Evening star., 1948-09-26

The history of motion-picture
photography has all of the elements
of a Hollywood thriller. Everything
from homicide to the multimillion-
dollar lawsuits OF the last generation
have played important roles In the
story that has made possible the
home movie equipment that we use
so casually today.
Strangely enough, the first prac-
tical attempt at motion-picture pho
tograpny came about as the result
of q wager. Earlier attempts had
been made to reproduce motion
through the medium of pictures, but
these pictures were the result of the
skill of painters. The first notion
picture machine was invented in
1832-seven years before the discov-
cry of photography. This simple
device was no more than two clrcu-
lar pieces of cardboard both revolv-
ing on the same axis. One disc had
a series OF hand-drawn pictures de-
noting various phases OF the move
ment of an object. The other disc
was slotted so that when the two
were revolved the illusion of con-
tinuous motion was obtained as the
individual pictures flashed past the
Sits of the second disc. This disc
was called the phenakistoscope.
Later, in 1860, another motion-pic-
ture machine came into being the
wheel of life. This was another
simple device which was no more
than a slitted cylinder whose inner
surface held the pictures. This CYL
inder was rotated on stand and
the effect was much the same as tr
the earlier invention.
Paddle Wheel Pictures.
A year later, photographs were
used for the first time in connection
with motion pictures. Coleman Sell
lers, a Philadelphian, took a series
OF wet-plate photographs OF subjects
going through series of motions
posing each individual shot. Prints
from these photo negatives were
then mounted on paddle wheel ar
rangement which he called the
kinematoscope. The impression of
motion was obtained by turning the
paddle wheel. Still another machine
was evolved embracing the idea OF
projection. Called the phasmatrope,
this invention OF Henry HeyI OF Co.
lumbus, Ohio, actually projected
positive pictures on a screen. This
was accomplished by radially mount
ing a series of glass positive pictures
on wheel. The wheel carried the
pictures intermittently through the
rays OF magic lantern. A series of
successive poses by two dancers were
taken with a camera and each pic
ture was printed three times. AS the
pictures passed through the light
beam the figures on the screen ap-
peared to go through the several
steps Of the dance. OF course these
same steps were repeated over and
over again as the wheel revolved and
the idea was not practical for long
scenes.
The biggest step forward came in
1872 when the then Governor of
California, Leland Stanford, backed
his opinion that, at various gaits,
a horse moving at full speed took
all four feet off the ground at the
same time with bet of $25,000
Gov. Stanford was so determined
to win this bet that he turned to
Eadweard Muybridge, photog-
rapher, to prove the point through
pictures at any cost. This started
Muybridge off on career that was
to make him famous as the father
Of motion picture photography"
Plate Was Too Slow.
Maybridge started off by using
wet-plate camera of that period.
A horse would be driven by the
camera and Muybridge would snap
away; but the result was always
the samoa blur on the plate. This
was due to the extreme slowness
of the negative material of those
days
At this point, as they used to say
in the old-time melodramas, fate
stepped in and took hand in mat
ters. Muybridge learned through
various sources that his wife had
been a trif1e more than friendly
with a certain Army officer of her
acquaintance. Flying into an un-
iderstandable rage, Muybridge shot
and killed his rival. After a long
trial featuring defense based upon
the "unWritten law" and a plea OF
temporary insanity, Muybridge then
disappeared from his usual haunts
for several years.
When he did return he discov-
cred that Gov. Stanford was just
as anxious as ever to win his bet
During the four or five-year inter-
val of MuNhridpeS absence the