The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1911-08-16
THE MYsT|FY|NG EFFECTS
OF MOVING PICTURES
Scenes of Railroad Collisions Are
Made from Miniature Engines
and Cars-All Very Simple

1t has been estimated that at least
5000, 600 persons attend the NOV
ing picture shows throughout the
world every day and WaXahachle
furnishes her quota of several hun
dred each afternoon and night to
the two local motion picture houses.
Despite the evident popularity of the
amusement, there are few who I'M
derstand how the many mystifying
effects are produced.
Every one who has visited NOV
ing picture exhibition is familiar
with the ease with which moving pic
ture heroes and heroines run nimbly
up the sides of houses when pursued,
and no doubt every one has Won
dered at one time or another how
the feat is accomplished.
There are two ways OF doing this
One is to have the person posing for
the picture drawn up the side OF
real house by means of rope, NOV
ing his feet all the time, as though
he we're walking, the rope being ar
terward painted out on the film;
the other and more common way is
to make the film in specially pre-
pared studio. On the floor a canvas
picture of the house in question is
spread and the man pursued JUST
scrambles along it on his hands ami
knees
The effect of inanimate objects
moving themselves, such as coffee
pots pouring themselves, chairs and
similar objects jumping up in the
air, chimney pots falling off and
flying back into position, and type
writer's working of their own accord,
is produced by means of wires which
are either too fine to appear in the
picture, or, if they show, are readily
painted out
Railroad collisions are frequent
enough, one would imagine, to en-
able the moving picture concerns to
obtain genuine pictures of them,
but the thrilling pictures seen OF
the moving picture screen are OBJ
tanned in far less realistic manner
Miniature trains constructed and
tagged with great fidelity to actual
conditions, and which run automati-
cally. are used for the purpose, and
serve very we'll. Sometimes an auto
is made TO collide at a crossing with
a locomotive in a similar manner
The familiar film showing pain |
ter stenciling a ceiling, to which he
appears to be clinging in a most un-
natural manner while an assistant is
holding a pot of paint up to him,
never fails to create wonderment
among the uninitiated, but is easily
made. The pictures are taken in a
make-believe room, the walls OF
which are painted upside down on
a four-sided screen, and the floor OF |
which is painted white to resemble |
the ceiling To a rafter across the |
and holds an empty paint pot to-
ward the floor. upon which the man
posing as the painter kneels The lat
ter holds a stencil to the floor with |
one hand and with the other dips |
brush in the paint pot which the |
suspended man holds toward him. |
After the pictures are taken the film
is run off upside down and gives the
topsy turvy effect desired,
In similar way the film which
shows a man holding himself to the
ceiling by the top of his head ana
the palms of his hands is made, the
man simply standing on his head, TO
make the picture realistic, tables
and chairs are attached to the make
believe room and an elaborate chan
delier is attached to the floor, so
that when the film is reversed the
room will appear to be fully furnish
ed and equipped
I'm two out Of three moving PIC
lures there Is a pursuit in which
men. women and children are MADE
to scamper over hill and dale at phc-
nomenal speed horses and wagons
and automobiles tear pell-mell thru
the streets, knocking over rat police
men in their path, and everything
moves with a hustle and hustle thet
is little short Of amazing 1t is need
| less to say that neither the animals
| nor the inanimate subjects OF the
! pictures ever actually covered space
at the rate indicated When the PIE
lures are taken, the persons pos
| ing for them may move as leisureiy
! "a they please. the effect OF speed
being produced by cutting out num-