American cinematographer (Oct 1933)

246 American Cinematographer • October 1933 f 1 f )} A N EW rv 'Northeast Reflector provides the maxi- mum in flexible lighting. The new Northeast Twin Reflector has a solid, durable, heavier tripod stand. Reflectors may be attached at any part of stand, grouped together— spaced—are adjust- able at any angle and may be low- ered or raised at will. Complete with one 12" reflector, tripod, 12 ft. extension cord and 3-way junction block—$5.00; Additional Re- flectors, $3.50 each. With the Hi-Low Reflector which permits the use of low switch and extends the life of your lamp indefinitely—$6.50; Additional Hi-Low Reflectors—$5.00 each. Northeast Products Co. Tewksbury - Mass. UNIVERSAL MODEL “E” CONDENSER TYPE MICROPHONE Incomparable quality at a sensationally low price. 90° Swivel head with Auto- matic Barometric Adjust- ment—2 Stage Amplifier —Non-Microphonic Tubes Solid Bar Crating Dia- phragm Protection — Also Complete, U I t r a-Modern Line of Microphones, Stands, Transformers, etc. Ahead-of-the-Times pro- ducts Designed to meet Tomorrow’s Needs at To- day’s Rock-Bottom Prices. Complete Catalog with Diagrams on Request. Universal Microphone Co., Ltd. 424 Warren Lane Inglewood, Cal.,U.S.A. American Cinematographer Now $2.50 a Year BARGAINS!!! WRITE SUNNY SCHICK “The Filmo Broker” I have what you want, or can sell what you have Bargains in Equipment: BELL & HOWELL EASTMAN VICTOR SIMPLEX STEWART-WARNER Save 30 to 60 percent on Cameras, Projectors and Accessories N.R.A. Member Since 1925 Fort Wayne, Indiana conditions; it devotes itself only to phonetics, which enable the actor to speak clearly, with the proper enuncia- tion, but allows him to retain his peculiar vocal defects. And again, take Carole Lombard. Sev- eral months ago, when this paper was first written, she was accustomed, when speaking, to throw her jaw forward so far as to be ugly; her larnyx was pressed so far forward, the fauces and palate pulled down so hard, the back of the tongue so thick and low in the throat, her neck so distended, as to be a serious menace to her appearance. Miss Lom- bard, however, is a fine example of how we can change. Last week I thought I had better go to see her again and check up on her. Imagine my surprise to find that the lady had corrected her former faults to a very great extent, with the result that the voice was no longer so husky, but clearer and more expressive of herself. People imagine that a protrud- ing jaw is something they were born with, and that it can not be changed. That is incorrect—it can be changed, but in her case, as in most others, it was a habit of speech; and when the jaw is brought back into the proper position the pressure on the tongue and larynx is released and they fall into a position for flexibility and consequent melody and beauty in the voice. The vigor and power come into the voice from the floor of the pelvis, which generates an internal rhythmic flow of breath for the production of tone. In the motion picture industry this is un- derstood fairly well, because everyone keeps Ih'imself in such excellent physical condition, which is naturally conducive to vocal power, but it is made use of only in a very shallow manner. For in the majority of actors the breath-power never penetrates to the head cavities, where the overtones and real richness of voice are produced. It is dammed back by the rigid palate and fauces, which choke the personality as well as the flow of breath. We might well think of a securely corked champagne bottle, with all its bubbling effervescence unable to find release for the stoppage in the neck. So it should be clear that the physical coordination of all the parts of the body for the pro- duction of rich, sincere emotion and beauty in the voice is the physical cor- relate of the psychological coordination required for the release of the person- ality. The finished artist is the unity of these two. The motion picture industry may feel that this coordination of the physical, mental, and emotional phases of the actor’s being toward a unified expression of his personality is not their job. Per- haps not; nevertheless they did under- take tthie responsibility of repressing and eliminating the vital personality from their young actors by forcing them into one uniform, standardized mold and pat- tern of behavior. Now let them turn about and lead in the development of the integrated personality of their rising artists. Battery of Bell & Howell automatic sound and picture produc- tion printers now being installed by M-C-M at Culver City, California. An article by Jos. Dubray, A.S.C., covering this printer, in considerable detail appeared in a recent issue of this publication.