Pen point percussion: an introduction to hand-drawn sound of Norman McLaren

The first part of this film presents an explanation of the principles and production of synthetic sound in motion pictures, showing Norman McLaren’s experimentation with hand-drawn sounds on film. The film is designed as an introduction to McLaren’s animated productions. An oscilloscope records what various sounds look like - the trembling strings of a guitar, the low tones of a tuba, the crow of a rooster and the human speaking voice. Norman McLaren then demonstrates on a moviola the sounds that emit from a soundtrack on which he has drawn dots, lines and triangles and we note how these sounds are synchronised with the artist’s hand-drawn animations. (6 mins.) Written by Don Peter. Photographed by Lorne C. Batchelor. Music by Louis Applebaum. (Award: Venice). The second part presents Norman McLaren’s experimental film ‘Dots’ made in 1948 which demonstrates his innovative technique and illustrates what can be created by drawing directly onto the picture and soundtrack area of film stock. (2 mins.) Other films in the collection related to this technique include ‘The Eye hears the ear sees’, ‘Synchronomy’ and ‘Loops’. (Awards: Toronto, Salerno, Rome)