What is a zoetrope?
The zoetrope is a primitive optical device, which was invented around 1834, before the film was. It brings cartoon figures on a paper stripe to life as if by magic. It shows simple repetitive movements of one second such as walking, waving, hopping, opening and closing etc..
Learning objectives
The participant is familiarised with the technical basics of film by learning how optical devices such as zoetropes and praxinoscopes work.
By doing it himself, he learns about the creative and expressive possibilities of animation.
Participants practise reducing their imagined animation to the essentials, dividing it into 15 images and depicting it as an endless cyclical movement within the defined image area, e.g. on the strip of paper.
The aim of the workshop is to develop your own creativity, share your experiences with other participants and work together as a team to develop and present a final audiovisual presentation.
What do we do in the zoetrope workshop?
In the zoetrope workshop we work with different animation techniques, such as cartoon, cut-out and object animation.
A workshop can consist of modules 1 to 4. Each module is offered either individually on one or more days or in combination over several days to cover different focal points.
In module 1, each participant creates one-second animations of repetitive movements on a paper strip. He tests and presents his animation on historical optical devices such as a zoetrope or praxinoscope.
In module 2, we make a zoetrope.
In module 3, participants draw or model their animation on a disc, such as cork or vinyl, and bring it to life using strobe lights to showcase the animation in motion.
In module 4, we work on presenting the animations with music and sounds and produce a short animated film.
At the end of a workshop we present the results on the optical devices.
See detailed description of the modules below.