Praxinoscope

Of the praxinoscope we can say that it is the successor of the zoetrope . It is a more elaborate device whose inventor was the Frenchman Charles Émile Raynaud and consisted of a drum that rotated with a ring of mirrors placed in the center and with a strip full of drawings that was located on the inner wall of the drum. By manually turning the drum, the drawings begin to come to life. It was used in the optical theater giving a great show from the projection of different cartoonsplaced in a flexible band with perforations that managed to present up to 15 images per second. The images that were projected inside the praxinoscope had to be drawn by hand on the film and their projections were properly synchronized with music and some different sound effects .

Who Invented the Praxinoscope

The praxinoscope was an apparatus created for the theater and was invented by Émile Reynaud in 1879. This apparatus was very similar to the zoetrope and even used almost the same system to be able to give animation to images, it was itself a kind of zoetrope, with the difference that replaced the drum grooves with mirrors inside it. The biggest difference that existed with the zoetrope is that in the praxinoscope the moving images are seen through a glass that reflects a latent fixed image that is the scene.

History

During the 30s of the 19th century, different types of optical toys were made whose function was to offer the illusion of movement through different sequences of images that passed before different types of shutters . At that time, Reynaud was in charge of manufacturing the praxinoscopes that were later traded and sold as toys. The invention received an honorable mention at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1878. Years after inventing the praxinoscope, Charles-Émile Reynaud made several improvements to his invention, and in 1888 he christened it Théâtre Optique (Optical Theater ). This device was widely used in Europe and the United Statesas a form of fun. In 1888 a step forward was taken and the optical theater was invented , in which the images from the praxinoscope were projected in public on a large screen .

How the praxinoscope works

The praxinoscope is a toy that has been created and whose function is to create a series of images that constantly change and that consists of drawings that follow an order and sequence which are mounted on a rotating drum , specifically on its internal wall. which at the same time are reflected by another drum that has different sides provided with a set of mirrors in the same quantity as the number of drawings that is being presented. These drawings are rotated in the opposite way so that they can be seen through a lens specially designed for this purpose. As a result of this process, people can observe aclear sequence and cleanin which the images can be merged correctly achieving an animation effect . The praxinoscope moves through repetitive movements forming an action marked by the activation and deactivation of the mechanism of each object. The look and the correct manipulation of the device are two crucial aspects for its proper functioning since the viewer must keep his gaze fixed.

How to make a homemade praxinoscope

• The first thing we must do is get a large mirror and then divide it into 12 equal parts to form a pyramid , these mirrors must be adhered with special glue to prevent them from coming off.
• You must get some kind of stick-shaped wood to make the gears and to be able to provide movements to the drum and mirrors .
• A wooden base that has a circular shape must be elaborated or obtained and in it create a central axis so that in this way the project achieves a good support and the balance is adequate.
• Then create a wooden crank and a base apart from it to provide a greater grip which will allow the proper rotary movement and the production of the optical images .
• After doing this, we proceed to paint the parts of the color that is preferred and then, the mirrors are placed in the center. At the end of these steps, the sequence that will be placed inside the drum can be drawn . It is placed inside and rotated quickly to be able to observe the sequence of the images that we have drawn.