Capturing the essence of a film

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Surviving film stills leave a record of the lost treasures of early Hollywood

Still: American Silent Motion Picture Photography by David S. Shields

Still tells the fascinating story of the photographers shooting images of film stars in the 1910s and 20s.  This period in film history saw a host of new developments involving camera technology, the American film industry transferring from New York to Los Angeles, the end of silent movies and the introduction of ‘talkies’.  Yet the photographs remain strikingly fresh and technically brilliant. 

The American film industry emerged from the New York theatre district and many actors and production techniques were borrowed from theatrical companies.  Photographs of theatrical ‘situations’ were staged in photographers’ studios during the 1880s, but in 1883 Benjamin Falk set up his rows of photographic lights in theatres to take the first location shots. 

By 1910 the American film industry had relocated to Los Angeles, the quality of light and availability of unregulated workforce being just two of the reasons behind the shift from New York.  Still photographs were often taken during the filming process and aimed to capture the action, comedy or drama of the film stars in the production.  The biggest selling point of a film was (and possibly remains) its star and still photographs were produced in huge numbers.  Other photographs of film sets and key scenes were also taken. 

In the 1920s William Fox, head of Fox Pictures, said that the photograph was originally merely a record for the producer or director:  a useful aid for checking continuity between the day’s shoots.  In fact, the film’s director of photography may not always have taken these pictures. The still photographer could have different ideas and skills and it was often left to the director to ensure that the essence of his film was recorded in these photographs, replicating the camera angles and lighting used in the film. 

Still photographs were subsequently used in Industry publications, film magazines (such as The Theatre, Photo Play or The Motion Picture Story) and in newspapers, which had just begun to include film news columns for their readers.  Fans could marvel at the splendour of the locations and learn about the latest film star ‘looks’ from the newspapers. 

There were other uses for the stills being taken by motion picture photographers.  They were used as tests for the photogenic qualities of potential film stars and the visual impact of costumes and sets, as portfolio images that could be used by stars to pitch for future projects and as records and concept images for art directors.  They were also used as illustrations for fashion advertisements and as fan memorabilia. 

A great deal has been written about the effect of the introduction of sound on the film industry and the film stars in particular.  Many careers ended because of a broad Brooklyn or European accent that was difficult for film audiences to understand.  Film history has almost been divided by pre-sound and post-sound.  The introduction of sound films in the late 1920s also coincided with two lesser technical photographic revolutions.  In 1929 the new panchromatic film was introduced, replacing the old less sensitive orthochromatic film that did not record the colour red with the same accuracy as panchromatic films.  The same year saw the small Leica camera become the standard camera equipment to be used by film studio photographers.  Photographers such as Bert ‘Buddy’ Longworth, who worked for Universal, MGM and Warner Bros, exploited the potential of the freedom of camera position and the image composition it allowed, and of the new panchromatic film in portraits of stars such as Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Ginger Rogers and Louise Brooks.  Bert Longworth published a book of his photographs, titled Hold Still Hollywood! in 1937. 

Still: American Silent Motion Picture Photographyreads like a series of lectures given by the author.  The phrase ‘the writers’ voice’, to explain an individual style or idioms used by the author, clearly comes through.  One example of David S. Sheilds’ style is in the tangents and asides that gives us while continuing to chart the fascinating history of these photographers.  He chronicles in detail the expense of licensing images from museums to illustrate his book.  At the time of his research, started over ten years ago, it was cheaper to purchase original out-of-copyright prints from collections being auctioned on eBay than to pay in the region of $100 to reproduce images held in the collections of libraries and museums.  Thankfully, it is a situation that has changed now that many US and some UK museums license images free of charge. 

Tragically only around 20% of the silent films produced survive today.  Films and still photographs were often destroyed when a studio went bust or was taken over by a rival.  The availability of original copies of films was strictly controlled to stop them being re-cut and re-edited into ‘new’ films.  And of course, they were not seen as being worth storing and archiving for future generations because once they had been widely shown, the interest in the film had dwindled. 

Fortunately the situation is now completely different.  The photographers, who took great pride in their work, kept photographs from the films they were publicizing.  Families and descendants also saved these prints.  More pictures were hoarded by fans who pasted them into scrapbooks.  Film stars such as Lilian Gish and Mary Pickford may remain well known to us,  but Elsie Ferguson, Marin Sais or Gail Kane may be obscure.  The work of film photographers such as Irving Lippman, Paul Grenbeaux, Robert Coburn, George Hurrell, Edwin Bower Hesser and Harold Dean Carsey survives thanks to family and fans.  The supply of original photographs on eBay is now reduced, and such images are much more expensive.  But the availability of silent films on You Tube and the vast number of websites dedicated to silent film stars, studios and still photographers’ work being shared on sites such as Flickr means that more material than ever is now available.  

Still: American Silent Motion Picture Photography by David S. Shields is published by University of Chicago Press 2013. 400pp., 164 mono illus. ISBN 022601326X