Early Cinema Paraphernalia
From optical toys to kinetoscope, the enchanting tools that breathed life to the dawn of cinema in the late 19th century are on display at the Thai Film Archive.
Magic Lantern (2020-10-17) by Thai Film ArchiveThai Film Archive
Magic lantern
Shadow play is a prehistoric form of "image projection". Around 400 years ago, laterna magica -- the magic lantern -- was invented. This early image projector beams a painting or picture from a transparent plate on the wall.
Pinhole Camera (2020-12-28) by Thai Film ArchiveThai Film Archive
Pinhole camera
The pinhole camera is a simple wooden box with a pin-sized and a mirror. The light goes through the hole and cast an inverted image on the far end of the box.
The Praxinoscope (2019-08-10) by Thai Film ArchiveThai Film Archive
Persistence of vision
The key concept of cinema is the persistence of vision: how the human eyes perceive the continuity of images even after they have already disappeared. The Thai Film Archive displays several objects and museum pieces that demonstrate this concept.
Phinakistiscope (2020-12-28) by Thai Film ArchiveThai Film Archive
Optical toys
A sequence of still images presented in quick succession will create an illusion of movement. Optical toys such as Flip books, Thaumatrope, Praxinoscope, apply this idea and "deceive" audiences that they're seeing moving images.
Kinora (1896-02) by Auguste and Louis LumièreThai Film Archive
Optical toys
These "toys" were improved over times and brought the idea of "moving pictures" towards its completion.
Horse in Motion (2019-04-09) by Thai Film ArchiveThai Film Archive
Moving images
Eadweard Muybridge went a step further by combining photography and optical illusion. In his photographic experiment, he captured a galloping horse in a sequence of still snapshots. When the series of still images were projected, the horse appeared to be running.
Eadweard James Muybridge (2019-04-09) by Thai Film ArchiveThai Film Archive
Eadweard James Muybridge
Muybridge's experiment became an inspiration to other early cinema pioneers. At the Thai Film Archive, Muybridge is waiting to welcome you all!
Black MariaThai Film Archive
Black Maria
Thomas Edison, hearing about Muybridge's galloping-horse experiment, was spurred into action and went on to invent his version of image projector and also the world's first photographic studio: Black Maria.
Kinetoscope
Edison put a sequence of still pictures on a Kodak's film strip and projected it inside a peepshow-style device called Kinetoscope.
The Kinetoscope Parlor (2018-12-28) by Thai Film ArchiveThai Film Archive
Kinetoscope Parlor
In a Kinetoscope Parlor, viewers slipped a coin into the machine to view the moving pictures. The parlor was a popular form of entertainment in the mid-1890s. The Thai Film Archive has a functioning Kinetoscope Parlor for all visitors to experience
The replica of Cinematograph (2016-12-28) by Thai Film ArchiveThai Film Archive
The Cinématographe
In 1895, the Lumiere Brothers invented The Cinématographe , the first film camera and projector. The Cinématographe allowed a sequence of still pictures to be projected onto a screen. Their first film projection to the paying public took place on December 28, 1895.
The Cinematograph (2018-12-28) by Thai Film ArchiveThai Film Archive
The Thai Film Archive has a replica of The Cinematographe, as well as other early cinema film cameras. We have also built a replica of Salin Indien, where the Lumiere Brothers held their first film projection.
