Pioneers
Joseph Plateau was a Belgian Physicist, born on October 14th 1801. He demonstrated moving images
by controlling rotating disks with repeated drawings, which only changed slightly each time round.
This shocked the population for the ability to manipulate the human eye to feel as though something
appears as moving. In 1829 he submitted is thesis for advice, it contained the first results of his
research on the colouring on the retina, revolving curves and the distortion of moving images. From
this he was able to create his device of the “phenakistoscope”
This was the first mechanism for animation, this
manipulated the images to illustrate movement to the eye, with spinning disks, the slight movement
to each image would make it look like a moving film. The frame rate of this would have been very
quick, so that it makes it look as realistic as possible when looking through the slits. When the two
disks rotated at the correct speed, and the harmonisation of the gaps turning creates an animated
effect. This was a successful project, and inspired the improvements of animated developments. The
problems with this is that if the wheel is spun too quickly, it becomes blurry, and if someone spun it
backwards, it would not be an even image. The targeted audience for this would have been the
younger generation to make them more interested in stop motion, whilst creating it in a fun way.
At the time of this device being developed
there were numerous other physicists who were working on the same ideas, and creating illusions at
the same time as Joseph. Below you can see although the device led to many more advancements
within animation, he caught on to the idea of perception of vision and this is how he created this in
the early days to play on what we can see and how the audience perceives it. Joseph died 15th
September 1883, at age 81.