The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-12-10
FACT and FICTION
IN THE PICTURES
SECRETS OF BATTLES FROM AFFAIR
ON JERSEY HILLS.
Making of the Popular Moving Pictures
Involves Secrets Guarded with Jeal-
Gus Care by the Machine Photog-
raphers' '-ssThe Great Train Rob-
berry, and How It Was Made.

The moving pictures featured at the
Unique theater each week seem to in
terest all classes from small children
to the blase theatergoers. Some are
mystical Illusions, others exploit inter
estang events, or spectacles, while some
are positively thrilling in their life
like portrayal Of exciting incidents.
How is it done?" is the question
often asked and seldom answered. It
would be an exposition of certain Sc
crets of photography as closely
guarded as a magician IS feats to &C.
curately explain how some Of the eff
fects are secured. Others are simple
enough. For instance, take the "great
train :.robbery.'' The attack on the
train is shown. The bandits uncouple
the engine. blow up the mail car, rob
line with "hands up.' Then comes
the escape of the bandits, the pursuit
and capture after a race over hills and
thru the woods. All this was posed by
people drilled in the parts they were to
take. ~
A balloon ascension at Paris shows
the flight skyward, and then follow a
series OF photographs taken from the
balloon. All this is reality, but when
it comes to an explosion which wrecks
the balloon and spills the aeronauts
L
plosion is secured by the photographing
of paper balloon of the same size and
appearance which is properly exploded.
The fall into the water actually occurs,
but it is from balloon anchored above
the water at a moderate distance.
These pictures are arranged in con-
tlnuous film and are displayed in such
series of related instead of disiointed
events. - - -
One of the best of the moving pic
lures of lifelike fidelity is the raid on
a moonshiners still by revenue officers.
which is supposed to occur in the fast
ness OF Tennessee mountains. It is I'M
derstood, however, that the real locality
was near Camden, n. j., and about
$3,ooO was spent IN the various arrange
still and the running fight between the
moonshlners and the revenue officers.
The hills of New Jersey have been the
scene, by the way, of many another
realistic moving picture setting, includ-
ing most of the Cuban and Philippine
war pictures showing skirmishes and
even pitched battles between the ma
tives and United States troops.
The fairyland pictures show for them
selves that they were taken in theaters,
most Of them in Paris. The most in
teresting of these shows an imaginary
trip suggested by Jules Verne s story
of journey over and under the sea.
The entire picture is series of photo
graphs taken in the theater. Actors
impersonating the excursionists. climb
into a vehicle that is combination of
automobile, dirigible balloon and sub
marine boat. The automobile whirls
along at terrific speed, even passing
thru the sides of buildings, tears up and
down mountains and finally reaches the
summit Of Jung Frau, from which there
is a plunge into the valley below, which
completely demolishes the machine. A
hospital scene follows, and then the
voyagers against climb into the auto
balloon, and take a trip to the sun,
passing by planets and stars. Then oc-
ours a fall from the surface of the sun,
after series of unique experiences, into
the ocean, when a submarine voyage is
taken. Next comes an explosion which
sends the party upward to the surface
Of the water, to dry land, when they
shake hands in farewell and separate.
The first patent on moving pictures
was taken out in 1861 by an American
engineer named Colman Seller, who
probably first caused pictures made in a
camera to be shown so as to give the
appearance of objects in motion. Diff
ferent inventions along the same line
have since followed, until now there are
some two hundred different makes Of
scopes and graphs.