American cinematographer (Nov 1921-Jan 1922)

Page Four The American Cinematographer oA Camera In the Congo Consider the ''Poor Cinematographer Who (joes Forth to Shoot Wild Life Under the Equator VICTOR MILNER, A. S. C. When I look back a few years to the days full of excitement when I was getting ready for a trip to Equatorial Africa, during which I expected to have a wonderful time, as well as to obtain a liberal education, I am inclined all the more to worship the god of enthusiasm. I got the education, all right, but very little of a good time. In writing of my photographic experiences in the "Pest Hole of the World," I will try to give an idea of the many things necessary to make a photographic trip in the tropics a success. The object of the trip was to obtain a series of pictures of native life on the Equator, their 1 habits, customs, social life, transportation methods, etc.; also animal life, scenic views and news stuff. I did not at the time think of this assignment as very hard, but soon changed my mind. It is best for anyone contemplating such a trip to divide it into three parts, namely: 1. Preparation. 2. Equipment. 3. Negative development on the field. By preparation I mean "reading up" as much as possible on the climatic conditions of the part of the country where you intend to make your base; sociological conditions, transportation facilities, governmental status, etc., and to mave a good physician give you the once over. In considering equipment, of course, the first thing a cameraman looks to is a good outfit. When it comes to a camera we all have our pets, and my pet was a Pathe Professional, having the magazine on the top. other camera was a Gilon, a wonderful camera for this kind of work — light, compact, having inside magazines, a changeable lens mount. The selection of these cameras was a bloomer because of the fact that the Pathe and Gilon cameras have metal film beds, and, as it is very damp in the Congo, rust set in at once. A velvet lined aperture and film bed is most essential in the tropics. It will save ■the cameraman hours of worry and the trouble of packing the film aperture and bed with vaseline or oil, Exposed magazines are not advisable, owing to warping of wood but the Gilon stood up wonderfully well, and I nexer experienced any trouble with it. Tools are essential, for an operator may have to repair his tripod, camera, etc. I arrived in London in good shape and set out at once to visit the Eastman Kodak offices on Kingsway, and there I was given all possible assistance and my ideas were carried out to the letter. We made up a series of tubes of developer in a tin container fully protected against climatic changes and ready to be dissolved in five gallons of water like an M. Q. tube. The negative stock I had packed in an extra dry room and put in a double container, the outside can being soldered, and I took along plenty of containers to pack developed negative. These were double container cans, made so in order to keep out dampness as well as a peculiar microbe, which seems to feed on the emulsion and leaves numerous pin holes. My developing outfit had to be practical and compact, and so I obtained the Pin Rack system which .no doubt, most cameramen have seen in use. The trays were nested in each other, each tray, with a capacity of about five gallons, and the rack was constructed so that it could be taken apart for carrying purposes. I had also a collapsi VICTOR MILNER, A. S. C, AND HIS BLACK BOYS IN THE AFRICAN CONGO. ble drying drum, an ingenious invention, which accommodated one thousand feet of film, with a crank attached for revolving same, and I had to regulate everything not to weigh over sixty pounds, as a native will not carry much more than sixty pounds on his head. By the way, the racks held only one hundred feet. For developing negative on the field I had a tent lined with black on the inside, roomy, plenty of ventilation and with folding tables to hold trays, pin i-acks, wratten light, etc. After getting my equipment packed and ready, as well as my personal stuff, such as clothing, a Burroughs, a Welcome medicine cabinet (for little did I imagine then that I would be called upon to pull teeth, cut swellings on natives' feet caused by hookworm, feed 'em calomel, etc.), I set out to obtain permission from John Bull to get my equipment out of the country. John Bull was at war then, and Little John Bull, in a dingy little office, knocked all my plans into a cocked hat by telling me in as few words as possible that chemicals, film, gold, foodstuffs, etc., were contraband and could not leave England. As my boat was sailing in a few days for the Congo River I felt like joining Hindenburg; then I decided to try the Belgian Colonial offices, where I explained my purpose in going to the Congo, and they managed to get me through. I secured passage on the , a Belgian steamship, Captain , commanding, and the first few days out we were kept busy dodging submarines. I set up my camera on the top deck and had visions of obtaining some wonderful shots of a submarine attack when the captain came along and, on being informed by me that I was laying for a submarine attack, he became red in the face and commanded me to take the camera down. He said he thought I had a lot of nerve to lay for a torpedo attack on his ship, and further stated that he would not be a bit surprised to see me signal for a submarine attack. The camera came down and I spent the twenty-one days on board enjoying myself and testing out my lenses and outfit.