Movies for TV - Early Television Foundation

358
THE PROGRAM ANGLE
sees around New York City, consisting of perhaps a cameraman,
director, and one or two actors posed on church steps or in door-
ways, there must be an unlimited field for the substandard (in size
only, of course) operators.
Certain other types of program apart from those already men-
tioned must be filmed on the spot. These, of course, are the wellknown
"Man in the Street" type of show in which the M.C. stops
people walking past the camera and interviews them. For real au-
thenticity of detail it is necessary to have the action take place on
the actual location of the interview. The presence of the inevitable
crowds helps the atmosphere, and the background of faces while
the interviews are taking place is a necessary adjunct to the show-
manship of the production.
It is well to remember that signed releases must be obtained
from all the people whose likenesses appear in the shots. For this
purpose most producers carry a sheaf of mimeographed release forms
which they can hand out and get signed with a minimum of trouble.
In most cases it is not necessary to give anything as a fee for the per-
formance human nature being what it is there are often more will-
ing participants than room. The actions of studio audiences on the
camera shots when they go wild trying to outdo each other in waving
is good evidence of that.
If the above-mentioned action is to take place in the studio it
will be necessary to get this crowd into the studio and while that may
not be too hard it may cause complications in that the time may be
difficult for some to make. And they may expect to be paid extras'
fees which may cause trouble with the unions who might demand
that union actors be employed for the purpose. If a crowd gathers to
watch an interview in the street however, the union can hardly de-
clare that they are being employed by the company and thus doing
a regular actor out of a job.
Of course, there is no cost for scenery on the street, but on the
other hand it is seldom built exactly as one wants it and it may
need a little altering. Studio props are always rather flimsy and it is
only too easy to have a backdrop of other scenery which moves
with the wind or shakes when someone closes a door. On the stage