Photoplay (Jul - Dec 1916)

The Art Direct •tor .4 Vitagmph set in the making tin Charles Chapman's direction. Hugh Ford, artistic executive of Famous PI a vers. Summarized briefly, the technical director is a well read and much traveled gentleman, who lias broken bread in the poor man's hovel, and wine glasses in the rich man's palace. He knows the difference between a butler's garb and a drum-major's uniform; between a Corot and a chromo. He would never put pigskin puttees on Napoleon, or Mary Janes on Queen Elizabeth. Nowadays, when a scenario calls for a rich man's drawing room, the technical director finds out from reading the script what sort of rich man the rich man is. If he is a raw recruit to the ranks of the rich — made it in copper, or "war brides." or stole it from the credulous— tlie set partakes of garishness. If he is one of "our be-^t old families" — vanderbiltesque, as it were — die set calls for "quiet elegance." Whereupon blue prints are made of the set, showing every detail that is to be photographed, the master carpenter called into conference, and eventually the set is correctly built. The director in charge of the photoplay is usually present at these conferences and assists in planning the set, but the art director's technical knowledge and good tasteare relied upon in the matter of furniture and decorations. Many photoplay directors are quite capable of planning their own sets, and many of them do so in studios where the art director has not as yet made his appearance, but turning over the art details to the technician, gives the play director more time to devote to the play itself. If he is doubtful as to a detail in costume or scene, a word to the technician or the research bureau saves him the time required for that work.