The Thermokinescope is a specialized cinecamera designed for both the creation and viewing of thermocinema images. Essentially, it functions as a tape drive, operating in two modes: the digitization (or scanning) of films printed on thermal receipt paper, and their subsequent playback.
The initial experiments in digitizing receipt images were performed manually. The tape was cut and painstakingly adapted to fit an A4 scanner. A crucial turning point was an insight about the need to abandon tape cutting. This could enable embracing traditional film workflow principles and thus significantly streamline the extremely laborious digitization process. Before, approximately an hour of manual effort was needed to create just one second of a finished receipt-based video.
However, as the tape drive was being conceptualized, it became clear that if the tape could be accelerated to a sufficiently high speed, image playback on the tape itself would be possible through the stroboscopic effect.
The integration of both these functionalities allowed for a complete reconceptualization of the automated frame-by-frame tape drive. The result is an equipment that not only serves the practical purpose of re-digitization (for archives or editing), but also offers spectators a unique 'direct' analog viewing experience, which is unmediated by projection.
However, as the tape drive was being conceptualized, it became clear that if the tape could be accelerated to a sufficiently high speed, image playback on the tape itself would be possible through the stroboscopic effect.
The integration of both these functionalities allowed for a complete reconceptualization of the automated frame-by-frame tape drive. The result is an equipment that not only serves the practical purpose of re-digitization (for archives or editing), but also offers spectators a unique 'direct' analog viewing experience, which is unmediated by projection.
Material Properties
Opacity is the fundamental distinction between thermal paper and cinematic film. While this characteristic is unessential for digitization, it becomes paramount during playback. Images captured on a roll of thermal paper cannot be projected. This makes projecting onto a larger screen impossible and, consequently, the viewing of undigitized material cannot become a collective experience.
To discern the frame window, the viewer must be in direct proximity to the apparatus. This inherently limits the viewing space to a close circle of individuals capable of gathering around a table with the thermokinescope.
The impact is similar to that of the cinema of attractions of the late 19th century, an era when the movie theater had not yet established itself as the dominant collective viewing format. Then, mini-stories were shown on paper photographs to everyone who looked through the lens of the mutoscope. The experience of perceiving a moving image on paper, which is usually associated with reading, produces a strong effect on the beholder.
However, if we compare the thermokinescope to the first movie cameras, significantly longer fragments can be played - thanks to its peculiar design and optimal tape format. This allows the horse not just to gallop endlessly in a closed loop, but to get eventually to the destination point, where the rider gets off it, enters a bar, and there a certain plot unfolds. This opens up the possibility of showing full-length short films in a space alternative to the classic movie theater. Here the screen appears not as a macro object, but as a micro one, as something seen through a keyhole. This intimate and attractive way of viewing frees the spectator's gaze, allowing one to marvel again at the illusion of images that have come to life.
Fiscal phenomenon
It is striking how the receipt tape, a format initially designed exclusively for cash register equipment, has proven to be such a suitable medium for moving images.
This random coincidence is attributable to two primary factors: the convenient roll format and the ubiquitous availability of thermal printing technology.
It is striking how the receipt tape, a format initially designed exclusively for cash register equipment, has proven to be such a suitable medium for moving images.
This random coincidence is attributable to two primary factors: the convenient roll format and the ubiquitous availability of thermal printing technology.
- Roll Format: The standard roll in which receipt tape is produced and supplied is perfectly suited for integration into a tape drive. This opens the potential for automating numerous cinematic processes that require repeatedly executing simple operations. Furthermore, the standard width and length of a receipt tape roll are sufficient to reproduce frame-by-frame approximately two minutes of video with an 80x50 mm aspect ratio. The dimensions of each frame allow the image to be easily viewed with the naked eye, with no need to use a magnifying glass or a projection system.
Consequently, it appears that the purchase accounting system itself has inadvertently created virtually all the necessary infrastructure for thermofilms production. The only missing element remains a machine capable of collecting the printed tape from the floor and transforming it into a full-fledged film.
- Widespread Availability of Thermal Printing: it stems from both the simplicity of the technology itself and its incredible prevalence. A cash register is an integral feature of any place where payments are processed — from supermarkets to hairdressing salons — which has fostered a huge market for thermal printers (both new and used). Moreover, the thermal printer is the cheapest printing device available on the market. But the key advantage is that thermal printing technology requires no consumables supplies or materials: no cartridges, no ink — the thermoreactive layer is already applied directly to the receipt tape itself. Such exceptional economic viability makes thermal paper an extraordinarily accessible and appealing medium for frame sequences.
