US1482831A - Fornia - Google Patents

Description

' Feb. 5 1924. i 1,482,831 w; ACKERMAN METHOD OF PRODUCING STAGE EFFECTS Filed June is, 192; 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 W: a."- W

Feb. 5 1924.

1,482,831 w. L.'ACKERMAN METHOD OF PRODUCING STAGE EFFECTS vmm: June 13, 1921 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1/294 i t g =n= a? as wr f Patented Feb. 5, 1924.

UNITED STATES HALTER L. ACKEE-IJIAN, OF HOLLYWOOD,

1,482,831 PATENT OFFICE.

CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO YALE CORPORATION, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALI- FORNIA.

METHOD OF PEODUCING STAGE EFFECTS.

Application filed June 13, 1921. Serial No. 477,132.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, WALTER L. Aormn- MAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Hollywood, Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angelies and State of. Cali fornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Producing Stage Effects, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to methods of pro" clucing stage effects, and more especially to the production of an illusory effect.

An object of the invention is to provide two dilferent appearances with the same object or objects, according as said object or objects are illuminated from the front or the background therefor is illuminated from a position between the object 'and the baclc ground. 7 i

Another object is to so illuminate an object or objects, while making motion pictures thereof, that the object or objects will be seen in silhouette at one time and in full illumination at another time and the change from silhouette to full illumination gradually efiected so as to give the appearance to the spectator of a gradual transition of a certain object or objects into an entirely different object. I

The accompanying drawings illustrate an apparatus by which the method may be performed. 7

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a set as it appears illuminated only from the rear so as to silhouette the upper outline of the various objects upon the illuminated back ground.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the set as it appears when illuminated only from the front.

Figure3 is a broken sectional elevation on the line indicated by w w Figure 2.

Figure 1 is a plan view of Figure 2, with the stage walls in section.

Figures 5. and 6 are sectional elevations of two dilterent objects, respectively, in'Figures 1 to 4, inclusive.

In the instance shown'in the drawings, a stage is represented at land the interior of the stage is provided with a set comprising various objects: for example, a piano 2, an ottoman 3,a"table 4, an ash tray 5 on the table, a piano lamp 6, chairs 7, 8, a settle 9 and a bookcase 10. It is understood that the objects just enumerated may be real or imitation, and also that the entire set may be nothing more than apicture, the upper outline of which corresponds to the outline It is 'understoodthat one or more objects may be used, depending upon the results to be produced. The objects .shown, in this instance, are inanimate, but

it is understood that one or more of them may be animate, for example, a livingperson or persons. 7

It is essential, where actual objects, such, for example, as chairs and tables, are employed, that a certain part or parts thereof be blanked out as indicated at 11 for the table 4, at 12 for the chair 8 and at 13 for the settle 9, so as to prevent light from passing from the rear beneath the table top and beneath the seats of the chair 8 and settle 9.

The stage 1 is provided with a rear wall or background 14 which extends above the level of the objects in the set so that portionsof the outline of said objects can be seen against the background 14:. Between the various objects and the background 14 are arranged sources of'light 15 which may be electric lamps, as shown, and the lamps are regulated by means well known in the art of stage lighting for gradually increasing and decreasing the intensity of the illumination of the background. In front of the various objects, at the foreground of the stage, are arranged sources of light 16 which are also electric lamps controlled so that the illumination from the front may be gradually increased or decreased in intensity. In thestage 1 is indicated a motion picture camera 17.

The method is performed withthe above described apparatus as follows: Full illumination of the'background from the rear of the set is effected by the light sources 15 so as to produce the silhouette effect shown in Figure l of the drawings. In this silhouette can be seen the upper portion of the outline of the chair 12, settle 13, table 4:, ash tray 5, smoke 18 arising from the ash tray, bookcase 10,books 19 on the bookcase, and the lamp 6. These partial outlines as thus seen in silhouette against the back ground 14-, in this particular instance, merge and give the appearance of a portion of the skyline of a city, the ash tray 5 giving the appearance of a chimney and the smoke 18 smoke discharging from the chimney. In this instance, the settle 9 is provided with openings 20 which in the silhouette effect of Figure 1 appear as illuminated windows. T he bookcase 10, in this instance, is provided with vertical slots 21 which are adapted to register on the motion picture with the fringe 22 of the lamp to give the appearance of windows in the silhouette. The light from the sources passes through the open ings and also through the slots 21.

The illumination of the back round being elfectedas above described, *ith the lights 16 preferably extinguished, the camera 17 will be operated in the usual. manner to produce a series of exposures on the motion picture film so as to'produce a series of negatives showing the silhouette as in Figure 1. lVhile the camera is being operated, the illumination of the background will be diminished in intensity and illuminationwill be effected in front of the objects b the light sources 16. These sources 16 will preferably be operated to gradually increase the intensity of the illumination at the same time that the intensity of the background illumination is being diminished, so that the silhouette effect gradually disappears and the actual objects or their representations or images come more clearly into view under the strengthening illumination from the front. After the illumination from the front has reached a greater degree of intensity than that of the background, the details of the objects will be registered clearly enough on the negative film to produce, when the picture is subsequently projected on the theater screen, the appearance of said objects as seen in Figure 2. The different appearances of the set during the time of gradual transition of the illumina tion from the rear of the objects to the front thereof are not illustrated in the drawings, but only the appearances as at full rear illumination and full front illuinination.

The frames thus produced by operation of the camera can be used with good effect for the opening [)Oi'lilOli, o f a motion picture, act, or scene, either with or withi'nit a title or sub-title, and it is clear that by reversing the operation hereinbefore described so as to gradually decrease the front illumination and gradually increase the background illumination, while operating the camera, an act or. scene may be ended by reversal of the appearance of the set. That is to say, the details of the objects as seen in Figure 2 willbe caused to gradually disappear and only portions of the outline thereof remain to form the silhouette shown in Figure 1.

The set hereinbefore described is merely typical of the various efiects that may be produced by this new method, and it will be understood that the description of the method in conjunction with the particular set illustrated is only for the purpose of making clear how the various steps of the method are performed.

As an example of animate objects which may be employed to good advantage in performing the method, a camel may be selected, the background being illuminated and the camel being unilluminated for time so that the hump of the camel will appear in silhouette as a distant mountain; When the illumination from the front overbalances the rear illumination, the camel will no longer appear as a mountain but in its true character.

It will be clear from the foregoing that in this method an object is illuminated from a position in front thereof, and the background for said object from a position between the object and the background, and that there is effected a gradual change in the point of illumination of the object by gradually increasing the intensity of one illumination and decreasing the intensity of the other illumination while the camera is being operated to make a series of exposures, whereby there is produced a series of frames which, when projected on the exhibiting screen, will give the illusory effect of the transition of a silhouette of a familiar object or objects into other familiar objects of an entirely different character or, vice versa, the transition of familiar objects into a silhouette of a different familiar object or objects.

It is to be understood that, in this specification, the term object defines either an object or its image, that is to say, the actuality, a mere imitation or a photograph or other picture of the actual object or imitation.

It is readily seen that the invention is also useful on the legitimate stage, so-called, and that when so used the audience will view the set itself and not motion pictures there; of, in whiclrevent the operation of making exposures on a film will be dispensed with.

,I claim:

1. In the method of making motion pictures, the combination of steps consisting in illuminating an object from the rear with gradually decreasing intensity, at the same time illuminating the object from the front with gradually increasing intensity, and making a series of exposures of the object while the change in illumination is being effected.

2. In the method of making motion pictures, the combination of steps consisting in illuminating an object from a position infront thereof and a background from a position between the object and the background, and gradually increasing the intensity of one illumination and decreasing the intensity of the other illumination.

3. In the method of producing stage effects, the combination of steps consisting in illuminating mainly from the rear an ob ject whose silhouette corresponds to that of another object of an entirely different appearance when illuminated from the front, illuminating said first object from'the front with gradually increasing intensity to disclose its true character, and making a series of motion picture negative exposures of the object while the change in illumination is being effected.

' 4. In the method of producing stage effects, the combination of steps consisting in illuminating mainly from the rear a three dimensional object whose silhouette corresponds to that of another three dimensional object of an entirely different appearance fects, the combination of steps consisting in illuminating mainly from the rear an 010- ject whose silhouette corresponds to that of another object of an entirel difi'erent appearance when illuminated rom the front, and illuminating said first object from the front with gradually increasing intensity to disclose its true character.

Signed at Los Angeles, California, this 28th day of May, 1921.

WALTER L. AOKERM AN'. Witnesses: r

GEORGE H. HILEs, L. BELLE WEAVER.

Images