Phantom ride
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Phantom rides or panoramas were an early genre of film popular in Britain and the US at the end of the 19th century. Pre-dating true narrative, the films simply show the progress of a vehicle moving forwards, usually shot by strapping a cameraman to the front. The term phantom ride was applied because the position of the camera meant that only the track and scenery could be seen and the movement appeared to be coming from an invisible force. Though many early films showed local tracks the demand for new footage led to more exotic locations being filmed. This brought a new dimension to the genre, showing foreign lands to those who would otherwise never see them. The genre is also significant, despite its short-lived popularity, due to the role it played in the development of the tracking shot, longer films and film editing,[1][2] as well as its re-emergence in 4D film and simulation.
History
Most films before phantom rides used static cameras with all the action happening within the scene. This new style of film-making popularised the idea of motion created by the movement of the camera.
Screenings of The Haverstraw Tunnel (1897) in London in October of that year proved to be an instant success with a reviewer in The Era writing that, "A more exciting and sensational piece of realism has never been presented to an audience." Starting the following year, Mutoscope's British subsidiary filmed and released their own phantom rides, including Conway Castle - Panoramic View of Conway on the L. & N.W. Railway (1898) and Through Chee Tor Tunnel in Derbyshire - Midland Railway, as did rival companies such as the Warwick Trading Company.[1]
The phantom ride genre contributed to the emergence of longer film as distributors grouped their films together to form single journeys, such as the Warwick Trading Company's View from an Engine Front - Through Morthoe (1898) and View from an Engine Front - Ilfracombe Incline (1898) which were made available together as a single continuous length of film. Concurrent technological developments resulted in the Warwick Trading Company's 12-minute epic Dalmeny to Dunfermline, Scotland, via the Firth of Forth Bridge (1899), billed as "the longest, most picturesque and interesting Cinematograph film ever produced."[1]
The concept of phantom rides was to dramatically change with the opening of
The rapid development of film-making techniques meant that the audience quickly moved onto other things and by 1910 they no longer accepted these single-shot visuals. Narrative in film progressed and phantom rides were demoted to being one scene out of several in more story-driven movies.[2]
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0415252843
- ^ a b c Hayes, Christian. Phantom Rides, BFI Screen Online. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
- ^ Brooke, Michael. "The Kiss in the Tunnel". BFI Screenonline Database. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
- ^ Fisher, David. "The Kiss in the Tunnel". Brightonfilm.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2011.