November 2, 2011
Time and purpose have collaborated to produce a nearly perfect research protocol for the Ned Scott Archive. My father once said to a reporter for Look Magazine in 1946 that he estimated that he took 50,000 photographs per year in the film industry. The occasion was Look’s bestowing on Ned Scott their Best Photo of the Year award for an image he took from “Tars and Spars”. Now all these years later, I can only wildly guess what happened to all those many photographs which he, and many other professionals just like him, created every day while working for the production studios. But today things are different, taking some of the guesswork out of the equation. With the proliferation of the internet, research becomes so much more productive and fruitful. Locating an image which Ned Scott made during work hours on the set is not that difficult. And on many occasions when an image is located, the back of the photo is stamped with his name and the production company and affixed with a paper caption denoting the film for which the image was made. I make note of these photographs and sometimes I purchase them for the archive if they are for sale and in good condition. Seeing Ned Scott’s name tied to his production photographs is always satisfying. However, sometimes an image is located which is not so labeled and tied, and sellers or advertisers or bloggers are simply using the image to bring interest to their operation, obtain money through a sale, or enhance their own story. Without correctly labeling the image in question, these people are breaking the law either unknowingly or with purpose. Fortunately, these situations are dwindling in number and frequency. I am seeing today many of Ned Scott’s images being correctly used with his name attached for credit. This is a portrait of Gene Tierney Ned Scott made for the movie Shanghai Gesture in 1941, and I offer it as an example of improper use of photography on the internet. I downloaded it from eBay where the seller made no effort to credit Ned Scott.
Despite these improprieties, my research is rewarding and productive. For anyone interested in Gene Tierney prints which Ned Scott saved for his own collection, both color and black and white, please click here to view some of them.