Evening star., 1932-08-28

One or t,cO characters in a room mere
com plefely lost on the big screen. There
,Uas too much space filled Uith unessen-
tiaIs. and Ioue scenes lost their punch
been absolutely sure that by this time all pic
lures would be filmed in natural color. Sew
eral color processes were perfected to certain
degree and for q while there was terrific run
of color films. But practically all films now
have gone back to the standard black and white.
So far there is one basic reason why the
picture industry has refused to ado IS color pno-
Biography. Nobody yet has been BILE TO MIN
colors successfully in their natural state True,
a great deal of progress has been made, out
there still Is a great distance to go before color
photography can be regarded as really perfected.
The principal objection found with color fins
to date Is that the colors have strong ten
dency to detract from the action taking place
on the screen. In certain types OF PICTURES
such as musical productions, that didn't mat
ter But 1t is q decided drawback rs far as
the average motion picture is concerned.
This objection, of course, goes back TO the
basic trouble with color photography-inferior
quality When the time comes-n 1t does
that colors can be obtained which VIII DC
absolutely true to life, then there may be an
other crop of color films. 1t Is the too-brlliant
and sometimes Pickering colors to which au-
diences object.
"A yFIEN the talkies first came into existence
w the studios spent millions upon millions
of dollars IN the frantic construction OF sound
proof stages. Then one small inventfon-the
directional microphone-came along and rem
derei that expenditure total loss, making the
expensive sound proof stages utterly useless.
Early in the taIkie days all of the picture
makers regarded absolute silence as essential
during the filming of a scene. And at that time
it was. Every stage was equipped with heavy
double doors to deaden any possible outside
sound.
The sound-proof stages still in use. to
be sure It would have been ridiculous to have
suppianted them with others. But scenes are
filmed with those heavy doors wide open in
utter disregard Of outside sounds. The direc-
tional mike" automatically eliminates them
In the same way those small sound d-proof
hoods with which all cameras now are covered
have eliminated the necessity for the large and
cumbersome booths used generally during the
early talkie days. The old camera booths
weighed upward Of /. 900 pounds. The latest
type hoods constructed Of celluloid, weigh less
than two pounds
The change in sound recording systems also
has meant junking lot of expensive equip
ment Nearly all of the early talkies were re-
corded on wax discs. One studio tried recording
on film, but the discs proved far more Satisfac-
tory.
Now the entire industry has adopted the
film recording system to the pratical exclusion
of the wax records. AN studios also have
found that the most satisfactory results can be
obtained only by photographing ON one strip Of
film and recording ON an entirely separate one.
The two strips of film then are developed
separately. Thus, q theater receives its pic
ture and sound track all on one piece Of film.
letting into . slightly different class OF
~ failures. we come to the musical pro
ductions which were once 50 popular. They
swept into the industry If ON a tidal wave
and went out again just as fast leaving tssil
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