Don’t know if I’ve mentioned this here before, but I’ve been making a study of silent comedy filmmaking and how undercranking was utilized. I’ve discovered the comedians not only knew the film they shot would be shown faster, but they used this to their advantage, making many of their gags dependent on the increased speed as part of the humor.
Here is my latest study in the illusion of split-second timing, a sequence from Keaton’s Sherlock Jr.:
http://www.youtube.com/p/535262C82354607C
There are four other clips on YouTube, and you can bookmark the playlist for these by going here.
Ben
Ben,This demonstration of undercranking in silent comedies is fascinating! Thank you for posting this. It is an excellent visualization of what Walter Kerr wrote of in THE SILENT CLOWNS in the chapter “Fantasy Intensified: Music And The Dancing Image”.Great job.Somewhere, I suspect Mr. Kerr is smiling…
In the studio jargon of my day, it was called “fast mo” (fast motion).