TELEVISION WORK

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 74, 24 September 1936, Page 19

TELEVISION WORK

DANCER'S EXPERIENCE ;

Comparatively, unfamiliar .in > the Dominions, the < word telecist. is one which has come into-general 'use. in England, and an' account given by Miss Laurie Devine, a stage^daricer, who arrived in Sydney by the Moreton'Bay, suggests that television as a medium of world-wide entertainment is not far off (states the "Sydney Morning Herald").

■Miss Devine claims to have more experience of telecasting than anyone else in the world, and made between 150 and 200 telecasts with the 8.8.C.. before they closed down their studios, to commence work with their new studios at the Alexandra Palace.

"At first, the work was largely experimental," said Miss Devine. ■> "Some of the first telecasts were terrible, and we had to experiment with lighting and make-up. The studio is of glass and darkened, with a strong beam focusing on the figure. We had to be careful of movements anil keep within the radius of the beam, otherwise a part of the figure might' be cut off from the projected^ picture. My turns were mostly dancing, though, with my brother, I appeared in short plays. Dances had to be ■ specially arranged for television, for all movements took place practically on- one spot. No more than three actors could appear at once in a play."

"While television is still in such, an experimental stage, women are more in demand for telecasting than men. A woman makes a prettier picture, and her dressing gives more variety to a setting. At first, blondes were photographically better,than brunettes, but that hasbeen adjusted by improvement in lighting.

Mr. Noel Coward is numbered among her friends, and she describes him as being "absolutely charming and terribly clever, though he never appears to be conscious of it." His numbers, "Dance, Little Lady," and ' "Lofeli" •were written for Miss Devin*.