How Film Projectors Turn Still Frames Into Moving Pictures

Have you ever wondered how film projectors are able to turn still frames on film into moving images in our minds? No, the film isn’t simply pulled between a lamp and lens — it’s actually a lot more complicated than that.

Above is a great 8.5-minute video by Bill Hammack the “engineerguy” on the mechanics of the film projector. He looks into the individual mechanisms used before digital technology to trick the human brain into thinking it’s seeing moving images. It’s a complex system that involves precisely synced moments running at high speeds.