Cinemagic #01 (1979)

Foreground Miniature Magic

Backwinding For Special Effects

Do-It-Yourself Aerial Braces

7SP

DGS

(HI

Above: Mark SulUvan n_ded an aerlaJ. brace for. _quence In .. recent fUm. Ted Rat!I gives step-by-.tep lnatructlona for the construction of Jour aerial b£llce. Right: Joho Dod. KeRe from Farut Star" with apple. suspended from hi. aerial brace. Below: 80me of the very bolented apedal errec:u crew that gathered togethel" to give Rodut.hIp I·M. special effect. facellft.

T

-Editorial

---::::-:=:c-,-:::::-;-~=:-;OC:;-;--'-.c:::c---;-:-

4

A letter from CINEMAG1C founder Don Dahler and a letter from CINEMAGIC's new publisher Kerry O'Quinn

Filmmakers'

Forum

_ _ _

_ _

_

6

A regular department devoted to readers' comments about

filmmaking, their problems and solutions

Re.Making

'Rockets hip X·M' _ 8

An old SF

/

adven

t

ure thriller gets a new special effects fa

c

elift

Product Review

_

_

-:---=--_--,---,

14

Crit

ical appraisal and commentary of the filmmaker

'

s tools

Producers' Bulletin Board

16

Latest news of ou

r readers' productions

Backwinding Super·8 Film

20

Backwi

n

ding t

h

e sound and

s

ilent

c

artridge

s

Cinemagic Marketplace

24

Classified ads from readers and ma

n

ufacturers

The Aerial Brace

26

Step-by-

step construction feature

Closeup

34

A f

oc

used l

oo

k at tools or

t

echniq

u

es for the filmmaker

4

hblla"'edby:

O'QUINN STUDIOS, lNC.

475 Park Avenue South

New York, N.Y.

10016

PubU

.

be ... :

Norman Jacobs/Kerry O'Quinn

Fou ... of ClfIEJIlAGIC •

••

Edltort.l Co.lMIItaat:

Don Dohler

EdIto .. ·la·Chlef:

David Hutchison

... DI ... cto .. :

Robert P. Ericksen

0.

...

Susan Stevens

JIb_ . . . .

Ultor

:

Bob Woods EdIto~ICoa~aton: Ted R. Rae John Cosentino James Caldwell Art SLaff: Laura O'Brien Robert Sefcik

A8e0date . .

bl ...

:

Ira Friedman

h.l.taat . .

blla ...

:

Rita Eisenstein

u... .... c_IO""oIlhtrnc>Rr~dtinv_1fI HoII)"'f"Od hioto<y _,,"king pUce 11IIo.r-; AnoldcID lie bIado __ while SF 1ho11er loom I9!iO io

get""".

'-ce1llt. ,.. Ibm of _ of HoIIywood". ttwptM tIP'" c~e>.peMhMdeci<kd.oglw~)I.M

a second dYn.:e. The film ... ill N ,.,....,_ ttw.)"MI" ",Itt. " " ' ~!.I·elrect. oeq....,ru::e •. The C ... f

... l!Iomrn IDO'ile h""", blow·"" loom _ of the

-

...

.

CH"iEMAQIC !. pul>Ht/Md quortedy by O'QUINN

ST(IDk)S. 1rtC .•• ~ Poon. .... ~.nueSOUth. New YOlk. N.V. 10016. Tnl. Is ... Numbe< I. v ... "'" I. Con. IItn1 io <iii COpyl'Ight 1979 by 0'00l1'\l'i STUDIOS. INC ... 1I.ighto _.-...d. Reprlnl Of f~fO'hx'iOI'Iln 1'0'01 Of In .. hole ... itIoou1 wrft,,,,, p e _ f.om "'" pubI~ 10 SUIC''''' foobJdden. ONEMOC ..c.

CIOpU no ~!Il!y foo ...,.1ci~ ... n....:;''''''". ~ ... , on or oche ... tef!.o ••• bu1ir"~_

mittelt .,., ~nl'fd by • M~·add.e»td. ,",m~ en""~.lhey ",ill be...noooty

""".Ide,.,d

$"\d. If ~ry, ,.,1u ... d. Produclo W.tt1loed ftC not r>«_,ily endOIoed by CtNE./<V.OK:. _rid ony view, t"P"'...:Iln .dll ... ' <:q>y are not r>«e ... ';1y \how ofOf'tE1oV.QIC SubKtiption "''';'' U.\l9_ ~,(""" 1_)"I~.edlnU.S .• c.. _ _ ..,.. ioco; f_gn subooc:flpCoono ".99 in U.s. fundo only

New oubtcrlpllotw. 1 _ _ 11 .nd chrorogr of ..tdresI should be .,nt OI.ectlr 10: ClNEMf\GIC. O·o..!nn

StudiOS. I<IC., 47~ P ... vefHOt South. New V""'. N.V.l0016 Prinl.-dl~(J.S."".

A

ward.winning makeup artist Rick Baker once sent me a letter which

contained the following statement: "I really like ONEfo'tAGIC •.. 1 wish it

had been around when I was starting out!" Such II positive reaction

didn't surprise me, nor have countless cries of delight from readers

who have immersed themselves in their first issue of ONE.M.AGIC. That's because

ONE.M.AGIC is not new to me, and exclamations of p1'llise (humbly accepted) have

been filtering through to my mailbox for the past six years.

Six years! But this is issue -I, isn't it?

Let me I!Xplain ..

ONEMAGIC began as a full·slzed, lavishly produced fanzine In 1972. It was born

of an idea that came to me much earlier-in 1964-when, like most of you, I was

getting heavily into making

serious

and

creative

short films in Bmm and Super·B .

As I put together such fun and inspired flicks as clay animation, SF comedies Ilnd

"twist ending" horror tales-complete with superimposed titles and sync

sound-I beglln to notice that other folks were doing likewise. Not a Iol of other

folks in those deays, but enough filmmakers with a similar fascination for special

effects that it seemed like a good idea to start a "network" of amateur prodlJCers

to exchange ideas lind share cinemlltic experience. A newsletter or magazine of

some type was the logical outlet for such Il coalition.

However, it took eight years and a lot of personal building before I was able to

publish the first issue of the original ONEMAGlC. But when I did, I knew that I had

started something good; something the fllns needed and wanted. As the word

spread, coupled with the ffi3gazine's qUl!lity appellrllnce, ONEMAGIC grew steadily

over the years. With my limited time and resources, though, I was never able to

I

started making "shows" long before I owned motion·picture equip.

ment. In the second grade I drew cartoon panels on a roll of white

adding·mlKhine paper and forced all the kids in the neighborhood

to sit on the floor lind pay close IIttention while I pulled the strip of

paper through II cllrdboard box, outfitted with a light bulb and chellp lens

that projected the world's weakest picture on the wall.

I provided the soundtrack-crellting all the voices and sound effects

with my childish Texas twang-and even humming bombastic musiClI1

punctuations that frequently caused our maid to wonder whether I WIIS "right bright:'

So what if the presentation lacked a few refinements. As they say,

it

was a

s

tart.

Years Illter I advanced to a Brownie 8mm camera, and in high school

my friend David Houston and I set out to film the most spectacular

movie of the decade-and possibly of all timel Of course, it wasn'l, but

all our schoolmlltes who had laughed at our lavish pillns cheered lit our

world premiere and told us it

was lJ

slart.

During the next few yeC!rs Ollvid C!nd I completed several more am·

bitious film projects-taking IIfter·school jobs in order to purchllse better

movie equipment. The more professional our efrorts, the more our au·

diences enjoyed the productions. "Hey, guys," they encouraged us, "this

isjusl the stC!rt."

Now, a few years later, I am lit the start of another project, but this one

involves offering help, advise and encouragement to other young film·

makers. Our STARLOO readers have wanted this kind of magazine for

years. Although our special effects series in STARLOG is one of the most

popular regulllr features, it deC!ls mainly with "how the

pros

do it," and

most of the time that bears little relC!tionship to the budget and facilities

available to non·pros and "backyard" filmmakers.

afford the wide eKposure required for something as unique as a "how to" special-effects magazine.

That will no longer be! a problem

now.

After pampering my brainchild through

II issues worth of tough times and finding it more and more difficult to keep it

going, a "guardian anger· emerged in the form of one Kerry O'Quinn.

Kerry is a man with foresight beyond most men and he immediately recog·

nlzed the value of CtNEMAGIC-not for the dollars it would bring to him (magazines are a costly and risky investment}-but for the worth of a publication which

would enable thousands of filmmakers to find even more pleasure and

knowledge in their craft.

It was natural, then, for Kerry and crew, who were Innovative enough to spawn

the likes of STARLCX< and FUTUREUFE, to bring to you this new and exciting version of CINEMAGIC.

Equally vital. though, is the fact that the philosophy of the original QNEMAGIC is

retained by the new: It's

your

magazine ....

Be part

of it! Leam from it! Share in the excitement of it! But most of all,

eryoy

it! I know that I will because even though it's my baby. it's been adopted by the

most competent group of people I know of. With your help and support QNEMAGIC

is certain to grow to

be

a tall, proud magazine which will undoubtedly benefit the

entire special-effects genre.

DonDohler

CINEMAGIC will tell you how to create the same kind of special effects

without robbing a bank or breaking into Paramount after hours. CINEMAGtC will provide a forum for questions and answers as well as for

letters and news. I hope that CINEMAGIC will actually have a hand in

educating and aiming many of you toward Hollywood.

You have a dedicated editorial staff working to make this magazine

more valuable to you than your light meter.

David Hutchison, our extremely capable special.effects and science ex·

pert on STARLOG, will be handling his first assignment as magazine editor,

Dave knows 101 ways to use a coat hanger and masking tape for fan·

tastic visual tricks, and he is tuned in to the problems and ambitions of young people. He will probably become one of the important people [n

your life.

Don Dahler, the young explorer who took the fjrst step. will continue to write and edit for CIN(MAGIC, lending his vast experience and

knowledge of film effects to the new STARLOG·produced version of his

baby. Fortunately for you, Don's move into pro·films has not lessened his

love of ·'roll your own" techniques and projects.

And there will be many others- some top professionals and some still

struggling upward-who will show and tell within these pages. I am very

proud of all the people involved in QNEMAGIC, and I am proud that we, as

a company, are able to provide this magi!lZine, Fri!!lnkty. it is not, for the foreseeable future, a profitable venture, but it is one of the worthwhile

things that our success elsewhere makes possible.

CiNEMAGIC is the kind of guide that David Houston and I needed back in

our school days. It is the kind of guide that you need-today-to assist you with fantastic filmmaking proJects. Use It for all it's worth.

CINEMAGIC: it's a slaJt!

Kerry O'Quinn/Publisher

Dohler, founder of CJJn!M.AGIC.

... Filmmakers'

arum

A. regular d •

.,.rtmeDt

devoted to .... tlers· commenb _bout filmmaking, their problenu; and "lotions.

6

SF In _ Small VUlage

... [am 21 ye8rs old I!Ind lin IImillteur filmmaker. [ have been making SF films for several years now. I enjoy this type of film beoIuse it Is much more of II challenge to moke it believable and Impress an Iludience.

It 1,][ began when I read an artl· de in Super·8 Fllmaker

magezlne a few ye<lrlJ ago about

1:1 SF filmmllker. The IIrtlcle

showed pictures of $Orne simple

effects he h8d done, lind bolIsted

how grellt they were. I felt that [ could do much better.

A friend with a slmiltlr Interest

in science fiction wrole a scrip! for me. My girl friend made all

the costumes for the ,seven cast

members, while I built the sets. Using C<lrdboard, masonite, fur· ring strips iIInd plexiglllss. I con·

structed the Interior of Il control room, the Interior of the "Aries" spacecraft lind an IIHen ice eav@, as well as miniature sets for special effects, The film Illsted 30 minutes and WIIS entitled

Allen, We showed It at summer

Cllmps, the locill library and my old high school. Everyone seemed to like It. ll1e tetK:hers seemed to like It most because it showed that someone in this SIT1iIIl villilge did something other than tilke drugs l:md get into trouble, (For .II small village, there is iI lot of

drugs, crime ilnd suicide between

FoDed

ellff.

the ages of 15 and 25.)

We ilre currently working on 8

new film, Tlmesearch, It will run ilbout 90 minutes, Among the

original models I built for the film

is the 4,fool "AmbaSS8dor" with built-in lights.

I showed pictures we had IiIken

of scenes Irom the film to Gerry Anderson ilt the Ohio Space:

1999 e<>nvention, He said that it

is too bad filrTlffillkers like myself

don't get proper exposure.

StudiOs 8re often looking for

•• ,Some time ago, I produced a

II

bo!:.'fcd:~I::.~

short film entitled The ForgoI.len

f'Illleau, which had some

intrigu-Ing technical problems to be solv· ed. I had neither the money nor

the time to create either plaster or paper·mache cliffs and C!lVems. Further.l had limited space to work In, and then only for short periods of time (my

parents WlInted the dining room back every night llround supper· time), pre<:Juding the use of even semi· permanent sets,

The answer, for myself and ilny other fIIrTlffillkers facing the same difficultles, WlIS temporary cHffs. With

an

evening of 6.perlmentil· tlon, I diswvered iI means of cre-ating them with corrugated C!ud-board, mll.'lking tape and IIluml· num foil (hellvy duty), The follow·

FoIdklll _IDWly

,,,,,,,.rd,

'_1>&10

bDU<>m

1 mIIde three more, and I four the neltt morning.

,

plenty of

foil

model builder., set designers and

other artists.

I am from Rhode Islilnd, which, I believe, is the most IInti-science·

fiction plilO! in the world, There

8re no clubs, organizations or anything. The only interests pe0-ple have In this state are drugs,

selt ilnd violence, If you mention seience nction to them, you get a -response like, "Oh ye8, I seen

'Swh Tr<K:k; the show 8bout the guy with the eilTS-that's stupid!" And, believe It or not, the only SF

should be crushed, then genlly

unfolded, to CTelite .II look of IVOm

granite, before LIIping it to the frame.

Paint your cliffs with iI grayish metal primer in sprlly form. Do

not brush paint. as this will

stTilighten the foil. After the paint

is dry, use an air brush to ildd 16.' lUre by using different hues of gray i:l Vilrylng llmounts

across

the entire f~ of the cliff. To end. I'd like to add iI few noles ilnd tips: 1) Plllnting the ~rdbollrd with flot Iilte/( PlIint strengthens il 2) The cliffs aren't

designed to carry weight. 3) Don'l

Ielive these where your cat can get into them, All of these Ups are from persornll experience,

HaliOmman 645 NW79St, Seattle, WA 981 t 7

series that was mentioned WlilS

Lost In Space. People still wiltc:h il and say that iI's muc:h more believable than Star Trek. This is

what I have to live with.

Lew Place

20 Main Street Harrlsvllle, RI02830 Though t.hi5 /eUer was senI to

STARLOOmagazlne, we thoughlll

woukJ. be of inlerest 10 our

ONEMAGIC tl!adem.

Asteroids with

Twinkle

, .. Now that spece epics are in,

like Star Wars .. , , Amoteur filmmakers are pressed to make spectilculor special effects, I found a way to make an asteroid

that lights up In different cotors.

Take iI chunk of styrofoam, cut pieces of it off, making it the si!e

ilnd shape you want. Then buy a

string of "twinkle" lights used for

Christmas decorations, Cut the wires about 8. foot from one light. Stick the light Into the asteroid ilnd hook it up to a 9-voll battery. Change colors to

make fantastic seenes.

Steve Cisco Bolt 64Rt *1 Bejou, MN 56516

C ....

lc. For Home

Study

T~ 1979 Universal·S Films ca\!llog has Just come across my desk. The catalog lists quite a variety of dassk horror, SF, fan· tasy and adyenture films. Everything from The Mummy and BrIde of Frankenstein to This Island Earth and Swash-buckler. In many ways the Ibting b a good start on oS reference library for the filmmaker. Perh;,P5 you lire working on a modem Wolfman epic: or a parody on

some

SF claS$lc. It would be

mighty handy to have the lne)(· pensive 8mm yersions of these to screen forwar<h, ~wards and in slow-motion. You am check details on makeup, character m0-tion, set prOf)S, etc. Of course. most of these versions are

con·

densed usually 10 17 minutes. But the editor, tiill Compton, tries to keep key

scenes

and enough plot material to keep In context. On the other hand, Universal 8 has a series of '"Great Scenes." For example, ""The Destruction of LA." from Earthquake, 'The Complete Showe.r Murder" from Psyeho (for you editing fans), or the Waldo Pep~ dogfight. Very handy for study. The Brot~rs

Hildebrandt remllrked to

me

that they used to try to film sequences with an 8mm camel'll off 111e TV set for fl'llme-by·frlIlTle aNilysis when they were making there own movles as teenagers. UnlYersal-8 and other home film compllnies haYe IT1lIde it easier.

C.11IDgAU

Dayld Hutchison Editor

PA

FU-lDIDIIIr.en

... This may be a first for North·

eastern Pa .. the forming of the Movie ~kers-Hadeton Film

S0-ciety. Moylemaking and Its reo lated fiel<h are kind of a detK1l1rt In NE Pa. and we hope to change

thal Focusing on amateur film-making at this point we hope to expand with· the help of others in our llret! that are interested In this rleld, from persons who just like

to <:ollect fitms to professioMis willing to donote their time to im· prove and expand the IIrt In our areo-Ihf:lltre groups, people who

STARLOG

I

FUTURE

UFE

Announce.

Short

FUm

Competition

STARLOG lind FUTURE UFE magazines, sister publlcatJons to ClNEMAGIC, lire sponsoring their first annUIII SF Short Film Search, open to all filmmakers, wMtever their eJtperience lind

b_,

Films may be submitted in Smm, Super-8, or 16mm, and IIlthough there is no limit on length, 5-15 minutes Is most desirable. The subject can be like to write, act, direct, even phases of TV production. Anyone Interested can ;ain and nelp foml something that is and will be

something different. Interested parties can write to O.C.E. Films, Box 61 Drifton, PA 18221, or if

you live In and around the tUuel· ton. Pa., aree, meetings are every Thursdlly nIght lit 7 p.m., 311 W. Diamond Ave" Hazelton, PII. We need 1111 the help we

can

get to build an organization that will

give people In our aret! with creative talent II helping Mnd.

David Budde

Super

8 For Sale

... The fun and fasclnlltion of producing home SF and fllntasy films are ends in themselves. However, necessity and common sense argue thot getting paid for them wouldn't be bad either. Is a list of indlvtduals, ciubs, and/or

anything that falls within science nction, future, horror and space

fantasy; It can be humourous or

serious, It can Include animation, stop motlon, live action or any comblnlltlon.

The entries will be ylewed by II panel of film experts, and the win· ners will be announced and

screened at t~ Baltlcon (Baltimore) April 13·15, 1979. Deadline for submitting nn!shed firms who might pay cash for quality Super 8 films aYllllable?

ADd,. Tubbe8b1g 5315~Dr. ~,OH44129

A rtUtTlberof~8I"IlaIeI-f'" /lJms

h.we made It. Ihlo the semi· pro market. Consider tIw 'ale 0{ such /Ilms

as

Hardware Wars,

whkh Ms been ~ up by Pyra·

mid FIms. There are oBI (ew com· panI£s inktesled 6l/N Super-8 nw*t>t, but

first

your fIm must be

.seen.

The mosl notable euent 0{

IfIJ.! year Is the SF Short Fim

SeNCh which offers cash prizes and the chance of c:ommerdaI dis·

trlbution:

For

1n{0ITTI4ll0n oorJtad

David EIJ1s (see above Item).

Miniature World.

ForS.le

... When building miniature

films Is April I, 1979. Because of the already ~vy response however, you are strongly urged to get your film entered as fl!lT in advance of this date liS possible. Provided you \!Ike photos and otherwise document your step-by·step making of the film, this material mlIy be used In lin article on the winning entries In CINEMAGIC, ST ARLOG andlor FUTURE UFE. Best of ali. if the

winning entries lire of high pro-fessional quality, STARLOGI FUfURE UFE plans to pockage

the films for wide commercial ex·

posure-an opportunity to boost

you into the motlon·picture limelight lind produce Income In addition to your prize money.

Any films produced within the past two years, 1977·78, are sub-mlttable. For de\!llled rules, fees, releases and entry forms please write today lind enclose a

lblmped. HK..-ddr . . Md long envelope:

SF Short Film Search

clo Dave Ellis 4221 White Ave. Baltimore, MD 21200 Please note thot you do not have to IIttend Baltlcon to par. ticipate In the SF Short Film Search, but if you woukllike in-formlltlon on attending, please request It specirlC8l1y when you write.

sets, drop by a hobby shop cater· ing to model railroaders. You will find a wide vllrlety of things to

work with at

a

reasonable cost.

Also check out the book flICk

there. There are many books on building incredibly detailed =~

Bob WoocIbunI 115.,9tb8t.

MeA, AZ 85201

No/. only <i> mocfto1 RR sJvJps have a wkIe IJIIrle!y

01

minial:ures-from parle benches and UJOtb1g /limp

post.s to uar1c:w.G bulldlngs-bul

they come 61 dlfferent.scales. Thus /I. becomes ~ 10 build sets 61

(orced ~ allow cosL

The !eU.~

lor !his

/h4

issue

01

the new ONEMAGIC haue been selected (rom trose received by STARLOG magazine and by Don. """"" (JI

₇

•

•

•

•

,('·""1\17111 ... ··-·

...

'

,."

"I.,N

-,

•

TolD. Sc:bennan bl'llcea hi. re-created .. X .JIIl" spacecraft on It. .tand agaillat tbe 4O.mph wluda that plagued

the film crew. The apace sblp wa. paln.UkIDgl,. copied from f ... e blow.ups of the 01'191Ul foobge.

In . . tl Afrarpeoftbe V·2 atoek footage that w •• uaed In the orlglnal1950relea_that wlUbe ....oJ

replaced by •• pec:I.,u,. .sMmbled team of apeclal·effects expert. wbo happeD to love SF and'tantaay fUm.

•

•

-•

..

~

COVER STORY

Re-lnaking

'Rocketship

X-Mo'

R

OCkctship X-M began in the

late 19405 when Kurt

Neu-man, ill writer and director,

showed Robert LIppert, an

independent producer. II story

outline for ill serious science·fiction

film. Neuman demonstrated that his story of 1I Journey to the Moon could

be made for less than $95

,

000

.

lip-pert,

oil prolific producer with a good

eye for what the public was willing

to buy. took note of the current

ny

-ing SlIucer craze and produced the

film.

X-M originally stood for Expedi.

tion Moon, but because of the

similarity of Neuman's

script

to

George Pal's

DesUnation Moon,

also

in production, Neuman altered the

final part of his story so that the five explorers land on Mars instead.

Rocketship X-M, filmed in black lind

white, made millions of dollars 8 few months after it was released in

1950.

An eight·year-old Wade Wiliams fell in love with the film, but its sue·

cess was short lived. The film was sold to television in 1955, and was

seen quite often until color program· mlng became common, whereupon the black·and·white adventure fed

-ed

from view.

Several years ago, Williams insti-gated e netlonwide search for the film. After meny years of detective work, he was able to buy the rights to the film end make a dupe nega· tive of a flne·graln positive 35mm print that War~r's had. The original

negative had started to decompose in 1965 and had been destroyed.

Wade Williams wanted to reo

release the film, but in the age of

Star Wars

and

CE3K

Williams knew that modern audiences would be bothered by the low budget effects, now over 25 years old. The rocket lift·off was stock V·2 footage, there were no exteriors of the ship, the composites were faulty, etc.

Effects

Facelift

for

SF

Classic

By DAVID HUTCHISON

Late in 1977 Williams made can·

tact with some effects artists In

Hollywood, who he hoped might be

Interested in what was certainly an unusual plan. Wouldn't it be fun, he

suggested, and interesting to im· prove this old, little known space

adventure story by throwing out

some effects footage, re-shootlng It,

maybe adding some new scenes and making it available to the public again?

Quite a number of those who at·

tended Williams' private screening

thought it would be fun and In·

teresting to do just that. The team

assembled to create and shoot the

new Rocke/ship X·M sequences is

listed in a special box on this

spread. Most of the names will be familiar to readers of

STARLOO magezine: They are

cameramen, editors, designers,

some of whom have worked on such classic SF and fantasy films as

Aesh

Gordon,

CDI(, Sl.ar Wars, Sl.ar

T rek-The Motion Pic/ure and whose

contributions to SF/fantasy are ex-tensive.

Early meetings of the team were spent deciding exactly what footage to junk. Eventually Tom Scherman designed a storyboard that met everyone's satisfaction. There were

to be 11 new shots:

1) new opening tJtles

2) replace Earth nfl·off

3) replace all

V

·

2

stock footllge 4) replace shot of sun's corona

seen through the ship's port· hole while in space

5) add exterior shots of rocket under acceleration

6) add exterior shots of rocket

with engines shut down

7) descent to Martian sutface

8) rernllke long shot of ship com·

ing down on the Martian surface

9) new shot of crew disembarking 10) new shot of survivors returning

to the ship

II) exterior shot of rocket escaping from Mars with globe covering

211

of background frollme

Additionally, all the new footage would be shot In color. The color

negetive would be printed onto black-and·white stock, so that the

color grain in black and white would look like the grllin of the black·olInd· white emulsions of 1949. Also the entire film will be tinted. In the

original, only the Martian sequences had been tinted a deep red·violet,

but the re·release will see color

tinted footage throughout. Scenes

inside the ship will be printed a soft chocolate brown, exteriors of the ship In space will be bluish to pick up the silver of the ship, bunker in-teriors a light yellow, etc.

It was agreed to first tackle the

scenes that were the most com·

plicated logisticolltly and involved the most people-the sequence of the five people setting out from the ship on Mars and the shot of the three scrambling back. A foreground miniature had to be built and a model rocket fe·created.

The task of recreating the X·M rocket fell to Bob Burns and Tom

Scherman. The rocket would have to be copied from the film. The frame

MIke Minor and Tom Scherman_t up the metal

framework, which

wlU form the "'_ofthe

mlnbwre.

Denm. MureR, at

left, I. _tung

the camera tripod.

In the proper

I

,

posldon

;.~~~~==

~

====~~~=:::~;=-=~~~~

!

!

Right: MIke Minor and

Tom Scher .... n are p ....

tering the bue of the

foreground rig. Dave Sdpea checka the framing through the

camel'll. hnm. MureR'.

In the background.

I

I

"

t'

I

~

---

_~

...

Left: Hany W.lton and Tom Scherman anll screwing down plywood over the metal framework. Dennis Muren and

Dave Sdpes PHI'

pare to mount the camera on the

tri ...

selected for study was a matte paint·

ing of the rocket on the launch pad. Burns removed the frame from his print of the film. mounted it and projected it as a slide on a blank wall that Tom Scherman had

covered with drawing paper. After

tracing the image as closely as possible, Scherman took the tracing to his drawing table and cleaned it

up with a French curve and a ruler.

"I had to get a perfectly smooth drawing," remembers Scherman, "in

order to be able to make a good

pattern.

"We reviewed the finished drawing

by prOjecting the slide over it. When the match was satisfactory, I started the pattern." But first a decision had

to be made regarding the size of the model.

Dennis Muren, the technical con·

sultant for the unit, determined that the rocket should be about 24"

high. Muren knew that the model

rocket would have to be placed x·number of feet close to the camera

Below: The view from undel'D_th the fore·

ground rig. Note how the edges of the pt.ster

nare

down and ouL Add.ldonal pieces have been rigged on .tuub to the right.

Above: Mike Minor worD the p"'ter with hi.

band. _It _ta to bring up the propel'

texture for the base. Jllli.ke Matney . . .

tat..

"The Last shot was the .most difficult

and th

e

mos

t

satisfying-it'

s

an

1

1

J,2

se

cond take

t

hat required split. se

c

ond

tim

i

ng to

c

oordinate the a

c

tor

s,

hundr

e

ds of f

ee

t away, with th

e

modeL

. "

(to ma

k

e

it

appear

very

large) and

the actors playing the

explorers

would be x-hundreds of f~t from the camera (to appear much smaller

than the model) end

both

would

have to be held in focus. If the

model we

r

e

too

small

it

would

have

to be placed too

dose

to the carneTt! and be outside of the range of focus.

On the other hand, the larger the rocket, the longer it would take to

build-the more time, dieTt and

money

it

would

req

uire and

so on.

Muren thought the shot CQuid be

done with a two-foot model.

The basic form was turnl!:d on a lathe from dense styrofoam. When

the foem ma

t

c

h

ed

the pattern

,

a

negative mold was cast In sections.

The positive was cast with 8UtO body

putty

,

s

l

ush molded.

The

c

asting

was then assembled and followed by many hours of sanding to achieve a

perfectly smooth and even surface.

The slightest flew in the surface of

the model would destroy the illusion that the foreground miniature

perspective shot sought to create. Finally the model was painted with fiberglass resin, sprayed with

gray primer and allowed to dry.

"After a few hours,"' says Scherman, "I sprayed it with a candy apple

silver base and then with spray aluminum paint. I did it on a half· end·half basis so the rocket didn't shine or glitter too much but stili had thllt dull aluminum look."

The fins were simply cut out of balsa wood and glued into position.

The ledder rungs are ordinary staples ... , very carefully measured how far apart the rungs should be

and laid out a pattern in tape on the rocket. Then, with a very fine drill, I

made a tiny hole through the resin

end into the styrofoam, being very

careful not to crack the resin, and drilling, of course, two holes for

each staple, up and down the body

of the rocket. Then I pulled off the tape and pressed in each staple by

hand untll It was within about itS

inch of the surface.

Above: Mike JIl.stney sdJusts foreground rocks thst were bunt by Tom Scherman

snd JIIltke JIIU.oor."

"I carved out the door opening

and Inserted a piece of girder from a toy that looked right for the struc·

turel members of the rocket just in·

side the door frame. Since the door we, supposed to be open for the

shot, I thought it would be nice if you could see Just a little bit of"the interior structure.

"The portholes are dellT plastic

doll"s eyes. I drilled a smell hole into

the body where the porthole was supposed to go, painted the inside

black and then epoxied the clear plastic eye over it. The portholes heve Just a little gtlnt to them and

you can just see In.''

The next problem was to find a Below: The completed. fore· ground minhlture sbowing align.

meat of camera minhlture rock plec_ snd rocket ... Uoned on lbe minbture foreground .t_d. Left to right UtI Sche!"' _ . M\UeD and

au ...

.

•

good

location for the scene. Or-iginally, the sequence had been

photographed by Karl Struss in Red Rock Canyon, but Bob Burns WtlS

unable to obtain 8 weekend permit to film there. Joe Musso, who had

worked with some

of the

team

rnf!mbers on

Aash

Gordon,

remem·

bered 8

location neaf

Death Valley

called

Trona Pinnacle.

Some of

the.

Icelandic scenes from

Journey

(0

the

Center of

the Earth

had been filmed

there. as well as a brief

sequence in

the BalllesLar Galaclica pilot. Tom Scherman, Dennis Muren, Minor lind Matney S(;outed the

area, taking measurements, figuring

out

the

camera

angles

lind

position

.

Dennis Muren has long been

familiar with the requirements for a

perspective

shot, since

many

years

ago he photographed the tree

houses for the David Allen film

Raiders

of the

Slone Ring

using the

same method.

With the location selected and the model completed, Bob and Kathy Burns began the lengthy process of organIzing the logistics of the shoot -permIts, equipment. costumes,

12

Left: Bob Skot.U; appU_ fiaYl c_t of"teJr and u..ue to Brian Mos.man'.

back. The I·N crew"

attacked by _ .un·

bUatenld MartIan cave' dweUer. Below left: Brian is fitted with plaatJc bald cap. The makeup .... left vel')' rough since

only long_hola are Involved.

etc. The costumes proved to be more difficult than anticipated. [n the 1950s you could have gone to any surplus store and bought all the props and clothes for a few dollars, but now . . . . The only authentic pieces of equipment that they were able to find were the oxygen masks; everything else had to be built.

The costumes and props were clearly pictured in the publicity stills Burns had on hand, so they knew what the finished items had to look like. Close inspection revealed an enormous amount of hand props and equipment that would have to be fabricated. Burns is an expert at scavenging odd parts and shapes and combining them into something else. The oxygen tank equipment was assembled from milk bottle caps, plastic toy bells, wooden dowl· ing and pipe fittings. Even back packs and map cases had to be custom assembled. Driven by the desire for authenticity, Kathy Burns even built the explorers' caps, with only the photo for a guide.

The day 01 shooting tinally arrived with everything ready, having been finished only the night before.

At the pJnnede the weether was dear, the Sun bright-everything perfect for photography except for a strong 40·mph wind blowing in sharp gusts. For a shot requiring e rock steady foreground miniature, this presented a problem. The originel location was abendoned and everything was shifted up to a hillside, hoping to ~in some protec· tion from the fierce wind.

Dennis Muren hed had a frame welded together that resembled an ironing board without the cover and with one leg. The fremework would cantilever in front of the camera, serving es a base for the miniature. It was weighted down with rocks to secure it es firmly as possible against the wind.

Mike Minor and Tom Scherman

began to build the minieture set after the camera was locked down in position. The foreground minieture wes constructed at the site, since the terrain had to be matched exactly.

Mike MInor describes the process. "First we sterted screwing plywood to the frame. then I stapled an apron of lightweight wire screen on the edges. The scr~ning didn't drape straight down, but flared out around the circumference parallel to the ground. We plastered right on top of that-smeered, mixed and

painted-right in front 01 the camera. "It took ebout three hours to com-plete the.miniature. We had just barely enough time to get the takes. It was a constant baUle, beceuse as the day went on, the shadows got longer and the colors changed, so there was constant repainting. The 40·mph winds moved the rocket ever so slightly, even with the brace that Tom had built. (Tom drove four nails into a piece of plywood that matched the positions of four holes drilled inside the base finds. The rocket was set on the nails and epoxied down.) Those takes In which the rocket moved, of course, will not be used-it looks like an earthquake had started!"

During the entire shoot Tom Scherman wes no more than ten feet from the rocket. One gust of wind strong enougl1 to rip the model out

of its base and damage It would have wasted the day. Without the rocket there would be no sc:ene to shoot.

The camera was tied down on a tripod with e nodal mount. The first shoot included e pan from right to left of about 120D

, following the ex·

plorers as they leave the rocket. Without the nodal mount the perspective would shift between the foreground miniature and the baCkground terrain. spoilng the

Below: JIIo.t of the COfJ~ bad

to be buUt from .cralch. In the

1950s •• 11 of the_ wen _aUy

obtaln.sltle from any aurplua atore.

JIIud aca"'_glngwaa required.. For

_ample, the oX)'gen boW_:

bottle ~rt from kid'. mualul

ItelI Nt; hose connections are

pipe nWng. from a hardware

atore; valve handle. a ... two

atodc outdoor faucet handlea put

together; val",e gaug . . from milk

boWe ulN'; and the gauge face

w_ IuInd·d,.wn, The re·creatlon:

upa, flrst·ald kit. and .... p caae by Kathy Bur . . ; amall .hovela,

dl.sta.nce gauge, oX)'ge.. bottl_

by Bob BUlIdl Geiger counter

by Bob Skotall and plcll _e by

Tom 8cherms.n re·create the

~./If exploreQ.

shot. As it was, the shot included a

view above the rocket, the land

below

it

and past that onto the real

ground-merging together into a

solid unit. Mike continues, "We

would have been happier if we could

hiJVI! shot a IiUle earlier in the day.

'The last shot was the most dif· ficult and the most satisfying. We

panned off of Brian Mossman, who

had been made up by Bob Skotak to

look like the sun·blistered Martian

inhabitzlnts. He was standing on is

hill, silhouetted against the sky

while hefting boulders at the ex· plorers. We panned down off Brian

right through the Sun which flared

through the lens just liS the rock

Brian WliS throwing hit the

ground, making the dust rise. The

threE: survivors rush past the camera

as we pan following them generally

left to right. As they diminish down

the hillside, the camera follows. So.

the cllmera starts looking up into

the sky. pans down the horizon, follows the people down below the

horizon as they make their way

(conUnuedonpage 18)

Above: The origl.aalaun from whldl c o s w - and props bad to be copied.

Beiowl The new coalumea made by Boband Kathy Burn •• Left to right the

Intrepid e_plor.,. arel Bob Burna, Elatne Edford, W.da William., irving

Lipscomb and Ben JIIoaaman aftar dl •• mbarklng from the~·"rO(:Il.tablp.

'Roc:ketship X-JIll' Re-release

Spec:lal Effects Team

Bob Bur . ... Production Manager, Costumes. Supervising Editor and Miniatures.

K.tby

Bu ... Production Assistant. Costume Coordinator

Mille

Jlbitae,. ... Production Assistant

Mle... Mlaor ... Effects Artwork and Title Design

ham.

Murea ... Technical Consultllnt

To ..

Bchenull

...

Storyboard Design, Miniatures and

Spedal Props

Bob SlIoblll ... 5~illl Makeup

D •• 14

SUpe •.

...

.

Effects Cemerman

H • ....,. • • Itoa ...•••. Effects Camerman

·

-TbeSuperS

Sound Recorder I

By JAMES

CALDWELL

W

hilt!

more lind more

manufacturers

lire com·

ing out

with

sophisticat-ed single system sound

cameras, double system recording for

lIrnliteur films

seems

to

be

an

alter-native not often considered. For the

serious worker, though, double system sound can open up III whole new lIverwe of filmmaking. In double

system sound, the sound is re<:orded

on

II

medium

separate from

the

pic·

ture.

The

equipment

needed

doesn't

have to be all Ihtlt expensive. A good

exllmple is the Super 8 Sound

Recorder I by Super 8 Sound, Inc.

The Super 8 Sound Recorder I is II modified Sony

TCBOOB

portable reel to reel tape I'KOrder. The

modifica-tions include guides cut to eccept

14

Super 8 or Split 16mm fullcoat (in.

stead of lj~" tape), a logic circuit which controls the s~ of the recorder to

match an incoming

sIgnal

hom

a

ca

mera,

projector

.

or

8

pilotone sync

signal, and III meter to give the sync condition of the IT'I&Chine. Upon first appearance,

the

modified recorder

looks no different from the regullir Sony since most of the modificatlons are internal. The only tell-tale ap-pearance is a five pin DIN plug and two

three-position switches on the left side

of the IT'I&Chine. The complete recorder will run you about the price of a good

quality Super 8 Sound camera: about

$795.

In order to use the machine, you

need a camera which hlIs a PC or fillsh contact output (or pilotone capability).

It is plugged into the DIN plug on the

Sony, which is set for either 18 or 24

fps.

Then

shoot! The recorder will

record your sound track, lind the

camera will take the picture. Later, the

sound can be resolved to the picture by

using a modirled projector.

The

projec

-tor needs to feed a pulse to the recorde'r just as the camera did. The

sync meter at the front of the machine will give the sync condition.

Of

course, if you have the money,

the cables can

be

eliminated by using

crystal sync. At present, only Nizo and

Beaulieu cameras can be crystal con·

trolled although work is being done to

control other models. With the recorder also crystal controlled,

camera and recorder will run in sync without the need for connecting c:ebles. Indoors,

the

Sony can be plug-ged into ill household plug and the

recorder will sync itself to the 60 Hz

line, eliminating the need for a crystal

control.

A filmmaker can also resolve his single

,

system footage to fullcoat for editing

purposes. Or, by recording the pulse

from your camera onto a ste~

recorder (one channel recording the sound and the other recording the sync

'Ignel), the sound can later be resolved

to fuJ1coat to edit double system. This

can be an advantage if you have 1I stereo cassette recorder which Is

lighter than the Super 8 Sound

Recorder I.

For final mixing, the Super 8 Sound

Recorder can mlnsfer up to three trtlCks to a quad

tape

recorder with one

channel left over for the sync signal.

Later, the th~ t!'llCks can be mixed

back down to fullcoat and transferred

to the magnetic stripe on

the

film.

The Super

B

Sound Recorder is in·

deed II versatile machine and 1 have

only touched on what can be done with

it. Quite sophistkated sound tracks

can be built up. PaSSlIges of film can

be redubbed. or sl1ent portions can be

dubbed with sound in sync. Although

for real versatlllty, a double system

editing

bench is needed, much can be

done wi

th

out

one.

In lICtual use, the Recorder perform-ed flawlessly. I have used one for nearly II year now and Mve had no problems

lit lIlI with

sync

loss. The only problem

I hlIve had is with the batteries Sony plICked with the recorder. They leaked and coused extensive damllge. Super 8

Sound repaired it Imd had it back to me within three

weeks.

I would

recom-mend not leaving blitteries in the machine when it is not in use. Also, the remote run plug on the recorder Is not

grounded and, should it accidently

short out somehow, the fuse will blow-which also means a trip to the repairman.

At 24 fps, the audio frequency

response is 3O-13,()(X) Hz. Wow and

nutter is less than .15% and the

signal-to-noise ratio is 45db. This Is much better sound the:t can be obtained with most single system cameras. By hook -ing a Dolby ENCODER between the

recorder and projector, the slgllllV

noise I'lItio can be Improved even

more,

The recorder has inputs for micro-phone (with remote run) lind auxillary and outputs for monitor. It hlIs a built

in electret condensor microphone, tone control. i!lnd battery check meter

(which is built Into the VU meter). It

measures

12

1

_12"

_x

₄₃₁₁₆

_x

₁₀

1_{/ . '} lind weighs 121bs. with ~tterjes(8 D

cells).

Of

course. the whole p!lrt of this

system is not the recorder, but fullcoat.

Fullcoat Is just like regular recording

tape. except it

is on II thicker base and has the same dimensions as Super 8 film down to the sprocket holes. The

recorder clin "read" the sprocket holes

in the

tape lind compare

them witl;l the signal coming from

the

camel'll or the

projector. If they aren't

the

same. the

logic circuit will adjust the speed of the recorder so that they do match. Hence, the picture end sound are on a

one-to-one correspondence and thus in sync!

I have II couple of minor complaints

about this recorder. The

sync

meter is quite tiny and, placed on the front of

the machine, is difficult to see. Although It is better than its prede-cessor, which used the VU meter for

sync condition (which means you

couldn't use the VU meter), I s.till feel there is room for improvement. Also,

with the recorder slung over your shoulder for a one-men shoot, the

con-trols are facing away from the operator

which makes them difficult to use. Finally, the recorder only takes

a

200'

feel which holds about 380' of polyester fullcoat. That's about 15 minutes of tape at 24 fps. There Is an

adaptor so the machine Clln take up to 1200', but It is expensive and bulky.

The Super 8

Sound

Recorder is ideal for the filml"l"ldker who wants

a

piece of

equipment

thet

he can grow with.

Super 8 Sound now offers split 16mm

fulk;oot. With the recorder set et the

origintll 7.5 ips, it will sync with e 16mm camelCl just i!lS It would with

Super 8. A 16mm projector can be modified just as a Super 8 can, and so

quick inexpensive mixes can be had as

easily with 16mm as with Super 8. I'm sure this will

open

up a whole new

avenue of filmmaking with the Super 8

Sound Recorder working as a "poor

man's N&gra".

Although not cheap, double system filmmaking with the Super 8

Sound

Recorder end a sophisticated silent camera (or 16mm) cen open up e whole

new

area for the serious film· maker. It can overcome the editing dl'llwbacks of single system sound and put the versatility of a professional studio in the hands of the amateur. (If

SUBSCRIBE TO

A PHAllTASMAGRle

JLI."YINYO

SNUR IMA.INAYlON

He~ 4t I5st, is''

rn49oJZil'M!:

that will

ex-plore the outer limItS r:J imaglMtlOfl,

offering glimpses r:J both fllr-out sc~e

fiction lind out-IInd-out fant/ISY. Hobbits,

horroo lind hideous inv<'ldus from outer

5piICC wi" join forces ~ issue with the

r~life IIrtists Who crt:ill.e them to bring

you the best r:J rTlO'V1t: and TV creature fe1Jtures.

EACH ISSUE

INCLUDES-Pages

of

FUU

-

COLOR photos!!!

Original horriftc artlll

Exclusive

interviews!!!

Behind

the

scenes

in

Holty-.vocx:lll!

Monster

makeup secrets!!!

An

im

ation

and

s

pecia

l

effects!!!

Fr

ight

film updates!!!

...

p

lus

MUCH MORE!!!

r---,

F AHTASTlCA

I

c/o O'Qulnn Swdlos Ot:pt. C1

I

475 Park Avenue South

I

New York NY 10016

o One Yu r(6 bt-monthIy issues) 59.98

(ill U.S. m-od <Ar.adtI)

o

fom,n

SUrfKC One Yf;lIf

S

,.

98

o

$M1pIc covt 51.95 t¥h

I

I

I

I

plus S 1.00 F"orst

a-

poR.~ a"d

I

hiIndIi~ uch

I

. . . _ _ (CII5I'1, ched< Ot' money Ot'derl

drawn to o-OUlf1l1 Studios, Inc.)

I

~~~---

I

~~~B~'

______________

:

~aN~

_________________

1

\

_...

'''''

_{_---}

'"

)

-""

IS

ro ucers'-

•

AmaounceaMDta of our read .... • fu...lD current production. The notices for this issue have been received over the past year by Don Dahler's o/fk;e..

Please

{0IWaI'd all news 0{ your flJms In

CWTeTll prodJx1ion

to

CfNEMA.CiIC,

c/o

OQuinn Studios,

Inc .•

475ParlrAue.

SouLh.

New York, NY 10016.

ADarchy

.

The struggle for power In II

post-holocaust

soci-ety. Producer: Condor Studios. Director/speci!!1 effects: Alan Lasky. Cast: Robe:rt Cline, Scott Doyle, Mitch Lasky, Mike Maiko. Super-B, sound. Running ti~: 25 minutes. (Alan lasky, 41 S. Compass Drive. Ft. Lauderdllie. FL33308.)

Arellall

. Superior race t

r

ansports

Earthman to the other side of the

galaxy to do ~tle with a race of 12-foot beings called Atachocrons.

Producer: MHFX Studios. Star: John

Morris. Super·a color. Special effects

include: stopomoUon animation, mat·

tes, front projection. (Mike Hutchison, 1412 Oakes Ave., Williamsport. PA 17701.)

Carnivore..

Small t

o

wn attacked b

y

pack

s o

f ravenous

cmltures that look like reptilian doberman pincers

.

Shocker

end

i

ng

.

Spec

i

al effects include

:

~I

animation with rront

and rear projection. static mattes, 16mm, color, sync sound.

Running time: 45·60 minutes. In preproduction. (Darryl Kid·

der, 4010 N. Grllnlte Reef. Scottsdale, AZ 85251.)

-&.We of the

ntaJul.

Small town is invaded by towering monsters. Stop-motion specilll effects. Producerl

spedal effects by Joe Russo. ClIst:

John Farino, Victor Villente, Chris

Lynardakis. Running time: 15 minutes.

(Joe Russo, 502 Wakefield Rd. Nep-tune, NJ 07753.)

Cycle Hero. Spece creature comes to Earth and confronts young motorcyclist. ProducerlDlrectorlStllr: Robert Beltz.

CinelTlatographer: Bob Pearce. Super·8 color sound. Specilll

effects i~lude

stop motion lInimation lind fr

ont projection compositing. (Robert A. Belu, Merced, CA.)

lbe

Collecto ....

A ship of Androids trllvels from world to world collecting strange life specimens for their privllte lOO.

Stop-motion. Producers: Steve Hustlng, George GaUl, Dean Chiarello. ClIst: 17 lInimated chlllllCters rllnging in height from l·inch to 14-lnches. Many lire oIlIy with aluminum foil armatures. Some robots manufllCtured from plastic model kits, as are portions of the collectors' 3·domed spaceship.

Super·B, color to be transferred to video tape before sound effects are lidded. Running time: 20 minutes. (Steve Husting, Fountliin Valley, CA.)

PomlcopLa

.

Fantasy. Stop-motion.

Producer: Glivin Doughtie. 16mm col·

or/sound. Running time: 30 minutes. Special effects models: Scott Ressler.

(Gavin Doughtie, 3119 Jarrard, Houston, TX 77005.)

16

The Gnlilt

European flaUona.

T otlll satire follOWing

the instiglltion of II Mr. Cline. Prod~r: Group Six Produc·

tions. Director/special effects: Bob TInnelL Cast: ShlIwn Lucas, Gary Morris, Jerry Satterfield, T.S. $avereno, Joy Shaver. Super·B, color, silent. (Bob Tinnell,

Bo

x

313, Worth·

Ington, WV 26591.)

Grlme1k1n. Ave elves struggle for survlval !lIglIlnst lin aid gray cat. Stop-motion. Super-8, sound. ProducerlDi·

rector. Clirl P!lIOlino. Originlll music:

Wally J. SlInchez. Running time:

5

~ ,~~,-

."

..

/ -/

-~

-

..

. 00"

~ii{0~

'<

I

,

-minutes. (C!lIrl Paolino, Maspeth, NY.)

1'::;;=""

Klng

Klolllk. Kong parody. Producer. Fantastic Clnem!ll.

Stop-motion with glass paintings, miniatures and m.mes. (Brylln Henry, 170-30 130 Avenue, Bldg. 11,

Se<::

.

A, 2F, Jamaica, NY 11434.)

Sip of the Stalker.

Superhero epic. "A comic book

come to life." Producer: Pro-Eight Motion Pictures, Inc.

Cast: Mark Monroe, David'Hubble, Richllrd Payne. Super·B,

eplor, double system sound with 4·tracks. Uve action. (Mlirk Monroe, 1635 E. Wlishington 1174, Escondido,

CA

92027.)

1!utb3OOO

.

Producer: B [, J Pro-ductions. SF thriller.

Jeff Jemison !liS Rob with and without his

face plate. (B [,

J

Productions. Acton,

""'

0)0

The Memory Stone.

A man !lind his portable computer·

aid lire chllsed through star systems by an all·powerful Enemy. Film, whIch explores the reilltionship of man lind machine, is !lICtlon·packed with hyper·jumps. blaster Well·

pons, force fields. etc. 16mm. color, sound. Running time:

10-15 minutes. (Arthur John Aspromatis, 45 Shoreham Drive East, Dix Hills, NY 11746.)

Laat

FlIght. SF short. Producer:

Plastic:: Medilltor Films. 16mm.

Larry Czach and Bob McKay set up a shot through glass in order to overlay lIirbrushed paintings of laser beams coming from the space<::rllft. (Bob McKay, Houston, TX.)

Sud •• A plIrody of the TV show "Soap." Producer: J· Pro-ductions. (John McCown, Box 83, Climargo, Ill. 61919.)

The

DeIllOO Maater. Young !lllIn summons a demon to murder his enemies. Producer: Hlippydog Productions. Stop-motion effects with live action. RUnning time: 20 minutes. Super·B, color. (Dan Molitor, 606 S. 58th Ave., Yakimll, WA 98908.)

,

THE GUIDEBOOK FOR FILMMAKERS

The authoritative guide to Super 8 is back

in a newly revised edition

.

With the latest

equipment and prices, the latest systems

and techniques for serious users of the

Super 8 medium

.

And ... a sturdy

spiral binding!

second edition

Handbook

of

SunAr8

Prod&tion

_{MARK MlKOlA5}

_.nd~:!IHIER

Ge

t

your hand

s

on Super 8 now

with the complete gu

i

de

. a $

16

.

00 Inv8stment

that will pay for itself hund

r

eds of times

!

Handbook of Super 8 Production-the book that gives you Super 8 at

i

t

s

best-Is back

In a

newly revised edition

.

Gunther Hoos and Mark

Mikolas have brought their complete hands~n guide up-fOodate with the

changing technologies of SuperS production-ail the latest equipment.

systems, techniques and prices are here, In more than 300 pages of

Information on everything In SuperB. And now, a sturdy spiral binding to

make the Handbook even handler!

You've

read about Gunther Hoos and Mark Mlkolas In Industrial

Photography. Audio-Visual Communications and Super 8 Fllmaker, where their reports have helped thousands of serious Super

8

film producers improve their craft. But have you seen the reviews for the Handbook?

''The Handbook's

312

pages contain Just about everything there Is to

know about the craft and business of Super

8

filmmaking. It deserves the

attention of anyone seriously Interested In the present state and future

prospects of professional Super

8

film production."-Matthew Fleury In Millimeter.

"It's only the biggest, longest, heftiest, fullest, most firmly packed

compendium of Information about Ihe gauge ever to greet our unbellev·

ing eyes."-Del Hlligartner In Filmmakers NewslettElf.

"The most comprehensive book on Super

8.

The authors, who are among the most knowledgeable of Super

8

filmmakers, describe the equipment that is available, tell how to select what's best for an Indlvidu· ai's needs, and describe how to make inexpensive SUbstitutes. More

Importantly, they detail how to use the equipment to Its best advantage. It

is an amazing compendium of Information, much of it unavailable elsewhere, making this

a

book that is a must for any serious Super

8

filmmaker".-Elinor Stecker, Camera column, The New York Times.

The second edition of Handbook of Super

'8

Production Is ready for

you. Use the coupon below to order yours today!

r---

I

CINEMAGIC DEPT. C1

ClO O'QUINN STUDIOS, INC.

475 Park A

v

enue South

New York NY 10016

Here's my

cash,

check

or

money

o

r

der for

$

1

6.00

Send me my copy of the second edition

of

Handbook of Super

8

Prod

u

ction.

Payabla to "O'OUINN STUDIOS, INC . ."

Checks must be payable In U.S.lunds. Canadian orders add

one dollar. Other lorelgn order9 add two dollars. No C.O.D.·s.

Name

____________ .

_________________

_

Company

____________________________ _

Address ____________________________ __

HERE

IT

THE

COUPON

YOU'VE BEEN

LOOKING FOR!

STARLOG

I

s the Number

1

SF magazine for the latest

news

of:

Current movie: and TV features

In production:

Superman II Star Wars Sequel CE3K re-release with new

scenes

Interviews with

t

he top

n

ames

in SF production

Behind-the-$cenes visits with

special-effects artis

t

s

Rare looks at classic SF and

fentasy movies

Month

l

y news from NASA

In

te

r

planetary journies with

Space Columnist

•

Jonatha

n

Eberhart

Travel through Imagination every month with STARLOG

STARLQG Magazll'lC OEPT.Cl -475 Park Awnue

New-York, N.Y. 10006 81ssues,$11.98

1!!: issues, 517.49 (one ~!lr)

Enclosed S

PIMse allow s:o: to e>ght ~ ~ time bdore )IOliI first issue is mlilt:d. Mom: chedo: Of

I

ITIOI'lty O<\'.k, P'Yilbie to STNtLOG.

I

I

-I

""""

~

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

l

~

___

~T

~

_ _ .;::. _ _

-,,1

18

X-M

(con1inuedfromf'llg€8)

down the rock-siope, pans

up

with

them as they cross the plain and

finally reveals t

h

e

rocket.

I

fs

an

Illh-second take that required split second timing to coordinate the movements of actors hundreds of

feet away from the camera, running

in a 40 mph wind, and their position

in relation to the foreground miniature." •

Perspective shots are a very inex

-pensive way to increase the produc·

tion values of a film. The success of

the shot is hHgely determined by both skill with miniatures and pa

-tience. Mike Minor has some

pointers. "We took a lot of reflectors along to bounce light into the shadows on the foreground miniature. The shadows on the real terrain lighten up with reflected skylight. We had to duplicate that effect on the miniature with bounce light from the reflectors. In this way, we were able to match the shadows of the peaks in the

distance, which were supposedly on

-ly a few hundred feet from the

rocket, but were in reality miles away.

"AI> I Will> I'dinting the miniature, I

was constantly looking through the

lens of the camera. I matched the

color tones on the landscape either

by painting on the plaster or else by

sprinkling crushed walnut shell, fine·

Iy ground sand and pigments to match the tone. You can paint the miniature, but it will look too hard-the color will be right, but the texture will be all wrong. You have

to give the miniature a softness- so that it i!lppears to be photographed from a distance. The sand dunes and rock slopes off in the distance

had a soft look to them which had to be matchl!d in the miniature .

'"There were tumbleweeds off in

the distance, too, but they were in·

decipherable-just dark spots, sell

i!lnd pepper. I painted tumbleweed effects Into the plaster, not to give

the effect that they were weeds, but to match what was in the back

-ground. I kept the weeds to a

minimum, though. They don't show up any more than they did in the

original photographed in Red Rock

Canyon."

With these two scenes in the can,

RocIre.Lship X·M is visibly on the way to getting its facelift. But there are

still models to be constructed for the fly-bys, maUe paintings to do, and many long hours in the studio

before tt"le bandages come off.

01

SUBSCRIBE TO

1 wltha

s~c1al interest I science fiction,

s~dal effects and tile limitless

m

agk

of tile cinema ...

THIS IS YOUR MAGAZINE

CINIMAOIC WILL FlATURII How to produce professioolll tltlts thet

move, cMnSt: color, melt, Sp-'rkJe, burst

into flllmt:S, zoom into sp.Kt 1111 for II few bucks!

TIred 01 SQullre screens? leern llbout

in-ex~ 1tnst:S lind devK:t:S to ITlIIke your pICture W+D·E·5-C-R·E·E-N.

BrtdkllwlIY Pfops for re"UstK fight = " , " ,

AnifTllltlon 011 your homefTl/lde: steflq

Build your own robots With dectroniC light efft:CtS

MIlke your own foam latex IIOIITlIItiOl1

modf!l5, moldS "00 IIrmlltures lind

ITlIIke them comt: IIhve! Gltlss PiMtlnss,

ITlIItte box dftcts, split SCfttns. Rtvle'NS of ntW equipment, lenses lind optlClIl gadgets for creoting specllIl ef·

fects! ~t"df!rs' fOf\Jm - letters 1Ii"ld

questlOOS ex<:hllnglng tec}mlql.lt:S lind

production Sttrt:ts! Step-by-step,~

lustrllttd IIrtK1t:s detaIling methexls you CIIn use to crt:llte VISUo'JI effects, ITlIIkeup 1Ii"ld sound f~.

---.

CINEMAGiC

I

O'Quinn StudIOS,Inc:. ~pt. (1

'75 Pork .... w:nue So<.Ith New York. NY 10016

I

sUISC.lnlON

: One Year (. I$SUE:S}SS.99

(U.S. MId Ctr"0da)

o ant: Ytar forergn SUrfao:e $8.99

SAMI'U: COPY:

w 1551.0(" Sl7S(stQreprlC;ej

(plus SO' 3,d (!a$S po5t!!gt:)

(U S.lurtds ooly)

Erdost:d.

s

;;:;;;,-;;:;;c:;;;;-;;;;;;:;-;;;;

~nd ash. ch«k, or mctl(y order drawn (0

O'Ou,M Studios, Inc.,

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

I

""~

~---

I

ADORE"""","-,

--

-

---

1

C~ ) \

...

ST .... TE

_---_

liP

.

_-"

J