SEARCHING THE EARTH.

Otago Witness, Issue 2928, 27 April 1910, Page 38

SEARCHING THE EARTH.

THE MOVING PICxIJRE BUSINESS. CINEMATOGRAPHS FOR THE HOME. Within the last few years, the entertainment provided by the kinematograph and its ever-changing spools of gelatine film, has established itself upon an extremely substantial foundation of popular approval, with the result that the face of the earth is now being literally scoured by armies of men in search of new picture subjects. The work of the pioneers in the production of moving- pictures has been multiplied by the efforts of similar business' corporations formed in almost every civilised country; and the existence of thousands of picture theatres, with their perpetnal demand for new programmes every week, has placed a premium upon energy and enterprise that will- produce ww ideas for individual pictures or the improvement of the apparatus used in their manufacture or display. Irl New Zealand, as elsewhere, the moving picture has to a large extent supplanted all other forms of amusement, and there is an ever-increasing business in the Dominion for the manufacturers of film. Pathe Freres, who were among the pioneers of the business, have now opened a distriouting depot in Wellington, and appointed Mr E. J. Hyams as their permanent representative in New Zealand. Last evening he gave a Daily Times reporter some information regarding the latest developments in the production 01 pictures, particularly with regard to the povisions made for the tastes of Australian and New Zealand people. Not content with providing for public entertainments, the manufacturers of projecting apparatuses have now devised a machine for use in private houses and in schools. It will use any film of the standard size, and ite cost is so low that it will probably shortly become as g-eneral and as useful as the gramophone. Another departure has been made in the direction of employing English artists to perforin in Paris before the kinematographic camera, in order to overcome the prejudice that appears to be somewhat general in the colonies against pictures in which the characters are performed by foreign actors and actresses. Any factor that might affect the popularity of the entertainments is immediately attacked, and means taken to overcome it. Means have been devised whereby the film is rendered fireproof, and projecting machines are now turned out with" fireproof boxes. Mr Hyams said that he had been informed by Mr Leopold Sutto, the Australasian representative of the firm, that in England and on the Continent, interesting events were now being kinematographed and finished pictures displayed the same evening, so that the noving pictures were now entering upon the domain of the daily newspaper. Mr Hyams said that the Commonwealth Government had made an arrangement with Pathe Freres, subsidising the firm to the extent of some thousands of pounds. to produce a complete series of pictures of the industries and scenery of Australia. Some 30,000 ft of film had been used, and about 12,"000ft had been selected for reproduction. The pictures would be copied and some hundreds of copies distributed throughout the world, giving the Commonwealth a huge advertisement in return for its contribution towards the cost of production. A particularly fine series of about 1000 ft had been prepared illustrating the wool industry of Australia, from the lambs through the process of shearing and the inspection of wool in stores preparatory to sale and ite shipment to England. A similar series was being secured in New Zealand by Mr Franklin Barrett, who had already spent some time in the Dominion and would return shortly from Fiji. The pictures of Australia and of New Zealand would be shown throughout the Dominion and other parts of the world within" a few weeks.

Complete plants have been installed in Melbourne for the production of films, and distributing offices have been opened iP Melbourne, Sydney, and Wellington: •So large is the Australian business that provision has been made in Melbourne for the display of films to intending purchasers. As an indication of the magnitude of the moving picture business, Mr 'Hyams said that his firm alone produced 500,000 ft of film per week, and there were other firms operating on a similarly huge scale. It was not hard to understand why so much film was required. An ordinary programme consisted of individual pictures varying in length from 300 ft to over 1000 ft, and aggregating about 7000 ft of film, and every permanent show required a new programme once a week. Mr Hyams said that the Commonwealth series of pictures taken recently had proved an enormous attraction in Australia, and would shortly be on' view in the Dominion. He further stated that the films taken several weeks ago in New Zealand by Mr Franklyn Barrett had been sent to Paris for development, and should arrive in New Zealand in a few months' time.