What would a video look like without the shutter separating frames?

Question

If the shutter wasn't in the picture, what would you get? Are there any examples of this available? I've searched, but couldn't come up with anything. Is this an impossible thing? Or are the results so unremarkable it's not worth showing? Would it just be a continuous blur of motion?

Answer 1

Video (and analog film) cameras basically are just taking 24 or 30 still photos every second. If you project a film without a shutter/gate, you'll just see a blur.

You can shoot motion (a person walking by, for example) with a still camera, leaving the shutter open for seconds or minutes. Even if you get the exposure right, all you'll see is a blur.

When a movie is projected, you see a still image, then the shutter closes so you see a blank screen, but because of persistence of vision, the image remains, until the shutter opens again, and the next still image is projected. The opening and closing is essential for the still images to be perceived clearly, and in motion.