The orignis of film…

Early Film History

A Network of Influences: "Players" in Early Cinema

KEYUS=working in United StatesFR=in FranceGB=in Great BritainS=primary emphasis on scientific study of motion, filmE=primary emphasis on creating forms of entertainment, possibly artD=primary emphasis on documenting reality

The ZoetropeInvented by WG Horner in 1834, an early form of a motion picture projector consisting of a drum containing a set of still drawings that turned in a circular fashion created the illusion of motion

Eadweard Muybridge

ZOOPRAXISCOPE

Muybridge invented this device to project images on screen

Eadweard Muybridge(1830-1904) U.S.

Born in England, he was in the U.S. from youth. A photographer, he was most interested in capturing "Animal Locomotion," the title of his summary work. In 1872, he began his famous series of photo studies, sponsored by California Governor Leland Stanford. By 1877, the challenge to prove that at some point in a racehorse's stride, all four hooves are off the ground was met; Muybridge had produced a series of quick-exposure photos that captured all moments in the stride via sequentially-placed cameras, and Stanford had won a $25,000 bet. Muybridge never produced "moving pictures" himself, but his work

was world-renowned and an influence on many to follow.

Etienne-Jules Marey

Etienne-Jules Marey(1830-1904) France

A physician and physiologist interested in animal movement, he participated in a "co-influential" relationship with Muybridge. His 1882 photo "gun" was capable of taking 12 pictures per second. CONSIDERED TO BE THE 1ST MOTION PICTURE CAMERA. In 1887, he was the first to combine flexible film (on a paper roll) and intermittent movement, later adopting celluloid. He did not himself create films, but his influence is indisputable. Then in 1892 he invented a projector on which to view the film which was later “borrowed” by Thomas Edison.

Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin

Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin(1805-1871) France

The son of a watchmaker, he was "the father of modern conjuring" (Cambridge Biographical Dictionary). In Paris, he constructed mechanical toys and automata (robots, like Disney's animatronics), developed complex magic lantern shows that featured primitive motion, and performed magic in his own theatre (later to be purchased and reopened by Georges Melies). On his honeymoon, LePrince went to Houdin's show repeatedly. "Houdin inspired [LePrince] with the moving-picture idea" (Rawlence, 1990). [Of course, Houdin also inspired a young American magician and escape artist named Ehrich Weiss to adopt a name in honor of Robert-Houdin--Harry Houdini.]

Augustin LePrince

1886 16-lens camera (U.S. patent)

Augustin LePrince(1841-1890?)

France/U.S./Great Britain

From a well-to-do family, he dabbled in art, photography, optics. His wife's family was involved in heavy manufacturing, giving him the expertise and confidence to work on camera mechanisms. Inspired by Robert-Houdin's magic lantern shows, he set about to make moving pictures. His multi-lens (16) camera was reminiscent of some of Muybridge's setups; he received a U.S. patent. He then proposed a 3-lens camera, and this was later used as evidence by American Mutoscope and Biograph Co. in its suit against Edison in the late 1890's. (AMBC's point was that Edison was not the sole inventor of motion pictures; different models abounded.) LePrince constructed a single-lens model in 1888, but before he could manufacture the system, he disappeared from a train to Paris in 1890. With him were his British patent forms, some parts and models for his invention.

Roundhay Garden Scene (LPCCP Type-1 MkII)The scene was shot in Le Prince's father-in-law's garden at Oakwood Grange,

Roundhay on October 14 1888—thought by some to be the world's first successful attempt to record moving images, and hence the very first motion picture film

(Moving: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1i40rnpOsA )

Thomas Alva Edison

Below: William K. L. Dickson

Thomas Alva Edison(1847-1931) U.S.

The prolific American inventor assigned the task of doing "for the eye what the phonograph did for the ear" to his assistant, William K. L. Dickson. Thus, Dickson did the actual work of invention, even though Edison always claimed he was "the father of motion pictures." In 1889, the Kinetophonograph, capable of showing film in synchronization with a phonograph record, became a reality. This did not prove to be popular, and Edison and Dickson continued to develop alternative systems, culminating in the Kinetoscope, a system that displayed short films to individuals via a peep-show device. The Black Maria film studio was built in 1893. In 1896, Edison unveiled his Vitascope, a projector system. In 1909, Edison joined other major motion picture pioneer companies in founding the Motion Picture Patents Company. [Dickson left Edison in 1894 and co-founded the American Mutoscope & Biograph Co.—a mutoscope is an elaborate flip-book in a peep-show presentation like the Kinetoscope.]

The Kinetoscope

Viewfinder at top

Strips of film

Advance over light source

Louis & Auguste Lumiere

Below: Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat (1895)

Louis & Auguste Lumiere(1864-1948; 1862-1954)

France

The two sons of France's largest manufacturer of photographic products, they were inspired by Marey and by Edison's/Dickson's work on the Kinetoscope (which they saw in Paris in 1894). They invented the Cinematographe, a combined camera and projector, and shot their first film, Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory, in 1895. December 28, 1895, has been called by some "the birthday of world cinema"--the Lumieres presented a program of 20 short films, projected at the Grand Cafe in Paris. The program was "held over" for weeks. Subsequently, Louis Lumiere dispatched photographers all over the globe, with the combined task of selling Cinematographes, showing films to paying audiences, and filming newsworthy events and actualities (e.g., "travelogues") to be marketed worldwide. Although the Lumiere company did produce some narrative and even humorous short films, most of its offerings were in the "realist" style, and the name Lumiere remains firmly attached to the roots of the realist school of filmmaking.

Georges Melies

Below: A Trip to the Moon (1902)

Georges Melies(1861-1938) France

From a wealthy manufacturing family, he was the "odd" child, more interested in art, puppetry, and magic than in business. In 1888, he sold his interest in the family shoe business, and reopened the Theatre Robert-Houdin in Paris, and soon became famous for his shows of magic and illusion. When he saw the Lumiere program at the Grand Cafe in 1895, he begged the brothers to sell him film equipment, but they declined. He purchased a Bioscope projector from Robert Paul, and began showing Edison shorts; but soon after, he invented and had constructed his own camera/projector system. Although he produced a number of literary films (e.g., Joan of Arc, 1900), he is remembered most for his contribution in the realm of fantasy, and special visual effects (e.g., A Trip to the Moon, 1902). If the Lumieres were the fathers of realist filmmaking, Melies was the parent of expressionism.

EDWIN S. Porter

American, father of narrative film

Developed parallel narratives

Cuts/shots/movement

GTR 1903

A Timeline of Important events

1834 – zoetrope invented

Earliest motion picture projector

Consisted of a drum with still drawings

When rotated creates illusion of movement

Zoo = animal

Trope = things that turn

1878 Muybridge

Bet with Leland Stanford

Do horses lift all 4 hooves at once?

12 cameras with trip wires caught the sequence

But because they were not from same camera posed problems…

1882 – Marey

In response he created a photographic “gun” that had long strips of film

12 photos in one second

THE FIRST MOTION PICTURE CAMERA

“shooting a film”

1892 – first projection

KINETOSCOPE – Edison introduced at the Chicago’s World Fair

Single viewer, peep show

90 second films

1894 – Black Maria

Edison starts making films inside this “studio”

One minute in length

1895 – first public film screening

Lumiere Brothers in France

In La Ciotat, September private screening in the worlds first cinema

December a commercial screening

10 short films, 20 minutes in total

Held in the basement lounge of a café

Used the cinematograph which functioned as a camera, projector and printer

Famous story of audience reaction to “train pulling into

The station”…

They believed there was no future as people would

Bore of images they could see in life…

1901 – Edison

“borrows” and refines the camera

Receives patent for the projecting Kinetoscope

Becomes the standard in movie making for most of the 20th century

1896

Edison’s company Vitascope projects films to an audience

Films were shown at the beginning of vaudeville acts

1904….

After the everyday events, historical recreations, literature based stories, comedies became very popular

Pathe-Freres (french co) made more films than any other company

Specialized in comedies, popular in nickelodeons

No language or literacy needed

Birth of nickelodeons…

By 1903 so many companies were turning out so many films, that small stores converted to theaters popped up in major urban centers

Charged a nicked admission and showed a program of up to 10 films

The beginning of modern cinema

Nickelodeons…

Very popular 1905 – 1915

As films became longer, nickelodeons became too uncomfortable

Gave rise to movie theaters…

1913

First theater built specifically for motion pictures

By 1917 they became collosal palaces with carpeting, lavish decorations, chandeliers and comfortable seats

1908…the move West

Film production moves from East to West for several reasons:Better weather for outdoor shootingNon union cities for lower wagesExcellent and varied outdoor locations

The southern CA culture

Shaped by movie industry

People moved here to be stars

Most did not make it, but the emphasis on beauty, health and the active lifestyle helped create the SOCAL stereotype

The war years 1915 - 1919

Film production in Europe shut down because of the war

1915 - 30 million feet of film in US

1916 – 156 million feet

This accounted for 85% of films shown in the world and 98% of films shown in US

1914 the star system…

Before this stars were owned by the film company

Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin began to draw larger salaries

Because audiences wanted to see them they could make demands of the studios….

Charlie Chaplin

In 1914 he made 1250 a week

By 1916 he was making 10,000 a week and a 150,000 contract signing bonus

He also negotiated a share of the profits of his films

Mary Pickford

In 1914 she made 1000 a week

By 1916 she made 2000 a week and a 50% share of profits from her films

**she made more money than Chaplin!

CENSORSHIP

1909 the beginning of censorship

National Board of Review screened all films

20% they refused to approve

Many films required cuts

As films moved from lower class to middle class entertainment values and censorship became an issue

Censorship…

Because nickelodeons fell under police rule, many were being shut down which impacted the money the studios made

They realized a need to provide censorship so they agreed to create a regulatory agency and submit their films

Censorship…

Obscenity was the prime target but they never defined the word

The board was made up of charitable, religious and educational leaders

Because the industry willingly participated it sent a positive message a and willingness to be guided

The “Brighton School”

The ‘Brighton School’ of filmmakers were among the world's first true movie pioneers. Men like George Albert Smith (1864-1959), James Williamson (1855-1933), Esmé Collings (unknown), Alfred Darling (1862-1931) and Charles Urban (1867-1942) were making, producing, distributing and marketing major films as early as 1897. Together they helped make Brighton and Hove one of the most important filmmaking locations in Britain.

Robert Paul

Below: The “?” Motorist (1906)

                    

Robert Paul(1869-1943) England

This early British film pioneer got into the business by way of his training as an engineer; he was hired to copy Edison's Kinetoscope, which was not patented in Great Britain. He eventually designed his own system, began producing and directing films, and built England's first indoor studio in 1899.

G. A. Smith

Below: Grandma’s Reading Glass (1900)

        

G. A. Smith(1864-1959) England

An established portrait photographer, he built his own film camera in 1896 and began making movies. An innovator, he patented double-exposure as a film device in 1897, and was early to use close-ups. Later, in 1908, he founded a company that developed and sold a two-color film process.

James Williamson

Below: The Big Swallow (1901)

James Williamson(1855-1933) England

A photographer, he bought a movie projector in 1896 and converted it to a camera. He founded a studio in 1902, and in 1904 began manufacturing film stock and movie equipment, eventually getting out of filmmaking completely to concentrate on the manufacturing of film equipment.

Cecil Hepworth

Below: Rescued by Rover (co-dir. with Lewin Fitzhamon, 1905)

Cecil Hepworth(1874-1953) England

His father was a magic lantern lecturer, and from accompanying his father on tours, Hepworth developed a fascination with moving pictures. He patented several photo inventions, and in 1898 published a handbook on film, Animated Photography, "possibly the earliest published work" on film (Katz, 1994). He began directing films in 1899, and in 1903 started his own studio. While his Rescued by Rover is identified as "a landmark in cinema history, one of the earliest films to employ advanced continuity and narrative techniques through sophisticated cutting" (Katz, 1994), he failed to keep up with innovations, and went bankrupt in 1924.

Pathe Freres(Charles & Emile, film & phonograph, respectively)

Pathe Freres (Pathe brothers)

A phonograph company founded in 1896 by Charles Pathe and his three brothers, the firm got into filmmaking in 1901. In 1902, they built a studio and began turning out one or two shorts a day. Foreign offices were established all over the globe, and by 1908, Pathe was an international empire, by far the world's largest movie producer ("selling twice as many films in the U.S. as all American companies combined," Katz, 1994). However, the company began failing after WWI, and what remained of it in 1931 was sold to RKO.

D. W. Griffith