The Washington times., 1915-11-02
THE BEST
Photoplay Department in
WASHINGTON
Norma Tdllm dd & e
Found Music to Be
a Stimuldnt For
the Photoplayer


Music as a stimulant for actors
In photoplays Is becoming an ac-
cepted thing In some Of the big pro-
ducing studios. The distracting
noises and incidents OF the daily
grind In the studio are killed by mu-
sic. according to those who have ex-
anlincd the subject. and the actors
are able to concentrate more on the
play. Music OF special kind is
played for different scenes so that
the musical idea can be Impressed
upon the actors while they are GO
Ing through emotions such as the
music Is best designed to express.
Herbert Brennon. the director who
produced 'Neptune's Daughter"
with Annette Kellerman and Is now
engaged on the production of q new
Annette Kellerman film for the Fox
company. 10 credited with bringing
music into the studio. Brennon.
who. by the way, Is brother Of Al
Rernon st. John Brennon. the musi-
cal critic OF the New York Morning
Telegraph. used an orchestra In the
production OF every studio scene In
which he has been engaged. He de-
cares that good orchestra forms
what In practically n curtain of mu-
SIC around his company and that his
actors are shielded from distractions
and are better qualified to portray
emotions when the musicians are in
terpreting at the same time. He In
sists on having an orchestra In the
studio for every scene he produces.
Norma Tallmadge. the former
yitagraph star. now working In the
Griffith studios Of the Triangle Film
Company. is the newest convert to
the theory Of music In production
Of photoplays.> Miss Tallmadge
writes most Interestingly OF her work
In Los Angeles. She Is one of the
young women with real dramatic
ability. without previous stage ex-
perience. that have been developed
by the photoplay. A Brooklyn
with the Vitagraph company. and
straightway made good. She has the
remarkable record Of having been
cast as leading Goman. as an ad-
venturess. as an old woman, as q
young ingenue. and having made SO
good In each branch OF her work
that her public is not content with
her In any one type OF part.
Music helps me wonderfully" she
writes In a personal letter Just re-
ceived. Certain compositions make
me feel sad and make It easier for
me to interpret sad roles. Usually
because these compositions are con-
nected with unpleasant or sad incl
dents In my life and necessarily re-
call them to my mind. But the mu-
sic itself is stimulating to the emo
tions. There are other compositions
that have a happy effect and so on.
In the portrayal OF emotions In
photoplays generally feel Just what
! am expressing. OF course. the
do with II. II remains for the d.
rector to develooe the knack Of get
ting the scene at the moment when
the emotions are felt the strongest.
Many Of them kill all feeling In Q
well-acted play by over-rehear rsal.
nth. and like the studio people hero
very much"
An interesting set of films has
recently been made by the Globe
Company. to be released under the
Pathe system Of distribution. show
ing movements Of the muscles in
walking. running and weight lifting.
The films fo-r part of the Globe
Company's educational SERIES and
are said to be of unusual value to
teachers Of physical culture. They
are. however. also OF much interest
to the general public because they
show movements of muscles that
are curious when first seen. and vet
are being made by everyone hun
dreds Of times day.
The Aims were made by a special
Pathe camera at the rate. Of 100 ex-
posures per second. On the screen
they are shown at the rate OF six
teen pictures per second. the result
ing slowness Of the movements ex-
posing every feature OF them in in
finite detail. The slowness also
gives the flm a more or less anus
ing feature. as. for instance. in the
case OF a man running he seems to
float In the atmosphere for a brief
period between steps. The films will
probably be seen here shortly.