Museum of Moving Images

Hey guys,

Today I went to The Museum of Moving Images, which is located in Queens, Astoria. Inside the Museum was a gallery of film cameras and historic pieces that contributes to the film era. I had never seen so many different film cameras in my life. From the early stages of motion picture to the modern day film, my mind couldn’t believe the major improvements in film.

Along the way of the tour, my fellow colleagues and I were able to participate in one of the fun demos. The demo was called the “Video Flip Book,” it was an entertaining experience because we all jumped around in front of the camera while it was taking our pictures. When the demo was over, the pictures were then processed and made into a flip book. We flipped the pages from left to right and we saw a motion picture of ourselves jumping up and down. The flip book is a fascinating concept because video cameras in the film world shoot 24 pictures a second. So if you were to think about it, a regular 90 minute film consists of around 129,600 photos.

The next stop in the tour involves replacing sound in a movie scene. The film industry calls it “The interactive display for Automated Dialogue Replacement,” or ADR for short. This was my favorite stop in the tour because, as a kid, I always wondered how animals talk in movies. I luckily got picked by the tour host for a chance to participate in the demo. The scene that I was going to replace the sound in turned out to be the hit classic movie “Babe.” After many years of wondering how it was possible animals can talk in movies, I get the chance to work on one of my favorite animal movies. When the tour host gave me the cue, I spoke into the microphone with what was written in front of the screen. Then my voice recording was processed to the movie scene. When played back, I witnessed a pig speaking with my voice. I was amazed and stunned on the outcome because the pig looked like it was really talking with my voice. I was then informed that the animals had peanut butter in their mouths so that their mouths would keep moving through out the movie shoot.

If anyone has any questions about cinema, go to the Museum of Moving Images. You will not be disappointed and all your questions will be answered. I had a great time and an overall experience. Stay tune for my next post.

-Ling