio shot are liable to show through some
of the letters and spoil the effect or even make it impossible to
read. In most cases the moving background entirely on film is to
be preferred.
If an optical printer is available,
all the effects about to be
described can be performed very easily and with much less trouble.
However, it is not expected that many
readers will have such a
piece of equipment available since it costs about $25,000. Figure
10-3 shows the Acme printer for special effects work. But even
though an optical printer may not be available, most of the effects
can be obtained by using the film camera as a printer. Of course,
it is not quite as convenient, but nevertheless it is just as effective
on the screen if done properly.
For the effects and titles to be described, it will be assumed
that the actual titles have already been made from one of the
methods already discussed and only the means by which they are
incorporated into a moving
A simple way in which moving backgrounds can be combined
title will be described.
with titles, although the method is somewhat bulky and awk-
ward, is to inscribe the title on a large sheet of clear glass about
two or three feet across. Letters can be painted or stuck on the