American cinematographer (Feb-Dec 1922)

Eight THE AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER December, 1922 Exnansi veness of Setting Made Long Shots Necessary, Vet Detail Had to lie Caught at the Same Time, The Huge Columns Are Shown Here. was not a bit of precedent to guide him, inasmuch as nothing similar had been attempted before. He was given a set 550 feet long and 180 feet high to photograph. Even the fireplaces were 90 feet high. Wilfred Bukland, in collaboration with Irving Martin and Edwin Langley, had created in these sets, probably, according to critics, the most notable ever used in films. Three hundred men had been employed over a period of two months for the actual physical construction of these sets. More lumber went into them, it is said, than is carried in the average lumber yard. All of this meant expense, tremendous expense, but what would the beautiful settings amount to on the screen if they were not photographed properly? Edeson's responsibility, then, may be realized. Hours On Set For three weeks he spent hours at a time on the set, for the purpose of "getting the feeling" of the work he was about to commence. He was told by men in the industry that it would be impossible to photograph and light the sets successfully; they were too tremendous. The A. S. C. member, as pointed out before, could not rely on precedent to guide him. He was in the position of the pioneer. For what he wanted to do he had to rely on himself. He had charts and blueprints made of the layout of the set. Over them he and Allen Dwan, his director, poured, much as if they were planning a battle, and figured the angles at which the cameras would be placed for the actual filming. Built In Sections Then came the important question concerning the color of the castle walls, which had to represent stone, such as placed in the edifices of Robin Hood's period. The set walls were constructed of plaster, erected in sections, so that they may be removed for future use. It was imperative, of course, that this necessary deception would not be revealed on the screen. „ . ... _ ... , , . " ,, \ \ lew of the Height At first it was thought that the Registe Nuptial Chamber. Moon and Spires Were Exposed In. Characters Are Fairbanks and Enid Bennett. Doulile walls should be painted a dark color, but a long span of experimentation, during which he worked with the co-operation of the technical department, established light gray as the most desirable color. The problem then arose as to the proper method of lighting this exterior castle set. It became evident that sufficient equipment for artificial illumination was not available in such quantities to take care of the set entirely. So, with the aid of reflectors and diffusers, the A. S. C. member harnessed nature — the sun — and derived therefrom the desired service. Little artificial light was used on any of the scenes laid about the exterior of the castle. Difficulties Where days were needed to arrive at the system of lighting for the scenes about the exterior of the castle, a corresponding length of time was required to determine the best possible method for the filming of the castle interior scenes, most of which were night scenes, and had to be done in the daytime. When it is known that the far-famed set used in "Intolerance" could have been laid bodily into the castle interior set, then it is realized that Edeson's problem of lighting this interior was by no means simple. He had pillars 12 feet in diameter and 60 feet high to contend with; he had to film alcoves half-way up 90-foot walls. Despite the contingencies involved, the cinematographic end of production did not delay the filming of "Robin Hood" for an instant. The entire production was completed in 16 weeks of actual shooting time. Compare this to the time it took to make other big productions. Corps of Experts "It is a question," Edeson said recently, "whether any producer in the future will want to enter production on such a large scale. The expenditure such a picture works is evident. Mr. Fairbanks had the courage of a trail blazer, else he never would have attempted a production on such a scale. 'Robin Which Had to He ,. , „ on. r4.,i, (Continued on Page 22)