ZoetropeAccording to wikipedia, a zoetrope is a pre-film animation device that produces the illusion of motion by displaying a sequence of drawings or photographs showing progressive phases of that motion.
It gets its name from the greet words zoe for "life" and tropos for "turning". In the early years, it came to be known as the "wheel of life." A traditional "cylindrical" or "linear" zoetrope consists of a cylinder with slits cut vertically in the sides. A band or strip of sequenced pictures that depict phases of motion is placed on the lower inner surface of a cylinder. As the cylinder spins, the user looks through the passing slits in the upper part of the cylinder. The scanning of the slits keeps the pictures from simply blurring together, and the user sees a rapid succession of images, producing the illusion of motion. From our previous discussions, we know that this is largely due to "Persistence of Vision". Some people would argue that as persistence of vision is happens because of the actual black spaces or gaps that come between each "real" movie frame are not perceived, that the phi phenomenon is the true reason for motion illusion in cinema and animation. Regardless of what theory is behind the magic, the faster the drum is spun, the smoother the animation sequence appears. Sounds confusing. But once you do a little more exploration it will all start to make sense. |
Examples:
Peter Hudson
Joe Penna - 1300 frames
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Alimation: Alexandre Dubosc
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Assignment |
Your task will be to create a series of different zoetrope animation sequences of whatever frame length you want.For one of the sequences, you must create the strip in at least two different lengths (12, 16, and / or 20). When you test your strip, be sure to put it in the zoetrope that has the number of slits matching the number of images in your sequence.
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More |
Within our animation strips, we will be exploring:
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• add more details to drawings on the strip
• require more than one strip
• require more movement of object(s) on the strip
• require a simple plot or story line for the strip instead of just movement
• require that the animation has anticipation (antic), squash, and stretch
• last drawing should slowly evolve into the first drawing.
• require more than one strip
• require more movement of object(s) on the strip
• require a simple plot or story line for the strip instead of just movement
• require that the animation has anticipation (antic), squash, and stretch
• last drawing should slowly evolve into the first drawing.
3-D Zoetropes
3D zoetropes apply the same principle to three-dimensional models. Modern equivalents normally dispense with the slitted drum and instead use a rapidly flashing strobe light to illuminate the models, producing much clearer and sharper distortion-free results. The models are mounted on a rotating base and the light flashes on and off within an extremely small fraction of a second as each successive model passes the same spot. The stroboscopic effect makes each seem to be a single animated object. By allowing the rotation speed to be slightly out of synchronization with the strobe, the animated objects can be made to appear to also move slowly forwards or backwards, according to how much faster or slower each rotation is than the corresponding series of strobe flashes.
Ones to take a look at:
Ones to take a look at:
- Ghibli Museum, Tokyo, featuring characters from the animated movie My Neighbour Totoro.
- "All Things Fall" by the British artist Mat Collishaw and is inspired by a painting by Ippolito Scarsella of The Massacre of Innocents. It is made of steel, aluminium, plaster, resin, lit by LED lights and powered by an electric motor.
- Peter Hudson (Spin Art) have created multiple interactive 3D stroboscopic zoetrope art. "Sisyphish" / Playa Swimmers (2002), a human powered zoetrope that used strobe light to animate human figures swimming on a large rotating disk. Peter has since created stroboscopic zoetropes from 2004 to present including: "Deeper" (2004), "Homouroboros"(2007), "Tantalus"(2008), and "Charon". The Charon zoetrope is built to resemble and rotate in the same kinetic fashion as a ferris wheel, stands at 32 feet high, weighs 8 tons and features twenty rowing skeleton figures representing the mythological character, Charon, who carries souls of the newly deceased across the river Styx. The most recent zoetrope creation is entitled "Eternal Return", took two years to build, and was unveiled in 2014.
- Spinning chocolate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU8a1t99rQs
- Simpsons and Pink Panther: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-rPn0a56WE&ebc=ANyPxKp_Jev0t-fClXU0hikK0bIluLJ9Dl89igt4virspgWgDMTEZPcA3-RmAwFyZta5KjNEW45A8Bs5LI2iroJte1F1DQKMQw
- Batman and Penguin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfS2kGO5lg8
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3vK5djckAU&list=FLgC7bRJFnGdQTSDJQqgp4Gg&index=17
- Embroidered zoetrope https://vimeo.com/133396066
More from: http://www.randommotion.com/
The zoetrope is the wheel of life. When you place a strip of drawings inside the zoetrope's drum, spin it and look through the slots, you will see the images come to life. Of course, they are not really alive. This illusion of motion depends on two things; persistence of vision and the phi phenomenon.
Persistence of vision, first noted in 1820 by Peter Mark Roget, refers to the length of time the retina (the "screen" at the back of our eyes which is sensitive to light) retains an image. If we see a light flash every tenth of a second or less, we perceive it as continuous. The impression of each flash of light remains, or persists, in the retina for at least one-tenth of a second. Because of this persistence, we can't tell where one flash ends and the next begins. Instead, we perceive a continuous light.If, when you spin the zoetrope, you look over the top of the drum at the drawings instead of looking through the slots all you will see is a blur. The illusion of motion is gone. The slots of the zoetrope simulate flashes of light, creating a strobe. Persistence of vision is a stroboscopic effect. The images you see must be interrupted by moments of darkness in order for the illusion to work.
The Phi phenomenon is a result of human instinct. Our brains strive to make meaning from what we perceive. When we see different images close together our brains quickly create a relationship between them. The metamorphosis of an umbrella into a mushroom makes a certain kind of sense, even though this is not something you would ever see in the real world.
Movies are composed of shots of different characters and events taken from a variety of angles and distances edited together. A skilled editor can take advantage of the phi phenomenon to maximize the illusion of continuity so that you may not consciously notice the cuts. But you, as the viewer, are most responsible for continuity. You see the shots together, and your mind creates a world from them which seems to have its own space and time.The zoetrope and other nineteenth century animation devices such as the flipbook,thaumatrope, praxinoscope and mutoscope were steps in the development of film and television. On the surface, modern media technologies look different from the optical toys of the 1800s, but they share common properties. The zoetrope has slots that create a stroboscopic effect. Movie projectors have a shutter that interrupts the light from the projector bulb as the film advances through the gate. The strobe of the projector shutter keeps the film from blurring. Video images are scanned onto your television by a beam which zig-zags across the screen from top to bottom twice for each frame. In between each frame is a little black, which you may see as a roll-bar when your television's vertical hold needs adjustment.
The zoetrope's speed is variable. The faster it turns, the smoother the motion appears. When the zoetrope slows down so that each image is seen for a tenth of a second or more, the illusion of movement begins to break down and the strobe is more obvious. Film projectors usually run at a rate of 24 frames, or pictures, per second. VCR and DVD players play and/or record at a rate of 30 frames per second. But old silent movie projectors run at 16 or 18 frames per second. They are so slow they seem to flicker.
The zoetrope is the wheel of life. When you place a strip of drawings inside the zoetrope's drum, spin it and look through the slots, you will see the images come to life. Of course, they are not really alive. This illusion of motion depends on two things; persistence of vision and the phi phenomenon.
Persistence of vision, first noted in 1820 by Peter Mark Roget, refers to the length of time the retina (the "screen" at the back of our eyes which is sensitive to light) retains an image. If we see a light flash every tenth of a second or less, we perceive it as continuous. The impression of each flash of light remains, or persists, in the retina for at least one-tenth of a second. Because of this persistence, we can't tell where one flash ends and the next begins. Instead, we perceive a continuous light.If, when you spin the zoetrope, you look over the top of the drum at the drawings instead of looking through the slots all you will see is a blur. The illusion of motion is gone. The slots of the zoetrope simulate flashes of light, creating a strobe. Persistence of vision is a stroboscopic effect. The images you see must be interrupted by moments of darkness in order for the illusion to work.
The Phi phenomenon is a result of human instinct. Our brains strive to make meaning from what we perceive. When we see different images close together our brains quickly create a relationship between them. The metamorphosis of an umbrella into a mushroom makes a certain kind of sense, even though this is not something you would ever see in the real world.
Movies are composed of shots of different characters and events taken from a variety of angles and distances edited together. A skilled editor can take advantage of the phi phenomenon to maximize the illusion of continuity so that you may not consciously notice the cuts. But you, as the viewer, are most responsible for continuity. You see the shots together, and your mind creates a world from them which seems to have its own space and time.The zoetrope and other nineteenth century animation devices such as the flipbook,thaumatrope, praxinoscope and mutoscope were steps in the development of film and television. On the surface, modern media technologies look different from the optical toys of the 1800s, but they share common properties. The zoetrope has slots that create a stroboscopic effect. Movie projectors have a shutter that interrupts the light from the projector bulb as the film advances through the gate. The strobe of the projector shutter keeps the film from blurring. Video images are scanned onto your television by a beam which zig-zags across the screen from top to bottom twice for each frame. In between each frame is a little black, which you may see as a roll-bar when your television's vertical hold needs adjustment.
The zoetrope's speed is variable. The faster it turns, the smoother the motion appears. When the zoetrope slows down so that each image is seen for a tenth of a second or more, the illusion of movement begins to break down and the strobe is more obvious. Film projectors usually run at a rate of 24 frames, or pictures, per second. VCR and DVD players play and/or record at a rate of 30 frames per second. But old silent movie projectors run at 16 or 18 frames per second. They are so slow they seem to flicker.