The international photographer (Jan-Dec 1930)

February, 1930 The INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER Fifteen The fVonder 'Sox (A Letter to the Editor) JOHN LEEZER Mr. Silas Edgar Snyder, Editor International Photographer. My dear Editor: Not having heard from me in some time, you are no doubt wondering what has become of me. When you learn however what I have been about, you will not be surprised that I have had little if any time for correspondence. Having always been of a mechanical turn of mind, as you well know I have devoted all of my spare time, which has been considerable, to the invention of what I am positive will be the last word in animated picture camera equipment. So many of the boys have been inventing something along this line that I determined to exercise the unusual ability I possess, to the end that it will be unnecessary for any one, in this generation at least, to expend any more grey matter in the development of a motion picture camera. You may consider this a very high recommendation of myself and my ability but I am sure you will say that I am justified when you understand more fully the achievement which I have achieved. Naturally such an undertaking needs financial backing. My invention embraces 743 items which must be covered by separate patents. This in itself will entail much expenditure of time and money. After that five to ten million will be necessary to build machinery and house it properly. It has been necessary for me to devise 22 new machines for making parts. Machines which function on principals altogether new to modern mechanics. I expect to interest D. W. in my enterprise but failing that I shall not be deterred. Mack Sennett will no doubt be glad to place sufficient funds at my disposal. First you must know that my principal aim in designing the camera, has been to condense into one instrument or unit, all that is necessary to produce a picture, which will be in color only, with sound track, ready for assembling. Condensing the sound equipment to such an extent that it could be accommodated within the camera was one of the first difficulties to be overcome but this was finally accomplished with the assistance of a young lady who was at one time chief operator for the Bell Telephone Company in Sand Prairie, Iowa. It was evident at once, that the sound track must be a part of the original negative. While photographing "Our Gang" comedies in Europe, I met a Turk in Turkey, who claimed that he could not only deposit two or more kinds of emulsion on the one base but could easily make one of those emulsions sensitive to colors, — without the use of dyes or filters. He intimated that he employed certain chemical salts which in themselves were sensitive, each to its own color and when developed in the presence of Neon gas, the negative became a positive and the subject in all its colors would be visible upon the screen. Fortunately I remembered the Turk's address and telephone number with the result that he has agreed to furnish me film, with a slow emulsion sound track on the same celluloid base as the color sensitive emulsion. I am sorry to pass up George Eastman this way but he can blame no one but himself for I begged him with tears in my eyes, to put a film simitar to this on the market vears ago and Pet me peddle it instead of J. E. Brulatour. I had some little difficulty in persuading the Turk to let me in on the development or reversal of the negative image to positive by the use of Neon gas but when I gave him to understand that without this information I would purchase none of his film, he readily consented. Rather diplomatic — yes? — no? When mce the secret was mine, it was a simple matter to contrive an attachment for the camera which would, with the aid of a jet of the Neon gas, change the negative to positive. This will no doubt work a hardship on Consolidated but it can't be helped. All laboratories must have seen the handwriting on the wall — in the perfection of television. One print only will lie necessary for broadcasting in the United States and Canada, in English of course, so the film delivered by my brain-child will be ready for the Television-projector as soon as assembled. With the addition of an Ouija-board to the camera, the film could no doubt be assembled therein but I am acquainted with a number of the girls who depend on the scissors for a living and I am loath to deprive them of their orange juice diet. With the sound equipment I have devised and incorporated within my camera, it possible to register only the sounds coming from the area covered by the angle of the lens being used at the time. All other sounds being tuned out. The lamp which registers the microphonic vibrations on that part of the film reserved for the sound track is, of course, shielded from the other emulsion so that it is impossible for the latter to become fogged. I take a great deal of pride, Silas, in thus bringing to perfection a feature of sound production so long sought. In this connection I wish to gratefully acknowledge my indebtedness to my friend George Kelley for valuable assistance. As in the sound area, so is the illuminated area confined to the angle covered by the lens being used. A very powerful lamp mounted just above the turret, and no larger than a thimble, gives a dark brown ray to which the Turkish color emulsion is sensitive. The chief electrician of the Adohr dairy, who has charge of all of their electric milking machines, gave me some most timely hints in working out this system of lighting. No light is necessary for the camera making the long shots because the set will be amply illuminated from the angles already covered by the other cameras. The super-sensitive color film is so sensitive to daylight that only the smallest stops can be used. In fact the largest stop which can be used on an exterior is F. 11. The turret of my camera, controlled from a key-board in the rear, accommodates twelve lenses of different focal length. The longest being six feet. This lens will do away with expensive transportation for the camera crew to distant locations, as same can be covered from the studio towers. Incidentally it will go far to alleviate indigestion pains from partaking of box-lunches. The entire camera unit is mounted on a rubber-tired truck — the tires being of sponge rubber to take up vibration caused by earthquakes, etc., etc., and operates under its own motive power — a battery small enough to put in your overcoat pcoket. When I say that the entire unit, truck included, will weigh well under 47 pounds, you may well be astounded. You have no doubt, observed how light in weight celluloid is but it never occurred to you that such inflammable material could be used in place of metal. Of course it didn't. Well I have simply taken advantage of this natural phenomenon in that all castings, gears, shafts, lens mounts, etc., etc., are made of celluloid instead of metal. The celluloid when in a liquid state is mixed with Pyrenne to make it fireproof and a small quantity of Portland cement to harden it and then poured into the moulds to set. I have given you but a meager outline, Silas, of what I believe is destined to revolutionize the motion-picture industry but you can no doubt form some conception at least of its importance and magnitude. I am working night and day in order that I may the sooner receive the plaudits of my brethren and maybe get a job, because it's a cinch that at least three first, three seconds and six assistants will be required to operate this Wonder Box. Wishing myself good luck, I am as ever, Yours verv truly, JOHN LEEZER,' Local 659. o Karl Struss, winner of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences award for the best motion picture camera work of last year, is photographing his fifth consecutive all dialogue United Artists picture of 1929— Dolores Del Rio's "The Bad One,'' with Edmund Lowe, a George Fitzmaurice production. Struss headed the camera batteries during the filming of Mary Pickford's "Coquette;" Herbert Brenon's production, "Lummox;" "The Taming of the Shrew," co-starring Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, and Lillian Gish's, "The Swan."