American Cinematographer - January 16, 1921 - 1

LOYALTY-'- PROGRESS-'-ART-'-

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THE MEN 'WHO MAKE MOTION
VOL. 2. NO.2

PICTURES

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, JANUARY

16, 1921

TEN CENTS A COPY

Meet Us At The First Motion Picture
Ball At The Ambassador January 29th
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I Progress

in Cinematography

FIRST MOTION PICTURE BALL AT THE AMBASSADOR

Cinematographers

to Feature Second

Annual

Celebrities of the Screen to Be Present.
Entertainment.
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The cinematographer
has a most plastic profession.
Beyond the basic
laws of photography he is not tied by any rules. His treatment of a subject is under the entire control of his own resources.
His business is
unique in that there is often more than one right way to do one thing. It
is due to this fact that we have good cameramen whose work is up to the
standard photographically;
better cameramen who do distinctive work,
occasionally very beautiful; and wonderful cameramen whose work is a
constant example of the highest form of their art.
The good cameraman cannot be reproached because his work does not
equal that of the wonderful cameraman.
He may do all that seems to
be required of him. His workmanship is flawless, his picture clean, sharp,
steady, well exposed, and of good composition.
He seems to leave no
point open to criticism.
Both may work at the same studio, use identical
instruments,
have the same laboratory, and photograph successively, the
same stars. Still the difference exists. Why ?
The answer is the same that spells success or failure in all forms of
artistic endeavor-personality.
The development of personality should be the supremeobject of all who
wish success in cinematography,
whether they are veterans in the profession, or assistants, just breaking ill.
Personality is a broad term. On analyzing the personality that evidences
itself in the work of the greatest cinematographers,
it can be fairly divided
into three general parts, the first of which is careful workmanship.
Care, ever vigilant and extreme, is the foundation upon which every
cameraman's
reputation rests. A careless cameraman does not exist. He
can't.
Care is a trait the newest assistant can begin to develop.
This
trait on the part of an assistant cameraman saves much gnashing of teeth
when the director is separating the sheep from the goats in the cutting
r00111. The cameraman who has the habit of care is sure of success.
The next trait of a great cameraman is style.
Some of the finest
cinematographers,
not one of which can be said to be greater than anotl:er,
have widely differing styles of work. One is characterized
by full, rich,
oil-painting-like
scenes; another vitalizes the m.asculine vigor o.f t~e steel
engraving; while another has an exquisitely delicate touch, reminding ot~e
of the fragile beauty of a Zorn etching.
The develo1?ment .of st?,le IS
what makes a cameraman more than a cameraman.
Without It he IS one
of many; with it he stands alone.
.
The third part is art, the greatest of all. Without art .st;:le IS merely
mannerism.
Without art all the 'care and fine workmanship
111 the world
will produce nothing more than a photograph.
Ther~ is .no forn.1Ula for
the development of art, but every being loving that which IS beautiful, has
the power to produce artistic beauty.
Nothing is ever so good but can be bettered.
Fill:r photography than
has ever been seen will be produced.
The utmost 111 art can never be
reached, but the progress will be made by the men who say to themselves,
"Study and try."

SOME ARBUCKLE
'Tuesday, August the 24th, was a
date of great moment with our
friend, Roscoe Arbuckle. Upon that
day a lifetime's longing came. to
pass.
A rbnckle was being filmed as
1Vr ante Brewster,
in "Brewster's
M illions."
In the story Monte gets
rid of a large slice of a million dollars he is bound to spend by drenchina a brilliant assembly attending a
"
.
rich ball.
On this day, then, the fatefulmomont arrived.
Final instructions
were given, and the cameras began
to grind as the dancers glided in the

ballroom.
'Then the voluminous
Roscoe appeared upon a ha1con~,
ala Juliet, and turned on the mercrJess hose. Men and women were
hurled about by the force of the
stream; some rushed to apparentlv
secure corners, only to be spotted
and washed out again.
Exquisite
gowns were instantly turned from
wonderful
creations
into useless
rags.
"At last!" he murmured.
I'At
last, something unpleasant has been
done in a picture that has 110t been
done to me, or at me!"
And a contented smile spread itself over the broad acreage of his
face :lnd has been there ever since.

Society

Event in the

Magnificent Ball Room of the New $5,000,000 Hotel.

All the

Elaborate Program ot

With the idea of making the second annual ball of the American
Society of Cinematographers
the
1110St popular
event in film circles,
the officers and arrangement
committee of the Society plan to create
a miniature motion picture land in
the beautiful ball and assemblv roam
of the new Ambassador
Hotel on
Saturday evening, Jannary 29th.
This will be the first motion picture baIl to be given in the great
$5.000,000 hotel and members of the
Southern California screen colony
will gather
in large numbers as
guests
of the cinematographers,
"The Men Who ~\t[ake the Pictures."
The ball room will care comfortably for 1,000 couples and judging
front the sale of tickets up to the
present time, a capacity attendance

will be recorded, and the cinematographers are justly proud of tln
popularity being accorded the society through requests for tickets.
M any boxes with seating capacity
of from six to twelve each will be
arranged
around
the ball 1'00111.
More than half of these have already been spoken for by directors,
producers,
stars and members of
the 111otio11picture fraternity, who
will honor the cameramen by their
presence.
'I'his affair will be a typical screen
ball and 110 expense is being spared
by the society to make it a brilliant
success. Invitations and tickets can
be secured
through
cameramen,
members of the society, or by application to the secretary at the club
r00111S, 325 Markham
building,
Hollywood.

A. S. C. MEMBERSHIP NOTES

forthcoming
special production
of
"Camille," with Nazimova. Rudolph
Valentino has been selected to POl"tray the handsome lover, in this immortal story. Mr. Ray Smallwood,
who directed her last picture, will
serve in the same capacity in this
one.
Painstaking
preparations
to
capture the very spirit of the Paris
of Dumas have led to the erection
of special sets on the Metro lot.
The last cinematographer
to accept his invitation to affiliate with
the American Society of Cinematographers, is Mr. Andre Barlatier,
Kew York City. He is now associated
with the Metro
Studio,
where he is working with George
Baker.
1\1r. Barlatier will be remembered
for
his
remarkable
double
exposures
111
"Earth
bound."
vVe give Mr. Ba rlatier a
hearty welcome to our fellowship
Mr. Gilbert V\iarrenton has been
in Los Angeles for a week renewing old acquaintances in the industry. It is good to get all the news
direct from "little old New Yok"
from one who is in the thick of production.
We will be sorry to see
him start back East, but we wish
him all good things-may
he make
another picture soon which will go
over as big as "Humoresque."

:Mr. Charles E. Schoenbau-n
is
making one picture with Realar-t
under Director Tom Heffron.
In
this comedy-drama,
called "Sham,"
Miss Ethel Clayton has the chance
to display more beautiful gowns to
the best advantage.
After completing this picture, Mr. Schoenbaum
expects to retu rn to the Lasky
studio, where he will again shoot
Wallace Reid.
]\IIr. Reggie Lyons is now in the
midst of his first production with
the \i\T estart Film Company,
at
Tulsa, Okla. The feature is called
"Cold Steel," with Jack Mower, Elrna Davies and Bob Conville in the
cast. This is to be a real Western,
with Indians, buffalos and bandits.
To 1\1[1'. Lyons the big feature is
that he is acting as co-director with
}1r. Convil1e.
Mr. Hans Koenekamp is finishing
his last picture, "The Hick," with
Larry Semon. True to life, this hick
begins his career in the country, but
does 110t stay there.
Even if people cease to live in the country, the
type will remain, and never cease
to charm-on
the stage!
One of the many spectacular
scenes of the Metro all-star production under 1\1[1'. Philip E. Rosen.
"What's
the Matter with Marriage ?" shows Ora Carew diving a
horse from a twenty-five foot cliff
into a pool of water.
Take a look
at the thermometer the next morning you go out of doors, and think
of what this means.
1\IIr. nergquist
will shoot the

PERSONAL
A few years ago I\1r. Philip E.
Rosen photographed
five pictures
with Robert Mantell. and last week
was renewing his pleasant acquaintance with the great Shakespearian
actor and his beautiful wife.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - January 16, 1921