Evening star., 1952-06-08
By Alexander J. Wedderburn
Cvrofor Of Photography
The Smithsonian institution

Today'S space will be used tx
clean up the questions that have
come in from the movie fans dur
ing the past months. We Away.
make a point of sending individual
answers in reply to all the Querie!
received, but print only those
which seem to be of general in
terest.
A question quite frequentl!
asked is, How is it possible fol
an amateur, without the expensiv,
equipment of the professional
cinematographer. to make one o
those shots where the Gamer:
slowly moves in on the subject
from long shot to closeup" Mos
of us now know that in the studios
this is done either with a dolly,
which is a wheeled vehicle, or with
a boom which extends or retract!
to fit the situation. Since W.
have recourse TO no such equip.
ment, we must improvise.
For interior dolly shots, we sug.
gest the use of an ordinary baby
carriage-one with pneumatic
tires. if possible. After removing
the hood, any handy man can RIG
a platform on the carriage tt
hold the camera securely in posi-.
tion. The average floor is smooth
enough to allow the camera to be
moved in without obvious bumps
or jiggles. The combined action
of the springs and pneumatic tire.
will compensate for any slight ir.
regularities in the way of the
wheels. Follow the long run o1
the floor boards and avoid cross
ing them. Several dry-runs SHOULD
be made before shooting film 81
that you will be sure to avoid un.
even spots. AS a further aid yol
can use chalk marks on the flool
as q guide.
Using the Family Car.
The baby carriage may also b.
used out of doors. However, yol
will have to be careful of side
walk spacings and cracks tina
might cause a camera jiggle. YOU
family car can also serve as al
excellent dolly for following &C.
ton out of doors. The Gamers
can either be clamped on a dool
frame or mounted elsewhere OF
the car. The motor should no
be running because the vibration
would ruin the shots. Insteat
have your friends push the ca
and you will get a smooth rid
for the camera. This again will
call for practice before shooting
up film.
A surprisingly large number o
movie makers have shown an in
terest in making films of birds il
their natural habitat. We know
of no other form of cinemato
graphy that Is more relaxing O
has greater reward. The question
most asked is where to find tn
birds in an undisturbe6 state
This Is q real problem in the cit,
because most birds lead a fairl.
precarious life between maraudin,
cats and curious children. On
of the best spots to find a wild,
variety Of birds living a norma
life is in and surrounding .
swamp. Those who specialize IL
this subject have had their bes
results when following through
with a series Of shots made a
intervals from nesting time unit
the young birds are on their own
The best plan is to locate {
nest and fix your camera in ,
concealed position. so that tn,
parent birds will not be alarmed
by your activities. You will tl1er
be in a position to make a film
from egg to fledgling. This will
mean that you will have to re.
turn from time to time to ado
to your film, but the results will
make it worth while. While 70,
are at it you may just as well use
color film all the way for man,
birds are best identified by thu
colors of their plumage. A tele.
photo lens is a must" as par
OF your equipment for this prof.
ect. Without one you will rarely