The art of sound pictures (1930)

THE BUYER’S PROBLEMS 45 apparatus, especially the sound-recording materials, are extremely expensive. Moreover, the entire company, when on location, may have to be maintained for a long time in the chosen locale before actual shots can be made. In one picture, a production cost of $250,000 was marked up against it before a single usable shot was made. Several locations were tried, and the whole company was transported about from place to place, only to find each time that the conditions were not favorable for picture taking. In preparing stories, therefore, the author should always bear in mind the possible cost of going out on location. If the locations can be found in or near Hollywood, this item is not serious. Scenes can be prepared by studio technicians before the cast is moved to the location selected. And if any good location proves undesirable, the only wasted expense is that of preliminary construction and testing of the set. A story so planned that the company appearing in it need not go on location has an even greater advantage. Writers should remember that such locales as department stores, summer hotels, and even luxurious country homes can be obtained for long shots, usually with little or no extra expense. Cameras can be taken into department stores, houses, etc., by a special arrangement with the owners, and long-range pictures can be taken of these locales just as they exist. Then a set representing a small part of the department store or home can be built on the studio lot. These sets are usually built inside a sound-proof building, called a “sound stage.” The company can then make the picture, using the studio set, and the resulting scenes can be combined with the long shots of the actual locale in such a way that the final picture