FILM-MAKING CONFERENCE AT KEELE
1
The second residential conference
on
film-making techniques organised by
the
Mental Health Film Council took place in the University of Keele from 24th to 26th September under the chairmanship ?f Dr. T. L. Pilkington. It was attended by 30 delegates from the mental health Services whose levels of film-making experience varied considerably, but whose common aim was to learn from professional film-makers some of the techniques they employ.
Maker's
J
otherwise
mind Speaking on "An Approach to Making films". Derrick Knight of Derrick Knight and Partners said there was no reason for
the wide gulf between amateur and professional standards. Film-making depended on something in the mind of the ffiaker and not merely on the use of the equipment. Mr. Knight urged delegates to learn the language of film-making?to overcome their fear of handling equipment?to bring freshness and excitement 'ito their film-making. Describing film-making as "a gentle art", Mr. Knight said that the paraphernalia should never be allowed to obtrude,
spontaneity would be lost. Dialogue, he recommended, should be tape-recorded before any film shooting took place, because he considered that spontaneous comment could triple the power of a film.
David Samuelson, a former cameraman the television programmes World in Action and Candid Camera, spoke on "The Sharp End of Filming". He had chosen this title because the camera was at the "sharp end". Mr. Samuelson demonstrated some of the latest 16 mm. cameras, as well as lighting, sound recording and other equipment. He spoke of the indiscriminate use of the zoom lens and said that the advice given to would-be newsreel cameramen on
was:
Don't pan Don't panic Don't zoom Don't use the camera like a paint brush. Michael Croucher, a producer in the B.B.C. West Region, speaking in the session "Getting a Different Slant", deplored the complacency he had found in many mental health films. Too many issues had been shirked, he thought, and 259
I
"tidiness" was a relic of stigma. We diminished people by diminishing their
the film-maker himself was too closely involved in the film to do it objectively.
struggle.
Each roll of film sent for processing should be clearly marked with the name and address of the photographer. While laboratories could not work miracles with bad material, they could correct many faults. They could give valuable advice about film stock, etc., and should be consulted before shooting took place. In addition to the formal sessions, delegates took part in a practical exercise in
Mr. Croucher
urged delegates who
were
making films about mental disorder to approach the patients as people, related to normality, and not cut off from ordinary life. Tradition gave style in filming and a tradition of honest, factual filming of the mentally ill should be built up. Practical advice John Gresty, a director/cameraman of Cinephoto Equipment, gave practical advice on "Finishing the Film", i.e. preparing it for processing. He outlined the basic rules of shooting and editing techniques, illustrating his talk with charts and film sequences. Saying that it was the editor's job to look at and evaluate each shot, Mr. Gresty said it was preferable to bring in someone to do this, because
film-shooting, conducted by A. C. Ricketts and John Gresty, saw demonstrations ot cameras, projectors, sound recording, lighting and other equipment, and Pu* questions to a panel comprising the con* ference speakers supplemented by PhiliP J. Strick of the British Film Institute and Alec M. Hughes of the British Association for the Advancement of Science.
Margaret Ma>vef
1
The second residential conference
on
film-making techniques organised by
the
Mental Health Film Council took place in the University of Keele from 24th to 26th September under the chairmanship ?f Dr. T. L. Pilkington. It was attended by 30 delegates from the mental health Services whose levels of film-making experience varied considerably, but whose common aim was to learn from professional film-makers some of the techniques they employ.
Maker's
J
otherwise
mind Speaking on "An Approach to Making films". Derrick Knight of Derrick Knight and Partners said there was no reason for
the wide gulf between amateur and professional standards. Film-making depended on something in the mind of the ffiaker and not merely on the use of the equipment. Mr. Knight urged delegates to learn the language of film-making?to overcome their fear of handling equipment?to bring freshness and excitement 'ito their film-making. Describing film-making as "a gentle art", Mr. Knight said that the paraphernalia should never be allowed to obtrude,
spontaneity would be lost. Dialogue, he recommended, should be tape-recorded before any film shooting took place, because he considered that spontaneous comment could triple the power of a film.
David Samuelson, a former cameraman the television programmes World in Action and Candid Camera, spoke on "The Sharp End of Filming". He had chosen this title because the camera was at the "sharp end". Mr. Samuelson demonstrated some of the latest 16 mm. cameras, as well as lighting, sound recording and other equipment. He spoke of the indiscriminate use of the zoom lens and said that the advice given to would-be newsreel cameramen on
was:
Don't pan Don't panic Don't zoom Don't use the camera like a paint brush. Michael Croucher, a producer in the B.B.C. West Region, speaking in the session "Getting a Different Slant", deplored the complacency he had found in many mental health films. Too many issues had been shirked, he thought, and 259
I
"tidiness" was a relic of stigma. We diminished people by diminishing their
the film-maker himself was too closely involved in the film to do it objectively.
struggle.
Each roll of film sent for processing should be clearly marked with the name and address of the photographer. While laboratories could not work miracles with bad material, they could correct many faults. They could give valuable advice about film stock, etc., and should be consulted before shooting took place. In addition to the formal sessions, delegates took part in a practical exercise in
Mr. Croucher
urged delegates who
were
making films about mental disorder to approach the patients as people, related to normality, and not cut off from ordinary life. Tradition gave style in filming and a tradition of honest, factual filming of the mentally ill should be built up. Practical advice John Gresty, a director/cameraman of Cinephoto Equipment, gave practical advice on "Finishing the Film", i.e. preparing it for processing. He outlined the basic rules of shooting and editing techniques, illustrating his talk with charts and film sequences. Saying that it was the editor's job to look at and evaluate each shot, Mr. Gresty said it was preferable to bring in someone to do this, because
film-shooting, conducted by A. C. Ricketts and John Gresty, saw demonstrations ot cameras, projectors, sound recording, lighting and other equipment, and Pu* questions to a panel comprising the con* ference speakers supplemented by PhiliP J. Strick of the British Film Institute and Alec M. Hughes of the British Association for the Advancement of Science.
Margaret Ma>vef
