Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1929)

1238 .1/ o I i o ii Picture News New Recognition for Roxy as Authority on Stage Design His Name Appears Among Contributors to the New Edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica OWING to the wide popular interest in stage lighting; as an art and craft, the publishers of the Encyclopedia Britannica accord to this subject a special article in the new edition of that work, and as author of the treatise there appears the name of S. L. Rothafel — Roxy, who thereby is accorded the distinction of rank as an international authority in matters pertaining to the stage. Those who are familiar with Roxy's accomplishments in the field of stage lighting have been quick to agree with the publishers of the Britannica that the means of obtaining the most widely recognized name and one of the foremost authorities on the subject found its logical end in the invitation to Roxy to contribute the article on this new subject for scholarly treatment. The very reason for inclusion of a special article on stage lighting — that widespread interest in the subject exists — no doubt is the outgrowth of the popularity of the movie theatres, where lighting has been employed on a scale never attempted in the legitimate playhouses, which for many years carried on with lighting plants and lighting methods that were strictly utilitarian. The de luxe motion picture theatres, free of history and traditions, were not only entirely at liberty but were thoroughly eager to adopt everything new, and create the new for adoption later by others. Foremost among these imaginative showmen, whose demands for greater resources in the theatre challenged engineers and technicians to develop the machinery presently employed in the playhouse, was thi same Roxy who con tributes the first article to be devoted to the subject of Stage Lighting in the new edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. In his article Roxy deals with the psychology of color, its practical application to the theatre, and the technical equipment required to produce the various effects which give life to the stage scene, which interpret the musical composition, and which enable the showman to produce those audience reactions which make for the successful appeal of a stage number, an orchestral rendition, or a picture presentation. The fundamentals of the language of color are set forth. Roxy tells the reader that: RED produces a premonition of danger; red with amber and white — illusion and speed ; yellow with red and supplementary white — a definite atmosphere ; blue, suspense : purple, atmosphere of majesty ; etc. The method of focussing attention on the orchestra for the overture is outlined. First, the attention of the audience is secured for the orchestra. The house lights are dimmed and a burst of light envelops the front part of the house, flooding the orchestra as it is brought up to stage level on the elevating platform, while lights in the dome flood the musicians with a colored light expressive of the mood of the composition they plav. Behind the orchestra is the curtain which forms the ideal background for light interpretation of music. With the approach of the finale and the marshalling of all the musical forces the lights expand accnrdinglv, the closing chords find both mM* jfj/J ,~--.ss*v*..l iikiiti iiit MWMJMmtmtMktuui ^itotiMtiitom The i>.ili iii on which the iirii-t mixes the colore he uses to pjiini sinpe illusion* l>v mean of light — the switchboard at the Rox) theatre, of the imilii pre-eel design and built l>* the Hub Electric Company the music and the lights finishing in perfect co-ordination. All this, of course, plotted in advance and rehearsed to perfect the timing and the light interpretation of the music. One of the most sensational demonstrations of stage lighting offered by Roxy to his patrons was presented at the big playhouse during the showing of "The Cock-Eyed World." As a presentation for this picture Roxy staged a production that ran only four minutes and yet was set to a pace that brought into its handling all of the great resources of the theatre in costuming and lighting. Both the rear projectors, with which the Roxy is equipped, and the booth machines were used, as well as spots, floods, foots, bridge lights, and all of the other devices for lighting that form the tools with which Roxy works in staging his "pictures." Everything offered in his theatre, he contends, is a motion picture — not all of them on celluloid, ol course, but he thinks in terms of pictures and produces tl em with lights, dancers, musicians, choristers, lie uses light on the enium as well as the stage during the projection of motion pictures -such lighting being totally indiri 1 1 I 'i course, much of the article deals with the equipment used to produce lighting effects on the stage. The heart of the system is the switchboard of the modern Ms dimmers and facilities for scene pre setting \t the Rox) there is one of the largesl switchboards ever built for a : re. The Row board, built by the Hub I iectrii I o., and equipped with WardHnued on page 1253)