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Show Odd Illusions Make Film Sound Effects By BILL PORTER NEA Bervlea Staff Cerreapeadeiit HOLLYWOOD There's probably prob-ably nothing as Ingenious as the variety of ways makers of movies employ to produce Illusions and sound effects with convincing result! re-sult! on the screen. And there's always some new method popping up- For years uncooked corn flakes have been used as snow. Just recently re-cently a Paramount prop man's wife remarked on the flufflness of the turnips she wss shredding for dinner. Consequently when snow scenes were made for "Untamed," 30 tons of dried, flaked turnips were used because they don't crackle like corn flakes and they reflect light better. For most fog scenes the prop men use small bellows called gaspers gas-pers with a piece of Incense Inside. In-side. These will gasp out aa 'acceptable 'ac-ceptable fog; In a short time. . In the movies, also, the real noise Is usually the wrong Boise. If they want to record thunder they can't use read thunder because of the outside interference. Most popular substitutes for thunder are buckshot rattled around in an Inflated In-flated football bladder and a pistol shot - . - '-Odd)y enough, tin pistol shot It most generally used. The effect ef-fect is gained by firing a shot about a foot from the microphone then, while playing It back, the sound track Is slowed and the shot sounds like a long, low rumble. It distorts dis-torts the sound like a phonograph running down. The sound of a bobsled or skis speeding down a hill Is actually a miniature set of streetcar wheels running on a circular trade. Best way to get the sound of motorcycle Is by rannlng an electric elec-tric razor, and that is the main reason you never see an electric raaor In pictures. The sound of a fir burning Is made by crumpling crum-pling a piece of cellophane. Actors Ac-tors can't walk on gravel because the noise drowns out dialogue. Consequently all gravel In the movies Is ground cork. An extra in a sea picture unwittingly un-wittingly discovered a sound for the creaking of a sailing vessel. The extra was wearing a prop leg which he had trouble standing up on, so he stuck the peg in a knot hole In the deck to help him keep his balance. The resultant creaking creak-ing was Just what the sound department de-partment wanted. |