American cinematographer (Nov 1921-Jan 1922)

December 1, 1921 THE AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER 9 The ^AMERICAN i CINEMATOGRAPHER \ i I 4._,. + Render therefore to all their dues; tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to xvhom fear; honor to whom honor. — Romans 13:7. Thus spoke Paul to the Romans as early as Anno Domini 60. But long before that the Prince of Peace had laid down the principle that "The laborer is worthy of his hire," Luke 10:7. Recently a disposition has manifested among certain producers of motion pictures to withhold screen credit from the cinematographer — the artist who, with his camera, registers the action of the motion picture. In the case of one organization the disposition almost crystallized into an order ex cathedra to recognize the cameraman no more — to ignore the credit due him as one of the greatest elements in the production of a camera drama, to be silent as to his merit and to reduce him to the status of a mere prop. It is conceded that the producer of a motion picture has the personal right to give or to withhold credit on the screen, but so long as the author, the cast and the director are recognized it would seem only simple justice to accord "honor to, whom honor is due" and in the simple line "Photographed by " acknowledge the services of the unassuming and uncomplaining gentleman without whose skill and artistry there would be no motion pictures. Also in the retrenchment operations of one or two producers the cameraman was called upon to stand a cut out of all proportions to that imposed upon other operatives. In one case a flat rate was promulgated as a minimum wage which really operated as a maximum wage — a wage one hundred per cent less than a competent cameraman should be paid. The effect will, of course, operate to paralyze initiative and discourage enterprise and art expression. In these days men get just what they pay for — nothing more. If an employer puts little into his employees he gets little out of them. In art this is madness. Egyptians, the Greeks or any other people, so we may well assume that motion photography is really the only thing new under the sun. In "A Child's Story of Atlantis," published in London in 1908 and edited by William Kingsland, there appears to be what might e regarded as a record of the earliest development of the photographic art. This little book, as intensely interesting as a story of treasure trove, purports to be a verbatim record of several clairvoyant communications made by a former native of Atlantis, one Jonathan, to a nine-year-old boy. After describing life in Atlantis and particularly in the city of Egesteer, the narrative tells of the destruction of Atlantis and gives some fragmentary information of social life, invention, science, art, religion, morals, etc Among these fragments occurs this paragraph: "They could take a kind of big photograph, but not like ours, and it was done with the Force. Some of these could be found now if divers went down — very, very big photographs, indeed, as big as a wall." The "Force" referred to is called "Scear Force" and is described as being in universal use, easily produced from water and air and much superior to electricity. Of greater interest is the statement that the secret of this Force is to be revealed to the world again. There is no record of motion photography in the book and no record of it so far as the writer has been able to determine in the anCient records of the Aryan root race, the Chinese, the Looking For-ward Thursday, November 24, 1921, Thanksgiving Day, the day upon which the people of this country rejoice and give thanks for their many blessings, has again passed. Despite the adverse conditions which continue to manifest in the motion picture industry, all of us had some reason for giving thanks. Good health, contented homes, sunshine, and last, but not least, well fed stomachs, are but a few of the reasons for thankfulness. There are many of us, workers in every branch of the industry, who feel dissatisfied with present financial conditions, who want for ourselves a greater amount of the world's good things. This desire is both natural and commendable and is justified by the one word — AMBITION. Sorry indeed is the man who lacks ambition, BUT — Let us push that ambition to a SUCCESSFUL end — not by continually lamenting conditions as they exist today, but by changing them for the better. There is no worker in the entire industry too SMALL to assist. Let us push our various professions forward, making them more and more essential to the producer. Putting INDIVIDUAL EFFORT into our tasks and creating efficiency without the aid of efficiency experts. NO MAN WILL GET MORE OUT OF THE INDUSTRY THAN HE PUTS IN. If that is clearly understood, then, when November, 1922 rolls around, how much more will we have to be thankful for, and, better still, we can look backward and give thanks for having FOUND OURSELVES.— Philip W. Whitman. 'TIS TRUE Our wise and worthy sage remarks: All of the cutting nowa-days is NOT being done in the cutting room. Why is the Cooper Hewitt Lamp "Standard Equipment" in the Studio ASK THE CAMERA MAN: "He knows — he knows — he knows" He says: "Because it takes all the guess-work out of photography, and reduces it to a practical certainty. I know exactly what I am going to get when I photograph under Cooper Hewitt's. Whatever other troubles there may be, there's no argument about the photography."