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Ken G Hall talks about directing the 1930s feature film Tall Timbers (1937). He discusses the difficulties of creating a 'spectacle’ in the studio, but says everyone was satisfied by the result.
Curator’s notes
The special effects used in Tall Timbers (1937) were highly effective but also dangerous. To film fire sequences, they wound nitrate film around tree trunks and set them alight. They also made a model of the timber drives and inter-cut close-up shots from the real timber drive. The film broke box-office records established by On Our Selection (1932). Hall compares filmmaking in America with Australia, where resources are much more limited.
