FILMS AND THE STUDIOS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 654, 4 May 1929, Page 25

FILMS AND THE STUDIOS

IS Hl'j /> -GUy Jf f.A ’ Where are the riders of the purple, sage and men of the plains? A Hollywood student of the capriciousness of taste has discovered that Ken Maynard is the last of them. Tom Mix is in vaudeville, Hoot Gibson has largely deserted the bronco for the airplane. Fred Thompson has gone, Tim McCoy is in Europe, and Jack Holt is in other fields. SUCCESS OF ’D.IW.V” Following upon enthusiastic receptions of the picture, “Dawn,” at Paris, comes the cabled news of the triumph at Melbourne on the occasion of its premiere at Hoyt’s new Regent Theatre. The first week’s receipts constituted a record. “Dawn” has now been shown in every part of the British Empire with the exception of New Zealand. DIVORCES OF V. 928 During the year 1928, motion-pic-ture stars were well represented in the Divorce Courts of America. Ten important stars and many of the lesser-known actresses were granted marital freedom. The 10 leading players were: Louise Brooks, Helene Costello, Dorothy Mackaill, Jacqueline Logan. Mabel Forrest, Blanche Mehaffey, Edna May, Virginia Brown Faire, Madge Bellamy and Peggy Prevost. * * * fjeu scenes In most films of to-day there are about 400 scenes, a scene In the film sense ending when a movement of the camera takes place or the viewpoint of the spectator is altered. The pictures of some German and Russian producers have 2,000 to 4,000 scenes, which means that a scene lasts oh an average, one or two seconds instead of 20 seconds. Work of this k'ihn demands meticulously careful

preparation of scenarios, ami makes tho work of editing the resultant scraps of film equally as important as the work of the director. * * * CAMERAS AND CRANE One of the interesting features in the photographing of a cabaret set in Universal’s “Broadway” was the use of eight cameras simultaneously from various angles. The accompanying sound and dialogue was recorded on a single sound track which was transferred to the finished film. The autocrane camera platform, constructed at a cost said to be £5,000, is also used on the set. It is a noiseless electrical crane constructed to place the camera in any desired position.