Ryan Markey
Joseph Plateau
Who was Joseph Plateau?
Joseph Plateau was a Belgian Scientist from 1801 to 1883. He was
the first person to experiment with the moving image and the
illusion behind it. His most famous way of creating this illusion
was through his invention, the Phenakistoscope.
The what-a-scope?
The Phenakistoscope, a device that with the use of counter
rotating disks and small hand drawn images viewed through evenly
placed slits allowed the illusion of the moving image to be
created. This kind of animation is called ‘stroboscopic’. Some say
that this early creation was one of many steps toward the creation
of the big screen cinema.
A daguerreotype portrait of Joseph Plateau in 1843.
An example of a Phenakistoscope drawing.
William Horner
Who was William Horner?
William Horner was a British mathematician and schoolmaster. He
is famous for inventing the Zoetrope, in 1834 but under a different
name.
The Zoetrope?
Yes the Zoetrope, this was invented by Horner in 1834. The
Zoetrope worked somewhat similar to the Phenakistoscope in some
ways. For instance the images still had to be viewed through small
spaced slits in the side and it had to be moving at the correct
speed for the effect to be seen. The main difference between the
two is the Zoetrope is a drum shape and not that of a disk. The
main advantage of this is that more than one person could enjoy the
effect at once.
A suspected portrait of William.
A Zoetrope
Emile Reynaud
Who was Emile Reynaud?
Emile Reynaud was a French science teacher who was famous for
the first ever projected film, in this case an animated cartoon. He
did this through the Praxinoscope a creation that revolutionised
the term cinema still brought him nothing in terms of revenue.
Another ‘Scope’?
Afraid so, the Praxinoscope projected a series of images onto a
screen fast enough for the illusion of movement to take effect.
This allowed a much larger audience to view his work at a theatre
which he opened especially for his work. His work however was
crushed by the new Cinematograph and what he had left he threw into
the nearby river.
A photo of Emile
An illustration of how the Praxinoscope Worked
Edward Muybridge
Who was Edward Muybridge?
Edward or Eadweard Muybridge was an English photographer who
spent much of his life in the US. He is known for pioneering work
on animal locomotion. This was achieved by using multiple cameras
to capture the motion of the animal. He also created the
Zoopraxiscope, a device that was used to project motion images.
A modern motion picture?
No not necessarily, the Zoopraxiscope allowed Edward to project
a film of motion using the pictures he took. Like the other
‘Scopes’ if the images moved at the correct speed the illusion of
movement was created, but without the need of hand drawn
images.
A portrait of Edward
How the multiple images created motion
Thomas Edison
Who was Thomas Edison?
No, this didn’t turn into a lesson on American History. Thomas
Edison was a famed American inventor with over a thousand patents
in the US and more abroad. His most interesting inventions is the
Motion Picture Camera or Exhibition more rightfully know as the
Kinetoscope.
What is the Kinetoscope?
Not to be confused with Kinescope, the Kinetoscope is a motion
picture exhibition device. Not designed to be a movie projector, it
allowed films to be viewed by looking through a peep hole at the
top of the cabinet. It also incorporated the perforated film which
held a sequence of images viewed through light and a high speed
shutter.
The inner workings of the Kinetoscope
“Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent
perspiration” – Thomas Edison
The Lumiere Brothers
Who are the Lumiere Brothers?
Auguste and Louis Lumiere brothers are famed for being among the
earliest filmmakers in history. While working for their father they
made a number of improvements to film the most important being the
dry-plate process.
How did they affect the moving image?
They patented a number of film processes that eventually lead to
the film camera. The Lumiere Brothers are considered the turning
point in motion capture because of their advances.
The world’s first film poster for one of Lumiere’s films.
Auguste and Louis
Walt Disney
Who was Walt Disney?
You’re serious? You don’t know who Walt Disney is? Well ok I’ll
tell you. Walter Disney was an American film producer, director,
screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer,
international icon and philanthropist. Yes he’s that well known and
famous.
What is he famous for?
A wide number of things but most importantly his work for the
animation industry by forming Walt Disney Productions, they are now
the best known motion picture producers in the world. You may know
him for creating Mickey Mouse, the face of Disney.
Walt Disney in 1954.
Aerial view of Disney Land in California.
Hanna Barbera
Who is Hanna Barbera?
You may not recognise the name right away but the next time you
watch a Tom and Jerry cartoon look either at the beginning or the
end and look out for ‘Created by Hanna Barbera’. Hanna Barbera is
actually a combination of the names William Hanna and Joseph
Barbera, the founders of Hanna-Barbera.
Another famous duo?
Yes, Hanna and Barbera founded the company of the same name and
went on to create a lot of famous cartoons, to name a few, Tom and
Jerry, The Flintstones and Top Cat. They signed a partner ship with
Columbia Pictures. Hanna Barbera in some ways lead to the creation
of Cartoon Network.
Hanna-Barbera pose with several Emmy Awards they have won.
Hanna Barbera with their famous creations.
Warner Bros
Who are the Warner Bros?
Warner Brothers or Warner Bros as its known even by its
employees, it was founded in 1918. Since its creation it has
spawned a number of subsidiary companies including WB Studios, WB
Pictures and WB Interactive.
What have Warner Bros given us?
Everything. There is nearly nothing related to animation that
doesn’t have the WB logo on it. They have been a major pioneer in
animation since its creation. All animation studios look up to WB
and would do anything for a partnership with them.
Warner Bros in 1928.
Two characters that still remain the central image of WB,
remember “That’s all folks!”
Norman McLaren
Who is Norman McLaren?
Norman McLaren was a Scottish-born Canadian animator known for
his work with the NFB (National Film Board). He produced a number
of animations that over the years have become an example on the
basics of animation.
Norman McLaren drawing directly on film strip.
Len Lye
Who is Len Lye?
Len Lye was a New Zealand Born artist known for his experimental
work with films and kinetic sculpture.
A portrait of Len Lye.
One of Lens experimental photos.
Windsor McKay
Who was Windsor McKay?
Windsor McKay was an American cartoonist and animator. He set
standards for animation that in the later decades high profile
people like Walt Disney would follow.
A portrait of Windsor McKay.
