Moving Picture World (Mar-May 1927)

760 MOVING PICTURE WORLD April 23, 1927 Tips, Kinks musician, and of Pandora, during girls’ dances, is left to the imagination of the producer, who will also make such changes in action and plot as become necessary to meet his requirements. THE SETTING The wall, B fig. 1 and 2, forming the main portion of the setting, is of frame and blue plaster board or wall board construction. The framing is indicated by dotted lines in fig. 1. The wall is in two, or more, sections, depending on the size of the stage. Goat with plastic paint to obtain a rough texture and finish in light shell pink, with decorative stuff in light green and blue. Two steps lead from the platform, through the circular gate opening to the stage in front of the wall. The opening is hung with blue silk or sateen drapes, k fig. 5, appropriately decorated, and operated, from offstage, on iron rod tracks as shown in fig. 5, j ; the operating devise consisting of pull cords running through small pulleys or screweyes. The hanging is split in the middle, one-half traveling to each side, and weighted with chains placed in bottom hems. The large tree can be a set or a profile. Paint trunk and branches in bright orange, red, magenta, turquoise and purples; foliage in light Tuscan defined in orange, blue and purple. Parts of the garden wall is covered with bright artificial flowers, or with natural greens in which flowers are interwoven. The large urns or vases may in some localities be borrowed from tile works or landscape gardeners, or they can be fashioned from papier-mache. Apply Grecian decorations. The large shell, fig. 1 plate A, is made from wall board or it can be of papier-mache over a wire-screen frame. The shell is reinforced with a batten frame as indicated by dotted lines fig. 1 and by (a) fig. 2 and 3. A heavy plate glass, b, is fitted into the platform directly under the lower shell and an opening in the shell admits light from a bank of floods or reflectors, c. Do shell in aluminum bronze, headlight with metallics and shade in colored bronzes. Operate the lights on winkers and use color mediums to produce a changing color effect. Fig. 1 is a front view, fig. 2 and 3 side and top, respectively. The first gate tableau, that of the ship sailing across the wrater, is shown in detail in the cross section fig. 4. d and e denote the distant cliffs, which are cut from wall board. The water, g, is also a wall board panel with a slit through which the ship, f, glides. The ship may be a small model or merely a cut-out from wall board equipped with mast and sail. The ship is carried along on a piece of tin, placed vertically through the water-panel slit. Screweyes, attached to the lower part of the tin, guide the ship over taut wire or iron rod tracks. The sail is of light, airy material, such as Georgette, and is blown by a fan placed offstage. Do distant cliffs in blue and purple with highlighting in pink and lavender. Water deep blue with wave deflations in turquoise. Highlight in silver metallics to take and reflect sunbeams. Ship in gold, vermillion and white. Sail in white. Figure 5, plate A, shows the panel against which the acrobats are posed. The centaur, cut from wall board, is set two or three inches in front of the palisado backing, i. Do the latter in imitation bronze, using copper bronze for coating and brown, green and orange for shade and highlights. The centaur gets alluminum bronze. In figures 1 and 5, plate A, the circular gate opening is indicated by dotted lines and Production Wrinkles to show the comparative sizes of the set pieces. The Pandora Box is easily made from an empty apple box or similar packing case. A block under each of the four corners will serve as legs. Cut the sides and ends to desired shape from wall board and fasten to the box. The top is a wood frame covered with wall board and hinged to the box. Paint a bright Chinese Vermillion with decorative motifs in gold and black. This should be done in “flat” colors (colors ground in japan dryer and thinned to working consistency with turpentine) and varnished to resemble lacquer. The entire setting is viewed through an arch consisting of two grecian columns, D fig. 1 and 2, supporting the beam (border) E. Do the arch in light pearl grey or white, with decorative motif in darker gray and black to suggest relief. Novelty Suggestion “BLEEDING” COLORS In repainting old scenery some colors are found to “bleed” or “strike through” the coating applied over them. These colors are usually found to be reds or blues and are made from materials containing or mixed with aniline. A coat of orange shellac over such spots will usually remedy the trouble. For more severe “bleeding” coat with shellac bronze paint. (Aluminum bronze mixed in shellac.) CUTTING WALL BOARD For cutting wall board a picture framer’s mat knife will be found very serviceable. This knife consists of a hollow handle with an adjustable blade. Have a small emery wheel handy to grind the blade to a point, then sharpen on oil stone. Good hard blades are essential, a soft blade dulls too soon. Where much cutting is done it will pay to install a cutting machine. A machine especially made for this work is now on the market. It consists of an electric motor driving a cutting chisel, much the same as a sewing machine drives the needle, and is portable and adaptable to large or small work. FRAMES In building heavy or large temporary frames for flats or special scenery use scraps of wall board for “scabs,” nailed to back of frame, over joints. Three ply wood veneer makes excellent “scabs” for permanent frames that are used and recovered frequently. PASTE Prepared cold water paste is, as its name implies, a dry paste prepared for use by simply adding the necessary amount of hot or cold water. If prepared paste is not obtainable a small quantity of excellent paste may be made as follows : In a gallon receptacle, empty lard pail or clean paint pot, place a cupful of white flour. Add enough lukewarm water to make to consistency of thick batter; beat until smooth and add boiling water gradually until the paste cooks or “turns” thick. Stir with a flat paddle while adding the boiling water. Thin to working consistency with hot or cold water. Note : The water must be boiling in order to “turn” the paste. Unless the paste “turns” it will have no strength. To keep the paste sweet, add a pinch of bluestone (blue vitriol). If you have Variety booked, be sure to get some of these specials. They are decidedly useful and a real novelty. One or more of these tree stumps will be found handy and effective for use in wood sets, gypsy camps and many other outdoor scenes. Set rocks can be built in much the same manner by using empty packing boxes. Nail irregular shaped pieces of wood and wall board around bottom of box and taper to top. The top is treated the same way unless the rock is also to be used for seat. In this case take a plank about two inches thick and large enough to nearly cover the box top, chip off edges unevenly before nailing in place. Cover with muslin and paint to resemble rock. How to Make Hats Window screen will be found ideal for foundation or frames for head pieces, hats, helmets, etc. This sort of screen can be given almost any conceivable shape by bending or punching; or by cutting and tacking together overlaps. Fine for base forms for plaster or papier-mache props such as vases, stands and other ornamental nic-nacs, trunks for set trees, lamp posts, masks, armours, et cetera. WATCH FOR IT! IN AN EARLY ISSUE OF JUNE Moving Picture World will publish a complete dispassionate straight from the-shoulder summary, from all exhibitor angles on the new product of every company. Carefully compiled by Epes W. Sargent. A complete and comprehensive analysis no exhibitor will care to miss. WATCH FOR IT! A SIMILAR EDITORIAL FEATURE Will Appear in Cine-Mundial Prepared by F. J. Ariza, where it will be read and quoted by the press from one end of Latin-America to the other — wherever Spanish is spoken. These two long-established Chalmers Publications serve more than half of the world’s picture amusement market