Tracking Shots

Flashbacks - NZ History on Film

Stars in Their Eyes

There's nothing like seeing people you know on the big screen.

This fascination was not lost on film entrepreneurs like Garnett Saunders, Laurie Inkster, Charlie Barton and Charles Newham. Concentrating on crowd scenes and local events, these men made films which they shot, printed, processed and showed locally.

Take Scenes at the East End Annual Picnic. It was shown to a full house in New Plymouth in 1912, the day after the picnic. The reviews were predictably enthusiastic with “parents joyfully recognising their own particular ‘Jimmys’ and ‘Nellies’ and some groups of merry makers.”

• Scenes at the East End Annual Picnic, New Plymouth (1,300kb)

Please note: These videos are in the QuickTime format. You will need to have the QuickTime player installed in order to view these files.

< Back to Flashbacks - NZ History on Film