March 31, 1939

"WAY DOWN SOUTH"

Mr. Lesser's Notes during Story Conference with Messrs. Briskin, Vorhaus, Chandlee, Muse and Hughes:

After a Mimeographed First Draft Script is completed, and prior to the mimeographing of the Second Draft Script, Mr. Vorhaus and the Production Department are to break down the script into angles, as nearly as possible in conformity with the manner in which Mr. Vorhaus intends to shoot the picture.

Dolly Shots should be used only when absolutely necessary.

As soon as possible before production starts, Mr. Briskin is to check on the trouble we are having with our sound recording.

The exact number of people in each scene is to be designated in the script.

Mr. Lesser recommends that a liberal number of pickaninnies be used wherever possible in the plantation scenes.

To be discussed: Does Reid ride a horse around the plantation in the opening scenes?

Messrs. Muse and Hughes are to submit business and dialogue to establish as very definite individual characters the various slaves who appear in the opening atmospheric scenes on the plantation. These same characters are to be identified in the later scenes of the slaves after Reid's death. The slave scenes prior to and following the death of Reid are to be treated as correlated units.

Messrs. Muse and Hughes are to smooth out Scene #36-A along the following lines suggested by Mr. Lesser: Uncle Caton jokingly and teasingly reminds Tim of the cane dance. Tim comes to with alacrity. Gumbo wants to go too. But Uncle Caton tells him his mama wants him to come up to the big house and help peel potatoes for supper.

Mr. Chandlee and Mr. Muse are to confer on revision of Scene #40 wherein the Negro cart driver brings the voodoo drums to the cane field.

Mr. Muse is to eliminate any feeling of "sissiness" from Tim's lines in Scene 41-A and to supply "horsey" terms for Tim to use when he speaks about the little filly.

Mr. Muse is to supply some expression more characteristic of the period, instead of "Good work, Caton!", when Reid compliments Caton for checking the horses in Scene #43.

Mr. Vorhaus and Mr. Muse are to lay out the specific shots required for the cane dance.