To kick off our Professional Frameworks study, we were given a fascinating lecture on Victorian lantern photographs and the history behind cinema. Andrew Gill is the owner of Victorian Optical Entertainment, and gave us an insight into how people used to view photographs until well into the 20th century, followed by an amazing cinema viewing of the slides he owned and treasures. He showed us a Magic Lantern (see below), and said "The magic lantern was the forerunner of the pre-digital, 35mm slide projector which, you may recall (if you're of a certain age), was a device used in the later 20th century to inflict our holiday photos on our friends and neighbours." (Huffington Post, 2012)
Image taken from http://www.grand-illusions.com/acatalog/Magic_Lantern.html
The most interesting thing that I learnt from this lecture was how amazing quality the slides were, they were like nothing I have ever seen before. The crispness and quality of the details were amazing, and better than I've seen on my DSLR camera! I also learnt about the history of the "peep show", now a common reference to a dirty or sexy show, it originally began as a means for children to see a 3D view in a box.
This lecture inspired me to look into different ways to present my work and how my film will be view in my Advanced Photographic Practices module. I was especially inspired by the Zoetrope concept, where you spin a circle around to reveal a moving photograph. It would be something amazing to make and view in a gallery as part of an exhibition. I am also very interested in the history of photography and art, so this presentation proved interesting for me.
References
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/andrew-gill/the-movies-200-years-before-cinema_b_1788691.html, accessed 21/10/2014.
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