Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-08-15
Realism in the Movies
BY Frederic J. Haskin

c1ocu SoLihS III SllcICC oSAooS
a wide expanse Of lake, where row
boat lay pitching around on the sur.
face. it's sole occupant sleeping In
FAINT, The next instant she plunged
into the water and struck out for the
boat. which was drifting farther away
every second. Suddenly, her strength
gave out and she sank to rise, strug-
gle and sink again, The third time
she went down, a man on the opposite
bank, who had been steadily turning
the handle of moving picture camera
tore off his coat and dived in, bringing
the girl to the surface just in time.
Unfortunately, this was not premed-
itated action and it went unphoto-
graphed. The scenario had called
merely for the rescue of the infant by
the girl, and all would have gone well
had not the leading woman overesti-
mated her swimming strength. AS it
was, she hal to be rolled in blanket
and otherwise resuscitated before she
regained consciousness, while some
one else rescued the infant and re-
stored it to it's terrified mother. The
lake, which was part of large estate
on-Long Island. had bottom of black
mud several feet deep that nearly suf-
located the camera man in his dive
and made the rescue extremely diff
cult And, to make it more interest
ing, some of the villagers stood around
and recounted the gruesome details of
how the lake had secret outlet, the
body of one man drowning in it's
depth having been recovered floating
far out at sea. In spite lof this acct
dent, however the leading woman re.
turned the next day and played the
scenes required to complete the pic
ture.
The life Of movie star these days
is perpetual risk. In order to achieve
any great popularity picture must
have at least two good-sized thrills,
and it is up to the actor to lend him
self amiably to walking off precipices
or sliding over falls, if he would win
prestige with the fans. A man who
asks for a substitute every time there
is risk, moreover, does not acquire
merit with his directors. Substitutes
are usually expensive. and the direc-
tor must keep the cost Of his pictures
down. Then, too, the moving picture
audience is getting to be expert in the
detection of deception or fake, which
makes the use Of substitutes and dunn
mics precarious.
1t must be said to the credit of the
moving picture companies that the
risks are always made as safe as pos
sible. Mattresses are provided for
people to fall on when jumping out Of
window in the fourth story; boats
are sent out to pick up the players
who cast themselves into the water In
a wreck scene. and squad Of police
accompanies the company when It en-
tiers the Chinese section to take
scenes. The Chinese have many
weird superstitions regarding the cam
era. which is supposed to set loose a
whole gang of evil spirits, SO that as
a rule John Chinaman would as soon
commit suicide as have his picture
taken. One director and his company
barely escaped with their lives from
the Chinese section Of New York when
they attempted to take some scenes
Of certain restaurant there. The
Chinese proprietor had promised the
day before to let the place be photo
graphed for good price, but on talk
ing 1t over with some Of his compan-
ions he thought it expedient to change
his mind. The director, however.
having made all lhis arrangements and
brought the entire company down with
him, was determined to get the scenes
he wanted. He ordered the camera
man to proceed Instantly mob of
Cinnamon surrounded the players and
it took a large squad Of policemen to
escort them safely out of the danger
zone. . .sa
In the majority Of cases, the really
bad accidents that occur are due to
the recklessness or carelessness of
the players themselves If an actor
is seriously hurt so that he can not
work, the entire company is held up
on the picture. which is a great annoy
ance: consequently, every precaution
is taken to see that he does not get
hurt. A young actress playing the
lead in thrilling serial recently was
required by the script to jump out Of
third story window and lower her
self by rope to a lower window in
the next house. Seen in the picture it
appears to be remarkable and dan
gerous feat. but as matter OF farC
it was simple and safe. A heavy metal
belt was placed around her waist be-
meath her skirt, and to this the rope
was attached. which made it impos-
sible for her to fall. When the time
came to take this scene, the director
thought that the belt was not quite
strong enough and the work was de-
layed until the property man could
have it strengthened. = i.
The necessary element in moving
pictures today is realism. Many large
companies still maintain props" in
their backwards with which they can
construct anything from a barnyard
to desert island, but in most in
stances natural scenery is the back
ground. The real thing must be filmed.
One leading man last year got little
too much of the real thing in picture
staged at Niagara. The scenario
called for one scene in which the vii