Moving-Image Media

Development

The precursor to moving-image media is the performance books popular on Eihlari in the early 1600s Vol. Eihlarians have a long tradition of live performance, and the exact-image reproduction techniques developed in the 1500s Vol opened up the possibility of recording scenes from a performance. It became standard for troupes to stage a show specifically for making close-up images of key moments, then combining those images into a book for audience members to refer to during the performance. Some used the trick of making several images over a short timeframe to provide the illusion of motion.
The books fell out of fashion when troupes began the practice of shining a bright light through the transparent vinegar paper templates, projecting the magnified images on a white surface and providing the same up-close context without spending as much time and resources on making books. A spinning mask drum projected image sequences quickly to make them appear to move, but since making the sequences required the performers to run the scene slowly, the motion in the projected sequence looked jerky and unnaturally stiff.
By 1725 Vol, new chemicals with greater light sensitivity reduced the amount of light required to get a good image. Troupes could make quick images of a scene as it was happening, resulting in a more lifelike presentation. A further improvement was the use of a timed flashing light instead of the drum to project the images one at a time while remaining synchronized with the live performance.

Social Impact

The introduction of moving sequences was immediately and immensely popular. While there are some troupes now that exclusively create performances entirely as moving images, for the most part they are integrated into a live show. They make small facial expressions visible even for distant viewers, or direct the audience's attention to an important part of the scene. They can also be used to distract an audience, to draw their attention elsewhere while performers and stagehands move into and out of the show.