Moving Picture World (Apr-Jun 1917)

May 19, 1917 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 1123 Subtitles de Luxe By Tom Bret Expertly Written and Artistically Illustrated, the Title Adds Greatly to the Success of the Picture A RECENT report from London to the effect that "Intolerance" to the English mind is magnificent but "bewildering," brings us face to face with the proposition of clearness in motion pictures. Subtitles constitute an average of about two-fifths of the footage of motion pictures as they are made today, and carry, largely, the thread of the photo-play around which is woven all the beauty and charm of i t s fabric. Writing sub titles, therefore, should be considered one of the finest arts in the making of masterful photo-dramas. There was a time, when the motion picture industry was in its infancy, that producers would not allow the . actors to sit down or stand still, because of the belief that motion pictures should essentially show "motion." "Action !" was the whole cry of the direct o r , and even now those of the earlier days cling somewhat to this idea in the making of pictures, seeking to "get over" the story of the play by These men are behind the reater charm in the convey Tom Bret. pantomime almost exclusively times, for there is scarcely any s.caici lh* ance of thought than by means of splendid literature. The educated mind and the uneducated mind alike may revel in its delights when it is realized that the most attractive eloquence consists of beautiful thoughts simply and gracefully told. Ill Metro plays this idea is carried out to a nicety, and their popularity the world over is proof of the fact that /rayson s lumber mill Specimen Title. good subtitles are growing more and more important every day in the making of superior photo-plays. Subtitles, like pantomime, can be made "bewildering" by their magnificence, and so lose their usefulness as a source of entertainment. This seems to be the most threatening evil of the present day clamor for extraordinary subtitles. The makers of motion picture productions should con sider that the eye and the brain are the only organs exercised by the movisor, or the person who sees motion pictures. The objective, therefore, is to entertain the intellect as well as the vision, and to do this in logical sequence, yet with as much variety as is necessary to make the picture on the screen restful as well as interesting. Any subtitle, therefore,, which compels the mind to struggle unnecessarily to get the meaning is just as offensive to the onlooker as a scene out of focus. Where scene and spoken word are blended harmoniously regardless of footage but with due regard to photographic and literary excellence, then the picture becomes a masterpiece. One of the points to be attained in keeping the public attracted by a motion picture is to bring the production to such a finesse that the characters in the play seem to be actually living out their parts upon the screen. Keeping the spectator within the illusion of motography, therefore, suggests the advantages of pictorial titles. The old idea that a decorative subtitle detracts from the essence of the title is about as fallacious as the old idea that a motion picure actor should not sit down. Keen observers today know that well done, beautiful art titles contribute quite as much to the subtitles as does the power of repose and expression in the performance of the principals. Art titles badly done, however, are sometimes so grotesque that they turn comedy into tragedy and tragedy into a joke. To meet the popular desire for art titles a few producers have engaged inferior workmen whose output has become the laughing stock of the trade. A poorly done art title is just as useless as a trite, prosaic, uninteresting construction in the text. In other words, a motion picture is entitled to the same polish, the same finish, the same glitter and attractiveness as a piece of cutlery, a beautiful piece of jewelry or any other article offered for sale — and the one that looks the best gets the money. In this connection it is safe to say that the men who write subtitles, and the men who make illustrations for subtitles, should be carefully selected and that no price is too high to pay to a man or woman who can deliver the goods in this respect. The fact that the writer was given the first curtain call on Broadway of any motion picture author came about largely from the character of the subtitles in the spectacular war pictures "The Battles of a Nation." This was a strong incentive for the special study of subtitles and emphasized strongly their importance. That time spent on subtitles is well invested was demonstrated shortly after the success of "The Battles of a Nation" when another picture, upon which the writer was employed, entitled "The iWarring Millions," attracted immense crowds and turned hundreds away at its premiere showing in the Olympic Theater in Chicago. After handling over three hundred motion picture subjects the writer is firmly convinced that the producer who makes the best motion pictures of the future will be the man, who with all things else equal, has the best staff of title writers and title artists in the world. Comedy titles of the best class are used in the Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew comedies, released on the Metro program. The writer has been in collaboration with Mr. and Mrs. Drew in the writing of these subtitles for some time, and cannot let this occasion pass without paying a high tribute to Mrs. Drew for the standard of their excellence. The fact that Drew comedies are universally regarded as the cleanest, the "classiest," and the funniest in the field is proof of the fact that comedies depend largely upon subtitles of the better kind, quite as much as they do upon the elimination of vulgarity and obscenity. Summing up the whole proposition, subtitles are mighty factors. They can make or break comedy or drama — they can make or break a motion picture concern. Cut — bow and exit. NEW STUDIO MANAGER FOR YORKE-METRO. Wiley J. Gibson has been appointed studio manager at the Yorke-Metro studios in Hollywood, following the resignation of N. W. Aronson, who has gone to New York. Gibson's first connection with the motion picture business was with the Universal company several years ago. Later he joined the forces of Thomas Dixon, engaged in putting on "The Fall of a Nation." He came with Fred J. Balshofer's producing company in June, 1916.