Westinghouse Works, 1904


Westinghouse Works, 1904 is a collection of 21 American short silent films, each averaging about three minutes in length. The films were taken from April 18, 1904 to May 16, 1904 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and document various Westinghouse manufacturing plants. They were made by G. W. "Billy" Bitzer of the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, were shown at the Westinghouse Auditorium at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, and may have been made for that purpose. At least 29 films were shot. The films are now part of the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.
The films in the collection of the Library of Congress are:
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  1. Production

Westinghouse executives Biograph to produce these films to exhibit to its subsidiaries and employees, thus making them some of the earliest existing examples of what are now called industrial films.
The films were the first to use mercury vapor lamps to illuminate its shots, and they were also the first to use crane shots. Bitzer primarily used stationary cameras and fixed lenses, and he typically shot the films in a single continuous take.
Most of the films did not have title cards, so many of their names were assigned by the Library of Congress.

Release

The finished films were shown to Westinghouse employees in Pittsburgh, probably narrated by a speaker. They were later exhibited at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, and were received positively by audiences.