Several weeks ago, I visited the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens with a few members of my class. Had the streets not been covered with slush and ice cold water, I would have enjoyed the trip more, but I still found it very interesting. The museum, which is currently undergoing some renovation, houses a brief history of moving pictures from zoetropes and nickelodeons to television. Our group didn't have enough time to cover everything at the museum, but what we were able to get through was very interesting. I have some background in film, so many of the things we saw was old hat, but it was still cool to see these processes in action.
One of the activities I participated in was a rudimentary animation short. We were given paper cut outs on a background and a camera that took stills. As with traditional animation, we moved the cut outs around frame by frame so that when they were played one after another, they created the illusion of motion. I've always been interested in animation, despite the fact that I lack the patience to create an entire movie that way. The animation activity allowed me to indulge that interest.
One of the often overlooked components of creating a motion picture is the moment of rest. While this was glazed over in courses I had taken in high school, one of the major highlights at the museum was a demonstration on how the moment of rest worked. Using a spinning sculpture and a strobe light, the presentation provided a perfect example. When the strobe light was off, the sculpture was nothing but a blur. Once the strobe light was turned on, however, the “moment of rest” created by the intermittent darkness tricked our eyes into believing the sculpture was moving.
Weather aside, the trip was both educational and entertaining. I hope to visit again when I have the time to spend the better part of a day there.
