History of Animation & Visual Effects
Module I - Class 4
Early Animation Devices - Part 1
Prepared by George John. H.O.D. Animation. SJCC
Early Animation Contraptions
Magic Lantern - Late 1600s
The "Magic Lantern" was created before photography was invented.
The actual inventor of this magical device is a source of contention,
however it was sometime in the late 1600s.
Earlier, glass slides made from drawings or paintings were held up in
a device, lit up by lantern or candle, and projected on a wall. The
resulting projections were often animated and accompanied by music
as a form of entertainment. The contraption was sometimes called
“The lantern of freight”, for its usage in projecting supernatural
figures or apparitions that seem like ghosts.
How does it Work? Chimney
The magic lantern is a box like device used to project images. It
is lit by a tiny oil lamp that is situated in the main chamber. The Main chamber
glass slide with the images are inserted in a slit in the box frame
between the light and the lens. The image on the glass slide, is
amplified and projected on to the wall using a combination of
mirrors and lenses.
Lens
Glass slide
A Magic Lantern Animation
An example of a 19th-century magic lantern was used to
animate a tiger. The eyes and lips were painted on separate
movable slides. These slides are moved during projection to
give the appearance of a living tiger. The magic lantern was
the first example of "moving pictures," as the movement was
created by combining the slides.
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Phenakistoscope - 1832
The phenakistoscope was invented by a Belgian
scientist, Joseph Plateau, in 1832. The name
"phenakistoscope" is derived from Greek words
meaning "to cheat," since it deceives the eye by
making the still pictures appear to move.
Unlike the magic lantern, the phenakistoscope
works on the principles of persistence of vision to
create the illusion of motion. The
phenakistoscope was only used to show simple
animations and could only be viewed by one
Joseph Plateau person at a time.
How does it Work? Mirror
The phénakisticope usually comes in the form of a
Cardboard
painted cardboard disc attached vertically to a handle.
disc
Arrayed radially around the disc's centre are a series of
pictures showing sequential phases of the animation.
Small rectangular slits are spaced uniformly around
the rim of the disc. To observe the animation the user Rectangular
must place the device in front of a mirror. He would slits
then spin the disc and look through the slits at the
pictures reflected in the mirror. If the picture was not
viewed through the rectangular slits, it would appear
blurry.
Vertical
handle
Animation
Pictures
Questions
Part B
1. What is a Magic lantern? Explain its working with a neat diagram.
2. Explain the working of a Phenakistoscope with a neat diagram.
