The international photographer (Jan-Dec 1935)

Ten The INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER May, 1935 How a Motion Picture Is Put Together By Cecil B. DeMille Left — When centuries meet — The 12th and 20th centuries mingle freely at Paramount Studios where Cecil B. DeMille, on camera boom, and his assistants direct hundreds of knights and peasants in scenes for "The Crusades." Center — King Richard the Lion Hearted meets Saladini, the Sultan of the Turks. Right — New DeMille leading lady — After years in motion pictures, Loretta Young becomes a Cecil B. DeMille star in his current Paramount production: "The Crusades." Here she is with Anna Demetrio receiving instructions from the director. Henry Wilcoxon, who plays the leading male role of King Richard the Lion Hearted, takes it all in on a day off. ROM the moment an idea for a film has been conceived and until the time when it is shown on the screen a very complicated mechanism is put in motion. No one man in the industry knows all there is to know about it, and no one man has ever been able to make a picture all by himself. Any statement to the contrary can be taken with a generous grain of salt. One man may be a controlling or co-ordinating factor in the huge organism which creates a picture. He may, however, never hope to attain omniscience and omnipotence in motion pictures, for it embraces every branch of learning. Roughly, a motion picture goes through three stages: 1. Assembling of material. 2. Mounting of material into picture form. 3. Polishing and finishing. Each one of these divisions is just as important as the other, and each has its group of technicians. The failure or weakness of even one little cog in the machinery is enough to throw the whole thing out of gear. That is why we have good, bad and indifferent pictures. Taking my latest Paramount production, "Crusades," as an example, we shall see just what had to go into it to make it entertaining and convincing. The first stage, in the case of this picture, occupied the greatest length of time. Being an historical subject, the most minute research was necessary on every detail concerned. Every authority on the life during the times of the Crusades was squeezed dry of all his information. The scenarists concentrated on storv and incident, putting them all together, contradictions and all, and whittling the whole thing down until a script, accurate both in historical detail and alive with dramatic value, finally emerged. Costume designers concerned themselves with the clothing and jewelry of ancient times, copying designs from books and manuscripts and adapting them to the characters in the picture. Set designers made a thorough study of the architecture and interior decoration of that period, making hundreds of sketches of prospective sets. Hairdressers and make-up artists turned their talents to making each wisp of hair and each eyelash reflect the customs of that age. Under the direction of the heads of each of these departments, artisans were set to work to put up buildings, furnish rooms, construct chariots, armor, wigs, sandals, costumes and everything else that came under the head of setting. Casting of characters was just as painstaking a job. They had not only to be good performers, but had to have all of the Berengaria characteristics of the historical personages. Finding a Berengaria, Queen of England, and Saladin in Hollywood was a man-sized job, as things turned out. Henry Wilcoxon, who plays King Richard, the Lion Hearted, who had been brought from England, was the logical one cast for this part. When every bit of detail had been assembled, sets and props built and costumes made, we were ready to enter on the second stage. Actual production consists of fitting together the contributions of every one of the technicians, 35mm. Eastman or Dupont Fresh Qray Backed Negative Price 2x/^c per Foot for AMATEURS or PROFESSIONALS KINEMA KRAFTS KOMPANY 65 10 Selma Ave. Hollywood, Calif. GLadstone 0276 Please mention The International Photographer when corresponding with advertisers.