American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1924)

Eight AMERICAN C INEM ATOGR APHER January, 1924 1 i Fade Out and SIoujIij Fade In" Photographic habits of four Presidents of the United States ^ Vicior Milrter A.S. C. recounted by, A. S. C. member Pioneer neiusreel men covered wide territory. Four men handled Tl. A.-Fifth installment On finishing "Hiawatha," the "wanderlust" took hold of me very forcibly. Somehow a ride in the subway did not seem to till the bill. I began to look around for a position wherein a young man, who desired to travel but who lacked the financial means necessary for the realization of his air castles, could make himself useful. About this time, the Pathe Weekly was beingorganized bjT Mr. Franconi, the first editor of the now famous news film. I learned of the budding enterprise and accordingly called on Mr. Franconi at his headquarters at No. 1, Congress Street, Jersey City. He allowed himself to be convinced of my ability as a cameraman as well as my readiness to recognize news value, and placed me on his staff at a salary of $35 per week phis expenses. First Pathe News Staff The staff then consisted of the editor, Messrs. Hutchinson, Struckman and Richard and the writer. At the same time the Pathe dramatic staff consisted of Joseph Dubray and William Marshall, now A. S. C. members, Arthur Martinelli and Alfredo Gandolfi. Covered U. S. and Canada The four of us in the news department were kept busy jumping from place to place over the United States and Canada. It was nothing unusual to receive a wire from Congress street while I was covering, for instance, a flood in Galveston, Texas, to hop to Montreal, Canada to shoot the winter sports on Mt. Royal. Now, however, it is somewhat different with the news weekly men. The various news reel organizations — have the field so well patroled with representatives that a man covers his particular territory in a tertian part of the country and is seldom called upon to make a trip of more than a couple hundred miles — which means the elimination of the fascinating journeys of yesteryear. Personal Baggage Light Our outfis consisted of the famous Pathe professional model including six magazines; two, three and six inch lenses; and a trunk especially designed for transporting the outfit having one compartment for an extra pair of sox and an extra collar. "Movie Minute Men" I enjoyed the work immensely, particularly the element of uncertainty of being ready to go at a moment's notice. It was only a matter of time before ^Messrs. Hutchinson, Struckman, Richard and 1 held a consultation and decided to be systematic in our expense accounts. You can readily understand that if I sent in a bill for $30 for the use of an automobile for a day and if Mr. Hutchinson, working under similar conditions, turned in a bill for $45, things might appear not so efficient. However, the company was very liberal and insisted that we stop at the best hotels, seldom objecting to any item on our "swindle sheets." "Nose for News" It was not long before Mr. Franconi, except in the instance of assignments for some fixed event, developed enough confidence in my "nose for news" to allow me to exercise my own judgment in speeding to cover happenings which I thought held outstanding news value. Whenever I embarked thus on my own initiative I always sent a wire to Mr. Franconi detailing my move and informing him the next spot where he could communicate with me. The news men were not so numerous then that the editor had to keep trace of their moves with colored pins on a map. Presidential "Photographic Habits" It was in the regular course of duty that I "shot" Roosevelt, Taft and Wilson, and learned their "photographic habits." One of my numerous assignments while working out of Congress street was to cover the 1012 Democratic campaign of Woodrow Wilson. I began this assignment when Mr. Wilson was to speak at Buffalo, New York on Labor Day. I joined the Wilson party at the Grand Central Station and was duly introduced to Mr. Wilsou who then was very interested in the news value of the Pathe weekly and promised to help me obtain good shots at Buffalo. Wilson Shot from Own Platform The arrival at Buffalo evidently exceeded the expectations of the Wilson managers who doubtless did not anticipate the overflowing crowd that was on hand to greet the future President of the United States. In the excitement that followed I was left high and dry, and was unable to get near enough to Mr. Wilson's car to obtain effective shots. Later, however, I filmed him while he was addressing a gathering of citizens at some picnic ground. There weren't very many people present so that I was able to record some excellent views of Mr. "Wilson. I set up on the platform from which he spoke and made close-ups as I pleased. Wilson Interested in Results On the way back to New York City, Mr. Wilson came over to my seat in the Pullman and expressed his sorrow over the fact that I wasn't taken better care of at the depot the previous day and hoped that I obtained good pictures. At the end of Mr. Wilson's first term in office I found that it was by no means a simple matter to get shots of him, due to the viligance of the secret service; men. Mr. Wilson also began to complain that the cinema made him appear to walk faster than he really did. I had to resort to many tricks to work myself into his immediate vicinity. One method was to conceal an air-operated camera in the (Continued on Page 18)