 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Since when do images move?
Do moving images really move or do they appear to move? Whether you are watching a film on your TV, computer, cell phone or at the cinema you are watching hundreds, even thousands, of still images that depict the individual stages of the movement. The illusion of motion is created because we see the still images one by one and very quickly.
How long ago did people attempt to convey motion with still images?
Million of years ago, prehistoric people made drawings that gave the impression of motion. In the flickering light of a fire, made to keep warm and safe, a wild boar with eight legs painted on a cave wall appeared to be running!
Since then, and all through the history of mankind, there are examples of how people tried to make still images appear to move. In ancient Egypt, goddess Isis appeared, to whoever might be riding by, as if she was dancing in the desert. Each column of the temple, built by Ramesses II, depicted the individual stages of the goddess’s movement, creating the illusion of motion.
On an ancient Greek vase, an athlete appears to be running as he has been repeatedly drawn, each time in a slightly different position.
Optical Toys
Later on, optical toys were invented. These devices are based on our ability to perceive still images as movement, as long as we view each image separately and quickly one after the other.
Flip books
Everyone has flipped though a booklet with simple drawings that are slightly different from one another. Some of us have had a lot of fun sketching bouncing balls in the margins of school books…!
the Zoetrope
the Praxinoscope
Example
Another example
A third example
A fourth example
the Phenakistoscope
A few more examples
How to make a Phenakistoscope
the Thaumatrope
At more or less the same time, a device that could project images on to a wall or screen was invented. The Magic Latern, or Laterna Magica, was the forerunner of a slide projector. Images were painted on to little glass pieces and placed in the device which were projected through a lens on to a flat surface. In the beginning the projection light was a candle or oil lamp, later brighter projections were achieved with electric lighting.
In those days, people were not accustomed to projections (remember, the cinema has yet to be invented), and Magic Lantern performances were exciting, impressive or even scary. Sometimes, the performances were called ‘lantern of fear’ and a thriller atmosphere was achieved with smoke, eerie music, scary drawings and other tricks of the trade.
More innovative projections included simple movement. This was achieved with thin threads and tiny mechanisms that moved little glass pieces within the drawing.
Robinson Crusoe told with a Magic Latern
Fairy tales told with a Magic Latern
Sports through the Magic Latern
Photography – the camera
The invention of the photographic camera was very important for the development of the moving image. The camera made it possible to record motion without having to make drawings.
Early cinema
It was only a matter of time before all the earlier optical devices led to the invention of the cinema. Combining the knowledge of the illusion of motion with the knowhow of projection could only lead to what the Lumière brothers named cinèmatographe (Greek for writing or recording movement), in other words: the cinema.
The early films were short, black and white and without sound.
Milestones of early film :
Muybridge (1878)
The Lumière brothers are considered the fathers of the cinema. The first public projection of their film was on the 28th of December 1895 at the Grand Café in Paris. When the inexperienced audience saw a train pull in to the station they jumped up in panic and fled from there tables to escape…
Lumiere (1895, 1896)
Méliès was a magician who performed live on stage. When he discovered the cinema he seized the opportunity to create films with even more imaginary and fantastic stories.
Smith experimented with the potential of filmmaking and created many innovative cinematic effects
Early animation films
Drawn animation films appear more or less at the same time as the invention of cinema. The difference in the procedure is that instead of a camera recording the individual stages of live movement by taking 24 photographs in one second, a sequence of drawings are made for every stage and then photographed one by one.
Emile Cohl:
(Fantasmagorie 1906)
J. S. Blackton:
(Humorous Phases of Funny Faces 1906)
Winsor McCay:
(Little Nemo 1911)
(Gertie the Dinosaur 1914)
Otto Messmer: Felix the Cat
(1919) ‘Feline Follies’ - Tom/ the forerunner of Felix
Walt Disney:
Steamboat Willie (1928) / the first animation film with synchronized sound.
This film made Mickey Mouse famous and launched his career.
The basic principles of the moving image have been established. From then on, the development of technology will help enrich the procedure and perfect the desired result.
Detailed description of optical toys - milestones in the history of the moving image.
The basic principles and the history of animated films
A student project on the history of animation
The art of animation and motion graphics
