The Museum of Moving Images

The Illusion of Film

The Museum of Moving Images is a showcase of artifacts and technology that presents an extensive look into the history of media. Throughout my trip to the museum the exhibits that focused on the illusion of film intrigued me. I was excited to see the equipment that led to the development of film. It was fascinating to realize how a thaumatrope, a small disk with a different image drawn on either side, contributed to the birth of cinema and animation. There was also a Zoetrope on display, which is a spinning cylinder with small slits that a viewer looks through and, as the cylinder spins, the pictures come together giving the false impression of one picture. I love how film is not one ongoing stream of video but actually just different pictures being displayed consecutively. The way in which the mind can be so easily manipulated is so fascinating.

Animation like film is just the succession of still images. In the museum there was an exhibit that taught me how to create my own stop-motion animation video; all that was needed was a camera and a few props. Sitting there I slowly created a two second animation, I had to take about twelve photos. I cannot image someone sitting in front of a desk with a camera barley moving props and taking thousands upon thousands of photographs for a feature length film. Even with all the technology America has today, stop-motion animation is still around. Recently, the movie The Fantastic Mr. Fox used stop-motion animation; the film garnered critical acclaim and even an Academy Award nomination.

I learned through the Museum of Moving Images that there is a certain discipline and patience needed in order to be involved in film. The museum is a fascinating place for beginners of the media field and experts alike.