Movie Makers (Jun-Dec 1928)

PORTRAITS of PIONEERS WHEN one talks with J. R. Bray and hears the story of the Bray Productions, Inc., its pioneer work in industrial and educational filming and its expeditions into the hitherto unknown regions of the Colorado River, one begins to realize the enormous possibilities of motion pictures as a vital factor in every day life and just how far those possibilities have already been realized. Mr. Bray, from the start, has been a pioneer in the development of pictures along constructive and nontheatrical lines and, according to his estimate, has probably spent more money on special subjects than any other producer up to the present time. Although Mr. Bray is quite modest and reluctant to talk about himself, a brief outline of some of his achievements gives a picture of the man. He is the inventor of the animated cartoon process and his is the mother studio of all cartoon enterprises. The first ventures in animated cartooning were made before 1912 and since that time his studios have developed not only film cartooning but animated technical drawing and other branches of visual cinematography, a system of filming that has greatly aided the establishment of motion pictures in the educational and industrial world. Recently he made a series of reels called "The Science of Life" which 384 J. R. BRAY By E. Locke -Lewis provides a course of visual instruction in the subjects of biology, communicable diseases and personal hygiene. By means of cinematography it is now possible to visualize on the screen phases and reactions of biological life that the human eye is unable to catch. This series of films is a notable example for it establishes a new and high standard as an instructional moving picture and is inestimably valuable as a contribution to health education. "The Science of Life" was produced under the direction of the Surgeon General of the United States Public Health Service and the most advanced knowledge and equipment were used in its making. Under the auspices of the War Department his studios produced twelve reels visualizing automobile mechanices for the benefit of the Motor Transport Division. As in hygiene and biology, the camera has proved to be of great value in all fields of mechanical instruction. All the intricacies of motor construction which the eye cannot discern have been clearly demonstrated by these films. This picture has proved its worth as an educational factor through many months of test of its pedagogical value by the Educational Department of the United States Army and thirtyfive sets of prints purchased by the government were distributed to important U. S. Army posts in this country and abroad. It consists of twelve reels and, among other subjects, there are reels describing the functions of transmission and ignition. Previous to the production of this picture it was out of the question to be able to follow the part that electricity played in automotive mechanics but his studios have been able to show the electrical current in action thus making it possible to see with the eye that which hitherto had been left to the imagination. Not only have they visualized through pictures the motion of electricity, the functions of gases and motors and the nervous system of the body but they have actually made a picture in which sound waves are visualized. It is a picture of Rosa Ponselle making a phonograph record. It depicts Miss Ponselle singing into the recording instrument and the sound waves are shown as they are recorded on the wax disc. During the war he did much filming under the supervision of the government. A sample six reel picture dealing with the training of soldiers was made at West Point and was intended to speed up the military train