Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-04-19

In recent issue Of the Scientific Ameri
can, Ernest a. Dench treated a subject
of more than passing interest TO the mo
ton picture world-the filming OF th'
European war. His article follows:
In taking pictures at the front, the
motion picture camera man has been
confronted with no ordinary task. He
Is exposed to as many risks as the
soldiers themselves. not counting the
fact that he is greatly resented by the
warning Powers, who place various re-
strctions In his way.
Cherry Kearton made many at
tempts to film exploding shells at the
battle of Alost. but he found that they
were barely noticeable on the screen
there is flash and that is all.
When one strikes poor soldier he
slips forward n little and stirs no
more. MIR. kearton states that II
there are dense volumes of smoke and
the soldiers fling their rifles UP in the
air, then die in a pose, such films are
fakes In warfare today smokeless
powder is the only kind used, II be-
ing In universal demand because 1t
does not give their position away to
the enemy.
The operators of n we'll known
French company had their cameras
equipped with a telephoto lens, by the
aid of which II was possible to cine
matagraph soldiers at work In the
trenches at a distance of 600 yards.
BY this means they could get close
range views of the fiercest lighting;
the ordinary lens is limited to range
of 200 feet.
Most other camera men have dis
pensed with the cumbersome motion
,f.,N, t,,n Nd ~
horoscope camera, which is minus
tripod and. therefore, easy to carry
about. But even this does not
rrighten all the difficulties away.
To keep the camera steady whom
carving out his work Mr.. Mason was
Obliged to adopt sundry plans. The
most successful one was to strap the
camera to the trunk of tree, which
also afforded protection for the oper-
ator. At another time, wanting to
obtain pictures of the BelEians fight
ing in the trenches, Mr.. Mason laid
himself fiat in the middle OF the street
and held the camera up in front of
him.
His one great scoop was II set of re-
markable panoramic views of the
German army. To photograph these
he attached a coil of wire to the ma
chine. tying the other end to but
ton on mis- coat. He then climbed up
telegraph pole, and after reaching
the top he tuEEed at the wire and
thus got the camera up safely. The
final operation was to hold 1t tightly
and focus the camera on the mag
nificent sight ahead of him.
NJ. Bzeul hit on the ruse of employ
ing the secOnd-story room of n res
taurant opposite the Ghent town hall.
He opened the window just wide
enough to permit the lens to pass
through and when the Germans did
arrive he filmed continuously from 3
O'Clock to AIS in the afternoon.
The greatest task of all is getting
the stuff past the censor at the front,
who hacks the film to pieces unmerci-
fully. Smuggling, therefore. is often
resortcd to. and many are the meth
ods by which the officials are lodged.
Paul RAIDER, a plucky American,
managed to film pictures of an ar
tllery duel between the French and
Germans, after which he rushed to the
nearest vacated house and hid both
camera and film in the cellar. a few
days later, when the fighting had
shifted to another part of the country,
he returned for his belongings and was
successful in eluding the vigilance of
the authorities on his journey to the
coast, en- route for England.
Essanay Program
The Essanay Company has formed
feature department, together with Vita
graph, Lubin and Selig, to release speCi,
multiple reels direct to the exhibitor
There will be no mlddleman, but the 81
hibitor will buy directly from the mani
facturers, through the branch offices {
vi INuNI 7
sas City and San Francisco. The ne
company will be known as Vitagraph
Lubin-Selig- Essanay, Inc.
Essanay already has three feature
which are ready for the exhibitors. The
are THE Slim Princess" in four reels, b
George Adc, a photo-comedy in whic
Francis y. Bushman and Ruth STONE
house are the stars; "Graustark,"
George Barr McCutcheon, in which Fran
els y. Bushman and Beverly Bayne ar
featured and ''The Crimson Wing" i
six reels, by Hobart c, Chatfield-Taylo