Embedded Files
Problem Solving in Research 2.1
The Problem
Strobe Light
You may notice that in some 3D zoetropes, like the one on the right, that there is no wall around the edge - the whole thing is completely open, and if there's no walls then there's no slits, and if there's no slits then how come the animation isn't just a spinning blur and still looks something like the video linked below?
Kevin Holmes, the creator of this particular zoetrope, uses a strobe light - a light that constantly flickers on and off. The way this works is that the disc starts spinning, and the strobe light lights up. It then turns off while the zoetrope is spinning, and when the next frame is in exactly the same position as the previous one, the strobe light turns on again. This process is repeated resulting in the whole animation looking how it does.
Again though, the problem with this is it's quite technical and a lot more to think about on top of making a zoetrope. A strobe light could also cause problems when being presented, especially if people suffer from epilepsy, and even if they don't it's gonna hurt to look at. So I'm almost certain that I won't use this particular method for my zoetrope.
Solutions
Slits
This method is the more traditional way to achieve the strobe effect. It was used in zoetropes as you can see on the right. This method is more preferred than the strobe light idea for two reasons; it's a lot less technical and less to think about, and requires no technology. One problem with it though is that the frames of the animation can become darkened, as I've shown in the photos below - you can clearly see that by looking through the slits, the image becomes darkened. Although this isn't really a problem, it does make me consider other methods.
Stationary
Spinning
Mirrors
Using mirrors would mean that technically it would no longer be a zoetrope, but a praxinoscope. This particular method fascinates me. Instead of using a strobe light to illuminate the zoetrope or slits to only see a fraction of a frame at a time, you arrange mirrors in a sort of tower pointing slightly downwards. The effect is exactly the same, and I've attached a video to show what it's like.
The great thing about this method is it tackles the problems I mentioned in the previous two methods - no technology is needed and thanks to the mirrors, you don't lose any light either, so the whole thing is illuminated properly. However, I don't know where I'm going to get mirrors from, which is the only issue I can think of if I were to use this method.
IMG_1172.mp4Copyright Issues
The problem I've got is that I'm using Nintendo's characters and assets (karts) which will of course be copyrighted and trademarked. This could cause issues around unauthorized reproduction, distribution of derivative works and mainly use in public or commercial contexts. Although I'm not going to be making any money from this zoetrope, displaying it could still be breaching copyright law, and of course I'll be displaying it at an event open to the public. Here are some potential solutions to these problems;
Re-design the characters - Rather than having to model a character from the Mario Kart game, I could just make my own character. Sure this could solve the copyright issue I've got, but it would definitely not hold up my principle of the zoetrope being easily recognisable as something from Mario Kart which I've talked about elsewhere.
Re-design the karts - Again, changing the look of the karts may mean that it's not easily recognisable as something from Mario Kart. The karts are also the main stars of the show and the things that everyone is going to be looking at. Changing them could ruin the aesthetic and end up looking more like a cheap knock-off rather than a high quality zoetrope, which of course is what I'm aiming for.
Add a disclaimer - Simply stating that this is a fan-made project for academic purposes and that I'm not affiliated with Nintendo is probably the most logical way to work around this problem. I don't have to change anything about the zoetrope and the characters and assets, and I'm not claiming the work to be my own and giving Nintendo all the credit. This is a good way to promote creativity while still acknowledging the source material.
Example Case
In November of 2021, Eric Morino, known as "PointCrow" on YouTube, wanted a multiplayer modification added to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. He was even willing to reward 'modders' able to achieve the feat with $10,000. 2 people managed to mod the game that allowed 32 players to join and play together. Morino began posting videos of multiplayer hide and seek, and not long after Nintendo got involved. Nintendo hit him with digital millennium copyright act (a US law that addresses copyright protection in the digital age, specifically focusing on online service providers and copyright infringement) claims resulting in 4 of his videos being blocked. Marino stated that he was "incredibly disappointed" and emailed Nintendo to appeal, to which they responded by bringing the number of copyright strikes up from 4 to 28. Moral of the story, don't mess with Nintendo.
Nintendo took hid video down due to concerns over copyright infringement. The problem for me is that Nintendo holds copyrights and trademarks over their characters, logos and branding, game assets as well as art styles and designs. I'll be using a logo (small M on the front of the kart) as well as a game asset (the kart itself). But Nintendo's copyright is only violated when when someone uses, copies, or distributes their copyrighted material without permission, including games, characters, artwork, music, and other elements. Unfortunately this means I might have to scrap the idea of having a bunch of tiny karts for people to take for free as that could be considered me distributing their copyrighted material without permission. Although as I have technically changed the design of the kart slightly to better 3D print, I could claim that the design is my own which then means I could distribute out a bunch of tiny 3D printed karts.
Problem Solving in Presentation 7.1, 7.2
One idea I've had for the presentation of my zoetrope at my college's summer show is to 3D print a bunch of tiny karts and put them on display and have a sign up saying something along the lines of "Please feel free to take a model Kart!" It's a fun wholesome way to put a smile on people's faces and also makes my piece just that little bit more interactive, different and memorable. The only thing I'd need to be careful of is the size of the karts and the choke hazard that comes with that. I could work around this by simply printing the karts at a slightly bigger scale - after all they are very cheap to print, so making them a bit bigger wouldn't cost much at all (maybe a penny, if that).
My zoetrope can't be touched by anyone at any time because it could break if it's touched while it's spinning at 45-70rpm (already made that mistake a couple of times myself). I could just put a sign up saying "Do not touch" but accidents do happen so I'll need to be more cautious than that. Something that did cross my mind is that when the lady kindly donated a bunch of old animation toys and kits etc, she mentioned that if she wanted to showcase a zoetrope, she would but a box over the top of it and then the strobe light system (which I'm currently using) on top of the box, but cut a hole in the box so that the light can actually shine through. This could be an option for me as having a box over the top my zoetrope makes it very difficult to touch even if you're trying.
Wheelchair Users / Children
Low Table - With wheelchair users /children being lower down /shorter than other people, it's important to remember how they will still be able to see the zoetrope. Simply having the zoetrope displayed on a lower table makes it much easier for them to be able to see it, I'd just have to remember to put the zoetrope far enough back so that little children can't touch it and risk damaging anything. Again there's no real problems or downsides to this problem, I'd just have to make sure the the zoetrope is well protected so that people don't accidentally bump into it while walking around.
Video - I won't repeat myself as I wrote about this in the box above, but having a video of the zoetrope working still allows wheelchair users to be able to see the animation, even if the physical zoetrope is too high up for them to see.
Other
Viewing Angles - Ideally I would have the zoetrope be viewable from every side, however the only way I can see that happening is having it completely open which runs the risk of potentially a little child trying to touch it and damaging it. One way I could work around that is by getting 2 tables, pushing them together to make one big table and then having the zoetrope in the middle of that big table. That way it's still open and therefore viewable from every side and there's much less risk of a small child trying to touch the zoetrope and potentially damaging it. I'll still put signs up saying "Do not touch" just to hammer the point home.
Epilepsy
Red strobe light - The red strobe light is no where near as intense as a white one and makes it much easier to look at. However despite that, red light is more likely to cause an epileptic fit than white or blue light. Also an epileptic fit is caused when light flashes around 15-25 times a second, and the strobe light for my zoetrope will be right in the heart of that range. So in summary, I'm going to have to think of a way for epileptic people to still view my zoetrope without any flashing lights whatsoever
iPad - One option I've got is to set up an iPad next to the zoetrope and have the camera settings set so that when the camera is pointed at the zoetrope it plays the animation. I've done something similar on my phone before and there's no flashing lights, no rolling shutter or anything. With the right settings this could be a viable option. The only problem is that there would just be an iPad unaccompanied at a public show which wouldn't be too difficult to steal. Plus if the iPad is left on the whole time the battery will eventually drain. There could be ways to work around this like always having someone watching over my zoetrope and leaving the iPad on charge, but either way it's still a bit inconvenient.
A video - As boring as this solution is, there aren't really any major problems with it. If I use a camera with the right settings to record the zoetrope then I could just simply have a video on display on a screen of it working. The only downside to this solution is that the viewer doesn't get to see the magic of the animation playing in real life before their eyes. However it's still a good way to allow epileptic people to see the magic of a zoetrope.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse