American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1952)

THE COST of shooting on distant locations is always a major consideration in planning a picture. A rare instance when a location having difficult access was okayed was the above site high in the Colorado Rockies for "Accross The Wide Missouri." Here, Jeeps and horses were required to move camera and electrical equipment above timberline. BY SKILLFUL pre-planning, no more of a set will be built than will be required for the action and the photography. It saves considerable in cost of rigging the set and lighting, too. What About The Cost ? One of the producer's prime considerations after the script is completed and the budget is being prepared is the cost of actually shooting the picture. By ROBERT SISK IN the previous articles, an idea has progressed through the story and screenplay stage until now it is in such shape that we are ready to commit it to celluloid. This really is something to have been achieved in such a short time, and though I, who have worked in studios for many years, am dazzled by such speed, I shall try to conceal my amaze¬ ment and take you through the pro¬ cesses which now face us before we can unloose the cameras. Somewhere in the previous articles when the producer and writer were gaining confidence in their story and its progress in screenplay form, they began thinking about a director — a suitable director. Without belaboring an obvious point, they would not want a director skilled in handling action if their pro¬ ject was a drawing room comedy. Since any good picture is based on conflicting relationships of character they would seek a man they judged to be able to do credit to their story and who would he 64 in harmony with their aims. Once they had enlisted the right man he would be pulled into the heart of the very active processes which precede actual filming. His minute evaluation of the script would be solicited; his criticisms ap¬ praised and discussed. It should be understood that there must be a basic harmony at this point. The screenplay — the blueprint for all that follows — is by now to everyone’s general taste and liking and that manytentacled entity called the Front Office is beginning to let its influence be felt. Since major film producing companies must, in kinship with a famous and muddy stream in mid-America, keep rollin' along, there is the pressure to get the picture on the stages. This means the enlistment of all studio departments in the general aim. Perhaps the screenplay has been writ¬ ten with certain players in mind. Then that part of the job is provided for. But there still remains the other casting to be accomplished. Conferences, con • ferences, and more conferences over this. Because producers and directors try to cast each part to a nicety, be¬ cause there is always a big effort to use new people, it may be that the director’s time is occupied with film tests of many of these people. There will be tests, too, of wardrobe, much preparation of set¬ tings and much scouting of locations. A location is someplace away from the studio and it can be many miles away. I have had companies in the Cascade Mountains of Washington, the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, in beauteous Monterey and at the Naval Academy in Annapolis. (Continued on Page 85) THIS IS THE THIRD in a series of articles written by members of the Screen Producers Guild . dealing with the producer s view of film making. The series brings to makers of mo¬ tion pictures, both amateur and pro¬ fessional, not only the viewpoints of professional producers but reveals a great deal of the pre-production plan¬ ning and activity that precedes actual photography in Hollywood studios. The author of this article, Robert Sisk, is a producer at Warner Broth¬ ers , was previously with M-G-M. Tivo of his most recent films are the Clark Gable starrer, “ Across The Wide Mis¬ souri and “It’s A Big Country.” Mr. Sisk came into the motion pic¬ ture industry from the newspaper and publicity field. American Cinematographer February, 1952