Picturegoer (1923)

22 BntisK Studio Gossi Pic/-\jre s and P/chjf^e ^ver as well as acted it, which made it very realistic, from the onlookers' point of \ie\v. The New Lawley Apparatus. After tea, we roamed about the studio at will, from the cellars, where the films are stored, up winding stairs to the printing plant, and cutting, joining, and title writers' ri^ms, and watched the mechanical SEPTEMBER 1923 A Unique Occasion. Wanda Hawley I and Nigel Barrie went through the rather trying ordeal of " emoting " before rows and rows of interested spectators at Gaumonts last month. The Faculty of Arts paid the studio a visit, and a few scenes from The Lights of London were filmed to show them exactly how it was done. This intellectual Society boasts of a most distinguished members' list, and celebrities. Dame Clara Butt and other celebrities watched carefully, and afterwards the famous singer chatted to the players. Madge SliKirl and l\' alter Tcui.y sou in " Consirif'ls of Misfortiiiir " As Others Saw Us. All the visitors were filmed as they came in, and though some acted as to the manner born, most of us had some kind of a shock whc. we saw ourselves as we appear to the rest of a patient world. .Mercifully only a few real artistes were present at the screening. Wanda Hawley said later that even KreL^ler's violin solo (they had music to .itrr ^jp their feelings), wasn't so effective \n making her .shed tears ,is usu.il, for she ooiildn'i get usid Id (he rows and rows of faces right ((()()nsite. Kvtii thiii someone soliniiil) assured iiu te.i I line that " tliey wi re i^l)bL-eriiie te.irs." Hut they wiTeii'l. W.mda's distress was (|uite geiiuiiu . Xigcl Barrie spoke his part side of movies at work. Gaumont's have a wonderful new printing plant, an Englishman's invention, W'hich accomplishes by means of a 40 h.p. engine, the work that used to take a large staff all their time to cope with. I watched the process right through. The reel of film runs off a winder, without being touched by hand at all. Then the printed picture runs ofT another winder into a series of long tubes which descend to the ground level Next comes a vacuum cleaner, staining tubes, and finally it is dried by means of filtered hot air driven into brass tubes by electrical fan pumps. Of course the tanks which feed the tubes with chemicals, dyei, etc., are filled by hand, but very few operators are re(|uireil. Comprehensive Information. A thought -provoking address on lilin prodiu-ing in general was given by (.".iptaiii Calvert, fully bearing out the il.iims of the film for attention as ail art (The Faculty of Arts has its Kinema Sweep), and all of the Victor MacLaglcn and Marjorie Hume in a film of fJie Regency period. " outsiders " felt that they knew considerably more about movies when they left than when they came. A perfect model of the country house used for The Lights of London won everyone's admiration. The ingenuity with which very common objects of domesticity — sponges, etc., were utilized as trees and shrubs caused much amusement, too. A clump of small bushe$ proved on examination to be one of those wire entanglements used for cleaning out frying pans (so I was told). Of course it was stained green, but was, nevertheless, quickly spotted by a kcen-cycd lady visitor. Some Britishers Abroad. Oaham \Vilco.\ Production are at work in X'^ienna, with Betty Blythe and Maurice Ward at the head of a Hilda Bayley and Stewart Rome ■' The IVoman who Obeyed'