Wow I have never seen this device before! Interesting that in the B &H catalogue they promote, "the employment of machinery in contrast with the uncertainty of hand splicing”. I’m fascinated by women’s work as ‘cutters’ and ‘joiners’ in the cutting rooms of early cinema, and the way it was seen as a menial task similar to stitching fabric. Although the foot pedals on the B&H foot splicer remind me of that of a sewing machine, they might have been modelled more on the multiple pedals of a car? Will we ever know? I might be thinking too much about machines being gendered but…
This machine indicates a shift away from editing by hand (and its associations with stitch) towards editing with a machine that required “intelligent operation”. It could be part of a narrative concerning women’s disappearance in the cutting rooms as the film industry became big business (signalled by the end of the single reel era around 1910) and the introduction of sound-on-film in the 1920s. However, some women, although still largely unknown today, did create successful careers as editors, such as Rose Smith, Anne Bauchens and Margaret Booth. By the 1930s a clear distinction was marked out between the menial work carried out by women assistants known as ‘cutters’ and the creative task of the male ‘editors', as shown in this film clip delivered with an extremely stiff upper lip! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOHsGkonQwg <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOHsGkonQwg> Thanks for introducing me to this machine, it is extremely useful in my research. If anyone has any further info around this topic please get in touch. > On 23 Apr 2020, at 23:03, Jeff Kreines <j...@kinetta.com> wrote: > > The B&H “foot splicer” is still the industry standard for negative cutters > today. Amazing device. > > Jeff Kreines > Kinetta > j...@kinetta.com > kinetta.com > > Sent from iPhone. > >> On Apr 23, 2020, at 3:03 PM, Buck Bito - Movette <b...@movettefilm.com> >> wrote: >> >> >> Bell and Howell's advanced foot-actuated splicer's patent was applied for in >> 1916 - so although I haven't found dates for earlier splicers, I feel there >> must have been simpler splicers available prior to that along the lines of >> the Bell & Howell 198A splicer design (although that particular model >> follows the introduction of 16mm film in 1923). >> >> Here's the google patent link: >> https://patents.google.com/patent/US1275431A/en >> <https://patents.google.com/patent/US1275431A/en> >> And Brian Pritchard has a 1929 B&H pamphlet scanned that shows this type of >> splicer in the 3rd page: >> http://www.brianpritchard.com/B&H_Splicers.htm >> <http://www.brianpritchard.com/B&H_Splicers.htm> >> -Interesting thread! >> >> Lawrence "Buck" Bito >> Movette Film Transfer >> 1407 Valencia St. >> San Francisco, CA 94110 >> (Valencia at 25th St.) >> 415-558-8815 >> Open Tuesday - Saturday >> Tue+Thu: 8-6, Wed+Fri: 9-6, Sat: 10-4 >> www.movettefilm.com <http://www.movettefilm.com/> >> On 4/23/2020 9:16 AM, mstark...@gmail.com <mailto:mstark...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> Many thanks for that George - i have some of these type of splicers but >>> have never actually used one. >>> >>>> On 23 Apr 2020, at 16:33, George, Sherman <sgeo...@ucsd.edu >>>> <mailto:sgeo...@ucsd.edu>> wrote: >>>> >>>> The Griswold cement film splicer was patented in 1922 and was the first >>>> splicer I used in the early 1960’s >> _______________________________________________ >> FrameWorks mailing list >> FrameWorks@jonasmekasfilms.com >> https://mailman-mail5.webfaction.com/listinfo/frameworks > _______________________________________________ > FrameWorks mailing list > FrameWorks@jonasmekasfilms.com > https://mailman-mail5.webfaction.com/listinfo/frameworks
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