TECHNES Encyclopedia Database

E. Burton Steene was one of the first Akeley camera operators in Hollywood. This expert developed his mastery of the camera during the war by producing educational films used to train pilots in the U.S. Air Force.^[2] A member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) since 1923,^[3] Steene worked in New York until 1925, when he moved to Los Angeles. Like other specialists, he rented out his services on a freelance basis for the shooting of various “difficult, spectacular and unusual” shots.^[4] His skill in shooting airborne sequences was particularly sought out until his death in 1929.