The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1921-07-26
CHAPTER III.
Would You Film Well2

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Probably the number OF people who
have not at one tune or another won
dered IN a sneaking sort OF way il
they wouldn't look pretty well on the
screen is limited TO the aborigines OF
.Africa- And, believe it or not, two
OF the aborigines themselves applied
at our studio for jobs not long ago.
They had acted in several tray eiogue
pictures, taken in darkest Africa. had
Travelled as porters with the company
TO the coast, and had finally become
SO enamored of the work that they
beat their way all the way to Amer
ica. with an English vocabulary Inn
tied to abou, fifty words, twenty five
OF which were highly profane. 1t just
goes to show that we are all human.
Needless 10 say. beauty and char
aeter are the characteristics in demand
in the films. as everywhere else The
curious fact Is that faces which. in
real life. posse great beauty or deep
character, frequently fail to carry this
across 10 the camera
Camera Accentuates Defects
The chief reason for TINS hes in the
fact that the camera does not accept
color values, and at the same time
accentuates many defects which are
ordinarily imperceptible TO the eye.
For example, wonderful type OF
Italian beauty appeared at our studio
while We were casting a picture called
Wife Insurance" She had never
before appeared in motion pictures,
and our casting director was quick TO
seize the opportunity 10 make a test
OF her face When the picture was
shown. her extraordinarily fine color
ing. OF course, went for nothing and
her beauty was entirely marred by the
inexplicable appearance OF fine down
over her upper lip and large mole
on her left temple. Both the mole
and the down had been entirely un-
noticed in daylight. but under the
fierce mercury lights OF the studio
and the enlarging lenses they made her
face grotesque. At another time we
attempted to make leading man OF a
famous war hero. We thought he
would make an ideal type to play op-
pnsite Constance Talmadge in "Wom-
ans Place her new picture for
Associated First National but we
soon discovered We were wrong. This
10y had been a college athlete and had
subsequently distinguished himself as
a bayonet fighter on four battlehelds.
When his test films were projected, TO
The astonishmen, Of everyone, he ap-
peared as an anaric. effeminate strip
Ing, whose every gesture aroused the
r:dicule OF the audience.
To photograph well. the skin OF the
Iace must be entirely smooth and un-
i.aoken. The slightest eruption or
flemish is visible on the screen. es-
-e-ially in fhis day when "close-uos'
srcthevogue. Thetccth mustbeperfec
Red Films Black
Considerations which do not matter
u the slightest degree IN facial beauty
On the screen are those OF coloring
and OF hneness OF Ire features. The
piniscr woman's cheeks may be, the
follower they appear 10 the camera:
for red photographs as black, and a
face which Is beautiful. but coarse in
its outlines frequently photographs
quite as well as the beautiful face
which is exquisite in every detail
A screen star should be equally
beautiful in every expression and from
every angle This IS not so true OF
the stage star. for when she is moving
about. speaking and gesticulating. the
question of her beauty becomes CON-
parativeiy unimportant. On the
screen however. important scenes are
always taken in -close-ups," wherein
the star. whether portrsyina rage o.
pain. love or hate. must be eassal'y
charming. at the risk OF making a
permanently bad impression upon ne:
audienee'