9/10/23
Newsletter #454
The Crack of Dawn
I find it kind of amusing that we Super-8 filmmakers of the early 1970s went through a change similar to that of Hollywood in the late 1920s – sound arrived and now you’ve got to deal with it. At first, just like Hollywood, we didn’t know which sound recording system would be adopted. Even though The Jazz Singer (1927) is universally accepted as the first “talkie,” it’s really only a partial talkie, with sound for just the musical numbers. Apparently, it was an ad lib by Al Jolson when, between two songs, he added, “You ain’t heard nothin’ yet.” What I find fascinating is that the sound recording system that Warner Bros. used, called Vitaphone, was ridiculously impractical. The sound was on a three-foot wax record that was synchronized to the projector with a series of chains. If the record skipped, you went out of sync and there was no way to get it back except to guess.
As Warners had developed Vitaphone, William Fox at Fox Films was developing optical sound, based on sound recording innovations made by the U.S. Navy. By 1930 the Fox System, acquired by Western Electric, became the accepted system of sound recording in the world and remained so until the advent of digital in about 2000.
Super-8’s changeover came when I was attending college in 1975-76. I bedeviled them at the camera store in Ann Arbor, stopping by every day to discuss what system I should invest in and use. The first decision we all made, though I paid for, was a complete loser. It was a double-sound system, like what they use in Hollywood, where sound is recorded separately from the film, then put together in post-production. They never did figure out how to do that in Super-8, but I shot one film using that ridiculous system. The film was called The Business, As Usual, and it's based on an extremely short story by the well-known science fiction writer, Mack Reynolds, and I honestly never thought twice about paying for the rights. As I look back, I think that I was so concerned about the stupid, goddam, double-system sound, that a silly thing like story rights never occurred to me. If I gave it any thought at all, I’m sure that I thought Mack Reynolds, whose books I liked, would certainly be reasonable and let me just have the story rights. I mean, look at the trouble that I was going through.
There were five people on the crew, including my late friend Irene running this ill-conceived cassette sound recorder. The thing ran magnetic tape that was shaped exactly like Super-8 film with sprocket holes. Anyway, I shot the film at a spectacular location that was brand-new in 1975, and it’s still there. It was formerly called Prudential Town Center, but I don’t know what it’s called now. It’s a series of mirrored, gold glass office buildings in a cluster. At the center is a V-shaped atrium connecting the buildings that once upon a time had a two-screen movie theater and a nature conservatory. My inspired, sci-fi idea was to shoot outside against the gold mirrored, slanted side of the atrium, which was half the length of a football field and surrounded with perfectly manicured green grass. Reflected in the gold mirrors were the other gold mirrored buildings at oblique angles – it looked incredible with no assistance from me. Plus, it was a beautiful sunny day with a deep blue sky and fluffy clouds, also visible in the gold reflections.
The whole story of The Business, As Usual – which was three pages long – had a cast of two people, which was a big part of what drew me to shooting it. But here is where I made my first big mistake. I cast my two best buddies, Steve and Stan, in the parts and neither one is an actor. They both did the best that they could, but I repeat, neither is an actor. I could’ve gotten actors, but instead I got my best friends. I should’ve gotten actors. Of course, Stan and Steve did the best they could.
Anyway, here’s Mack Reynolds’ clever story. We are in this crazy, gold mirrored exterior world with all these zigzagging reflections, with green grass at the bottom, and a title reads, “One day in the 31st century.” My buddy Steve, who is six-five, rail thin (and wrangled his own wardrobe) – 31st century man – comes walking by wearing a white jumpsuit, cowboy boots outside his pant legs, a cowboy hat, and black leather gloves. Right then a 20th century man appears out of nowhere. He is attired in a regular old suit and tie. He looks around in astonishment, sees 31st century man, who has stopped to look, and says something like, “Excuse me, I’m a time traveler from the 20th century, and I only have two minutes to stay here in the 31st century before I go back. I have to prove that I was here. Have you got anything that would prove it?” 31st century man immediately removes a silver metal pen from his pocket and says, “This is an atomic pen, not invented until the 27th century, it would do.” 20th century man says, “Give it to me.” 31st century man says, “Give it? Why should I just give it to you? We get time travelers showing up all the time these days.” 20th century man takes out his wallet and says, “I have about twenty-eight bucks . . .” 31st century man says, “Your money means nothing to me.” 20th century man says, “OK, I’ll give you everything I have but my underwear.” 31st century man says, “Why not the underwear?” As reflected clouds pass by a short time has elapses. 31st century man holds a pile of clothes. Naked 20th century man stands holding a silver atomic pen and begins to disappear. When he completely disappears, all that remains is the atomic pen, which drops to the ground. 31st century man steps over, picks up his pen, puts it back in his pocket, shakes his head, then walks away. The end.
Sadly, I was never able to marry the sound to the picture. Sound came to Super-8 for real the next year and it wasn’t double-system, it was single-system – the sound is on the film. At that same camera store in Ann Arbor, I purchased their first sound Super-8 camera made by Sankyo. When you’d ask to see it, and say, “Sankyo,” and the guys in the store would say, “Your welcome.”
Thus, another day arrives.
I don't even know what you're talking about.
I wonder if you could sync the sound using modern methods?