Multiple set-ups, an example from 1917

(this is just a follow-up on this post)

Vivian M. Moses, in an article (“With Art as Her Handmaiden”) published in The Moving Picture Worldof July 21, 1917, offers this illustration of how widespread continuity principles, with multiple camera set-ups, were accepted by  1917 : it’s a shooting diagram from Hugo Ballin, for a scene for Baby Mine, with Madge Kennedy. (In his article Moses celebrates the arrival of several artists at Goldwyn’s as a sign that movies are growing up.)

Continuity editing must have been firmly entrenched by 1917 for Ballin to pick it up so quickly. Notice too how Ballin has picked up on another Hollywood trait — the desire for control: everything is either “selected by HB” or has to be “submitted to HB” or must be referred “to HB”. Sounds like Sam Goldwyn, in an effort to maximise on his investment in big name artists, has given them a free hand…

Here’s that document: