The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-12-28
REALISTIC PICTURES.
Some Stage Aids TO the Effectiveness
Of the Blograph.
How Sounds Are Produced 10 Increase Real
Ism Of Motion Pictures.

| by what means the pleasing impression
Is made?
The novelty OF the invention has by
| no means worn off: and even those
who have seen hundreds of times what
ii can do appear still to be deeply in
terested aud as strongly impressed as
at first. In fact. there seems to be "a
| kind OF indefinitely mystery about
this nineteenth century marvel, which
| exerts a fascination that makes IL as
| much an object of interest and amaze
| ment today as when IL was first eXhib-
| tied: and its drawing powers as a
| feature I'm vaudeville entertainments
| really seem TO increase as week after
| week goes by.
Undoubtedly, the simplest and at the
| same time the most comprehensive ex-
planation of the strong hold IL has up
on the public is the realism of these
| motion pictures-the life i'm them. AS
| intimated at the beginning of this ar
| ticle, however. probably very few per-
sons whose enthusiasm has been arous-
| ed by the notion pictures shown by
| the Biograph at Keiths new theatre
| realized how much OF the impression
made upon them is produced by what
| may be termed artificial or stage real
| ISM which is brought into play To
| supplement the realism OF the pictures
| themselves and greatly TO heighten the
| effect.
The picture of the providence pets"
marching in review affords an illustra-
| ton of the simplest form taken by this
artificial realism, for in this case the
effect was mental one entirely. The
orchestra always played Reeves Sec
ond Regiment march while the Rhode
Island soldier boys were marching by,
the one composition of its kind insep-
"a "A identified m a mind
Rhode Island and with Providence, and
which instantly recalled to the specta-
tor that never-to- be forgotten scene
when this regiment marched up West
| minister street on the day when IL left
for the South to the inspiring strains
OF the best military band march ever
written played by the best military
band i'm the country. If the reader will
for a moment imagine the difference
had the orchestra played any other
march, even the most popular OF Sousas
he will al once realize how important a
mental effect was produced and how
greatly the general impression made by
the picture was heightened by the sim
pie matter of using the famous Reeves
march.
Many WA recall the effective picture
OF the skirmish advance of troops i'm
Cuba, and the realistic crack of the
rifles as the men were seen to hurry TO
the firing line. lie down. put their mus
kets to the shoulder and fire; and this
was produced by six men, each with
two revolvers and a supply OF blank
cartridges. who carefully watched from
the back of the screen each his individ-
ual set of men In the picture and dis
charged the weapons at just the right
moment so that the pun OF smoke was
seen by the spectators Immediately ar
ter the report of the gum while punches
NJ
back of the stage reproduced the sound
of more distant firing.
The Haverstraw tunnel picture which
because of its exhibition of the wonder
full possibilities of the Biograph was
perhaps the finest yet shown, affords
another excellent illustration. The au-
dience could so distinctly hear the rush
Of the train as IL sped over the rails at
80 miles an hour and the kissing of the
steam and putting of the locomotive
that IL is difficult to believe that il was
a reproduction and not a reality that
was before il. These effects were pro-
duced by striking a piece of sheet iron
with pieces OF rattan bent in horse
shoe shape much as in beating "A carpet,
heightened by the addition of steam
whistle and a real locomotive bell; and
the change of sound az the train en-
tered the tunnel and again as it emerg-
ed was made wonderfully real by the
skillful use of a mufiied brass drum.
How tame, comparatively, the picture
would have been without this artificial
realism: and yet how few who APP
plauded the picture so enthusiastically
stopped TO think of the remarkable
combination of inventive skill and
stage realism by which the general ef-
feet was produced.
In the picture of divers at Bath beach
the use of two smooth. thin pieces OF
n
together at one end and clapped to-
gether at the other as each diver
struck the water. caused the spectators
to believe that they heard the sound of
the impact and in the view of soldiers
embarking in a row boat on the coast
OF Cuba the swshing of the big waves
up against the dock was simulated
with admirable effect by the simple de-
vice of moving a broom quickly up and
down on a piece of scenery at the side
OF the stage.
That wonderful picture of the charge
by the Sd T. s. Cavalry at Fort Ethan
Allen, VT, was made so effective by the
faint bugle call heard in the distance
as the galloping steeds were seen swift
ly coming forward, increasing in vol
ume of tone as the riders came nearer
and again diminishing as they disap-
peared from view, while the clanking
of the sabres was heard distinctly as
the result or the Shaklng or a Dundle or
fifteen sabres loosely tied together and
suspended from the fly floor; and the
sound OF the horses hoofs as they
clattered over the hard ground was
made remarkably natural by the use
of cocoanut shells stucl together by
men who had by careful practice ac-
quired the ability To reproduce the
sound with striking fidelity. supple
mented by other men who used blocks
of wood ON which horse-shoes were
nailed and which they struck on other
blocks of soft wood carefully selected
10 produce a dun. instead OF a sharp
sound. The employment OF cocoanut
shells for this purpose is a rather mod
ern idea. having first been introduced
by Mr. William Gillette I'm his play
Held by the Enemy" and IL may be
said that I'm this case. es I'm that Of al
most every kind OF artificial realism
used to heghten the effect of the pict-
ures. long practice and no little skill
are required OF me men who perform
this most important work.
It requires little imagination 10 guess
that i'm the patriotic picture OF What
our boys did at Manila the sound
OF the sailor mailing the stars and
stripes 60 the masthead was rcproduc-