Evening star., 1921-06-12
Making a Photoplay.

In the world war. il was estimat ted
by Gen. Pershing. it required ten men
behind each actual fighting man to
keep the machinery OF war in eff
cient action. In the making Of mo-
tion pictures. this invisibIes army is
multiplied by about ten.
In a talk with Irving Thalberg.
director general at Universal City.
it developed that though a dozen ac,
!; tors may appear in a photodrama.
with a director, two cameramen and
two assistant directors in actual
charge of the production, 500 persons
will have a hand In the making of
the production.
When MIR. Thalberg receives a seem
ario, it is sent to the scenario edi-
tor. who turns 1t over to one of his
staff OF readers for a verdict. II it is
accepted. the scenario doctor" takes
the manuscript in hand and, with one
OF mis- assistants, whips il into shape
Tor screening Then one of a staff
OF continuity writers, arranges the
! and stenographers make a dozen
copies of the continuity for the vari-
Gus departments which participate in
the production.
"HeH lHe OlrectOE receives the
story in proper sequence for filming.
casting department to assemble a
cast. The technical adviser and
STAN OF assistants begin the research
work in order that the costumes.
architecture. scenery and atmosphere
Of the picture shall be correct in
! every detail. The head OF the tech
nical department calls in his archi-
tects. artisans, interior decorators,
carpenters. etc. and they arrange for
the canSfFnctinn nf all the iDfarinr
sets. while the location department
| looks after the securing of sites for
exterior scenes. This may include 4
street corner in Hollywood or snow
clad mountain peak in oregon. The
| property department is given a list
of furniture. properties. etc. required
| fer the picture, and this list usually
covers a half dozen closely type
men may be depended upon to have
everything on hand. from a news
paper TO locomotive.
| A purchasing department is main
tained for the purpose of buying
! material in a production: a transpor-
| tation department looks after the
| feet of trucks and automobiles to
| carry the players and properties from
studio to location. The electrical de-
partment attends to the lighting OF
thirty men. while the picture is being
shot" and an endless assortment of
| electrical equipment such as kliegls.
| cinema twins. arcs, floods. spots.
banks. overheads. Cooper r-Hewitts.
searchlights and dozen other varieties
OF specially designed Illuminating con-
| trivances.
As each days quota of film is ex-
posed it is taken to the laboratory.
where an army Of men is employed
to develop and print the many thou
sands of feet Of celluloid. When the
picture is completed the film is
| sent to the editorial departm1lt,
4 where another regiment of workers,
known as cutters" edits and re-
arranRes the sequences according 10
continuity. while a staff of title
writer's and artists look after their
respective ends of the completion OF
the film.
| Aside from these principal processes
named. the course of development of
[ a story from an idea TO a finished
! production engages the services of
many other workers. without the
least among whom a photodrama
could not be complete success.