Lord and Lady Overtoun's Visit to MacIndoe's Show
Filmed visit to a bioscope booth at a travelling fair in 1908
- Description
- Questions & Activities
- Clip Details
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Description
Lord and Lady Overtoun visit a fairground bisocope booth. MacIndoe the travelling showman who runs the Bioscope Booth welcomes his honoured guests and shows them into his booth. The traction engine on the side of the booth towed the booth from town to town and when stationary provided the power for the projection apparatus. Shots of the Bioscope frontage with organ and stage for dancing girls. MacIndoe takes a bow as he shows of his attraction.
Questions & Activities
Questions
- Why do you think this visit was filmed?
- What do you think Lord and Lady Overtoun were going see?
- What do you think the traction engine was used for?
- Who were Lord and Lady Overtoun? Who was McIndoe?
- What films do you think might have been shown at the Bioscope Booth?
- Who do you think the two children are who walk in front of the stage?
- How many differences can you see between the experience of seeing a film in the clip and going to the cinema today?
- What 'celebrities' would you make an effort to go and see in person, and why?
Activities
Why does film deteriorate over time? What can be done to preserve and repair old film? Do you think it's important to preserve old films?
Research what kind of film Lord and Lady Overtoun were likely to have seen in the Bioscope Booth.
Write in role from the point of view of two first-time visitors to the Bioscope - one who is impressed and one who isn't!
Create a 1900s-style poster/brochure for McIndoe's traveling show.
The films at the Bioscope Booth were silent. How do you think the showman would make the films interesting? (e.g. musical effects, commentaries etc). Write a script and present your pitch. Use sound effects with the films to make it exciting.
Clip Details
| Record Id | 007-000-000-263-C |
|---|---|
| Resource Rights Holder | National Library of Scotland |
| Project Ref | 2174 |
| Date | 1908 |
| Genre | Local Topical |
| School Subject | Literacy, History, Science, Modern Studies, Media Studies, Expressive Arts, Drama |
| Where | Fairground |
| Event | Early Cinema |
| Clip Length | 1:07 |
| Film Length | 2:20 |