The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-11-25
Frederic Haskin's Letter
The Artist in the Movies.


and 1t is quite evident th,,
it would not tal. v N:
long to leap from realism "a m. Ia
and emotions, too. As n 4.
contributing some very arti.t,. > :
and lighting to the Famous Pl.,...
pictures. ssn
When . story is to be ,,..
graphed it is handed to him ~, ~
arrangement of its background ~
reads it to get an idea Of vh., =
people arel ike and what their -.
roundings should be. In this !. !;
by a research staiY-o.s =.
the most valuable assets Of mc,,s
picture studios these days-vh;.s
has a large library of its own !.
the story takes place in South 4.
RIGA the researches are denenS..
upon to get the correct details l.
what the people me- -, ~
little, personal things thew car
and their peculiar customs nj
is done in the case of every for.,s.
background, and Mr.. Buckland 10.
suggested that it might even h. ~
tended for a few American sett,n,.
which are often foreign, apparently
to directors.
With this report in hand, sketch..
are made Of the required set, sns
turned over to- force Of architectp.
al craftsmen in the next room. n.
cry house must be laid out exactl,
as in an architectural Office. Whes
the plans are completed they 70 IA
the studio workshops huge on.
employing dozens of workmen-iust
as the plans of house 70 to ,
contractor. The plans are fre.
Quently restudied and corrected "A
that the director will know nov
they look before they are built Con.
seQuently, when they are completes
n0'changes have to be made-a yery
important precaution in an indua.
try which loses tremendous sums
OF money if its stars and directors
are held up in their work.
When the house is built Mr.
auckland descends from his rooi
and goes over the scene; directs the
painting and interior decoration
sometimes in consultation with the
director, and proceeds to have Il
furnished like a real house. In
surprisingly short time after he
gets a story you can walk into IL
room where the heroine is supposed
to live-stairs, Railways, French
doors, window draperies and every.
thing. If the house is the interior
Of some exterior already photo
graphed, great care must be taken
to get the dimensions exactly right
Sometimes, if you are like US, You
see some very queer discrepancies
on the screen, such as colonial f.
cades with interior round rooms,
but We are sure that they do not
come from this studio.
When all is set. the director and
the stars come along. The char
acters are grouped and photo
graphed just as if they were real
people in a real house. Under the
circumstances, however, the direc-
tor of the sets never knows what
the director of the stars is going to
do. A BACKGROUND may be studied
and erected with the greatest can
only to be disregarded entirely or
changed about. usually for the
worse, in accordance with the direc.
| tors point Of view.
Here at this studio you can wall
through whole streets hurriedly
erected on its broad acres for on.
lone picture. There are English
churches, Italian villas, Fifth ave.
nue. palaces and peasant cottages
some Of them quite complete and
others in the process of c0nstruc.
ton. In one part of the studio is
large, tank, which takes on a differ
ent setting every other day or so
Sometimes it is a jungle swamp
surrounded by thick tropical IN
derbrush containing real monkey
and parrots, and again it 10 a cool
! placid lake in a millionaire's gar
i den, or along the terrace Of a fash
iOnable summer hotel.
Everything is reproduced in pre-
| else detail. Not long ago, the scent
called for was a waterfront Il
Hongkong. The research staff va
put to work uncovering detail
about Hongkong and photograph
of its streets, and in few days IN
set department had an exact duplt
cate of the waterfront along th'
very versatile tank. At the last mo
IucuL, uOWcFcI, soupiC "a 49,
tails are dispatched to obtain sup
ply Of Chinese signs for the varfou'
small shops represented.
About this time Chinese dlplo
mat visited the studio on his VI!
through California. With efes
pride, the set department led Mn
to the newly constructor wafer
front and asked him what ~
thought of it. The diplomat Doxe'
politely and said he thought II va
very nice. Seeing that he smieO
however, the set artists presse'
him for a criticism. well" he SAL
at length, II did not know tnen
were so many shoe stores N hoes
kong" And here it was reveaie
that all of the signs in the snop
were shoe signs.
j With a background OF moods .n
emotions, of course, all sucn W
crepancies would be severely el~
mated.