The Washington times., 1914-08-29
THE BEST
Photoplay Department in
WASHINGTON
jrectOrs N eeded II
War Is to Profit
American Film
Permanently

here is a large salary awaiting
kh man who can produce artistic
BIZ ,toplavs as directors of theatrical
10 1panies sometimes produce artis-
IL drama. Recently a well-known
RI Ter on subjects pertaining TO the
tl. declared that the moving pic
tu o has reached a point where the
Ar eTican producers are getting the
be sort of photography and acting,
bu are falling behind in the actual
RC TX of production. 1t is reasonable
o suppose, therefore, that there is i
Er, at future ahead of the young men
Rto can step into the studio and
pur on picture plays perfectly. There
Ire several great directors in the
fountry-men who have made their
york stand out SO nspicuously that
h fact that they have produced a
play is a guarantee to the patrons
bf its worth. David w. Griffith.
Ralph 1nce, Barry O'Neil are In this
fla SIS. Griffith has earned this posi-
Jon through his conscientious work
pc gun at q time when critics of the
pin were the most severe, and of
hiS methods most condemnatory.
5r fifth was very fortunate in the
ire he chose for the inauguration
pr his methods, and in the oppor-
fuuty he had to put them into prac-
tioe At this day a Griffith would
have a very hard time to get
ehs nee.
! ne reason for this is not that the
piE producers do not want the best
fh"t can be produced. but that a
eer ain sort Of Technique has been
pc eloped in the BUSINESS of directing
ne production Of a film play which
n producers hold more precious
Pyen than the play itself The prin-
Firal element in the "technioue" is q
hing that is called camera value"
a mera value" is thesmost impor-
art picture term that has vet been
nv ented. and unless a director has
ne knocks IN vain for admission
70 the ranks. In part, 1t is the
uowledge of what the camera can
ak and how the camera can
So keen have the big producing
ohlpanes become in the search for
PEE ple with camera value" firmly
planted in their minds that no mat
FER how great a dramatic director a
nan might be he will positively not
pe accepted unless he can show he
be- II And the thing has become
euch sacred COW Of the business
fhat producers have been led to
believe that it takes months Of train
ms to acquire It and as a result
fheE will not accept the services Of
enyoody who has not had these
months Of training. As a matter of
fsct there is too much demonstra-
don OF what they call camera
alue' In the pictures today. and too
fttle Of dramatic art. And there isn't
h slightest reason why the .situa-
1ol shouldn't be reversed. It must
1ne reversed II the best value is to
be obtained from the pictures.
SO our young man ambitions to be-
come a director must fight this
dragon first. And then he must
Night the tendency TO do things the
Eav Griffith does them. There isn't
> slightest doubt but that Grif-
does things well. But his imi-
a 0rs are not Griffiths. Where Grif-
registers bit of facial express
a gesture, or just a glance
wonderful effect, the imitator
ps allv drags a scene interminably.
evidently thinks Griffith's effect
r imply doing thing slowly a
known theatrical stock director
p Of the most successful in the
r 1trY-who is an intense admirer
Pf motion pictures and is consumed
n an ambition to try his hand on
p n. told me the other day that he
r been greatly discouraged every
II" he had thought of Going into
p aen work. He said the matter
Pi camera value" was the thing
r they stumped him on. There are
z east a dozen of the biggest pro-
I erS IN the country who would
this man in minute if he had
n 'nera value They don't know
= it is. But they do know that a
II must have had experience in
|, 3ictures to get it The fact
q the particular man in question
Y 'nt only a good producer, but a
one: that he has staged some
r the best plays In the country.
r In stock and season produc-
T %. does not seem to indicate that
r. would know what he is about
ne pictures are doing finely
Y r progress has been wonderful.
Z fhey still lack something. And
F. lack IS largely due to faulty di-
e. .'n The producers put on plays
& 81 should never be made into
AS has been pointed out by
'h@r writer, plays that were
famous by the wit of their
z en- lines. nre produced in mov-
Z LECTURES where the entire value
r hem is lost. There are other
that would make MAGNIFICENT
res which nobody has attempt
The good director would know
y - could he done with the play
? ne screen. And he would know
What an audience wants TO see
how u wants to see il. The
= n'"ra value" that he is we'll versed
" 5 the camera that every person
e ~'es in the back of his head. for
v ."h his eyes are the lense Per
us the matter Of color would nrIz-
z. the new man for a picture or
/ .. but IL wouldn't do that for
v"rr long time. There are at least
h 2 A dozen men in this country
p n" could make as great pictures
= Griffith-but they cannot get
b ring. The producers must i'm
? we in this matter if thev expect
r profit by the present emergency
lat is eliminating competition bv
J big foreign nlanufa cturers. These
, 1Dle know how important good di-
= on is. And thev were getting
= netter and better every dav Until
J war started. G. NJ