Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 90.djvu/131

 to Produce a Thrilling Celluloid Melodrama

���The aeroplane propeller (at the right) produces a hurricane, which drives the "rain" supplied by buckets of water from above) against the foliage. Thus is a terrible motion-picture storm produced

��Making Storms to Order for Motion-Pictures

NO, the poor little rich motion-picture stars do not have to wait months until a hurricane comes their way before they can appear in one of those thrilling celluloid thunder-storms. All they have to do is to don their waterproofs and then step on the stage where the director has a ready-made storm waiting for them. The accompany- ing illustration reveals the secret.

The camera-man stands ready to take the scene. At the right is an aeroplane propeller. It produces a little hurricane. The stage-hand in the foreground is at the switch, ready to start the propeller at a signal from the director. On a scaffold over the propeller and to the right of the trough which leads to the "set."
 * 'set" are two men pouring water on a

Behind the screen at the left is an apparatus to produce flashes of "lightning." Here also is a man holding a string attached to the vase supported upon the pedestal in the "set." At the signal, the propeller revolves, driving the rain against the foliage; the flashlight is touched off, and the man pulls the string attached to the vase, causing it to crash to the floor, just as if a bolt of lightning had struck it.

��Avoiding Eye- Strain in Watching Motion -Pictures

MANY persojis cannot attend motion- pictures because of the annoying after-effects on the eyes. Some suffer from eye-strain and others are subject to severe headaches. The relief, in most cases, con- sists in perfectly fitted glasses. The picture may not be quite so sharp, but this is more than compensated for by the increased comfort. For persons with ver\- sensitive eyes, a colored glass, either amber, yellow- ish green or amethyst, may afford immediate relief. Several varieties of colored glass have been put on the market recently, and there are so many shades available that some suitable color can be secured. A sub- dued light in the theater has a much less irritating effect than a dark theater where the only light is reflected from the screen. It is also advisable for those who are liable to suffer after viewing the pictures to avoid sitting in a place where it is necessary to look upward, as the additional strain be- comes very tiresome, and frequently leaves a severe headache. In the majority of cases, however, if glasses are correctly fitted to a person, he or she stands a good chance of enjoying motion-pictures without any attendant ill results.

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