Moving Picture World (Nov-Dec 1923)

ISO MOVING PICTURE WORLD November 3, 1923 Tony Gaudio Invents a Money Saving Substitute for Exterior Night Shots A SAVINGS of hundreds of thousands of dollars a year by the elimination of night exterior filming has been made possible for the film industry as the result of a process perfected by Gaetano (“Tony”) Gaudio. veteran screen cameraman. Prediction that the new invention will revolutionize night filming was recently made by Producer Joseph M. Schenck, following a practical test. Gaudio. who is shooting Xornta Talmadge's Joseph M. Schenck drama. “Dust of Desire/' used his process during three days, in which night scenes of an Algerian village street were taken during the day. The saving in electric equipment, current and wages of electricians for the three days, according to Schenck’s production records, amounted to $25,000. Four thousand dollars was saved in the rental of extra equipment alone. More than the monetary saving, the producer declared, is the superiority in results given by Gaudio’s process. Artificial night lighting has never given entire satisfaction, says Schenck, who looks forward to the adoption of the invention by the entire industry. While the invention was perfected after only five weeks of experiment, it is based on Gaudios experience extending over twenty-four years of camera work. It can be applied to any camera, having few attachments. The working principle rests in the preparation of the raw film. “My invention, I believe, is superior to the two former methods of filming night effects,” said Gaudio. “There have been attempts to get night effects by tinting the positive of films taken during the day, but the tinting of the sky in positives has failed because the dissolving of the silver leaves a transparency to which cannot be applied, and the sky on the screen, consequently, shows up very light. The actual filming at night, on the other hand, is not satisfactory, because artificial illumination is not even throughout a set, and, to illuminate a deep set, costs much money. “My process is designed to overcome these defects and to give a more natural effect, and to save money. The negative I used on ‘Dust of Desire’ was put through a special coloring solution. This gave silhouettes with both depth and contour, while previously figures registered as mere profiles. Process Cuts Production Costs “From the financial side it does away with electric power and equipment and the cost of keeping electricians in attendance. It may even be developed to a point where night interiors can be made under open stages.” According to John Considine, General Manager for Joseph M. Schenck, at whose suggestion Gaudio and Ray Binger, his assistant, began their money-saving experiments some time ago, the new process gives a black sky, a light foreground, a clearly defined sky line, Derfect silhouettes and stereoscopic relief with high visibility, to figures both in close-ups and even until their disappearance on the sky line. In addition, the shadows of figures walking in the moonlight are strongly outlined. For overcast day effects, snow storms, sand storms and any gradation of light from twilight to deep night the new process is ideal. Moonlight cloud effects are particularly beautiful. When “Dust of Desire” was begun, Considine pointed out to Producer Schenck that about $5,000 a day would be necessary to shoot the night scenes of the Algerian drama. This sum would be required for electricians, electrical equipment, skids, generators, tractors, etc. Great Expense Avoided It was pointed out that only one set up could be made in a night and that no real long shots could be obtained unless all the electrical equipment in California were secured at tremendous expense. Realizing that tinting the film would not do inasmuch as by this method the tinted sky shots would not match up with the scenes already made at night under artificial light. Producer Schenck called in Gaudio. The latter, who had been working for many months to perfect his process, left Los Angeles for the desert with a few actors and tried out his new process. The results were so amazingly good that last week Gaudio announced that he was ready to stake his reputation on it. The trip of more than 400 actors and technicians to Oxnard where the trial was made cost Producer Schenck a small fortune. There was some trepidation at taking a chance of losing from $30,000 to $40,000 in the event that Gaudio’s new process failed but Producer Schenck gambled with his veteran cameraman — and both won out. When the film was developed and printed in Los Angeles the results created somewhat of a sensation. Typhoon Equipment which cools, ventilates and heats the Rivoli, New York. When yovi build your theatre — Keep in mind that there’s no more profitable investment than perfect ventilation and warmth in winter — and delightfully cool, refreshing Typhoon Breezes on broiling hot summer days. Typhoon Engineers will show how to get best results for least money. Their long experience in the cooling, ventilating and heating of thousands of other theatres is at your service — without obligation. Send us your plans. Typhoon fan Company 345 West 39th Street New York Thomas W. Lamb installed Typhoons in : Rialto, New York Rivoli. New York Loew’s Metropolitan, Brooklyn Loew’s Metropolitan. 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