Elgin Lessley
Actor
10 de enero de 1883 — 8 de febrero de 1944 (61 años)
Elgin Lessley (also credited as Lesly, Lessly, and Leslie) (June 10, 1883 - January 10, 1944) was an American hand-crank cameraman of the silent film era—a period of filmmaking when virtually all special effects work had to be produced inside the camera during filming. Though Lessley worked earlier with Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, and later with Harry Langdon, he is best known for the groundbreaking effects he produced with Buster Keaton, who dubbed him "the human metronome" for his ability to crank consistently at any requested speed.
Lessley's most striking effects were in The Playhouse (1921) and Sherlock Jr. (1924). In The Playhouse, through use of a specially shuttered lens and repeated back-cranking and re-cranking, Lessley allowed Keaton to appear as up to nine characters simultaneously, interacting with one another. In Sherlock Jr., Lessley's careful positioning of camera and actor in various locations produced the effect of a man stuck in a movie where his location keeps changing as he struggles to keep up. Lessley retired from filmmaking after shooting The Cameraman with Buster Keaton in 1928.
Lessley's most striking effects were in The Playhouse (1921) and Sherlock Jr. (1924). In The Playhouse, through use of a specially shuttered lens and repeated back-cranking and re-cranking, Lessley allowed Keaton to appear as up to nine characters simultaneously, interacting with one another. In Sherlock Jr., Lessley's careful positioning of camera and actor in various locations produced the effect of a man stuck in a movie where his location keeps changing as he struggles to keep up. Lessley retired from filmmaking after shooting The Cameraman with Buster Keaton in 1928.
Filmography
| 1926 | The General · as Union General Who Gives Command To Cross Bridge (uncredited)En Plex |
| 1922 | Cops · as Traffic Cop |
| 2026 | R.E.M x Buster Keaton's Sherlock Jr · as Director Of Photography |
| 1928 | The Cameraman · as Director Of Photography |
| 1928 | The Chaser · as Cinematographer |
| 1927 | Three's a Crowd · as Cinematographer |
| 1927 | Long Pants · as Director Of Photography |
| 1926 | The Strong Man · as Director Of Photography |
| 1926 | Tramp, Tramp, Tramp · as Cinematographer |
| 1925 | Go West · as Director Of PhotographyEn Plex |
| 1925 | Seven Chances · as Director Of Photography |
| 1924 | The Navigator · as Director Of Photography |
| 1924 | Sherlock Jr. · as Director Of PhotographyEn Plex |
| 1923 | Our Hospitality · as Director Of PhotographyEn Plex |
| 1923 | Three Ages · as Director Of Photography |
| 1923 | The Love Nest · as Cinematographer |
| 1923 | The Balloonatic · as Cinematographer |
| 1922 | Day Dreams · as Cinematographer |
| 1922 | The Electric House · as Cinematographer |
| 1922 | The Frozen North · as Cinematographer |
| 1922 | The Blacksmith · as Cinematographer |
| 1922 | My Wife's Relations · as Cinematographer |
| 1922 | Cops · as Director Of Photography |
| 1922 | The Paleface · as Cinematographer |
| 1921 | The Boat · as Cinematographer |
| 1921 | The Play House · as Cinematographer |
| 1921 | The Goat · as Director Of Photography |
| 1921 | The 'High Sign' · as Director Of Photography |
| 1921 | Hard Luck · as Director Of Photography |
| 1921 | The Haunted House · as Director Of Photography |
| 1920 | Neighbors · as Director Of Photography |
| 1920 | The Scarecrow · as Director Of Photography |
| 1920 | Convict 13 · as Cinematographer |
| 1920 | One Week · as Director Of PhotographyEn Plex |
| 1919 | The Garage · as Director Of Photography |
| 1919 | The Hayseed · as Director Of Photography |
| 1919 | Back Stage · as Cinematographer |
| 1918 | The Bell Boy · as Director Of Photography |