The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-20
TRICKS WITH THE KINEIoSCOPE.
Effects Produced by Reversing the Film
and Varying the Motion.

An odd experiment with the kaleidoscope
took place not long ago in Boston. The sub
ject was a man eating dinner. and The film.
prepared especially for the OCCASION. was of
unusual length. so that the whole perform
ance could be recorded. The man entered the
room. and, seating himself at a table. pro-
ceeded to cut UP the food. The motion Of the
| fork from the plate to his lips was carefully
recorded until the last morsel of food had van
ised. Then he arose and walked out of the
room, leaving nothing on the table but bare
dishes. The series OF pictures vas then re-
yersed. II showed the mar entering the room
walking backward. He sat down at the table
upon which there was nothing but bare dishes
and proceeded to extract food from his lips
until he had Allied the potato dish with po-
tatoes and gradually put together n steak on
the platter before him. Then he calmly backed
out OF the room. and the waiter did likewise
with the meal that the man had apparently
created.
Exhibitors OF the cinematoCranh and bio
graph, and all the other graphs and scopes"
of the same family are missing a point bore in
New York which, II properly brought out.
would prove to DO an interesting part of the
performance. The principle CT these machines
affords scope for a great deal OF novelty. espe:
cially when the ribbon or long film is reversed
and made to run back ward. or when the p ,ctures
II III III we ~
tho photograph little amusement IL afforded by
re yersinR the cylinder, as the result is n conglom-
Grafton of disconnected syllablos, but as with
the kaleidoscope. q variety of speeds. from very
fast to very slow, will give Interesting results.
Take, for example. the picture OF Niagara
Falls. where the foam Is seen to rise from the
water az II falls into the pool below. Here
the water would ascend and run back smoothly
over the brink and disappear IN the distance
q bewilde; Ing effect.
with the picture of the Ennpir State Express,
Win IN IL seen to approach and pass at the rate
of nearly sixty miles an hour. 1t probably
never ran backward as fast as that. hut 1t
could be made to do so on canvas. The last
car would appear first in the picture, and
mile or so down the track. where, In tho true
picture. IL first came into view. In a like
manner the sound-mOney parade might be
turned into q farce. for here the men would be
seen actually walking backward.
The biograph, cinemntograph. and other
scope pictures enlarged by meals OF n stereop-
ticon lens. All the pictures shown in the
theatres are of moving objects taken while tho
machine iJself is.at rest; .but a double eff
may no produced by having the machine move
too. A good example OF this double effect
front OF 4. Broadway cable car and making n
trip of several blocks down Broadway. or. bet
ter still, by taking the curves at Fourteen IN
street. This ncture thrown on n screen in n
darkened theatre while some one shouted
'hold fast would make n scene familiar to
through the front window OF tho car, would bo
naturally depicted. 1t is probable that cine
mHtozraph and ~biograph operators have re-
frat ned from these amusing exhibitions, rs the
effect would not be readily understood and
some time would DO required to explain tho