TITLES AND SPECIAL EFFECTS

One of the operations which can safely be undertaken by the amateur movie maker, is processing the titles for his films. In general, there is no need to use reversal film, and some of the most easily read titles are, in fact, those made directly on positive film.

The title cards are best prepared by drawing or writing in black (Indian) ink on white card, or, if less contrasty results are required, on grey or lightly tinted card instead. The correct exposure to be given should first be determined by making a few trial shots with only short lengths of positive film in the camera, and then developing in a dish or jar. There is no need to take processing the films beyond the stage of producing a negative, since this will give you excellent titles in white letters on a black, or dark, background.

Development of the full titles is preferably carried out on the drum processing equipment already described, using a positive-type developer in the tank. Details of such a developer, ' which can be made up quite simply when required (it does not keep particularly well), are given with the formulae.

If preferred, titles can be made on negative film just as easily as on positive film, but they lack the brilliance and contrast of those made on the latter. The choice between the two is largely governed by personal preference.

Chemical Fades

A fade-in or fade-out can be made quite easily on movie film by means of chemical treatment. All that is needed is a fairly deep container, such as a jam jar or measuring cylinder and a seconds timer.

If positive film is to be treated then the image must become progressively darker until it is perfectly opaque.

To achieve a positive fade, therefore, we have to use the sort of chemical solution that will blacken the image completely, both silver and clear gelatine alike. A black dye (e.g. the proprietary compound `Fadene') is the most suitable for this. If, on the other hand, it is a negative, then the reverse is required and the image must become progressively lighter until only clear gelatine is left. For a negative fade we can try any of the normal reducers of silver solvents and the one-solution Farmer's reducer, is perhaps the most straightforward to use. This can most conveniently be made up by mixing equal proportions of 10 per cent. solutions of hypo and potassium ferricyanide. If the action is too vigorous, the proportion of the latter may be decreased or a weaker solution employed.

For both positive and negative fades, the method of treatment is the same. First fill up the jar or cylinder with the appropriate solution. Take a spare piece of the film to be treated (if none can be spared, choose a piece that closely matches it) and use the timer to show how long it takes, either to blacken, or bleach, the image completely.

The next step is to divide this time by the number of frames in which you wish the fade to occur - 12 is usual for a very short fade and 24 or 48 for a more leisurely one. This will serve as a guide for fixing the rate at which to withdraw the film from the solution.

Example:

Time taken to bleach (blacken) completely 3 minutes. Number of frames required in fade, 24

Thus, each frame has to be withdrawn 7.5 seconds after its predecessor.

The film to be treated is held vertically over the solution in the jar, and a small weight attached to its free end to prevent it from curling up over itself. It is then immersed in the solution up to the point at which the fade is to begin, and the timer set in motion. Taking the example quoted above, the film is withdrawn by one frame after 7 seconds have elapsed, by a further frame after 15 seconds and so on until the whole of the film is withdrawn. It is then thoroughly washed if a negative has been bleached, and hung up to dry.

Colouring Films

Movie films may be coloured in one of three ways:

1. Tinting, by means of staining compounds.

2. Toning, by means of chemicals.

3. Dye toning, by means of mordants and dyes.

The first method results in an overall colouration of the whole film, highlights as well as image, and while for certain effects this may be acceptable, it is obviously limited in its application. The procedure is perfectly straightforward and may be safely carried out on the sort of processing equipment already prescribed.

Toning, either by means of chemicals or by mordants and dyes, gives a more natural result as only the image itself is coloured, the highlights being left clear. The actual process to be used depends on the colour desired and any of the standard techniques may be employed. Particulars of some of these are given on pages 163-4. In general, the film to be toned should first be thoroughly washed in water and, as with tinting, the process is best carried out on the drum or frame processing equipment.

In deciding whether or not to tone a particular film, it is as well to remember that any trace of fog or veil in the highlights will tend to be intensified, and as such, will be more prominent in the finished result. In such a case, it might be advisable to remove the fog beforehand by careful reduction of the film.