ACTION ANALYSIS
ORPHANS' PICNIC
January 30

[...] is building the mood of the story. Criticism of straight
action without considering the story or idea running thru it is
almost impossible because the two are so interwoven.

Where the Duck drops to the ground after bumping head on gate
the shot is too long and it could have been portrayed better
with a much closer shot. That is hardly a criticism of the
action, but it affects the action in that it causes a certain
lack of continuity at this point.

Scene 6.

In looking at the action of the Duck bumping into the truck -
could that have been built up and given more of feeling of
mad scramble and excitement? Is the point put over that
someone is getting left behind, as someone always is at a
picnic, and is running to catch up? More feeling of chagrin
in the Duck - more feeling of frustration (instead of just
mad run after the truck) ... would have given more feeling of
the picnic spirit as a whole.

     ALGAR: Why not a closeup of that expression and then
     have him chase across the field ... this might have in-
     tensified the feeling leading to his smacking the truck.
     When he runs into the truck, he is hit before you see
     what has happened. When he runs on pan, camera could
     have run ahead of him and then duck could come in. The
     prop was not planted early enough ... it must be a sur-
     prise, of course, but the Duck gets there before you
     realize what has happened.

     TONY: I think a perspective shot would have helped a lot
     where the truck comes in. Also, by changing the direction
     of the truck the feeling of the picnic might have been
     enhanced, (back view as well as side view).

Scenes 8 and 9.

When the kids are being dumped out of the truck and in the
lake scene they are very much like flies on a piece of cheese -
that is,it is impossible to follow any one fly or any group
of flies, and there are so many flies that nothing is seen.
In MICKEY'S REVIEW where Mickey plays the piano there are
hundreds of little black kittens running all over him ... the
same feeling is there - a feeling of vermin and crawling things.
We are used to seeing things crawling around in mass, like
insects. Compare it to looking down from the top of the Wool-
worth Tower. The people on the street look like ants down below.

     EUGSTER: Isn't that a good impression to get?

No - when a person is looking at a picture, he is trying to
get hold of something, and when there are so many characters [...]