NUMBER 1 81.75 (CNEMAGG = PREMIERE ISSUE Foreground Miniature Magic Backwinding For Special Effects Do-It-Yourself Aerial Braces| Contents | Number 1 Editorial A letter from CINEMAGIC founder Don Dohler 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 ‘Rocketship X-M’__8 ‘An old SF/adventure thriller gets a new special effects facelift Product Review 14 ‘Critical appraisal and commentary of the filmmaker's tools Producers’ Bulletin Board 16 Latest news of our readers’ productions Backwinding Super-8 Film___20 Backwinding the sound and silent cartridges Cinemagic Marketplace 24 ‘Classified ads from readers and manufacturers The Aerial Brace 26 ‘Step-by-step construction feature a Closeup 34 {A focused look at tools or techniques for the filmmakerby: O'QUINN STUDIOS, INC, 475 Park Avenue South New York, N.Y, 10016 Publishers: Norman Jacobs/Kerry O'Quinn Founder of CINEMAGIC and Editorial Consultant: ‘Don Dohler Editor-in-Chief: David Hutchison Design Director: Robert P, Ericksen Designer Susan Stevens Editor: ‘Bob Woods Editorial Contributors: Ted R. Rae John Cosentino ‘James Caldwell Art Staff: Laura OBrien Robert Sefcik Associate Publisher: Ira Friedman, Assistant Publisher: "Rita Eisenstein ‘Abouttnecover:Orelthenatertinn ernie Ralgueottsioystaigpocehiyea free taste athe harem 55 amnge Saletan carerahordneaeto gre Roane {Decent nce The intern yet Go arn ve ane bp ha vo peta TERERAGI pablned eanesy my aU ‘Subtos inc. isron esse ners Rote rng inerrant ve Cox | ie Gani 1979 fy Cam subs, ING, ge seed Reps egrosucten 8 ‘Sti heart Aven SON, Rew Yom, RysGole punedmusa Welcome _ ward-winning makeup artist Rick Baker once sent me a letter which Contained the following statement: “I really like CMEMAGIC. . wish it had been around when | was starting out!” Such e positive reaction didn't surprise me, nor have countess cries of delight from readers ‘who have immersed themselves in their first issue of CMEMAGaC, That's because ‘CINEMAGIC is not new to me, and exclamations of praise (humbly accepted) have been filtering through to my mailbox forthe past six years, ‘Six years! But this is issue #1, isn't it? Let me explain CCINENAGKC began a a full sized, lavishly produced fanzine in 1972. I was born cof an idea that came to me much earlier—in 1964—when, like most of you. | was getting heavily into making serious and creative short flms in 8mm and Super. As I put together such fun and inspired flicks as clay animation, SF comedies and ‘twist ending” horror tales—complete with superimposed titles and sync sound—I began to notice that other folks were doing likewise. Not lot of other folks in those days, but enough filmmakers with a similar fascination for special effects that it seemed like a good idea to start a “network” of amateur producers to exchange ideas and share cinematic experience. A newsletter or magazine of some type was the logical outlet for such a coalition, However, It took eight years and a lot of personal building before | was able 10 Publish the first issue of the original CNEMAGIC. But when | did, | knew that had started something good; something the fans needed and wanted. As the word spread, coupled with the magazine's quality appearance, CANEMACIC grew steadily over the years. With my limited time and resources, though, [was never able to started making “shows” long before | owned motion-picture equip. ‘ment. In the second grade I drew cartoon panels on a roll of white ‘adding-machine paper and forced all the kids in the neighborhood to sit on the floor and pay close attention while | pulled the strip of. Paper through a cardboard box, outfitted with a light bulb and cheap lens that projected the world’s weakest picture on the wall | provided the soundtrack—creating all the voices and sound effects with my childish Texas twang—and even humming bombastic musical punctuations that frequently caused our maid to wonder whether | was “right bright.” So what if the presentation lacked a few refinements. As they say, it was a start Years later | advanced to a Brownie 8mm camera, and in high school ‘my friend David Houston and | set out to film the most spectacular movie of the decade—and possibly of all time! Of course, it wasn't, but all our schoolmates who had laughed at our lavish plans cheered at our world premiere and told us it was a start During the next few years David and | completed several more am- bitious film projects—taking after-school jobs in order to purchase better movie equipment. The more professional our efforts, the more our au: diences enjoyed the productions. "Hey, guys,” they encouraged us, “this is just the start.” Now, a few years later, | am at the start of another project, but this one involves offering help, advise and encouragement to other young film: makers, Our STARLOG readers have wanted this kind of magazine for years. Although our special effects series in STARLOG is one of the most Popular regular features, it deals mainly with “how the pros do it,” and ost of the time that bears litte relationship to the budget and facilities available to non-pros and “backyard” filmmakers.afford the wide exposure required for something 2s unique as a “how to” special: effects magazine. “That will no longer be a problem now After pampering my brainchild through 111 issues worth of tough times and finding it more and more dificult to keep it ‘going, a "guardian angel” emerged in the form of one Key O'Quinn, ‘Kerry is & man with foresight beyond most men and he immediately recog nized the value of cise AGK—not for the dollars it would bring to him (magazines fare 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. Twas natural, then, for Kerry and erew, who were innovative enough to spawn the likes of STARLOG and FUTERELIFE, to bring to you this new and exciting version of cINEMAGIC. Equally vital, though, is the fact thatthe philesophy of the original CINEMAGIC is retained by the new: It's your magazine, ‘Be part oft! Learn from it Share in the excitement of it But most ofall, enjoy itt [know that will because even though it’s my baby, i's been adopted by the ‘mast competent group of people | know of, With your help and support CIEMAGIC is certain to grow to be a tall, proud magazine which will undoubtedly benefit the entire special-effects genre. Don Dohler Dobler, founder of CINEMAGIC. ‘CINeMAGIC will tell you how to create the same kind of special effects without robbing a bank or breaking into Paramount after hours. CINEMAGIC will provide a forum for questions and answers 2s well as for letters and news. I hope that CINEMAGIC will actually have @ 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. Beve knows 101 ways to use a coat hanger and masking tape for fan- testic visual tricks, and he is tuned in to the problems and ambitions of young people. He will probably become one of the important people in your life. Bon Dohler, the young explorer who took the first step, will continue to write and edit for cINEMAGIC, 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 these pages. | am very proud of all the people involved in CEMAGIC, and | am proud that we, as company, are able to provide this magazine. Frankly, itis 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 i's worth. CNEMAGIC: i's a start! Kerry O'Quinn/PublisherForum SF ina Small Village am 21 years old and an ‘amateur fimmoker-thave Been taking SF Fms for severel Years now. enoy this pe of Him beense tis much more of challenge to make lt elevele {tnd impress an audience. itartbegen when read an art | cin Super Fiimaker magoaine afew years. ego about 28F flmmaler The ate Showed pltures of some simple ‘fects he had done, and boasted | how great they were fel tht ‘ould do much beter, | SRrend wi amir inerest inaclence fiction wrote script, forme. My git end made al the costumes forthe seven cast members while built the se. Using cardboard, masonite, a fing srps and plexiglass con Eiucted the interior of control, room, the interior ofthe "Aries Spececttt and an alien ce cave, 25 wel as miniature efor Special effects. The im lated 530 minutes and was ented Alen ve showed ta surmoer Camps the lca brary and my ‘ld igh school Everyone seemed {ohe The teaches seemed to Ie tt mont becouse showed that someone in hi smal village tid something oer than ake drags and get into touble. (Fora Sena vilage there is lt of ‘ruga, cme and suede Between Teagerof and 5) Weare cent wrking ona mw fm, Fnesearch, wl ran ‘bout 90 mincten Among the ‘tna models bolt fo te fm isthe toot Ambasaor with buttin igs showed pictres we hd iken elses hao Gry ndeon at he Oo Space {ooo correnon. Re od att Stoo bod fimmakes ike ysl dont get proper expocure Stu te fen aking foe Filmmaker Place dlaplays Ambassador model. Interlor of Arles spacecraft, pid ballast other act Tm fom Rhode sland, which, {habe nbs aettocs felon pace nthe wold. There treo els, exgminatons Srthing the ony interes poo | piven ti state ove drops Secand volence you mention lence fern you get scape ike “Oh yen seh Sth Track: te show sbout the htt arta | Rebteve or notte only SF ‘A regular department devoted to readers’ comments about filmmaking, thelr problems and solutions. ‘eres that was entloned was Lost in Space. People sll watch Hand say that i's much mare believable than Star Trek. Thisis | what have to live with | Lew Place 20 main Street Harisvle, RI02830 | Though tis eter was sent fo STARLOG magazine we thought ‘woudl be of terest to our | CINEMAGIC readers. | Folled curt | «Some ume ago produced 9 Shor film entitled The Forgeten Pateau which had some tei ing technical problems tobe sol ce. Thad nether the money not the ue to create either planer ot paper mache efs and avers. Further hed limited Space to workin, nd then onky forshor periods of time (my parents wanted the dining room back every night around supper- time, precluding the use of even semnipermanent sets, “The answer fr myself and any ‘the makers facing the are Aificuies, was temporry cif. With an evening of experiments tion cscovered e means of cre ‘ating them with corrugated card Board masking tape end el nur fll (heavy dy) The fllow- [eke | PB: ee lng night made three more, and alnted al four the next morning, The cardboard constitutes a simple cu-endt job, s0 other than mentioning to use plenty of masking tape to hold the ap- Prats together il ieave the rest tomy ilusrations. The fll should be crushed, then gently unfolded, to create 2 look of worn granite, before taping tothe frame, Pint your cls with a grayish metal primer In spray form. Do not brush paint, as this wil ‘Sieighten the fll. After the paint is dy. use an air brush to add tex tue by using ailferent hues of gray in varying amounts seross the entire ace of the cli, “To end, (like to add a few notes and tips: 1) Painting the Cardboard wit Nat atexpeint strenathens it. 2) The cliffs aren't designed to carry weight. 3) Don't leave these where your eat can get into them. Al ofthese tps are From personal experience Hall caiman, 645 NW 79 8t. ‘Seattle, WA 98117 Asteroids with | Twinkle Now that space epies are in, like Star Wars... Amateur flimmakers ae pressed to make spectacular special effects | found a way to make an asteroid that lights up in different colors Take a chunk of styrofoam, cut pleces of i off, making it the size ‘and shape you want. Then buy a Sting of "wine" lights Used for Christmas decorations. Cut the ‘wires about afoot from one Tight. Stick the light into the asteroid and hook it up to 3 ‘Swot battery. Change colors to ‘make fantastic ene Steve Cisco Box 64 Rt*1 Bejou, MN 56516Classics For Home Study ‘The 1979 Civersal Films catalog has ust come across my ‘desk, The catalog lists quite a Variety of classi horron SF. fan tasy and adventure fms. Everything from The Murnmy ‘and Bride of Frankenstein to ‘his Iatend Earth and Swesh- buckle. n many ways the listing ia goodstartana ference Iibrary forthe filmmaker Perhaps {you sre working on @ modern ‘Wolfman epic: or a parody on ‘some SF clesic. It would be righty handy to have the inex pensive @mm versions ofthese to Screen forwards, backwards and jn slow motion, You can check ‘details on makeup, character ra0- tion, set props, ec. Of course, most of these versions are con erased usualy to 17 minutes. But the edit, Bill Compton, tries te kay hy sansa cng plot material Keep in context ‘On the other and, Cniversl 8 has series of “Great Scenes. For example, “The Destruction of LA from Earthquake, “The Complete Shower Murder” from Paycho (for you editing fans), oF the Waldo Pepper doafight. Very handy fr stay. The Brothers Hildebrandt remarked to me that they used to ty to lm sequences with an Brim camera off the TV ‘Set for frameby frame analysis ‘nen they were meking there ‘own movies as teenagers. ‘Gniversa and other hore film companies have made It easier. David Hutchison Ealtor Calling aul PA Filmmakers “This may be a fst for Norte caster Pa. the forming ofthe ‘Movie Makers Hanleton Film So- et. Moviemaking and its re lated fide are Kind of dead art InNE Pa, and we hope to cnange that. Focusing on amateur filme ‘making at this point we hope to ‘expand withthe hep of others in ‘our ares that are interested inthis Feld, from persons who just ke tocellect fms to professionals ‘Wiling to donate thee time to rm prove and expand the art in our brea—theatre groups, people who SSTARLOG and FUTURE LIFE ‘magaaines, sister publications to CCINEMAGIG, ae sponsoring thei first annual SF Short Film ‘Search, open to al fimmakers, \wnatever ther experience and udaet. Films may be submited in ‘amen, Super, oF 16mm, and although there i n limit on length, 5:15 minutes is most desirable, The subject can be ke to write, ct, direct, even phases of TV production. Anyone Interested can join and help forty something that sand wll Be something diferent. Interested parties con write to O.C.E Films, Box 61 Drifion, PA 18221, ort you Ive in and around the Haze fon, Pa, area, meetings are every ‘Thursday night at? pam. 311 W. Diamond Ave. Hazelton, Pa. We ‘need all the help we can get to build an organization that wil ‘lve people in ourarea with ‘reatve talents helping hand ‘Davia Buda ‘Super 8 For Sale “The fun end fascination of producing home SF and fantasy fms are ends in themselves. However necessy and common sense ergue tat getting pal for them wouldn't be bad elther I listo individuals, clubs, endior STARLOG/FUTURE LIFE Announces Short Film Competition anything that falls within science fetion, fate, hortr and space fantasy: it ean be humourous or serous, Itean include animation, ‘op motion, live action or any combination. "The entries wil be viewed by 2 pene af im experts, and the win ners will be announced and, Sereened atthe Baticon (Galtimore) April 13-18, 1979 Deadline for submitting finished firms who might pay cash for Quality Super 8 fms avllabie? ‘Andy 5315 Dartmouth Dr. Parma, OH 44129 A numberof “amateur” fms ‘have made tothe semt ‘ro market. Consider the ate of Such fis as Hardware Wats, tahich has been picked up by Pura- ‘mid Ps. Tare ar few corn panies intrested inthe Super 8 ‘mart, but st your fn rust be ‘Seen. The most nevable ever’ of is yea the SF Short Fn ‘Search which offers eash prizes and the chance of commercial dis {ebution: For formation contact avtd Es (See above ter), Miniature Worlds For Sale «+ When building miniature fms is Apel 1, 1979. Because lth alendy Heavy response however you ee strongly urged to get your film entered as far in ‘advance ofthis date as possible, Provided you take patos and otherwise document your step- by-step making ofthe fi, this ‘materil may be used in an article ‘on the winning entries in CCINEMAGIC. STARLOG andlor FUTURE LIFE. Best of all, ithe ‘winning entrles are of bigh pro- Tessional quality, STARLOG! FUTURE LIFE plans o package the films for wide commercial ex: ‘posure—en opportunity 9 boost ‘into the motion pleture Timelight and produce income in sition to your prize money. ‘Any fis produced within the past two years, 1977-78, are sub> friable. For detalied rules, ees, feleases and enty forms please write today and enclose 8 Stamped, sal addressed long envelope: 'SF Short Fllm Search ‘fo Dave Elis 4221 White Ave. Baltimore, MD 21200 Pease note that you do not have to send Bacon to pat ticipate in the SF Short Film ‘Search, but if you would like in formation on attending, please | suet spect when you wwe, set, drop by a hobby shop cate. ing to mode! raroaders. You wll find 2 wide variety of things to ‘work with ate Teasonable cost, ‘so check out the book rack there. There are mary books on Dullding incredibly detailed ‘Bob Woodburn 115 W. 9th St, Mesa, AZ 85201 ‘Nat only do model RR shops have ‘une varity of mhiaures—from oso various bugs but they come hn cferent sales. Thus le becomes possible o bul sets | forced perspective at lous cost. ‘The letters fortis fist ssue of the new CINEMAGIC have been ‘selected from tose receved by ‘STARLOG magazine end by Don, Dohlee mwot .ili tlh I i a ill TT ga COVER STORY Re-making ‘Rocketship X-M’ ‘ocketship X-M began in the late 1940s when Kurt Neu man, a writer and director, showed Robert Lippert, an independent producer, a story outline for a Serious sciencerfiction film, Neuman demonstrated that his story of a journey to the Moon could bbe made for less than $95,000. Lip: pert, a prolific producer with a good eye for what the public was willing 0 buy, took note of the current fly ing saucer craze and produced the file, XM originally stood for Exped tion Moon, but because of the similarity of Neuman's script to George Pal's Destination Moon, also in production, Neuman altered the final part of his story so that the five ‘explorers land on Mars instead. Rocketship XM, filmed in black and white, made millions of dollars 2 few ‘months after it was released in 1950. ‘An eight-year-old Wade Willams fell in love with the film, but its suc- ‘cess was short lived. The film was ‘sold to television in 1955, and was seen quite often until color program: ming became common, whereupon the black and-white adventure fod ed from view. ‘Several years ago, Williams insti- gated a nationwide search for the film. After many years of detective work, he was able to buy the rights to the film and make @ dupe nega: tive of a fine-grain positive 35mm print that Warner's had. The original negative had started to decompose In 1965 and had been destroyed. ‘Wade Williams wanted to ce: 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 con 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-shooting it, ‘maybe adding some new scenes and making it available to the public ag ‘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 Rocketship X-M sequences is listed in a special box on this spread. Most of the names will be familiar to readers of ‘STARLOG magazine: They are cameramen, editors, designers, some of whom have worked on such Classic SF and fantasy films as Flesh Gordon, CE3K, Star Wars, Star Trek—The Motion Picture and whose contributions to SFifantasy 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 titles 2) replace Earth fi 3) replace all V-2 stock footage 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 surface 8) remake 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. 11) exterior shot of rocket escaping from Mars with globe covering %s of background frame ‘Additionally, all the new footage ‘would be shot in color. The color negative would be printed onto black-and-white stock, so that the color grain in black and white would look like the grain of the black-and white emulsions of 1949, Also the entire film will be tinted. In the Criginal, 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. Tt was agreed to first tackle the scenes that were the most com: plicated logistically 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 2 ‘model rocket re-created, The task of recreating the XM rocket fell to Bob Burns end Tom ‘Scherman. The rocket would have to be copied from the film. The frame 9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. ‘Thad 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” hhigh. Muren knew that the mode! rocket would have to be placed xcnumber of feet close to the camera Right: Mike Minor and ‘Tom Scherman are plas- tering the base of the foreground rig. Dave ‘Stipes checks the framing through the ‘camera. Dennis Muren's Below: The view from undemeath the fore: ground rig. Note how the edges of the plaster flare down and out, Additional pleces have been rigged on stands to the right. Above: Mike Minor works the plaster with his hands as it sets to bring up the proper texture for the base. Mike Matney snelsts,“The last shot was the most difficult and the most satisfying—it’s an 11/2 second take that required split-second timing to coordinate the actors, hundreds of feet away, with the model.” (to make it appear very large) and the actors playing the explorers would be xchundreds of feet from the camera (to appear much smaller than the model) and both would have to be held in focus. If the model were too small it would have to be placed too close to the camera 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, effort and money it would require and so on. Muren thought the shot could be done with a two-foot model. ‘The basic form was turned on a lathe from dense styrofoam, When the foam matched the pattern, a negative mold was cast in sections. ‘The positive was cast with auto body putty, slush molded. The casting ‘was then assembled and followed by ‘many hours of sanding to achieve a perfectly smooth and even surface ‘The slightest flaw in the surface of the model would destroy the illusion that the foreground miniature ‘Above: Mike Matney adjusts foreground rocks that were bullt by Tom Scherman ‘and Milce Minor. perspective shot sought to create. | carved out the door opening Finally the model was painted land inserted a piece of girder from 2 with fiberglass resin, sprayed with _toy that looked right for the struc: ‘gray primer and allowed to dry. tural members of the rocket Just in “After a few hours," says Scherman, side the door frame. Since the door “(sprayed it with a candy apple ‘was supposed to be open for the silver base and then with spray shot, | thought it would be nice if ‘aluminum paint. | did it on a alt: you could see just alittle bit of the ‘and-half basis so the rocket didn’t interior structure, shine or glitter too much but still “The portholes are clear plastic had that dull aluminum look doll’ eyes. | drilled a small hole into. ‘The fins were simply cut out of the body where the porthole was balsa wood and glued into position. supposed to go, painted the inside The ladder rungs are ordinary black and then epoxied the clear staples, "I very carefully measured _plestic eye over it. The portholes how far apart the rungs should be have just a little glint to them and and laid out a pattern in tape on the you can just see in. rocket. Then, with a very fine drill, I “The next problem was to find a made a tiny hole through the resin and 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 hhand until it was within about 1/8 Inch of the surface. Below: The completed fore- ‘ground ministure showing allgn- ‘ent of camera miniature rock.good location for the scene, Or. iginally, the sequence had been photographed by Karl Struss in Red Rock Canyon, but Bob Burns wes unable to obtain a weekend permit to film there. Joe Musso, who had ‘worked with some of the team members on Flash Gordon, remem: bered 2 location near Death Valley called Trona Pinnacle. Some of the lecelandic scenes from Jourey t0 the Center of the Earth had been filmed there, as well as.a brief sequence in the Bautlestar Galactica pilot. ‘Tom Scherman, Dennis Muren, ‘Minorand Matney scouted the area, taking measurements, figuring ‘out the camera angles and position, Dennis Muren has long been familiar with the requirements for @ perspective shot, since many years ‘ago he photographed the tree houses for the David Allen film Raiders of the Stone 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, 2 ‘etc. The costumes proved to be more difficult than anticipated. In 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 mas! everything else had to be built. ‘The costumes and props were clearly pictured in the publicity stills Bums had on hand, so they knew ‘what the finished items had to !ook 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 dow Ing and pipe fittings, Even back packs and map cases had to be ‘custom assembled, Driven by the desire for authenticity, Kathy Burns even bullt the explorers’ caps, with only the photo for a quide. ‘The day of shooting tinally arrivea with everything ready, having been finished only the night before. {At the pinnacle the weather was clear, the Sun bright—everything Perfect for photography except for a strong 40-mph wind blowing in sharp gusts. For a shot requiring rock steady foreground miniature, this presented a problem. The original location was abandoned and ‘everything was shifted up to a hillside, hoping to gain some protec: tion from the fierce wind, Dennis Muren had had a frame ‘welded together that resembled an ironing board without the cover and with one leg. The framework would cantilever in front of the camera, serving as 9 base for the miniature, twas weighted down with rocks to secure it as firmly as possible against the wind. Left: Bob Skotak applies final coat of latex and ‘dasue to Brian Mosman's ack. The X-M crew ls ‘by asun- attacked bilstered Martian cave: dweller, Below left: Brian Is fitted with plastic Bald cap. The makeup was left very rough since ‘only long shota are involved. ‘Mike Minor and Tom Scherman began to build the miniature set after the camera was locked down in position. The foreground miniature ‘was constructed at the site, since the terrain had to be matched exactly, (Mike Minor describes the process. “First we started screwing plywood to the frame, then I stapled an apron of lightweight wire screen on the ‘edges. The screening didn’t drape straight down, but flared out around the circumference parallel to the ground. We plastered right on top of that—smeared, painted— “It took about three hours to com: plete the miniature, We had just barely enough time to get the takes. twas @ constant battle, because 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 plece 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 was no more than ten feet from the rocket. One gust of wind strong enougl to rip the model out of its base and damage it would have wasted the day. Without the rocket there would be no scene to shoot, The camera was tied down on a tripod with a nodal mount. The first shoot included a pan from right to left of about 120°, 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, spoiling theBelow: Most of the costumes had ‘to be built from scratch. In the 1950s, all of these were easily obtainable from any surplus store, Much scavenging was required. For ‘example, the oxygen bottles: bottle part from kid's musical bell set; hose connections are pipe fittings from a hardware Store; valve handles are two Stock outdoor faucet handles put fogettier: valve gauges from mill, bottle caps} and the gauge face was hand-drawn. The re-creation: Caps, first-aid kits and map case by Kathy Burns; small shovels, distance gauge, oxygen bottles by Bob Burns; Geiger counter by Bob Skotak and pick axe by ‘Tom Scherman re-create the 2M explorers. 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 have shot @ little earlier in the day. "The last shot was the most dif- ficult and the most satisfying. We panned off of Brian Mossman, who hhad been made up by Bob Skotak to, Took like the sun-blistered Martian Inhabitants. He was standing on a hill, silhouetted against the sky while hefting boulders at the ex plorers. We panned down off Brian fight through the Sun which flared through the lens just as the rock. Brian was throwing hit the ‘ground, making the dust rise, The three survivors rush past the camera {as we pan following them generally Teft to right. As they diminish down the hillside, the camera follows, So, the camera starts looking up into the sky, pans down the horizon, follows the people down below the horizon as they make their way (continued onpage 18) intrepid explo Lipecomband Ben Most ‘Rocketship X-M’ Re-release Special Effects Team . . Production Manager, Costurnes, Supervising, Editor and Miniatures Production Assistant, Costume Coordinator Production Assistant Effects Artwork and Title Design Technical Consultant Stonbbard Design Minnie and special Props. Special Makeup Effects Cormerman 11 effects Camerman ————— EE BProduct Review The Super 8 Sound Recorder I By JAMES CALDWELL hile more and more ‘manufacturers are com: ing out with sophisticat ed single system sound ‘cameras, double system recording for ‘amateur films seems to be an alter. native not often considered, For the serious worker, though, double system sound can open up a whole new avenue of filmmaking, In double system sound, the sound is recorded ‘ona medium separate from the pic: ture. The equipment needed doesn't have to be all that expensive. A good example is the Super 8 Sound Recorder | by Super 8 Sound, Inc “The Super 8 Sound Recorder is @ ‘modified Sony TC800B portable ree! to reel tape recorder. The modifica tions include guides cut to accept ‘Super 8 or Split 16mm fulleoat (in stead of 14" tape, a logic circult which Controls the speed of the recorder to match an incoming signal from @ ‘camera, projector, ora pilotone sync signal, and a meter to give the sync ‘condition of the machine. Upon first ‘appearance, the modified recorder looks no different from the regular Sony since most ofthe modifications are internal. The only telltale ap- pearance is five pin DIN plug and two three:position switches on the left side of the machine. The complete recorder will run you about the price of a good ‘quality Super 8 Sound camera; about 3795. In order to use the machine, you need a camera which has a PC or flash contact output or pilotone capability). Its plugged into the DIN plug on the Sony, whichis set for either 18 or 24 fps. Then shoot! The recorder will record your sound track, and the ‘camera will take the picture. Later, the sound can be resolved to the picture by using a modified projector. The projec: tor needs to feed a pulse to the recorder just as the camera did, The ‘syne meter atthe front of the machine will give the syne condition, Of course, if you have the money, the cables can be eliminated by using Caystal syne, 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 un in syne without the need for connecting ‘ables. Indoors, the Sony can be plug {ged into a household plug and the: Fecorder will sync itself to the 60 He line, eliminating the need for a erystal 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 stereo recorder (one channel recording the sound and the other recording the sync signa, the sound can later be resolved to ulleaatto edit double system. This ‘can be an advantage if you have @ Stereo cassette recorder which is lighter than the Super 8 Sound. Recorder |. Ft final mixing, the Super 8 Sound Recorder can transfer up to three tracks to a quad tape recorder with one cchanne! leftover forthe syne signal. Later, the three tracks can be mixed back down to fullcoat and transferred to the magnetic stripe on the film. ‘The Super 8 Sound Recorder i in- deed a versatile machine and | have ‘only touched on what can be done with it, Quite sophisticated sound tracks can be buill up. Passages of film can be redubbed, or silent portions can be dubbed with sound in syne. Although for real versatility, a double system editing bench is needed, much can be done without one. Ti actual use, the Recorder perform- flawlessly | have used one for nearly ’ year now and have had no problems atall with sync loss. The only problem Thave had is with the batteries Sony packed withthe recorder. They leaked ‘and caused extensive damage. Super 8 ‘Sound repaired it and had it back to ime within three weeks. I would recor ‘mend not leaving batteries in the ‘machine when its notin 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 @ trip to the repairman, "At 24 fps, the audio frequency response Is 30-13,000 Hz, Wow and flutter is less than .15% and the signal- tomnolse ratio is 45db. This is much better sound that can be obtained with ‘most single system cameras. By hook ing @ Dolby ENCODER between the recorder and projector, the signal! noise ratio can be improved even "The recorder has inputs for micro- phone (with remote run) and auxillary fand outputs for monitor. It has a built inelectret condensor microphone, tone control, and battery check meter (which is buit into the VU meter). It —— measures 125" x 43/16 x 10%" ‘and weighs 12 Ibs. with batteries (8 D cells) ‘Of course, the whole part of this system is not the recorder, but fullcoat, Fullcoat is just like regular recording tape, except its on a thicker base and hhas the same dimensions as Super 8 film down to the sprocket holes. The recorder can “read” the sprocket holes Inthe tape and compare them with the signal coming from the camera or the projector. If they arer't the same, the Togic circuit will adjust the speed of the recorder $0 that they do match. Hence, the pleture and sound are on a one:to ‘one correspondence and thus in sync! have @ couple of minor complaints ‘about this recorder. The sync meter is quite tiny and, placed on the front of the machine, is dificult to see. ‘Although it i better than its prede- ‘cessor, which used the VU meter for sync condition (which means you. ‘couldn't use the VU meter, | still feel there is room for improvernent. Also, with the recorder slung over your shoulder for a one-man shoot, the con- trols are facing away from the operator Which makes them difficult to use, Finally, the recorder only takes a 200 reel which holds about 380° of polyester fullcoat. That's about 15 ‘minutes of tape at 24 fps. There is an ‘adaptor so the machine can take up to 1200, but its expensive and bulky. “The Super 8 Sound Recorder is ideal for the filmmaker who wants a piece of ‘equipment that he can grow with. Super 8 Sound now offers spit 16mm. fullcoat, With the recorder set atthe original 7.5 ips, it will sync with a 16mm camera just as 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 16mrn as with Super 8. rm. ‘sure this will open up a whole new avenue of filmmaking with the Super 8 ‘Sound Recorder working as.a ‘poor man's Nagra”, ‘Although not cheap, double system filmmaking with the Super 8 Sound Recorder and a sophisticated silent ‘camera (or 16mm) can open up a ‘whole new area for the serious film ‘maker. can overcome the editing drawbacks of single systern sound and put the versatility ofa professional Studio in the hands of the arnateur. SUBSCRIBE TO A PHANTASMAGORIC FLIGHT INTO SHEER IMAGINATION Here, atlas, magazine that wl ex le the oer Smits of imagination ‘fering simpnes of born arcu science Felon ae cur aretout fantasy. Hobbs horrors and hideous invader rom outer pace wil jn forces each ssue with the reakife arts who create them to ng {you the best of movie and TV creature Teaures, EACH ISSUE INCLUDES— Pages of FULL-COLOR photes!l Original horrific art! Exclusive interviews! Behind the scenes in Hollywooelll Monster makeup secrets! ‘Animation and special effects! Fright film updates!!! plus MUCH MORE! | Tipwastica T cio orauinnstusos Dent. ct 173 Pore Avenue South [New york 10016 I clone year -noney i 998 (oS mca 2 ference one Ye 51458 1 samote copy 55 0 pu ot OOF as postage ned hanatrgeacn TV srctores ¢ cs, cect or money res Som t9 Cain Sade, ne)ProducersBulletinBoard Announcements of our readers’ films in current production. ‘The notices for this issue have been received over the past year ‘The Great European Nations, Total satire following ‘by Don Dohler’ office. lease forward all ews of your fms inthe instigation of a Mr. Cline. Producer: Group Six Produc: ‘current production to CREMAGC c/o O'Quinn Studios, Inc, _ tions. Director/special effects: Bob Tinnell. Cast: Shawn 475 Park Ave. South, Mew York, NY 10016, Lucas, Gary Morris, Jerry Satterfield, TS, Savereno, Joy Shaver, Super 8, colo, silent. (Bob Tinnell, Box 313, Worth ‘Anarchy. The struggle for power in a postholocaust soc- _'ngton. WV 26591.) ty, Producer: Condor Studios. Director/special effects: Alan Lasky. Cast: Robert Cline, Scott Doyle, Mitch Lasky, Mike Grimalldn. Five elves struggle for ‘Malko, Super’8, sound. Running time: 25 minutes. (Alan _survival against an old gray cat. Stop- Lasky, 41 S. Compass Drive, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33308.) motion. Super-8, sound. Producer/Di- rector: Carl Paolino. Original musle: , i a) inate (Carl Peon, Maspeth NY) nd ae ‘Adve TT: Sippertot race tanegeits Wally J. Sanchez. Running time: 5 Earthman to the other side of the ‘galaxy to do battle witha race of 2-foot beings called Atachocrons. Producer: MHFX Studios. Star: John Mortis. Super-8 colot. Special effects include: stop-motion animation, mat- tes, front projection. (Mike Hutchison, 1412 Oakes Ave., Williamsport, PA 17701) King Klonk. Kong parody. Producer: Fantastic Cinema. ‘Stop-motion with glass paintings, miniatures and rates. | Bryan Henry 170:30 130 Avenue, Bldg, 11, Sec. A, 2F, Jamaica, NY 11434.) Sign of the Stalker. Superhero epic. “A comic book come to life” Producer: Pro Eight Motion Pictures, Ine Cast: Mark Monroe, Dovid Hubble, Richard Payne. Super Carnivores. Small town attacked by packs of ravenous color, double system sound with 4-tracks. Live action. (Mark es that look like reptilian doberman pincers Shocker Monroe, 1635 F- Washington #74, Escondido, CA 92027.) tending, Special effects Include: model animation with front and rer projection, static matte, 16mm, color syne sound. Earth 3000. ‘Running time: 45:60 minutes. In preproduction (Darryl Kid: Producer B6.J Pro der 4010 N Granite Reet, Scottsdale, AZB5251) = Guctions. SF Uriler “Je Jemison 28 Rob with and without his face plate. (B 6 Productions, Acton, May Battle of the Titans. Small town is invaded by towering monsters. Stop- motion special effects. Produceri special effects by Joe Russo. Cast: John Forino, Victor Valente, Chris Lynardakis. Running time: 15 minutes, (Joe Russo, 502 Wakefield Rd. Nep- tune, NJ 07753.) ‘The Memory Stone. A men and his portable computer: aid are chased through star systems by an all-powerful Enemy. Film, which explores the relationship of man and ‘machine, is action-packed with hyperjumps, blaster wea- Crete Hero, Space creature comes to Earth and confronts. pons force fields, ete. 16mm, color sound. Running time: Young motorcyclist, Fraducet/Director/Ster: Robert Beltz 10.15 minutes, (Arthur John Aspromatis, 45 Shoreham Cinematographer: Bob Pearce. Super-8 color sound. Special vive Ea Din tills MV Sarde) ‘effects include stop motion animation and front projection : ‘ ‘compositing, (Robert A. Belt, Merced, CA.) Last Flight. SF shor. Producer ‘The Collectors. A ship of Androids travels from world to Plastic Mediator Films. 16mm. ‘world collecting strange life specimens for their private z00. Larry Czach end Bob McKay set ‘Stop-motion. Producers: Steve Husting, George Gott, Dean up ¢ shot through glass in order Chiarello. Cast: 17 animated characters ranging inheight to overlay aitbrushed paintings, from 1-inch to 14-inches. Many are olay with aluminum foll of lever beams coming from armatures. Some robots manufactured from plastic model__ the spacecraft. (Bob MeKay, kits, as are portions of the collectors’ 3-domed spaceship. Houston, TX) Super8, color to be transferred to vdeo tape before sound effects are added. Running time: 20 minutes (Steve Husting, Fountain Valley, CA.) ‘Suds. A parody of the TV show "Soap.” Producer: J.Pro- ductions. (John McCown, Box 83, Camargo, Il. 61919.) Poraicopia. Fantasy. Stop-motion. Producer: Gavin Doughtie. 16mm col- ‘The Demon Master. Young man summons a demon to ‘or/sound. Running time: 30 minutes. ‘murder his enemies. Producer: Happydog Productions. Special effects models: Scott Ressler. ‘Stop-motion effects with live action. Running time: 20, (Gavin Doughtie, 3119 Jarrard, minutes. Super8, color (Dan Molitor, 606 S. 58th Ave, Houston, TX 77005) Yakima, WA 98908.) 16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 Super & Production | MARK MIKOLAS end GUNTHER HOOS SPECIAL OFFER TO CINEMAGIC READERS: THE DUP =ol° Sug ay aa Pisa aie clas ‘SUPER 6 CRAFT. Get your hands on Super 8 now with the complete guide, a $16.00 investment that will pay for itself hundreds of times ! Handbook of Super 8 Production—the book that gives you Super 8 at its best—is back in a newly revised edition. Gunther Hoos and Mark Mikolas have brought their complete hands-on guide up-to-date with the ‘changing technologies of Super 8 production—all the latest equipment, systems, techniques and prices are here, in more than 300 pages of information on everything in Super 8. And now, a sturdy spiral binding to make the Handbook even handier! You've read about Gunther Hoos and Mark Mikolas in Industrial Photography, Audio-Visual Communications and Super 8 Filmake where their reports have helped thousands of serious Super 6 film producers improve their craft. But have you seen the reviews for the Handbook? “ CAT PEOPLE "Sons 1 WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE SON OF KONG SINDAD THE SAILOR MIGHTY JOE YOUNG BODY SNATCHER HUNCHDACK OF NOTRE DAME AND MANY MORE NOW AVAILABLE LEGALLY ‘ON VIDEO CASSETTE! EXCELLENT QUALITY BETA Il AND VHS FORMATS Hoterwoos, cA vote (at) 47 210 | Include your full address and zip code, THE FIRST KINGDOM. A Graphic Novel of Fantasy and Science-Fiction by Jack Katz Each book is 32 pages with covers colored by Alex Nino and Kenneth ‘rough Seven are now available 1.020a04O0s806 2. Save1!Entive set of seven books for $6. C) THE OUTER LIMITS #2. fotiaiy evoted 10 this classic soree with oplade reviews, photos and move ‘00 THE ROCKET'S BLAST #139 Ex. clusive Mark Hamil in this STAR WARS. SPECIAL $3000) ENTERPRISE INCIDENTS staf TREK STAR WARS & much more #2 62.50 ] #4 92.50 1 9592.50 (1 FANTASTIC TELEVISION sot cover pictorial history of scl & the fan taatic $5.93) SCIENCE FICTION HORROR & FANTASY #2 Photos & articles on CLOSE EN— COUNTERS, STAR WARS special effects, much more S200) STAR REACH #1-11 scicsce tion omic. State you ae over 18 when ordering, SPECIAL: Set of Lt d8-poge ismues $1375 [1 ILLUSTRATED CATALOG FREE with any order or send 50° ORDERING INFORMATION Please add 50° for postage if your order is under $5, we pay postage on orders ‘over $5. Send Cash, check or money order (Calif. residents add 6% sales tax) Bud Plant, PO Box 1886c Pacrass Valley, CA 35906 3sBuild Your By TED RICHARD RAE hhe term “aerial brace” was coined several years ago by ‘Mark Wolf an amateur ani ‘mator from lowa. Apparently there was no standard name before then. Jim Danforth once told Mark that the devices were simply called “lying rigs’ and the like, ‘As with most effects devices, the use of an aerial brace is most successful if it goes unnoticed. It is not limited to flying creatures and can also be used {to support miniature set pieces, crea tures required to fall or jump, objects thrown or kicked, or to support creature supposedly swimming freely 26 underwater. When most creatures run, all oftheir feet leave the ground simul- taneously making it necessary for the model to be aerally braced throughout the entire running sequence. A good ‘example ofthis isthe run cycles of the Eohippus in The Valley of Gwangt. The result is So pleasing that it makes one ‘wish that Harryhausen could be given more time to utilize the technique further. ‘Simple methods of serial brace: Barring the elaborate braces con: structed by professionals, which en: ‘compass al possible movements, a Vatiety of devices can be constructed ‘to meet the needs of individual shots. ‘This illustrated in the words of John Bruce Dods, “My usual procedure is to do a storyboard shot by shot and then ‘construct, set up, or devise a method to create the desired effect for each shot separately. This means that in: ‘stead of trying to construct an aerial brace that will fly the desired object ‘every conceivable way—one that ‘would be teribly complex-—I will make many devices, each device tailored on ly to the requirements of the one shot. ‘Some alternatives to building an ‘aerial brace are the use of photo cut ‘outs on glass, a stationary model and moving background, or simple support by threads. Photo cutouts work very well for aircraft of al types, such as. altplanes, saucers and spaceships. This requires photographing the model, be ing careful to match the lighting for the shot, having a quality clear print ‘made from the negative or slide, Ccrefully cutting the background away from the model and coloring the white ledge of the photo black. The photo ‘cutout can now be animated on glass against any background (real, ‘miniature set, or rear projected image) ‘as long asthe lighting matches that of the cutout, There are no wires to con: eal, although unwanted seflections on the glass should be avoided. The use of 2 stationary model and a moving background needs little explanation. A ‘model can be affixed to the tripod, by some off-screen method, in front of the ‘camera and can then be panned ‘against areal sky with the camere, ‘Combinations of these methods ean alsa achieve fine results. A photo cut ‘out on glass against a ceceding image ‘on a rear projection screen produces. the successful illusion of the camera speeding through the sky tracking a flying sauces, spaceship, supethero or whatever If these methads do not fit the re quirements of your aerial brace se uence, then the Simplified Aerial Brace may be the answer ‘The simplified aerial brace: “The Simplified Aerial Brace (here after referred toas the SAB) is capable only of two-way movernent (North to South” movernent as op- posed to the "North to South” and “East to Wes.” such as is possible with, more elaborate designs) Basically the S.A.B. consists of a 2.by-d sliding platform which rides ‘along the top of anather 2-by-4 runner. ‘Suspended from the platform are four fines, which in turn support the ant ‘mation model, or whatever is being aerially braced. Materials needed for the construction of the S.A.B. are: a ‘wood 2:by-4, four metal 90-degree angle hardware brackets, eight wood screws, four eyebolts and nuts to fit,eight reqular washers to fit the eyebolts and nuts, eight urethane washers, four splitting lock washers, epoxy or "super glue” and some type of line of your choice. To construct aS.A.B., obtain a 2eby-. it may be any length desired.) ‘The longer the 2-by-4, the longer the effective field of movement. Also, ‘when selecting the 2:by-4, remember that it should be as straight and free of knots as possible.) Cuta six-inch block off the end. This wll be the sliding platform that rides along the top of the runner 2-by-4. Once this is done, sand the bottom of the platform and the top ‘of the runner as smooth and straight as. possible. It may also be desirable to paint with enamel and then wax each ‘of these surfaces to help eliminate snags and reduce friction. ‘Take the four metal 90-degree angle hardware brackets, and using two wood screws for each bracket, affix one to each of the four comers ofthe top of the sliding platform. (Actually, es many brackets—end thus as many lines—as the size of the platform will allow can be installed.) Place the platform on top of the runner and move it back and forth over its entire length, making ‘sure thatthe brackets do not snag on ‘and add the support line of your choice by inserting it through the hole in the ‘end of the eyebolt, tying it to itself so that it wont roll off the end while being drawn up. Slide the platform over the end of the runner and secure the runner by at- taching it to basement ceiling beams, ‘wo light stands, orto two step ladders. ing _It does not matter how you support the correctorder of nutsand washers. runner as long es itis steady, level ——___________" eaves room for the platform to slide ‘any splinters or knots. Itmay be neces and spans the set up. You mey also sary to adjust the brackets to@happy want to put calibration marks on the ‘medium. If not already pre-drilled, dill runner to measure the ammount of ‘hole about %4" from the bottom of movernent from frame to frame. teach bracket to accommodate the eye- The S,A.B, Is desirable because it is bolts. Inexpensive (the materials should not Drill a small hole in the center of the cost over five dollars), does not take threaded end of each eyebolt to ac: long to construct, and is easy to set up ‘commodate your choice of support and store. However, its drawbacks are line. These eyebolts wil act as the that it is capable of two-way move- spindles forthe support lines. Take ment and does not allow the object be- four of the regular nuts and glue one ing aerially braced to turn back in the (with epoxy or one of the “super glues” opposite direction without detaching presently on the market) to each of the the support lines. ‘eyebolts somewhere around the upper third ofthe threads. After these have dried thoroughly, place a regular ‘washer against the nut and place a ure thane washer against this. (If urethane washers cannot be found in a hardware ‘or plumbing supply store, you can cut them from an old plastic milk jug or bleach bottle.) Place the eyebolts through the hole in the bracket and place another urethane washer against the open side (one of the spitring lock ‘washers) and another regular nut on top of itall. This assembly allows the ‘eyebolts to um against the brackets spider creature rendy for filming. ‘on the urethane washers. ‘The splitring lock washers exert ‘The line suspension serial brace: ‘enough pressure on the regular ‘The Line Suspension Aerial Brace \washers to keep them tight against the (hereafter referred to as the L.S.A.B.) is lrethane washer and enough back- the design | personally employ. The wards pressure on the threads of the only real advantage of the LS.AB. ‘nut to keep it from becoming loose. If over the S.A.B. Is that it allows the adjusted correctly, the whole assembly model to turn around in mid-air with will move with relative ease and should out reattaching the support lines. Also, never loosen up. Now repeat this pro- have found that the L.S.A.B. is Ccedute for each of the other brackets capable of more precise movernent 7then the SAB. have constructed only one LS.AB. ‘and some of the materials used may not be available to all. So instead of trying to standardize the construction procedure (which would be nigh unto impossible, Iwil recount the steps. that took to construct my brace. The finished brace has most of the snags loned out and has performed quite satisfactorily in all instances. At first, the idea of the LS.A.B. was basically thet of a nylon cord stretched ‘around two 2-by-4s nailed to basement ceiling beams, and a small piece of Plywood with cup hooks on its four ‘corners that rode on the nylon cord, ‘Threads thet support the model were to be attached to the model. Originally no support line spindle device was con- sidered at all. However, as the brace ‘evolved from the planning stage to ac- tual construction, it gradually encom- passed more features (and hence more ‘work) than first anticipated. Thad first considered nalling the 2eby-d (on which the suspension lines are stretched) to the ceiling beams in four basement. However, this was not possible since our basement has @ sus- ended ceiling and the brace had to extend below the ceiling. The answer ‘was to have the device capable of ‘swinging up inside the ceiling, out of the way, when not in use. Having de- ‘cided how far down from the seven- foot ceiling I wanted the brace to hang {one foot) and the length of Is field of movernent (five feet), I picked e spot in the middle ofthe basement. This way, miniature sets Could be erected in rela- tion to the brace since its location. ‘would be permanent. | then found two 18" long 2-by-4s, layed them on sides ‘and drilled a hole through each to ac ‘commodate a 2" x 6 bolt. Twa Iden: tlcal-sized holes, 5° apart, were then diilled through the ceiling beam and ‘each 2-by-4, While tightening, lad: Justed them so that neither of the 2:by-4s would wobble, but would still ‘swing up out of the way inside the sus- 2B ended celling. The extra six Inches of 2-by-d three inches on each side of the bolt, eliminated any unwanted side to side movernent, ‘To keep the suspension lines from sagging under the combined weight of the platform and the model | decided to install tumbuckles (most commonly used to straighten screen doors) at ‘each end to stretch them taut. Since the turbuckles would have to be de- tachable, to permit the 2by-4s to swing up into the ceiling, puta large screen door hook in the center, at the bottom, of the back side of each of the 2iby-4s. To anchor the turmbuckles | L.8.A.B. showing the location of ‘Screen door hook, the turnbuckle and the screw eyes In the 2-by-4. simply’nalled two small pieces of wood to the celing beam about 18 inches back from the bolts on each side, and puta screweye in each. cut ordinary oat hangers to obtain two 12Inch pieces of heavy duty wire (I ad found previously that lighter wire stretched or Uneaveled due tothe tension). lan chored each end ofthe turnbuckles to the celing beam by twisting the ends ofthe coat hanger wie through the Screweyes in the small wood blocks and one end of each tumbuckle. ‘Aithough not absolutely necessary | ppt two sereweyes in the sides ofeach 2by-d to serve as suspension line Guides. My reasoning was that they are inexpensive and prevent the line from slipping off the ends ofthe 2by-4 ac- cidentally. ater found an added ad ‘vontage Because the sereweyes could L.8.A.B. showing the location of the bolt, turnbuekle, anchoring 2-by-4, wire and screw eyes. be turned slightly to raise or lower the tends of each of the suspension lines to keep them level. ‘After testing several different types lof cord and line to serve as the suspen- sion lines, I chase plastic-coated three strand wire clothes line. According to the manufacturer its not supposed to stretch or break, and so far have found this to be true. took a 14-foot piece of the clothes line (twice the length of the brace and ‘an extra 2 feet to te with) and looped an end through each of the screweyes. ‘At this point | loosened the turnbuck- les to their fullest extent by unscrewing them as far as possible without coming ‘apart. | connected the screen door hooks to each of the turnbuckles and pulled the 2-by-4s as close together as possible. | Inserted the clothes line Plastic-coated, three-strand clothesline cable Is used for the suspensionllines, through the two remaining screweyes and tied the ends of it.as tightly a8. possible, inserted a thin screwdriver in the middle section of each turnbuckle, ‘and used the leverage to tighten it up. 1 repeated this until the suspension lines ‘were taut enough that when plucked with the finger they sounded lke aIf the model is well-balanced, only a few lines may be required. However, sometimes it is necessary to employ an anchor line running from the low-tuned guitar. Once tightened up i this manner, the suspension lines will ‘carry up to three or four pounds ‘without sagging. Ifthe lines vibrate during animating, [merely wait for them to stop (which usually takes ‘about one minute), since they will stop in exactly the same place every time. Knowing that a calibration system would be very helpful while animating, | decided to affix some kind of ruler to the 2-by-4s, Fortunately, my father happened to have the tape ruler out of, fan old tape measure, which was broken. | drilled a hole in one end of it to accommodate a small wood screw to anchor the rule toa 2-by-4, At the ‘other end, I drilled several holes to allow for the variance in the tying of the suspension lines every time, since the tape would have to be stretched be- tween the 2-by-4s along with the lines. ‘Much trial and error was necessary to {get both the lines and the tape taut each time the brace was set up. To make the top section of the slid: Ing platform, I cut a piece of plywood ‘Yeinch thick and five inches square, Which is the width of the suspension Tines. In the center af each of the four ‘comers, | put a small cup hook. Asa ppointer to the tape measure ruler, | bent a2-Inch-long piece of tin (V4-inch, Wide) at 2 90 degree engle and at tached it with a small wood screw to a ‘comer close to one of the cup hooks. The bottom section ofthe sliding model to the stage. platform was ¥2-inch plywood cut five inches square. Making an X from cor. ner to comer to mark the center, I then dalled a hole to accommodate a Y4-by- 1Y-inch bolt. A regular washer was then put on the head side of the bolt ‘and Wes inserted through the hole. A splitring lock washer and a regular nut were added, and the whole assembly was tightened down so that the bolt be- ‘came an integral part ofthe turntable section. « For precision support line spindles, | stumbled onto the idea of using old guitar keys. was given a few three spindle sets of keys by a friend ‘who was going ta throw ther away. Since the spindles of the keys were not very large and would take many, many tums to raise the model even a tiny bit, I decided to affix wooden sewing thread spools to each of the spindles. ‘To accomplish this, | first enlarged the holes in the center of eact spoo! to ac ‘commodate the spindles of the guitar keys. [then found some small roll pins ‘and drilled @ hole just a litle smaller than their diameter in both the spindles and the spools, making sure that once affixed in that position that they would sill have enough clearance totum. Lining up the holes in each, and using a nail sink, I drove the roll pins into both the spindles and the ‘spools and they became permanently attached. While drilling holes, | also drilled @ small hole in each of the spools, n the end away from the keys, to tie off the support lines. When assembling the three pieces of the sliding platform, Thad to make ‘sure that everything was level and cen- tered with the suspension lines. Turn: Ing the bottom section with one of the ‘components unleveled or off center would couse unwanted side-to-side, Lup-ordown, or tilting movement ofthe ‘animated model on the screen, ‘Toattach the support line spindles to the turntable section, | used 4 small 90-dearee angle hardware brackets. ‘The holes in the guitar key mounting plates were enlarged not only to ac: ‘commodate a 1/B:by:1/2 inch bolt, but were made larger to allow for later leveling of the spindles with the tum table section, The brackets were then temporarily attached to the mounting plates with 1/8-by-1/2 inch bolts, split fing lock washers and regular nuts. Low angle view of upper sllding platform. Note the thread spools Attached to guitar key spindies. Since the sets of guitar keys | had been sven had three spindles each, to center them | simply lined up the mid- dle spindle of each set with the bolt centered in the middle ofthe turntable section. Then with the spindles facing inand the keys on the outside, I set the brackets as close to the edge of the bottom of the plywood as I could, to ‘lve @s much space between each set of spindles as possible. Checking again to make sure the spindles were cen- teted, | attached the brackets and the support line spindles to the turntable section by inserting small wood screws {rough each bracket and into the ply- ‘wood, [leveled the spindles with the turn- {table section by loosening the bolts in the guitar key mounting plates, then. ‘messured and edjusted until all four ‘comers were the same. That is where the overly large holes in the mounting »An aerial is only a tool—as is an armature or a tie-down—that helps make an animation sequence possible. Aerial brace sequences should not be created for the sake of using one. plates became useful, “Two more 90-degree angle hardware brackets were used to attach the top and the bottom sections ofthe sliding platform. A small bracket was bolted toa larger bracket, so that the two of. ther together formed a U. The two brackets were lined up so that they were straight with one another, and a splitting lock washer was used to ‘make sure that they couldn't move and throw the alignment of the sliding plat form out of balance. ‘A regular and a urethane washer ‘were added to the centered bolt in the tumtable section, The end of the U formed by the small bracket was laid ‘over the centered bolt; a urethane ‘The completed L.S.A.B. in use washer, a regular washer, a splitring lock washer and a regular nut were ‘added and the whole assembly was tightened down. Once adjusted proper- ly: this allowed the bottom section to turn freely, and it has never loosened. ‘To center the bottom tumtable sec: tion with the top section of the sliding platform | id them both on theie ‘edges.'Since both sections had been cut S-inches square, all Ihad to do to ‘center them was to make sure their ‘edges were flat on the table, align the sides and push them together so that the top of the U formed by the large 0 hardware bracket was butted up with the top section. I then marked the holes in the bracket onto the top sec: tion with a pencil and drilled two holes to accommedate two Ye-by-V inch bolts. capped each bolt with @ nut and. tightened them down, The top and bot tom sections were now centered with each other and the suspension lines, even when the bottom section was tuned. Purely for aesthetic reasons | painted the whole sliding platform (ex: Cept the moving parts) silver, and painted a red tip on the tape measure ruler pointer. After slipping the cup hooks aver the suspension lines, my Line Suspension Aerial Brace, with the addition of support lines, wes ready touse. ‘The support lines: “The type of ling, cord or wire used for suppor between the brace and the animation model should be both thin and strong, The best choice for this is fone of the mono-flament fishing lines ‘currently on the market, I have had ‘good results with 2b test line. Al- though the line Is tested at two pounds, ‘twill support more weight. In the in- stance of an outer space sequence in- volving an aerial brace, the line should be painted black. ‘The gleam from support lines is @ problem inherent with eny sequehce Involving the use of an aetial brace. While careful lighting and camera placement can eliminate part of the problem, the use of polarization filters ‘may sometimes be required. It can help to take a very fine grade of sand Paper and gently run the line through it to sand off its sheen. Some profes: sional animators have their own line especially manufactured, use special dulling sprays, or paint the lines to ‘match the background. Finally, "00" or "000" piano wire is excellent: i is very strong yet thin and virtually invisible Be wary of “kinks” in the line while threading up or animating, since they are impossible to straighten and re Quire replacement of the wite Itself ‘The most cornmon practice of et taching the suppor lines to the anima: tion model isto tie them directly ‘around the outside of the model. How. ever, this can bea problem if the line contrasts with the skin of the model. It Is preferable to obtain a curved needle and insert the line through the model, around the armature, and tie it off Close to the surface. With this method, the only concem is with the small knot, which can be painted to match the ‘model. Hf the model is well balanced, only a few lines may be required. However i some cases its also necessary to employ an anchor line from the model to the stage, ‘An aerial brace is only a tool—as is fan armature or a tie-down—that helps ‘make an animation sequence possible. It should only be considered as such ‘and nothing more It is not advisable to dream up a sequence requiring the use of an aerial brace simply for the sake ‘af using one, Just as stop-motion Is ‘most successful when well integrated into a story line, the use of an aerial brace is most successful when well incorporated into the needs of a stop-motion animation sequence.