The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-04-03
VIRGINIA PEARSON ADVISES
GIRLS WHO SEEK A 81
CAREER IN THE MOVIES

Virginia Pearson is Louisville
girl Not many years ago she was
telephone operator in the Pope build
ing at Third and Walnut. Then she
went on the stage, securing a small
role at first, but quickly winning
recognition until she supported Rob
ert Hillard in The Vampire" Now
she is one of the William Fox Film
| Stars.
| The other afternoon | looked at
nearly four hundred photographs OF
girls who wish to become motion
picture stars, and read letters that
came with the pictures. | read de-
scriptions of the girls, and even about
some of their love affairs.
Girls who are ambitious of our
cities make strange confessions and
btstow confidence freely in their eff
forts to gain attention.
The sending of picture is not the
proper way to gain an introduction
| into pictures. A photograph OF
girl, even though it be beautiful,
carries no promise of success on the
screen. The film is developed and
you are good or bad, as the case may
be- If you photograph we'll in mo-
ton pictures that much progress
have you made. If you photograph
badly there is almost no hope for
you.
| know a society woman who was
greatly desired by producer for
big picture. She was sent for and
four directors labored for days max
ing test pictures Of her, and each
failed to alter the verdict of the first
director. She simply would not
screen. One Of her noticeable char
acteristics is a pronounced chin. NO
one ever dreamed that her chin
would create for her a picture Diff
ficulty. But it did. The movie cam
era plays strange tricks. 1t accents
in most cases and it underempha-
sizes in others. When it does either
of these things, there is no hope for
the victim before the camera.
/ know . ociety woman who was
eager to 90 into pictures. 1t was not
a matter Of money, but Of vanity.
She had pronounced Seauty, but her
eyes would not screen properly, and
she was obliged to aband<G her de-
sire.
would advise girls to try to OBJ
tain a chance to appear in pictures
made by the companies closest to
their homes, No girl ever steps into
her first picture cast in an important
role. Learn whers there is a pic
ture producers STUDIO near your
home town, and IT You "les! must
20 in pictures" then arrange to see
the employment man who hires the
minor players and got him to let you
walk on in a picture in some Of the
inconseQuential scenes. The manner
in which you screen in this brief ap-
pearances will, in most instances,
contain the verdict AZ to your future
usefulness In the movies.
| have before me now letters con-
tanning names and addresses OF the
senders, telling more about the
writer's than any girls ought to tell
persons they have never seen II
, spite of the efforts of the bigger mer
, and companies, there still are dan
gerous pitfalls in some of the cheaper
, and less reputable concerns and limo
. cent. ambitious girls cannot be to-
: careful.
, really wish to increase ambition
wherever it seems to have basis an
justification and I wish to lessee
!, some of the perils and disappoiRS
meuts that are to be found in tn
making of movies"
DO not believe people who tell 70
: it is easy work Do not be deceive
:, by advertisements depicting the cas-
with which you can advance in pic
lures. have been a featured pla,
er on tht dramatic stage and in pi'
lures and can tell you from exper
ence that motion picture work
much harder than the work of tn
- theater.
:, You do not need an employmer
agent to get you chance in pi'
lures. All of the large compani,
have their own engagement man
~ who hires the players for thes sma
. parts, or the crowds that are needle
:. for the big scenes. If they hay
available positions open and you hal
. pen to fit the type required, you ma
be engaged at once. If you do NJ
~ fit the required type, then you mu'
- wait till some director wishes gi
who does approximate your type.