Zoetrope Experiment

A zoetrope is a device, invented by William Horner in 1834 (where it was given the name 'Daedatelum', later to be renamed by French inventor, Pierre Desvignes in 1860) that consists of a cylinder which has slits cut down and around the sides. This keeps pictures from blurring when the zoetrope is spun, so that the rapid images create an illusion of a short motion picture. The faster that the zoetrope is spun, the smoother the quality of the images will be.

Zoetropes play a major role in the creation of the animation we see today, giving the invention huge importance to the history of animation. 

The Phi phenomenon, according to this source, is the illusion that occurs when two lights are rapidly turned on and off in succession. Something appears to move backwards and forwards between them while the lights stay stationary. Phi phenomenon plays a large part in the success of the zoetrope and is a result of human instinct. Our brains try to comprehend the different images that are being spun quickly, striving to create a relationship between them. For example, the metamorphosis of watching an umbrella turn into a mushroom can make sense, slightly. Even though it is not something you would see in real life.

Persistence of Vision is a stroboscopic effect that plays a vital role in making the zoetrope process work. The images you see must be interrupted by moments of darkness in order for the illusion to work.

In class, we had to create our own zoetrope experiments. This started by drawing our own animations on the framed strips of paper. Our first task was to draw a simple ball bouncing up and down.