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Show Just "What the Movie Director Does and Wiry I f BY A. H. GjLEBLER, TWO -women were attending a mov-ing-plcturo show. The title of the I play -was flashed on tho Bcreen, then tho namo of the producing com-! com-! pany and after that the director's name, f "Juat what doos tho dlroctor do to f- a moving plcturo?" asked ono of the ; women of tho other. I "I'm blessed If I know," camo the 1 response, "He must be an important ( person, though, for they always have his name on tho screen in big type." "We'll ask the manager as wo go out," said tho first woman, as they settled themselves to enjoy tho picture. True to her resolvo she hunted up tho manager of tho theater and put her question to him. "Tho director," answered the man-; man-; agcr, scratching around in hl3 mind for ' words that would make him seem to possess a knowledge about something that he was not sure of, "the movie director is something llko the , stage manager at tho regular theater." "But I am not sure that I know Just I what tho regular stage manager does," I said the lady, in perplexed tones. I "Why the stage manager ah ho puts on tho show, you know." i, "Oh, I see," tho lady replied. Not Like Stage Director. i g UT she -was not &uro that she understood. un-derstood. Her knowledge of theater technlcjuo was very limited. As a matter mat-ter of fact she didn't know the difference differ-ence between 'putting on a show and putting off a show, and if sho had un- J deratood the term she would not have been In possession of the correct information, in-formation, becauso tho manager of tho j theater imagined, like most people, that i the duties of tho stage manager, or j , stage director as ho Is now called, la ; Identical v-'lth tho duties of the moving Picture director. Thero is a vast difference, howovor. When tho stage manager "puts on a show" he arranges tho scenes, superintends super-intends tho dressing of the atago and In somo cases, when tho play Is a new one, Instructs tho players In their "bus-1 "bus-1 lneaa" and the manner In which their V Part3 should bo interpreted, j But as each member of tho cast hag I a copy of tho book or manuscript of too play, knows all of the dialogue or part and In many Instances tho dln-Joguo dln-Joguo and "business" of tho other play-ew, play-ew, there Is very little to do in cora- i Parlaon to what a movio director has Usually tho stage director works with ii a Play that has from three to five acta :. aad nover raoro than eight scenes whllo j the movio director has all tho way from J 2W to -loo Bccnes to make, superintend and direct. And frequently, except In I the case of tho principal players, he ha'a , a largo number of people In the cast , that do not know tho plot of tho story they are helping to interpret. Tho "business," or tho things tho ac- itorjs ao other than speak tholr lines, arc written down in the manuacrlp.t of a regular stage play. But tho movio director di-rector must invent tho business of each scenp as tho film progresses, and as there aro no "lines" to a movio play, It Is pretty much all "business." Tako a caso llko this, for Instance. John is away on a hunting trip. Mary, his wife, gets a telegram. She Is afrala to open It because she fears John has been hurt. Working from Continuity THE regular stage Mary signs for Ihc telegram, and then there is a nice little sentence lor her to speak which expresses her fears. In tho movies tho director must contrive con-trive a way for Mary to be afruld to open tho telegram with "business" or Komo kind. Sho cannot say "I just know somebody hao mistaken John for a bear and lias filled him full of buckshot," so tho director di-rector has to make a vision that Alary has of John getting shot, falling In tho creek, or something or other that will rcgleter her uneasiness. Tho movie director works from a "continuity," as It is called in tho studio, which is a manuscript of tho story of tho play worked out sceno by scene by writers employed for that purpose. pur-pose. The continuity Is supposed to net down each sceno with appropriate ac-tlon ac-tlon that will moko its meaning clear and advanco the story to a logical conclusion. con-clusion. And whllo very capable and vory hlgh-prlccd writers with literary skill and knowledge of dramatic values i aro employed for this work, their directions direc-tions aro Jlttlo better than suggestions, becauso th(oy very often know but fttcle of the camera and I la possibilities and limitations. Tho camera Is another thing tho regular reg-ular stage director does not have to contend with. Tho atago of a theater is so arranged that every Inch of It can bo seen from every seat In the houao. All of any set or plcturo arranged ar-ranged on the atago 13 sure to bo seen by the audience. Tho players can bo put here, there, or anywhoro on tho stago and their work will all register. A movie sceno In different. Tho camera cam-era range Ib very narrow closo to tho lens, and wldo aa the dlatanco increases. in-creases. It Is hard to get an cfrectlvu plcturo with a largo number of people in a set for this reason. The action whero a number of peoplo Is shown must bo staged far enough away from 'the camera to' get thorn all In, and thla ' Joseph De Gabse. Directing makes them too far away for their expressions ex-pressions to register. This Is tho reason for tho close-up. A bit of action Is worked out at a dlatanco dla-tanco that shows In a general way .what 13 going on; then two or three of tho characters most concerned In tho scene aro posed for a "closo up," which of courso 13 a separate and distinct scene, showing tholr faces In an Intl-mato Intl-mato view. Use of Scene P7of HN a movio director starts production produc-tion on a film ho is given a sceno plot along with tho continuity. Tho scone plot is a grouping by number, of all tho scenes that occur In each djffcr-ont djffcr-ont sotting. For Instance, the plot might revolve around a doctor and a banker, and much of tho action tako placo in their respective offices. The notation of tho sceno plot would read: Dr. Thorno's offlco scenes 1-5-18--1-3G and so on, for as many times as tho office Is to, bo used, and In tno same manner for tho banker's office, and for all other scenes. Tho director gets his people togothor. Ho might want to 3tago tho outdoor stuff first, but If tho weather la not propitious, ho changes his mind and orders tho doctor's ofllco mrido ready and tho action that occurs thero is Gtartcd. Saving Furniture Rental. & LL or tho doctor's ofllco scenes may be shot without a break, and again, work may bo stopped for two or thrco days and outdoor stuff made to tako advantage of good weather. After tho doctor stuff la finished, the banker's office is built up and that part of tho story worked out. When tho acts being used aro elaborate, however, the work is usually ru:,hcd through aa fast as possible, Somo sets havo two and three thou-and thou-and dollars' worth of property that has been rented for tho production. Tho cost of this furniture rental la reckoned or. a basis of 10 per cent of Its valuo per week, and as tho director is hold responsible for tho money as well aa the artistic value of tho picture, ho docs not allow expensive seta to stand any longer than Is absolutely necessary. neces-sary. The sols aro arranged and dressed by the technical director, but as this highly high-ly Important official cflen knows a great dral more about period furnlturo and tho kind of clothes people woro In 1S50 than ho docs about camera limitations, limita-tions, the director either has to work with him or havo somo of hla work dono over again. After the sot Is all icady the characters charac-ters who aro discovered in tlio scone when It opens, aro placed and Instructed Instruct-ed In their work; tho players who aro to enter tho Bceno later on aro given their cues and tho action is rehearsed. If tho sceno Is a small one and nor Important In tho development, but llttlo rehearsal Is necessary. But If Jt Is a big scene, with a large number of people, peo-ple, rehearsal Is often a wearlsomo business. bus-iness. Things must look Just right to tho director 'before he gives tho camera man orders to "tako IL" Scenes Shot Twice. Somo directors tell the players ovory Utile -and every big thing they aro to do. They act out tho pnrt for them, clrow them just how to stand, when to raise tholr heads, lower their heads, open their mouths,, open their eyes, close their eyes everything. After tho rehearsals have progressed to the director's satisfaction, ho takes his placo either at tho side, or just In front of tho camera man, and gives I ho order of "action," ana tho sceno starts. Tho players get In action, start doing tho things they havo Just bcon ro-hearsed ro-hearsed :n, tho camera starts grinding and the sceno Is on. In splto of careful rchcaroing, first scenes aro seldom right. Tho playera do not put tho proper spirit In their work, or tho picture aa tho director Eeea It In action does not appeal to him, and It Is taken all over again. Usually ovory sceno Js shot twice, and sometimes thrco times, to obvlato tho necessity of rctakca, always rtloicult, 'and sometimes Impossible lb got, Tho ontlro story la worked out In this manner. TWJ ANY dlrcctora work under great difficulties. Sometimes they aro not allowed to choose their own stories, or even tho actors they aro to direct. Produccra buy up tho plcturo play rights to popular books and storlea because be-cause of the fact that tho storlea havo been widely read, and for tho adver-tlalng adver-tlalng valuo of tho author's name. Often theso stories road vory woll In book or magazlno form, but havo almost nothing noth-ing that can bo brought Into action on the screen. Very often tho charm of a written story Is entirely confined to tho wrltor's stylo of diction, hla powor of character drawing, and tho witty and clovor things ho makes his peoplo say. Thla cannot bo transferred to tho acrecru Again, many times tho Interest of a book la spread out botwpon ton or fifteen fif-teen characters, all of whom should havo star parts. A director Is cxpoctcd to mako a film from a book of thl3 kind, yot 13 allowed to havo but one star who must, bo kept In tho foreground fore-ground nil the time. Thla means that much of tho book must bo left out altogether. It takes absoluto genius on. tho part of tho director to get a good film story from many books that aro Bcrocncd. Tho director la easily tho most Important Im-portant person In any screen production. produc-tion. Many actors claim they do not need direction in their work, and as Individuals In-dividuals they do not, but whon tho play Is taken as a wholo every member in It must como undor tho direction of ono man In order to mako it a coherent and plausible story. Most directors aro actors as woll, but thoro are a few Instances whero highly artlatlo and successful plays aro mado by directors who havo had llttlo or no experience in any kind of acting. Invents All the Business. THE director makes or unmakes a film. A flat and uninteresting story may bo mado good by clcvor direction, and a maatorploco may bo uttorly ruined by poor dtroctlon. On tho regular stago tho climaxes and big moments aro carefully worked up to by dialogue, something tho stago manager has nothing to do with. In tho ploturea tho situations aro workod up to with action and pantomime, something some-thing tho director has ovcrythlng to do with. In fact, tho dlroctor invents nil of tho buslncea and action In tho tconcs. and many a poor story Is mado almost great by hla clover and original thinking. think-ing. V ' . " ' Aviators Ruin Perfectly I Good Bathing Scene Film I Through Idle Curiosity l Flyers, Evidently on Joyride, Beat '! It in Haste When They Realize ijl Camera May Be Embarrassing Evi- j 111 dence, Showing Number of Air- j j I planes, if Their Superiors Should j l Chance Later to View the Pictures. - 11 AN AMUSING Incident took placo recently whllo Allco Brady and her company were making somo scenes at Oak Island for ono of MIsa Brady's forthcoming Select pictures, says tho New York Morning Telegraph. Miss Brady In theso scenes Is supposed to havo a narrow escape from drowning, drown-ing, being rescued by her leading man, David Powell. "Wishing to be smartly attired for the bathing incident, Miss Brady had invested in-vested In two bathing suits, tho combined com-bined cost of which ran into threo figures. fig-ures. Theso she had carefully cherished cher-ished for tho moment whon sho should bo working before tho camera on tho beach at Oak Island, which is Just oft Babylon, L. I. Tho bathing party attracted at-tracted attention on tho beach, and, as Is usual In such cases, Miss Brady was given opportunity to display her costly beach raiment before dimming Its colors col-ors in tho salt water of Long Island Sound. DIRECTOR JOHN STUART ROBERTSON ROB-ERTSON and his assistant, Frank "Waldon, hod Just got everything ready for recording in tho camera box and tho cameraman had established his focus on tho camera lines when someone discovered an approaching group of alrplanos flying low. Work halted for a few moments while tho party watched tho evolutions of the bird men, who soon disappeared behind tho line of trees. Then Miss Brady stepped into tho water and tho filming began. Only a few foot of tho film had been shot, however, when one ivll of tho aviators camo swooping back Pllfl upon tho sceno of the "location." Ho ll&l had got a gllmpso of Allco Brady's 1hI bathing raiment and wanted to sco jH more. i l Flying at an altitude of only 30 feet, ' jpfl tho aviator circled over tho party, in- il tent upon waving his hands to tho PI star. Miss Brady stopped her work and 'e .waved and shouted back her greetings ill to one of the flying corps. Thla evi- dently looked good to the rest of the H aviators, for soon the wholo group be- gan flying at low altitude over the spot 111 whero Miss Brady was being filmed. 'tH T T WAS too much of a good thing, and til Director Robertson seized a mega- Ijffl phono and tried to inform the young fly- Hill Ing men that thoy wero ruining a per-fectly per-fectly good picture. However, ho found KvM It Impossible to make himself heard I iffifl above the roar of the motors. A series Elv of desporate signals, wigwagging, hand fSj waving, jumping up and down and f pointing at tho camera ensued, and Anally it dawned into tho minds of tho 'B aviators that tho orbits of their ma- M chines wero cutting Into tho camera iif linos. 1 Whether it was that tho boys from til the flying school did not wish to spoil EH Mls3 Brady's picture or whether thoy Ej thought It might not ho healthy to 1 9 havo broadsides of their machines bear- j; Ing their official numbers appearing on I tho screen when tho film was shown. j ono cannot say, but they waved a final farewell, and In a fow minutes had j ' disappeared over tho ridge of tho shore, |