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INSTRUCTION OF DISABLED MEN IN MOTION PICTURE PROJECTION AN ELEMENTARY TEXT BOOK By JAMES R. CAMERON - Instructor of Projection The Red Cross Institute for Crippled and Disabled Men - 1918 - INTRODUCTION - Fifteen to twenty years ago the motion picture was regarded as an amusement for children and little else. Today the industry is the fifth largest in the United States. The motion picture now commands the interest And attention of leaders in every field of endeavor and it is judged by the high standards that are applied to the other arts, The development of the motion picture in mechanical and artistic perfection has brought about a corresponding demand for highly skilled projectionists. The poorly projected film, notwithstanding the thought, expense, and effort expended in its making, is stamped as a failure. The man who stands in the booth and merely turns the crank is as obsolete as the Nickelodeon. Into his place has stepped an artisan-a man trained in applied electricity, optics, the theory of light, and the manifold complications that are entailed in successful projection. No man is permitted to operate the machine unless he has a city license, which means that he must pass a thorough examination before he can go to work. The need for schools to train motion picture projectors is greater at the present time than ever. Manufacturers and exhibitors state that there is a scarcity of good projectionists, and they offer ready and profitable employment to qualified men. The shortage of labor caused by the war pointed out the necessity as well as the wisdom of utilizing every possible unit of productivity. The experience of the European belligerents proved that it is possible to traincripples for trades in which their physical handicaps do not debar them from competing successfully with the able-bodied. Soon after Americas entry into the war, a group of far-seeing men realized the need of providing training for the cripples of industry so that the experience thus gained might serve as a basis for the re-education of the returned disabled soldier. The effort of these men culminated in the establishing in New York City of the Red Cross Institute for Crippled and Disabled Men, under the auspices of the American Red Cross. Departments of industrial surveys, research, employment and public education were inaugurated and the foundation of the first special non-. commercial training school for the physically handicapped in the United States was built. Classes in the manufacture of artificial limbs, mechanical drafting, printing, jewelry making, and oxy-acetylene welding were begun, and in May, 1918, a course in motion picture operating was introduced with James R. Cameron as instructor. The choice of motion picture projecting as a trade for the cripple was based on the knowledge that it was one of the growing trades, that in England and France the cripple had made good as a projectionist, that the wages were good, that working conditions were favorable, and that almost any man with both hands intact could, with a course of study of about two months in duration, acquire sufficient knowledge to enable him to MOTION PICTURE PROJECTION vii enter an operating booth, and take charge of the machines. About twelve pupils responded to roll call during the first days of the class at the Red Cross Institute. Most all were leg cases, either paralysis or amputation...

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