| abstract | - Gibson's early career was as a performer of traditional Scottish dances. Her enthusiastic stage presence and intricate costumes brought her to the attention of Mary Pickford, who was making a film called The Pride of the Clan. Pickford brought Gibson to Hollywood where she served as an advisor and extra in the film. After production wrapped on The Pride of the Clan, Gibson attended Columbia University to study photography and cinematography. In New York, she purchased a motion picture camera and a single lens. Instead of traveling to Hollywood to make movies, she returned to Casselton, North Dakota and began producing her own short films. Her Gibson Studios is believed to be the first motion picture studio in North Dakota. Gibson Studios was run and financed by women, which was particularly unusual at the time. Angela directed, wrote, edited, processed and acted in her films. Her sister, Ruby Gibson, ran the business end of their operation. Even their mother lent a hand from time to time as a part of their film crew. Her productions were typically low budget. Instead of purchasing lights, she used theater techniques to build canvas sets outdoors where she could take advantage of natural sunlight. Unfortunately, eagle-eyed viewers will notice in several of her films that these interior walls tend to wobble when they are touched -- or blown by the wind. Gibson's filmography includes documentaries on the life of a grain of wheat, a rodeo in Medora, how to make an omelette and how to use a chafing dish. Among her narrative shorts was a comedy called That Ice Ticket. The Depression brought an end to Gibson's filmmaking career as the costs of film and processing materials increased. Her films were largely forgotten until 1976 when the North Dakota Centennial Commission asked Snyder Films in Fargo to help restore them. In 1997, Mike Scholtz, Tapio Kube and Julie Prom-Erfle, with the help of Snyder Films, produced a documentary about her life and work called The Angela Murray Gibson Experience. This 30-minute film has been featured on Prairie Public Television, at film festivals and in academic discussions on the role of women in the history of silent film.
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