King Vidor October 8, 1969 at USC

Year Published: 1969

Description: The discussion highlights the evolution of early filmmaking, from simple studio setups and shared production spaces to advancements in lighting, camera technology, and film coloring. It explores the challenges of location shooting, sound integration, and financial struggles faced by independent fil... #FilmmakingHistory #EarlyCinema #ProductionTechniques #HollywoodEvolution #InnovativeFilmmaking Timeline 00:00:21 - 00:02:50 Early Film Studio Setup 00:00:51 Early film studios could be established by renting a bungalow with a good backyard, which served as the office and filming area. 00:01:27 The stage was a simple, open wooden platform elevated slightly off the ground, with telephone poles supporting diffusers. 00:01:52 White diffusers were used for day scenes and black diffusers for night scenes, with many films shot without artificial lights. 00:02:06 For night scenes, reflectors were used to direct sunlight, creating a front-lit effect that was common in early filmmaking. 00:02:50 - 00:05:39 Early Film Production and Set Design 00:02:50 Early film productions would allow sets to get wet during rain, but as salaries increased, they started using tarpaulins and cleag lights to continue working in bad weather. 00:03:29 The speaker recalls the massive Babylonian set for Griffith's "Intolerance," which occupied a square block across Hollywood Boulevard from the Griffith studios. 00:04:20 A boom shot for "Intolerance" was achieved using a camera in a captive balloon, capturing a vast courtyard and a flight of steps. 00:05:01 The Babylonian set featured thousands of people and horses running chariots on high structures, a remarkable feat for that period, though it was an exception to typical set designs. 00:05:39 - 00:08:15 Early Studio Set Design and Challenges 00:05:39 Early film sets were often open stages with no front walls, allowing multiple sets to be lined up next to each other. 00:06:33 Directors often had to use megaphones of various sizes to be heard over the noise from adjacent sets, as a quiet voice would be drowned out. 00:07:15 Initially, studios primarily used a single camera angle, with most shooting done from in front of the set, though this slowly evolved. 00:07:50 Comedy studios, like those on Gower and Sunset, also lined up their sets, sometimes having three sets for one picture or leaving certain living room sets standing. 00:08:15 - 00:11:18 Early Hollywood Studio Locations and Practices 00:08:15 The speaker notes that Hollywood wasn't always the sole center of film production, with studios located in various areas like Santa Monica, Edendale, Balboa, and even toward Malibu. 00:09:13 The Metro studio, initially on Romaine Street in Hollywood, moved to Culver City after becoming Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where Ince also had a studio. 00:09:42 Early studios often featured a single open stage, which was inexpensive to build, and bungalows were rented cheaply for offices, allowing for quick set construction, often using stock sets. 00:10:24 A small studio on Fountain Avenue had its own lab where filmmakers could personally process and tint film to achieve specific effects like sunsets or night scenes without extensive lighting. 00:11:18 - 00:15:36 The Evolution of Filmmaking 00:11:18 The speaker discusses the preservation of old films, noting the challenges of reduplicating original colors and the sophisticated use of color in early cinema, such as in Griffith's Broken Blossoms. 00:12:16 Many old films were beautifully colored using both tinting and toning, which allowed for contrasting colors and different effects on the film emulsion and highlights. 00:13:27 Early filmmaking involved going on location with a single automobile, allowing for spontaneous stops to shoot scenes when the light or setting was ideal. 00:14:40 Filmmaking evolved from simple, spontaneous shoots to large-scale operations involving many people and vehicles, making spontaneous location shooting impossible due to the need for extensive pre-planning. 00:15:36 - 00:19:54 Evolution of Studio Lighting 00:15:36 Early Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, originally Triangle Studio, featured glass-walled stages to utilize daylight before the advent of sound necessitated changes. 00:16:57 The widespread adoption of artificial lighting, particularly by larger studios like Paramount, began around 1918-1919, while smaller studios struggled with the cost. 00:18:18 The next major development in lighting involved dangerous Cooper Hewitt fluorescent banks, which were heavy, prone to falling, and eventually led to the implementation of safety cables. 00:19:27 Initial lighting policy involved flooding sets with front light, which later evolved to include more use of spot lighting. 00:19:54 - 00:25:06 Evolution of Camera Technology and Filming Techniques 00:20:00 The conversation begins by discussing the time-consuming process of lighting each piece of furniture on a set and the transition from hand-cranked to battery-driven cameras. 00:20:43 The speaker recalls how cameramen for comedians like Harold Lloyd were skilled at manually adjusting camera speed and aperture to enhance comedic effects, making them almost as important as the stars themselves. 00:22:06 Challenges with early motor-driven cameras included inconsistent speeds due to batteries running down, making it difficult to maintain a constant pace, which was later resolved with the advent of sound and interlocked systems. 00:23:18 Silent films, originally shot at 16 frames per second, were often projected faster in theaters, sometimes at 24 frames per second, to the dismay of actors like Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd, who felt their performances were sped up. 00:25:06 - 00:32:15 Early Filmmaking Experiences 00:25:06 The speaker discusses his first feature film, "The Turnin' the Road," which was financed by doctors and dentists and cost $9,000 to make. 00:26:41 He recalls the high cost of film production, noting that a top picture at Universal City cost a dollar a foot, while his film had a much lower budget. 00:29:08 The speaker explains his motivation for entering filmmaking, citing an interest in mechanics, photography, writing, and theater. 00:31:01 He describes an innovative boom shot technique he developed using Cooper Hewitts lights on tracks to achieve a dynamic shot in a crowd scene. > Generated by WayinVideo | https://wayin.ai/wayinvideo/

Complete Record: The discussion highlights the evolution of early filmmaking, from simple studio setups and shared production spaces to advancements in lighting, camera technology, and film coloring. It explores the challenges of location shooting, sound integration, and financial struggles faced by independent fil... #FilmmakingHistory #EarlyCinema #ProductionTechniques #HollywoodEvolution #InnovativeFilmmaking Timeline 00:00:21 - 00:02:50 Early Film Studio Setup 00:00:51 Early film studios could be established by renting a bungalow with a good backyard, which served as the office and filming area. 00:01:27 The stage was a simple, open wooden platform elevated slightly off the ground, with telephone poles supporting diffusers. 00:01:52 White diffusers were used for day scenes and black diffusers for night scenes, with many films shot without artificial lights. 00:02:06 For night scenes, reflectors were used to direct sunlight, creating a front-lit effect that was common in early filmmaking. 00:02:50 - 00:05:39 Early Film Production and Set Design 00:02:50 Early film productions would allow sets to get wet during rain, but as salaries increased, they started using tarpaulins and cleag lights to continue working in bad weather. 00:03:29 The speaker recalls the massive Babylonian set for Griffith's "Intolerance," which occupied a square block across Hollywood Boulevard from the Griffith studios. 00:04:20 A boom shot for "Intolerance" was achieved using a camera in a captive balloon, capturing a vast courtyard and a flight of steps. 00:05:01 The Babylonian set featured thousands of people and horses running chariots on high structures, a remarkable feat for that period, though it was an exception to typical set designs. 00:05:39 - 00:08:15 Early Studio Set Design and Challenges 00:05:39 Early film sets were often open stages with no front walls, allowing multiple sets to be lined up next to each other. 00:06:33 Directors often had to use megaphones of various sizes to be heard over the noise from adjacent sets, as a quiet voice would be drowned out. 00:07:15 Initially, studios primarily used a single camera angle, with most shooting done from in front of the set, though this slowly evolved. 00:07:50 Comedy studios, like those on Gower and Sunset, also lined up their sets, sometimes having three sets for one picture or leaving certain living room sets standing. 00:08:15 - 00:11:18 Early Hollywood Studio Locations and Practices 00:08:15 The speaker notes that Hollywood wasn't always the sole center of film production, with studios located in various areas like Santa Monica, Edendale, Balboa, and even toward Malibu. 00:09:13 The Metro studio, initially on Romaine Street in Hollywood, moved to Culver City after becoming Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where Ince also had a studio. 00:09:42 Early studios often featured a single open stage, which was inexpensive to build, and bungalows were rented cheaply for offices, allowing for quick set construction, often using stock sets. 00:10:24 A small studio on Fountain Avenue had its own lab where filmmakers could personally process and tint film to achieve specific effects like sunsets or night scenes without extensive lighting. 00:11:18 - 00:15:36 The Evolution of Filmmaking 00:11:18 The speaker discusses the preservation of old films, noting the challenges of reduplicating original colors and the sophisticated use of color in early cinema, such as in Griffith's Broken Blossoms. 00:12:16 Many old films were beautifully colored using both tinting and toning, which allowed for contrasting colors and different effects on the film emulsion and highlights. 00:13:27 Early filmmaking involved going on location with a single automobile, allowing for spontaneous stops to shoot scenes when the light or setting was ideal. 00:14:40 Filmmaking evolved from simple, spontaneous shoots to large-scale operations involving many people and vehicles, making spontaneous location shooting impossible due to the need for extensive pre-planning. 00:15:36 - 00:19:54 Evolution of Studio Lighting 00:15:36 Early Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, originally Triangle Studio, featured glass-walled stages to utilize daylight before the advent of sound necessitated changes. 00:16:57 The widespread adoption of artificial lighting, particularly by larger studios like Paramount, began around 1918-1919, while smaller studios struggled with the cost. 00:18:18 The next major development in lighting involved dangerous Cooper Hewitt fluorescent banks, which were heavy, prone to falling, and eventually led to the implementation of safety cables. 00:19:27 Initial lighting policy involved flooding sets with front light, which later evolved to include more use of spot lighting. 00:19:54 - 00:25:06 Evolution of Camera Technology and Filming Techniques 00:20:00 The conversation begins by discussing the time-consuming process of lighting each piece of furniture on a set and the transition from hand-cranked to battery-driven cameras. 00:20:43 The speaker recalls how cameramen for comedians like Harold Lloyd were skilled at manually adjusting camera speed and aperture to enhance comedic effects, making them almost as important as the stars themselves. 00:22:06 Challenges with early motor-driven cameras included inconsistent speeds due to batteries running down, making it difficult to maintain a constant pace, which was later resolved with the advent of sound and interlocked systems. 00:23:18 Silent films, originally shot at 16 frames per second, were often projected faster in theaters, sometimes at 24 frames per second, to the dismay of actors like Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd, who felt their performances were sped up. 00:25:06 - 00:32:15 Early Filmmaking Experiences 00:25:06 The speaker discusses his first feature film, "The Turnin' the Road," which was financed by doctors and dentists and cost $9,000 to make. 00:26:41 He recalls the high cost of film production, noting that a top picture at Universal City cost a dollar a foot, while his film had a much lower budget. 00:29:08 The speaker explains his motivation for entering filmmaking, citing an interest in mechanics, photography, writing, and theater. 00:31:01 He describes an innovative boom shot technique he developed using Cooper Hewitts lights on tracks to achieve a dynamic shot in a crowd scene. > Generated by WayinVideo | https://wayin.ai/wayinvideo/