The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1914-04-16

known before the days Of the
movies" has been fiourishing like
green bay tree since the motion of
the image on the screen gave 1t ad-
ditional opportunities to get in its
amusing work, says the Popular Elec-
tricity. We see daily in the moving
picture shows dozens 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. 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 illusion will be stripped
from the picture play by the explana-
tions.
In general way there are three
methods of obtaining illusions by
means of the camera; first, by period
ically starting and stopping the cam
era in such a way that certain acts
are performed by the players of the
objects being filmed, during the time
that the camera is stopped; secondly,
by reversing the routine on certain
portions of the film in relation to the
Remaining portions of the same film;
and thirdly. by making two or more
superimposed impressions on a sim
gle film.
To be sure, every film manufacture
er has his own peculiar methods OF
taking trick pictures, and almost
every director in the employ of every
manufacturer, but practically all of
them depend primarily upon one of
the three methods mentioned above,
or upon the use of faxed scenery and
dummy figures.
Films in which toy animals, tiny
iointed dolls, or animated cartoons
are shown furnish the best examples
of the first class of trick work men
toned, for in these views stop" pic
lures are used almost exclusively.
Tools are made to perform their func-
tions apparently without human aid,
and the toy animals go through re-
gular circus performance, the posi-
ton of whatever tool or animal is
used being changed a fraction Of an
inch while the shutter of the camera
is closed so that in the succeeding
picture it is clearly observed to have
moved. Combining whole series
of such views one obtains action Of
most surprising sort.
A film called The Magic Coffee
Pot" popular some years ago, is an
excellent example of the method U.s.
ed. Cords or strings of infinite fine
ness were attached to the coffee pot,
and the man shown in the illustra-
ton with elaborate carefulness NOV
ed the pot a fraction Of an inch at
"a time, picture being taken between
each minute movement of the string.
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 cof
Zee cup. when stream of coffee ran
from it's mouth into the cup. Once
the cup was filed the pot slowly
righted itself and sank back into its
original position. Lumps of sugar
then chased themselves across the
table, climbed up the side of the
coffee cup and tumbled in. The
sugar was operated in similar man
ner and each minute movement was
filmed, one picture at 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 &C
ton called for by the scenario until
the climax is reached, when the
director calls Hold it," and all the
players stand rigidly in position with
OUT uOfluS d ASu q
my, constructed to resemble exactly
some leading player. is substituted
for the living man, and when the
camera is again started the audience
is fooled into thinking that it is still
looking at the living player. The
dummy is then thrown over the cliff,
drops from lofty height, or is run
over by an automobile, and the in
slant the apparently impossible feat
is accomplished the director again
calls Hold it," and the real player
again takes his place in the picture,
arranging his body to correspond ex-
actly with the position of the dummy
The camera is then started again and
the action proceeds as usual, though
probably three out of every four per-
sons in the audience are astonished
at the death-defying deeds of the
photo player.
1t must not be imagined that play