Elgin Lessley
Age: N/A | From: Higbee, Missouri, USA
Person Details
Birthday:
Aliases: No known aliases
Gender: Male
Place of birth: Higbee, Missouri, USA
Homepage:
Movie Involvements: 34
TV Involvements: 0
Most Famous Work
Biography
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.
Most Famous Work
Sherlock Jr.
(1924) Director of Photography
The Cameraman
(1928) Director of Photography
Our Hospitality
(1923) Director of Photography
Three Ages
(1923) Director of Photography
Seven Chances
(1925) Director of Photography
My Wife's Relations
(1922) Cinematography
The Navigator
(1924) Director of Photography
The Boat
(1921) CinematographyActing
| Year | Character | Movie/Tv |
|---|---|---|
| 1926 | Union General Who Gives Command to Cross Bridge (uncredited) | |
| Year | Character | Movie/Tv |
Camera
| Year | Role | Movie/Tv |
|---|---|---|
| 1928 | Director of Photography | |
| 1927 | Director of Photography | |
| 1926 | Director of Photography | |
| 1925 | Director of Photography | |
| Director of Photography | ||
| 1924 | Director of Photography | |
| Director of Photography | ||
| 1923 | Director of Photography | |
| Director of Photography | ||
| 1922 | Director of Photography | |
| 1921 | Director of Photography | |
| Director of Photography | ||
| Director of Photography | ||
| Director of Photography | ||
| 1920 | Director of Photography | |
| Director of Photography | ||
| Director of Photography | ||
| Director of Photography | ||
| 1919 | Director of Photography | |
| 1918 | Director of Photography | |
| Year | Role | Movie/Tv |
Crew
| Year | Role | Movie/Tv |
|---|---|---|
| 1928 | Cinematography | |
| 1927 | Cinematography | |
| 1926 | Cinematography | |
| 1923 | Cinematography | |
| Cinematography | ||
| 1922 | Cinematography | |
| Cinematography | ||
| Cinematography | ||
| Cinematography | ||
| Cinematography | ||
| 1921 | Cinematography | |
| 1920 | Cinematography | |
| 1919 | Cinematography | |
| 1917 | Cinematography | |
| Year | Role | Movie/Tv |
