NYWIFT Blog

Women in Film & Television History: Meet Dorothy Arzner, Director, Editor, Screenwriter, Boom Inventor

By Kathryn O’Kane

Dorothy Arzner (1897 – 1979) is one of the most prolific directors of early American cinema, having worked with some of the biggest stars of the era including Katharine Hepburn and Joan Crawford in the 1920s and ‘30s.

She is also the first woman to direct a film with sound. It was during such a project The Wild Party (1929) that Arzner is credited with inventing the boom microphone. To allow Clara Bow more freedom to move around the set, Arzner suspended a fishing rod above the actress and attached a microphone to the end of it. This prototype boom mic has become an essential piece of sound equipment for modern media production.

Dorothy-Arzner

(via Senses of Cinema)

Learn more about Dorothy Arzner on the Senses of Cinema website.

PUBLISHED BY

nywift

nywift New York Women in Film & Television supports women calling the shots in film, television and digital media.

View all posts by nywift

2 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

*

*

Related Posts

Disney+ Celebrates National Pet Day with Heartwarming New Documentary “Pets” Directed by Bryce Dallas Howard

Disney+ is tugging at the heartstrings this National Pet Day with the premiere of its latest original documentary, Pets, debuting April 11. Directed by Bryce Dallas Howard, the film dives into the extraordinary relationships that exist between humans and their animals — no matter the species, no matter the place. In our exclusive interview, Bryce Dallas Howard shared how the collaboration with Imagine Documentaries — and her father Ron Howard — helped bring her vision to life. Along with aspects which will make audiences interested in watching even if they are not pet owners and more!

READ MORE

NYWIFT Program Recap: “Daughters” at Hamptons Doc Fest

In December 2024, NYWIFT was proud to co-present a screening of the new documentary "Daughters" at Hamptons Doc Fest, followed by a Q&A with filmmakers Angela Patton and Natalie Rae moderated by NYWIFT CEO Cynthia Lopez. In this powerful documentary, four girls prepare to reunite with their fathers through a special dance at a DC jail in this moving documentary about the healing power of love. We offer a recap of the conversation plus a video of the Q&A to watch after you've seen the film, which is now available on Netflix.

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member Sydney Giacomazzi

Sydney Giacomazzi is a writer and producer re-cultivating her Idaho roots in Brooklyn, NY. Her pilot script, Hidden Springs placed 2nd at the 2022 Shore Scripts Pilot Competition. It was also featured on Coverfly’s RedList, landing in the top 20 and top 1% for all TV half-hour pilots. Starved, her debut as a director, was nominated for “Best Original Story” at Cannes Shorts and won “Best Experimental Film” at the New York Short Film Festival. When she’s not writing, Sydney spends her time worrying about how she’s not writing. She calms her angst by people watching over a plate of diner pancakes. Get to know her in our latest interview!

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Muriel Omur Ilbas

Welcome to NYWIFT, Muriel Omur Ilbas! After working in television broadcasting, journalism, and advertising over 20 years in France and in Turkey, Muriel specialized in communication strategies and brand management consultancy, executive and intercultural coaching for French, Turkish and global companies as well as NGO’s including the United Nations agencies and the National Democratic Institute based in Washington DC. Since 1997, she produced and directed 10 biographic documentaries of famous Turkish businesspeople, artists and innovators. In recent years, Muriel has prioritized coaching and mentorships, and since 2010, has provided more than 2000 hours of executive, leadership, intercultural and empowerment coaching to worldwide corporate clients. Get to know her in our latest interview!

READ MORE
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER
css.php