Pre-Cinematic Animation

Prerequisites: All OF THE FOLLOWING: ARTDES 243: Intro to Animation.

Description: Before modern cinema, 19^th century optical toys such as the ​“wonder turner” and the ​“wheel of the Devil” entertained through the illusion of motion. In this course, students learn various analog techniques to animate still images (photographic, drawn or collaged). They learn to make devices that rely upon the persistence of vision, such as thaumatropes, flipbooks, and zoetropes. They look at other pre-cinematic forms such as tunnel books, shadow play, and moving panoramas. The course focus is on developing students’ ideas via animation and expanding their knowledge of the forms that animation can take.

Frequency: This course is typically offered in the winter term of even-numbered years, though scheduling may vary according to future term circumstances.