American cinematographer (Nov 1921-Jan 1922)

December 15, 1921 THE AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER 11 How iMuch Does the Camera Get? Most of the Women Stars Lose Greatly in Process of Filming If the camera could pick up all there is of the external personality of some of the female stars the fans would find much more to admire and adore than they find in the black and white shadows that pass before them on the screen. Most of the stars can act and most of them have beautiful lines of face and form, but the great beauty of many of them is color, and this they lose on the screen. Color of eyes and hair and tint of complexion has much to do with beauty in the abstract, and when taken away not much is left in some cases. It takes a sure enough beauty to impress herself upon the camera when color is thrown away. The darkhaired ones have a bit the best of it, and if it were not for the magic of back lighting some of the blondes would be handicapped indeed. Grace Darmond loses about 40 per cent. Enid Bennett has a most delicate coloring In pastel shades which, if the camera could pick up, would add almost one-half to her sum total of beauty and charm. Enid loses 5 per cent at least. Even Mary Pickford, with her million dollars' worth of personality, suffers to an appreciable degree, for the camera gets little of her golden halo and slights her wonderful eyes. Pola Negri gets over beautifully with her dark hair and eyes, but at that the camera doesn't pick up more than 75 per cent of her. Ruth Roland, with the most gorgeous blue eyes in the world, loses 50 per cent of the value of their potency to charm because the jealous camera refuses to tell the truth about them. Anita Stewart, pretty as she appears on the silver screen, is only 60 per cent there. Her color scheme of dark eyes and rose color is dazzling in the flesh. May McAvoy, one of the prettiest things in the world, gets over more than most of the brunettes, but if the camera could register her charming color scheme she would appear positively ravishing. The camera gets about 80 per cent of her. Norma Talmadge probably loses more than any of them, but she has enough left to keep in the front rank of stardom. Jackie Saunders. Mae Murray, Bessie Barriscale, all gorgeous golden blondes, lose in effect of eyes, complexion and hair. If they registered 100 per cent they would all be world beaters for beauty. Not Going to the Devil Philip E. Rosen, A. S. C, the man who filmed "The Miracle Man," now director of Wallace Reid at Lasky's, cannot see the movies going to the devil, as some producers seem to think they are. Between scenes the other day Mr. Rosen said: "In the near future natural color and three dimensional photography will be in general use. "A new type of motion picture theatre will be popular, showing for ten cents a program of short subjects, including local and general news, educational, travel, cartoon, novelty, art and comedy reels. These theatres will be animated newspapers, showing daily happenings almost as quickly as they occur." Mr. Rosen sees no reason why motion pictures should not be even transmitted by wireless. Photographs are now sent by wire. Why limit the ideas of mind? This would make possible the showing of a Presidential inauguration in Los Angeles a few hours after it took place in Washington. Motion pictures will be as common in the home as pianos and victrolas, and far far cheaper to install. Visual education will be so general and so perfectly organized that education will be cheaper, better and of wider scope. School and college terms will be shortened and young people will get into the channels of production at an earlier age, tending to abolish poverty. International commercial transactions will be made through the pictures, and their use in eleemosynary and welfare institutions will have vastly lessened crime, insanity, disease, immorality and poverty. Ninety per cent of the churches will be using the films for sermons, entertainments, Sunday school lessons, missionary work and propaganda. The photoplay feature will have evolved into a wonderful (n ation as superior dramatically, spectacularly and artistically to the present day "feature" as is Shakespeare compared to a farce. William Horsley's Film Laboratories Wm. Horsley, Proprietor EXPERT LABORATORY WORK Developing, Printing, Special Tinting and Toning Individual Attention Given to Dramatic Features Newly Equipped Title Department for Double, Triple and Trick Exposures Phone Hollu 6393 6060 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood