Motion Picture News (Oct 1913 - Jan 1914)

i6 THE MOTION PICTURE NEWS AUGUSTUS THOMAS (Continued from page 13) venienced himself to the extent of some hours in order to give me the double delight of looking at a picture of which the author and maker sat by me. This is the kind of enthusiasm that I like. Mr. Thomas saw the whole of his play, as his mind conceived it, in film form. For the first time he and his friends heard and saw some of the effects referred to the play, but which were neither shown nor illustrated in it. A man of Augustus Thomas' type is a strong addition to the all too-short list of motion picture makers. Besides being a scholar, a man of refinement, ideas and ideals, he studied graphic art in his earlier years. He knows how to compose a picture. Were he a photographer, he could take a well-composed group. If he took a single photograph, he would see that the figure would be correctly posed. If he painted, drew or sketched, he would do so in compliance with the canons of composition. He knows the value of light and shade. Then, above all this, he has the innate aptitude for the work. Not all the scientific knowledge in the world can explain the reason for the indefinite, indefinable, "something" in the individual which makes for artistry. Poeta nascitur non fit — the poet is born, not made — so is the painter, or the sculptor, or what not. So, it appears, is the motion picture maker. Mr. Thomas has a natural aptitude for making pictures, whether they be stage pictures, motion pictures, colored pictures. He is what we conventionally call an artist. He has temperament and style. I am told that his rehearsing methods are simple. He gets his effects, he gets his actors and actresses to do things, by simple, persuasive directional powers. Some directors shout, others scream, others go black in the face. I have seen them do all this. Mr. Thomas knows what he wants, when he wants it, why, where and how he wants it. And knowing all this, he gets what he wants by mental rather than by physical means. He directs by the powers of his mind rather than by the power of his lungs and arms. He does not get mad. Directors vary very much in their methods. Nothing to me is so fascinating as to watch a director making a picture, especially if I am familiar with the story or have acquainted myself with the recognized requirements of the story in action. One of these days I would like to see Mr. Thomas direct his pictures. In the All-Star list of coming subjects you will find the names of many popular stage successes which are to be turned into pictures. These will succeed in virtue of their reputation with the public. Take, for example, the story by Richard Harding Davis which is being made this very moment in Cuba. This will probably be a good picture, and it will succeed largely because the book and the author are known. But what I want to see, what many of us want to see, are motion pictures made by men of the caliber of Augustus Thomas on original stories. The process of exhaustion is going on rapidly. Old themes, old stories are being adapted for the stage, and the wonder is frequently expressed, "Where will you get your stories from in the future?" In fact, this question has been addressed to me personally many times within the last three weeks by students of the photoplay. My reply is "From brains." If men of the type of Augustus Thomas will sit down and write original stories for the motion picture, then an advance will have been made. Meanwhile, the Director-General of the All-Star Company is to be congratulated on his rapid success. His methods deserve commendation and they deserve study. If you want to see a well-acted American film, study the acting of the story of "Arizona" in that film — study the groupings, settings, light effects. Study the scenario as it is presented in the film. "Better men and methods." This has been the cry of those of us for years who realize the possibilities of the picture. Augustus Thomas is one of the men and his methods are some of the methods that we have aspired after. He and they are here, he and they should be studied. For while there is only one Augustus Thomas, there is room in this business for very many of his type. I hope as I think that this little appreciation, for such it is, fits the picture of the man which is here shown. Mr. Thomas is a fluent and convincing speaker. He is agreeable to listen to. I hope some day he will talk in public on the making of motion pictures. I hope to have the pleasure of hearing him, and that many others will join me in the pleasure. The Lambs Club should bear this hint in mind. T. B. A MOTION PICTURE COLLEGE OR INSTITUTE (Continued from page 14) science and art of motion pictures. We say there is need for such a body, there is room for it, and we propose to take steps to hasten its formation. The motion picture has its associations of manufacturers ; here in this country it has its Screen Club. It recently held an exposition. In Europe there are congresses and manufacturers' associations devoted to the motion picture, but there isn't any one society anywhere devoted to the study of the picture, as an artistic, scientific, industrial product. Take any other art, science and industry, and you will find they have many societies which are in existence for these purposes. Let us select photography, upon which the motion picture is based. Here in the United States there are over 100 societies, conventions and the like meeting throughout the year, devoted to the advancement and study of still photography. Of course, the motion picture has its exhibitors' leagues, but so far these bodies have done