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B E N C A R R É | P E R S P E C T I V E 1 5 D. BEN CARRÉ, WALL ELEVATION FIELD SKETCH STUDY. (PEN ON GRAPH PAPER.) E. BEN CARRÉ, PERSPECTIVE STUDY OF COLONNADE AND PEDIMENT. (PEN ON GRAPH PAPER.) F. BEN CARRÉ, PARISIAN ROOF DORMER PERSPECTIVE STUDY. (PEN ON GRAPH PAPER.) G. PARISIAN ROOFTOPS, BEN CARRÉ. (WATERCOLOR ON PAPER.) H. SET BUILDERS WORKING AT GEORGES MÉLIÉS STUDIO, MONTREUIL, PARIS, CIRCA 1897. occasionally documented in brief outlines, as screenwriting had not yet been invented. Birth of Cinema Art Direction 1896 In 1896, Art Direction for narrative motion pictures was rapidly evolving in Georges Méliès new Montreuil Studio. Méliès was a true auteur, artist, writer, producer, thespian and magician. His techniques, mechanics and story concepts influenced the work of all his competitors in Paris. The first Art Directors for motion pictures were Scenic Artists and designers of décor hired from the theatre. They were expected to design, engineer, paint, decorate, prop and create the special effects for all their studio's pictures whether filmed on location or within the simple sets built on their new stages. Because controlled electrical lighting had not yet been perfected, motion pictures depended on natural daylight. Out of necessity, the stages were glass buildings like greenhouses. They were outfitted with wooden platforms, mechanical equipment and rigging that was common in the theatrical stages. Truant Youth 1896 At the age of 13, Ben became tired of his rigorous Catholic schooling. Dropping out of middle school without telling his mother, Ben chose to pursue an elective education. Swims in the river Seine, walking through the Tuileries, attending performances of the circus and making unauthorized explorations of the Louvre Museum were now his curriculum. Fortunately, Ben possessed natural talents in art, literature and mathematics. When the nuns informed his mother of her son's H G D E F