Modern Prince Will

Learning By Seeing

Use Modern Methods

By Lex Holliday

WHAT promises to be a new develop ment in the use of motion picture film will soon be tried out in the Pacific Islands. While in Sydney recently, Prince Tungi, Premier of Tonga, spent several days at the production studios of Commonwealth Film Laboratories Pty.

Ltd., studying the basic problems of film production in the Islands.

Prince Tungi is a man of ideas: but he does not let it go at that. He tries his ideas out, in practical fashion.

His intention is to photograph short documentary and educational material throughout Tonga and send it to CFL laboratories for processing, cutting and editing. A rough work-print, when as sembled will be airmailed back to him and

a Tongan commentary adapted on his own wire recorder, both wire and work print being returned to Sydney for final processing. Special techniques have been worked out to enable 100 per cent, lip synchronisation to be applied with the aid of the wire recorder.

Prince Tungi, acting in his capacity as Chairman of the Tongan Centenary Com memoration Fund Committee, has again displayed a keen appreciation of the many uses of motion picture film.

Almost two years ago he established a mobile film circuit screening 16 mm. en tertainment and documentary films to Tongans in villages throughout Tonga tabu. These proved so successful that further circuits were established in Vavau and the central Tongan group.

Patrons pay regular admission charges but all profits help to swell the Commem oration Fund’s coffers, and in turn pro vide bursaries for Tongans studying at Australian and New Zealand Universities.

Having established the outlets for film and an appreciation of the motion picture

in his islands, Tungi has now taken the logical step of using this medium of popular entertainment as a means of education.

No doubt his interest in film production was stimulated by a desire to record fully the growth and development of Tonga’s newly proposed industry, peanut growing, from its conception to maturity. Should plans for developing this crop reach ful filment they will represent an achieve ment well worth recording on film.

Prince Tungi’s proposals have another significance in view of the attitude to wards visual aids recently taken by the South Pacific Commission during its sixth session.

The Commission favoured the encour agement of existing facilities for film pro duction in the Islands and for individual Island Governments to produce their own films. Tonga’s new experiment will no doubt receive the full blessing of the Commission. It certainly will receive the keen attention of educationists throughout the Pacific.

Prince Tungi hears his voice played back on the wire recorder.

Commonwealth Film Laboratories Chief Cinematographer. Mr. Harry Malcolm, explains the intricacies of a 16 mm. camera to Prince Tungi while producer director Lex Halliday looks thoughtfully on.

Discussing problems of sound recording with the chief sound engineer. On Tungi’s left is the gadget which can “mix” eight sound channels simultaneously.