er Being
Cut and Approved by Them--Is Ready for Public Exhibition.

In view of the immense and widespread interest aroused by the appearance
of the Somme Film, it may perhaps be permissible to depart for a spell
from the narration of my story, in order to explain briefly, for the
benefit of those interested, how such a picture is prepared, and the
various processes through which it must necessarily pass before it is
ready for public exhibition.

The process is technically known as "editing," and it must be admitted
that this part of the work more nearly approaches the art of the
newspaper editor than any other I know. Indeed, I am not sure that the
functions of the film editor--at least in the case of a picture such as
the Somme Film--do not call for a greater exercise of discretion,
diplomacy and tact; for so many interests have to be taken into account;
so much has to be left out, for so much is at stake.

Time and thought is doubly intensified in editing or cutting up the film
in all its various scenes and assembling them in their right order with
suitable sub-titles. Immediately films arrive in London they are sent by
the War Office to the works, and there in a long dark-room, with many
compartments, the film is wound upon wooden frames, about three feet by
four feet. Each section as it is unwound from the roll is numbered by a
perforated machine, to save the unnecessary handling that would
otherwise be caused if one had to wade through all the small sections to
join in the original lengths in which they are received.

The frames are then taken into the developing-room, where they are
placed in tanks of developing mixture, warmed to a temperature of about
sixty-five degrees. It is there that the technique of a developing
expert asserts itself; he can either make or mar a film. During
development the picture is carefully rinsed, and eventually it is ready
for fixing. It is taken out, washed in a bath of pure water, and then
dropped into an acid fixing bath and there allowed to remain until
fixation is complete, usually a matter of about fifteen minutes.

The films are then taken to the washing-room, where they are placed in
huge tanks, taking from fifty to one hundred frames, and each one
holding one hundred and twenty feet of films. Jets of water run
continually over them, and in an hour they are taken out and sent to the
drying-room, where the film is rewound whilst wet upon very large drums,
about thir