Camera Angles — Edward Snyder (1935) 🇺🇸

One of the property boys at the old Pathé studios in Jersey City was spending so much of his time tinkering and experimenting with cameras that Louis Gasnier, studio production head, came upon a good idea. Buying complete camera equipment, he presented it to this young fellow and instructed him to shoot tests, stills, and miscellaneous shots. This was in 1912 and the boy was Edward Snyder.

by Lee Cannon

Shooting for a time as camera operator for Joe Dubray, Eddie was soon experienced enough to go as alternate first cameraman on the famous serial The Perils of Pauline. Then came twenty-five serials in a row for Pathé, with Warner Oland, Crane Wilbur in the male leads with George Seitz directing. January, 1926, found this serial company leaving New York for Hollywood in order to shoot some snow sequences. This sounds contradictory, but all the snow around New York was accompanied by sub-zero weather which makes Big Bear, Calif., climate balmy in comparison.

Finishing with serials, Snyder made Her Man, a Tay Garnett directed “Special” that established Helen Twelvetrees and was a comeback for Ricardo Cortez. Following was The Painted Desert in which Clark Gable played the heavy and, incidentally, scored a hit. Ramon Novarro, famous as a big “star”, recently turned producer-director, and chose Eddie Snyder to handle the camera on his first picture, Across the Current.

Golf and an eight millimeter camera occupy the time devoted to the pursuit of hobbies.

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New Handbook for Cameramen

Filling a long felt need in the photographic field, a new Cameraman’s Handbook, authored by Jackson Rose, A. S. C., is scheduled to come off the press during the latter part of this month.

The book will be an eighty-four page volume devoted to camera craft and the solution to camera problems; technical terms and their explanation; new devices — their adaptation and correct use; and a complete glossary.

It represents comprehensive work on the part of Rose, who has been a first cameraman for many years, having entered the motion picture business more than twenty years ago. His published articles on photographic technique and other subjects pertaining to the camera have been widely read and accepted by cinema craftsmen.

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What Critics Says

On Metropolitan Dailies

The Devil is a Woman, (Para.)
Josef Von Sternberg, A. S. C., Camera. Lucien Ballard, Camera Operator.

Eleanor Barnes, Drama Editor, Illustrated Daily News — “Herr Von Sternberg, as a Director, once again proves himself to be a fine Cameraman. Marlene Dietrich played second lead to an inspired lense.”

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Bride of Frankenstein (Universal)
John J. Mescall Cameraman.

Elizabeth Yeaman, Drama Editor Hollywood Citizen News — “Photography is the most outstanding of pictures recently released.”

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Paris in Spring
Ted Tetzlaff, A. S. C., Cameraman.

James F. Crow, Hollywood Citizen News — “Beautiful photography… Ted Tetzlaff may take a bow for his photography.”

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The Scoundrel (Para. Release)
Lee Garmes, Cameraman.

James F. Crow, Hollywood Citizen News — “… and the producers must share the applause for their success with Photographer Lee Garmes, who also served as Associate Director.”

On Trade Dailies

Oil for the Lamps of China (Warner Bros.)
Tony Gaudio, A. S. C., Cameraman.

Daily Variety — “Photography is excellent in its adaptation to the subject and “stressing atmospheric elements.”

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(continued on page 45)

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Inserts

… His Majesty’s ship Bounty, now under technical supervision of M-G-M, sails out once again, this time to Catalina waters for a voyage of nearly three weeks. Arthur Edeson, Irving Glassberg, Stu Thompson, Bill Grimes and Bill Strong are the camera crew.

Al Lebovitz and Joe Valentine are in Hawaii at the moment, shooting for the Fox film library, and, undoubtedly, in their spare time, ascertaining for themselves if all they have heard about the place is true… Eddy Hammers and Paul Mohn are back at Paramount after a New York “shooting” expedition… Being able to work only on the first day of shooting and then ordered to bed by his doctor, Milt Krasner has returned to Monogram to finish up his new picture.

Something New Under the Sun Arcs… this time it is a new steel inverted gimble for the camera. Given thirty hours to devise something practical to use on the Frank Lloyd picture, Mutiny on the Bounty, John Arnold came through with exactly what the office ordered — or perhaps a little more. In floor position the lense is only twelve inches high, making angle and rolling shots much simpler and more effective than heretofore.

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Ten Years Ago

First National studios have a spectacular feature in production called Lost Worlds. Willard Vogel, working under Ralph Hammeras, Special Effects chief, has seventeen stop motion cameras turning under his supervision on one set-up.

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Cecil B. DeMille finishes shooting on The Road to Yesterday, a “big” picture, starring Bill Boyd, Joseph Schildkraut. Peverell Marley, ace man for DeMille, handled the camera.

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The month of June is expensively advertised as an enlightened period, especially for brides. To believe this nonsense is one of the first signs of lunacy, for those "in the know point out that all signs for the month portend to evil and blackness. Carbon is the birthstone for June. Accordingly, all cameramen would do well to avoid being struck by falling carbons and particularly those hot ones that drift down from overhead.

Anyway, Camera Angles wishes the following a Happy Birthday during the month of June:

• Al Lane
• Harold Lippstein
• Elly Fredricks

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Arthur Edeson A. S. C.
Director of Photography

Irving Glassberg A. S. C.
Operative Cameraman

William Strong A. S. C.
Assistant Cameraman

Now photographing
Mutiny on the Bounty

A Frank Lloyd Production
For Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Collection: Motion Picture Studio Insider, June 1935