back and forth. The mirror would catch the reflection of the swinging light and throw it back onto the skyscrapers. To create the excitement surrounding an opening night, a skyscraper was photographed with the camera swinging quickly up and down and side to side. Although the scenes of the miniature sets were long shots, the actors were filmed entirely in closeups (about 300 feet of the final film reel). Instead of trying to place an actor into the miniature backgrounds with trick photography, the scenes were cut rapidly and successively: the viewer first sees the actor and then the set, creating the impression they are in the same place. Sets involving actors were minimalistic; some consisted of only a few elements, such as a table, telephone, two chairs, and a cigar. A film-studio set was created by photographing several reel spools with strips of film dangling against a background of blinking lights. The casting office was created by silhouetting strips of cardboard against a white background. To depict the protagonist's mental anguish, strips of paper were cut into twisted trees, which were silhouetted against a background of moving shadows and set in motion with an electric fan. To create a scene near the end of the film when the protagonist becomes delirious, the camera moves through a maze of different-sized cubes (with geometric designs inside them) on a flat, shiny serface. Heaven was a miniature set created from paper cubes, tin cans, cigar boxes, toy trains, and a motorized Erector Set. Although no still photos were taken for the film, illustrations of prismatic and kaleidoscopic effects have been obtained by enlarging frames of negative film. The paper prints were considerably softer than the movie print, to avoid graininess. The final film was edited to a one-reel length of 1,200 feet of filmstrip, with about 150 scenes; according to Florey, it had the same number of camera angles as contemporary full-length feature films. Although the film was carefully edited for synchronization with Rhapsody in Blue, much of its original, lyrical quality has been lost in modified versions. Themes and interpretation The film is a satire of the social conditions, dominant practices, and ideologies of Hollywood, and the film industry's mistreatment of actors. Filmmaking was becoming more expensive and required greater technical resources (particularly with the rise of sound production), making it increasingly difficult for amateur filmmakers to enter the profession. This