JUNGLE MOVIES

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 November 1931, Page 7

JUNGLE MOVIES

CAMERA SECRETS REVEALED. Everyone knows that some of the thrilling pielures shown on the screen which depict the terrors of the jungle have been photographed in Hollywood studios with the aid of tame lions, tigers, panthers, and other “wild” animals playing parts in which they have been trained. But not all the jungle pictures are photographed in Hollywood. Some of them are made in tho jungle: but even there artificial aid has to be employed to get the results wanted by the picture producers. For instance, if the producer wan Is a picture of a lion chasing a zebra, how does he set about it? He does not roam the jungle on the off chance of such an incident coming within range of his camera; he might remain there a lifetime without obtaining such a picture. Mi - . Wynant Davis Hubbard, explor. er and photographer of wild animals in their native haunts, contributes to the American ‘Elks Magazine’ an article explaining how it is done. “Let us assume that we are camped on the veld of Africa, and that we are making a story which requires a scene showing a lion chasing a zebra,” he writes. “We will also assume that we have the lion and the zebra. We’ll start ■with the zebra. First a picture of a herd, which we can get without too much trouble on the veld in their local habitat. We frighten them, and they dash away. Returning to camp we bring out the zebra. A line of natives, hidden behind trees or a deep water course, will serve to prevent tho zebra from dashing straight away from the camera location. Turn the zebra, loose some distance, 50yds or possibly even 10yds -away. In order to escape it will have to run forward between the lines of natives in front of the camera and those behind. As it comes we photograph it. It may be that a native or two will appear in the picture, popping out from behind a. tree in order to frighten the zebra and keep it in line. Such can be cut out of the film later, when it is assembled. “The handling of the lion is not so simple. Lions cannot be driven easily. They will usually run just so far, and

then they stop and want to aigue, which is embarrassing. There are two methods of getting what we want. If we have a motor truck we can mount the camera on the platform, and after turning the lion loose follow it with the truck and get some pictures. A much better way, although it requires more time and preparation, is to use fencing. The wire may be stretched along 'the exact route which the zebra followed and carefully hidden and camouflaged with grass, bushes, tree trunks, and ant hills. The lenses of the camera or cameras protrude through the wire on our side of the runway. The lion is released at. the far end, and we picture him as he comes. In order to get the final rush it may be necessary to have someone run outside the wire.” LION CHASES ZEBRA. "These two pictures, if cut together, will give the impression that the zebra is' being chased by the lion. First, we see on the screen a picture of a zebra herd grazing peacefully. Then a picture of a lion, walking slowly. Tho zebra again. Then a Hash of the lion. The zebra herd breaks into a run. So does the lion. A single zebra, is shown in a moderate close-up running fast. The lion is running also. Possibly a. quick glimpse of the zebra herd in the distance. The single zebra. The lion bounding. And then a dead zebra with the lion feeding of standing over it. Would not such a sequence convince you that you had seen a herd of zebra attacked on the veld? And to all intents and purposes, so yon have.” “How is it possible to secure pictures of lions stalking and killing native cattle?” continues Mr. Hubbard. “The answer is that it is impossible unless tho action is staged. In the Namwala district of Northern Rhodesia lions kill cattle every night in some village, it is impossible to guess which one will be attacked upon any given night. But even if ybu v ere so fortunate as to be present when the Rons began their stalk, how could you photograph them in the dark? If flares were ready and you set them off tho lions would tun. The moon does not give sufficient light

for photography even on the brightest nights.” Mr. Hubbard explains how the difficulties were surmounted. “First we captured two lions. It was not easy, but we got away with it. Once we had our chief actors, we hired the small village for a week, and moved the inhabitants out, but kept all the implements of their daily life, just where they left them. The kraal itself we strengthened here and there with a few poles, or by binding wobbly ones with wire. One of the cameramen scaled a large tree near by, and, cutting off the top, built a platform on which he set up a camera with a long focus lens. Another platform was built at the edge of the kraal on level with the tops of the poles, it was outside the view of camera No. one. “When all was arranged we put some of our own oxen in the kraal and our native hunters in the huts. The lions were brought up in crates, and backed against an opening in the kraal poling. The cameraman waved a signal and began to grind. 1 pulled the crate doors. For a minute nothing. Then one of the lions peered out. Looking through the camera, all that could be seen was the line of poles and the head of the lion coming through. It looked exactly as though the beast was forcing its way in. “The lion snarled. .. Then with a rush it bounded into the kraal and raced at the oxen. The other followed. The oxen faced them, heads down. The lions circled cautiously. To my intense surprise an ox charged a lion and chased him. They rushed over - toward camera number two, and right in front of it the lion turned'and leapt on to tho ox. I yelled for natives. They came running from the huts, and swarmed up the poles. Spears ; flashed. The cattle churned up the i dust. The lion had the ox down, and l was biting it in the neck. The ox* threw it off, and, staggering to its feet, kicked the lion smack on the < nose. 1 “With tho two cameras we photo- i graphed over a thousand feet, of the ; fastest action I’ve ever seen put on by animals. And not one was killed. By i badgering and shouting at the two ; lions we succeeded in driving them 1 back into the crates. One or two oxen i were scratched, but not seriously. We i made other scenes to complete the i

sequence. We had close-ups and long shots of natives in and out of huts. Three women ran into one and hurriedly fastened the door. A man rushed for a calf, and, untying it, picked it up and ran for a hut. He tripped ail over himself, but got the calf in. When these various scenes, were put together there was a complete picture of what happens when lions attack a village."