Show MANIFOLD WOES OF DIRECTORS ARE DEPICTED IN THIS YARN Supervision of of the actual putting on of motion pictures constitutes the chief work of the director He lie Is captain cap cap- fain tain of a company or producing unit I The average studio works anywhere I from four to a dozen all allI the time and a director heads each of I them I To him the working script of or the I piece to be filmed is given His first firstI I duty is to study it and make makeI the story a part of himself Then I he proceeds to make real what the writer has put on paper All details must be worked out in advance if the best picture are to be ob ob- ob- ob tamed Needless to say a director should know the difference between a good and bad script To this end it is desirable desirable de do- that he ho understand the mechanics mechanics mechanics me me- of scenario construction By that I mean that he should be able to take a story and develop its con con- The director must possess creative creative crea crea- tive ability It is up to him to devise devise devise de de- de- de vise business those business those pictorial bits and human touches which contribute so much to the visualization of a a astory story Few scripts are ever ever produced i as written When a story is worked I out before the camera changes frequently frequently fre fre- fre- fre suggest themselves which I make for clearness and added r strength I I I The directors director's problem is to make the story understandable that that is to I say to put it over The audience must be made to do half the work I I by getting into the tIle play itself If I the viewer of a film play loses his identity in that of the players the I I director is batting 1000 per cent Hence he must be given considerable considerable consid consid- erable latitude in putting on a story I It is important that he be 1 keenly I alive ready alive ready to take advantage of anything unlooked unlocked for developing Accidental Accidental Accidental Ac Ac- happenings have not Infrequently infrequently infrequently I I proved to be the feature of ofa 1 i ia Ia a picture production Since photography plays such an I important part in telling a screen story it is essential for the director I to understand the camera He must know what It can and cant can't do FurI Furthermore Furthermore Fur Fur- I it Is imperative that the highest degree of cooperation exist between the director and his camera camera- man mait Satisfactory results are sible unless they work together Beautiful pictures have saved many photoplays To get them locations lo- lo must be carefully selected and ample time given for obtaining photographic photographic photographic pho pho- II effects A director should be as much an artist in feeling as asI asa I a cameraman for the one supplements supple supple- I ments the other in photoplay making makI mak- mak I I mg ing ingA A picture director has to be able to handle people or he will not get I very far Some actors are not natI naturally naturally nat nat- I tractable Each one must be studied and treated as an individual They should be encouraged to think for for themselves not ordered about as puppets they make mistakes I corrections are in order I No matter how skilled the player he cannot be allowed to go through a picture at will All require direction direction direction tion to achieve a well balanced pro pro- I But they not seem to tobe tobe tobe be directed To act naturally two faults have to be overcome self overcome self consciousness consciousness con conS and anticipation Flirting I with the camera cannot be permitted In short the player must lose himself himself himself him him- self in his Us part and entirely forget I the camera I In a way the motion picture directors director's di directors director's dl- dl rectors rector's work is like that of ot the stage director although there is much more I detail to it Besides the studio di director director director di- di rector has some startlingly new I devices to deal with in the and cutback To fo get their full tun dramatic dramatic dramatic dra dra- matic value these must be judiciously judicious judicious- ly handled The director always has hasan hasan hasan an assistant who sees to getting all an sets props and players ready for his ais chief Much of the directors director's work is at t home nights after studio hours Many details must be figured out on paper for tire morrow so no time will be beI lost since studio managers hold the I director strictly to account Therefore Therefore There There- fore too much cannot be bo devoted to preparation reparation that the players may be deftly guided through the piece and the he finished story stand out like the full moon Sherwood Sherwood Macdonald director di rector Balboa studio |