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.