TEACHING BY PICTURES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1551, 21 September 1912, Page 10

TEACHING BY PICTURES.

MR. EDISON'S LATEST INVENTION'. Jr. GASTON MELIES EXPLAINS. ,51. Oiision Melitt, of Paris and New lurk, who is hero at tho present time at tho head of a big moving picture niaiiul'ncturing expedition, gives some intensely interesting' sidelights on. the business wifh which lie lins been connected for many years past His brothor, 11. Georges Melies, of Paris, was the first person (o make what is now known as the picture, drama, or tho photo-play, and was also the originator of the trick film. Many patrons of picture shows will remember I hat remarkable picture. "A Trip to the Moon," which was regarded as'a. wonderful example of what could be ilono with tho kinemafograph camera. That picture was taken by If. Georges Mclics, and was the forerunner of thousands of other pictures in which, the imagination was allowed to run riot. Tho fact that the originator was a professional conjuror aud illusionist, helped him considerably to realise tho potentialities of tho trick film, which mndo a whole world laugh and wonder alternately. To-day M. Georges Melies is called the father of the kinomatograpli in Paris.

In 1903 M. Gaston IMies went to Now York in connection with tlio business, and when ho saw that tho Americans were going in for film-making, ho started a branch studio and manufactory iu New York. Ho was tho first to take a cowboy picture, and for that purpose organised a compnny which lie took to Texas, and afterwards to California, to act in picture plays with a "Wild West" setting. Lately, however, the demand for the cowboy picture had decreased—tho public was growing tired of thorn. Thero wan, on the other hand, an increasing demand for tho educational picture, something about real places and peoplo that they did not know before, to the present company was organised to'act pictures in entirely new surroundings, such as were afforded in Taliiti, New Zealand, Australia, Java, India, Burinah, Siaiu, China, and Japan. Apart from the play pictures, which would largely bo based on native legends, and involve the depicting of nativo dances, customs, aud costumes, it was intended to secure special scenic and industrial pictures in every country visited. It was intended, for example., to take pictures of the Waiotomo and Kuakura Caves, tho Wangnnui River, and ail the strange and wonderful sights at Eoloriia and Wairakei.

"There is a great movement all over the world," said M. Melies, "to mako the kinematograph n factor in education. Many of the schools in America and on the Continent now had projecting machines which ore engaged in throwing pictures of the highest educational value. In this connection my friend Str. Edison has invented a process which is going Id cheapen tho cost of film in a most remarkable manner, as far as tho schools are concerned. It is a device for producing nino pictures on tho samo space of film that is now occupied by one, but without reducing the width, of the film. That is t<l say, the present width of film will bo divided into three each way, and without removing it from tho reel ono strip of these tiny pictures will follow on tho other without returning again (for the second second) to the. beginning of the film. Of course the picture thrown will bo proportionately smaller than tho ordinary picture shown in a theatre, but quite large enough for a school-room. By this means a 1000 ft. film will.be reduced to 60ft. in length,' which means'an. immense saying in cost." SI. Melies called ,on Mr. B. Wilson, general manager of the Tourist and .Health ltesorts Department on Saturday, and was promised assistance in the work lie has in hand. . .