Dissolves created transitions between scenes by superimposing matching projections and carefully dimming one slide while brightening the other.
Other common dissolving effects included transforming black-and-white images into dazzling colour and conjuring heavenly or devilish figures into scenes to bewitch and beguile audiences. Like many techniques born from the visual language of magic lanterns, the dissolve effect was incorporated into filmmaking and is still used today.
Related works
Collection
Not in ACMI's collection
On display until
16 February 2031
ACMI: Gallery 1
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
Curatorial section
The Story of the Moving Image → Moving Pictures → MI-02. Play and Illusion → MI-02-C01 → Panel B7