rec.arts.movies.past-films

In article <10f58$47bb2a14$498e728$6669@>,
"Paul B. Thompson" wrote:

> I was recently watching an episode of the old "Wild, Wild, West" TV show
> ("Night of the Puppeteer") and was reminded of a stage technique I remember
> seeing used in the 60s but not so much since then. A lot of the story takes
> place on an empty, dark stage. Occasional spotlights create little islands
> of light through which the actors pass. I've seen this technique used on old
> Star Trek ("The Empath")

Worst ep of the series. Looks just like LOST IN SPACE who went for that
sort of nonsense a lot.

and in an episode of the Twilight Zone whose name
> escapes me (a disparate group of people find themselves trapped in an empty
> place. They turn out to be toys and puppets in a kid's toy box.)

IIRC, that's not black. They know they're trapped in a box.
>
> Was there an originator of this technique, or someone who made it famous?
> Was it ever used in feature films? Nothing springs to mind, but it's rather
> effective for creating a weird, off-kilter atmosphere.
>
> Paul Thompson

--
Star Trek 09:

No Shat, No Show.