New Television and Radio Services 137 



Shakespeare's prescription and 'suit the action to the word.' 

 Even actors trained for motion pictures find it necessary to 

 adapt themselves to television. 



"In motion pictures, the action is shot scene by scene with 

 convenient intermissions. The director rehearses his cast until 

 he is satisfied with its performance. The actor need not mem- 

 orize lines for more than one or two scenes at a time. After 

 shooting a long succession of scenes, the final picture is assem- 

 bled by editors in the cutting room. The actors themselves 

 seldom realize the full scope of the action until they have seen 

 the completed picture on a screen. 



"In television, the actor must know his lines verbatim 

 before he steps up to the camera. There are no interruptions 

 or pauses in a television performance. There are no retakes, 

 such as may occur in motion pictures to achieve an improved 

 performance. In television, if a mistake is made it must be 

 'covered up' quickly and naturally. This requires considerable 

 adroitness on the part of the actors. When the show is under 

 way, the player is on his own, for better or for worse; and 

 if he forgets his lines, he must improvise. In television, it is 

 hard to prompt a stumbling actor. The producer sits in the 

 control booth behind a plate glass window, and the only way 

 he can reach an actor is through the studio manager with 

 whom he is in telephonic communication. The actor must 

 shoulder the responsibility of making a scene continuous. . . ." 



Mr. Lohr believes that one of the most significant fields of 

 television broadcast will be in educational and news broad- 

 casts: 



"Such material has contributed much to the success of sound 

 radio, but introduction of long verbal dissertations soon tires 

 the most patient listener. Television promises to offset this 

 serious handicap to a large extent, because it broadcasts ani- 

 mated pictures that illustrate ideas more rapidly and effec- 

 tively than words. 



