In the "Cinema Illusion" education offered by "Romuva", schoolchildren get the opportunity to get acquainted with the unique film devices that gave rise to the creation of animation. In this education, students not only try optical toys thaumatrope, praxinoscope, zoetrope, but also make them themselves, draw stories on tapes and let them come to life using these devices. You can make one of these devices together with the students in the classroom.
The oldest, which creates an optical illusion and deceives the eye, is a thaumatrope. It is an optical toy that is believed to have been made in the XNUMXth century. invented by British doctor JA Paris. The doctor sought to prove that previously seen images remain on the retina for some time. This is a disc that can be made of paper with strings attached to the edges to make the thaumatrope spin. Two associative drawings are drawn on each side - a fish and an aquarium, a boat in the sea and rain, a vase and flowers. The most important thing is that when rotating the disc, the drawings complement each other and give the impression as if these two parts are combined into one drawing, on one plane.
Quick tips and steps to make a thaumatrope in the classroom.
You will need:
1. A circle made of paper and two holes on the sides
2. Cords attached to the sides of the diskette
3. Drawing tools (it is recommended to choose brighter colors to make the image clearer)
Production process:
1. Draw two associative pictures on both sides of the diskette (hint: on one side draw one larger object (boat, fish), and on the other - something enveloping or flooding (for example, an aquarium or rain)).
2. Tie the strings in the holes of the disc (tip: choose thicker strings that are easier to twist between the fingers
3. Rotate the thaumatrope in front of your eyes. By rotating faster and faster, the image will merge into one and we will see a boat in the rain or a fish in an aquarium. You can experiment with your children and try different combinations.
We invite you to get acquainted with other film illusion devices in the education organized by Kaunas film center "Romuva". "Cinema Illusion".