L'homme machine

Etienne-Jules Marey was a French scientist, physiologist, and chronophotographer. Chronophotography is a scientific measurement technique in which photography is used for analysis, often the locomotion of living creatures. In fact, Marey coined the phrase.

Marey devised integral cameras using a single lens and a single imaging surface for photography of phases of the moon. This contrasted with the efforts of others in the field, who used multiple cameras or multiple-lens cameras.

In the 1880s Marey devised a camera that looked like a trolley car that could follow a moving subject. It was during this time, in 1885, that he produced this schematic visualization of movies he made of running people to understand the physiology of human movement.

Directed by Étienne-Jules Marey "L'homme machine" is animated stick drawings representing a man walking. Earlier animations had been done with zoetropes and then praxinoscopes so Marey wasn't alone in this. You need only see. "Zimm. Boum. Boum!" "Le singe musicien," or "La Rosace Magique" to name a few early animations.

A fun fact I read regarding Marey though is that he was able to actually film at 60 fps way back in the 19th century. I wonder how true that is considering early films were a grainy, crude 12 fps. "L'homme machine" was NOT filmed at 60 fps. But I'd like to see what he did film at that rate if he did at all.

Watched on YouTube.