To Demonstrate How Spiders Fly

synopsis

A model and a live spider show how the creature can drift through the air on a fine thread of silk. The film turns a natural phenomenon that is difficult to observe into a clear visual demonstration. Animation, magnification and live footage combine to explain a movement that seems almost miraculous.

biography

F. Percy Smith (1880–1945) was a British pioneer of natural history filmmaking. Using macro photography, time-lapse, animation and studio equipment of his own design, he revealed processes hidden from the human eye. He turned plant growth and the behaviour of small creatures into both scientific observation and a source of wonder.

film details

director:

F. Percy Smith