Arthur Embery Higgins (25 October 189122 September 1963) was a pioneering Australian

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...

known for his use of trick photography during the

silent era A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...

. His ongoing collaborations with director

Raymond Longford Raymond Longford (born John Walter Hollis Longford; 23 September 18782 April 1959) was a prolific Australian film director, writer, producer, and actor during the silent era. Longford was a major director of the silent film era of the Australia ...

include ''

The Sentimental Bloke ''The Sentimental Bloke'' is a 1918 Australian silent film based on the 1915 verse novel ''The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke'' by C. J. Dennis. Produced and directed by Raymond Longford, the film stars Arthur Tauchert, Gilbert Emery, and Lottie ...

'' (1919) and ''

The Blue Mountains Mystery ''The Blue Mountains Mystery'' is a lost 1921 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford and co-directed by Lottie Lyell. It is considered a lost film. Plot ''The Blue Mountains Mystery'' involves the alleged murder of a wealthy bus ...

'' (1921). He briefly turned to directing with '' Odds On'' (1928) however returned to cinematography in 1931 for the remainder of his career.

Biography

Arthur Higgins was born in

Glebe A glebe (, also known as church furlong, rectory manor or parson's close(s)) is an area of land within an ecclesiastical parish used to support a parish priest. The land may be owned by the church, or its profits may be reserved to the church. ...

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

in 1891. He was the youngest of three brothers,

Ernest Ernest is a given name derived from the Germanic languages, Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious", often shortened to Ernie. Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People *Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), ...

and Tasman. From a young age, Arthur was introduced to photography and

projection Projection or projections may refer to: Physics * Projection (physics), the action/process of light, heat, or sound reflecting from a surface to another in a different direction * The display of images by a projector Optics, graphics, and carto ...

by his eldest brother, Ernest. In 1900, Ernest rigged up a projector from his father's shop's balcony with a screen on a building across the street. Eventually Ernest's fascination with photography and cinema took him to

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

where he found work at Cosens Spencer filming newsreels and travelogues. Although Arthur had begun a career in architecture, he chose to join Ernest in Sydney in 1908 to pursue a career in

cinematography Cinematography () is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens (optics), lens to focus reflected light from objects into a real image that is transferred to some image sen ...

. From 1911, the brothers would work closely with director

. In 1912, Tasman also moved to Sydney to join his brothers.

Higgins Bros, Cinematographers

The Higgins brothers founded Higgins Bros, Cinematographers in 1913 after their workplace merged with Australasian Films Ltd. Generally the brothers worked on documentaries and compilation films although they did one feature film, '' A Long, Long Way to Tipperary'' in 1914. Discouraged by the lack of income from their work, by 1917 Ernest had become the sole proprietor of the company. After leaving Higgins Bros, Arthur ventured further with Raymond Longford and

Lottie Lyell Lottie Lyell (born Charlotte Edith Cox, 23 February 1890 – 21 December 1925) was an Australian actress, screenwriter, film editing, editor and filmmaker. She is regarded as Australia's first film star, and also contributed to the local industr ...

's projects including ''

'' (1919) and ''

On Our Selection ''On Our Selection'' (1899) is a series of stories written by Australian author Steele Rudd, the pen name of Arthur Hoey Davis, in the late 1890s, featuring the characters Dad and Dave Rudd. The original edition of the book was illustrated by ...

'' (1920).

Arthur Higgins Productions

In 1928 Higgins set up Arthur Higgins Productions and made a racing film, '' Odds On'', and in 1930, with his brother Tasman as cameraman, the visually spectacular '' Fellers''. Set in

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

desert A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...

scenes were shot in sandhills near

. Although mostly silent, the last reel was synchronized with a few minutes of dialogue. ''Fellers'' won the only prize in the ''Commonwealth Film Competition'' that year. After visiting the United States of America, Higgins worked for F. W. Thring's Efftee Film Productions in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

and later on films for

Pat Hanna George Patrick "Pat" Hanna (born 18 March 1888 in Whitianga, New Zealand – 24 October 1973 in Ampthill, Bedfordshire, England) was a New Zealand-born film producer, he was a soldier of the First World War who entertained post-war audienc ...

. In 1936, Higgins joined Cinesound Productions and continued to make feature films for different directors until 1946. In the 1950s Higgins operated with Neville Bletcher the production company, Solarchrome Color Productions, at 300 Pitt st, Sydney, with studio at St Johns Road, Glebe NSW (1).The Film Weekly Motion Picture Directory 1957-8 Solarchrome was his own adaptation of a bi-pack (two tints) colour process. Arthur married Sheila Elizabeth Smith on 27 June 1917 at

Moonee Ponds Moonee Ponds is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City of Moonee Valley Local government ar ...

. The couple were childless. Higgins died at his home at

Potts Point Potts Point is a small and densely populated suburb in inner-city Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Potts Point is located east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the Local government in Australia, local government area o ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

on 22 September 1963 and was

cremated Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...

Filmography

*'' The Fatal Wedding'' (1911) *''

The Romantic Story of Margaret Catchpole ''The Romantic Story of Margaret Catchpole'' (also released as ''The Queen of the Smugglers'') is a 1911 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford and starring Lottie Lyell. It is based on the true story of Margaret Catchpole, an adve ...

'' (1911) *'' The Tide of Death'' (1912) *'' Australia Calls'' (1913) *'' If the Huns Came to Melbourne'' (1916) *'' The Woman Suffers'' (1918) *''

'' (1919) *''

'' (1920) *'' Rudd's New Selection'' (1921) *''

'' (1921) *'' Sunshine Sally'' (1922) *'' A Daughter of Australia'' (1922) *'' Circumstance'' (1922) *'' Townies and Hayseeds'' (1923) *'' Australia Calls'' (1923) *'' Fisher's Ghost'' (1924) *'' The Bushwhackers'' (1925) *'' Peter Vernon's Silence'' (1926) *'' The Pioneers'' (1926) *'' Hills of Hate'' (1926) *'' The Kid Stakes'' (1927) *'' Odds On'' (1928) – director *'' Fellers'' (1930) – director *'' A Co-respondent's Course'' (1931) *''

Diggers The Diggers were a group of religious and political dissidents in England, associated with a political ideology and programme resembling what would later be called agrarian socialism.; ; ; Gerrard Winstanley and William Everard (Digger), Will ...

'' (1931) *''

His Royal Highness Royal Highness is a style (manner of address), style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Kings and their female Queen consort, consorts, as well as queens regnant, are usually styled ''Maje ...

'' (1932) *'' Harmony Row'' (1933) *'' Diggers in Blighty'' (1933) *''

Waltzing Matilda "Waltzing Matilda" is a song developed in the Australian style of poetry and folk music called a bush ballad. It has been described as the country's "unofficial national anthem". The title was Australian slang for travelling on foot (waltzing ...

'' (1933) *'' The Streets of London'' (1934) *'' Clara Gibbings'' (1934) *'' A Ticket in Tatts'' (1934) *'' The Avenger'' (1937) *''

Show Business Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz or showbiz (since 1945), is a vernacular term for all aspects of the entertainment industry.''Oxford English Dictionary'' 2nd Ed. (1989) From the business side (including managers, agents, produce ...

'' (1938) *'' Wings of Destiny'' (1940) *'' That Certain Something'' (1941) *'' The Power and the Glory'' (1945) *''

Harvest Gold ''Harvest Gold'' is a 1945 Australian industrial film about a farmer who clings to old methods of production. Synopsis The film explores various aspects of mechanical farming, from clearing the land to harvesting, and deals with the clash of at ...

'' (1945) *'' A Son Is Born'' (1946)

References

External links

*
Arthur Higgins
at

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

Arthur Higgins Biography
at Australian Cinematography Society {{DEFAULTSORT:Higgins, Arthur Australian film directors People from Hobart Australian cinematographers 1891 births 1963 deaths