Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-04-24
TRICKS IN MOTION PICTURES
Some of the Magic of the "Movies"
That Battles Audiences and, How It

Some of the Magic of the "Movies"
That Battles Audiences and, How 1t
Is Done.
The secret Of most "parlor magic" is
rapid motion. That is why the trick
phonograph" although not unknown
before the days Of the movies" has
been fiourishing like a green fig-tree
since the motion Of the image on the
screen gave it additional opportunities
to get in it's amusing work. We see
daily in the moving picture shows doz-
ems Of things that we know did not
happen, and could not happen; but
how they came to be so realistically
portrayed passes the knowledge of
most Of US all. A writer warns us that
other secrets still are so carefully
guarded that none may know them, so
that no reader need fear that all illu-
sion will be stripped from the picture
| play by the explanations.
In general way there are three
methods of obtaining illusions b.
means of the camera; first, by periodi-
| cally starting and stopping the camera
| in such a way that certain acts are
performed by the players Of the OBJ
jects being filmed, during the time that
the camera is stopped; secondly, by
reversing the routine on certain por-
| tions of the film in relation to the re-
manning portions of the same film;
and thirdly, by making two or more
superimposed impressions on a single
film.
To be sure, every film manufacturer
has his own peculiar methods Of taking
trick pictures, and almost every direc-
tor in the employ Of every manufactur-
er, but practically all Of them depend
primarily upon one Of the three meth
oGs mentioned above, or upon the use
Of faxed scenery and dummy figures.
Films in which toy animals, tiny
jointed dolls, or animated cartoons are
shown furnish the best examples Of
the first class Of trick work mentioned,
for in these views stop" pictures are
used almost exclusively. Tools are
made to perform their functions ap-
parently without human aid, and the
toy animals go through regular cir
Gus performance the position Of what
ever tool or animal is used being chang
&c fraction Of an inch while the shut
ter Of the camera Is closed, 80 that in
the succeeding picture it is clearly OBJ
served to have moved. Combining 4
whole series Of such views one obtains
action of a most surprising sort.
A film called THE Magic Coffee
Pot" popular some years ago, is an ex-
cellent example Of the method used.
Cords or strings Of indefinite fineness
were attached to the coffee pot and
the man shown in the illustration with
elaborate carefulness moved the pot a
fraction of an inch at time, picture
being taken between each minute move
ment Of the strings. In the finished
picture the magic coffee pot appeared
to raise itself slowly from an upright
position on the table and tip itself over
the coffee cup, when a stream OF coffee
ran from it's mouth into the cup. Once
the cup was filled the pot slowly right
nal position. Lumps Of sugar then
chased themselves across the table,
climbed up the side Of the coffee cup
and tumbled in. The sugar was oper-
ated in a similar manner and each mi
mute movement was filmed. one picture
at a time.
The method by which dummies are
substituted for real players in some
hair-raising scenes is practically the
same. The players carry out the action
for by the scenario until the climax is
reached, when the director calls hold
it," and all the players stand rigidly in
position, without moving a muscle
Then a dummy, constructed to resem
BILE exactly some leading player is sub
stituted for the living man, and when
the camera is again started the audi
ence is fooled into thinking that it is
still looking at the living player. The
dummy is then thrown over the cliff
drops from a lofty height, or is run
over by an automobile, and the instant
the apparently impossible feat is ac-
compliShed the director again calls
Hold it," and the real player again
takes his place in the picture, arrang-
ing his body to correspond exactly
with the position of the dummy. The
camera is then started again and the
| action proceeds as usual, though prob
ably three out Of every four persons ir
the audience are astonished at the
death-defying deeds Of the photo play
er.
1t must not be imagined that players
never take their lives in their hands
supposed to accomplish in the pictures
for almost every day one reads Of some
player being really hurt while attempt.
ing some unusually hazardous piece OF
sees an apparently impossible action or
the screen it is pretty safe to assume
that you have been fooled by a dunn
my, for so cleverly are these dummies
constructed, and so quick is the sub
stitution, that even the man who looks
at pictures several hours each day Is
| often deceived into thinking that
| real player has risked his life to make
a sensation.
The second type of picture mention
| ed-that in which the usual routine Of
| things is reversed-is best illustrated
by the films in which smoke float:
down chimney. divers come flying ou
| of the surf and land on dock, running
| backward out of the picture, OF object:
| leap from the floor onto a table. Thl:
type Of picture is usually made by eth
er reversing crank on the camera be
| ing used, or by turning the camera up
side down, though in some studios l
is accomplished by a special printing
machine, which feeds the negative filn
in a direction opposite to that OF th'
positive during the process of printing
so that the relation of one portion o
the film is reversed in regard to th'
rrecpdeS ii.