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A simple illustrated hand book was
needed to explain how to shoot a movie
story – and create a series of shots that
could be edited to do just that. This task
was given to Arthur Gaskill and David
Englander who created a brilliant little
book called Pictorial Continuity – How
to shoot a movie story - it worked. For
decades after the war this little pocket
book was updated and re-published in
edition after edition. It was the budding
filmmakers Bible and it set me up for a
lifetime of documentary filmmaking.
My first edition was the most treasured
book in my library -- until I loaned it to
one of my students --.

Meanwhile back in the front line,
Hollywood feature producer and director
John Ford had arrived at Midway Island
in the central Pacific, armed with a
16mm camera and 6,000 Ft. of
Kodachrome film and one assistant. He This is my third edition copy of Pictorial
was right on cue to film the first stage of Continuity with its post war title How to Shoot a
the Japanese attack and decided to film Movie Story but sadly without its wartime
the whole Battle of Midway himself. history -- the intro. I treasured so much in the
John Ford produced the first American first edition.
classic documentary of the war. One
Man with a camera -- who knew how to tell a story even with a 16mm camera – a story
that won an Academy award.

From the massive amount of B&W film shot on little 16mm cameras for training and
information purposes -- like the Gun Sight Aiming cameras used in fighter aircraft -- to
the millions of feet of film screened on 16mm portable projectors to inform and
entertain the troops all over the world. Yes, 16mm played a significant role across the
entire spectrum of wartime activities.

Getting back to Jamison Handy and his role in this. Of course his organization was
ideally situated to produce a huge output of 16 and 35mm motion pictures and 35mm
film strips and the little projectors he had invented years before.

He could do it all “In House from Script to Screen” with his now huge staff of talented
people working with the best equipment and studio facilities available. It was truly a
gift for the American Government who quickly made use of Jam Handy’s services.
They even offered to build a new studio complex for the organization, an offer declined

8 REEL DEALS September 2023