Chapter I: Preface

This volume has been written with the express purpose of assisting the amateur--the term is used in its broadest sense as a distinction from the salaried, attached professional worker--who is attracted towards cinematography. It is not a technical treatise, but is written in such a manner as to enable the tyro to grasp the fundamental principles of the art, and the apparatus employed in its many varied applications.

While it is assumed that the reader has practised ordinary snap-shot and still-life work, and thus is familiar with the elements of photography, yet the subject is set forth in such a manner as to enable one who never has attempted photography to take moving-pictures.

At the same time it is hoped that the volume may prove of use to the expert hand, by introducing him to what may be described as the higher branches of the craft. The suggestions and descriptions concerning these applications may prove of value to any who may be tempted to labour in one or other of the various fields mentioned.

In the preparation of this volume I have received valuable assistance from several friends who have been associated intimately with the cinematographic art from its earliest days:--J. Bamberger, Esq., of the Motograph Company, Limited, James Williamson, Esq., of the Williamson Kinematograph Company, Limited, Kodak Limited, Messrs. Jury, Limited, and Monsieur Lucien Bull, the assistant-director of the Marey Institute, to whom I am especially indebted for facilities to visit that unique institution, and the investigation at first hand of its varied work, the loan of the photographs of the many experiments which have been, and still are being, conducted at the French "Cradle of Cinematography," and considerable assistance in the preparation of the text.

FREDERICK A. TALBOT.

CONTENTS

CHAP. PAGE

I. ATTRACTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES OF THE ART 1
II. THE PRINCIPLES OF CINEMATOGRAPHY 13
III. THE MOVING-PICTURE CAMERA AND ITS MECHANISM 21
IV. THE CAMERA AND HOW TO USE IT 35
V. HAND CAMERA CINEMATOGRAPHY 51
VI. DEVELOPING THE FILM 62
VII. PRINTING THE POSITIVE 79
VIII. ABERRATIONS OF ANIMATED PHOTOGRAPHY 94
IX. SLOWING-DOWN RAPID MOVEMENTS 108
X. SPEEDING-UP SLOW MOVEMENTS 124
XI. CONTINUOUS CINEMATOGRAPHIC RECORDS 135
XII. RADIO-CINEMATOGRAPHY: HOW THE X-RAYS ARE USED IN
CONJUNCTION WITH THE MOVING-PICTURE CAMERA 147
XIII. COMBINING THE MICROSCOPE AND THE ULTRA-MICROSCOPE
WITH THE MOVING-PICTURE CAMERA 161
XIV. MICRO-MOTION STUDY: HOW INCREASED WORKSHOP EFFICIENCY
IS OBTAINABLE WITH MOVING-PICTURES 174
XV. THE MOTION PICTURE AS AN AID TO SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION 185
XVI. THE MILITARY VALUE OF THE CINEMATOGRAPH 197
XVII. THE PREPARATION OF EDUCATIONAL FILMS 209
XVIII. PHOTO-PLAYS AND HOW TO WRITE THEM 224
XIX. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN STAGE PRODUCTIONS 238
XX. WHY NOT NATIONAL CINEMATOGRAPH LABORATORIES? 248

INDEX 259

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

FACING
PAGE

How to take Moving-pictures of Wild Animals in safety
_Frontispiece_
A Moving-picture Expedition into the Indian Jungle 4
Polar Bear Diving 5
A Lion and Lioness at Lunch 10
Caught! 11
Operator and Camera buried in a Hole 14
Making Moving-pictures of Wild Rabbits 14
Nest of King Regulus, showing curious Suspension 15
Mother King Regulus feeding her Young 15
The Jury Moving-picture Camera 24
The Williamson Topical Camera and Tripod 25
The Williamson Camera threaded for Use 42
Lens of the Williamson Camera 43
Adjustable Shutter of the Jury Camera 43
The "Aeroscope" Moving-picture Hand Camera 52
Compressed Air Reservoirs of the "Aeroscope" Camera 53
Lens, Shutter, Mechanism and Gyroscope 56
Loading the "Aeroscope" Camera 57
Mr. Cherry Kearton steadying himself upon a Precipice 58
Mr. Cherry Kearton slung over a Cliff 58
Vulture preparing to Fly 59
A Well-equipped Dark Room showing Arrangement of the Trays 64
Winding the Developing Frame 65
Film transferred from Developing Frame to Drying Drum 72
Film Wound on Frame and placed in Developing Tray 73
The Jury Combined Camera and Printer 73
The Williamson Printer 84
Water Beetle attacking a Worm 85
Marey's Apparatus for taking Rapid Movements 112
Cinematographing the Beat of a Pigeon's Wing 113
First Marey Apparatus for Cinematographing the Opening of a
Flower 128
First Motion Pictures of an Opening Flower 129
Development of a Colony of Marine Organisms 129
Continuous Moving-picture Records of Heart-beats 136
Continuous Moving-pictures of Heart-beats of an Excited Person 137
Continuous Cinematography--Palpitations of a Rabbit's Heart 142
Stero-motion Orbit of a Machinist's Hand 143
Lines of Light indicating to-and-fro hand Movements 143
A wonderful X-ray Film made by M. J. Carvallo 148
Moving X-ray Pictures of the Digestion of a Fowl 149
Stomach and Intestine of a Trout 152
Digestive Organs of the Frog 152
Lizard Digesting its Food 152
X-ray Moving-pictures of the Bending of the Knee 153
X-ray Film of the Opening of the Hand 153
Micro-Cinematograph used at Marey Institute for investigating
minute Aquatic Life 164
Micro-cinematography: The Proboscis of the Blow Fly 165
Micro-cinematograph used at the Marey Institute 170
One of Dr. Comandon's Galvanic Experiments with Paramoecia 171
Micro-cinematography: Blow Fly eating Honey 176
The Ingenious Gilbreth Clock 177
Rack, showing Disposition of Component Parts, for Test 177
Film of Workman assembling Machine 182
Film of Rack and Bench, Floor marked off into Squares, and
Clock 182
Cinematographing a Man's Work against Time 183
Moving-pictures of a Steam Hammer Ram 188
Dr. Füch's Apparatus for taking Moving-pictures of the
Operations of a Steam Hammer 189
Wonderful Apparatus devised by Mr. Lucien Bull for taking
2,000 Pictures per second 190
Moving-pictures of the Ejection of a Cartridge from an
Automatic Pistol 191
Motion Photographs of the Splintering of a Bone by a Bullet 191
Soldiers Firing at the "Life Target" 204
Front View of the "Life Target" showing Screen Opening 205
Screen Mechanism of the "Life Target" 206
Cinematographing Hedge-row Life under Difficulties 207
Moorhen Sitting on her Nest 212
The Young Chick pierces the Shell 212
Chick Emerging from the Shell 213
Newly Hatched Chick struggling to its Feet 213
Chick, Exhausted by its Struggles, Rests in the Sun 214
The Chick takes to the Water 214
Fight between a Lobster and an Octopus 215
Story of the Water Snail 215
The Head of the Tortoise 218
The Hawk Moth 218
Snake Shedding its Skin or "Slough" 219
The Snake and its Shed Slough 219
Exterior View of Dummy Cow 226
Mr. Frank Newman and Camera hidden within Tree Trunk 227
Lizard with Spider in its Mouth 240
Digestive Organs and Eggs of a Water Flea 241
Moving-picture Naturalist and the Lizard at Home 241
A Novel "Hide," with Camera Fifteen Feet above Ground 250
"Hide" Uncovered showing Working Platform 251

IN TEXT

FIG. PAGE

1. Mechanism of Camera showing Threading of Film 28
2. The "Pin" Frame 67
3. The First Picture of the Four-spoke Wheel 97
4. Apparent Stillness of Spokes while Wheel is Moving 98
5. Apparent Backward Motion of Spokes while Wheel is
Running Forwards 99
6. When Wheel is seen to be Moving Naturally 100
7. Curious Illusion of seeing Twice the Number of Spokes
in the Wheel 102
8. Mechanism of the Noguès Camera 115
9. The Ingenious Radio-cinematographic Apparatus devised
by Monsieur M. J. Carvallo 151
10. Dr. Comandon's Radio-cinematographic Apparatus 157

PRACTICAL CINEMATOGRAPHY