US1307846A - Method of - Google Patents

Description

L. s. BRAINERD. METHOD OF PRODUCING MOVING PICTURES.

y APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9.19l5.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

' Patented June 24, 1919.

L. S. BRAINERD. METHOD OF PRODUCING MOVING PICTURES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNEQ. I915.

PatenfedJune 24, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

To all whom it may concern:

UNITED STATES m onmon.

Luna s. BRAINERD, or MERIDEN, coNNEo'rIcU'r.

METHOD OEPRODUCING MOVING- PICTURES Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 24,1919.

- Application filed J'une S, i915. Serial No. 38,102.

Beit known that I, Luna S. BRAINERD, a citizen of the United States of America, and residing at Meriden, in the countyof New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Methods of Producing Moving Pictures, of

' which the following is a specification.

This invention relates, broadly speaking, to the construction and production of a moving picture display, which involves andGmbraces the coordination and correlation of pictures, of cartoons, andliving characters,

wherebya series ofpicturesban be rapidly and successively displayed upon ascreen at the back of a stage, or-platform, and at the same time living moving picture actors appear on said stage and'the activities of the picture and the moving picture actors are made to coordinate to produce a dramatic result, the camera in the meantime taking a a series of moving pictures of said combined display; from the negativefilm so produced a positive i's'made which is employed in the manner well known in the art.

In carrying this invention into effect I employ a series'of pictures which have been drawn in such a manner as to indicate and provide an apparent action, simulatinghuman action; being" pictures, however, they can be made grotesque, and their positions and movements can be exaggerated; correlating and interwoven with these'I introduce living moving picture actors and of the joint display I take a single continuous moving picture film.

is a perspective View of all the parts. a Fig.-

8 is a view of the resultant negative film.

In thesedrawings 1 represents a stage or platform and 2 the screen or other suitable receiving surface at the back thereof. This screen is suitable for projecting pictures upon from which the camera may take photographsfor the. negative film of the moving picture scenario; it is so arranged as to form a background for the stage or platform and in sucha position as that pictures produced therefrom will show the same per- I spective as those taken from the living mod- In order) to explain my invention in greater detail, I will proceed to describe it in connection with the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification.

In these drawings Figure 1 is'a perspective view of the apparatus employed by me and this includes, a stage or platform, a back ing surface and instrum'entalities for projecting and taking pictures. Fig. 2 is a detail diagrammatic view in vertical section of the picture projection member. Fig. 3 is a detail diagrammatic .view of the camera and its associated parts. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the picture or cartoons, arranged in sequence and mounted upon their carrier-v Fig. 5'is a detail view of a clutch in its connected position. Fig. 6 1s a similar v1ew showing the disconnected position. Fig. 7

.shown at 10. This lever is swung in sliding block 11 and is pivoted at 12 to the arm 13 the latter turning oncenter 14; these are rangements-are along the lines of the customary commercial apparatus. y In Fig. 2 is shown a complementary arrangement for feeding and supplying the cartoons ,or pictures. At 15 is an unwinding, and at 16 is a. winding-up apparatus; at 17 is a carrier on which are mounted the cartoons or pictures 18, see Fig. 4; thls carrier' passes from the unwinding apparatus 15 to the winding up apparatus 16, through the gate 19. As the picture passes thev gate 19 the light from the lamp 20 passes through lenses 21, from thence through the translucent cartoon 18, thence'through condenser 22 ground formed by a screen or picture receivand is displayedon the screen 52, see Fig. I. From this point and place the cartoons so displayed upon the screen are photographed by the camera 3 and the successive pictures are produced on the negative film 6.

Synchronismc is secured between the operation of the camera and the cartooapmjece ingapparatus; the latter is shown in its entirety at 2?) in Fig: 1.

The main center or with a handle 2%. At its other end it has a clutch member 25; dis-latter is adapted to interlock with member 26 on the shaft 27; the clutch is operated-by a. handle 28 pivoted at29; a pin 30 working in a slot 31 is shaft 14 is provided ter 38 in sliding block 39. As the lever 37 moves up and down with the sliding block the uppe end of the lever will enter the perforations of the carrier 17 by reason of its back and forth movement and in its descent will draw the carrier down and present another cartoon to be projected.

As will be seen the camera apparatus and the projecting apparatus work in unison when connected up. lVhen the cartoon carrier is unwound from the drum 15 and, wound up on the drum 16 the instrumentalities hereinbefore described will cause the cartoons to successively pass through the gate 19 and the camera acting in synchronism therewith will take the cessively upon the negative film 6.

In carrying out this phaseof my invention synchronism is effected by means of the teeth 43 and 44 on the clutch members 25 and 26; when the clutch is "thrown into closed position and these two teeth come together the film and picture carrier are paralleled and the proper coordination re sults.

I will here take up tion of my invention:

Referring to Fig. 7 the living character a is seated at a sewing machine or work table left center of stage; a second living character 5 enters, right center carrying a figure or movable c," the movable 0 is about to be deposited center stage and in front of a the method of operawhen the latter signals 6 to place it in corner right upper center; in doing so 6 places arm partly around waist of movable in carrying out directions of a, when the latter dozes oif at which point I) exits and the figures shown at (Z are projected upon the screen 2 by the lantern 23 these latter figures proceed from a series of cartoons or pictures moving past the projector light through the agency of the carrier 17 the clutch now being placed in operative position as shown on Fig. 5; the light from the projector proceeds along lines 41 and the reflected rays to the camera 3 are received along lines 42; in this way the living moving picture actors and the enacted and correlating scene on the screen 2 are photographed upon the negative film 6 at the same timeand as a single picture.

At the proper moment the living moving picture actor e enters on the stage 1 when pictures sucthis character speaks the actor a awakens and as she does so the picture characters d fade away; the mounted and traveling pictures are shown in Fig. 4:; inFig. 8 I show the resultant negative film; in the first series of pictures is shown the image a, b, c; as 6 goes off leaving a and 0 the characters d 03 enter on the screen; as the characterc comes on the characters (Z d disappear.

But it must be understood also that I do and may employ the pictures on the screen, namely the characters (Z (Z to serve as a by play or explanatory play, or as a cooperatin active part of the same scene.

aving thus described my invention the following is what I claim as new and useful therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:-

1. The process of producing a film for moving pictures that consists in arranging a stage in front of a screen, placing a projecting apparatus and camera, introducing objects onto said stage in front of the screen while the camera is in operation, and, without stopping the operation of the camera, changing the condition of the projecting appara-tus.

2. The process of producing a film for moving pictures that consists in arranging a stage in front of a screen, placing a projecting apparatus and camera, with an operative connection between the two, simultaneously projecting pictures on to said screen and introducing objects on said stage, simultaneously therewith photographing said-pics tures and objects in sets, and, without changing the operation of the camera, operating the connection between the camera and projecting apparatus to control the movement of the latter.

8. The process of producing a film for moving pictures. that consists in arranging a stage in front of a screen, placing a projecting apparatus and a camera to reflect raysacross the stage to the same points on the screen, projecting :i series of moving pictures from the projecting apparatus directly onto the screen, placing living actors upon the stage in front of the screen, taking a series of pictures embodying pictures from the screen and of the living actors, and, without interrupting the operation of the camera, changing the condition of the projecting apparatus.

April, 1915.

LURA S. BRAINERD. Witnessesi HERBERT KNIGHT, C. L. MCLEAN.

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