CineMagic #05 (1980)

Gleaming Eyes

for Stop-Motion

Slit-Scan

Filmmaker John Cosentino of Warren, I'll, condudes his two· part artlde on his home· built aerlal·lmage optical printer with Instructions for creating a number of spedal·effects scenes like the one pictured here.

Filmmaker's Forum gives readers the opportunity to speak out on the problems and techniques of filmmakIng. Jack Immes of Appleton, WI, submits a dazzling e.ample of hIs special effects produced with a 50·cent mirror tile. (See page 15.)

Editor's

4

Bench _ _

_

Aerial Image

Optical

Printer,

Part 2 _ _

_

Optical effects you can do in

Super-8 with your home built

printer.

Fllmmakers

'

1 4

Forum

;;;;;;:...:

A regular department devoted to

readers' comments about

film-making, their problems and

solutions.

Forced

Per

-

1 6

spective

_

~

Modeler Brick Price lends a bit of

professional expertise to young

filmmakers.

Producers

'

Bulletin

Board

;=;;::,

Latest news of our readers'

productions.

Electronic

SFX _ _

A

survey of

professional

motion-control devices and suggestions

for producing your own effects

inexpensively.

Number 5

Widescreen

-The Ultimate

Special

Effect

__

Widescreen advocate Tony Shapps

describes methods and materials

for filming in the panoramic

format.

Books

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3 2

Books for filmmakers-valuable

sources of information and

techniques for the filmmaker.

Cinemagic

Market-

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Classified advertising and

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Close-up

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Add mysterious glowing eye effects to your fantasy creatures.

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4 GNEMAG/C-5

CINEMAGIC Wants

You!

W

hether you have just discovered CINEMAG1C for the first time or whether you have been a loyal subscriber since the beginning, CINEMAGIC wants to hear from you. It says on our logo that CINEMAGIC is your guide to fantastic filmmaking. Certainly a guide to fantastic filmmaking has to include more than camera technique. In fact, many of you, C1NEMAGIc's readers, are one·man production teams. You write the script, build the set, scout the locations, design the special effects, direct the actors, paint the cels, build your own effects equipment ... and operate the camera. Likewise, CINEMAGIC seeks to cover all phases of production far beyond the mere development of camera technique.

Perhaps you are one of the lucky ones. You live in a community in which there are lots of filmmakers who love to create fantasy films. There are others with whom you can share your ideas, work out problems and techniques and gain in· sight and stimulation. But many of you (I know from your letters) aren't in touch with other filmmakers. You have found something more than just information in the pages of C1NEMAGlC, because you know that the articles are written by film· makers just like you and that you are noI. alone.

Consider: In your hands is the "Filmmakers' Forum," in which you are invIted to speak your mind about the problems of filmmaking in Siapout, Oklahoma, share a shortcut or special technique that you have found to be especially useful or just to ask for help from your fellow filmmakers. Or "Producers' Bulletin Board," which lets you announce to other filmmakers the nature of your current film project and allows you to see what the rest of the fantasy filmmaking com· munity around the world is up to.

But the meat and potatoes of your magazine are the feature articles. Feature stories cover the whole world of production in fantasy filmmaking-everything from a dazzling title technique to casting creatures for stop·motion films to exotic makeup effects. These in·depth artides aren't written by John Dykstra or Doug Trumbull. They are being written by you, C1NEMAG1C's readers.

They are written by filmmakers who are as eager to share their own ideas and discoveries with you as they are to read oIIbout the ideas and discoveries of their fellow filmmakers. In taking time to document your work with stills, diagrams and explanatory text, you gain recognition for your work on a scale that would otherwise not be available to you.

Let your work and ideas be seen! You can leam from others and they can leam from you. The entire readership of CINEMAGIC is behind you ... you are not alone.

-David Hutchison

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Aerial Image Optical

Printer, Part II

V

irtuelly every

sc:1~nce-fiction ran is familiar with the "beaming-up" effect of the transporter used on Slar Trek,

but not many

~Ie

know exactly

how the effect was accomplished for TV. Now you can lIChleve the same effect for your own SF films with an inexpen. sive, homemade aerlallmollge opticoIIl

printer1

6 CINEM ... CIC·S

Using the Printer

By JOHN

COSENTINO

Multiple &po.ure JIIl.Hework

Aerlallmagea

I have made my own version of e Star

Trek

episode. My film is calle<!

Paragon's Paragon and it fei!ltures the

same beaming-up effects as the

original TV series. I accomplished these effects with the homemade op-tical printer that J described In eM #4.

In Paragon's Paragon, Sellek (my ver·

sian of the Spock character) is seen standing on one of the pods in the transporter chamber. An eerie, twin-kling light gradually fades in over his

body and he begins to dissolve away.

The twinkling effect continues as Sellek's body becomes transparent and the transporter chamber becomes visi· ble through his body. Very quickly thereafter, the image of Sellek's body

•

Matting Actors onto Miniature Set.

actor. are .uperlmpo.ed. Thl. cutll co.tII d .... th;.Uy. refilming of the .... m·down chamber m •• ter.

disappears completely, leaving only an anthropomorphic silhouette of twin· kling matter which slowly dissolves away and leaves the transporter

chamber empty.

I aerially combined three separate pieces

of

master film footage-one at a time-in my optical printer to achieve

the effect of Sellek beaming up from the transporter chamber, This effect

re-quires the

use

of mattes, counter

mattes

and a timing chart.The first and

most important things

necessary

for the beam·up effect are the three dif·

ferent

pieces

of master footage that must be combined in the optic:al printer for the finished effect.

The

masters must

be

shot

and developed before they can be aerially combined

in the printer,

The

three masters reo

quired for this effect were: a static shot of

the

transporter chamber; the

'·twinkle" effect; and a static shot of

Sellek.

I shot the footage of my transporter chamber with the pod lights on. At the moment of the beam.up effect I blink-ed the lights on and off to simulate the

Timing or Cue Chart

,

, ~ o..-_~)~_~--,

...

I '

- - - -

-_.

--+-

..::.

-,

-_

..

:----

--,00

'

.

•

I

,-'-

I

The number or rrame. _ch matte and counter·matt. needed ror the 8ellek effect are .bown here.

effect of the transporter chamber In

operation. After Setlek beams up, the lights return to their constant "on"

position.

The footage of Sellek is taken with him standing in front of a large black backdrop, A black backdrop

eliminates the need for

a

counter matte

in certain instances. Because the master of Sellek is also used as a counter matte, it is essential that he be

lit not only from the sides but also

from behind. Backlighting will ensure

that the darker parts of Sellek's body

(hair, boots, pants, etc.) will

be

outlined with light and, therefore, stand out against the background and not disap-pear in the final effect.

Special care must be exer(:ised duro

ing the filming of the Sellek mester(or any master) to make sure that his size

and position in the frame are consis·

tent with the size and position desired relative to the set (the transporter chamber) over which he is to be super, imposed for the final effect. This Is very important for positioning the ac·

tors in the right places on the

miniature set. It is a necessary pr o-cedure because the printer is set up to aerially rephotograph the masters on a 1:1 ratio.

For example: If

an

actor is to appear

on the right side of the transporter

chamber in the fin<!1 effect, he must be

rephotographed in the

same

exact size and frame position relative to his size

and position in the transporter in the final effect. This principle also applies to the actor's up and down sc::reen posi· tion, and especially to the placement

of

his feet. If the &etor isn't placed proper

-ly (exactly) he will either appear to be standing to one side

of

the transporter

pod Of" hovering over it.

Of

course

,

this

could

be

done purposely to make the actor appear to be walking on air or neating in

space.

The distance the actor is placed from the camera during the filming of the master (or the focal length seUin!]

of a zoom lens) can make the actor ap-pear to be a giant or a midget on the

screen if his size is inconsistent with his desired relative size to the miniature

set. Care must be taken to prevent ClNEMAG/C -5 7

. . ,II ... II. the beam·down cbambeJ' befo ... buontlng "'p. The errect requires man)' .... ne ••

The counter·....ue of 8eUek wtth the twinkles

effect betag

_rtall,.

comblped In the printer.

The result of the combl_Uon of the chamber _ .ter .nd the twinkles master.

these placef'ne'1t and size problems from OC'Curing. A little experimentation

will

teach you how to compensate for these shooting problems.

The third end final master film for the beam-up effect is the twinkling light master. I accomplished this effect by slowly pouring glitter Into 81 glass of water and filming it with e

dose

·

up

lens end e cross-star filter.

After the three separate pieces of master film footage are processed, you hlIve to meke the ~ry mattes lind counter mattes for the effect. Due to the fact that the effects footage must

be exposed three times to &c:hieve the

final composite effect, en eppropriete matte or counter matte is required for the exposure of each master onto the

second unit effects footage.

The mattes are made by rotoscoping (tracing) the outline of the actor (Sellek) onto clear acetate cels. The outlining is done while viewing the

~rilIl image projection through the printer's camera (see CINEl'\AGIC -4, OptiCllI Printer article). You could also place a rear.projection screen (foggy

acetate) in place of the condenser lens of the printer and trace the rear· projected (no longer aerial) image onto a piece of clear acetate placed over the rear·projection screen.

My cels are made of Mylar (a DuPont tr&demark for clear acetate) and are taped over a 4" I( 5" window cut out of

the center of an 81fl" I( II" piece of

typing paper, The clear Mylar acts as a window through which the aerial image can pass and also as the surface on which the matte is drawn.

Throughout this article, a sheet of typing paper with a piece of clear Mylar lIttllched to It will be referred to liS e

cei

registralion sheet 1\ cel registration sheet is placed into the 9" x 11" moulding framework of the optical printer's table top and locked into piece by pressing the registration punch through It.

The typing paper you use for your eel registmtion sheets should be durable enough to be used several times without becoming damaged as long as it 15 handled with reletive cllre. The 16 finely sharpened nails In the

registration punch ~ as registrlltion pins lind allow for some of the holes in the paper to become damaged during repeated use without the loss of registration accuracy.

With a clear eel locked and registered in place, the Sellek master film is now placed into the printer pro-jector and aerially imaged into the camera, While looking through the camere's eyepiece. Sellek's outline is traced onto the clear eel. Sif"lCe this is to be the matte of Sellek, care must be taken not to extend the ink beyond the edges of his body, Bleck felt·lipped marking pens are used to outline the malte and fill it In. 1\11 marking pen mattes must be painted over with black poster paint or acrylic paint because marking pen ink is not dense enough to completely block out the lIeriel Imege.

The completed Sellek matte is now removed from the table and II

fresh

eel is registered in its place. This

new

eel

will be the counter matte of Sellek. Therefore, the lIree all around Sellek must be filled in with ink and poster

•

Superimposing Titles ove .. Ae .. lal Image

The ...ter of Ut.

bridge KeDe show.

the bridge _ t that w_ con.tructed for

p.,ason'. ,.,agon.

1'hD full· sized

_t

cost tSl0 to build.

The mInl.ture beIIm·

down _ t co.t very

Uttle money.

The title •• p.,e.r bl.ck If not front· lit. You may

de.lre thl. efFed to contr •• t a bright aerial tm.ge.

Front lighting make. the title. white. The expo.ure

for the aerlallnuoge and the tltlea must be the . . me.

paint on the cel. This counter matte is then removed from the table so that the first part of the effect can be prepared for filming.

The Sellek master is removed from the projector lind the beam·down chamber footage is placed in the pro-jector and aerially imaged into the camerll. The standard filter pack (10 blue and 30 magentll) is placed into the projector.

The camera's through.the-Iens automatic electric eye sets the lens at the COITKt f·stop. After the f·stop is ob-tained it has to be manually locked in· to the camera. Otherwise, when the maUe is set in place the electric eye will readjust the f·stop to an improper setting. The electric eye sees manesas dark lIfl!llS In need of II larger lens opening and this tendency of the elec· tric eye will result in overexposed second·unit effects footage unless the aforementioned precllution is taken.

The Sellek matte Is now registered back into place. At this point, If the aerial image is viewed through the Cllmera, a black silhouette of Sellek

will be observed standing on II transporter pod within the beam·down chamber. This is exactly how the first exposure will appellr on the film.

Filming the matte of Sellek on the pod is done one frame at a time according to a timing or cue chart (see figure ·I~ The chart shows when the mattes or counter mattes must be pYt in place-and for how long.

The

timing chart also specifies when the fade·out effects must occur. In general it is a graphic chart that specifically shows

when changes occur. Using the chart os a guide. the beam·down chamber Is filmed for 100 frames with the Sellek matte placed in the eel registllltion sheet. During the last 75 frames, the matte Is removed so that only the chamber is refilmed. The film is

now

wound back to its starting point in the camera and the first exposure is completed.

The second part of the composite ef· fect requires that Sellek be aerially im· aged into the beam·down chamber end faded out at the proper moment. The beam·down chamber film is repl.!lced

by the Sellek master in the printer's projector. The Sellek matte is removed and his counter matte is registered into pilice.

In this kind of printer the counter matte must be used to check the film's alignment. The alignment must be checked because when a master is removed from the projector and replaced by another it causes the fr.!lm· ing of the projector to change. Splices also affect the framing.

Next, the exposure must be deter· mined and locked ilto the camera. Then the second part of the effect is filmed according to the timing chart. Basically, what occurs during the first 100 frames of the second exposure is that Sellek is being exposed to the black silhouette area that his matte oc· cupied during the first exposure. Then, during the following 50 frames, the Sellek master is faded out so that he dissolves away to nothing.

The fade·out is accomplished by manually closing the f·stops on the camera. Another method of doing the fade·out (or a fade· in) is by rotating two

pieces of polarizing material in front of the camera lens. The last 25 frames of the second exposure are totally black. During the explanation of how the second exposure is made, I postponed mentioning a problem which occurs: how to find the correct f·stop needed for the rephotographing of Sellek. The camera's electric eye will set the wrong f·stop because of all the black that sur· rounds Sellek. There is no easy solu· tion to the problem. A common remedy is to film a series of "test ex· posures'" of the Sellek master, get it

processed and then note which ex·

posure is the correct one. Test ex·

posures are common for matte work

effects.

Another solution to this exposure difficulty is to film the Sellek master

with him standing by a background

other than black (preferably a gray one). The idea of using gray is to duplicate a gray scale card. In this way when Sellek, by the gray background,

is aerially imaged into the camera, its electric eye will give an average light reading that is very dose to correct.

Superimposing titles over msster fUm csn be tlone In one ~ss througb the op· ticsl printer. Tltie must be front·llt with pbotonoods or they'U be bboclr..

The gray background will definitely make the aerial rephotographing pro·

cess much easier.

For the third and final part of the ef· fect, the film once again is backwound to its starting point. The Sellek film is now replaced by the twinkles master, which is aerially imaged into the camera. The counter matte must be removed so that the proper f·stop can

be found and locked into the camera. Then the counter matte is registered back into place and the timing chart is used to guide the filming. First, 100 frames of total black is filmed (lens cap on), then a 25·frame fade·in of the twinkles occurs and is followed by a 25·frame fade·out of them. The last 25 frames are totally black (lens cap on). This completes the special effect.

Aerial Image Combined

with

Artwork

Combining art with an aerial image is probably the most useful feature of this kind of optical printer. No double exposures are necessary because the artwork is self·matting. What you see is

basically what you get. Composition

aside, the success of the effect simply depends on balancing the light levels between the artwork and the aerial image. If so desired, the artwork can be animated as each frame of the aerial imaged film is re·copied. For a simple example of art combined with an aerial

image I have chosen to demonstrate

the title of my film over a bridge scene.

First, the master footage of the bridge scene is placed into the printer projector and aerial imaged into the camera. The correct f·stop is noted and locked into the camera. The f·stop for the master of the bridge scene now becomes the only setting acceptable for filming the title letters. In other words, the aerial image light level determines what the light leve[ on the artwork must be.

For my titles [chose to use white rub·off lettering. [t is pressed onto the dear area of a registration cel so that it"" is positioned where I want it, relative to the aerial image. The ce[ is registered in place over the condenser lens.

•

Combination Malle Effects

The allen world m •• ter (top of

~ge) I. the flr8It .tep for the Or· gantlpu. effect. Next, the Organ· tlpu. ma.ter (above) I • • hot with castle .... tte In place.

Although the letters are white, the let· ters appear as black as the aerial image

is viewed through the Camera. This happens because the letters block the light path of the aerial image. By shin·

ing bright lights onto the title letters, they will become visible as white when

they are viewed through the camera

along with the aerial image .

Usually, two photo flood lights are placed as a light source above the titles at a 45·degree angle to the flat surface of the title cel. In order to balance the light on the titles to that of the aerial image, [ used a gray scale card. These

are available at most photo stores and

are used to find the correct f·stop at

whatever point they are placed. The

gfCly so:::tll~ c<Hd is pltlced on lop of th", titles (covering them up). The camera's

electric eye is taken off manual and put

back on automatic so that it can re

-spond to the light on the card. The

photo flood lights are then moved

closer or farther from the card (which ever direction is necessary) so that the

camera's f·stop becomes the same as it

was for the aerial image. When the cor·

Organtlpu • .... tte. (below) are obtained by painting on Mylar eel. while viewing ma.ter through camera's len.,

rect exposure is obtained, the card is removed and the composite effect is filmed in one pass of the film through the camera. This completes the title effect.

ComblnaUon

Matte.a,

BlIck Pro

-Ject.lon. AerU.llnmge

MulUple

EIposures: Energy Emitting

Organtlpus on

an

Allen World

By using mattes and doing multiple exposures, interesting aerial images can be added to rear projections.

Because the condenser lens plate is in· terchangeable with a rear·projection

plate, any rotoscoped matte work will accurately fit both the aerial image and the rear projection. This ability to have

<I (''{)fI!1T!CN! reg~erOO fTldlle for multiple exposures is a great convenience for

effects work.

The effect which is about to be described involves multiple exposures, mattes, an aerial image and a rear pro· jection. In the finished effect a creature

with streaks of energy emitting off its

body slithers out from behind a moun· tain castle on an alien world and grows

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ClNEMAG/C-S /1

The allen world mIIster Is an

aerially projected 35mm slide.

in size.

First. the masters must be filmed. A 35mm slide is taken of the alien world miniature set. It will be the rear projec· tion. The animated Organian Organ·

tipus (the creature) is filmed within an all·black setting and will be the aerial

image. In order to make the creature's size appear to change, the camera is

zoomed from wide angle to telephoto.

The next step is to make the static

matte of the mountain castle. The slide

projector must be set up in place of the printer's usual movie projector, and the

condenser lens must be replaced by the rear'projection plate. The alien world slide is focused on the rear· projection material (.003 foggy Mylar), a registration cel sheet is punched into place, and the matte is drawn. Then, the matte is removed so that the first exposure of the effect can be filmed.

The first exposure simply consists of filming the rear projection of the alien world slide. This was done with an B2A

color correction filter over the camera's lens. This filter is needed to bring the

color temperature of the slide

projec-12 ONEMAG/C"S

The Organtlpus master Is shot S9slost a blsck backdrop.

tor's bulb up from 3200 degrees Kelvin to 3400 degrees Kelvin, which is stan·

dard for Super-S filming with type-A film indoors.

For the second exposure. the

camera's film must be backwound to

its starting point. The slide projector must be replaced by the movie

projec-tor, and the rear'projection plate is

replaced by the condenser lens. The

movie projector has to be aerially realigned, but this is not very difficult to do because the rest of the optical system should still be very close to

correct.

The master of the Organtipus

creature is now aerially imaged into

the camera, the f-stop is locked in place, the castle matte is registered in place, and the creature is refilmed_

This completes the second ex-posure_ Although the creature is mat-ted behind the mountain castle, it is simply double exposed over the alien skyline. In order to distract the viewer away from any slight bleed-through that might occur, I decided to add an energy-emitting effect to the creature.

Rather than use painted rays of energy, I decided to use streaks of light. A form of moving matte work is

required for this techni que. Therefore, the creature footage within the projec-tor must be run back to its starting point. One frame at a time, one cel per frame, its movements must be traced and matted onto the cells. Next,

scrat-ches are made into the black paint on

each eel so that light can pass through them. The remainder of each eel must now be totally blacked in, which eliminates the silhouette of the

creature and leaves only rectangular black mattes that have clear scratches across them_ These mattes, when used in sequence, appear as the energy that flows out of the creature as it moves across the alien world.

For the final exposure, the film in the camera is backwound to its starting point and the film in the projector is removed. All that is needed for the energy rays is a beam of light pro·

jected up through the mattes into the

camera. The mountain-castle matte is registered in place along with the first

•

•

Aerial Image and Multlple Mattes

Tbe completed OrganUpus on .lIen world effecl.

energy matte_ In order to give the rays some color and make them in-teresting, two Edmund Scientific

color-burst filters have been placed between the matte and the camera lens_ One is

right on the matte and the other is r ais-ed above it and twisted so the rays

bend. Then the first frame is filmed.

Next, the first energy matte is removed

and the second energy matte set in its

place and the second frame filmed.

This procedure is repeated until the

last energy matte is filmed. This com-pletes the composite effect.

Concluding RelDalrlul

Through personal experience [ have

become aware of some advantages and

disadvantages of the type of optical printer described in this two-part arti

-cle_ The most convenient feature of

this printer is the many different kinds

of special effects that can be done on

it. Another benefit is that the aerial im-age is relatively dear and bright when

it is viewed, because it is not projected on a screen. Finally, the ability to re

-film an aerial image master with

art-work in only one exposure has

countless applications, especially for the Super-8 filmmaker.

However, this printer also has its negative points. For example, it pro

-duces second-generation effects which

are more grainy and less sharp than

the originals. The printer itself can become very expensive to build if you

incorporate high-quality optics, ac -curately registered camera and projec-tor components, and precision engineering_ Since Super-8 film and equipment is designed for the

"masses" and not for professionals, any

kind of special.effects work becomes more difficult and challenging_

Despite the problems encountered by using a Super-S optical printer, I

would not want to be without it. Mine

was constructed specifically to do the special effects for my Super·8 science-fiction fantasy film feature, Paragon's Paragon, my own version of Star Trek. I hope that the public will eventually get to see my film this spring (1980) at

comic-book and science-fiction

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artiSts as Chris Foss, Bob t-k(all,

Ches~ Booestell,

SF TV AND CINEMA

The most comp-ehensl¥e reporting in print d uPComll9 science fiction ard science

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pictures ar.d TV

ShoYvs. ExdJsive photos and

interviev-ls on ~lJch r>roollc:tions as Alien, Mc:xxlraker, Star T rek~ The

fv'c(1O(1 Picture, Nova, The f-IIartian

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FUTURE

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A PdnQfaml: view of trends, technologies af1d lifestyles to come.

The WOfId of genetic engineering. Arcosantl~~ity of the future, Holography. Videodiscs. Jacques Cousteau 00 spdCe and sea sciences.

O'Nelll'S space colonies. Alternate energy. Future r:x.:k. Hardware, Book

reviews. Databank nevvs.

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I

...

_---;

Filmmakers'

arum

8cr.tch.buUtSp'.ce.ul'tl~---~~

_{ATfEI'ITIOI'I}

SUBSCRIBERSI

· .. 1 ha~ made ~ ~lt thai

is It copy of

t

he

one 1M1 W!lS I,I~

in the movie 2001: II Space

Odyssey. There were mllny chili

-lenges ol)(! technical problems

that had to be overcome In the reo

creation of this suit from KllIlch.

The suit Ihat Is pictured here

costs about

$60

to make. Joe R. Frlnd

939 Washington St.

EllSton, PA 18042

Effective with the mailing of

this issue of ClNEMAGtC, 1111

renewals, notices of cl\ange of ad·

dress lind other sobscription

in-quiries should be itddressed to

our new Subscriber Service Center: CINEMAOle,

Subscriber Services, P.O. Box

142. Mt. Morri •• IL 61 054. We

hope thai this new centralloca·

toln will enable us to serve you

more effectively. Please be sure to IIdvise us of your change of ad·

dress six to eight weeks before you move.

M.ore

EzplosloD FX

•.. After much experirncnUltion,

I have finally created an inexpen

-sive way to achieve explosion FX

like the ones seen in Sr4l' WIllS.

All you need is; flash powder

(ttle stuff used by photographers

J, Frlozl's spacesuit'" faithful to 2oor. de.lgn, before flashbulbs were Invent.

Model Streaking

Without Airbrush

· .• 1 haye discovered a technique for streaking models for people

who can·t affO#"d an airbrush.

Paint your modele.s usual. Get

some grllphlte and sprinkle a small amount on a pie<:e of cloth or your finger{don·t put too much on). Rub the graphite along

the ~rt or ~rts of the model that you we.nt to streak (the e.irflow

lines). Be sure not to lellYt' any

fingerprints on the model.

Mark Niemilnn 2210 Grovewood Rd.

Clearwater, FL 33516

Robot Rivets

· .. In the IHticle, '·How to Build a Robot"" (CINEMI\GIC "3), you

said that you should assemble the robot with pop riYets. I haye tried to find out what these are but I hllve had no luck. I am In·

terested in building a robot and ... ould apprecitlte it if you could

explain wMt pop rivets are.

Scott Atkins

8578 E. Belmont Ave.

Fresno. CA 93727

Pop r1uets are uery ellSy fO use

and can be (ound In your local

hardware $lore. Yoo must buy a

14 ONEMAG/C-5

rivel gun as weU as the riuets, but ed-it is IIvaliable in most magic

lhese {JI"f! re/alltJely ineJqJensiuf>. supply stores): flash Pftper{lIlso

You alS<J need a drill 0#" a hole IIYllill1ble in rT"I!Igic supply stores):

punch of lhe proper gauge (Of" the and regular aluminum foil.

riuels you are using. The riuel gun Tllke some fillsh powder (II lit·

should ~ complete wilh In. tie goes /I long way), ... rap it in

Slructions on how 10 use II. flash paper (use II lot of flash

-- - - -

-

---

1

~per) and wrap this in eluminum

Book.

..• I have been searching for Kit

Laybourne·s An£tnation Book, but I have not been e.ble to find It any· ... here. Om yoo please tell me

where I rnight be able to purchase

•

ropy'

Hans Kuer.schgen 31 St. Lambert Dr. Cahokia, IL 62206 IlJlIhe books thai ONEMAGIC

reviews CIlfI be orc1en?d (rom !JCXY

lo<:aI bookstore (or from Ihe pub. Iisher if /hey don ~ have il in $lode) .

0ccas;0naUy, ONEMAG/c will di$lJibute a book /hallhe OOifors

feel II Is exceptionally good.

Kodak's The World of Animation

may be otdt>red through O·Quinn

Srudlos. To order, wrile ""The World of AntmatOO~c/oOQu/nn Studios, 475 p"nr. Aue. South,

N. Y., N. Y. 10016. E.ndosf: $7.95 (drawn to O·QuInn Sludios) kx

each copy. Add $1.25 kxposl.age

and handing (or each copy

ordered. (Add $3.25 each for foreign posUtge and ~.)

foil. Next, place the explosive

charge in your model. Tne model

should be scored so that it flies eport easily.

There are two ways to ignite

the chllrge. One method Is elec· trical ignition. Siring e thin, unin·

sulated copper ... ire from a I!Inlern battery, through a switch

end into the flash paper. The heat from the wire will ignite the flash Pftper.

Another way to ignite the

charge is to use II fuse. Twist some flash paper into a fuse. The tighter it is twisted. ttle slower it

burns.

Be Careful! I cannot stress this

enough. Fortunately, ttle powder ond paper cannot be purchased

by anyone under 21. Younger readers will need parent&1 super· vision.

Berton Anderson

4120 Walter Ave.

Las Vegas, NV 89104 FO#" man! b1{OI'I"TIaUon 01'1

EKpIo-soo

FX, see the F"/Jrr1TMkers.

Forum sectJon tI CJNEI.fAGK: "4.

Kool·Ald Martlans

. • • If IInyone is planning a film

version or any of the Edgar Ria:

Burrougns' Mar1.ian. novels, then here's a suggestion for creating effective· looking red Martians. On damp skin, rub cherry·

flavored KooI·Aid. This leaves e. ree.listic red coloration ... hich can

be we.shed off with soop end

water

Michael J. Wolff

1911 E, Southmore

Pasadena, TX 77502

KooI·Aid works

rille

,

buI. it"s a /it..

de sticky. In The WiUlrd of Oz. Ihe

special·dfect 1«h1lique usa:f to

c0l-or

/he .. ~ of

a

dif(erenl ook:Ir~ was regular

JeIJo

.

This worlred

well, bulthe hcKses (ound the .JeJJo

10 be I.If!f!II4Sly and cotd<:t!~ Ireep

from

licking fhemseIues.

You might try red

grease

paint Inslead of KooI·Aid. Grease pain1

iSn ~ unpkllSMlly slicky 10 weN.

You can orc#f.r rPrl !JfPrt.-pItinl

from Bob Kelly CosmetiCs lroc., 151 West4&h Sr., N. Y.. N. Y. 10036. You ClII1 also get It aJ. mosl

IIlealricaJ supply stOleS.

Electronic

Sound

FX

. .• Concerning your request for

informiltion on safe special ef·

fects. I may haYe some Informa·

tlon which could be of use to your

readers. Although yOUf article on special effects went into great detail on filming, it pfoYided no

Information for those who haye

sound equipment and ... ould wish to IKkI a special-effects sound· track 10 their film.

As an employee lit a Radio

Shack store, It has come to my

attention that Rlldio Shack sells

an IC chip(RS" 27& 1765), ... hich

with a minimum of ellternal components. Ciln be used to

generate all sorts of Sr4l' Trek.

Srar Wars, GlIiadica·type space sounds. It can elso create gun·

soots. explosions, music lind other sounds, depending on the

application.

The chip alone sells for $2.99.

and is ayallable at most Radio

Shack stores. For further infor· rnation readers may contee\;

Radio Shack, Diy. Tandy Corp.,

14400 Tandy Center, Ft. Worth, TX 76102.

Cornelius A, Cronin Andover, M.A

•

•

Australian FX Artist

".T. Miller's depiction of s Moon shuttle landing. ... My aim in life is without fail

to somehow do special effects: mini"tures, pre·production, film· ing, anything. Unfortunately, in this country the art of speci,,1 ef· fects does not e~ist and there are no su<:h jobs available here in Australia. I have made miniatures from various SF shows and movies such as Space 1999.

My first film is a scien<:e fico tion/fact story about the explora· tion of the universe and our grow·

ing technology. It encompasses every major step in space ex· ploration from the 1969 landing

on the moon and continues all the way to ~ giant space col· onies envisioned by Gerald O·Neil. Here is a photo from my film thllt shows a spacecraft· lo!Inding on the moon.

James T. Millett 41128 West Toorak Rd. South Yarra, Victoria

Australia 3141

Window Jumping

Woes

. . l"m having trouble with cer· tain stunts. For inst<lnce, how do

stuntmen jump through glass

(like" window)? Also, how do "r· tists get the effect of I"ser be"ms. like the guns in Space: J999?

Nick Streit 4724 W. 97th PI. Oklllllwn, IL 604.53

II is not. a good idea 10 go

around jumping through windooJs. Professionals in Hollywood don 'I jump through glass, they use "inl

glass (a special stWlI gldss thlll

/lies apart wilhout. any sfwp edges). Mcxiern resin. {ormulas are also cun-ently being used in gldss· smashing stunts. Since you cannot

afford these specilll Slunt glasses,

slay IIway {rom gldss·breaking

Producer Wants

Script

... I 11m very much interested in making a short (15·30 minute) SF film. However, IIIl of the ideas that I <:ome up with h"ve either already been used, are in the pro· cess of being used or are just plain dumb.

My friend o!Ind I would like to

slunts or you may wind up

seriously injuring yourself .

In answer 10 your ques/.ion on

laser·beam effects, try this

lechnque:

ArsI., gel an airbrush and painl

the laser beams 000 a pane 0{

glass. Try using {/ourescent posler

palnJ. i!I1d sIlOOl.ing under a

b/1JCk/!ght. Photograph the laser

beam agams[ II black background,

preferably b/lJCk velvet. Then back·

wind, lind shoot your IiIJe adion 01"

animaLion sequences on the same

111m, cr vic:e versa. It doesn'l mailer

which you shoot {1I"Sl as long as

you know whkh paIt 0( /he {rarne

you u;anl your laser ef{ecllo couer.

I{ you can'l afford iJIIlrirl::>tush.

try usl'19 Bryan McLane's sugges·

tion on crealing laser beam e{{ecls

in Ihe Filmmakers' Porum s.xtion

0{ Of'lF"..M .... GIC #3.

Grease Paint Aliens

... I have found that creating alien makeup is troublesome. Well, one way to make it easier is with two basic colors. white and bla<:k (mime makeup, grease paint.)

-- - - 1

hear from the readers of CINEMAGIC if they have any original ide"s that they would like

Color the person's fa<;e white and outline all outstanding features in bl"ck. Make simple black designs on the actor's white face (like Kiss or Alice Cooper)

and {or the [lnailouch, ouUine the

simpk biack de~n.~ in rPd

Space.hlp Shortcut.

... 1 was somewhat surprised at the attitude and comments of Ken Walker in his so-<:alled defense of the "toothpick-and·rubber·band method" of model building (ONEMAGIC ""2,) especially after reading his ilrticle on building a model spaceship out of modem materials. using sophisticated tools and lots of time.

I belong to England's only (I think) SF modeling club. The club's standards are very high !lnd the methods of scrnt<:h building are varied (as they should be).

Club members' methods of scratdl building rnnge from the use of sophisticated methods and materials down to the use of odds

and ends, but 1111 methods achieve

good results. It's the finished pr0-duct that matters.

111m interested in the dne sec·

tlon of our club. I think that Ken Walker, on reflection, will "p" precillte th.!!t a filmmaker ckle$n't have endless time to devote to the

construction of his miniatures. The

filmmaker may need two or three ships, miniature sets "nd planets, costumes. etc. llle filmmaker must also attend to such details as scriptwriting, filming, working out FX sequences, editing, sound synchlng, etc. The Iow·t>udgeted amateur filmmaker welcomes shortcuts that produce acceptable effects in model construction.

Certain spaceship designs,

especially ,.;aue .. ",. requil? the use of resins. llle last saucer that I built took two weeks to build "nd

<nst llbout $28. I consider this to be II moderate expenditure of time

"'" monoy.

Not all professionals deliberate· Iy use sophisticated techniques and materials. Bemard Wilkie, helld of the FX department at the

B.B.C., says, "If somebody says 'Make me a spaceship: lim· mediately look around the shop to see wllllt there is whkh, with a bit cl ingenuity, I can use to make a spaceship." Mr. Wilkie works on a tight budget. He is highly

re-spected in both professiofla! and amateur <:inematic circles.

I agree that anyone who is bUilding a model to enter into a

competition would spend as much

time as possible at constructing and detailing the model. But, if

you are filming, you don't ho!Ive!lS much time to devote to the miniatures because you have so rTh'Iny other details to attend to. If II part of a model is not to be

photngl1'lphfod. why Wllst .. til"nE"

detailing that pan of the model? There are no set rules for scratch building and I don't see any reason why new techniques and materials and "toothpk:ks and rubber bands" can't go hand in hand.

A. Sharples

191 Settle St.

Bolton, BL3 3DN Lancashlre.England

to have made into" tilm. We would greatly appreci"te any ideas that would make a good SF film. We will a<:knowledge the contributors in the credits of our film. Any ideas thllt we don't use will be sent back to the writers.

We prefer dr"ma. action and love stories that deal with SF. Horror stories are "Iso welcome.

John Lawrence Celtic Productions

13642 E. Terrace PI.

Whittier, CA 90601

Kaleidoscopic FX

grease painJ..

For a super·eerie effect. make the simple designs in nourescent grease paint and film under a black light using Kodak: Ekta<;".rome 160 Type G as your film stock. Then dress the actor in all black with white gloves and there you h"ve it, the perfect alien. Don't forget to spray the ac· tor's hair with silver paint-Just kidding!

Brien O'Connell Oreat Neck, NY

.J.c:k Imme.' effect looks better In c:olor tb.n B £. W, .. Super film effects from II

5O·cent mirror tile? Here's a shot showing just one of many special effects possible with a simple lens attachment made from II single

decorative mirror tile. ! made the attachment myself for 50 cents!

Jack lmmes Jr. 816 Washington Appleton, WI 54911

Forced Perspective

T

he art of simulating great dis-tances within limited .sp&ees is ell lied

forced

perspecUue. There are many methods of IKhleving this eff@ct. Some of these methods have specific appliClltions.

while others can be combi~ to form

a "multiple effect,"

This lIrtide

will

describe

the

tech-niques involved in cr~ting a drematic feeling of depth for tiny diorama.

If you have collected a multitude of

different scale models of people from

model klu over the yetns you're ahead

of the game. Buying new models just for the figures can be expensi~, espedally if all you're after is dressing for a diorama. A less expensive wolly to

amass a collection of figures Is to ac· cumulate a stock of miniature people sold by PJaslruct or other producers of scale figures. ~ Plastruct figures look

like workmen, but can be altered by using standard modeling techniques. There liN!: II couple

of

different figure

positions available in a number of scale

sizes. The four figures in the photo are lIt6,

1124,

1148 and

I

n2

scale.

Spacing between one scale and

another can vary depending on the

degree to which you want to create the

illusion of depth. The setting also

determines where the figures should be

placed, and some experimentation is

(

By BRICK PRICE

--~I

---

....

_

---

-h)ItINlW/NGii'

ZlUt

ALL otI.7/U.TS ~J(lST '"

PUINtS Of' 1>""~.s't:.toLof 11IIt;~"'DIN!f WALLf,FLDAlfS,Erc.

--

_-

-probably In order-until you are satis· -..

fied with the results

of

the staging. -.. -..

I

-A prototype can

be

constructed in·

I

expensively from light cardboard and '-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

-= ___________

-'

the measurements taken from It can be

i

used for the final diorama. A handy shapes in raw plastic stock and many

tool for figuring the rate at which your easily alterable models are available.

set "diminishes·' is a proportion grid. Make sure the figures and scenery of

Refer to the illustration for directions each successive scale are In the same

on how to make your own. vertic:al plane.

Some sections of the diorama may There are a few ways to Increase the have to be built from scratch or faked, apparent background distance. Th

ese

due to the transitional areas between techniques are for use behind the front·

one commercially available scale and stage setting of the diorama.

another. This is not necessarily difficult The first method involves the addi·

to

do

because there is a wide variety of tion of a forced·perspectlve painting at 16 ONEMAG/C·S

the rear of the construction, which In·

volves some skill at landscape painting

unless

a

.suitable photograph can be

found. This approach requires that you

engineer the diorama so it can be view·

ed only from a relatively small area straight in front of the background pic· ture. The camera lens must be perpen-dicular to the backdrop. A side angle

will expose the flatness of the backdrop

amon

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How to produce prcIessIonaI tJtIes that fT'ICIYe,

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B~I0w"4Y props for realisrc fi<tlt scenes.

AnirMtion on your hotner'nade stand.

Build your

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MIlke your own loom Iato; llnimm.kJn

models, molds lind ¥i'Mtures lind

rMke thUn CCIITlI!: lIlive! ~ paintirl9S.

l'Mtte box effects, split screens.

Reviev.ts cJ rtf:W equipment, lenses lind opticlll9<'dgets for ((Wing speci/ll d·

fea:sIRe&ders' forum-Irlters /lnd questionS excMngirog t«:hniqlleS and prodlJCtion secretsl Step-by-step i~

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screen

projected transparency

will

pro-duce the most realistic lighting for this, effect.

The second method involves

the

con· struction of diminishing scales in separate vertical

planes

with the transl·

tional space deleted. Each sue<:essive

plane

is scaled down from the

one in

front, and slightly tilted. Overhead lighting should be widest and brightest on the planes closest to the foreground, with dimmer spot lighting 00 the background.

A third method is mainly for repeti· tive backgrounds such as long tunnels or concourses.

Based

on the infinity

Forced

Perspective Figures

-

-Thea. flgurea are avaUple In _ ven.ldlfferent

.we •• nd lend ... lve • .,..11,. to forced perspectlve

dlor.m. •• The figure •• re m.nufactured. by Pl •• troct

.nd come In 1/16. 1/:Z4. 1/48 and 1/7:Z acale ••

FaKed per.pectlve-"Wrong."

)

I

1

r

mirror effect, this am be a very startling visual trick if properly lIChieved.

See

the

diagrllm for construction details.

The

methods described here lIlso in· dude

the

benefit 0( material economy, since

the

farther lIwlIY lin object is, the

smaller it will be in site and cost. In conclusion, fon:ed per5pI!(1ive

-Forced per.pectlve-"Rlsbt,"

dioramas, though requiring more lItten·

tion to detail than some scllie sets, com

-mand far more visual Impact. A well

-crafted scenario, creative staging of figures and subtle interplay 0( lighting wilt impress on your viewers a dynamic quality unobtainable in any other type

of diorama.

01

The Dlu.lon doetln't work from .Ide view, note the different IIC.I_,

FILM MAGIC is the only book eVe!" published that gives you clear, detailed information, photos, and diagrams on dozens of special effects techniques .. in a visually exciting end enten:aining formatl

Just $IJ~ of the fabulous contents iocIude these step-by·step methods: • Stop-mOlion animation models • Making full·body monstlll" suits • Foam-latex maklHJP made easy

Realistic minabJre sets • Building.ll life-size spcICeship

"bridge"

• Creating a galactic sunrise • The how-to of front j:Wo;ection • Realistic bldlel -,"ntiS nn lillA

""~,

• Techniques of glass paintings ... and much. much morel FILM MAGIC

IS A BEAUTIFUL BOOIC ...

12Q Pages

Large S)I, x 11 Size! More Than 225 Photos -Many in FULL COLOR! • Quality Pfinted on 7Q-Pound

Glossy Pap6f Throughoutl

FILM MAGIC was recommended by David Allen ~I the recent Celeblity Con in Pittsburgh, and animator Mike Jilliov has said of it: "Seautiful, gorgeous, a Wflalth of innovative infol"

DON'T MISS ITI TO: CINEMA ENTERPRISES BOOIC DEPT. 12 MORAY COURT BALTIMORE. MARYLAND 21236

Please send me copies 01

FILM MAGIC al only $11.95 pili" copy plus shipping fee.

Add lor shipping:

--4th Cla",, -UPS Ilastetl fofeign -$1.00 150 3.00 Total enclosed $, _ __ _ St.t. ONEMAG/C"5 19

Producers

'

,

U In

Please {orward announcemenls of film projecls in current production or near complelion 10: CINEMAGIC, c/o

O'Quinn Studios, Inc. 475 Park Avenue Sou/h. New York,

NY 100 16. Please include il photograph of some phase of

the production

if

possible.

Runners Down. It isn't a game,

ifs

a

way of life. Producer: Homicopia Pro-ductions Unlimited. Director/FX: Carl Homer Jr. FX include: pyrotechnics, mattes, animation. extensive miniature work. (Carl Homer Jr., 411 Beaver St., Mars, PA 16(46)

Super Teddy. Puppets star in this superhero spoof. Pro-ducer: Richard Shepard. DirectorlWriter: Richard Shepard. Cast: (off.camera voices) Jason White, Mark Peters, Richard Shepard. FX: Mark Peters. Richard Shepard, Jason White. Camera Operator: Peter Schwartz. FX include: aerial brace, double exposures. Super·a. color. separate soundtrack. Run· ning Time: 10·15 minutes. (Richard Shepard, 320 West B6th St., N.Y., N.Y. 10024.)

The Sword and the Blaster, Zentrons invade the planet Denuvia. Producer: David Hucke. Cast includes 22 animated characters. FX: David Hucke. FX include: stop motion animation. Regular·B, color, silent. Running Time: 20 minutes. (David Hucke, N4BW26388 Bayberry Ct., Pewaukee, Wis. 53072.)

The Stardust Cubes. The adventures of a long.haired trouble·shooter from Starfleet and his sword wielding, pixie· like alien sidekick on the planet Rigel 7. Animated. Producer/Director: Terry Homsey. FX include: stop· motion animation. substitution animation. Super·B, color, silent. (Terry Homsey, 3505 Ohio St., Alton,

m.

62002.)

The Tears of Thorla. Legion Associates and Cliffridge Publishing are co·producing a special for television. Current· Iy titled The Tears ofThorla, this special will be done com· pletely in stop·motion and optical effects. Now in the final planning stage, the production company is looking for

peo.

pie interested in working on SF and fantasy films. The special will feature the Garthian Strider and other space hardware. Anyone interested in working on this production can apply by contacting Legion Associates by letter at 44 Montgomery ·St.. San Francisco. CA. Lee Seiler, who will handle the effects unit, has expressed interest in amateur filmmakers and encourages them to apply. (Legion Associates, 44 Montgomery St., San Francisco, CA or con· tact Lee M. Seiler, 225 Hyde St., Suite 421, San Francisco, CA 94102. Tel. (415) 776-9571,)

Zombie. Skylab crashes to Earth in a small town during a local telethon and the dead come back to life. Producer/ Director: Mike Stanley. Cast: Phil Coco quyt, Bob Banek, Chuck lerland. Bob· bie Cocquyt. Super·B. color. Running Time: 25·30 minutes. (Mike Stanley, 19091 Frazho, Roseville, MI48066.) 20 CiNEMAGIC"5

Star Craft. The adventures of the Star Force as they pro· tect Earth and other peaceful colonies from mutated aliens known as Kreons. Producer: Starfilms Inc. Director: Paul Embrey. Cast: Paul Embrey and John Shanders. FX include: lasers, explosions, star fighter and attack craft models. Black and white videotape. In Preproduction, release set for fall 1980. (paul Embry, 904 Barracuda Dr .. Laurel Bay, Beufort, SC 29902.)

Earth Star. In the year

199B,

five space travelers encounter sabotage, cosmic storms, a super nova and a giant alien on man's first intergalactic space journey. Producer: United Bros. Film Corp. Director: Lorenzo Black. Cast: Lawrence Copland, Gisele Gleaton, Sherril Spikes, Derick Mekinzie, Mark Jones. Super·B, color, sound. Running Time: 30 minutes. (Lorenzo Black, 18663 Klinger, Detroit. Mich. 48234.)

Target, Secret agent Matt Bond 7.00 must stop master criminal Esolaris from destroying the world with his heat ray. Producer: KRT Productions. Director/FX: Barry Kauf· man. FX include: explosions, stop·motion animation. squibbs(exploding blood capsules). mattes (ray guns, etc.) Super·a. color. music sound track. In Production. Running Time: 20·30 minutes. (Barry Kaufman, KRT Productions. 2901 Polly Lane. Flossmoor, III. 60422.)

Super Hero, Part

1.

An alien fleet

destroys a planet, but before the planet's destruction a scientist sends his son to Earth. The boy has super powers. which he uses to fight for good. Producer: Hank Morgan. Direc· tor: John Benson. FX include: nearly 200 FX accomplished by blackscreen superimposition, front and rear projec

tion, stop-motion and optical painting. Super·a, color, sound. Running time: 50 minutes. Produced through Alpha Productions. Super Hero, Part 2 in preproduction. (Alpha Productions, Box 149, Buford, GA.)

The Delmos Factor. A space station on Deimos, one of Mars' moons, is endangered when an uncontrollable ancient force is accidentally unleashed. Producer: Sippin·Smyth Productions. DirectorslWriterslFX: Steven Sippin and Kevin Smyth. Effects include: miniatures, slow motion, colored filters, superimposing. Super·B. Running time: Approxi· mately 15 minutes, (Sippin·Smyth Productions, 1014 Hart· man La., Far Rockaway, NY 11691)

Valley of Day and Night. A reporter is sent to a seaside community in northern California to investigate reports of UFOs and other strange happenings in the valley on the other side of the hills behind the town. Producer: Can Enter· prises. Executive Producer: Ralph P. Morgan. Director: Andy Nelson. FX: Andy Nelson. FX include: stop· motion anima· tion, front·screen projection, rear·screen projection,

miniatures. explOSions. Super·B. color, silent. Running Time: 25·30 minutes. (Andy Nelson. 415 Monterey Rd .. Pacifica, Calif. 94044.)

Electronic

Special Effects

Using Professional Techniques For

Your Own Special·

Effects Films.

Motion Control Photograph

y

By KENNETH

WALKER [, JOHN COSENTINO

W

hat do Luke Skywalker's

X-wing fighter, berrel· rolling over the Death

Star surface and the

Ster-ship

U

.

S

.S.

EnLerprise streaking through spKe and time at warp.6 have in common? Both are examples of Hollywo()(fs relatively new state-of·the· art visual·effects process known liS motion-controlled photography, or to be more precise, computer·controlled,

repelltable-move cinematography. The DykstTanex, developed for

Star

Wars by cinemagidan John Dykstrllllnd his engineers, was the first fully realb:ed,

computer·asslsted system of its type to be used for theatrical motion pictures. It is capable of recording images of dogfighting spacecraft as if the camera itself were positioned right in the mid· die of the action.

Around the time that the Dykstranex was nearing completion, Douglas

Trumbull was developing a motion -control system for a live-action camera that was used to film the stunning UFO sequences of Dose Encounters 0{ the

Third Kind, This device was able to record camera movement with live ac, tor.;; on l'I set, Nllhallhis fnotlloe could

later be combined with various studio-photographed effects elements, like flying saucers, The result was a perfect melding of camera moves, focus changes and even lighting effects which gave the saucer shots a reality that

had

never before been achi~,

These two systems produced i!'1"1aQe5 that were e far cry from the locked-off, rether "stetic" visual effects seen In most previous films, But all of this amllzlng photographic technology didn't just spring up overnight. There were the pioneering efforts of John and James Whitney throughout I.h@ lale

Future General's computerized motJon'conb'ol amer •• ystem, featuring eight programmable ctumnel. for move -mentof either camera or model, wa. used for fUming varlou. miniature effecf.a _quence.ln Star 1re1t.- TM Ho -tton PIcture. All of the movements are accomplished by using elecb'onlc stepping motor ••