The Cine Technician (1939)

March-April. 1938 THE (' I \ E-T E V II \ I c I \ \ 210 RETROSPECT by p. dennis WHEN turning over a lol of photographs a few days ago I came across some thai brought back ulil memories of over 20 years ago, and which I am sending on to you, as thej will possibh he of interest to a good many oi your readers. Hiej were taken on Grand National day 1915 (when "Allj Sloper" won). \V. G. Barker, "The Father o| Topicals," was doing the race, and these arc some of the rooms where, 1 should think, the quickest "National" ever was turned out. Owing to war-time restrictions travelling and transport facilities were ver^ had (no aeroplanes in those days), so W.G.B. and his merry ( ! !) men did not arrive in Soho Square until twenty minutes to nine; the complete race was shown at the Empire at five minutes past eleven, 'this time can be verified by several who took part in the job, L. Eveleigh, S. Blythe, 0. Bovill and others, who are still in the business. All developing and fixing baths were at 75° F. (and il you want a real job just dissolve 4 cwts. of Hypo in two tanks of 65 gallons each, in a hurry, so thai you finish with them both at 75°). Our test piece was fixed in under 30 sees., and the last frame oi negative was in the developer with the first frame of positive ; negative and positive were developed in the same baths, wound on 150 it. frames. The drum room, as the drying loom was called, was 90°. One photo shows the developing room. I believe the artist at the developing tank, Mr. Bailey, is still at the same game, so he should know something about it by now. The printing room phoiograph shows four printing machines, with hand light changing and curved gates; also a title printer. Titles were made on quarter plates and optically printed. When we were in a hurry, the negative was looped from printer to printer to save re-winding; allowance had to he made in the size of the loops for the slight 1 \ varying speeds of the machines and the planters had a good ni,m\ anxious moments when they saw a machine gaining and the loop getting dangerously small. Titles were set up on a large square sheet of glass covered with black velvet ; various types and si/.es of letters made of white, celluloid were used, ami a set square, as seen in the photo, was part of the equipment. A small Westminster enclosed are was used for exposing on process quarter plates. You will notice that the various rooms were all built up with match lining! Fancy trying to do it nowadays. But although they were all such poky little holes, some good work was produced in them. "Sixty Years a Queen," "Jane Shore," "Five Nights," and Lewis Waller's first and only movie appearance, "Brigadier Gerard." (He died very shortly after the picture was finished). B\ the way, "Brigadier Herald" was another of our hustles. It was produced in a ver\ lew weeks and ai five o'clock en the >\;\\ following tli ■ last takes thousands ol icel oi negative were lying on a long bench in small 1 1 lis, none ol w 1 icb 1 1 id been printed. I'w o o the were i h a ■ having cups oi tea, when in walks Weill. saying, "I don'1 waul to frighten you boys" (the bo\ i were ii. Eveleigh and myself), "but Mr. Waller wants to see his picture run to-night after he has finished at the t heat re, ' ' so af 5.15 p.m. we started, and lie saw Ins picture, about (>.< 100 feet , just alter 11 p.m. One of the pictures shows the primifh • examining, (leaning and joining room, with a glimpse oi a drying drum, .lust gaze on the naked lights and match boarding and primitive examining bench and then think of your oak benches, opal glass, chromium fittings and gorgeous winders and seats. Another picture of considerable interest is thai oi the artist, H. Gandolphi, who was the fust to make cine cartoons in this country. Note th • crude construction of his apparatus b^ comparison with modern ideas. Most ol his work was done with cut-out drawn figures, with pin jointed limbs. A Mo\ camera was used and with the photi aaphle collaboration el H. Eveleigh he turned on', two 300 II. cartoons per week. As no automatic device leal then been thought ol, even picture was turned b\ hand. The camel a man was stuck up in an awkward coiner near the i eiling and it was a fight lor him between concentrating and falling asleep, with tic monotonous cue, two. i ne, i a lie one, two. two, for In airs. 1 am sorry 1 have not a photo of one ol our departments which was apth named "Stink Hole Bay." This was, as yoj mav guess, where we did the sulphide and other toning, and extended, like an old coal-cellar, under the pavement in Soho Square. The toning was done in three huge earthenware rocking dishes which weighed about 1 cwt. each we found this out when getting them upstairs on removal (we also found about three dozen empty beer hollies under them; lotion to wash the sulphide out of throats. I expect). The work was not so monotonous for the staff as il is nowadays, as everyone had to be able to turn his oilier hand to everything framing, printing, developing, drumming, staining, toning and joining, as circumstances required, so when you had been at W.G.B's for a tew years you knew your job right through. Hooking at these photi s brings back such a lot of old memories that I could keep on lor hours, and I hope that 25 years hence some of you will be looking back to as many tiappy memories as I do. DAY OR REVIEW YOUR FILMS AT THE PREVIEW THEATRE NIGHT 80-82 WARDOUR ST. LONDON. W.I FULLY EQUIPPED PRIVATE CUTTING ROOMS FOR HIRE : PHONE 1365-6 GERRARD,