Transcript The History of Cinema

Where the movies came from….
Magic Lanterns
Entertainment before Film….
 Vaudeville: live stage performance with different acts
put together, such as comedy, singers, acrobat,
dancers, magicians, etc.
 Carnivals/Amusement Parks
 Peepshows: pornographic images shown in a coinoperated book (evolved into films)
 Magic Lanterns: slide projector that would show
different stories or create backgrounds for
performances (vaudeville, theatre)
Entertainment before Film….
 Parks/Beaches/Boats
 Theatre (plays)
 Concerts
 Books
 Streetcar (trip to downtown)
 Sports
 Radio: serials (short radio plays that were a weekly
show, usually very dramatic; evolved into films)
 Family Events: games, make believe, etc.
Photographic Roots
 The work of photographer Eadweard Muybridge
Creating Motion
Inventors of Cinema
 Much debate about who actually invented it
 Different countries and scientists/artists
were all working on film
 The following people are some of the leaders
in the development of film’s technical
growth
Thomas Edison
 American, 1847-1931
 Invented the phonograph (record
player)
 In 1891 he invented the
kinectoscope: which used 35mm
film and projected it for
one person to watch
 Very racy/provocative
images
Max Skladanowsky
 German
 1863-1939
 Invented the bioskop: a
device used to project
film; done with two
projectors to make up
the needed speed
 Credited with showing
the first films to a paying
audience
Auguste and Louis Lumière
 French
 Auguste (1862-1954) &
Louis (1864-1948)
 Invented the
cinematographe: a
device that worked as a
movie camera, film
developer and film
projector
 Scenes of everyday
people
Lumière’s
Cinematographe
This technology is what took off,
being reproduced around the
world and made the Lumière
brothers leaders in the
development of film.
Enter Cinematic Art
 With the technology in place, filmmakers became
more artistic and the movie became extremely
popular.
 Many films were thought to be very controversial,
showing intimate (personal) situations, violence,
drama and stories.
 Important early filmmakers include: George Méliès,
Edwin S. Porter, and D. W. Griffith
Georges Méliès
 Groundbreaking film
director
 Often referred to as the
“Cinemagician”
 Science-fiction/fantasy
 Discovered many special
effects
• A Trip to the Moon (1902) was the first film to explore these
ideas. Impacted film for its:
•Special effects/technical developments
•Imagination’s role in filmmaking
•Film as escapism (a way to escape the everyday of our lives)
Edwin S. Porter
 American, 1869-1941
 Worked at Thomas Edison’s studios
 The Great Train Robbery (1903) – one of the most
important and influential films because of:
 How it was shot out of order and then edited later
 Established many clichés that would be used in westerns
in following years
 Was a huge hit, proving that money could be made from
films as an industry
 How dramatic and suspenseful it was
Edwin S. Porter
The Great Train Robbery, 1903
D. W. Griffith
 American, 1875-1948
 Known as the “father of film” and the “master
storyteller of film”
 Famous for his epic films: stories with a grand
narrative (big story; usually historical subject matter),
lavish (fancy) sets and costumes, many extras (people
who are in the movie without being actual characters)
D. W. Griffith
 Birth of a Nation (1915)
 Story about the American Civil War
 Extremely controversial then and now for its depiction of
history and racial issues
 Was protested by theatres and audiences
 Sparked many riots, even a lynching
 Considered one of the first, major feature films (films that are
longer than one hour)
 Intolerance (1916)
 Response to Birth of a Nation
 Cost to make it was huge for that time
 Focuses on the effects of hate and intolerance of the world
and its people