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on Canal Street
LEO j. HEFFERNAN, FACL
THIS YEAR on Tuesday, February 10, Rex, King of the Mardi Gras, will again lead the parade down Canal Street in New Orleans — just as he has done since his first appearance in 1872. If you want a movie making subject that is literally bursting with movement, color and comedy, I'd advise you to be there.
Literally millions take part in the round of gay events which lead up to Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), the last day before Lent. For more than ten days prior, the city will be alive with the spirit of carnival. The first street parade, usually the Krewe of Cynthius, takes place at night about a week ahead. Babylon parades the next night, then Momus and Hermes on the following two nights. These are gaslight parades which carry with them a frenzy of merrymaking. Masked men and women, among them many of the city's social and financial leaders, toss trinkets from the gayly decorated floats into the outstretched hands of the crowds which are massed along the line of march.
For the movie maker, the primary question is how much film he wants to shoot. An introduction might begin with a s-l-o-w panorama of the city itself from the roof of one of the tall hotels. Follow then with a series of scenes made in the Vieux Carre — the St. Louis Cathedral, picturesque courtyards with their ornamental gates, the iron lacework balconies and the patio cafes. Moving over to Canal Street in the early morning, show the giant candlesticks, peppermint sticks, bunting and other decorations, which probably will not be noticed in the shots of the actual celebration. To get a moving camera shot of these preparations for the great event, I mounted my camera on the front platform of a Canal Street trolley car and shot only while the car was in motion. The result is surprisingly smooth and effective.
Another pre-Mardi Gras activity which films well is the water carnival — a spectacular procession of yachts and river craft, all gayly decorated with bunting and [Continued on page 79]
Gaiety, glamour and a tradition of good fellowship beckon from the New Orleans Mardi Gras, one of America's oldest fetes
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16mm. scenes by Leo J. Heffernan, FACL
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