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=                  Inauguration of the Commonwealth                  =
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                             Introduction                             
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'Inauguration of the Commonwealth' (also titled 'Inauguration of the
Australian Commonwealth') was a 1901 Australian documentary film
commissioned by the Governments of New South Wales and Victoria to
record the inaugural day of the Federation of Australia.

Directed by cinematographer Joseph Perry, the film was the first to
use simultaneous multiple camera coverage and to run for 35 minutes.

The film was produced by the Limelight Department of the Salvation
Army in Australia. It was the first feature-length documentary film to
be produced in Australia.

Although the film quality has degraded over time, much of the footage
still survives today.

It is currently being held at the National Film and Sound Archive.


                               Synopsis                               
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The film begins by following a procession through the streets of
Sydney, marking the federation of Australia on 1 January 1901. This
procession is seen to be led by 200 mounted police, followed by
railway bandsmen, shearers and bush workers, decorated floats, large
numbers of Australian and Imperial troops, as well as carriages
carrying the first Governor-General John Hope, first Prime Minister
Edmund Barton, state premiers and other dignitaries. An estimated
10,000 people participated in this procession.
The parade is seen to pass under ten elaborate arches which
illustrated different aspects of Australian life. The procession
placed emphasis on Australia's economic recovery from recession during
the 1890s, with several of these arches exhibiting depictions of
Australian industries such as the wool industry.

The parade followed a processional route from the public grounds of
the Domain, through the central business district and city centre
before heading south east towards Centennial Park where a purpose
built pavilion was erected for the federation ceremony. Between
250,000 and 500,000 spectators attended the route of the procession.
As well as lining the road, people are seen to hang out of windows and
climb onto rooftops and awnings in order to get a glimpse of the
Procession. Buildings, telegraph poles and streets were festooned with
flags, banners, bunting and triumphal arches. These are presented in
the film.
Within the pavilion at Centennial Park, the Anglican Archbishop of
Sydney, William Smith is seen to greet the Governor General John Hope,
the Prime Minister Edmund Barton and other dignitaries. Following
this, the Governor General directs the swearing in of Australia's
first federal cabinet and the reading of the Proclamation of the
Constitution. The Governor General and government ministers are
depicted signing an oath of allegiance at a table in the centre of the
purpose-built pavilion.

The film concludes with footage showing scenes within Centennial Park
the day after the events previously mentioned. Within these scenes,
the Governor General and leading military figures are seen presiding
over large masses of Australian and Imperial troops.


 Conception 
============
'Inauguration of the Commonwealth' was produced by the Limelight
Department of the Salvation Army. The Limelight Department of the
Salvation Army was formed in 1891. This corresponded with the founder
of the Salvation Army, William Booth, touring Australia for the first
time.  The Limelight Department was established to create a means
by which the Salvation Army could proliferate its message across
Australia to a wide audience.
The director of 'Inauguration of the Commonwealth', Joseph Perry, was
appointed equipment operator of the Limelight Department soon after
its establishment. In this role, he at first directed picture-slide
presentations which illustrated the Salvation Army's purpose, and
garnered the public to donate to the cause.

Perry directed his first film in 1897, following the Limelight
Department obtaining a Lumiere cinematograph camera and projector.
Perry directed several films in the four years prior to 'Inauguration
of the Commonwealth', the majority of them illustrating Biblical
events.

The Limelight Department of the Salvation Army soon became Australia's
largest film producer. Perry and his film crew, known as the First
Biorama Company, toured around Australia for months on end presenting
films to the public about the Salvation Army in order to build a
national identity for the Salvation Army in Australia.

The production of 'Inauguration of the Commonwealth' was commissioned
by the New South Wales Premier, Sir William Lyne, in late 1900 as a
means of presenting the planned parade for the Federation of Australia
to rest of the British Empire.

As 'The Sydney Morning Herald' on 12 November 1900 reported: “The
Premier is of the opinion that the occasion will lend itself to the
production of a number of splendid views, and is hopeful that full
advantage will be taken of it to secure films that will be viewed with
considerable interest by people throughout the British Empire.”


 Preproduction 
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Prior to the event, several custom-built camera platforms were set up
along the route of the procession and in Centennial Park where the
federation ceremony was to take place. Each platform was made of
timber and offered unobstructed views of both the parade and the
ceremony for the cameras mounted on-top. Joseph Perry moved between
these platforms on a horse-drawn fire engine, directing three camera
crews simultaneously. This was the first instance of simultaneous
multiple camera coverage within a film.
The film was shot using original Lumiere cinematograph cameras, with
nearly all the available cameras available in Sydney being in use in
production of the film. These cameras were manually operated via a
hand crank and utilised a degradable 35mm film. Additionally, these
cameras had no pan or tilt capacity and therefore were limited to
filming stationary, wide-angled shots.


 Editing 
=========
'Inauguration of the Commonwealth' was edited and printed at the
Limelight Department's headquarters in Melbourne. The speed at which
the film was edited and printed was unprecedented, with the film's
premiere occurring two weeks after its contents being filmed.


                               Release                                
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'Inauguration of the Commonwealth' premiered in Sydney at Her
Majesty's Theatre on 19 January 1901.

It was the most widely distributed Australian film of its time. It was
shown in cinemas across Australia, as well as in Britain and Canada.
The success of the film lead the Victorian and New Zealand Governments
to commission the Limelight Department to film an upcoming royal visit
by the Duke and Duchess of York to Australia and New Zealand to open
the first Commonwealth Parliament of Australia. The subsequent film,
'Royal Visit to Open the First Commonwealth Parliament', was released
in May 1901.


                              Reception                               
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The demand to watch the film was immense, with the Salvation Army
establishing ‘The Australian Kinematographic Company’ to manage this
demand and separate the unexpected profitability of 'Inauguration of
the Commonwealth' from the Salvation Army's charitable mission. Surges
in print sales from Australia's major cities led independent film
touring companies to distribute the film worldwide.

The proceeds from the film were utilised to support the Salvation
Army's mission, as well as to replace the Limelight Department's
failing camera equipment.


                                Legacy                                
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'Inauguration of the Commonwealth' was the first film to utilise
simultaneous multiple camera coverage and to have a run-time of over
30 minutes. With a run time of 35 minutes, it was more than five times
longer than any previous Australian film.

'Inauguration of the Commonwealth' was the first film to contain
moving images of a nation being created.

It was the first feature-length documentary film to be produced in
Australia. Additionally, it was the most widely distributed Australian
film of its time.


                            External links                            
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*
*[http://colsearch.nfsa.gov.au/nfsa/search/display/display.w3p;adv=;group=;groupequals=;holdingType=;page=0;parentid=;query=Id%3A17680;querytype=;rec=0;resCount=10
Film information] at National Film and Sound Archive


 License 
=========
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Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inauguration_of_the_Commonwealth