Movies for TV - Early Television Foundation

TITLES AND SPECIAL EFFECTS 221
optical or contact printer is used a fade is made in the usual man-
ner, the film is rewound, and the new subject is faded in.
The wipe and similar effects are probably the most interesting
and generally noticed special effects used in movies. Many of these
require the use of special equipment and make possession of a
printer almost mandatory, but others can be performed with a
little care without elaborate equipment. Since the basic feature
of the wipe is the appearance of the new scene pushing the old
one off the screen and all wipes, no matter how fancy, are varia-
tions of this, we will apply ourselves to this particular feature.
It is possible to make wipes using merely a standard film
camera, but these of necessity are somewhat restricted to the more
simple effects. For instance, if it is desired to wipe from one scene
to another, and it is known during filming, all that is necessary
is to draw a black card slowly in front of the lens until it is com-
and the film rewound
pletely covered. The camera is then stopped
to the start of the wipe. Action is started again on the scene that
follows. As the action proceeds the black card is withdrawn
slowly
from the lens in the same direction as it was drawn in
front of it. It follows that the side of the film which was previously
unexposed now receives an impression. The effect is that the first
scene slowly fades out on one side of the frame and the new one
appears to push it off.
This method is excellent if it is known at the time of shooting
that a wipe is required; it can also be done if the camera has a
single frame action. In this case, one frame at a time is exposed
and a card moved a fraction of an inch further in front of the
lens each time. It is removed in the same manner; however, be-
cause of the time element, the latter is usually employed more for
titles than moving scenes.
If a printer is available, a wipe, such as a spot which grows
from the center of the screen with the new program coming out
of it, can be made as follows. A black and white drawing is made
of the steps in animation of the spot which is to erase the first
scene ; this is photographed on positive film for cheapness and fine
grain. A print is made of this, also on positive film. We now have