Movie Makers (Jan-May 1928)

MAKING Natural History NATURAL Stuffed Animals Live Again Through Movies in New York Museum THE Museum of Natural History in New York City possesses many splendid and instructive groups of stuffed animals, but the interest and attention of the amateur movie fan would most certainly be first drawn to the very fine group of Virginia (or Whitetail) deer, for beside that group an automatic 16mm movie machine is constantly running. Drawn to the spot by the sound of the machine, one sees movies of the Whitetail deer in its native haunts. Living animals move about in the woods, or swim across the pictured stream. Sensitive, timid creatures, alarmed by the sound of the camera, lift their heads and stand quivering; then most flee back from whence they came, the perhaps braver ones advancing at an increased speed to their appointed trysting places. The writer, charmed by this new move in the line of visual education, stood for some time enjoying the splendid photography, the simple, instructive titles and the subject matter of the films, conscious meanwhile of a growing group of youngsters who, attracted by a chance to see a free movie, were absorbing many facts relative to the habits of this particular deer family. The main title of the film read "The Whitetail Deer in Its Native Haunts," photographed by George D. Pratt. By Katherine M. Comstock An interview with Mr. Pratt then seemed an absolute necessity to the writer, as perhaps he would prove to be an amateur photographer even though his work seemed professional. An interview was secured. Mr. Pratt proved to be a philanthropist by vocation and an amateur movie photographer by avocation. Moreover, he was probably one of the very first amateur movie photographers. He has been experimenting along that line for about twenty-five years, since long before the days of the home movie camera. Mr. Pratt said that he still has his first movie camera, but that, like the first Ford, it is more historic than useful. Like most movie amateurs, Mr. Pratt started his experiments by "shooting" the family and their friends. Soon he wanted more scope. He then began photographing animals and for three or four seasons studied and filmed the animals in Yellowstone National Park. Later he went to Alaska to film sheep. Since then he has taken pictures in many parts of the world, but while his subjects have been varied his main interest has been animal photography. Nesting Loon From 1915 to 1921 Mr. Pratt was Conservation Commissioner of the State of New York. Firmly convinced that the motion picture was the surest means of educating the public, he taught a young man to take pictures and together they filmed methods of the planting and raising of fish; of tree planting and the protection of forests from forest fires; films cautioning the hunter against shooting at anything that moved; a film showing how to pack a deer head to prevent the antlers protruding so that other hunters would not shoot in error. These films Mr. Pratt used in all parts of the State in connection with his lectures. They have been released to fish and game associations, schools and clubs. Mr. Pratt is a trustee of the Museum of Natural History and also of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. To both of these museums, as well as to the Field Museum in Chicago, he has contributed prints of his Egyptian films, and to the Natural History Museum he has given films which he took of native life in Norway and Sweden, in addition to his animal pictures. The amateur movie machine gives to the amateur every opportunity to take the kind of picture he wants, Mr. Pratt points out, and to record ( Continued on page 332 ) 330