Movies for TV - Early Television Foundation

252
THE PROGRAM ANGLE
mean that three minutes or more may
have to be cut from the
film under consideration. Very dark shots can be eliminated; perhaps
some which are too contrasty with a large amount of white
in them can be dyed and toned down by graying the whites.
In choosing films, look for plenty of close-ups and simple,
direct action which takes place well within the center of the screen.
Today's sets, with their round and "enlarged" screens, cut off
information which is contained in the
quite a lot of the picture
corners of the screen. Naturally, in a film made especially for
television, the director endeavors to keep all his action in the cen-
ter of the screen since he has these limitations in mind. However,
most of the films that are available in the libraries were made
before television became popular; as a result, action usually took
place all over the screen and if round or enlarged screens are used
some of it may be lost to the viewers.
For the same reason, involved plays often confuse the home
audience due to their inability to see a complete picture and thus
orient the players or location. Backgrounds which are involved
or blend with the players are to be avoided since, if there is the
merest tendency for them to blend on a movie screen, it will be
magnified many times on the television screen.
A short digression here to compare the commercial aspects of
television and films produced for television with movie theatres
may seem out of place at first glance, but if the reader is really
interested in learning more about the infant industry of television
he will find it interesting and an aid to the understanding of cer-
tain problems.
In the United States there are approximately 18,500 movie
theatres which seat about 12,000,000 people. Of this figure 66
per cent, or 12,000 theatres, show advertising films to about
6,000,000 people. It has been estimated that every week about
40,000,000 people attend theatres showing advertising.
This is
quite a high figure and compares with the number of people estimated
to view television in a week. However, this is a national
figure since it includes large houses as well as small ones seating
perhaps 300. But the audience is scattered over a much greater