BADASSES FROM THE PAST
"Sarah Y. Mason... was the very first Continuity Girl. Today the term is Script Supervisor.
Mason was invited to Hollywood in 1917 by none other than Academy co-founder Douglas Fairbanks after he saw her in a high school play. The plan was to have her perform alongside Fairbanks in Arizona (1918), but they decided on a different actress.
Mason convinced Dwan that she could be a great benefit to the production by taking notes on each scene to prevent continuity errors. Dwan agreed and Mason’s duties eventually expanded to keep an eye out for potential anachronisms which were common in cinema in the 1920s - an art that was still quite new. Mason’s attention to detail and keen eye saved the studio so much money by avoiding retakes that she was hired full time and the position spread throughout Hollywood.
In 1933 Mason received an Oscar, along with her husband Victor Heerman, during the 6th Academy Awards in Writing for adapting “Little Women” for the screen."
Comments