The Evolution Of Cinema: What's Missing?

The history of cinema is a long and fascinating one, with several precursors to the modern film as we know it. From Paleolithic cave paintings to Plato's Allegory of the Cave, the concept of sequential images has a rich history. However, one may wonder what is missing from this sequential list of cinema's constitution. While the development of cinema has been extensively studied, there are still gaps in our knowledge. For instance, the role of early media such as shadow puppetry and stroboscopic animation in the evolution of cinema is often overlooked. Furthermore, the impact of cultural and geographical differences on the precursors of cinema is not always fully explored. By examining these missing pieces, we can gain a more comprehensive understanding of cinema's rich history and the diverse influences that have shaped it.

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Paleolithic cave paintings

The Paleolithic cave paintings are a fascinating aspect of archaeology, providing a window into the artistic expressions and beliefs of our prehistoric ancestors. These paintings, often found on cave walls and ceilings, offer valuable insights into the history of Homo sapiens and their capacity for abstract thought.

The earliest known cave paintings date back to the Upper Paleolithic period, over 40,000 years ago. Notable examples include the paintings found in the caves of Sulawesi, Indonesia, which feature hand stencils and simple geometric shapes. More recently, archaeologists discovered a 45,500-year-old painting of a warty pig in the Leang Tedongnge cave in Indonesia, providing evidence of early human settlement in the region.

The themes and subjects depicted in Paleolithic cave paintings vary, but animal figures are predominant. These include depictions of powerful beasts such as cave lions, mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses, and cave bears, as well as later representations of horses, bison, and ibex. The Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc cave in France, for instance, features charcoal drawings of two head-to-head rhinoceroses. Birds and fish were rarely depicted, and drawings of humans were usually schematic rather than detailed.

The pigments used in these ancient paintings include red and yellow ochre, hematite, manganese oxide, and charcoal. The colours often appear brown or red, and the images are often engraved or stencilled onto the cave walls. Some paintings were modified repeatedly over thousands of years, indicating a continuous artistic tradition.

There are various theories about the creators and purposes of Paleolithic cave paintings. One theory suggests that they were created by Paleolithic shamans who entered trance states in the depths of caves and painted visions inspired by their spiritual experiences. Another idea is that the paintings were predominantly created by adolescent males, as analysed from surrounding handprint evidence.

Ancient Egyptian murals

Ancient Egyptian art refers to art produced in ancient Egypt between the 6th millennium BC and the 4th century AD. It includes paintings, sculptures, drawings on papyrus, faience, jewellery, ivories, architecture, and other art media. The art form served a functional purpose that was intertwined with religion and ideology. To depict a subject in art was to give it permanence. Thus, ancient Egyptian art portrayed an idealised, unrealistic view of the world.

Murals were an important part of ancient Egyptian art. The earliest appearance of mural decoration is found in tomb 100 at Hierakonpolis, dating back to the early Gerzean (Naqada II) period. Tomb walls were decorated with reliefs or painted scenes, which provided some certainty of the perpetuation of life. In temples, mural decoration was believed to magically ensure the performance of important ceremonies and reinforce the memory of royal deeds.

The medium of decoration and an increased range of motifs used in tomb decoration led to the introduction of small, often entertaining details into standard scenes. The tiny tombs of Menna and Nakht are full of such playful vignettes. The paintings in great tombs, such as that of Rekhmire, are more formal but still crammed with unusual detail. Fragments of mural and floor paintings from palaces and houses at Thebes and Tell el-Amarna provide glimpses of the marsh and garden settings of everyday upper-class life.

Mural decorations were in paint when the ground was mud brick or poor-quality stone, and in relief when the walls were in good stone. Painting and drawing formed the basis of what was to be carved in relief, and the finished carving was itself commonly painted. In tombs, the mural decorations might be left unfinished, being only partly sketched or carved by the time of burial.

Stroboscopic animation

The stroboscopic effect is a visual phenomenon that occurs when continuous rotational or cyclic motion is represented by a series of short or instantaneous samples, known as aliasing. This effect can be achieved through mechanical means, such as with a strobe light, or through digital means, such as with a computer. The frequency of illumination can vary, resulting in different visual effects. Up to 80 Hertz, it is called visible flicker, and from 80 to 2000 Hertz, it is called the stroboscopic effect. A third effect, the phantom array or ghosting effect, occurs from 80 to 6500 Hertz and is caused by rapid eye movements.

One example of a stroboscopic animation toy is the Zoetrope, which consists of a cylinder with a set number of slits and the same number of images on the inside. When the Zoetrope is moved at a fast speed, a looping animation can be seen through the slits, with as many frames as there are images. This creates the illusion of motion, similar to a film projector. Other classic toys that use stroboscopic effects include Phénakistiscopes and spinning tops.

Overall, stroboscopic animation is a technique that uses the stroboscopic effect to create the illusion of motion through a series of still images. This effect has been used in film, toys, and digital animations to trick the mind into perceiving motion where there is none.

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Thaumatropes

The invention of the thaumatrope is usually credited to British physician John Ayrton Paris, who described the device in his 1827 educational book for children, "Philosophy in Sport Made Science in Earnest", with an illustration by George Cruikshank. However, British mathematician Charles Babbage recalled in 1864 that the thaumatrope was invented by geologist William Henry Fitton. Babbage had told Fitton about how the astronomer John Herschel had challenged him to show both sides of a shilling at once, and Fitton believed that this was the origin of the thaumatrope. French artist Antoine Claudet supported this claim in 1867, stating that he had heard Paris say that he got the idea for the thaumatrope after witnessing Herschel's rotating coin trick.

In addition to superimposing images, thaumatropes sometimes included riddles or short poems, with one line on each side of the disk. They were popular in the mid-1800s, and pirate copies soon became common and were much cheaper than the original product. Original copies are now very rare, with only one extant set produced by W. Phillips currently known, and a single disc at the Cinématheque Française.

Shadow puppetry

One famous origin story of Chinese shadow puppetry is associated with Emperor Wu of Han. According to the tale, the emperor's favourite concubine passed away, and a magician named Shao-weng promised to raise her spirit. The emperor observed a shadow that resembled her moving behind the curtains where the magician had placed lit torches. Although the original text does not explicitly mention shadow puppetry, this story is often associated with the art form's beginnings.

Over time, the materials used for shadow puppets evolved. Initially, they were made from paper, as mentioned in a book from 1235, but they were later crafted from coloured leather or parchment. The puppets were typically cut-outs with jointed limbs, made from translucent or transparent leather, allowing light to pass through and create a captivating visual effect.

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