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Showing posts from January, 2023

Kaleidophone 1827 - precursors of film and movie

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Sorry for the voice acting, but I'm from Ukraine and don't speak English well. The kaleidophone, invented in 1827 by Charles Wheatstone, is a unique device that has been of interest to many people over the years. In this article, we will examine the history and workings of the kaleidophone and its relationship to the development of visual media. Please support me with like, comment or repost. The kaleidophone is a "philosophical toy" that produces moving optical figures. There are several different versions of the device, but in all cases, a slender rod is fixed at one end and has a shiny bead attached to the other end. As the rod vibrates, the spot is seen to describe Lissajous curves in the air, like a spark whirling about in the darkness. The name "kaleidophone" was derived from the kaleidoscope, an optical toy invented in 1817 by David Brewster. Wheatstone's photometer, which compares the brightness of two lights, was likely inspired by the kaleidoph...

Thaumatrope 1825 - precursors of film and movie

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Sorry for the voice acting, but I'm from Ukraine and don't speak English well. The Thaumatrope is a simple optical toy that was invented in the early 19th century and played a significant role in the development of the film and movie industry. It consists of a disk with a picture on each side that is attached to two pieces of string. When the strings are twisted, the disk spins, and the two images appear to merge into one. This simple illusion was one of the first demonstrations of persistence of vision and helped lay the foundation for the development of motion pictures. Invented by John Ayrton Paris in 1825, the Thaumatrope quickly became a popular toy in Europe and the United States. Its popularity was due to its demonstration of persistence of vision, which is the idea that the human eye retains an image for a short period after it has disappeared. This principle was crucial to the development of many early optical toys, including the zoetrope and flip book. The zoetrope wa...

Polyorama Panoptique 1822 - precursors of film and movie

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Sorry for the voice acting, but I'm from Ukraine and don't speak English well. The National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) has recently obtained a Polyorama Panoptique from Paris, part of the series of "optical toys" developed between 1820 and 1850. These toys entertained and educated families with their play on light, shadows, and color, displaying cityscapes and landscapes in new ways. They were seen as forerunners to film, being sold as souvenirs to audiences who flocked to auditoriums to view life-sized dioramas. Please support me with like, comment or repost. These optical devices were prevalent during the Victorian era and were among the optical gadgets and curiosities that adorned parlors, including zoetropes, praxinoscopes, flipbooks, and phenakistoscopes. The Polyorama Panoptique, patented by Pierre Henri Armand Leford in 1849, is made up of a wooden frame with copper joints and paper bellows for changing the viewer's perspective. The NFSA's Polyorama ...

Kaleidoscope 1817 - precursors of film and movie

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Sorry for the voice acting, but I'm from Ukraine and don't speak English well. The kaleidoscope, invented in 1817 by Scottish scientist David Brewster, was one of the earliest devices that showcased the principles of animation and moving images. While it may seem like a simple toy, the kaleidoscope was a major stepping stone in the development of modern cinema and film. In this article, we will explore the history of the kaleidoscope and how it laid the foundation for the film and movie industry we know today. The kaleidoscope, which is a tube filled with mirrors and colorful pieces of glass or other objects, creates a mesmerizing and constantly changing display of patterns and shapes. When the tube is rotated, the light entering through a small aperture reflects off of the mirrors, creating an ever-changing and seemingly animated display. This captivating display was a source of wonder and amazement for people of all ages in the 19th century, and it quickly became a popular to...

Phantasmagoria - origin of cinema storytelling

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Sorry for the voice acting, but I'm from Ukraine and don't speak English well. Phantasmagoria is a term that refers to a type of magic lantern show that was popular in Europe in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. These shows were a form of early cinema, and they played a significant role in the development of cinema storytelling. The magic lantern, also known as the phantasmagoria, was an early projection device that was used to create illusionary images by shining light through slides. This device was used to project images onto walls or screens, creating the illusion of moving images. The phantasmagoria shows that were performed using this device often included elements of horror and the supernatural, which made them popular among audiences at the time. The origins of phantasmagoria can be traced back to the late 18th century, when a French magician named Étienne-Gaspard Robert began performing magic lantern shows in Paris. Robert’s shows were known for their haunting a...

Eidophusikon - forerunners of motion picture arts

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Sorry for the voice acting, but I'm from Ukraine and don't speak English well. The Eidophusikon was a forerunner of the motion picture arts, developed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was a type of mechanical theater that used moving dioramas, lights, and sound effects to create a simulated performance for an audience. The term "Eidophusikon" comes from the Greek words "eidos," meaning "form" or "shape," and "phusis," meaning "nature." The first known Eidophusikon was created by the British inventor and showman John Francis in the 1790s. It consisted of a large box with a series of slides that could be rapidly changed to create the illusion of movement. The slides were illuminated from behind with oil lamps and accompanied by a narrator who provided sound effects and commentary.                                The Eidophusikon was a popular form of entertainment in Europe and the United States, p...

Moving panorama, myriorama - forerunners of motion picture arts

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Sorry for the voice acting, but I'm from Ukraine and don't speak English well. The moving panorama is considered as one of the forerunners of motion picture arts. This art form was prevalent in the 19th century and was considered as a novel form of entertainment. The moving panorama was essentially a large canvas that was unrolled gradually in front of a live audience, accompanied by a lecture or narration. The unrolling of the canvas created an illusion of motion, giving rise to its name as a “moving” panorama. The concept of moving panoramas can be traced back to the 17th century when large paintings were displayed in a circular room. These paintings were created to give the illusion of a three-dimensional space, allowing the viewer to experience the painting as if they were present in the depicted scene. This concept was later improved upon and made portable, allowing it to be displayed in different locations, eventually leading to the creation of moving panoramas. The movin...