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14 CINEMATOGRAPHIC ANNUAL
picture. My own idea of good photography is not that which makes the audience forget the story and gasp aloud at the sheer beauty of the setting; instead, it is the photography that merges itself, so to speak, in the atmosphere of the story. Photography that is not calling attention to itself is the finest photography. And, I want to say right now that the cinematographers of the American picture industry are always striving to do just that. No individuals in the entire production field are so whole-hearted in their efforts to cooperate with me as are the cinematographers.
I believe that the cinematographer should be considered one of the most important cogs in the production wheel, and that the cinematographer should be given the script and know the story long before the start of production; get the mood of the story in his mind, and then keep his photography in the mood of the story from start to finish. A cinematographer can do more than any other individual in the studio in portraying the mood of the story, or he can do just the opposite.
While you hear much raving by the critics anent the photography of many foreign made pictures, I believe that the American cinematographers are the finest cameramen in the world — and one of the reasons for their excellence is the fact that the majority of them do portray the mood of the story with their photography rather than attempt to call attention to themselves by unusual effects which really mean absolutely nothing. A good cinematographer lights his picture so the audience does not realize it has been lighted; gets over the proper effect without the audience realizing he has done it. In other words, an audience should never realize that a director has directed the picture or that a cinematographer has photographed it. That is why "directorial touches" and photographic "scenic splurges" should be kept out of a picture. They detract from the story. Excellence in direction is reached when the audience never thinks of the director's work. Excellence in photography is attained when the audience forgets photography. Excellence in the actor's performance is reached when the audience forgets that it is John Doe and thinks of him as a living character on the screen. Studied poses on the part of the actor may show his striking profile off to perfection but it is poor acting. "Touches" by the director are nice things to talk about but poor direction. Scenic pictorialism by the cameraman makes for some striking individual pictures, but is not good photography. The minute the audience becomes conscious of the "machinery" of a picture, they forget the story. And it is to the credit of the American cameramen that they, as a whole, forget their own pictorial exploitation, and give the finest cooperation in portraying upon the screen the story which could easily be spoiled if these remarkably clever artists used their unusual lighting and composition ability for scenic effects only.
In closing let me say that I feel that the cinematographer should be given more credit than in the past. He is an artist, a hard worker; he constantly strives to develop betterment in technical apparatus as well as technique. In short, he is a splendid adjunct in picture-making who in the past has been more or less neglected.