After having visited the museum two years ago, I already knew what to expect. However, I was unaware of the renovations going on so I was a bit distracted and confused as to where the entrance was. After finding it, I paid my $2 donation and preceded to the 2nd floor exhibit “Behind the Screen.” Instantly, it made me realize how different films were back in the day in the 1920s and on. We have much evolved since the silent and black and white films. The wall that displayed backstage footage of various movies appealed to me since almost all were filmed somewhere in New York. I absolutely loved the wall of the portraits of the numerous movie stars of the 1920s and on. Immediately I noticed Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Lucille Ball, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman from Casablanca, Paul Newman, Clint Eastwood and Elizabeth Taylor among many others. I also saw Whoopi Goldberg and Meryl Streep. The security guy was very friendly and assisted me in recognizing the actors from Old Hollywood as well as explaining some of their background work as successful and renowned actors. After seeing these portraits, I saw the displays of several wigs, molds and castings, make-up, and the dental plumper worn by Marlon Brando in The Godfather. I found it pretty amazing that this museum held these artifacts. Moments later, my memory was refreshed with the costume section that I absolutely loved. Eddie Murphy’s Gumby costume from SNL stood out from a distance right away as well as the sweaters worn by Bill Cosby in The Bill Cosby Show. Robin Williams’ costumes from Mork & Mindy were included along with his clothing worn in Mrs. Doubtfire. I also enjoyed seeing the costumes from Chicago worn by Richard Gere, Catherine Zeta Jones and Renee Zellweger. After exploring this floor and seeing the never ending memorabilia of Star Trek, I went to the third floor which displayed the first cameras used for television. Overall, I enjoyed my second visit but I do look forward to the expansion which will be completed by sometime next year. It is a great place to take family and friends to learn the background history of television and movies. Anyone would be surprised to find even the most random articles such as the optical toys introduced in the Victorian days to the life-size dummy of the infamous Linda Blair from The Exorcist.

Being very interested in film, I was like a kid in a candy store from the moment I entered the third floor of The Museum of Moving Image. I was immediately drawn to a small room with a giant rotating cylinder with various objects attached. I was unsure of what I was supposed to be looking for when suddenly the lights went out and a strobe light began to flash. “The Feral Fount” was a series sculptures, quickly rotating in a circle, and when the strobe light is turned on and flashed 13 times per second, is allows us to perceive a moving image. As I moved through the museum I flipped through the Mutoscope featuring “A Trip to the Moon,” played around with images at the Animation Station, took a trip through the history of film equipment, and was in awe of the anatomic dummy from “The Exorcist.”

I wandered down to the second floor where I was greeted by various forms of “mise-en-scene”: costumes, hair and makeup, and film soundtracks. I was so excited to see the familiar faces of Chewbacca, The Elephant Man, and Eddie Murphy as Gumby. I moved through the costume section with a new found appreciation for film costume designers and their intricate work. Bill Cosby’s sweaters made me giggle! I found the section of the exhibit which was and archive of movie soundtracks and I happily listened the famous songs from Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Titanic. At 1:30 pm, I took a seat in Tut’s Palace to watch a foreign film called, “The Red Balloon.” I loved the film and the museum and overall it was my favorite trip so far! I cannot wait to go back!

First off I was terrified to go to queens all by myself. I was extremely proud of myself when I arrived at the museum because I had made it! I was not expecting this museum to be very interesting, I was very confused by the structure of the museum considering it was in a tower type structure. I started on the third floor. I was very surprised to see all the beautiful old fashion television sets and speakers. I did not spend too much time on the third floor because although the old fashion equipment was interesting to see, I was not eager to see everything on that floor.
When I went to the second floor I was immediately taken back by the amount of fascinating artifacts. I loved looking at the wall of head shots of all the famous actors and actresses. I was extremely excited to see the costumes from chicago, Mrs. Doubtfire and the Cosby Show! I wouldn’t believe they had those pieces of clothing in this particular museum! THis museum seemed so hidden and I was very interested to see the amount of famous artifacts they held. I tried out the “magic mirror”. It was so cool to see all those famous costumes on me! I tried on the Marilyn Monroe costume and the Dorothy costume.
I enjoyed the Museum of The Moving Image a lot. I was very surprise with how much it actually held and I was very happy to have had the opportunity to visit.

First off I was terrified to go to queens all by myself. I was extremely proud of myself when I arrived at the museum because I had made it! I was not expecting this museum to be very interesting, I was very confused by the structure of the museum considering it was in a tower type structure. I started on the third floor. I was very surprised to see all the beautiful old fashion television sets and speakers. I did not spend too much time on the third floor because although the old fashion equipment was interesting to see, I was not eager to see everything on that floor.
When I went to the second floor I was immediately taken back by the amount of fascinating artifacts. I loved looking at the wall of head shots of all the famous actors and actresses. I was extremely excited to see the costumes from chicago, Mrs. Doubtfire and the Cosby Show! I wouldn’t believe they had those pieces of clothing in this particular museum! THis museum seemed so hidden and I was very interested to see the amount of famous artifacts they held. I tried out the “magic mirror”. It was so cool to see all those famous costumes on me! I tried on the Marilyn Monroe costume and the Dorothy costume.
I enjoyed the Museum of The Moving Image a lot. I was very surprise with how much it actually held and I was very happy to have had the opportunity to visit.

First off I was terrified to go to queens all by myself. I was extremely proud of myself when I arrived at the museum because I had made it! I was not expecting this museum to be very interesting, I was very confused by the structure of the museum considering it was in a tower type structure. I started on the third floor. I was very surprised to see all the beautiful old fashion television sets and speakers. I did not spend too much time on the third floor because although the old fashion equipment was interesting to see, I was not eager to see everything on that floor.
When I went to the second floor I was immediately taken back by the amount of fascinating artifacts. I loved looking at the wall of head shots of all the famous actors and actresses. I was extremely excited to see the costumes from chicago, Mrs. Doubtfire and the Cosby Show! I wouldn’t believe they had those pieces of clothing in this particular museum! THis museum seemed so hidden and I was very interested to see the amount of famous artifacts they held. I tried out the “magic mirror”. It was so cool to see all those famous costumes on me! I tried on the Marilyn Monroe costume and the Dorothy costume.
I enjoyed the Museum of The Moving Image a lot. I was very surprise with how much it actually held and I was very happy to have had the opportunity to visit.

I had never been to Queens before this field trip so simply getting to the museum was an adventure in itself. After a minor subway mishap, and some guy on the street trying to sell me a fake id I finally made it to the museum of moving image. I was instantly impressed by the architecture of the building. It was very modern, which suited the museum, because the “moving image” is a relatively modern technology. Once I finally got into the museum (the new entrance was a bit confusing) I was very impressed at all of the unique and interesting artifacts on display. I agree with the person above me about the costumes, i spent allot of time in this section. My favorite were the costumes from Chicago. My Mom is a dancer and choreographer and I have seen her star in and direct renditions of Chicago. I have also probably seen that movie over one hundred times so I loved seeing the authentic costumes in person.
I really like the Behind the Screen exhibit. It reminded me of the special features on todays dvds that have a documentary about making the film. So much work goes into making movies it is very interesting to see all the hard work involved.

The Museum of Moving Images is by far my favorite museum I have visited yet, and I am sure I have said this before, but this time I am serious. Figuring out how to get there was very confusing and the setup was a very different compared to other museums I have had to visit. Aside from that I really loved the exhibits and thought they really provided an understanding and appreciation of the art, history, technique and technology of film and television. I loved how the lighting was very dim and the walls were mostly painted black through out the museum, almost as if to emulate the atmosphere of a movie theatre. My favorite part of the museum was the composer jukebox. I sat at the computer for a good forty minutes reading all the biographies of the listed movie composers while listening to their most famous movie scores. The interactive exhibits are what really give this museum its appeal. People can visit and do more than just stare and “oooh” and “ahhh.” I really liked this museum and will probably go back after the renovations are complete to see what has changed.

It seems like a few other people shared my apprehension about the idea of trekking all the way to Astoria in order to get to the Museum. However, I soldiered on. In the back of my mind I remembered something another one of my teachers had told me the other day about the props and things from the Woody Allen movie “Zelig” being on display at the museum. We had just finished watching that film last week, so I was also eager to see the display and consequently look like I was really dedicated to my other class. Mission accomplished. I also agree with the first comment that it was cool (or gross? who can tell?) to see the mouthpiece they used in The Godfather. Think of all the famous DNA that an evil genius could extract from the props on display at the Museum of the Moving Image. I think that America now, myself somewhat included, is so obsessed with celebrities and celebrity culture that things like costumes and props hold a heightened level of interest for us. I remember being similarly excited when I went down to the bottom floor of Bloomingdale’s on 60th street and saw the different Batman costumes they had on display. The feeling I had then was similar to how I felt at the Museum of the Moving Image - the slightly eerie feeling of looking at an actual outfit someone wore in a movie, especially when the actor in question may not still be alive.

I enjoyed myself on this trip, and almost forgot how annoying it was going to be to get out of Queens. Almost.

Most people seemed to be scared to go to Astoria, but its so similar to my hometown, i felt close to home for the first time in a while. Thanks to a Queens native in our class, I found the museum rather quickly and without any problems. I paid the student suggested fee, mostly because it looked in desperate need for some kind of renovation. And like Karli said, this has been my favorite museum by far as well, it had everything to do with what I am interested in. I love movies and trivia so this place was perfect for me. Being a huge Cosby Show fan, the sweaters and cameras used on set was just great to see. I also loved the toys they had on different shows. But my favorite part of the museum was the short film about the balloon boy. The title of the movie escapes me but i thought it was great and a nice reference to the modern balloon boy. I definitely see my self coming back and admiring it for more than an hour, like the Paley Media Center I arrived an hour before it was to close. So next time i’ll bring time and friends to enjoy this museum with!

Like many other students, I was not thrilled I had to go all the way to Queens for a museum but more so I was annoyed with the stupidity of the museum hours. Therefore, this afternoon I had to book it from my Sociology class in order to have a shot at spending a brief amount of time at The Museum of The Moving Image. Despite myself I have to say, I actually did enjoy my visit. Lets begin, when I arrived to the museum I had been running and was very warm, I quickly learned I had to climb three flights of steps in order to begin my visit…yippee! The first floor I visited which was the third floor ironically was titled Behind The Scenes. This floor had many contraptions that fascinated me, particularly the sculpture illusion demonstration. I learned that the study of motion and illusions began the art of film. I also had the pleasure of watching, “A Trip to the Moon” through a mutoscope. Following my experience with the early stages of film I watched a modern short film on building a soundtrack within a movie. I learned the importance of background noise in a film because without it, a film would seem too “sterile.”
I then saw a display of movie props and like my fellow classmates I enjoyed looking at the exorcist doll. The next exhibit I found particularly fascinating was Hair and Makeup in films. My eyes were immediately drawn to the Bride of Frankenstein wig. The Wig represented the brides “birth from electricity” which was exemplified by the waves and platinum streaks on it. The wig made me realize how many little details go into making a film great. In the next room I found myself looking at famous movie costumes from films I love, including Chicago and Mrs.Doubtfire. In the following room I found old fashion video games, and the security guard persuaded me to play “Defender.” I died a bunch of times and decided that gamming might not be my calling. Lastly I peaked in on an old fashion movie for a few minutes and caught the tail end of it. The trip felt a bit rushed, but I survived. I am not sure you will find me in Queens any time soon, but I really enjoyed the museum!!

-Pammy

I loved the adventure of traveling to Queens for the first time ever all by myself. I was thrilled to know that this museum dealt mostly with film and “Old Hollywood” and the very evolution of film and the moving picture and how everything has come to be what it is today. Just like Pam, I also loved the short film about building a soundtrack within a movie.
In 9th grade my music teacher had our class watch “Jaws” without any background music. The movie seemed to not have the same effect on me as it had every other time I had watched it. This was due to the fact that there was no soundtrack at all, and the soundtrack is what makes the movie have the eerie and startling feeling to it.
One of the people working there told me that the museum held over 125,000 artifacts in their “moving image” artifact collection. Quite the drastic amount of artifacts if I must say so myself. However, I enjoyed every moment of it.
My favorite part was the wall of portraits of all of the old Hollywood glamour stars. That time is my favorite and it makes me wish I could live back then and be one of the old Hollywood glamour movie stars because they have influenced the moving picture world to become what it is today. They were the spokespeople of that generation to influence people to want to go to the movies and watch television and help produce the entertainment industry to what it has become today.

Mindblowingly FIERCE!

I was already on my way to Queens to meet up with a friend. Queens is not that bad compared to areas that are in Manhattan. The name itself, Museum of the Moving Images, caught my attention and I couldn’t wait to see what was in store for me. For some reason I was expecting to see videos or films again like we did at the previous museum. Movies have changed a lot over the years. Going to this museum reminded me of a few weekends ago when there was a Star Wars marathon on TV. The last three episodes were much different than the first three because of lighting, acting, graphics, and the fight scenes. I was excited once I got to the museum because I got to see portraits and images of actors and actresses that I grew up idolizing. There were stars that I completely forgot about and remembered the movies they acted in and how I watched those movies again and again. Over the past few weeks, every next museum we had to visit would become my favorite museum. So, for now at least, this is my favorite museum. Of course, seeing Marlon Brando was an amazing feeling because I am big fan of all the Godfather movies. What was also just as interesting was that they still kept props form old movies that were on display. Seeing all those famous old actors made me miss old movies and I wish that actors now could compare to the ones in the past.

When riding on the N train out to Astoria one slowly watches and Manhattan gets smaller and smaller, and it’s hard to remember that you are still in New York City. That is until you reach the Museum of the Moving image. While it is still under some construction and the outside is not too impressive to behold, the inside of the museum is quite impressive. The museum is a temple to the images that have appeared on film and television since the mediums inception. The main exhibition at the museum is called “Behind the Screen” and it’s focus is on what goes into creating those images that appear on the screen that we as a society hold so dear. The museum holds items from old cameras to props from famous movies and television shows. Going there makes one realize the already rich history that this relatively new art form has. Considering that the camera itself was only invented about 150 years ago it is amazing that this museum is able to be filled to the brim with artifacts and symbols from those shows and films that have shaped American culture. The Museum does have some rather odd artifacts, like C3PO cereal and a rabbit lined cape from an old Cinderella film. But even these odder items speak loudly about what we as a society love and celebrate, and how we will always want to look at those weird things, those unexplainable pieces of culture that truly belong locked away in a temple like the Museum of the Moving Image.

I love this museum every time I go. I remember going there last year in high school and hoping to go back with friends. I knew it was going to be good when I first saw it on my syllabus. The great thing about this museum is its more interactive and hands on. Going in to an old theatre that was made to look like a jungle is just cool. Another thing thats great about this museum is its in Queens. I am only 20 minutes away from this museum so I really can go whenever I want. As long as its opened. My favorite is seeing all the props and masks from old movies. I know everyone loves the Mrs.Doubtfire fat suit, but I honestly what’s not to like? It IS the best movie ever. Another part of the museum I loved is walking through the history of film. Seeing all the old films and cameras was amazing. They look so cool I wish people still used them instead of the new digital cameras. Overall I feel like this was my favorite place to visit.

The Museum of the Moving image is like a time capsule for film and television videos. Living in New York City my entire like I did not know this museum existed, now I am am planning on going again because I absolutely loved it! The museum houses over 130,000 artifacts dating from the inception of the moving image on both the screen and via the internet. “Behind the Screen” was particularly interesting because it outlined the process of how to market and produce a film. The old cameras involved in creating the film, compared to the cameras used in the film industry today proved to be a stark contrast to one another, and definitely showed how technology is moving forward. Next i wondered off to the exhibit on hair and make in film. That was interesting as well. I could see how much detail goes into the art of hair and make-up for a film, and just how important those things are really in a film. I think they are just as equally important as the lighting or set of a film. The intricate details from the bride of Frankenstein’s wig and other artifacts was just amazing to look at. It was funny looking at some of the old video games and comparing them to the video games that people play today. It was like night and day. To see how far technology has taken us, in reference to games and film, is amazing to view. This museum really is a time capsule for anyone looking to discover the past.

P.S.
I know this blog post is a week over due. However I did go the museum on time, but just totally forgot about the blog post. My Mistake.

The realm of movies and the history of moving images is something which has long been ingrained in my existence (My Mom is a theatre professor and she often encorporates pieces of movies into her multi-media productions) but something I could never quite understand. It seems like it’s off in this very interconnected world which you either don’t know and you admit to it, or you know very very well and it’s your entire life. I’ve always enjoyed seeing movies but have never known how to appropriately comment on them.

I think the museum of the moving image was a really nice way to approach the film history thing, at least for me. It provided an opportunity to actually see, in succession, a layout of the greats in movie history and determine from what others have said about them, what I had heard, been told, or thought, what my opinions of the films were. The progression of the film industry has had such a massive impact on our culture as a globe, but specifically American culture. It seems as it if it almost ill-payed attention to. The first real “stars” were movie stars in silent films and now, the process of becoming famous can involve so little as to be an heiress to a large hotel chain.