The Art of Monitoring

The qualifications of a monitor man are far greater in scope than is generally conceded. They include practical experience and a generous knowledge of subjects never touched upon when this individual is discussed openly or otherwise around the movie lots. His work has a definite relation to engineering, yet he is not wholly engineer; it has a perpetual relation to photography, yet surely he is not a photographer; most certainly it has an inseparable relation to acting, and just as certainly he is not an actor, though directors frequently call him a bad actor. He is not a mechanic. He is not a freak. He is merely a human being with a past—that is to say, his past experience makes him what he is today and fits him for his job. In fact, the value of a monitor is determined by his training prior to the advent of the Talkies plus his ability to apply himself. The man under discussion cannot be born over night nor can he be developed in a week or a month.

Print ISSN

0096-6460

Published

1929-05

Content type

Original Research

DOI

10.5594/J10213