Sunday, November 20, 2011

Mickey Mouse, Fred Flintstone and the Science of Animation


Did you know that cartoons and movies are made from a series of still images?   Here is how it works…. The human brain retains an image for a fraction of a second longer than the eye actually sees it. That is why the world doesn't suddenly go black every time you blink. When you watch a movie, what you are actually seeing are individual still frames of film projected at 24 frames per second. Each of these frames is separated by darkness, so you are sitting in a dark theatre about half of the time. What you perceive is one image blending into the next, giving the illusion of movement and continuity. The dark spaces are "ignored" by the brain.  This is called “Persistence of Vision”.

PERFORM SOME ANIMATION SCIENCE OVER THE THANKSGIVING BREAK – HERE’S HOW !

Make a flipbook using index cards, a stack of post-it-notes, or even an old book (with your parents’ permission).  Watch the two YouTube videos below to learn how to make a flipbook. 
You Tube Video 1

Start with simple stick figures then get creative! Impress your Thanksgiving guests with your application of science.

Bring your completed flipbook to school right after Thanksgiving break.  We will post the top three flipbooks on the blog!!!