Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-12

NEARLY all of the major studios also maiHl-
tain their own symphony orchestras for
scoring their pictures. DR.. Hugo Reisenfeld,
head of the United Artists musical department,
has 50-piece symphony at his command at all
times. David Broekman, noted musical COM
poser and director, has 40-piece orchestra at
Universal The Fox studio has a huge Wur-
liter organ, which is said to be the equivalent
of any 70-piece orchestra. An orchestra Of 30
men under the direction Of Josiah EURO spends
all of it's time at Pathe
A large orchestra conducted by Victor Bara-
vale plays the musical numbers for all the
RKO films. 1t works in conjunction with the
ballets and choruSeS and plays Accomplishments
for songs from the stars, such as Bcbe Daniels
and Rudy Vallee.
Despite their Importance, these large orches-
tras make up only part of the musical de-
partments of the various studios. To look over
the roster of these various musical departments
one would think New York's Tin Pan Alley
had moved to Hollywood en- masse.
According to Jesse L. Lasky, production
chief of Paramount, musical comedies and
romance are due to be among the most popular
forms of screen entertainment Consequently
a staff Of more than so song writer's, orchestra
conductors and vocal artists is firmly entrenched
on the Paramount lot under the direction Of
Nathaniel w. Finston former assistant concert
master of the New York Symphony Orchestra.
Among the better known ones are Richard
Whiting, composer of Japanese Sandman;
Sam Coslow, composer of True Blue Lou y
and Leo Robin, who wrote the lyrics for "Hit
the Deck" :
SONGS aren't new in the film industry by
any means. but they have been given
new place. In the old days of silent pictures
theme songs were occasionally written to help
publicize the films. During the past year the
situation has changed. Songs now have be-
come as much a part of motion pictures as
fha nIn in no Iacf AY1G
no longer used merely as an advertising
medium. In fact, they receive as much pub
licity from picture as they give it.
When songs were written primarily for
Broadway musical shows it took months for
them to become nationally popular. Even hit
song on Broadway moved slowly in other parts
of the country But when hit song is written
for a picture, theater audiences in hundreds of
cities hear it within few weeks and rush down
to buy sheet music records. And as the
writer's receive royalty on all of these, they
clean up in comparatively short time An IN
all there are nearly 200 writers of popular
songs under contract to the various Hollywood
studios.
Two of the new jobs which have been created
by speaking hlmS are quite apt to be temporary
positions, according to Jesse LaSky who says:
Dialogue writing and dialogue directing are
among the new sound jobs which will not last.
The dialogue writer, while very important now,
will pass with the development of motion pic
ture dramatists trained to write for the audible
screen. When that time comes the authors
will write their own dialogue right into thei~
scripts. Many of present day dialogues
writers may develop into the screen dramatists
of the future, however, the outlook is not
necessarily bleak for them.
Dialogue directors, recruited from the stage
have found lucrative jobs in Hollywood since
the screen found it's voice However 1 be-
lieve their jobs also insecure. They will
soon pass out of pictures, leaving one director
in sole charge of production"
THERE seems to be no doubt but what both
of Laskys predictions will be borne out.
1t is only logical that authors should be re-
sponsible for both action and dialogue.
Other jobs have been created by the advent
of color in films. The technicolor process re-
quires an entirely different makeup from or
binary film. Consequently it is necessary for
each company to have an experienced makeup
man continually on the set when color Sc
quences are being filmed.
Studio painters, whose work formerly photo
graphed entirely in blacks and whites have
now been augmented by expert artists. Since
colors photograph exactly they come from
the painters brush the work must be carefully
done and a great deal of attention paid to the
correct blending of colors.
The filming of color pictures also gives work
to a double force of electricians, since twice as
many lights are required by technicolor film
as by ordinary film.