Design Q & A

The short film uses a variety of familiar examples that have the feedback principle in common to present a broad view of the phenomena present in control mechanisms and social situations.

To avoid making travelers walk excessive distances through a large airport, Washington, D.C.'s new airport is to use mobile departure lounges to transport passengers from the terminal directly to the plane.

The life and work of the astronomer Nicolas Copernicus are shown by means of images of his writings and drawings and places he was associated with.

A scientific film essay, narrated by Phil Morrison. A set of pictures of two picnickers in a park, with the area of each frame one-tenth the size of the one before. Starting from a view of the entire known universe, the camera gradually zooms in until we are viewing the subatomic particles on a man's hand.

From hardware to software, the basics of then-current computing technology is explained.

An interesting look at the world of toy trains, shot from the perspective of the little world itself. Originally created for model train enthusiasts, this short film transcends it's intended audience to delight viewers of all ages and interests!

A visually elegant study of water on a schoolyard playground.

A Rough Sketch features a linear view of our universe from the human scale to the sea of galaxies, then directly down to the nucleus of a carbon atom. With images, narration, and a dashboard, it gives a clue to the relative size of things and what it means to add another zero to any number. The 1977 film, Powers of Ten, was an expanded and updated version of this 1968 study film. Charles and Ray often gave projects long titles to indicate that they were still exploring their ideas—that the presentation was a model or a type of “sketch.”

A film record of an exhibition of the late work of Paul Cezanne, organized by The Museum of Modern Art and the Reunion des Musees Nationaux in Paris. The camera moves across details of paintings, as well as details of Cezanne’s studio, providing an intimage, close-up view of the artist’s work. The narration is provided by Cezanne’s own words, taken directly from records of correspondence. 22nd Annual San Francisco International Film Festival Participation- Communication Competition, 1978.

One of a series of three films on mathematics conceived and produced by the Eames Office with Ray Redheffer, professor of Mathematics at UCLA. A stop-motion animation film, it begins with an algebraic expression, elaborates on it, and then reduces it to its original form. Told without narration, the film was designed to be supplemented with the explanation of the classroom teacher. Columbus International Film Festival Bronze Chris Plaque Award-C, 1975.

2ⁿ is a story about the exponential growth of numbers raised to powers. Part of the Mathematica Peep Shows, one of five films made to accompany the Mathematica: A World of Numbers and Beyond exhibition at the California Museum of Science and Industry and the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

Short animated film commissioned by IBM - to illustrate Camille Jordan's concept of topology - the fact that a simple closed curve divides a plane into an inside and an outside.

The Fabulous Fifties, CBS, combines style, humor, and imagination. It was rich in touches of quality showmanship and equally rich in the memories of a decade which it revived. In recognition, the Peabody Television Award for entertainment is presented to The Fabulous Fifties, with a special word of praise for producer Leland Hayward and the top talent which appeared in this memorable entertainment special*. *The two-hour special featured comic takes and commentary about the previous decade by, among others, Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews, Mike Nichols and Elaine May, Dick Van Dyke, Shelley Berman, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Jackie Gleason, Eric Severeid and Henry Fonda.

The Eames House and Studio is explored via a series of slides.

An early attempt to present communications theory, made to encourage the breaking down of barriers of thinking between disciplines and to discourage thinking of communications in a limited way. Music composed by Elmer Bernstein.

The movie "Clown Face" offers a very rare glimpse into the backstage private world of Circus Clowns. Here, you can look behind the curtain. You will see the clowns in their backstage habitat, Clown Alley, preparing for a circus performance