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A film still (sometimes called a publicity still or a production still) is aphotographtaken on or off the set of

amovieortelevision programduringproduction. These photographs are also taken in formal studio settings and

venues of opportunity such as film stars' homes, film debut events, and commercial settings. The photos were taken

bystudio photographersforpromotionalpurposes. Such stills consisted of posed portraits, used for public display or

free fan handouts, which are sometimes autographed. They can also consist of posed or candid images taken on the

set during production, and may include stars, crew members or directors at work.

The main purpose of such publicity stills is to help studios advertise and promote their new films and stars. Studios

therefore send those photos along with press kits and free passes to as many movie-related publications as possible

so as to gain free publicity. Such photos were then used by newspapers and magazines, for example, to write stories

about the stars or the films themselves. Hence, the studio gains free publicity for its films, while the publication gains

free stories for its readers.

Types of stills[edit source|editbeta]

Shots can be taken as part of the filming or separately posed. During the course of filming, the still photographer

shutters on-stage scenes. These photographs are called production stills. Another type of still generated during

filming is the off-stage shot. The photographer makes these while actors are between takes, in costume, perhaps

smoking a cigarette or drinking a coke or a cup of coffee. Separately posed stills include a wide variety of shots.

Many of these have self-explanatory designations: seasonal gag shots, leg art, fashion stills, commercial tie-ups,

poster art, clinch shots (special posing for print advertising) candids (done normally with one source lightingthink

snapshot) and in-costume studies (most economically done off-stage in a sound stage corner or more formally in a

studio setting). By far the most popular of these many kinds of film stills are those portraying glamour, menace or gag

interpretations.

Other separately posed images include set stills, make-up stills and wardrobe stills. These stills are used for

matching from scene to scene, or for recreating a scene later for a re-take. All details of the set, the costume and the

cast make-up have to be exact, and these stills serve as a useful resource to get that accomplished. Background

plates or stereos, another type of still, enable the studio to create location scenes without leaving the premises,

thus reducing the ultimate cost of production.[1]

Still photographers[edit source|editbeta]

Movie still photography is considered a separate branch of movie making, that of marketing: "a photographer usually

works on set but is not directly involved in the making of a film. His role is to publicize, through his pictures, film and

actors on magazines, newspapers and other media."[2]

Film producer and cinematographer Brian Dzyak explains that

the group of people who work on a film are referred to as the "company" or "unit." Among the professionals who are

assigned to the unit, one is a "unit still photographer," whose job is to take still photos that the studios will later use for

marketing. They may take photos during rehearsals or while standing next to the cameraman during filming

oftakes.[3]

For glamour publicity stills, given out to the public and press to promote a particular star, "special shoots"

are made in separate studios, containing controlled lighting, backgrounds, clothing and furnishings.[4]

Although the still photographer shares a number of skills and functions with the cinematographer, their work is

essentially very different. The cinematographer is concerned with filming short scenes that will later be edited into an

entire movie. The still photographer is primarily concerned with capturing dramatic photos that will draw attention

when used on posters, DVD covers, and advertising.[5]

Studios would therefore assign a still photographer to a

production, and in some cases as many as five still photographers worked on the same film.

Some stars, includingRita Hayworth, chose which photographer they wanted, in her case, Robert Coburn. Other

notable still photographers wereGeorge HurrellandClarence Bull, known for beingGreta Garbo's chosen

photographer.[6][7]

Katharine Hepburnrecalls her feelings when he also photographed her:

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Clarence Bull was one of the greats I was thrilled when I went to MGM to know that he was going to photograph

me. I was terrified Was I interesting enough?

He had done Garbo for years The pictures were extraordinary. Her head his lighting they combined into

something unique.[6]

Purposes[edit source|editbeta]

Films stills on the floor in movie Simone

The major and minor film studios have always used still photos of stars, typically in a posed portrait, to send to the

media to create "a buzz" for both their stars and any new films they were appearing in. Studios "sent out tens of

thousands of scene stills and portraits to newspapers, magazines, and fans each year. Such photographs were rarely

marked with the photographer's name or with a credit line."[8]

Accordingly, the studio publicity departments used the stills "to sell a product," namely, a "particular film or an

individual actor or actress." The distinction is relevant: "While the scene stills and on-the-set candid shots would be

used to sell the movie, the portraits could be used to introduce a would-be star to an international audience. . . . The

portrait photographer's function was to create and sell the image created by a publicity department around the life and

look of a real person." The photos portrayed a star "without a role to hide behind. . . [and the photographer] had to

recognize the image which would serve as the essence of a lengthy publicity campaign, capturing it in a fraction of a

second." The glamour close-up would become "Hollywood's principal contribution to still portraiture."[8]

Beyond basic publicity purposes, film stills were given to the actors themselves to send, signed or unsigned, to their

fans and fan clubs. At various special events, stars might bring along a stack of these studio photos to sign in the

presence of admirers, much like book signings by authors today.

In addition, directors and casting directors involved with placing appropriate actors in the film roles still rely on film

stills to help them recall the detailed looks of actors. This is similar to the way magazine or TV advertisers rely on

stills taken of professional models. Typically, a film still included a separate profile sheet describing the physical

details of the actor along with a brief bio. The directors would then collect their best choices and schedule interviews

and auditions.[9]

Artistic significance[edit source|editbeta]

Maxine Ducey, film archive director, has summarized the significance and contributions of the early film stills to thefilm industry:

The curtain has long been rung down on the golden age of Hollywood portraiture, but the portraits made by the

Hollywood glamour photographers remain on stage. The photographs are a testimony to the photographers' skill and

agility, as well as to their aesthetic sensibilities. Studying these portraits, we can never forget the talent of the

photographers. We have proof of their consummate ability to capture in a single image the essence of a star, and to

communicate that information to a film viewer, magazine reader or studio executive. Hollywood portrait

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photographers were not seen as artists or creators, yet one has only to examine their legacy to be convinced of the

enduring quality of their vision as well as their craft.[8]

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