Through temporary and ongoing exhibits, film screenings, and live discussions with artists, filmmakers, researchers, media educators, and other industry experts, the Museum of Moving Image (MOMI) carries out its primary goal both in-person and online.
The events at the Museum are renowned for their excellence, featuring live bands playing over silent films, recovered prints from the most respected archives in the world, and over 500 screenings annually showing an exceptional, dynamic combination of classic and modern films. In addition to a myriad of exhibitions and public events from screenings to celebrity speakers, the Museum’s collection and services include more than 130,000 objects, Reverse Shot (an online film magazine the museum founded), Sloan Science & Film, and more.
Ramsey Sweatmon, Manager of Art & Technology Education Program at MOMI, explains the significance of the moving image: “Over hundreds of years, and in the last century in particular, the moving image has developed from a novelty to a pervasive component of our everyday lives.
There’s no denying it: the moving image in all of its forms – film, tv, video, computer graphics, video games, VR – defines the experience of our lives as modern people. I love learning about and making moving image media because it is on the cutting edge of how we see, discuss, and think about ideas and art in the new age. Whether used to educate or entertain, this is how we share our perspectives.”
Denver’s Film Studies class along with Ms. Levey’s Introduction to Filmmaking and Advanced Filmmaking classes took a trip to Astoria Queens to visit the MOMI. On the field trip, students saw a combination of interactive, educational, and historical exhibits, starting with the interactive exhibit of an optical illusion designed by Gregory Barsamian named Feral Fount.
Film Studies teacher and school trip proctor, Denver speaks highly of this sculpture: “When the sculpture is seen in full light, it just looks like a spinning object, but when the viewer sees the sculpture under a strobe light, it suddenly becomes a three-dimensional animated piece,” says Denver. “I’ve never seen anything demonstrate better how film works.” The actual sculpture is a stroboscopic zoetrope that includes 97 objects rotating to create an animation, a concept that Barsamian dreamt of. In addition to the Feral Fount, Hewitt saw a historical display of cameras, TVs, and projectors, ranging from the 1800s to the 2000s, and even original projectors, called Magic Lanterns, dating back to the 1650s.
Film Studies student Hope Coven ‘23 states that “after visiting the MOMI, I have been able to understand the concepts of Mise-en-scène in my Film Studies class at Hewitt more thoroughly. Our tour guide showed us vintage cameras and props from famous films.”
Following their tour, the Hewitt group viewed a screening of Twelve Angry Men in the MOMI’s Redstone Theater, which pleased Denver. “When we screen films in class, we must necessarily break them up into parts to fit inside class hours, but a film is meant to be watched whole,” begins Denver. “The brain makes connections over the length of a feature film that can be missed when you see the film piecemeal.”
“The Museum of the Moving Image provides a great opportunity for film students to explore everything from how the illusion of film works to actual cameras and editing equipment,” comments Denver. “Seeing these things in person can make a huge difference in understanding and appreciation.” Film studies student Penelope Flouret ‘23 echoes this, saying, “Throughout the field trip, it was amazing to see all of the many elements that go into making a film that I never really stopped to think about previously.”
To plan your visit to the MOMI, you can seek out information and purchase tickets on their website Movingimage.us.