the citizen kane crash course in cinematography

THE CITIZEN KANE CRASH COURSEON CINEMATOGRAPHY

A wildly fictional account of how Orson Welles learned everythingabout the Art of Cinematography in half an hour. Or, was it a weekend?

By David Worth

Ship Date: August 08Pub Date: September 08

Price: $19.95 USISBN: 9781932907469

Published by Michael Wiese Productions

Distributed by Ingram Publisher Services

A wildly fictional account of how Orson Welles learned everything about the Art of Cinematography in half an hour. Or was it a weekend?

DAVID WORTH

CRASH COURSE ON CINEMATOGRAPHY

CITIZEN KANE

THE

VIII FOREWORD by Bruce Campbell

X ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

X I I PREFACE: “ The more things change the more they stay the same”

1 ACT I: THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD Welles & Toland / The Commissary / The Award / The Whisky / The BS / The Deal

17 ACT II: TOES, T%&T, TITS, TEETH The Beverly Hills Hotel / The Brown Derby / Musso & Frank / The Roosevelt / The Suite / Camera / Magazine / Film / Lenses / 24mm / 50mm / 75mm / 100mm

49 ACT III: LET THERE BE LIGHT Pinks / Natural Light / Unnatural Light / Hard / Soft / Reflected / Key / Kick / Fill / Only Six Places

67 ACT IV: OBJECTS AT REST OR IN MOTION Santa Monica / The S.S. Rex / The Raid / The Pig / Blocking / Coverage / Continuity / Dolly / Track / Crane

91 ACT V: FRANKLY, ORSON, I DON’T GIVE A DAMN The Lab / The Editing / The Sound / The Premier / The Bar / The Exit

105 ACT VI: AN APPENDIX Cinematography / Biographies and Filmographies / Source Material / Tables and Charts /

130 ABOUT THE AUTHOR / Promotional

TABLE OF CONTENTS

vii

WELLES ON THE RADIO / WAR OF THE WORLDS HEADLINE

The Citizen Kane Crash Course on Cinematography | David Worth 1

The Orson Welles phenomenon that swept across America in 1939, after he had unleashed

his radio play based on the H. G. Wells book War of the Worlds, was astounding, and the

executives in Hollywood basically saw nothing but big box office dollars looming up on

their horizons. So much so that RKO Studios more or less offered Mr. Welles carte blanche,

even tossing in the unheard-of addendum of having “Final Cut” on his very first

feature film. The additional perks, which enabled their new resident genius to remain

ACT I

THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD

The Citizen Kane Crash Course on Cinematography | David Worth2

deliriously content, gorging himself on imported whiskey, filet mignon, and call girls in

the Presidential Suite at the Beverly Hills Hotel — well, this seemed to the RKO execu-

tives a small price to pay for having the Boy Wonder and their newly appointed Cash

Cow securely inside their darkened sound stages, making them a movie.

Gregg Toland was eleven years older than Mr. Welles who was just twenty-

five years old in 1940. Over the preceding twelve years, Toland had amassed more than

fifty feature film credits and by the age of only thirty-six he was already an Academy

Award–winning cinematographer. He was considered to be at the very top of his game

and was also thought to have few, if any, peers in the Hollywood community.

Still, even with all of that experience and adulation, Toland somehow knew that

if he attained this film with the “Boy Wonder,” Orson Welles, it would place him into

another league altogether. Maybe it was because of the stir that Welles had caused with his

War of the Worlds hysteria or maybe it was simply because of his age and the fact that he was

the youngest Hollywood director ever. Whatever the reason, and whatever the cost, Toland

knew that he had to photograph what would become Citizen Kane, and he had already

resolved not to let anything knock him off course

Toland had been around the block in Hollywood. He had seen and done plenty, so

he wasn’t easily shocked. He didn’t care if Welles was drunk, he didn’t care if Welles took

drugs, he didn’t care if Welles f#%ked every actress and actor in the Screen Actors Guild in

front of him twice, he didn’t even care if Welles donned a bed sheet with KKK scrawled


on the front of it and then whistled “Dixie” out of his ass. Toland just didn’t care, he would

not be deterred, and nothing was going to keep him from his destiny.

Gregg Toland was born in May 1904 in Illinois, Orson Welles was born in May

1915 in Wisconsin. These two Midwest, middle Americans guys, who were already titans

of entertainment, Welles in the theater and radio and Toland in the movies, were about to

join forces. The result would become what most experts on “The Cinema” still consider to

be “The Best Film Ever Made” and most certainly the most advanced piece of cinematic

art that had been created up to, including, and well beyond that point in time.


Int. — RKO Commissary — Day

Gregg Toland cautiously approaches Orson Welles at his corner table in the commissary. It

is already after lunch and the place is nearly empty, except for Mr. Welles who is presently

having his second rib eye steak cooked rare and is washing it down with a tumbler glass of

whiskey, while behind him a tuxedoed waiter stands dutifully by. In one graceful motion

Mr. Toland places his Academy Award down on the table.

Gregg

That’s the Academy Award, Mr. Welles.

Orson

I know what the f#*k it is, Gregg, I’ll have

three of those doozies by this time next year.

Gregg

I won it working with Willy Wyler... I

should have won it working with Mr. Ford...

and I’d like to win another one working with

you, Mr. Welles.


Orson

Only three great American Directors, Gregg...

John Ford, John Ford, and John Ford.

Gregg

I won’t argue with you... but I think that I can

help you become the next great American

Director, Mr. Welles.

Mr. Welles liked the sound of that; he liked it well enough to refrain from placing the

next morsel of rare rib eye into his mouth, smile and unctuously gesture for the Academy

Award-toting cameraman to sit down. Orson

Sit, Gregg... have a drink.

Gregg

Whatever your having, Mr. Welles, only

I’ll have a double.

Mr. Welles regarded his tumbler glass of whiskey as though he had just been given a

challenge, albeit one that he could easily handle and no doubt better.


Orson

Spoken like a true professional... Hastings...

Hastings, who gave the impression that he had been predestined by The Creator to fawn

over the Boy Wonder’s every culinary desire, flicked a bit of lint off of his impeccable

tuxedo, then adeptly poured Mr. Toland two large glasses of whiskey. Gregg immediately

polished off half of the first glass and smiled at Mr. Welles.

Gregg

Fifty films, Mr. Welles, I’ve already done

fifty feature films and most of them were

pretty big deals too.

Orson

Bullshit. Most of them were studio drivel

and you know it. The only good ones were

Les Miserables, Dead End, Wuthering Heights,

and The Grapes of Wrath.

Gregg forces a half smile and then finishes off his first glass of whiskey.


Gregg

Thanks for giving me credit for four films

out of the fifty... By the way I got most of

my acclaim for one of the films that you

apparently didn’t like, The Long Voyage Home.

Mr. Welles savors another succulent bite of rare rib eye before answering.

Orson

Too homoerotic for my taste, Gregg... big men...

on a big boat... big deal.

Gregg

And they say Mr. Ford is an SOB.

Orson

Do they? Then maybe that’s what it takes.

Gregg starts in earnest on his second glass of whiskey as he casually cleans a smudge off

his Academy Award and muses to himself.


Gregg

It’s not all that complicated, Mr. Welles.

Orson

Oh, for Christ’s sake, Gregg call me Orson.

All this “Mr. Welles, The Boy Wonder” stuff is

just so much bullshit.

Gregg

That’s not what Mankiewicz says.

Mr. Welles smiles at the mention of his maverick co-screenwriter on Citizen Kane and

gestures for more whiskey. Hastings never misses a beat as he silently and precisely refills

the Boy Wonder’s glass, then turns to the Academy Award winner. Gregg nods and he also

receives another brimming glass of the imported spirits.

Orson

Herman, that lush... so what does the

“Oracle of the San Fernando Valley”

have to say?


Gregg

Mank’ says whenever he sees you prowling

the various sound stages with your cape blowing

in the wind, “There but for the grace of God...

goes God!”

Orson chortles loudly, causing Hastings to imperceptibly raise an eyebrow as Mr. Welles

then hastily sops up the succulent remnants from his rib eye with several pieces of sourdough

bread, and not wanting to waste a drop of the amber sauce hurries them into his mouth.

Orson

The old f#%ker’s probably right.

Orson pauses to swallow the tasty morsels, then he locks eyes with Gregg who attentively

waits for Mr. Welles to continue.

Orson

You want to shoot my movie, right, Gregg?

And by the way what’s... “not all that

complicated?”


Gregg

Yes, I want to shoot your movie... and

learning how to make movies, Orson, it’s

actually not all that complicated.

Orson

Fine. Here’s the deal then... I know nothing

at all about filmmaking... I’ve got a big ego

and a bigger IQ, I’m a quick study and I want

you to teach me what you know.

Gregg leans back savoring the moment, weighing the offer. Then he takes a long, slow

quaff of his whiskey.

Gregg

That’s really the reason that I want to work

with you, Orson... because the only way to

learn something... is from someone who

doesn’t know anything.

Orson smiles at this young man’s wisdom and insight as Gregg takes another slug of

whiskey and continues.

Gregg

Cinematography, Mr. Welles... Orson... it’s like

becoming a concert violinist... it takes a lifetime

of... practice... of sacrifice... of dedication...

Orson

OK, that’s the “Life magazine” answer Gregg...

Now cut the bullshit and give it to me straight...

How long?

Gregg sees that Mr. Welles is deadly serious. He takes a deep breath, then glances at

Hastings, who knowingly nods, then turns and busies himself with a bottle of bitters.

Gregg guardedly looks around the empty commissary to make sure that nobody hears

what he’s about to say, then he leans in close and whispers.

Gregg

Two days...


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