Seeburg Style R Photoplayer (The Photoplayer demonstrated for visitors) - These machines were created during the silent movie era.  Before movies included the sound on the filmstrip, these machines would be placed in the theater to complement the film.  The music would evoke the feelings of the actors during the action on the screen (some film producers would include paper rolls with the film when shipping it to the theaters to ensure the proper music would be played).  The addition of sound effects would enhance the experience for the audience as well, to draw the audience into the cinematic experience.  The pedals at the base of the photo player would trigger different sounds that would be incorporated into the action - train whistles, bells, thunder claps, birdsong, and any of a variety of different sounds would be incorporated to evoke a more realistic experience.  This machine would have been placed at the front of the theater - it is of minimal height so it could be located directly under the screen, and the photopianist would watch the film with the audience to ensure proper timing for the music and effect.  It weighed 2,500 pounds, making it very difficult to move.