Exhibitors Herald (1927)

November 5, 1927 EXHIBITORS HERALD 9 to the production director or cast thereby minimizing the number of rehearsals and takes necessary in the shooting of a scene, accelerating thereby the completion of the picture. 2. By completely segregating that part of the stage on which sets: are to be constructed or demolished, from that part used for the shooting, workmen are automatically confined to an atmosphere of workshop eliminating all possible distraction and delays caused by the attractiveness of scene, cast, action or stop signals, thereby insuring a full eight hour day from each and every man, resulting in the reduction of cost and time of production. 3. By providing individual and direct entrances between every stage and utility shops, we have made it possible to carry on or remove the whole or part of any set, vehicle or livestock to their respective places without trespassing across or through any other set, eliminating the usual distraction and annoyance to the director and cast, resulting in loss of time ultimately augmenting the cost of production. 4. By a series of passageways, actors, actresses, and extras enter or leave their respective sets or stages, to and from their dressing rooms directly without trespassing across or through any other set or stage, resulting in — a. Rapid and direct entrance and exit. b. Absolute privacy to each and every company. c. Prevents personnel roaming and sight-seeing throughout studio. 5. The total complete segregation of the production department from the construction department, compels each to function in their respective atmos phere, greatly increasing the efficiency of both. 6. Another outstanding feature of this new method of construction, is that additional stage-units may be annexed at any time, without impairing in any way its efficiency. 7. A very valuable feature worthy of careful study, is the adaptability of this construction for stage rental purposes, offering privacy and seclusion to each and every company, together with various other features necessary to expedite the making of a picture. Careful judgment and consideration will readily show that a plant constructed of a number of smaller stages, for the usual preliminary and intermediate scenes, one or more larger stages for the spectacular or climaxical scene, will prove far more efficient than the very large stage in which six or more companies are at work at the same time, constantly the source of interferences, distraction and annoyance to each other, as the result of intermingling of personnel, music, action, sightseeing, construction and demolition, which all contributes to greatly increase the costs of production. DIAGRAM 1 shows a number of smaller stages with one larger stage for spectacular settings. A building containing all utility shops centrally located and in direct connection with each and every stage by means of runway 16, and individual stage entrances 17. This eliminates all trespassing through other settings in process of shooting, which causes at present distraction, annoyance, loss of time and thereby money. DIAGRAM 2 shows a plant containing the same features as Diagram 1 so designed that it can be erected within a city block. The Town Where Your Factories Are By Ralph Parker ALL of the world in a single community . . . That is Hollywood. Drawn by the magnet of motion pictures, there have come to this potpourri of people and genius the ambitious, the adventurous, the brilliant of this earth. The studios: Extras, starving today but ever confident of tomorrow. . . . An ex-Russian general borrowing lipstick from a man who once fought for the middleweight championship. . . . A director showing the hero, heroine and villain how to act their parts by first playing each characterization himself. . . . The studio with a gigantic, sta tionary steamship on its lot, for sea pictures. . . . Five hundred extras hid ing the perspiration which reveals the warmth of the California sunshine, lest it interfere with the realism of the midwinter Russian day suggested by the artificial snow. . . . “Sure, I believe you could eat eight eggs, shells and all. I once saw a guy eat the neck off a bottle.” ... A player demanding a bonus of $20 because the casting director wants him to cut off his moustache. The boulevards: Raymond Griffith driving his Rolls-Royce while his chauffeur smokes in the back seat. Tom Mix giving a friend a ride (on said Mix’s back) down Hollywood Boulevard, to settle a lost wager. . . . Tiny, world-famous style shops next to bargain stores with screaming price cards. . . . The shop specializing in “used gowns, furs, etc., of famous stars.” ( Continued on page 26) Illustration No. 2, of Carlotti multi-stage patents. Following is explanatory of the layout: 1 is the basement with all utility shops, wardrobs, dressing rooms, restaurant; 2 are general offices— casting director, etc. Area 13.200 sq. ft.; 3 are directors’ offices, projection and cutting rooms, technical and art department, etc.; 4 is 20,400 sq. ft. of floor space to be sub-divided; 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 are stages of equal size; 11 is a larger stage for spectacular settings; 12 are entrances to runways 13, at either end of stages. Said stages are supplied independently through doorways 14. This makes possible the transportation of live-stock, vehicles, properties, the removal or construction of settings, without trespassing across other settings; 15 is ramp connecting all utility shops with runways, which supply stages; 16 is freight elevator, to lower large section of settings for storage below; 17 are doors closed, shutting off that part of the stage to be used for the construction or demolition of settings, preventing all distraction, annoyance, disturbance to the production as well as to the construction departments, increasing the efficiency of both; 18 are doors opened, setting ready to be shot; 19 are sliding doors, can be opened for cross shot; 20 are stairs, for entrance or exit from each stage direct to dressing-rooms by corridor below, insuring privacy; 21 are intercommunicating doors between all stages, for department heads.