The Film Daily (1929)

THE Wednesday, April 17, 1929 ■cM^ PAILV SOUND PROGRESS CITED BY BELL, OE PARAMOyNT Greater pictorial quality, more action, a wider sweep of sets, increased emphasis upon music, iniprcned facility in the joint handling of camera and microphone — these probably are the outstanding developments of talking pictures during the last six month, according to Monta Hell, producer in charge of Paramount's Long Island studio. "The pictures being turned out today differ from their predecessors chiefly in being better to look at," Bell says. "We are finding, just as this studio believed si.\ months ago, that the product first of all nnist please the eye. It must be first a moving picture, then a reproduction of dialogue. We intend to continue this theory in our production. "Such a policy will mean the breaking up of dialogue with more action, the bringing of freer movement into the scenes. This will increase naturalness while it promotes interest. Talking pictures are getting more vigorous and sprightly all the time. "It has already been proved that talking pictures can be made successfully out of iloors. That is an important discovery, for six months ago the prevailing belief was that you needed a soundproof room like a radio liroadcastinR station. This studio now has added to its equipment a location truck for making pictures in the open, anywhere. Other companies and studio are working along the same lines. Within the next few months, I believe there will be a great increase in Sound Pictures B\ CHARLES F. HYNES ENTHUSIASM EOR SOUND EILMATBRAZ llic number of outdoor scenes in talking pictures. "Music, of course, is one of the most pleasing uses to which sound pictures can be put. \\ c have made already a biK musical com fily "The Cocoanuts', starring the Four Marx Hrothers. It presented difficulties for which there was no guiding precedent. It was the first attempt to put a first class musical show from the stage, preserving the nuisical comedy technique, into talking pictures. We learned much from the expcrinient, and in some ways it represents our most difficult accomplishment. We are planning for more musical productions." Hell has been assisted in his task of build ing up the studio as a producing center by James R. Cowan, who began as general manager of short feature production and was promoted to be production manager. Short subjects now are in charge of I.arry Kent. Virtually all productions of the studio have been made with actors drawn not from the H()ll>W()oil tradition l)Ut from the speaking statje of Broadway. These have come to Astoria originally for one picture only ; some have been retained for longer engagements. Contracts for continuance with Paramount have been signed with Jeanne Eagels. Walter Huston, O. P. Heggie. David Newell. James liarton, Anthony Bushell, Katherine Francis and others. Claudetfe Colbert, Charles Uuggles. Betty Lawford and other stage stars after one appearance in a talking picture have come back for a .second. No attempt has been made to build up a group of studio stars such as was customary in the old days of the silent pictures, especially in Hollywood. Rather the whole resources of Broadway have been considered as available for the studio. More than 2,000 tests of prospective actors have been given. The studio at the edge of the legitimate stage capital has gone along developing in its own I w'ay. RCA-Photophone License for British International RC.\-l'hotophone recording licenes have been e.vectited with the British International Pictures, London, and a contract has been closed with the same company for 20 theater e(|uipments. Suburban Super Cinema, Ltd., Kmpress Electric Theaters, and other exhibitors have placed orders for theater installations. To date arrangements have been made for RC.\-Photophone for reproducing efpiipment in Italy, Spain, China, Japan, .\ustralia and Canada. Dozen Pacents Installed Weekly in Southeast .\tlanta — .\veragc of from ten to 12 installations of Paceiit sound devices are being made weekly in the Southern territory, according to W. L. Bradenburg, sales representative of the Pacent Reproducer Corp.. in the .Atlanta territory. A force of si.\ installation men is kept busy all the time, he stated. Grand Closed for Sound Bellingham. W'asli. — Loren Wahl has darkened the Grand for installation of sound equipment. Two thotisand citizens of Sao Paulo, Brazil, participated in the formal opening of the first soimd equipped theater in South .America last Saturday, when the new Paramount opened with "The Patriot." Cables received by E. E. Shauer, general manager of Paramount's foreign dcl)artment, states sound was received with enthusiasm. The theater, which will he operated by the Paramount Brazilian organization, seats approximately 2,0(KI. Melville A. Shauer. special foreign representative of Paramount, and Mrs. Shauer, attended the premiere. Round-World Movietone Unit Back in N. Y. With a sound and sight film record from many strange places and cities, the Fox Movietone News crew which has been traveling around the world has returned to New York. This is the first time in the swift development of sound pictures that such an expedition lias been attempted. Memphis House Wired Mempiiis, Tenn — RCA-Photophoiie has been installed at the Orpheum, combination house. DE FOREST PHONOFILM STUDIOS Licensed By General Talking Pictures Corporation AN EFFICIENT AND HIQHLY CAPABLE ORQANIZATION IS NOW AVAILABLE TO ALL PRODUCERS DESIRING COMPLETE STUDIO and EXTERIOR RECORDING FACILITIES For the Production of TALKIES including A DEPARTMENT FOR THE SYNCHRONIZATION OF SILENT PICTURES Address All Inquiries to WEISS BROTHERS DE FOREST PHONOFILM STUDIOS 318 East 48th Street Phone VANderbilt 7340 New York (In Production — A Craig Kennedy Story By Arthur B. Reeve — Starring Robert Warwick— Direction by Edgar Lewis)