motion picture photography: The Camera

The traditional motion-picture camera (see under camera) was developed from simple multi-image devices that, when spun or flipped, display the parts of a continuous movement, which, combined with the ocular principle of persistence of vision, produce the illusion of movement. The camera takes a series of photographs on negative film; when the positive is moved through a projector at a speed consistent with that of the camera, they throw a realistically perceived moving image on a wall or screen. In the 21st cent., filmmakers have increasing used digital cameras instead of film cameras to create motion pictures, but the perception of a moving image is still created by recording and projecting a series of still images.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Prominent Cinematographers
• Wide-Screen and Other Processes
• Color
• Sound and Cinematography: Citizen Kane
• Sound
• Early Cinematography
• Film Editing
• The Camera
• Bibliography

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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