The Motion Picture Director (1925)

The Director Winfield'Kerner Studio Lighting Equipment FACTORY 323-27 E. 6TH ST., Los Angeles, Cal. Phone VA. 6211 SUCCESSFULLY USED BY ALL MOTION PICTURE PRODUCTION COMPANIES ON THE PACIFIC COAST AL DEBUS, Los Angeles County Distributor HOLLYWOOD OFFICE 1072 N. Wilton Place Phones : GRanite 9601 GRanite 9402 assegais ready. Suddenly out of the black density of the bush came a mighty roar, the vibrations of which I was sure that I felt in the earth beneath my feet. The boys rushed quickly to the mules and tried to quiet them, when another tremendous roar sounded on the still air. It seemed to me to come from a source not more than twenty feet outside the scharem, and I am not ashamed to state that if hairs ever stand on end, mine did at that moment, each individual one of them! I couldn’t have hit a charging lion if he had been as big as three elephants. All of the above happened within twenty seconds, and, realizing that the mules were so terror-stricken that they would probably stampede, Johan only took a second to say to me; “It’s all right, Harold; there will be no attack tonight. That lion’s belly is full. Rest easy.’’ And then he hurried to the kicking and squealing mules to assist the boys in controlling them. Perhaps ten minutes had passed before we heard another roar. This time it was from the opposite side of the camp and plainly further away, but unmistakably from the throat of the same lion. We had replenished all of the fires, and the mules gradually quieted at the reassuring clucks of the boys and Johan’s soothing voice and petting. At the end of another half hour Leo’s roars ceased and we again settled down to our firesides, Johan and I taking a long pull from our flasks. I mention that mine was an especially long pull. He then gave each of the boys a peg of “dop” (a cheap South African brandy that is always carried for the use of natives in case of emergency, but which it is against the law to give them under ordinary circumstances) . When we had settled down Johan said: “A wild lion never roars when he is hungry and stalking his food. It must be apparent to you at once that every buck for a mile around leaped off into the bush at that first roar, and that it would have been impos sible for the fastest lion to have overtaken one. That lion had made its kill several hours ago and gorged himself as a fat man does at Thanksgiving Time. Those roars were equivalent to the fat man’s stretch and deep satisfied yawn before stretching out for forty winks, after perhaps a too hearty meal.’’ This explanation was very edifying and “all very fine and large,’’ but as for sleep for the remainder of that night, I ask you, brother, what would you have done? From Mary Pickford to Allosaurus Continued from Page 18 the wandering minstrel, the Shakespearean theatre or the cinema. The dramatic unities must be observed and every effect must have its preceding cause. My own dramatic bible declares that a story consists of characters, action and plot — setting, style and spirit. It is a logical chain — you start with your people, they do something and immediately a plot is born. The plot exists within a setting, the manner of telling the story is its style, and a certain spirit must pervade the narration if it is at all distinctive, and it must be distinctive to be interesting. Until recently, we have concentrated on the first trio; we are just now starting, it seems to me, to put thought as well as money into our settings, and we have begun to. develop a few stylists among our directors — even though, as yet, they may be numbered on the fingers of one hand. There is no doubt that we have accomplished more within twenty years than any other art has done in a comparative period many times that number, and it will not be long now before all our pictures will embody all of these essentials for the best dramatic narration. And then, just as surely as we have progressed from infancy to adolescence, the motion picture will take its place among the adult arts. This community enterprise is not only patronized by the picture folk, but is in a great measure owned and controlled by them. COMMUNITY LAUNDRY, Inc. HOlly 2538 1001 McCadden Place 30