Journal Entry – Week 2

Can you imagine being an audience member at one of Gaspard Robertson’s “Fantasmagorie” shows in 1797? What do you think your reaction would have been? Can you think of any form of entertainment that would elicit the same emotions today?

It would have been a shocking and surprising, I would imagine myself having goosebumps as the show progresses, I would definitely see myself as part of the audience, since many books would be boring, I feel that this show would promise more than a story, I think something that resembles the emotions of the audience, including me, back then with something from the present, it would be cinema, since just like back then, images are presented to us through a screen, they do not come out and scare but they entertain, the images shown present a higher level and you can really feel that You are in the movie while it tells a story, whether comedy, horror, or romance.

Prompt 3: Can you imagine being an audience member at one of Gaspard Robertson’s “Fantasmagorie” shows in 1797? What do you think your reaction would have been? Can you think of any form of entertainment that would elicit the same emotions today?

If I was in attendance to one of Robertson’s Fantasmagorie shows in 1797, I would be in shock and disbelief at the events that are unfolding before me. Seeing flying ghouls and skeletons parade around the room in a period before cinema came into being would leave anyone in a state of panic. I can not say I would be too thrilled to see the performance for a second time but the experience would leave me impressed with how far Gaspard Robertson was able to advance the magic lantern technology. The only form of current day entertainment that I fill would elicit the same emotions to me would be attending a 4D movie showing for the first time. Bone chilling visuals of ghosts and skeletons dancing around would be scary enough but a 4D film would be able to attack your other senses as well to enhance the experience. Some examples of how they would go about doing so would involve vibrations in your seats, temperature changes in the theatre, and smoke machines that would be timed with certain scenes to enhance the immersion of the viewers.

Can you imagine being an audience member at one of Gaspard Robertson’s “Fantasmagorie” shows in 1797? What do you think your reaction would have been? Can you think of any form of entertainment that would elicit the same emotions today? (Re-)read/watch these resources for inspiration:

My Answer:

Gaspard Robertson’s “Fantasmagorie” shows in 1797 would have been a unique and thrilling experience for the audiences of that time. These shows were early precursors to modern cinema and involved the use of magic lanterns and other optical devices to create ghostly and supernatural illusions. As an audience member at one of these shows, my reaction would likely have been a mix of awe, fear, and wonder. In terms of contemporary entertainment that elicits similar emotions today, modern technology has opened up a wide range of possibilities. Virtual reality (VR) experiences, for example, can create immersive and otherworldly environments that leave audiences in awe. Haunted houses and horror-themed attractions continue to evoke fear and excitement, much like Robertson’s shows did in his time. Additionally, cutting-edge visual effects in movies and live performances can still generate wonder and astonishment, just as Robertson’s optical illusions did in the 18th century. Ultimately, the emotions experienced by an audience member at a “Fantasmagorie” show in 1797 were rooted in the novelty and spectacle of the time. While the specific technology and techniques have evolved, the human desire for awe, fear, and wonder in entertainment remains a constant, and there are many modern forms of entertainment that continue to satisfy these desires.

Journal Entry – Week 2

Prompt 2
Both cave paintings and shadow puppetry are forms of oral storytelling – an ancient and intimate tradition wherein the storyteller and his audience inhabit the same space. Can you think of other forms of oral storytelling? Have you ever experienced/participated in this type of storytelling (as a storyteller or audience members)? Describe and reflect on these experiences. How are they different/similar to the examples above.

Answer:

There are other forms of oral storytelling that requires the audience and the storyteller to be in the same space, one of the many forms of storytelling that I’m aware of are stories that involve legends and myths from the past. People who know these stories would pass them down to their audience in order to make sure that these wonderful stories are kept alive for a brand-new generation in the near future, this is similar to how shadow puppetry is being kept alive by Fan Zheng’an due to his strong passion with keeping his traditional culture alive and spreading that culture to his audience so that they can have knowledge of their culture. Myths and Legends have the same effect as shadow puppetry where it heavily relates to the culture of those who tell them, an example being Japan who tells their myths about gods and mythical beings that they once believed to exist!

While I have never participated in any form of oral storytelling, I have always been fascinated in learning more about oral storytelling and have researched about it during my spare time. The most recent interest that I’ve gained would be learning about Mayan mythology and legends, with the Mayans being able to tell their stories not just verbally but also through the form of dance and music while needing to have enough knowledge to tell those stories about their gods.

Prompt 3

Can you imagine being an audience member at one of Gaspard Robertson’s “Fantasmagorie” shows in 1797? What do you think your reaction would have been? Can you think of any form of entertainment that would elicit the same emotions today?

My answer:

If I was an audience member at one of Gaspard Robertson’s “Fantasmagorie” shows in 1797, I would probably be terrified — depending on whether I had been born in that time period, or if somehow my present self got transported to one of those shows. If I was the latter, I would certainly be terrified, because I would have never seen anything in my life like that before; of course, no one else would have either. In addition, I admit that I am regrettably very easily frightened and anxious, so I feel like given the fact I would have never seen the likes of that before, that it of course depicted scary things like ghosts and demons with other factors to add to the spookiness, ADDED to the fact that I am faint of heart, I probably would have passed out right there on the spot. To be honest, I don’t think I’d ever like one of those shows, no matter how many times I would have went to one.

In the present day, horror movies can be thought of as a form of entertainment that shares similarities with the Fantasmagorie horror shows, but the first similar modern day “entertainment” that I thought of was going to a “haunted house”. Maybe in an amusement park, on Halloween, etc. There are physical props of skeletons and the like, it’s dimly lit to make it seem more realistic (darkness is spooky, plus, you won’t be able to see the props as clearly) and spooky sound effects, candles, lighting, music, and timed jumpscares all add to the experience. And it is an “experience” — you go in, go through it, and leave, just like a show. So I feel like a haunted house, as a modern form of entertainment, is especially similar to Gaspard Robertson’s “Fantasmagorie” shows in 1797. (Yes, it would elicit the same emotions today. People who are weak of heart would probably be terrified in the same manner, if they fall for how believable it is. I myself have run out of many a haunted house screaming LOL)

Respond to at least 1 prompt on this page (you are welcome to respond to more). For instructions on how to submit a journal entry, please follow these instructions. FORMATTING FOR THIS WEEK: Use the title format “[FirstName] [LastName] W2” and select the Category “Journal Entry – Week 2”

Prompt 1

We looked at pre-cinema animation and some examples of early cinema animation. These examples span cultures and timelines. Pick 2 from different times or countries and find commonalities and differences.

Prompt 2

Both cave paintings and shadow puppetry are forms of oral storytelling – an ancient and intimate tradition wherein the storyteller and his audience inhabit the same space. Can you think of other forms of oral storytelling? Have you ever experienced/participated in this type of storytelling (as a storyteller or audience members)? Describe and reflect on these experiences. How are they different/similar to the examples above. (Re-)read/watch these resources for inspiration:

• “Early Humans Made Animated Art: How Paleolithic artists used fire to set the world’s oldest art in motion” article by Zach Zorich
• “The Master of Shadow Puppets” video by Great Big Story

Prompt 3

Can you imagine being an audience member at one of Gaspard Robertson’s “Fantasmagorie” shows in 1797? What do you think your reaction would have been? Can you think of any form of entertainment that would elicit the same emotions today? (Re-)read/watch these resources for inspiration:

• “Robertson’s Fantastic Phantasmagoria, An 18th Century Spectacle of Horror” article by Allison Meier