Caliwood - a museum of cinematography in Cali, Colombia

in #cinematography6 years ago (edited)

Long time ago in a galaxy not so far away...

DSC05170_01.jpg

Since the dawn of cinematography Cali has been regarded as the cinema capital of Colombia, and for a good reason, as many famous directors and writers have been living and working here. So it's no wonder the city got its own museum dedicated to this form of art.

DSC05151.jpg

Caliwood – Cinematography Museum was opened in 2008 to exhibit the workings of the cinema and to shine an electric arc's light on details little-known by the public at large: the excellent collection in this museum comprises recording equipment, more than a hundred photographic cameras (including the largest and the smallest in the world), phonographs, all kinds of film, magic lanterns, ferrotypes, cinema projectors, pre-cinematic visual entertainment items and a rich display of vintage film posters. Here one can find out at first-hand not only how the cinema industry has developed in Colombia and the world, but also what happens behind the scenes before a film arrives on the large screen. All the machinery in great condition, some pieces are even functional still.

DSC05164.jpg

9.5 mm film pathe baby and a movie projector

DSC05158.jpg

Flipbooks, magical lanterns, perfescopes and whatnot


In the early 1900s up until the late 1960s, carbon arcs were the source of light in almost all theaters in the world. The electric current was passing through the air between carbon electrodes, emitting bright light and sometimes damaging film and causing fire. It was a hazardous practice and many a theater went up in flames.

DSC05167.jpg

The cinema projector from the inside. The film, electrodes and the reflector behind it.


All the visitors are provided with headphones with a narrative, describing the exhibition and explaining the history of the industry, workings of the machinery, technical details, etc. I couldn't possibly memorize and capture all of that, as it's a ton of info, but here's the highlights and pictures to transmit the spirit of the times.


DSC05172.jpg


DSC05176.jpg

DSC05180.jpg


DSC05186.jpg

DSC05189.jpg


DSC05191.jpg

All hail retro!


Now moving from the video to the photo section:


DSC05192.jpg

No, it is not a battering ram, it's the biggest camera in the world


DSC05200.jpg

Classical cameras on tripods


DSC05201.jpg

DSC05202.jpg


DSC05204.jpg

Polaroid 420. I just want this one.


DSC05205.jpg

DSC05207.jpg


DSC05213.jpg

Zenith 1982


DSC05215.jpg

Back to 90s


As visitors finish listening to the audiotour, they proceed to an old-school film show:


DSC05219.jpg

DSC05220.jpg


DSC05221.jpg

DSC05222.jpg


The movies shown are "The big bad wolf" 1934, "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" 1944 - these two are black-and-white without sound and "Pluto's Quinpuplets" 1937, which had sound and a somehow different footage from the version I found on Youtube.

In the end they gave me 1 second of film (24 frames, classic) with a movie which name I already forgot, to be honest. It goes like "When girls are lovers" or something along these lines. Supposed to be a sex-comedy, I guess.

DSC05250.jpg

It is a really fascinating place, especially for those who actually used any of the technology demonstrated here. Those VHS with Terminator and Die Hard really take me back in time. Having been there, I can suggest this museum to all visitors of Cali, as the most interesting place here that I've been to, so far.

If you liked this post, consider giving it an upvote or resteem. Follow me for more cool stuff and stay loco!

To view my posts on @SteemitWorldMap click here

Check out my travel blog as well!
My recent posts:
[ASW Contest] An empty corridor in the ruins of Armero, a Colombian Ghost Town
Hiking in Cocora Valley, meeting condors, hummingbirds and coatis
Color Challenge: Friday Blue
Carpe Diem
Volcanic Devastation of Armero
Panopticon, the Concept and the Implementation

The stories I'm most proud of:
Sectants and magic potions, Ayahuaska experience in Colombia
Haiti: Poverty, gangsters and UN party
Exhausting ride along the border of Afghanistan
Overnight adventure in Haunted Bhangarh, a Ghost Town in India
Beheaded Goat and Bloody Idol above the Clouds in Himalayan Temple

Sort:  

Good suggestion @nameless-berk ... it's the return to the past of many of us ... I did not know that Cali is considered the cinematographic capital of Colombia, and that many famous directors and writers have been living and working there (good data) .
In this same order of ideas, I take the boldness of suggesting, when they have the opportunity, that you visit in Venezuela the Theme Park "The Mountain of Dreams (The Mountain of Dreams)" in Chiguará - Mérida, which is dedicated to the audiovisual arts of Venezuela, where you can enjoy unforgettable tours set in the decades of the 50s, 60s and 70s, you can even participate in several movie and television microscenes that are designed for visitors (and they give you a copy of the scene), You can enjoy a giant screen movie type auto film in cars of the time and many more entertainments. Particularly to me and my family we liked this Park very much:

Visitors participating in a short film scene...everything very entertaining.
My apologies, but is that your post moved me immediately to this Venezuelan thematic park.
Greetings.

For some reason this article reminds me strongly on Titanic :-D Not sure why... I can barely remember my Dad running around in our holidays back in the day with a camera on his shoulder bigger than our suitcases, but yeah, that's what it was like. Amazing how fast technology changes.

Hiya, just swinging by to let you know you're being featured in today's TravelDigest #188

wow,you write so well.
got so many information.

This comment has received a 0.48 % upvote from @speedvoter thanks to: @mahadihasanzim.

Something right up my alley!

Congratulations, Your Post Has Been Added To The Steemit Worldmap!
Author link: http://steemitworldmap.com?author=nameless-berk
Post link: http://steemitworldmap.com?post=caliwood-a-museum-of-cinematography-in-cali-colombia


Want to have your post on the map too?

  • Go to Steemitworldmap
  • Click the code slider at the bottom
  • Click on the map where your post should be (zoom in if needed)
  • Copy and paste the generated code in your post
  • Congrats, your post is now on the map!

Your Post Has Been Featured on @Resteemable!
Feature any Steemit post using resteemit.com!
How It Works:
1. Take Any Steemit URL
2. Erase https://
3. Type re
Get Featured Instantly & Featured Posts are voted every 2.4hrs
Join the Curation Team Here | Vote Resteemable for Witness

Hello. Please follow and upvotes for me. Thank you very much

Coin Marketplace

STEEM 0.27
TRX 0.13
JST 0.032
BTC 61451.22
ETH 2929.56
USDT 1.00
SBD 3.65