Australian cinematographers of the silent period

The "silent cin'ers".

(And yes – the exhibition of "silent" films was anything but silent.)

This is only a start: there is much more to be done. I have more information on most of the persons named below. Contact me if you would like or can provide further details.

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Following is an index to information on most of the cinematographers who worked in Australia in the three and a half decades prior to the introduction of sound to motion pictures. It includes details of persons who lived all or much of their lives in Australia as well as of those who only visited the country.

There is a cut-off date of about 1930; i.e. anyone who shot motion picture film in Australia before the end of that year is likely to be included. Amateur filmmakers (e.g. those making "home movies") are eligible for listing, though in general they are harder to identify.

Of those listed only one is a woman – Tott BURMAN. Two possibilities for other women cinematographers in this period are Senora Spencer (Mary Stuart SPENCER née HUNTLY, wife of Cosens SPENCER) and Rita PUGLIESE: as both were projectionists they would also have been able to operate a cinecamera to take motion pictures. (Mary S. Spencer even said that she had filmed a bullfight in Spain – see 2 July 1906, Theatre (Sydney), pp.8,9a – but there are various dubious claims in this article.)

A link to an entry in the online edition of the Australian Dictionary of Biography is indicated by "[ADB]".

Cinematographer	Date of birth	Date of death
David BARKER
Franklyn BARRETT [ADB] [Walter BROWN]	1874-07-11	1964-07-16
Charles BARTON
John Watt BEATTIE [ADB]	1859-08-15	1930-06-24
[Professor] BENSON [Alfred Ernest BENSON?]	[1886	1915-05-07]
Maurice BERTEL [Jean Antoine Maurice BERTEL]	1871-05-14	1930-05-17
Francis BIRTLES [ADB] [Francis Edwin BIRTLES]	1881-11-07	1941-07-01
Frederick Scott BISSETT	c. 1883	1919-03-30
Mark BLOW	1858-02-17	1942-08-07
Georges BOIVIN	c. 1863	1940-03-11
Stephen BOND	1858	1915-12-09
Stuart Bertram BOOTY	1890	1971-05-13
Ernest BRANDON-CREMER [Ernest Gustav Brandon CREMER]	1895	1957-03-01
Jack BRUCE [John Aylwin Seves BRUCE]	1900	1972-08-31
Howard Decimus BULMER	1883	1950-02-06
Tott BURMAN
Al BURNE [Alfred William BURNE]	1885	1975-06-25
James Pinkerton CAMPBELL	1865-07-04	1935-09-05
Thomas Draper CAMPBELL
"Scoop" CARTER [Claud Callaghan CARTER]	1900	1956-11-07
Bill CARTY [William Montague CARTY]	1908	2006-03-15
Charles Byers COATES	1875-02-17	1933
Sidney COOK	1873	1937-03-23
Charles Alfred CORNWELL	1877	1943-08-24
Leonard CORRICK [Henry John Leonard CORRICK]	1886-10-26	1967-11-19
Bert CROSS [Arthur Ernest CROSS]	1886	1978-11-24
Peter DAWSON [Theodore Wesley Garland DAWSON]	1897	1973-10-19
Denis Browne DEASE	1869-04-16	1959
Robert James DEXTER [Gayne DEXTER]	1895	1966-06-20
Robert Vernon DOERRER	1890-08-14
Albert DRYSDALE
Reg EDWARDS
Charles ELLIS
Herbert Vere EVATT [ADB]	1894-04-30	1965-11-02
Arthur Lascelles FARRANT	1888	> 1971
Bert FINLAY [Herbert Cecil FINLAY]	1878	1954-10-31
Jack FLETCHER [John Smethurst FLETCHER]	1903	1960-06-21
Abe FREID
Arthur Charles FROST = Arthur Charles TINSDALE
Edwin GEACH	1867	1940-07-19
William Alfred GIBSON [ADB]	1869	1929-10-06
Gordon GIDNEY
George Louis GOUDAY [Georges Louis DE GOUDAY]	1896-07-16	1928-03-08
E. T. GRANT
James GRANT
King GRAY
Arthur James GUEST	c. 1857-08	1937-01-13
Alfred Cort HADDON [ADB]	1855-05-24	1940-04-20
William Henry HAIRE	1882	1940-10-25
Herbert M. HALE
Edward J. HARDY
Thomas Charles HARGRAVES	1884	1945-10-27
Frederick William HARRIS	c. 1870-04	1923-06-07
Robert William HARVIE	1868	1922-10-05
George HEATH
Gustave HENSCHEN
Henri HERAULT	1883-02-04	1915-02-28
Charles Richard HERSCHELL	1877	1962-05-25
John W. HICKS, jun.	c. 1887	1945
Arthur Embery HIGGINS [ADB]	1891-10-25	1963-09-22
Ernest Henry HIGGINS [ADB]	1871-10-09	1945-11-28
Tasman George HIGGINS [ADB]	1888-04-08	1953-06-04
Frank HURLEY [ADB] [James Francis HURLEY]	1885-10-15	1962-01-16
Bert IVE [Albert Sewell IVE]	1874-11-29	1939-07-25
William J. JACKSON
Frederick Albany JEFFERY	1893-11-12
Ernest Roy JEFFREE	1895-06-29	1968-09-20
Millard JOHNSON	1860	1946-01-16
F. H. JONES
Arthur JORDAN
William Henry JOYCE	1890	1949-07-31
Leslie John KEAST	1886-08-04	1957-10-27
Charles Henry KERRY	1857-04-03	1928-05-26
Bert KIRWAN [Herbert Dominic Patrick KIRWAN]	1883-07-27	1953-10-09
Harry KRISCHOCK [ADB] [Henry Ludwig Frank KRISCHOCK]	1875-09-01	1940-10-25
"Lafayette" [George Austin BREWSTER?]
Kevin LANE
Merl LA VOY
R. T. LITTLEJOHNS
John M. and Frank W. LIVINGSTON
Harry LLOYD
Monte LUKE [Charles Robert Montague LUKE]	1885-09-25	1962-11-03
Colonel LUMARE [?]
John MACKENZIE	1861-10-30	1944-04-05
Henry Joseph MAGUIRE	c. 1853	1931
Henry Alfred MAINSBRIDGE	1868-01-14	1924-09-22
George D. MALCOLM
Frank MARDEN [Charles Frank MARDEN]	1888	1984-08-28
Phil MARKHAM
Clement George MASON	c. 1871-03-19	1917-06-01
Hugh Carlisle McCLUNG	1874-12-16	1946-01-05
John Stephen McCULLAGH	1863-12-24	1951-05-17
T. McGREGOR
Tom McLERIE [Thomas McLERIE]	c. 1867-02	1953-09-04
Harry Francis MICHELL	1881-01-11	1965
John D. MILGROVE
Alexander Marshall MILLER	c. 1874	1929-06-12
Henry William MOBSBY [ADB]	1860-08-17	1933-04-09
John Tennant MORTLOCK
Alf MOULTON [Alfred John MOULTON]	1870-08-06	1924-07-11
Fred MURPHY [Frederick Edwin MURPHY]	1894-09	1971-10-03
Charles NEWHAM
Edward Dunham Brooke NICHOLLS	1877	1937-11-23
William James NICHOLSON	1881	1919-05-18
Jim PEARSON
Joseph Whiting PECKHAM	1892-10-02
Stan PENTREATH [Albert Stanley PENTREATH]	1898-05-06	1967
Lacey PERCIVAL [Edgar Charles Lacey PERCIVAL]	1885	1968-08-07
"Mons" PERIER [Albert James PERIER]	1871-04-22	1964-01-08
Joseph Henry PERRY [ADB]	1863-08-05	1943-04-29
Orrie PERRY [ADB] [Orizaba George PERRY]	1888-09-14	1950-12-29
Auguste PLANE	1867	1929
Ernest POND
Dick PRIMMER [Richard Henry Charles PRIMMER]	c. 1888-02	1936-02-27
Douglas Gordon RATTRAY
T. Edward RICHARDS
Reg ROBINSON
Len ROOS [Leonard Hally ROOS]	1896-06-05	1961-10-28
Joseph ROSENTHAL	1864-04-07	1946-03-05
Ted SACRE [Edgar Thomas SACRE]	1880-04-21	1959-06-16
Robert SANDALL	c. 1873-05
George SCOTT
Albert SCULTHORPE	c. 1862-02	1946-09-15
Bert SEGERBERG [Albert Oscar SEGERBERG]		1941-07-13
Marius SESTIER [Marius Ely Joseph SESTIER]	1861-09-08	1928-11-08
Cyril John Crutchfield SHARPE	1896-05-23	1979-08-10
Cosens SPENCER [ADB] [Spencer COSENS]	1874-02-12	1930-09-10
Walter Baldwin SPENCER [ADB]	1860-06-23	1929-07-14
Stephen SPURLING
Edward Archibald STACEY	1864-01-05	1955-02-17
Joe STAFFORD
A. G. STEWART
Frank STEWART
Wally SULLY [Walter Harold Blennerhassett SULLY]	1896	1970-03-15
Syd TAYLOR
Hans THEYER	1884	1955
Cliff THOMAS [Clifton THOMAS]	1894-03-04	1965-02-25
Ernest Jardine THWAITES	1873-02-07	1933-06-12
Norman B. TINDALE
Arthur Charles TINSDALE [Arthur Charles FROST]
René TOURNOUER [René Raoul Marie TOURNOUËR]	1887-01-16	1916-07-20
J. TRAVELER
Billy TRERISE [John William TRERISE]	1898	1987-07-10
Ray VAUGHAN [George Raymond P. VAUGHAN]	1902-06-23	1974-05-27
Philip VICTORSEN	1895	1962-06-04
WALLEN
J. E. WARD
T. J. WEST [Thomas James WEST]	1855-04-01	1916-11-30
George Hubert WILKINS [ADB]	1888-10-31	1958-11-30
Eric WILKINSON
WILLIAMS
Sydney Wentworth WILLIAMSON
Frederick Charles WILLS [ADB]	1870-11-14	1955-08-08
WOOLLEY
Herbert WYNDHAM [Herbert Arthur WADHAM]	1866-03-23	1953-01-08
Reginald YOUNG

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The following list is of the names of persons who applied for, or wrote regarding, the position of Commonwealth Photographer and Cinematograph Operator, which was advertised in the Commonwealth Gazette of 30 September 1911, the appointment being made to James Pinkerton CAMPBELL. It is not known if the named persons ever shot motion pictures. Some of the writing in the original document is unclear so some spelling errors are likely. John Aitken Thomas Barnes Franklyn Barrett Louis Batt A. E. Benson Alf. L. Bowden A. S. Bransgrove H. H. Bray Ernest Bugg James Pinkerton Campbell Stanley Chidley Bert Cross J. ?T. Cumming[s] G. Earney Edgar Evans Stanley H. Fletcher William J. Ford Frank Foxcroft E. A. Ginder W. J. Hall Frederick William Harris Edwin J. Hart K. J. Jannum [or Jarmun] A. D. Johnson Haydyn Lamont J. W. Liddy N. Lykke H. S. Mawle W. J. McNeill Alf Moulton Arthur W. Piper C. P. Ray H. Lancelot Ricketson Algy C. T. Sharp ?T.F. Stewart Harry Swete A. H. [?U]loors John Vine Albert E. Walcott C. W. Ward E. B. Warren Leslie Weeding John F. Woolstencroft Harrie Wright

The list below is of the names of persons who applied for the position of Commonwealth Photographer and Cinematograph Operator, advertised in the Commonwealth Gazette of 12 April 1913, which went to Bert IVE. This time there was more stress laid on the need for experience in cinemato­graphy, so it is likely these persons could operate a movie camera. Again, the spelling of some of the names may not be accurate. G. W. Barker H. H. Barrass Franklyn Barrett H. C. Beavis A. Beck H. Bellington A. E. Benson W. S. Best A. Boyd A. S. Bransgrove L. W. Burford E. E. Burrett R. M. Cale J. Carrick V. E. Charnley Fred Coombs Bert Cross J. C. Dwyer A. R. Edwards Herbert Cecil Finlay H. Francois A. Fraser J. Gazard H. E. Golding S. A. Hanscombe Frederick William Harris Robert William Harvie W. S. Hawkins Tasman George Higgins W. Howieson G. Hughes Frank Hurley Bert Ive Jackson K. J. Jannum [or Jarmun] W. Kimbel J. W. Liddy H. Maddicks F. W. Marks C. A. McEvoy Thos. McMahon [E. L.] Mitchell Henry William Mobsby Alf Moulton L. A. Nagel H. L. Orr A. J. Parker Lacey Percival W. A. Robjohns Bert Segerberg R. F. Shaw H. Sherwood W. B. Simpson H. J. Style F. E. Tomlinson W. W. Watson E. R. Wheeler H. J. Wilkes H. B. Williams Frederick Charles Wills Yule

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Filming the filmers

The early cinematographers at work were sometimes caught on camera by their confederates (or rivals) or even themselves. Some known instances are listed below.

• 1910: in the scene in Thunderbolt (NFSA title number 66261), when John Gavin gets out of the water after his character's escape from Cockatoo Island, the shadow of the cameraman, presumably Alf MOULTON, is visible both on the shoreline and on Gavin himself.
• 1 November 1910: at the finish of the 1910 Melbourne Cup horse race (won by "Comedy King"), as seen in NFSA title number 747, at least 3 cranking cin'ers are visible closer to the racetrack.
• 1 November 1910: in NFSA title number 33069, there is a view of the Melbourne Cup itself in a glass case, and the reflection of the cameraman is just visible.
• 12 March 1913: James Pinkerton CAMPBELL, official Commonwealth Government cinematographer, can be seen cranking in the background in three of the scenes of Naming the Federal Capital of Australia, March 12th, 1913: The Ceremony (NFSA title number 9382).
• 26 March 1927: Wally SULLY appears briefly from behind his (motor-driven) camera in The Arrival of Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of York: Sydney, 26 March 1927 (NFSA title number 793).
• 26 March 1927: other cameramen appear in films of the landing of the Duke and Duchess of York in Sydney; e.g. The Duke and Duchess of York Arrive at Farm Cove (NFSA title number 669167).
• 9 May 1927: several cinecameramen can be seen at work in Canberra The Capital of the Commonwealth of Australia (NFSA title number 6224), The Official Opening of Canberra by His Royal Highness the Duke of York; May 9th 1927 (NFSA title number 56926), and other films of this event.

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Martha Ansara has written Shadowcatchers, a profusely illustrated, large-format book with information about and superb photo­graphs of some of the cinematographers identified above. It is not limited to the filmers of the silent period and includes details of those working up to current times.