How Movie Effects Were Done in the Silent Film Era
Reddit user Auir2blaze recently put together an awesome compilation of movie effects from the Silent Film era, along with a brief explanation on how each effect was achieved. You can see the entire album on Imgur.
If you enjoyed this compilation be sure to check out SilentMovieGifs on Reddit and/or Twitter!
[via Auir2blaze on reddit]
1. Harold Lloyd hanging off a clock in Safety Last! (1923)
When Safety Last! was made, it wasn’t feasible to insert a fake background using rear projection or a green screen, so they used a trick of perspective. The set was built at the right height for Lloyd’s climb, but on the roof of a building across the street. As Lloyd climbed higher, the set was moved to taller buildings. [source]
2. Douglas Fairbanks slides down sail in The Black Pirate (1926)
The method for achieving this much copied shot was figured out by Fairbanks’s brother Robert, an engineer. The camera and the sail were both placed at an angle. Fairbanks’s knife was connected to a hidden pulley and counterweight. Airplane propellers were used to make the sails billow. [source]
3. Colleen Moore’s eye trick in Ella Cinders (1926)
The two halves of her face were filmed separately, using a matte shot. Basically, a piece of glass with half the frame painted black was placed in front of the camera, so only one side the film was exposed. The film was then wound back, the glass was switched for one with black on the other side. The key was to avoid having either the camera or the Moore’s face shift in position while shooting, or the effect would be ruined. [source]
4. Charlie Chaplin roller-skating in a department store
in Modern Times (1936)
A good example of the classic movie making technique of glass matte painting. Part of the background was painted on a piece of glass, which was placed in front of the camera. [source]
