MoviesMovies
Thomas EdisonThomas Edison
The Creation of The Creation of Motion PicturesMotion Pictures
A weird and wonderful tale of A weird and wonderful tale of unrelated things coming unrelated things coming
togethertogether
That’s gun cottonThat’s gun cotton
Soak cotton in nitric and sulfuric Soak cotton in nitric and sulfuric acidacid
Let dryLet dry Wash in waterWash in water Let dryLet dry Light it and get…Light it and get…
It’ll make sense It’ll make sense laterlater
Franz UchatiusFranz Uchatius
Projector - 1853Projector - 1853
Ludwig DoeblerLudwig Doebler
AristotleAristotle
Pinhole camera
Ibn Al-Hathem (Alhazen)
Joseph NièpceJoseph Nièpce
World’s first photographWorld’s first photograph
Louis DaguerreLouis Daguerre
Daguerrotype of LincolnDaguerrotype of Lincoln
William Henry Fox TalbotWilliam Henry Fox Talbot
Photograph of LincolnPhotograph of Lincoln
Ludwig Doebler (again)Ludwig Doebler (again)
Uchatius’ projectorUchatius’ projector
Eadweard MuybridgeEadweard Muybridge
The Horse Bet - 1872The Horse Bet - 1872
Muybridge’s diskMuybridge’s disk
The Zoopraxiscope - The Zoopraxiscope - 18791879
John Wesley Hyatt - 1863John Wesley Hyatt - 1863
Why is Hyatt important?Why is Hyatt important?
Hyatt, a printer, combined Hyatt, a printer, combined camphor, alcohol and gun camphor, alcohol and gun cotton, compressed it into cotton, compressed it into billiard ballsbilliard balls
The material was called The material was called “celluloid”“celluloid”
Great stuff, exceptGreat stuff, except
They had an They had an unfortunate unfortunate tendency to tendency to explode – after explode – after all, they were all, they were made of gun made of gun cotton.cotton.
Hannibal GoodwinHannibal Goodwin
Took the Took the celluloid celluloid invented by invented by Hyatt and Hyatt and turned it into turned it into sheetssheets
George EastmanGeorge Eastman
Took Took Goodwin’s Goodwin’s celluloid celluloid sheets and sheets and turned them turned them into stripsinto strips
These strips These strips are called filmare called film
Etienne Jules MareyEtienne Jules Marey
Added sprocket Added sprocket holes to the edge holes to the edge of film in order of film in order to pull it through to pull it through the projectorthe projector
The first movie The first movie projector using projector using strips of pictures strips of pictures instead of disksinstead of disks
Thomas Alva EdisonThomas Alva Edison
Edison put together all Edison put together all the partsthe parts
Parts and ideas he got from othersParts and ideas he got from others Uchatius’s idea of passing pictures rapidly in Uchatius’s idea of passing pictures rapidly in
front of a light and through a lens, creating front of a light and through a lens, creating the appearance of moving pictures, which was the appearance of moving pictures, which was taken by Doebler as stage show, attracting taken by Doebler as stage show, attracting the attention of Muybridge, who told Edison the attention of Muybridge, who told Edison about itabout it
Hyatt’s celluloid, turned into sheets by Hyatt’s celluloid, turned into sheets by Goodwin, and then into strips as film by Goodwin, and then into strips as film by EastmanEastman
Marey’s sprocket holes on the edge of the filmMarey’s sprocket holes on the edge of the film
Edison’s partsEdison’s parts The light bulb for a light The light bulb for a light
sourcesource Marketing the whole idea, Marketing the whole idea,
selling hisselling his
Edison’s Kinetoscope – Edison’s Kinetoscope – 18941894
Movies were short films of regular Movies were short films of regular lifelife
Two men boxingTwo men boxing A girl dancingA girl dancing Personal lives, such asPersonal lives, such as
Lumière BrothersLumière Brothers
Lumière’s programLumière’s program
La Sortie des usines Lumière La Sortie des usines Lumière (quitting time at the Lumiere (quitting time at the Lumiere factory)factory)
Le Repas de bébé (a Lumiere child Le Repas de bébé (a Lumiere child eating)aseating)as
L’Arroseur arrosé (a boy playing a L’Arroseur arrosé (a boy playing a practical joke on a gardener)practical joke on a gardener)
L’Arrivée d’un train en gareL’Arrivée d’un train en gare
Arrivee d’un train en Arrivee d’un train en garegare
All this was fine, All this was fine, but soon the but soon the
novelty wore off. novelty wore off. More was needed.More was needed.
George MélièsGeorge Méliès
Méliès - 1902Méliès - 1902
Melies and others Melies and others followed the Lumieres followed the Lumieres and showed movies in and showed movies in theatres. They were theatres. They were called “Nickelodeons” – called “Nickelodeons” – odeon from the Greek for odeon from the Greek for theatre, and nickel for theatre, and nickel for what patrons paid to what patrons paid to watch the movies.watch the movies.
Edison jumped Edison jumped on the on the
bandwagon.bandwagon.
Edison’s projecting Edison’s projecting kinetoscopekinetoscope
The Great Train Robbery The Great Train Robbery - 1903- 1903
Again, the novelty soon Again, the novelty soon wore off. The time had wore off. The time had come for longer films – come for longer films – two and three reelers two and three reelers instead of one-reelers, instead of one-reelers, like D.W. Griffith’s “Birth like D.W. Griffith’s “Birth of a Nation”of a Nation”
You may have You may have noticed noticed
somethingsomething
No soundNo sound
Edison tried adding Edison tried adding sound by combining his sound by combining his
kinetoscope and his kinetoscope and his kinetophone, showing kinetophone, showing
the film while playing the the film while playing the sound.sound.
The major problem was The major problem was synchronizationsynchronization
Remember the telephone Remember the telephone – –
How sound could be How sound could be converted to electrical converted to electrical
impulsesimpulses
Changing the amplitude Changing the amplitude of an electrical current of an electrical current
can cause a light to can cause a light to brighten or dim in direct brighten or dim in direct relation to the amount of relation to the amount of
electricity.electricity.
Danish Danish researchers – researchers – Discovered selenium Discovered selenium would generate an would generate an electrical signal in electrical signal in
direct relation to the direct relation to the amount of light amount of light shining on it.shining on it.
Exposing film to the Exposing film to the flickering light created flickering light created
by sound, then putting it by sound, then putting it on one side of the film on one side of the film
created the sound track.created the sound track.