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Behind the scenes

How does animation create movement?

Animation shows a sequence of still images with small changes between them.

When displayed quickly, those changes are perceived as motion. Artists can create the images using drawings, computer-generated scenes or physical objects moved between photographs, as in stop-motion animation.

How does a film projector work?

A traditional film projector shines light through a sequence of images on a film strip and enlarges them onto a screen.

The mechanism advances the film one frame at a time, while a shutter blocks light during movement. Digital cinema projectors instead create images from digital data.

Illustration of a traditional reel film projector.

What is a movie soundtrack?

The soundtrack is the audio that accompanies a film, including dialogue, music and sound effects.

The term can also refer to a released album of music from the movie. An original score is music composed specifically for the film; a soundtrack album may also include existing songs.