Museum of Moving Images

During the trip that we took to the Museum of Moving Images, I feel like we were really able to physically see all the nuances that make up visual images. The most memorable exhibition for me was the room with the spinning objects and the strobe light that created the illusion of movement. This mechanism used different elements in order to create the illusion of movement. One element was the order and placement of all the objects that resembled drops of water, another was the constantly spinning machine that held all the objects together, and the final element was light. When put together, it created the illusion of drops of water falling down to the floor slowly like a stop motion animation. Now without the final element, there wouldn’t have been an illusion. The strobe light was necessary for providing the visual break that allows our brain to piece together the information that we do visually see, allowing us to perceive movement. It only goes to show how we can manipulate the world around us in order to change the way we perceive reality, whether it be physically, mentally, or emotionally, and that is what filmmaking is all about.

Of course, there were other interesting aspects of the tour such as the old film cameras and gadgets that were created in early cinema. In retrospect, it was interesting to see how our understanding of visual imagery evolved along with technology, to the point where we can pass off even greater illusions in contemporary cinema.