Origins of Scientific Cinematography, The

Synopsis

A DVD of the 3-volume video set produced during 1990-1993 to illustrate the book of the same title by Virgilio Tosi.
Part 1: A compilation of documentary film sequences arranged chronologically in six sections to support the thesis that cinematography had its roots in sciences. Sequences show the astronomer J. Janssen’s ‘photographic revolver’ (1873-4), designed to record the passage of Venus in front of the sun; Eadweard Muybridge’s development of serial photography of human and animal locomotion (1878-87); and Etienne-Jules Marey’s ‘photographic gun’ (1882), and his models of the ‘chronophotograph’ (1882-93), along with his first research films. These early cine cameras have been video recorded in several European museums, with animations explaining how they were operated. Original films and serial images are shown as moving pictures.

Part 2: Deals with the technical advancements of scientific cinematography initiated by the pioneers Janssen, Marey and Muybridge. Between 1883 and 1914 and in different countries, scientists, photographers, teachers, and officers like A. Londe, H. Sebert, O. Anschütz, E. Cohlrausch, G. Demeny, L. Bull, R. von Lendenfeld and P. Noguès were interested in applying moving pictures to their fields of activity. They developed cinematographic equipment for producing serial images and film shots with natural and flash light. These images were used for documenting and analysing human and animal movements as well as ballistic processes

Part3: A compilation film with sequences from the first 20 scientific films, which were made between 1895 and 1911. The subjects include biology (Pfeffer, Ries, Comandon, Polimanti, Carvallo), medicine (Marinescu, Posadas, Doyen, von Bergmann, Negro, MacIntyre, Lomon), technical sciences (Cranz) mathematics (Münch), ethnology (Regnault, Haddon, Spencer, Krämer, Pöch). Most shots were made by industrial film cameras and special devices for time-lapse and slow motion as well as for cinemicrography and X-ray cinematography. Some sequences that were not available were reconstructed from published photos of serial shots.

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Year of production

1994

Availability

out of distribution

Documentation

See also Virgilio Tosi’s accompanying book, published in English as: Cinema Before Cinema: The Origins of Scientific Cinematography.

Subjects

Science

Keywords

cinematography; history of science; history of technology; Janssen, J; Marey, Etienne-Jules (1830-1904); Muybridge, Eadweard James (1830-1904); scientific cinematography

Credits

Director

Hans-Karl Galle; Virgilio Tosi

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Format

Region 2 PAL

Price

£49.99

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

104 minutes

Year

2006

Sections

Title

Pioneers, The 1

Synopsis

1: A compilation of documentary film sequences arranged chronologically in six sections to support the thesis that cinematography had its roots in sciences. Sequences show the astronomer J. Janssen's 'photographic revolver' (1873-4), designed to record th

Title

Technical developments around the turn of the century

Synopsis

2: Deals with the technical advancements of scientific cinematography initiated by the pioneers Janssen, Marey and Muybridge. Between 1883 and 1914 and in different countries, scientists, photographers, teachers, and officers like A. Londe, H. Sebert, O.

Title

Early applications

Synopsis

3: A compilation film with sequences from the first 20 scientific films, which were made between 1985 and 1911. The subjects include biology (Pfeffer, Ries, Comandon, Polimanti, Carvallo), medicine (Marinescu, Posadas, Doyen, von Bergmann, Negro, MacIntyr

Production Company

Name

CNRS Audiovisuel

Phone

45 07 56 86

Fax

45 07 69 00

Address

92195 Meudon Cedex
FRANCE

Name

Institut für den Wissenschaftlichen Film

Name

Rome