Another method of establishing countries is the use of famous structures, such as the Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower or Trafalgar Square. This is not a problem of design, but of mere reproduc tion. Frequently, however, the designer faces a tremendous prob lem for solution in instances apparently calling only for pure reproduction. Such a problem was present in designing sets for Marie Antoinette, the main action of which occurred in the Palace of Versailles. Of Versailles, Ferguson' says, "Internally the design is as objectionable as that of the exterior. The entrance is mean ; there is no portico, no grand hall, no staircase worthy of such a palace, no vestibule, or any arrangement that would im part either dignity or poetry to the whole." The action of the story required a grand hall and a staircase "worthy of such a palace." Here then the designer was faced not with reproducing Versailles but with designing in true Mansart style, one non existent element and "improving" another. This had to be done so convincingly as to arouse a minimum of adverse criticism from the thousands who have seen Versailles itself.
A further problem complicated the "reproduction" of Versailles. The Hall of Mirrors is one of the most gorgeous apartments in Europe, but its dimensions are 320)(35 feet. To a camera this would seem to be merely a long tunnel with no points of interest and leading nowhere. Obviously, reality had to be circumvented. This meant designing and building a hall of proportions which belied the truth, yet permitted those who had seen Versailles to believe they were viewing reality. Beside falsifying the propor tions of the hall, it was necessary to design a greatly simplified conception of the interior which would simultaneously seem as ornate as the original, and yet not become so "busy" as to detract from the foreground action.
Aside from problems of designing authentic-seeming yet non existent rooms and distorting the actual proportions of others, liberties had to be taken with the plan, or geography, of the palace. Story action demanded that certain rooms be near each other which, in reality (Versailles being 1,88oft. long), were sometimes a quarter-of-a-mile apart. The irony of this difficult type of set design is that in exactly that degree in which these problems are solved, in just that degree does the work pass un noticed. As contrasted to the stage designer who may do four or five productions, the supervising motion picture designer will turn out as many as 52 productions in one year. He is usually given a script and told that production must start within a week or ten days. Only on a few pictures does he get more time.
Suppose the scene is mediaeval France and requires as back ground an old castle on a hill with a village at its base. This en tire layout, interiors and exteriors, must be designed, constructed, and ready to photograph in a week or ten days. Though it is essential that the designer create an authentic background of the period, he can only play fleetingly with general masses and corn position. He must depend upon his knowledge and things which he has at some time half imagined. All this is thrown almost helter skelter into a castle and village set. That the result is as satisfy ing as sometimes develops, is a source of continuous amazement to most designers. However, as the production of motion pic tures becomes more smoothly organized, producers are realizing the economic value of preparation before actual photography of a picture. Nevertheless, difficulties which arise in adapting plays and novels to the screen, as well as unavailability or illness of cast, still produce the "rush" element in motion picture design.
Many present-day interiors and exteriors use the most modern forms of architecture. As these are simple and provide excellent backgrounds, there is no reason why they should not continue in use. The early acceptance of modern architecture was greatly accelerated by its popularization in motion picture sets. The first picture to use modern architecture was Our Dancing Daughters in 1928.