Moving Picture World (Jul-Sep 1914)

266 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD Essanay's New Studios. The Equipment of the Additional Studio in Chicago is Said to Realize the Last Word in Artificial Lighting. WITHOUT any blare of trumpets Essanay's new studio in Chicago was completed and opened early in the present year. The new structure is situated west of the old and, like the latter, faces on Argyle Street, the entire front making an imposing appearance on that thoroughfare. Gigantic willow trees line the sidewalks along the frontage of both structures, affording only a partial view as one drives past. George K. Spoor, president of the Essanay Company, was seen by the writer shortly after the new studio was in operation, and referring to the outlay on the new building and its appointments he preferred to look on it rather from the viewpoint of the additional utilities it provided than from the expense incurred. "Our new studio has proved already a great time-saver," he said. "Our old Chicago studio was a pretty fast studio, excellently equipped, but the new studio will, I believe, from present indications, save us fully eight working daj'S in the month. More than that, its lighting equipment is pretty close to the last word in artificial lighting. "We have now sufficient facilities in our Chicago studios alone, if put to the test, to turn out 14,000 feet of negative per week. The capacity of the new Niles studio, in California, is easily 6,000 feet per week. "Our additional studio here will be devoted to dramatic subjects exclusively. These subjects will not necessarily be all multiple reels, as I am a firm believer in the single reel features and intend to devote great effort to single reel comedies and dramatic subjects. The Snakeville Western comedies, with Margaret Jocelyn, Victor Potel and Harry Todd, will continue to keep up the former and will create even the increased demand. The Anderson "Broncho Billy" releases are holding their popularity, and Mr. Anderson is appearing regularly in his famous role." The new studio building occupies a ground space 90 by 70 feet. The studio occupies 90 by 50 feet, and 90 by 20 feet on the south is devoted to the property room, the costume department and dressing rooms. The property room is on the same floor as the studio, and here much of the time-saving already referred to can be credited, owing to the facility with which scenes can be set. The costume department and the dressing rooms are on the floor above the property room, the combined heights of both floors being equal to that of the studio. The three dynamos installed in the new building are equal to running all the lights in both the old and new studios, and a^e so" constructed that, if necessary, they can be run on their own power. Six sets of Cooper-Hewitt lights have been installed. Each set has four sections and each of these sections has four tubes. The tubes in each section are lighted automatically. The four sections in each set can be used independently, or all the six sets (the twenty-four sections) at the same time. A section of any set can be lighted or extinguished instantaneously. The entire sets can be operated in the same way. Each set can be moved independently — or all sets together— from one point to another as required, being hung from a horizontal crane on ball-bearing wheels. To move an entire set of these overhead lights, weighing about a Wardrobe and Dressing Rooms in New Essanay Studio, Chicago. ton, a man or a boy is required to exert a pulling weight of ten pounds on a pulley wheel. As soon as the power at the pulley is released, an automatic brake stops the set at the point desired. These overhead lights are to the photoplay what the border lights are to the drama in stage productions. The floor side lights are supplied by numerous movable carbon arcs on carriages. The side head-lights, two to each set, are placed to the right and left of eacn set. Interior of New Essanay Studio, Chicago.