Picture Play Magazine (Mar-Jul 1929)

52 Hoxtf to Break Into Talkies Alice Weaver is directed by Nick Grinde in a talking test, with the microphone hovering overhead. of audiences? Why, not long ago a young chap had a chance like that in a picture made by Warner Brothers — a silent picture — and did it so well that fans wrote in about him, and critics picked him out for special mention. An effort was made to find him to use him again, but he'd disappeared, leaving no address. Now, about voices. Probably you've heard of Robert Milton, famous as a stage producer and director. He went to Hollywood to direct the screen version of the stage play, "The Dummy." He immediately did away with one bugaboo by declaring that personality was more im Raquel Torres and Nils Asther show how dialogue is recorded under the direction of W. S. Van Dyke, while John Arnold photographs the scene from a glass-inclosed, soundproof booth. portant than voice, that if a player had charm that would get over, the voice could be made to take care of itself, in nine cases out of ten. As an example, he cited Zasu Pitts. He wanted her for a role in "The Dummy," but her voice test wasn't satisfactory. She was too conscious of the microphone, and too eager to use her voice correctly. He got her to sit down and talk to him, to tell him stories. Then he had her make another test, just talking naturally as she had to him, and it was fine. So don't take elocution lessons in preparation for breaking into the talkies ; you're not going to speak pieces before the camera. Of course, you'll have to speak clearly, and if your voice is monotonous you won't have much chance to succeed. Vocal monotony was a bugbear that stood in the way of Vilma Banky's talking for public consumption, that and her accent, and the fact that her voice is rather guttural. Now she is studying to correct those faults. You must be able to use your voice with feeling; Evelyn Brent's is a good example of what that means. Nor is too precise enunciation to be desired. Natural speech, clear enough to be understood easily — that's the goal to aim at. A desirable thing is what is known as "the telephone voice." When "Interference" was made, every one went around talking about Betty Brent's telephone voice. It carries well, without apparent effort on her part, and has a certain quality that keeps it from recordingso that it sounds mechanical. Some say that stage experience is desirable, some say it isn't. Bryon Foy says that acting ability is the important thing, and that it may be natural, as Lois Wilson's is, or more or less acquired, as is the case with many actresses who have worked on the stage. Robert Milton says that stage experience isn't desirable ; that stage folk are likely to have a habit of declaiming rather than just talking. Any number of picture people, who've never set foot on a stage outside the studios, are making' good in talkies, so apparently these two authorities are right. In talkies good looks are desirable, of course, but not essential as it used to be. Look at Ruth Chatterton, and then at Olga Baclanova. Not beautiful, either of them, but superb actresses. So if you've been thinking that your face could never make the grade you'd have to climb to get into pictures, you can forget about that obstacle now. So much for requirements. The only one I haven't mentioned, I take for granted that you have remembered — and that is the possession of enough money to take you to Hollywood, and keep you there till you've broken into the movie game. Now, as to methods of getting in. The methods followed for breaking into silent pictures has been to register at the Central Casting Bureau in Hollywood. But CenContinued on page 92