The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-02-03
MOVING PICTURES.
Amusing Experiences of the Men Nh7
Produce Them.


Produce Them.
Did YOU ever think how many. mans
feet of film pass through the machine
that produces the moving pic!Gtc' USED
nowadays in the NaUueEilie) houses ::
OF course this depends entirely on the
length of the entertainment. but uSu-
ally about 1000 feet of film are used
in every performance.
This film costs $ to l. cents foot.
an item of expense SO large that the
many setS Of pictures are sent over the
whole circuit of houses, just as the
actors and actresses. the dancers. the
comedians and other entertainers are
sent
There's an interesting story III the
way these pictures are procured. eSi'e-
cially those that depic; chase after
an escaping convict. the pictures You
see while the orchestra plays the quick,
exciting music and some one back Of
the stage is doing things that make II
seem sure enough. when shots are
heard-also back of the stage-and You
see little puffS of smoke in the picture
while the convict gallops along over
hill and valley. splaShes through
stream. falls off bridges. climbs fences
and finally drops exhausted and is re
captured and led back to prison. head
hung low, his face wearing lool; OF
detection Life would never seem
quite the same if Mike should chin~e
the chase music. 1t has bee me Il pa t
OF the show business that pcpl',e la, :
right to demand
The firms that produce moving pc
lures have regularly organized theat-
rical companies. There are rehearsals.
just as in a theater. The men and w"m-
en- really speak the words of the play
or scene and when the performance is
takes the pictures. Where some one
falls off house or bridge or down the
side Of Il canyon a dummy figure Is
| used. and the section of film that would
bctray that fact is cut out. Once in Il
| very great while these trick changes
are awk wardly done and then the au-
dieHcc. laugh. When a chase is TO be
| photographed the men or women and
| the crowd-and the dog-actually 20
| over the course that you see in the
| picture.
! 1t is all arranged beforehand, so that
| the law abiding inhabitants don't be
| come nervous and interfere. Some
| times the arrangements are imperfect.
| 1t was SO one day recently. \ New
| York company was making Il series of
| chase pictures in which man was
| dressed in prison stripes and was try
| ing to escape. A policeman who had
not been notified Joined in and made
things interesting with regulation po-
| lice revolver 1t was due only to the
! proverhial poor craftsmanship that the
! pictures were procured without the
convict being killed.
One of the peculiar features about
moving pictures is that blusteIy,
| windy day usually is selected for max
ing the pictures. Trees may he seen
swaying skirts fluttering and hats roll
! ing down the street It's the action
they want. and the wind produces it,
In "The Escape From Sing Sing
which is one of the popular chaSeS pro
| duced by the moving picture machine
a number Of the pictures were taken
on the roofs in New York city. This is
one of the most exciting chASes. The
criminal may he seen lcapng from roof
to roof. while people lean from win
| dOws and shoot at the fleeing man. In
getting the proper effects the promot-
/ ers were compelled to resort to many
! schemes. Revolver shots in the down
! town portion of New York would have
caused no end of trouble. As suhsti-
tute the men in the windows who were
supposed to do the shooting threw
handfuls of -four. This produced the
effect of smoke and the picture was a
success Kansas City Star