American cinematographer (Feb-Dec 1922)

December, 1922 THE AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER Nine Passinq the Buck Bu Uictor Milner, A. S. C. Shifting of responsibility and euasion of issue is seen as not conduciue to best results in cinema production. "Passing the Buck" has become quite an institution in the motion picture game. Moreover, it is a very much used institution. In fact, "Buck Passing" might be said to be popular. The Buck Passer — for those who like analysis — is a cousin of the "YesMan" and a second cousin of the "Alibi Artist." There is a distinction between the Passer of the Buck and the Alibi Specialist. The Alibi Artist admits, more or less reluctantly of course, that he is to blame for the something that is wrong, but at the same time pulls forth an array of excuses which seek to set forth why he shouldn't be blamed for being to blame. The Buck Passer, like his second cousin, also admits that there is something wrong, but instead of using excuses for a remedy, he shifts the blame to someone else, with the unmistakable intimation that he, himself, could never have under any conditions been the cause of the difficulties in question. My earliest recollection of Passing the Buck dates back quite a few years. I was then young and unsophisticated to that gentle pastime of the present. My particular job at that time consisted of the developing of negative, printing, tinting, mixing the soup, finding a solution to eliminate air bubbles in Lumiere negative stock and sweeping up the darkroom of Eberhard Schneider. One day, while unwinding a roll of negative off the drying drum, I noticed that the scenes were all badly out of focus, so I shipped the roll to its owner, an amateur photographer of Dayton, Ohio. I followed the negative with a letter, stating that I thought it would be a waste of money for him to print the same. Imagine my amazement a few days later when Mr. Schneider showed me a letter from the gentleman in Dayton in which our friend, the photographer, asserted that I had developed his negative out of focus. The Dayton amateur photographer, I oelieve, was the Original Buck Passer. His followers today are quite numerous; numerous enough in fact to form a Convenient and Highly Elusive Order of Buck Passing. Bone of Contention It is a custom to Pass the Buck — we all do it. The prop man Passes the Buck to the prop room when the director finds things wrong on the set; the technical man to the technical department when the set is decorated with the wrong paper or paint; the assistant director to the production manager; the director to the scenario department or those responsible for the continuity; the cinematographer to the laboratory when the daily rushes don't appear satisfactory, and the laboratory back to the cinematographer, etc.. etc. It is quite an Alphonse and Gaston affair. Situation Must Be Solved It is imperative for us as cinematographers to solve the laboratory situation. We must work out a method to eliminate "alibis," to get full co-operation in the laboratory, for. after all, what do our efforts amount to when our negative is turned over to a negative developer who has to put through from 250 to 400 racks a night? It is not an easy matter for him to work with an image one by three quarter inches in size by a ruby light. A mighty good eye and very good judgment is required to accomplish such an undertaking. It is our duty to work with the laboratory and to admit our mistakes. After all, we are not committing a crime when we make such an admission, for we are all human beings. Seeking to deceive a director by inducing him to believe that a bad shot is a work of art does not make for progress; much talk and little accomplishment are always unsatisfactory. In return, the man who works conscientiously has the right to demand of those with whom he works that they do not Pass the Buck to him. The one who is responsible for producing a bad print from a good negative should admit his mistake for the benefit of all concerned, including himself. "Square Shooting" Is Its Own Reward We must realize that the combined efforts of an organization are required to produce a worth-while motion picture. Thank Heavens, that the fallacy of the "One-Man" idea, of production is being detected, and that the time of its demise must not be far off. For his Christmas present u>hq not qiue him some" thinq that is both entertaininq and useful ? IDhat could be more appropriate than a uear's subscription to The Jlmerican Cinematoqrapher The American Cinematographer — Herewith find $3.00 to pay for one year's subscription to The American Cinematographer, subscription to begin with the issue of 1923. Name Address