University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

Page 32 text:

, THE MAKING OF A MOVIE Cornering most of the artistic talent on campus in just about all branches of endeavor, a group of student film-makers chalked up a whole series of firsts last winter. With the production of a 70-minute feature movie, Metamorphosis, a screen translation of Franz Kafka ' s short story, growing interest in the medium of the film reached its high point. On December 10 and 11 at Hill Auditorium, premiere audiences got their first look at the unusually photographed psychological drama of a man who turns into an insect. Production of the film was a year-long job. Supervised by William Hampton, graduate student and president of Gothic Film Society, it was shot in an old house in Ann Arbor. Its cost, under $5,000, was regarded as exception- ally low for a full-length sound production. Mood and tone were very important to the overall effect of the film. Photo- graphed, as it was, from the eye level of an insect, camera angle and unusual lighting suggested the unique quality of Franz Kafka. William Wiegand ' s screenplay and Edward Chudacoff ' s musical score captured the flavor too. Experienced actors were recruited from local theater groups. They played the roles of a German family of the Twenties whose dialogue was as stylized as the costumes. As Metamorphosis went to other cinema societies across the country, tentative plans were being drawn to produce other movies here. Film was at last in the curriculum. 28

Page 34 text:

Whether you wanted to see the British House of Commons or the Michigan Union Opera, the University of Michigan Teletour could take you there. This teletour is part of the Uni- versity Television Hour, produced and pre- sented over WWJ-TV (see below) each Sunday by Broadcasting Service-TV under Garnet R. Garrison. And if perhaps you ' ve wondered what the odd-looking equipment standing in the basement of Angell Hall is, it ' s the embryo of the TV department ' s brainchild, a Uni- versity TV station. Professor Garrison does not neglect the aspiring radio star, however. He also directs the Speech Department where radio and television techniques are taught. I