The Museum of Moving Image (MOMI) is filled with different kinds of exhibition and demos that specifically deal with mass media and communications. The museum is located right next to the Kaufman Astoria Studios which give it a very ‘Hollywood’ feel when entering the area. The first demo I experienced was the optical illusion wheels. It was a basic image of a man running but wheel created an illusion of the moving cycle. My mistake was that I spin the wheel the wrong way, so the man kept running backwards.
One of my favorite exhibition was the different types of film cameras. They had on display so many diverse cameras. Their size was colossal compared to the film cameras we used in lab. I like that these cameras had tripods instead of being on a wheelie, they look like art pieces instead of usable items.

The flip book maker was a fun demo to do. A tough aspect that I learn was putting my skills of finding the right camera angle to the test. The camera was stable so it was a basic zoom in and out, and tilt up and down. That’s what made it difficult, was that once I moved into the screen, my body was not fitting properly in the screen. Overall, the museum allowed me to realize how not all new technology is good. New movies always rely on CGI and computer graphics, but the museum made me see how a simple thing, like old fashioned costumes or make up can had a great depth to the film.

-Roberto Moreno
Blog #4 MOMI Reflections