Canadian Film Weekly (Dec 23, 1942)

Page 8 Canadian FILM WEEKLY time, “TWO MEN and a MOVIE CAMERA...’ =TEPPING into line witn Canoe Back in 1921 Two Fa dian war-time imdustry, witn the press and the radio, Canada’s motion picture industry has become geared for total war. Mucn has already been said in praise of motion pictures’ wartime con tributions throughout the world. But the Canadian story is the more amazing when we realize that it is scarcely more than a score of years since Associated Screen News Limited, Canada’s chief film producing company, was born. It is interesting to ccmpare this company’s tasks in preparing and processing Domininn-wide screen publicity for Canade.’s Victory Loans with the modest beginnings of the company, wnen, in 1921, “two men and a movie camera” set out to buila a film industry for Canada. And, where today a complete and m:dernlyequipped plant hums with 24hour a day year-round activity there was once a time when those two men and their camera couli scarcely see a week’s work ahead of them in a Canada still uneducated in the use of films. B. E. Norrish is still the guiding mind of the firm. Mr. Norrish, today its president and managing director, came to Montreal from a position as Superintendent of Exhibits and Publicity Bureau in the federal Department of Trade and Commerce. Realizing the tremendous part that filnis might play in Canada’s growth, Mr. Norrish brought technical training (MSc Queens 1910) and publicity experience to the promotion of the Cana: dian motion picture. His business and organizing abilities have contributed to a steadily-exvanding film production and processing concern, whose standards of workmanship are comparable to the yee: Branches at: HALIFAX, TORONTO, WINNIPEG, REGINA, CALGARY, VANCOUVER r-seeing Fellows Named Norrish and Alexander Began Building The Associated Screen News best on the continent. To his effortss O’Byrne took his place as the com may be credited the development of an important industry in Canada. J. M. Alexander was with the new firm then—and still is engaged in directing ASN motion pictures — often turning cameramen him: self and specializing now in color productions. But, back in 1921, ASN’s first and sole idea was to produce motion pictures for Canadian industry —and to make Canada’s manutacturers and business men conscious of a new medium for their records, for their advertising, for public relations work. It is interesting to see how this original purpose has found its place in Canada’s wartime activities, as industry, already. schooled to the use of films, is making movies serve in its conversion to all-out war effort. This company’s original offices on Mayor Street, IMontreai, were soon replaced by a modern laboratory in the west end of the city, and there, complete with the most modern equipment and facil:ties for the ever-increasing volume of work, ASN’s specialized departments received their identity. The Laboratory for the processing of the films. The Newsreel Division headquarters for the roving cameramen. The Art Department. The Still Department and portrait studio. All these separate branches had become necessary and experts were gathered from all over the Dominion to take part in the activities of the new company. Very early in the history of Associated Screen News’ Limited, Frank pany’s Toronto representative—ez position which grew into manager of a branch office in that city. There, he was joined some years later by Jack Chishoim, who came to Associated Screen News after directing studio and location shooting in and out of Hollywcod. Finding inspiration in the still undiscovered scenic beauty of Canada, travelogues were early offered to the theatre trade—and a growing body of ASN cameramen roamed from coast to coast shooting the famous grandeur of the Rockies, taking their cameras to the wheat fields of the prairies and the sea coasts of the Atlantic— building up a priceless record of Canada both for Canadians and for people of other countries. These roving’ cameramen soon began to cover Canada’s news. Called into service to secure film records of notables visiting the Dominion, ASN cameras dogged the footsteps of such well-known figures as the Prince of Wales, Henry Ford, Lord Byng, Dr. F. G. Banting, Stanley Baldwin, I.loyd George. Stirring events, too, were milestones in the newsreel divi sion’s history—the Moose River Mine Disaster ... the Royal Tour . .. Churchill’s Visit to Ottawa .. And the adventurous film ‘reporters’ covered an _ unbe'ievable amount of territory with J. W. Campbell, ASN’s newsreel editor, doing a strenuous job of juggling assignments, and figuring out how to have three cameramen in Halifax, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Fort Churchill and Toronto at the same Greetings and Best Wishes to the KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! Dominion Sound Equipments Limited HEAD OFFICE: 1620 Notre Dame Street, West, MONTREAL Decomber 28, 1942 with one on call at the home office in case of emergency. In 1930 sound had come to stay. Associated Screen News Limited expanded again to add itv modern sound stage with recording laboratory and editing facilities for large scale production. Th: printing of American feature pictures for the Canadian marixet had become an important part of the activity —and, considering that Canada’s industry was many years younger than that of the US, contract for this work was indeed a tribute to the technical excellence of Canadian film printing. Maurice Metzger, technical supervisor of the ASN Laboratory, is one of the real pioneers of the motion picture industry in Canada. He was associated with the old Kinematograph Company of New York, and installed many of the earliest motion picture projectors in the city of Montreal shortly after the turn of the century. For five years he handled camera assignments, the first and most interesting taking him to Sydney, N.S., to cover the return of Commander Perry and his North Pole expedition for Thomas A. Edison. Associated Screen News’ -later work has expanded in all directions —newsreel, studio production, industrial and portrait photography, processing and printing, trailers, animations and special effects. Under the ASN credit title comes the series of “Canadian Cameos’’—being produced before the war at the rate of twelve a year, but now curtailed to give place to wartime needs. These glimpses of Canada and Canadian life were launched by production supervisor Gordon Sparling, who came to Screen News from Paramount, Long Island, and whose name has recently become well-known ° through such film successes as the ‘Did You Know That?” series of theatre releases, ‘Peoples of Canada” produced for the National Film Board, “There, Too, Go I” for the Red Cross, and “The Thou (Continued on Page 21) MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY You are doing a grand job in the interest of an all-out effort