The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1911-10-26
MOVING PICTURES
ingenious Methods of Producing
Startling Effects.
TRICKS OF THE CAMERA MEN.

kxpedlsnts by Which PuxxIln0 situa.
tlons and Incidents That Seem TO
Contradict the Laws Of Mature Are
Recorded on the Finished Film.
The ingenuity Of man IL exercised
to q wonderful degree In the creation
Of novel and seemingly impossible
situations and episodes for production
in the moving picture shows. and audi
ences are often bewildered In trying
to decide how the curious effects.
which ut times seem to contradict the
laws Of nature, are secured. Yet, like
the conjurer's tricks, 1t is all very sim
pie when the veil 70 lifted
There are some scenes depicted
which, while amazing enough In their
way, do not puzzle the critical be-
holder in solving the ways and means
Of their making. There are the railroad
accident, obtained by means Of chill
dren's toys: the warships and the
aeroplanes, which are also photo
graphs Of playthings; the burglar In
his unheard Of performance Of climb
Ing the front Of house, and-last, but
not least--the man clinging to the cell
ing Of q room. The pictures explain
themselves.
But when we see a man jumping
out Of q fourth story window, zee him
fall hfty feet to the ground and then
get up and rum away unhuYt. we ask.
How ~ this possible7 The origin OF
the picture 10 very simple. The fugi-
tive jumps ont Of q low window in
the studio, which II fitted up In the
style Of the desired room. Then the
photographing process IL interrupted.
The next picture ID taken In the street
in front Of q real house. A life sized
puppst 10 dropped from one OF the
windows. When II has reached the
ground the machine stops. the actor
puts himself In the place OF the figure.
the reel IL started again. the man gets
ND and runs away.
\ In like manner auto accidents and
similar episodes are arranged
Another impossibility-a man swims
through q river and on the other side
he climbs q ten foot wall without dif
flculty. Origin Of the pictures: The
man IL photographed sliding from the
wall into the water, bnt in taking the
picture the reel In turned wrong way.
80 the motion IL reversed when the
picture II reeled or In the right dfrec-
tion.
Tia last obstacle In representing the
seemingly impossible was cleared
away when some clever mind conceiv-
ed the idea Of stopping the photograph.
ing process. not after series Of pic
lures, but after each single picture
or after each two or three OF them.
The work involved was enormous, as
eighteen pictures are taken every sec
ond-that Il to say, about 10000 pic
lures are required for a reel, which In
to amuss the public only ten minutes!
But human perseverance, has accom-
plished the task. and the results OBJ
tanned are extraordinary. The follow
ing examples will prove It:
A pile Of small stones 10 put on q
black table. and the apparatus IL fas-
tened vertically above the stones.
Then q short turn Of the crank, and
few identical pictures OF the stone pile
are taken. One Of the stones 10 then
removed from the pile: another short
turn. which gives two or three pictures
showing the first stones separate from
the pile. The process is repeated I'M
I'll the stones laid aside by hand show
the writing, Good Nightr' The I'm
tshed aim does not show the hand
that removed one stone after another,
but creates the impression that the
stones arrange themselves In the form
Of magic writing.
Instead Of the stones, lump Of clay
may be placed on the table and some
kind Of q figure IL gradually modelled
from 10 by hand: but, this hand being
invisible, Il Seems ~ II the figure
formed itself.
In the same way herring can grad
ually be sent back into the tin can
from which It was taken. - Garten-
laube, Leipzig.