Earthquake (1974)

   Unfortunately, neither of my parents got to see Earthquake. What a bummer... So, in order to compensate, I will include some basic information about the film in this post! 

    Released in February in 1974, Earthquake is a disaster film that was the base and model for many disaster films that were created after. Thanks to this film, movies where the characters had to survive and escape in life and death situations began to be common in the 1970's. Earthquake is basically a story about people who are trying to survive when a massive and terrible earthquake strikes Los Angeles, California, and leaves it in total destruction and disaster. This film is well known because of the use of the Sensurround, which was a new sound effect technique that enabled the audience to feel as if they are actually experiencing and going through an earthquake. With the use of Universal Studios backlots, area designed and used with fake buildings that were used for outdoor scenes in films, the makers of Earthquake were actually able to create an effective display of an actual earthquake. Also, they used small buildings (miniature that is) and painted representations of landscapes and locations (matte painting) that were not able to be created nor used in real life. This combination created the complete effect of actually being in Los Angeles and experiencing an earthquake. Full-scale sets were used as well. In addition, they used other technology, like the Shake Mount, which was a camera system that created the sense of an earthquake by moving the entire camera system body by a few inches from side to side, instead of shaking the camera lenses. 

   Interesting facts: Many cases of nosebleed were documented, supposedly caused by the sound waves the Sensurround created. Also, there was one time, in Billings, Montana, where a small shop next to a theater experienced merchandise loss when its shelves began to move and fell. 

^ Earthquake (1974) official trailer ^

^ How they made the effects of the buildings ^

I laughed so hard when Santi mentioned thing about the cows!

   I would like to see this movie someday...

Have a good weekend!

Sincerely,

Michelle