The San Francisco call., 1908-10-25

captured by hlm fifteen twenty minutes The
shutter is arranged pass circularly the
aperture. making instantaneous exposures and the
click of the corresponds with automatic
shifting Of the geatine negative strip hreefourths OF
inch The operator merely turning the crank OF
the machine performs all these operations at
And the ribbon is In the box. which
is nght-tight by the automatic machinery that
the shutter 1T is evident that when the picture
has been taken the negative already packed for
removal to the factory-s
Returning the studio witness the prepara-
tions a large indoor picture. There are many
scenes in moving picture series that from their his
torical magical character or being merely
comediettas. produced indoors the stage The
glass rooted portion OF the Edison studio
already mentioned being combined photographs
studio and theater The floor plan Is the letter
T. thirty forty opening right angles
into another whose dimensions forty feet deep
by sixty wide the whole width being available for
stage. Directly opposite smaller hall and facing
1t Is the painters bridge fifty feet long with
the usual arrangements hanging scenery canvases
but with the palette moving along the railing
Of the usual more less inconvenent way,
floor This device of the palette is unique Scenes
larger than those many Broadway stages be
reproduced here backgrounds thirty high and
fairgrounds forty feet deep.
In the great train robbery there wers<
ensembles of thirty persons. and it be Inn
aginsd that these cheap cap-trap performances
either. The Edison idea-AIr Porters own ambition
is to produce here the very moving pictures
obtainable. they exceed imported French
in detail and magnihcence
The scenes, painted under Mr. Stevens
the scenic artists, in distemperthat is they
only blacks, browns and whites. with the varying
Oh tnese as photographs DO not take color as
color, but only suggest it. Houses block
In a theater only with much attention to details
and naturalness W @ For the camera. unlike the eye,
realism is in every case given place effect"
Scenes indoors be taken any time, the
the studio
the apparatus controlling this light is
the device of Mr. Porter himself. strength Of
the violet rays capable being any part
Equal to thousand of the ordinary lamps. the
light concentrated the by the refeetors is
Photographic effect calculated the following
tensity Taking the street light at it's usual
equals one million candle power. such light in
violet is glaring. but is like daylight diused
perfect interchan geabe. and especially
mysterious stage lights. An ordinary theater switch
box, with spider and the usual connec-
tons used. Electric motors of different sizes
handy for mechanical effects. and there be
produced sort of scene whatever, water
A water scene? Certainly mystery Is ex-
planned when we the floor of stage. This
floor. 55xs5 feet is built in sections which
great tank the full size the stage deep.
The floor and beams are SO arranged as to render the
formation OF pond fountain or lake. or the
seashore according to the number OF sections Of
A film several Numbered feet long would hardly go
into photographers developing tray. except in
in development. The finest equipment probably
in the world is here at the Edison studio. Up
third is mysterious room, which at first glance
looks like kind Of Turkish bath. there being
six porcelain tubs ranged down ITS length These are
large bathtubs. much like them In appearance.
have apparatus around which would disconcert
anything but a chameleon Underneath each Is gas
series for heating and at each end are axes,
The latter compact little devices which
used to the axles aforesaid Now the other
the contains several huge drums hollow
open ended. like cylinders. Mr. Porter. who him
important process Of developing.
places O cylinder the axles the
This contains the developer the bottom
of the drum dips into the fluid Then negative Is
unwound. all light having been excluded by double
curtains window and red light on
along the walls. The several hundred feet OF film
until the pictures negative begin come up
red light burns magically lighting dim1y great
revolving drum, like hall of necromancy light
comes curious conicaI devices
After development tho drum is lifted into o.
than blood heat. and al
lifted to number three tank. where hypo
clears the pictures While the first drum it's
down the from tank to tank and
after it. each bearing many
of tiny pictures. The series of tanks No l.
developer: No. warm water; No 3. hypo; and
5, water-the- bathing is to wash clean films OF
hypo-and No. 6. glycern water render the
piable IN handling
Behind the developing large chemical dark
room and laboratory and outside these the
drying hail. where the films ree1ed or on great
foot high wooden drums. which each hold A
thousand feet OF film. Here there no dust as
of coal in magnifying the screen So the
advantage of hoors walls ceilings becomes
manifest Even the too high speeding rollers fs
avoided TO prevent currents of carrying air
The drying is followed by inspection ana
brushing ofsF and then the films into their
boxes again, ready for shipment to Lewellyn PARK
where they developed into positives prepared
for market