Research
Research
Reference
Information from source
Information not from source
Zoetropes
'Understanding Animation' by Paul Wells
Contextual Research
Page 10 paragraph 1
'To Animate' (and related words such as animation, animated etc) all derive from the Latin verb 'Animare' which means 'To give life to.'
P11p4
Animation can be traced back to as early as 70bc, described by Lucretius in 'De Rerum Natura.'
Flip books came about in the 16th century, usually showing some, let's say, adult content.
P12p2
Phenakistoscope pioneered by Joseph Plateau in 1831 https://youtu.be/ofqs7vwg3Wc?si=0MgzGi92fiGhlU4t
Zoetrope invented by W.G. Horner in 1834 https://youtu.be/SBg6dAE3mI0?si=7oCjYJLol5TCfe_T (makes use of a spinning disc with an animation on the disc, and by viewing it through slits it means that a single frame is only visible for a fraction of a second)
Kinematoscope by Coleman Seller in 1861 https://youtu.be/6Ww2qFhW3Ws?si=puwtjPVQC6SwqNen
Praxinoscope patented by Émile Reynaud in 1877 https://youtu.be/vLkdkMy_Uow?si=GvzCGjQ1zX2K96U5 (makes use of mirrors instead of slits like a zoetrope)
Mutoscope action viewer https://youtu.be/nBWTjCo659Q?si=y4x11nk11kruf_kl
P15p2
Emile Cohl used a technique in line drawing where lines would fall and converge into a character or event. (p3) Winsor McCay borrowed this technique in 'Little Nemo.' McCay continued to be a significant name in the world of animation, and is well-known for 'Gertie the Dinosaur.' The anthropomorphism (giving creatures human characteristics) would go on to later influence the work of Walt Disney. Gertie the Dinosaur is hugely significant as it introduced several animation techniques - keyframes, registration marks, tracing paper, the mutoscope action viewer and animation loops.
Summary / Why I included this info
I chose this area of research as I believe it provides some good context to zoetropes - understanding what similar animation toys were around at the same time. What I can take from this: it may help me to develop more new ideas for FMP, and I could experiment with different ways to achieve the same style as animation, whether that be by using mirrors, or slits etc.
Theoretical Research
P10p1
Normal McLaren stated that "Animation is not the art of drawings that move, but rather the art of movements that are drawn. What happens between each frame is more important than what happens on each frame" - i.e. the activity that has taken place between each frame - the adjustment of a clay model and other small assets in a frame.
P12p1
Persistence of Vision theory - The idea that the human eye sees one image and carries with it an after image onto the image that follows it, thus creating an apparent continuity. The persistence of vision was the very recognition of the movement achieved between the frames that McLaren stresses is the essence of animation.
Recurring Themes
The bringing to life of an inanimate object
The potential and differences with animation
Orthodox and Unorthodox animation
'Animation in Process' by Andrew Selby
As soon as I opened this book, I could instantly tell the subject matter was not what I was after. So instead I decided to spend the time I would've spent reading this book, by looking at youtube videos instead. The earliest time the book covers is cel sheet animation, which came around some 50-60 years after Zoetropes, and then goes on to talk about computer generated, stop motion and 3D CGI, and finally unorthodox animation.
'Moving Image Technology; from Zoetrope to Digital' by Leo Enticknap
Unfortunately I had a very similar experience with this book as I did with 'Animation in Process.' I don't think zoetropes are even mentioned, and the closest thing I found to a zoetrope throughout the book was on page 247 where it mentions that the Phonekistoscope was demonstrated for the first time in 1833.
https://youtu.be/_B9A3J70IPQ?si=W7ni6LttaK0CA7b0 "The forgotten art of the zoetrope | Eric Dyer"
3:10 - 3:17
'Zoetrope' means 'Wheel of life' (from the Greek root words ζωή zoe, "life" and τρόπος tropos, "turning")
Good to understand the meaning of the word itself as it provides more context and background to the creation of the zoetrope itself, and why it was created in the first place.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V_D1g4_ZGo "Tim Gets Very Animated!"
2:00 - 2:08
1830s - Thaumatropes invented. A thaumatrope is a piece of paper with 2 separate images, and when the piece of paper is spun, both images appear to make one whole image.
4:25 - 4:35
Towards end of 1800s, multiple picture animation started to come around
Gives a good, brief overview of the history of animation toys, particularly of animation toys around at the same time as the zoetrope.
Thaumatrope - 'An optical illusion based on combining two images with movement.'
Interesting to see the differences in toys in the industry at the time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40__creuq7c "Zoetropes Create 3D Illusions Using Light"
1:09 - 1:15
Zoetropes invented as early as the 1830s and sold as toys as early as 1867.
Again, provides some good info on the history to the zoetrope.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ecTO22ulRM "Animation before Computers"
3:57 - 5:57
How a zoetrope is made - You start off with a sculpture of something you want to animate in the starting position of the animation. Then, make a completely new sculpture of the same character and adjust it slightly, making it the second frame of the animation. Continue to do this, let's say, 20 times. The last frame should also look like it came before the first frame so that the animation loops. Get each sculpture, and lay them out in order at equal distances to each other around a round table. Then, spin the table and shine a strobe light at the spinning animation sculptures.
Very helpful to know, and this will help me when I get to FMP as I intend to make a zoetrope for real.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc3rwxSmegM "Zoetrope - 3D Gifs!"
3:35 - 5:52
Animation Multiplexing - Making an animation longer than the number of frames on a zoetrope.
Interesting to see how you can make an animation longer than it physically should be able to be. Again, something that I could definitely give a go in FMP when I come to making a real zoetrope.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbpLpxi9rJY "A Brief History of Animation"
0:30 - 01:03
1832 - Phonekistoscope created by Joseph Plateau in Brussels
1833 - William Horner created what would later be called the zoetrope ("Wheel of Life")
When multiple images blend into a single moving image in the human mind, the illusion is called 'Persistence of Vision.'
Again, provides some good info on the history of the zoetrope and other toys around at the same time.
The first 3D zoetrope was built in 1887 by Étienne-Jules Marey, featuring 10 models of a bird in flight and viewed through slits in the same way as a traditional zoetrope.
As my whole FMP will be making a 3D zoetrope, I thought it would be good to find out who made the first 3D zoetrope, and what it was an animation of.
What this means for me
With this research I can develop my skills further in 3D printing and making real life zoetropes. I believe this research will also have given me a head start with my FMP, as I already have a very solid foundational understanding of zoetropes, how they work and how to go about making one. This will help me in my long term goals and career paths which are working in the 3D industry, ideally on animation or something physical, like toy design..
Conducting this research has inspired me to try and experiment more with turning digital files into real life objects, and has helped me develop potential ideas for FMP- the main one at the moment being creating a 3D zoetrope. It fascinates me that it's possible to create a real-time stop motion animation that you can watch without having to push any buttons on a device. Wherever this research leads me, it has given me a good knowledge of the history of animation, different animation techniques and has inspired me to push outside my comfort zone, exploring new areas of the 3D industry.