How did George Stevens move from stage work into the film industry?

George Stevens, who was born to professional actors, began his career performing onstage at age five and later served as an actor and stage manager in his father’s theatrical troupe. While still a teenager, he transitioned into the film industry by working as a cameraman. By the early 1920s, he had secured a position as a cinematographer at Hal Roach Studios, where he began his work on shorts featuring Laurel and Hardy.1