Movies for TV - Early Television Foundation

light. In this way the objects will appear
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to stand out from their
background, and shades of the proper gray values for television will
be more readily obtained. Readers who enter the television field with
a smattering of photographic knowledge are usually well steeped in
the old precept "always shoot with the sun behind you." If a film is
made under those conditions, the resulting picture will have very
little or no depth. It will be the same as if the scene were illuminated
by a floodlight as described in the chapter on lighting. All parts of
the scene will receive the same amount of light, and as a consequence
nothing will stand out in relief to model the subject. The converse,
shooting into the light, will produce very dark shadows which will
cause trouble with contrast ratios in projection onto the iconoscope
camera tube. In the extreme, a form of silhouette is produced with-
out much detail.
Finally, the location itself is certainly not the least important
consideration. Wherever possible, pick a street, if it is a street scene,
without much traffic. With all the good will in the world from the
police, it is asking too much to block up an important thoroughfare
while a two minute (screen time) scene is shot. Rehearsal be-
fore the expedition is most important. Having decided on the set to
be used and the area to be used for it and obtained permission to
shoot there from whomever controls it, the time of the shot should
be decided. A plan of the area is then drawn, complete
with com-
pass directions, and the scene "blocked out" on the floor in a studio.
Here the players will rehearse until they are part perfect and will
require only one run-through on location. Of course,
be shot at the same time, they will also be word perfect by this time.
During this time camera shots are planned with due regard to the
light conditions normally obtaining at the time of the shoot, so that
on the actual day everyone will be prepared and the action can run
if sound is to
what he is to do and how to do it.
smoothly with everyone knowing
By following this routine on location, shot costs can be cut by a?
much as 60 per cent in extra time and labor charges.
Chalk marks are made on the ground wherever necessary to
show actors where to stand and to indicate camera limits. If re-
quired, gobos will be used to provide fill lights
similar to those used