IATSE-2nd2018_web

Local 644 (now Local 600) member and CBS News cameraman Larry Racies also remembered those riot-torn days:
‘Keep your helmets on and your lights off.’ These instructions given us by a policeman were our introduction to the New Jersey
riots ... And we were off with helmets on and lights off. ... Not only was the use of hand lights forbidden; it would have been folly
to have lighted one even if it had been permitted. So we shot with available light ... most of the streetlights had been shot out, but
there was some light from tracer bullets...
And, on occasion, the real impact of the footage gathered by IATSE members can take on a whole new meaning many
years, even decades, later, as illustrated by this account in a 1952 issue of the Official Bulletin of an atom bomb test:
For the second straight year, the telecasting of the Atomic test was brought to the public through members of our Television
Broadcasting Studio Employees Local 815. ... Perched on a series of mountain tops between the Nevada testing ground and their
Hollywood transmitter, the KTLA engineers licked the snow, power failure and equipment shortages to relay the startling bursts to
television sets all over the nation. .... The only sour note of the test was struck when the target area was declared ‘too hot’ to allow
the cameramen to approach for the anticipated follow-up coverage of the damage done to dwellings and automobiles.
Exciting news footage wasn’t all the public expected to see on their television sets, however. They craved realistic,
thrilling action-adventure programs as well. This posed special challenges for IATSE members working in TV studios in
Hollywood. As time went on, these shows became more sophisticated and the techniques used to achieve special effects
grew more complex, but the success of each venture still relied on the skill and perseverance of IA members.
The ingenuity of Local 44 member Ross Taylor led to many developments that served the industry well. One of these
was his “harmless gun.”
Some time ago, I decided that someone should get busy and make equipment which was dependable and safe and would
give more realistic results. ... Previous to the pellet gun, gunshots were made by small powder explosions or by pellets
thrown with slingshots. The former was precise but blew the debris back at the camera, was expensive to install and very
slow to reset. ... Slingshots looked better but very few men are expert with one. ... My pellet gun solved these problems.
It will shoot balls, slugs, dust pellets, splatter capsules and blood effects, on a twelve shot with repeating action and with
equal accuracy...
But Brother Taylor didn’t stop with the pellet gun. He invented many effects, including the special one described here:
I am rather proud of my mechanical striking snake, mostly because of the size of the mechanism. ... It is smaller in size than any
other existing snakes, while still maintaining the regular 20-inch strike. ... The hole necessary to bring the snake to ground level
is only one-foot by one-foot by three feet, and can be handled by one man. It uses compressed air for power and is controlled by
electricity. On recovery it is ready to strike again. ... Saves time on retakes.
Graphic art also found a place in television, combining the skill of the artist with the technical ability of a carpenter, painter
or electrician. In the beginning, IATSE graphic artists used hand illustrations, sculptures, airbrushing, photo re-touching, and
animation to create the effects needed.
One of the early designs created by IATSE graphic artists was for the Perry Como Show, in the 1950s. The opening titles were
old fashioned and delicate, while the “Letters” segment featured floating letters.
As with other IA crafts within the studios, the work evolved through technology-and the Alliance evolved with it.
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