Cinema: The Living Camera

Duration: 12:00

Year Published: 1971

Creator: Hobel-Leiterman Productions

Complete Record: Investigates the future trends in movies, pointing out that in the coming decade changing social patterns, coupled with developments in technology, will liberate the movies from the once powerful production companies and from the need for enormous budgets. Explores the use of film as a means of self-expression by students, as well as a tool for minority groups and the disenfranchised to raise group pride as a medium to promote radical politics. A girl is seen using a microphone on what appears to be a stage. Next is a shot of someone’s hands handling film materials. The camera pans over a canyon and lake. Then it shows how the images seen correspond with the actual film in a reel. Infrared lighting techniques are displayed. A man operates a cinescan machine and views a film on the screen. He clicks on differnt endpoints. People who work in the film industry are shown on an outdoors set and they speak to the camera. Actors are shown in a large group. One actor speaks to the camera and then a title screen pops up reading “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song.” Scenes of that particular film are shown including a car on fire, a poker scene, and characters arguing. Then it switches to an old west movie with horses and cowboys toting guns. There is a pan over a desert canyon and then a montage of clips with beautiful women are shown. One woman is poured out of a beer bottle. Several are seen poking their heads around palm trees. Then a shot of soldiers in a war scene with explosions followed by a separate shot of people in cloaks on horseback. This latter shot is broken down and the cinematographer is shown. Next a large set and a production crew appears. The crew films a small action scene in which an injured man is helped into a car by a woman in a dress and a man in a tuxedo carrying a rifle. The director cuts a few times as the actor in the tux is seen doing different takes where he picks up the rifle off the ground and then fires it. The camera pans away from the set and the entire production set up is seen. Then it cuts to the same park again. A lady speaks while walking her DOG. The next few scenes are of a man with a thick moustache and glasses having several disagreeable discussions with a lady who has short hair. Then an older woman talks for a while. A woman wearing a scarf on her head fills the screen. A title screen reading “Square Inch Field” pops up. And then a great many images of various faces that have been taken with that filter are shown at a high speed. Also, just the eyes are framed and shown in the same manner. Then the images are interspersed amongst soldier marching footage. The older woman speaks some more. Some shots of actors working on different sets and outtakes are shown. Then the credits roll.