PICTURE NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 175, 11 December 1912, Page 6

PICTURE NEWS.

The Paris police areat present considerii'iga mosd unique -and novel scheme a* a means of detection;' idea is'tp •, set up, at various)' points of 'the -dtj;, moving pktyre cameras, that they may j record liappenings in public thoroughfares. . -fpijtey. aje of that the ', camera'will detect crimes that'at present '; go unpunished, and also that the fear ■ of the camera will discourage crime 1 . There, could be no doubt; left in the minds of the judge or jury, and any attempt pn the part <?f counsel to break down evidence revealed by the witnesscamera would be. without avail, as everything' it 'stated fc'ould bb no other than 1 . the , unvarnished truth. i .Prof. Mujistei'berg, 'of Hai-yard," fit rer sponsible for' what is known as the "cinematograph nerve test," which; he surmises, will reduce motor (far accidents to a minimum. The cinematograph is again to be .brought to thij fore, this time hs a saver of life and lynb, The' professor's tlibory. is that. n<) young man ougflit to tefeome a if his tests indicate that lie would not quick ij enough to stop his car if. a child'rain"out in the roadway in fron't of the wheels. J In this' test the chauffeur ip placed in a motor car in"a; hla.ll'equipped for'tlid purpose, which is darkened. Tie is seated at the wheel of the machine, which''is jacked up tlutt 'all t'h'6 "machinery is movable, while the car remains station-" ary. Although: he knqws that.the car is not actually running, the fact that hj( is under a test puts the student on edge, and makes him behave approximately as he ■ would under- ordinary ■ circumstances. Immediately before his eyes i« & white wall, on which moving pictures uro shown. 1 ■ The Student is then told to act as lie, would in real life; did any of the'things happen., that ap- , pear on the screen. , . With startling realism, a child is seen tottering across the road in front of the car. The shaliffeur is, of course, expected to handle his car without an. instant's, loss of time,! just as lie would have to, do .if the emev-, gency really arose., This is the most important test to . which the. student? are subjected by this system.. It is suggested that all, scholastic establishments, public and private, should, teach history by means of moving pictures. Think how ,pleasant pchool life would be for the pupil, and how much more durable the effect, or the lesson - the substitution of the r living image for the di'y-as-dust lettei'rprint! ; Such episodes as the death,of Riifus.in the New Forest, the landing of William,the Con-, queror, and even the Fire of London could be easily reproduced by the cinematograph, and who will deny that this new mode of tuition' would supplement most effectively the older method? , Arrangements have been completed and contracts signed, whereby Max Lilie, anj American aviator, will take,, an active part in a special and original picture play now in course of construction. 'Mr. Lilie, accompanied by Miss Kathlyn Williams, the popular Selig artist, will attempt one of the most daring feats, ever essayed by an aviator for the benefit of the camera. Several specially arranged flights both in hydroplanes and biplanes will also be given. ' According to the governor 1 of the gaol in Newcastle, England, the number of picture halls in its vicinity is responsible to a great extent for the decrease of crime.

'Sixteen to the second is the standard rate at which the pictures succeed one another on the screen. Of a subject occupying ten minutes in presentation, no fewer than 9600 separate pictures are projected. It is difficult to fully realise the mechanical operation involved. A picture is thrown upon the screen, it cornea completely to a standstill (for *, fraction of a second), a shutter descends, making the substitution of a fresh picture. Sixteen times a second, 960 times a minute, the process is repealed, with never a suspicion of jerkiness, presentday audiences would be intolerant of the of bygone days, distressing to the eye and productive of a variety of "academy headache."