The sun., 1910-01-30
NEW SCENIC ART.
French Adaptation or Magic Lanterns to.
Producing stage Effects.


The theatrical season in Paris opened
revolutionizes the art OF scenic effects
as regards the change of light and action
in the out of doors bac ground.
Eugene Frey. n young painter and
an electrical engineer OF much talent
had the idea OF reproducing shadows
in color by the use OF powerful magic
lanterns lighted by electricity. The pict-
ures thus reproduced are first drawn
in black and white under microscope
on a card a foot in length.
They are then photographed for the
lantern slides. which are colored with
minuteness in transparent aniline dyes.
As the picture when reproduced 10 en-
larged 5000 o. IOOOO times its original
size this work OF drawing and ooloring
has to be that OF a skilful and painsta king
artist For the most part the coloring
is the careful work o: the inventor.
Instead Of pla cling the lantern in front
OF the screen Mr.. Frey places all the
appa ratus behind a white curtain 100 feet
in length. which is well saturated in a
glycerine preparation that renders il
transparent. He throws the back ground
on this curtain. all the arrangement Of
scenery in the foreground. where the
action takes place. remaining as usual.
Ifthe scene demands a sunrise. a sunset.
a storm or a conha grafton these changes
are produced by a series OF colored Or o.
jections Thus il we have q forest with
a lake we see this landscape in the morn
ing. in the middle OF the day. at dusk
and at night. The principal subject. the
landscape, during the daytime remains
always the same. but by other projections
thrown on the screen the rosy tints OF
the morning or the violet colors of the dusk
or the shadows of night are produced.
Each OF these variations OF color is
obtained by a separately colored slide
thrown on the principal slide in such
manner as to give the desired effect and
arranged with such exactitude as to re-
produce the objects on the screen with
out changing their position in the least.
In the scene that represents the burning
OF Rome in QUO Vadis" seven lanterns
are employed at the same time In the
foreground. on a terrace. one secs Nero
with his Tyre. surrounded by the dancers
and the feast makers; in the background
Rome stretches out. built on the hills |
away in the distance a fire breaks out |
and smoke begins to rise. then the fire !
after another catches fire. and clouds |
of smoke rise as the city is consumed in |
flames.
The effect is striking. says Hdrpers
Weekly. the color Of the flames taking on |
q natural yellowish tone as they rise in |
clouds OF smoke. This smoke and flame |
effect is produced by films OF clouds |
painted in flame colors and adjusted on |
wheels, which turn and raise the films !
giving the effects desired.
In the last act OF -Tannhauser" the
grotto Of Venus is reproduced at the |
desired moment without the noise OF the |
shifting Of the scenery, while the various
gradations between dusk and dawn are
effectively shown. In -Myrtil" the virgin
to death is changed into a
lily by the use of the lantern slide.
This new process OF stage backgrounds
will be welcomed by the theatrical man
ayers. for the expensive painted back
grounds so fragile and difficult TO adjust
are easily replaced by single curtain
and q few lanterns with tho required
slides. while the effects produced are
much more natural and effective.