The Washington herald., 1916-11-08
A CURE FOR MOVIE MADNESSL

There was a great stack Of mail to be
looked over this morning. However. it
is not task but q pleasure. The wicked
old alarm clock startled me at $50, as
! knew 1t would take at least two hours
OF reading before I was ready to answer
all my correspondents.
In the first place, was surprised to
ma that SO many girls had begun their
letters. You have not been telling US
very much about moving pictures lately.
ana It Is always an interesting topic
What are we to do when We are eager
10 become moving picture actresses?'
Girls. l have tried to analyze this very
carefully from every angle. although
am AFRAID have advised most of you
not to become moving picture actresses
unless you are sure you have fine photo
srapRic features. acting ability, perse-
Verance and are ready to face any hard
ship.
But Of course I am in a position to
always appreciate the lure Of pictures
When young girls who work in stores or
are the family drudges pass a location
Wnere they see US at work, 1t seems
nothing but play to them.
why. I have been here two hours"
one girl remarked to me yesterday after
noon' and all you have done is to walk
into the scene, hand a letter to the old
man, say a few words to him and run
out again. I could do that myself"
1t Is rather difficult to tell people how
much work there is attached to pictures
Just as we forget when we see a success
ful physician or lawyer all his years of
struggling from the time he left college.
The salaries paid to stars seem
spectacular to the pretty girl who is
eklng out a meager existence. and
that Is why she often throws her
work aside to come into our already
overcrowded field.
There is only one particular rule to
abide by. II girl is an amateur and
has had no experience. She should go
to a Photographer for many poses:
there should be pictures taken of
laughing, serious. angry. sorrowful,
piqued. In love expressions. But do
not let the photographer retouch the
negatives. What we see upon the
screen cannot be retouched, and there
Is no use having all the lines artificial
ly removed from the picture; they
are character and character has its
appeal
Armed with these photographs, on
the back of which you have written
your name. address and telephone
number. visit the different studios, but
first of all would advise you never
to tell { falsehood about anything
Do not say you have had experience
when 1t is not the truth. 1t won't
take them very long to trap you. and
you will not only lose prestige. but
chance for ever appearing in any of
their productions.
While the photographs may show
that you are capable of controlling
your facial expressions, they will not
prove that you are an actress. so when the
casting director tells you he will give
you a chance in a mob scene, accent Il
graciOusly. Perhaps the first part will
be lost among a hundred other girls,
striving like yourself: in fact, 1 know
girls who have worked for weeks and
weeks playing the role Of what we call in
pictures Atmosphere"
However. this gives a girl a chance to
get accustomed to the camera. to the
methods OF the director and also an op-
Portunity to watch the stars working in
the scenes. studio is like a school-it
is the teachers duty to develop the pu-
pills. The pupil most willing to work, to
concentrate and to further her own am
billions, Is naturally the one a teacher
will be most attracted to. even though
she does not forsake the dullard
BY always being on time. by watching
and studying the opportunity to do the
very best even though you are only a
spoke in the great wheel of a scene, the
directors will notice you. Many a time
have heard them say, Today I am
watching a little dark-eyed girl, the one
with the two brown braids over her shoul-
der. She Is as eager to learn as a little
squirrel. Tomorrow I am going to give
her a chance in a scene where she will
not be lost among the hundreds Of 9TH
ers."
This is the first step in pictures: It Is
only toddle. Tomorrow We will begin