Newsgroup: >a href="news:alt.fan.mike-jittlov">alt.fan.mike-jittlov, .#W-,[Y 858
 Newsgroups: alt.fan.mike-jittlov,rec.bicycles,alt.cult-movies,
 alt.politics.kibo,alt.paranormal,alt.fan.letterman
 Subject: WIZARD's Up-Hill Bicycling - the TRUTH
 Summary: WIZARD's Up-Hill Bicycling - the TRUE STORY
 Keywords: wizard, bicycle, magnetic, movie, effects, wonk

 Re-Re:  The Amazing Hill-Climbing Bike Scene in
        "THE WIZARD OF SPEED AND TIME" feature

 Okay, okay, AWRIGHT!  *LEO S. SCHWAB WINS!!*  HE WAS RIGHT!!!!

 Below is a corrected schematic of the Biking-Up-the-Hill Scene
     (The previous diagram had a slight angular askewity)

 \
  \
   \
    \                         *                   e    _gggggag
     \               ....... _$v                #@W    -MMMMMMM
 big  \______________________O>O________________/\H_____HHHHHHH
 hill  axle-kill          mj biking           camera    gawkers


 The preceding post #858 was indeed the *OFFICIAL* Explanation.
 NOTE:  *Official* is defined as being in accordance with the
 implicit Official Reporting Parameters commonly utilyzed by our
 World Governments, Corporations, Academia, and the Media.

 The TRUE Explanation (which isn't as much fun, and is in fact
 rather disappointing - but it IS the Truth, and takes up less
 disk-space) is as follows...

 After trying some of the previously proposed methods, I decided
 to just set up the camera's tripod for a slanting pan.  Its own
 movement was enough to suggest one element of incline.

 Another element was the background - which took advantage of
 Maltman Avenue's reputation for its non-perpendicular phone poles
 and signs.  A third element was the pedestrians - people around
 here just walk oddly.  (If it works, use it.)

 I zoomed the bike downhill on Maltman, and hit the straightaway
 at full speed (about 40mph).  When I was confident that I was
 still alive and the wheels had not blown, I gave the bike pedals
 another couple of revs and took my feet off.

 I had Brian film the shot several times until I felt that the
 real-life & unrehearseable background action worked; and Brian
 was confident he'd been able to follow-focus his zoom-out.  It
 was really a technically difficult shot, especially for a total
 two-man cast & crew, working in the middle of an active street,
 without filming permits or traffic control.

 Later, I edited the useable shots into several quick-cuts - which
 worked fine, for a movie of this particular budget and scope.

                            -={*}=-

 NOTE 1:  The rest of the stuff is remarkably true -- HONEST!  :@X
 I actually do have the magnetic field charts of Los Angeles.    d
 It would be interesting to contact Joseph and Atsuko Kirschvink,
 at CalTech.  I read they're looking for validation of Earth's
 magnetic field's effects on the human brain and nervous system.

 NOTE 2:  Brian Thomas is now producing and soon directing a major
 feature about the historic Dracula - Romania's Vlad the Impaler.
          [I would like to suggest April 15th, as the
      ^"^  most appropriate release date in the USA.]  ^"^

 NOTE 3:  The close-up of "Ego" on the bike-front was a hold-over
 from an edited-out pun.  After Mike bikes up the driveway and
 *larf-larf* crashes into his garage, he exits and exclaims: "The
 Ego has landed".  [You can save a movie through editing, y'know.]

 NOTE 4:  Also seen on the Wiz-bike is my desperation-invention -
 a cuff-guard, which fits against the front gear, so that my
 fashion-rare bell-bottoms wouldn't get snagged in the open chain.
 Lot more effective than cuff-clips - I'm surprised that/if no one
 else has thought of the idea.

 NOTE 5:  I am now *selling* this fabulous, one-of-a-kind bicycle
 and working prop from a world-acclaimed movie [teardrop here :~<]
 - hence this cross-posting in rec.bicycles!  Made in `Merica, the
 WIZ-bike pre-dates Pee Wee Herman's bike by two years, and it can
 be Yours for just $600 cash (minus magnetic U-coils, forcefield,
 and cuff-guard)!  (email for details)

 _________________________________________ ___._`.*.'_._ ________
  Mike Jittlov - Wizard, etc        .   . +  * .o   o.* `.`. +.
   Hollywood, CA 90026-2714        '   *  . ' ' |\^/|  `. * .  *
 jittlov@gumby.cs.caltech.edu   (: May All Your  \V/  Good Dreams
   <& alt.fan.mike-jittlov>     and Fine Wishes  /_\  Come True:)
 ============================================== _/ \_ ===========

 Copyright 1992 by Mike Jittlov (for all the protection afforded)

 "Verbosity is an aid to virtuosity in contriving implications."
                               - a college English professor