Bill Douglas Cinema Museum: The 'Flicks'

We went to the movies in my last post and saw Bill Douglas' extensive collection of film memorabilia, housed in the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum in Exeter.

His collecting didn't stop at all things 'moving image'.

He went back, to the time before we all started going to the cinema.

The magic of the moving image began before cinemas.

Like with this zoetrope with horses galloping.

Here's a selection of images, to have a go for yourself.

Here's a Mutoscope. Not a risque one!

It's brilliant, to be able to see how it works.

Turn the handle and the pictures flip by, making it look like things are moving.

Like a giant flip-book.

Apparently they were popular at the British seaside right up until the 1970s.

Now Magic Lanterns.

Stories told through slides projected onto screens. In colour too!

English Church History anyone?

Or the story of Robinson Crusoe?

Or perhaps Red Riding Hood?

A later, mass produced version for the kids.

A 'Mickey Mouse toy Lantern Outfit'.

If you hadn't got a magic lantern, you could always make your own amusement with shadow puppets.

Perhaps with your hands...

...or with this beautiful Shadow Theatre.

You could intrigue your friends and family with magic mirrors!

Or with pictures in 3D?

With the stereoscope.

My grandad had a stereoscope in the 1950/60s.

He had to stop using it in the 70s when he couldn't get the double slides developed anymore.

Sharing family photos took rather a long time, passing it round, waiting for our turn to look through the viewer.

But then we were rewarded with the magic of the 3D photo.

He was always taking photos, instead of asking us to smile, he'd say 'show us your teeth'.

I still keep my mouth closed now when someone takes a photo of me!

A Viewmaster.

'I've got one of those somewhere', my mum.

We probably have all got one of those somewhere.

Here' a much more low-tech way of making 3D pictures.

No scrabbling round for batteries, for the stereoscope light-bulb, when they run out.

And finally I give you 'sound'!

Thomas Edison's Phonograph.

Sound recorded with a needle on a hollow tube of hardened wax.

However did he come up with that idea?

The first recording was made in 1877,

of 'Mary had a Little Lamb'.

I do however save one last encore for the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum Activity Box.

It was magic, for both adults and kids.

Viewmaster, 3D pictures, magic mirrors, zoetrope, flick books, optical illusions, thaumatrope (spinning discs), shadow shows and more.

Kept us amused for ages.

Big thanks to Big Douglas Cinema Museum for this.

An authentic hands-on experience, and ironically not a screen in sight.

So following this, pictures began to move. You can read all about the moving image in my previous post,

Bill Douglas Cinema Museum; Lets go to the movies! here.

Find out more on the the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum website.

Not only will you find information about visiting,

but it also has a brilliant 'Kids Zone', which I think should be called an 'Kids, Adults & Everyone Zone'.