| Rolling Ball Sculptures, both desktop and full size play a | | | | The movie writer appointed Mark Bischof, a Dutch |
| central part in the Anthony Hopkins movie | | | | artist, to advise and manage the special effects team |
| ‘Fracture' 2007, these elaborate rolling ball machines | | | | who produced the rolling ball sculptures for |
| serve as dramatic similes for the polished personality | | | | ‘Fracture'. Bischof had been working on kinetic art |
| of Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins) and the storyline | | | | for over 10 years and he models the sculptures to |
| itself, symbolic of the various complex and cunning plot | | | | show the slow discharge of energy of a guided ball |
| twists to appear in this sharp up-to-date suspense | | | | along metal tracks. He uses track switching workings, |
| thriller with a dynamic ending. | | | | loops, spirals, drop-trough and other devices to |
| Sir Anthony Hopkins, the illustrious Oscar-winning British | | | | demonstrate diverse facets of this power - the |
| actor, plays Ted Crawford in the movie ‘Fracture', | | | | sculptures are enthralling. |
| an affluent L.A. aeronautical engineer, a precise, | | | | The writer Gers, said "It's always best when you can |
| meticulous person who constructs these rolling ball | | | | find an external sign to show the inner person (talking |
| sculptures for amusement. In the living room of his | | | | of Ted Crawford, Anthony Hopkins) but when I wrote |
| smart designer house is one such rolling ball sculpture - | | | | the paragraph, I never really imagined the complex |
| known also as kinetic art (sculptures that have motion), | | | | machine they would have to build. When I saw it on |
| approx 6ft high by 6ft wide with shiny metallic tracks | | | | stage, I kept apologizing to the guys who had to build |
| and carved wooden wheels, where small glass balls | | | | it!" |
| skitter and roll in an elaborately choreographed dance - | | | | Several configurations of Mark Bischoff's concepts |
| a fine-looking piece of precision equipment and | | | | were constructed on set. Anderson, the special |
| dramatic art. | | | | effects director and his team were privileged and |
| The rolling ball sculpture are also referred to as | | | | excited to step outside the regular realm of their duties |
| ‘Rubes', or 'nonsense machines', firstly depicted by | | | | of pyrotechnics, explosives and mechanical special |
| the celebrated cartoonist and engineer Rube Goldberg, | | | | effects to erect the 8-foot rolling ball sculpture along |
| ‘involved devices that perform straightforward | | | | with a same-size "stunt double" version. Together they |
| tasks in indirect, convoluted ways'. It is hard for a | | | | designed the kinetic brass sculpture and its wooden |
| writer to describe these works of art - they are quirky, | | | | base to fit in with the designer structure of Crawford's |
| not just practical but very visual with all the workings | | | | (Anthony Hopkins) exclusive home. |
| on show. | | | | The large rolling ball sculpture in 'Fracture' measures 8 |
| The writer of the ‘Fracture' movie hit upon the idea | | | | feet high x 8 feet wide x 2 feet deep and uses two |
| of using a rolling ball machine in the movie ‘Fracture' | | | | 12-volt electrical motors operated via remote control, |
| whilst playing with his son who enjoys marble mazes. | | | | weighing about 250 pounds. The manual tabletop style |
| The marbles roll through a jumble of bewildering tracks | | | | is about 14 inches x 32 inches x 12 inches wide. |
| only to come out in surprising places. | | | | |