Hands of Hollywood (1929)

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Hands of Hollywood electricians is put to work, running cables and placing the lights where the cameraman has ordered them. In the slang of the studio, this is called "dragging iron," and is usually done after "shooting" hours. Consequently, this means overtime for the electricians for which they are paid at a higher rate than for ordinary work. Since the introduction of the incandescent lighting system and of talking pictures, the work of "dragging iron" or of lighting up a set, has been greatly reduced. The incandescent lamps, called "inkys," are very much lighter in weight than arc lamps. At present, there is a heated controversy raging in Hollywood with regard to the use of incandescents. The advocates of this system claim that the incandescents are superior to the arc or carbon lights because they are cheaper, use less power or "juice," are easier to handle, and make possible a softer type of photography. Also, it was discovered, in the making of talking pictures, that the microphone picked up the sputtering and hissing of the arc lights. This condition very quickly increased the use of the noiseless incandescents. On the other hand, the opponents of the incandescents, mostly the cameramen, claim that the "inkys" spoil good photography and special effects. They say that incandescents cause blurred, foggy com' position, and that they are detrimental to the features of many of the really beautiful and handsome stars. That these claims have been heeded, is proven by the fact that in several of the studios the old' time arc lights are returning to favor. The difficulty of the interfering noise from the arc lights is being overcome by incasing the arcs in soundproof boxes with glass fronts. Before the advent of the incandescents, a crew of electricians was kept busy in the studio electrical shops repairing all lights used in picture-making. When the incandescents came into general use, these men thought that they saw the end of their jobs. However, one enterprising electrical superintendent, who did not want to lose these good workmen, put them to work making incandescent lamps in the shop. This, of course, does not mean that they are making the actual bulbs but that they are making and repairing the casings and standards for these lights. Today, practically all incandescent lamps are being made [60]