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Film, Video Pan-American Exposition by night

Digital viewing copy

About this Item

Title

  • Pan-American Exposition by night

Summary

  • The film begins with a slow pan over the tower building of the exposition, which was lighted by electric lights. The pan goes from a daylight shot of the grounds to what appears to be a special effects situation involving back lighting of the scene.
  • "A great feature of the Pan-American Exposition, as unanimously conceded by all visitors, was the electric illumination of the Exposition grounds at night. After a great deal of experimenting and patience, we succeeded in securing an excellent picture of the buildings at the Pan-American as they appeared when lighted up at night. All the buildings from the Temple of Music to the Electric Tower are shown, including the Electric Tower itself. The emotional and sensational effects were also secured by starting the panoramic view by daylight and revolving the camera until the Electric Tower forms the center of the field of the lens. Our camera was then stopped and the position held until night, when we photographed the coming up of the lights, an event which was deemed by all to be a great emotional climax at the Pan-American Exposition. Immediately the lights are burning to their fullest brilliancy, the camera is again set in motion and revolved until the Temple of Music is reached. The motion is then reversed and the camera goes back until it rests on the Electric Tower, thus supplying the climax to the picture. The great searchlights of the Tower are being worked during the entire time the picture is being exposed, and the effect is startling. The picture is pronounced by the photographic profession to be a marvel in photography, and by theatrical people to be the greatest winner in panoramic views ever placed before the public"--Edison films catalog no. 135.

Names

  • Feeney, Aidan, composer
  • Simpson, Andrew, 1967- conductor
  • Porter, Edwin S., camera operator
  • White, James H. (James Henry), camera operator
  • Smith, James Blair, camera operator
  • Balance Campaign (Musical group), musician
  • Thomas A. Edison, Inc., production company
  • Library of Congress. National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, contributor
  • Paper Print Collection (Library of Congress)

Created / Published

  • [2023]

Headings

  • -  Electric Tower (Pan-American Exposition, 1901, Buffalo, N.Y.)
  • -  Temple of Music (Pan-American Exposition, 1901, Buffalo, N.Y.)
  • -  Pan-American Exposition--(1901 :--Buffalo, N.Y.)
  • -  Exhibition buildings--New York (State)--Buffalo

Genre

  • Actualities (Motion pictures)
  • Short films
  • Nonfiction films

Notes

  • -  The Library of Congress copy of this film may not contain all of the scenes described in the Edison Company summary.
  • -  LC also holds additional physical components and a silent digital viewing copy, accessible online via the Library of Congress National Screening Room, all in the Paper Print Collection.
  • -  Sources used: Niver, K. Early motion pictures, p. 236; AFI catalog, film beginnings, 1893-1910, p. 776-777; Musser, C. Before the nickelodeon, p. 186-187, p. 517 (note 177); Edison films catalog, no. 135, September, 1902, p. 22; program notes for The Magical Camera: Early Silent Films from the Library of Congress With New Music by Catholic University Composers in NAVCC acquisition file, Paper Print Collection (films with added soundtracks).
  • -  Camera: Edwin S. Porter, James H. White, James Smith.
  • -  Music performed by Balance Campaign: Amirhossein Norouznasseri (violin), Emory Hensley (percussion), Elizabeth G. Hill (piano), Janice Murphy (clarinets), Meghan Shanley Alger (flutes), Erin Snedecor (cello).
  • -  Guest conductor, Andrew Earle Simpson.
  • -  Photographed mid-to-late October, 1901 in Buffalo, New York.
  • -  Early motion pictures : the Paper Print Collection in the Library of Congress / by Kemp R. Niver. Library of Congress. 1985.

Medium

  • 1 video file (digital) (approximately 1 min.) : sd., b&w.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2024600549

Online Format

  • image
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division, Library of Congress

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Suggested credit line: Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Simpson, Andrew, Conductor, Edwin S Porter, James H White, James Blair Smith, Musician Balance Campaign, Contributor Library Of Congress. National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, and Paper Print Collection. Pan-American Exposition by night. composeds by Feeney, Aidan, , produceds by Thomas A. Edison, Inc.Uction Company [2023] Video. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/2024600549/.

APA citation style:

Simpson, A., Porter, E. S., White, J. H., Smith, J. B., Balance Campaign, M., Library Of Congress. National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, C. & Paper Print Collection. (2023) Pan-American Exposition by night. Feeney, A., comp, , Thomas A. Edison, Inc.Uction Company, prod [Video] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/2024600549/.

MLA citation style:

Simpson, Andrew, Conductor, et al. Pan-American Exposition by night. comp by Feeney, Aidan, , prod by Thomas A. Edison, Inc.Uction Company [2023] Video. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/2024600549/>.