Westinghouse Works, 1904

*Westinghouse Works*
Westinghouse Works
Cinematography	G. W. Bitzer
Production; company	American Mutoscope and Biograph Company
Release date	1904;

Westinghouse Works

Westinghouse Works, 1904 is a collection of American short silent films, each averaging about three minutes in length. The films were taken from April 18, 1904, to May 16, 1904, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and document various Westinghouse manufacturing plants.^[1] They were made by G. W. "Billy" Bitzer of the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, were shown at the Westinghouse Auditorium at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, and may have been made for that purpose. At least 29 films were produced and 21 remain in the collection which is now a part of the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.

Collection

The films in the collection of the Library of Congress are:

Assembling a generator, Westinghouse works
Assembling and testing turbines, Westinghouse works
Casting a guide box, Westinghouse works
Coil winding machines, Westinghouse works
Coil winding section E, Westinghouse works
Girls taking time checks, Westinghouse works
Girls winding armatures
Panorama exterior Westinghouse works
Panorama of Machine Co. aisle, Westinghouse works
Panorama view street car motor room
Panoramic view aisle B, Westinghouse works
Steam hammer, Westinghouse works
Steam whistle, Westinghouse works
Taping coils, Westinghouse works
Tapping a furnace, Westinghouse works
Testing a rotary, Westinghouse works
Testing large turbines, Westinghouse works
Welding the big ring
Westinghouse Air Brake Co. Westinghouse Co. works (casting scene)
Westinghouse Air Brake Co. Westinghouse Co. works (moulding scene)
Westinghouse Air Brake Co. Westinghouse works

Production

Westinghouse executives commissioned Biograph to produce these films, intending to exhibit them to their subsidiaries and employees, thus making them some of the earliest existing examples of what are now called industrial films. They cannot be called documentaries because they were paid for and made according to guidelines set by the manufacturing company. In addition, they cannot be called commercials because they do not advertise individual products and were not exhibited widely to elicit sales.

The films were the first to use mercury vapor lamps (conveniently made by Westinghouse) to illuminate its shots, and they were also the first to use crane shots. Bitzer primarily used stationary cameras and fixed lenses, and he typically shot the films in a single continuous take.

Most films did not have title cards, so many of their names were assigned by the Library of Congress.^[2]

Release

The finished films were shown to Westinghouse employees in Pittsburgh, narrated by a speaker. They were later exhibited at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis (accompanied by organ music), and were received positively by audiences.^[2]

References

^ Tiech, John (2012). Pittsburgh Film History. Charleston: The History Press. p. 8. ISBN 9781609497095.
^ ^a ^b Eagan, Daniel. (2010). America's film legacy : the authoritative guide to the landmark movies in the National Film Registry. National Film Preservation Board (U.S.). New York: Continuum. pp. 12–14. ISBN 9781441116475. OCLC 676697377.

External links

[1] Tiech, John (2012). Pittsburgh Film History. Charleston: The History Press. p. 8. ISBN 9781609497095.

[:0-2] Eagan, Daniel. (2010). America's film legacy : the authoritative guide to the landmark movies in the National Film Registry. National Film Preservation Board (U.S.). New York: Continuum. pp. 12–14. ISBN 9781441116475. OCLC 676697377.

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