American cinematographer (Nov 1921-Jan 1922)

12 J. K. Lockwood's hobby is building houses. He'd rather build a bungalow than shoot a picture anytime and there's more mioney in it, too, but J. R. just can't give up the camera. His idea of joy is to alternate building houses and filming pictures. Good stuff, J. R. Walter Lundin is so busy shooting Harold Lloyd that he hasn't time to think of 1922, but he pauses long enough to remark that it isn't a bad idea to hitch your camera to a star — a real star. Chester A. Lyons finds New York entirely to his liking, climate and all. There is much more to New York than climate and, merely as an incidental, the pay check is larger there; 1922. therefore, looks like a New York year for Chester. Reginald E. Lyons hears the call of proprietorship and may return to Oklahoma to "roll his own." Tulsa is calling him to return and make the town famous by filming a series of Westerns. Reggie says it looks good to him. Jack Mackenzie finds it so easy to look through the finder at Jane Novak that he anticipates the New Year with joy — not a bad job, Jack, and you get paid to do it, too. Hugh C. McClung's heart is turning towards architecture and, while the camera still calls, he won't be unhappy if he can build four or five houses and a bungalow court or two in 1922. Not so bad, Hugh. William McCann sees in 1922 the fruition of his fondest hopes—maybe. Billy has always wanted to be a magnate "on his own" and "William McCann Productions" needn't surprise the world if he sees it in the electric lights some day. Virgil E. Miller wants '22 to let him alone. He is doing pretty well, thank you, and won't make any trouble if the New Year will treat him as well as old 1921. Victor Milner hopes 1922 will see him again in the Upper Congo hobnobbing with the African chieftains, confounding the medicine-men and shooting big game stuff for the movies. Victor is a born globe-trotter and he loves the element of adventure in straying far from the haunts of the white man. Ira H. Morgan has been in Gotham so long that he would like nothing so much as to crank his camera once again in California. That's his dream for '22. Robert S. Newhard's dream isn't very big, but it's timely. All he wants to happen in '22 is to see 9,856 new camera jobs every day with only one hundred men to fill 'em. In short Robert's slogan is: Let the job chase the man! + 1 I I | Attention, Laboratory Men j J THE AMERICAN CINEMATOG j i RAPHER will inaugurate a laboratory de partment in the February 15 issue which will J be devoted to all phases of laboratory practice, research and business. Laboratory men — employers and employees alike — are most cordially invited to send to THE AMERICAN' CINEMATOGRAPHER news . j i stories, personals, technical articles and = communications appertaining to the profes I ston, its people and its work. Close co-operation in this will enable THE AMERICAN J CINEMATOGRAPHER to create and maintain the livest laboratory forum in the country, which should prove of inestimable service, not only to the profession, but to % the entire film industry. ! i I , + January 1, 1922 rf The Most Healthful Year1922 " The dawning of 1922 is seen by Watterson Rothacker as the " "Most healthful year in the industry's history." "We have gone through a house cleaning by means of which a number of evils have been eliminated," said the head of the Rothacker enterprises. "This will prove a good thing from the exhibitors' viewpoint, because elimination of production extravagances will mean better pictures for the same money, and consequently better satisfied and larger audiences. "The fact that all branches of the industry have gone through a critical time augurs much for the common welfare. People who pull through a dangerous period together get a respect for the qualities never before recognized in one another. If in the future we disagree with one another in policies or program let's attempt by personal contact to straighten things out. I realize that it is impossible to attain an altruistic state in the motion picture industry, but for selfish reasons we should attempt to achieve the nearest possible approach to that state. "While the coming year may not be the biggest with respect to gross receipts, I believe it will be the most healthful year yet. We have arrived at normalcy perhaps for the first time in our short career. Exhibitors may now build their future business on a substantial and dependable foundation." Mr. Rothacker looks for 1922 to bring a closer co-ordination of efforts and ambitions of producers, cameramen, laboratories and •projection machine operators toward better screen values, which naturally will be reflected in the exhibitor's box office receipts. Universally better screen values can be obtained only by the standardization of colors, timing and finally projection. While in Los Angeles recently Mr. Rothacker spoke before the American Society of Cinematographers and this organization went on record as solidly behind the suggestion of standardization, promising that cooperation between cameraman and laboratory which is so essential to final screen values. With standardized prints and standardized projection the same screen brilliancy would prevail at a family theater in Pomona, Calif., as in the capital of New York. The Rothacker laboratory organization is preparing to begin issuing in the near future a special projection chart for Rothacker laboratories release — a chart by means of which the small house projectionist will obtain screen results worthy of the proudest theater. The close of the old year sees the new Rothacker-Aller laboratories in Los Angeles fulfilling all the promises of its inception and possibilities. It is making good. Under the personal direction of Joseph Aller it has become a real factor in Coast picture production. A signal achievement of 1921 was the standardization of the Coast and Chicago laboratories — coordination in the most literal sense of the word, one system of timing for the two plants, identical processes, developing formulas, etc. By means of this it is possible to make part of the prints on a release in one plant and the remainder in the other — and have the same characteristic Rothacker print screen brilliancy in all the prints. Mr. Rothacker is especially proud of the fact that 1921 saw no reduction in salaries — those in the organization are still receiving wartime pay. "What makes me proud is the fact that those in the organization themselves made this possible," said Mr. Rothacker, "by increased efficiency enterprise and by improved methods worked out among themselves, we have been able to keep up the salaries in the face of the higher costs and a decrease in the rate per foot paid the laboratories for prints." In the summer of 1921 Mr. Rothacker made a trip to Europe, following up his trip the year before. This last trip confirmed his belief that a London link must be added to the laboratory chain. He goes abroad again early in 1922 to have construction started on the European plant. A New York Rothacker laboratory will be on the job shortly after the London plant. AN -AKRON -ISMS Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego were in the fiery furnace. "Nobody'll ever believe we did this," said Shadrack mopping his brow. "That's right," replied Abednego; "there are many disadvantages in living before the cameras are invented." THE AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER