The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1909-01-29
nYlS|IE!!RE.yll l|!E!E.ll Of MOVING PICTURES.

Iof all the many Illusions of motion pic
lures.
A Girls Vision.
"The Errand Girps Dream shows
another way of working little trich
on the audience. In the first scene the
girl is shown leaving her home to gI
to the shop where she is employed. In
the second scene she is shown at work
In the shop and afterward starting out
with a big box to deliver some goods
to customers. These two scenes arc
shown with their natural backgrounds
having been taken without preparation
In typical sections of Paris. But after
the girl starts on her errands the oper.
ator of the kinetoscope leaves her and
returns to the theater, where he finds
an actress made up to look like her
and a scene painted to represent the
street through which the girl is likely
to pass.
In this scene the actress is saunter.
Ing along the street. Seeing bench
she sits down, places her box beside
Der, and Is soon lost In day dreams.
Suddenly the box opens and out of 1t
comes party of fairy creatures who
bow prettily to the girl, and then jump
ing down, go through merry dance
There is more to the story, but this
shows the trick.
When the girl sits down on the
bench the film Is stopped while the real
box Is removed and piece Of scenery
painted to look like 1t is uncovered
This Is opened from within In such
way that 1t seems to be opened by the
fairies. The apparently diminutIve
size Of the fairies is produced by plac-
Ing them 30 or 40 feet farther away
from the camera than is the girl, and
rs they are seen through the opening
which the spectators regard as the lid
Of the box the Illusion is complete.
Most of these tricks are accomplish
ed much as similar illusions on the real
stage are produced except that the H.
lusion Is the more perfect in the NOV.
Ing picture because Of the possibilities
Of a change of properties which the
"arret' provides, but the ability to set
the scene and produce the effect is
based upon the same sort OF knowledge
and skill that is required In properly
staging any theatrical performance.
Mechanical Marvels.
Mechanically, the kinetoscope Is be-
coming rather well known. The pic
lures are taken on sensitized film
lls inches wide, and varying In length
frcm 100 to 1900 feet. The film pass.
es in front Of an aperture inch by
Of an inch In size, stops
dead still for the fractional part Of
second, and passes on, the process be-
Ing SO rapid that at the normal rate of
speed Of operating the machine, sixteen
exposures are made every second of
time
When these pictures are reproduced
and passed through the machine which
projects then upon the screen, they are
usually shown at exactly the same rate
Of speed at which they were taken, and
thus the natural effect is produced.
In showing the pictures the film,
which for reproduction has been
changed from negative to positive
and probably colored in the same way
that ordinary lantern slides are color
ed is passed from one reel to another
over an aperture of the same size and
shape as that through which the pic.
ture was originally taken, and the en-.
largement OF the projected picture is
accomplished by means of lenses In
front of the picture Light is furnish
ed by electricity and, as in all stereop.
ticons, passes through the picture into
the lens, where 1t Is refracted to form
the great spot Of light upon the screen
1t is the manipulation Of this light
that Is the dangerous feature of moy-
Ing pictures. The fim Is celluloid and
highly explosive, and the point of light
that falls upon It is SO intense that II
permitted to rest for single instant
upon the film, the heat produced will
cause an explosion While the film is
there Is no danger, but 1t can.
not be stopped without danger, unless
the machine is fitted with an auto.
matte shutter, which falls over the
aperture as soon as the crank stops
Artistically the clnematograph is de
veloping with amazing rapidity. When
picture shows were first open.
ed in the cities OF this country they
were regarded as a rather low order of
resorts. Already they have
climbed several classes, and the char
acter of pictures the best ones are
showing now brings them almost ON
plane with the tirst-class playhouses.