Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 221, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 September 1915 — FAKE MOVIE FILMS IN BUSY NEW YORK [ARTICLE]

FAKE MOVIE FILMS IN BUSY NEW YORK

PICTURE MEN STEAL SCENES BY FOOLING CROWDS Suburbs of City Provide Varied Atmosphere—Wild West In New Jersey. Ab nearly everybody knows, many of the Wild Western dramas for the moving pictures are made in New Jersey. But that is not the only place where "movie” films are faked. New York City and its suburbs supply the best field in this part of the world for the picture maker. There a greater variety of scenery is at hand than is found in any other American city. Tropical scenes, taken in New York City’s limits, have been so well faked that they were very deceiving. In some of the new sections of Brooklyn are spots that are exact counterparts of cities like Denver, Chicago, Spokane and many of the new American towns. Some of the bungalow colonies of Long Island duplicate southern California, big estates around homes or English manors. The Bartow mansion on the Pell estate, now Pelham Bay Park, has been the scene of many stirring dramatic moments in the silent drama. It has been a Southern plantation home, Washington’s headquarters, the palace of some great lord, etc., and each part it has played well.

Over in New Jersey, where they raise the genuine Western cow puncher, there is also rock formation that is all right for mining scenes. The places used for moving picture scenes are called "locations.” On Staten Island is a splendid location for a lumber camp. A lot of timber is being cut for some improvements that are being made and the logs are being snaked as in a regular camp and the cabins of the employes make excellent shacks for the lumberjacks.

If you are a diplomat, palaces are to be had for the asking. One very rich man said he had no objection to legitimate motion picture makers using his estate, and it is a princely one, for, he explained, moving pictures were great educators and a source of amusement for millions, and residence like his could not be built by manufacturers just to make pictures around. His magnificent yacht is to be had for the same purpose, that is, if you know how to approach him.

Of course all this refers to the outside scenes. Nearly every motion picture lover knows that as yet no negative film has been made that is fast enough to take pictures inside of a house,/and that to carry the necessary plant around would not be practicable. The interior of these beautiful homes have therefore to be duplicated in the studios. French or English street scenes are got by picking out spots along Fifth avenue or any other street that has residences of the type desired and using them for a background. In the different sections of the city where certain nationalities have their communities it isn’t difficult to secure any foreign atmosphere wanted. In the big shopping centers are plenty of locations and lots of atmosphere, but the difficult thing is to get it on a film so that it will seem natural. The novice will encounter a lot of obstacles and may quit in disgust. The public at large is very much interested in pictures and it requires skill to make the pictures without attracting attention. Ninety-nine persons out of one hundred will ‘stop to have a look when a picture is being made, as they hope some time to see a picture made and then later to run across it in a theater.

For scenes like this the wise director will rehearse his people beforehand. His camera man is in an automobile with his machine well hidden save for the nose of the lens. When all is ready the director will start a system of wigwagging from across the street Then the motor car with the rem era man and the actors will all assemble at the given point with as little fuss as possible. If all goes well in about forty seconds or less the scene is made and the characters are in a motor car shooting down the street just as the crowd commences to gather. Forty-five seconds is the limit of time that a motion picture crowd can count on having to themselves, and they must be clever to fool an average crowd of New York pedestrians. Scenes have been stolen in Herald square in front of the biggest department stores in the world at noon on a busy day without any of the large crowds knowing what was going on. The actors came out of the store and did what they had to and acted as if they were just customers out shopping. >