Zoetrope Animation

Zoetrope

A Zoetrope is one of many pre-film animation devices that use optical illusions of static image movement that make images become animated caused by our persistence of vision.

What a Zoetrope looks like when its working https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBg6dAE3mI0

It was created around 100BC by Chinese inventor Ding Huan However the exact nature of the zoetrope very unclear it is commonly miss reported by historians due to the variety of the device.

The basic drum like base Zoetrope was created around 1833-34 by A British Mathematician called William George Horner who was aware of the recently invented and closely related Phenakistoscope disc.

Horner cut slits in between the images so when the device was rotated it would have animated pictures he called this (Daedaleum) which was wrongly acclaimed to mean “The Wheel of the Devil” The Daedaleum failed to become popular till the 1860s when modifications to the device were made i.e. the slits were made higher than the images to make it easier to use and be able to replace the strips of image’s it was patented by both English and American inventors including Milton Bradley and William f. Lincoln who named his device ( The Zoetrope) meaning “ Wheel Of Life”.

How to Make

All you need to make a Zoetrope

  Circular cardboard container (4" diameter)

 Ruler

 Plastic thumbtack

Marker

 Utility knife

 Zoetrope template – Images of your Choice

 Scissors

Electrical tape

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nXbSRxR6yA

How it works

Zoetrope works by cutting slits in to the top or side of the cardboard container and placing your image wheel into the circular cardboard container and spinning the container which will generator the speed needed to animate the image.

Advantages

Very cheap to make easy to customize and change images

Disadvantages

time consuming to make and also may require a lot of artistic ability