LIVING PICTURE PROGRESS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 122, 15 February 1908, Page 13

LIVING PICTURE PROGRESS.

THE CINEMATOGRAPH IN DAILY LIFE Tho cinematograph is about to como into our daily life. It has hitherto been used to amuse us, but in the very near future (says a writer in the ''Daily Mail") it will be pressed into tho.service for our instruction.. Mr. Martin . Duncan, a prominent cinomatographor, for example, stated recently that beforo long it might bo possible to secure animated .pictures showing the changes undergone by tho parasites in malarial fever.

The idea of producing living pictures, suggested by the old zoetrope or wheel of life,is generally accredited . to Edison, though

there is no doubt that Mr. Charles Urban 1 has been the real pioneer in its development. Thei Lumiore brothers, who have so recently become famous by their invention of a prao tical-. method of natural colour photography,

wero tho; first to give an exhibition .of tlia omematogrph in London in 180G I —six, years after Edison's, invention. - Since' then: every,. town, every village, however small, both in this country and ;on tho Continent, •has become acquainted with animated photographs. It is a part of Paris nowadays, the cine-, niatograph entertainment. In a gaily decorated theatre, for one or two francs, it is prssible to obtain a reserved Eeat for ,u performance which -lasts for perhaps three-qiu> ters of an hour or an hour, and a string orchestra accompanies the living pictures wn.li appropriato music. These '-"theatres"' ars imniensely popular all over tho Continent, and draw' a fulj house at- almost-cvery performance/ ; ,*,'•• -' "■ How "Trick" Films are Produced. One cannot help wondering when-witness-ing, say, a t-tiii to tho moon, or a divo into fairyland, the kind of pictures for which the ingenuity of Mr. Urban is [generally respotir siblo liow such • photographs can be • ob- . -tained. . A sudden an abrupt change ,of scene, a performance ' whi'di, one 'would . think absolutely-' impossible .cveii on tho stage—these are subjects which are prosentod to us every, day. l But. for the pro(taction >of such films, which are technically knewtt as'"trick" films, not orly'is a special -theatre required, but a set of actors, highly trained and all experts at their work, is also, employed. A new theatre for the production of cinematograph films is shortly; to bo erected in London, on tho top of a large building, so that as-much light; will be available as possible, and a perfect galaxy: of:; furniture, ~ scenery and equipments'of all kinds'will be necessary to assist the performers to make a life-like representation of imaginary but thrilling and delightful incidents. : It must not bo thought that the pictures which" are shown lis of life on 'a cattle ranch, ,events in distant lands, and so'-forth are mere delusions. Tho wonderful artifice of the cinematograph stage is only resorted to in,the. production of imaginary or fantastical pieces. ' Enormous expenditure is necessary to obtain many of . the animated pictures which give us such instructive, ideas of what goes on in • other lands,-and the men who secure them aroy often of high standing-and considerable abi- . -i lity. •. ■ Birds and Baoteriai at Home. ' v , Marvellous photographs have been taken of ■ . bird life, when tho operator has had to conceal, his apparatus most ingeniously from tho birds, dud animated, pictures havo been' ob-tained-|Ohly after infinito patience and tho employment of noiseless machinery—of the mother bird feeding her young in tho nest; , arid of similar and equally fascinating' subjects, all of which it would be impossible to observe; in ordinary circumstances. Pond'life has been cinomatograplied' by means of special micro-photographio apparatus;, and even t}io movements of ■ bacteria-—tho smallest organisms known to the scientist—recorded. ■ As regards the rapidity with which daily, ■ 'events can -be photographed,', ahdl .shown Svitliin an hour or two to the goneral'publio, .tho following account of the arrrangements ' mado for the Grand National 1907 race .will ! suffice to give some idea of this. ■ Six taking 'machines were'at work on different points of ■' tlic l'aceoourse, and; a •special van was in ' rendinessi for the'films to be dovelopcd whilo ' en route 'for' London.' - The moment the race was over tho trjiin started, and while running full speed homewards the operators wero | hard sit work developing. Indeed, not only wero tho; films- developed, but, t-hpy were' ' washed and dried on ft special mechanical ! drum. On arrival a motor car, in waiting ".- carried-the film, quickly .to- the.printing es-:, ; 1 tablishment whore, 520ft-. -of it was printed ;on to the positivo'film. vAs soon as this waß dried it was rushed off to tho-Alhambra,'Em-j' ;piro, ~'and. Oxford. Theatres and shown to , almost incredulous, audjence.. . - : >-

At a Royal Wedding.' .' : . 'The Royal wedding which took place re ! ■cently at Wood Norton was another occasion . on' which remarkablo celerity was' displayed •by thon energetic cinematographers. _■ The bridegroom and the procpssioiirHi; yiew of ,which will be of. permanent interest owing to tho number of ■ crowned heads which were /present—were -photographed with' -[apparatus which bad beon perfectly adjusted beforehand. Tho moment the, necessary photographs were > secured tho;- films were rushed through at breaknocl>i speed ;and the: wedding ceremony was : showii to Londoners on tho evening of-the samo dnv. i -. Yet another, innovation, has; lately, been introduced— application of cinematography:' to medical science. A display .of tho cliarac--teristic movements of patients suffering from; various forms of paralysis, brain-.diseases,: blood poisoning, etc;, was given before n dis- • tinguished gathering of medical men, in the /1 west 'of England, and later, tin some animated photographs of an actual ',c .operation ' vwere ; shown. The bitter were prepared in France, owing to the prejudice winch exists at present iu 'this country in tho matter. ' It, has been unanimously agreed that the cinematograph .; will.almost immediately be adapted to medical and surgical teaching, as when once a film has been obtained of tho ,eye or limb movements of some' interesting case, a permanent record of' it results, which; will obviously, servo the samo purpose to tho demonstrator as a living -.'example. : . ". Already.' tho educational authorities have tho matter of using tho cinematograph ■in . general' education-, under., consideration, and that' they will utiliso it before very' long in tho teaching of. natural history is not for a moment to bo doubted. ■ ■ . : . ■ >, .