Let’s start off this New Year - as ever - with another offering from Terry....he writes... “I found Alan 's article "How Things Have Changed" very interesting as I once used a cine camera, but gave up because of the sending away of the films for developing - and not having a clue how to edit!
The advent of video, with sound, and the ability to re-record over the tape, was a revelation to me, and, even then, I could roughly edit in camera onto VHS. No sooner had I discovered this though, when in came digital, and once again I was the idiot dinosaur of film-making. Unlike most of you people, I am not at all comfortable with machinery of any sort, and never thought I would be able to handle the new technology.
But - thanks to Gerry Bishop, urging me on to invest in the new Casablanca which does everything that I will ever need in an editing machine - frame accuracy - every transition I could ever want, plus a few that I wouldn't dream of using - Blue Screen, (which is very useful to have when making fiction films) - zoom, in and out, Reverse Filming - Slow Motion - Fast Motion, etc, etc. What more could I ask for?
And finally, it is never a victim of viruses or crashing!!! Yes Alan, technology has moved us all forward, and we are grateful for it. But! Unless you have a script you are back to square one. The great Hollywood director, Edward Dmytryk (1909- 1999), made many fine movies, with some of the greatest stars of the day.
When he retired after 40 years in the business, he became one of the finest teachers of film at the University of California. And he had this to say about his pupils.... "One of the most critical things I have to say about them is that although many of them have acquired enormous technical skills - THEY HAVE NOTHING TO SAY!!!
Without a screen play, there is NO film.”