ABOVE WILD WATERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19280, 19 March 1926, Page 15

ABOVE WILD WATERS.

FILM OF VICTORIA FALLS. A CAMERA MAN'S NERVE. PICTURES FROM THE AIR. [from our own correspondent.] CAPETOWN. Feb. 12. Hovering with a spluttering and spitting engine in the spray of the Victoria Falls 200 ft. above the greatest maelstrom of surging water in the world, Mr. G. W. Emmott, the camera man who is accompanying Mr. Alan Cobham on his great flight through Africa, went on '• turning the handle," as is the tradition of his profession, and thus has secured a unique picture of the cataracts and shifting spray at close range. In an interview this week, Mr. Emmott revealed some of the secrets of the great 20,000 ft. film of the air journey through Africa that ho is making, and the conditions r.nder which it is taken.

Naturally the most exciting moment Mr. Emmott has so far experienced was the time when the engine cut over the falls, It is the camera man's job to go on turning the handle whatever happens, and until his last breath—if he stops in a dangerous situation .he may miss the picture of his life—and this is what Mr. Emmott did. It has been stated that he did not realise what was happening, but this was far from being the case. ■ He. says that he knew all about it, and that was why he. went on turning the, handle and seemed not to. Tho result is that, after distant views of the falls from a height, those who view the film will seo the water pouring over the brink only 200 ft. below the machine. . Then they will see the picture fading into a dead white spray, and then again the spray will pass and the falls appear nearer still. Then the engine popped " and more clouds of spray appear across tho screen. At this moment Mr. Cobham had t'o take every advantage ho conld get from the engine during its intermittent firing. lio soarpd up whenever there was power, striving to gain height. Here on the picture the view of the falls will rock and sway with the motion of the plane. Still "Turning the Handle." Mr. Cobham managed to gain enough height to clear the spray and he was so pleased that the engine was running perfectly again, and probably aiso wished to race, it so as to clear the carburetter of water, that he dived down again and then "zoomed" up in a magnificent soar. Still Mr. Emmott was turning the handle, and when this part of the film is shown the people will almost feel the whole theatre sway as the view of the falls and the gorge rocks beneath. The section picturing the tall is 1500 ft. long, of which about 900 ft. were taken from the air. Mr: Emmott works with the camera, pointing out of one of the small windows at an angle of about 45deg. Consequently Mr. Cobham has always to assist him when objects are to be filmed by manoeuvring the machine into a suitable position. For instance, the Pyramids were filmed and photographed during a long sideslip. Steep banks round the temples of Karnack enabled close-up pictures to be taken from the air.

The confluence of the Blue Nile and the White Nile was one of the most interesting geographical features passed on the trip, and Mr. Emmott was anxious to secure a rrood film of the place where these two great rivers join. Conditions were perfect, and the machine was flying along in wonderful weather and perfectly steady. All at once, while Mr. Emmott was taking his picture, they flew into the most violent bumps, which rocked the machine and threw it up and down at alarming speed. Mr. Emmott, as usual, went on turning the handle, and the result should be another seasick moment for sensitive cinema-goers. Later they heard from the Air Force that pilots were warned to avoid this spot. Natives' Grand War Dance. At Malakal Mr. Emmott was anxious to get a good native scene. There is a village at the edge of the aerodrome, the came village, if memory serves, which Sir Pierrie van Rvtieveld blew down with his <?iant pmnelWs during the Silver Queen flight. Mr. Emmott had the machine wheeled into the central orrnn space of the village, and the natives did a maenificent war dance round it. The film of this scene is one of the star portions of the picture.

Of course, on the more prosaic side of his work. Mr. Emmott has taken a great deal of film on the ground of the various places at which the machine has landed, characteristic peoples he has seen and ■nlaces such as Cecil Rhodes' crrave, the Pvramids, and so on. which will be fitted into their proper place with the air pictures of the same objects, making a reajly striking production.