A Brief History of Film

Roots: Machines, Action and Actors

• In 1898, a MAGIC LANTERN
SHOW, also sometimes
called a “stereopticon
show”, was used to
entertain people.
• From the early 1700’s,
scenes had been painted on
glass and projected on a wall
or sheet, using a candle or a
lantern as a light source.
• Combination of projected
images, live narration, and
live music that inspired the
creation of the medium
called movies.
• Incredibly popular 100 years
ago.
• In 1834, George Homer popularized
a device that simulated movement
called a ZOETROPE.
• Earliest form of zoetrope was created
in China around 180 A.D. by Ting
Huan. Ting Huan's device hung over
a lamp. The rising air turned vanes at
the top, from which were hung
translucent paper or mica panels.
Pictures painted on the panels would
appear to move if the device spun
fast enough.
• The local VAUDEVILLE
THEATRE (even most small
towns had them) presented
live entertainment from
traveling entertainers who
specialized in this
• Vaudeville flourished from
1850s to 1900s
• Became very popular in
1875, and lasted for several
years after that, into the
1930’s
• Many film actors started
their training and careers
here.
The Revolution Begins & Escalates
• William Dickson, working for
Thomas Edison’s famous
laboratory in West Orange, New
Jersey, invented the first
successful motion picture
camera.
• Edison’s team produced a
KINETOSCOPE, a device for
viewing films.
• The demise of Vaudeville and its
traveling entertainers started in
1899 after the invention to
kinetscope
• One person at a time could look
through a peephole in the top of
a box, while turning a crank to
make the film loop move and
thus simulate action.
• These PEEP SHOWS were very
popular, so much so that stylish
parlours were built to house the
machines.
• These early films were not told in
story form. They were moving scenes
of about one minute in duration each:
a dog barking, a dancer moving, or in
the first and therefore most famous
example, a simple sneeze.
• In France, two brothers, LOUIS
& AUGUSTE LUMIERE, invented
a camera which could not only
take a picture, but could also
project it onto a screen. It was
called a CINEMATOGRAPHE.
• Vaudeville houses began
renting these early
machines and using them
to attract audiences in
conjunction with their live
performers. The usual
choice in these cases was
Edison’s early motion
picture projector called
the VITASCOPE.
• There were two decisive
steps in the creation of the
modern motion picture:
1. the transition from the
"peep show" to the
projection of images over
a distance, accomplished
in the 1890s by Edison's
Vitascope, and
2. the talking picture,
introduced in the
American movie The Jazz
Singer in 1927.”
 The Revolution Organizes
• As film projectors became more
readily available, back rooms of
stores and businesses (and any other
available free space) became
projection rooms. These spaces were
the origins of the later
NICKELODEONS, where one could see
a film all day long for a nickel. (These
short films were shown continuously
from morning to night).
• Served many of the poor and
immigrant peoples in North America
and by 1908, there were over 10,000
nickelodeons in the US.
• One major reason of the success of
these silent films was because there
was no language at all to deter the
viewer from understanding and
enjoying the films.
• As the popularity of the medium grew, so did
production companies grow to meet the ever-
increasing demand for more product. Production
companies were founded in the eastern U.S. to
meet the demand. However, because of the poor
weather and the growth of TRUSTS, many
independent companies headed for California to
make their motion pictures or “movies”. TRUSTS
are motion picture companies that held patents for
film making and projection technologies that
prevented any other new companies from making
motion pictures.
The Stars
• Motion picture companies from the start were reluctant to highlight names of
their cast because they knew that name recognition in public would increase
salary demands from these “stars”.
• However, audiences began to identify and name their favorite performaers.
“Let’s go see the Biograph Girl or Bronco Billy” eventually led to the realization
that it was often the actor who attracted audiences to the movies. For example,
Carl Laemmle, a producer of early films, hired away the BIOGRAPH GIRL,
Florence Lawrence, from Biograph Studios, and used her popularity and name to
attract people to his films. This phenomenon was the root of the star system and
the accompanying salaries we see in film today.
Florence American actor-director-
Lawrence who is writer-producer, father of
often referred to as the movie cowboy, and
"The First Movie the first Western star,
Star." She was also Anderson gained
known as "The enormous popularity in a
Biograph Girl" and series of hundreds of
"The Girl of a Western shorts, playing
Thousand Faces". the first real cowboy hero,
She appeared in "Bronco Billy”. He made
more than 270 films 100’s of films starring as
Bronco Billy.
• Charlie Chaplin,
one of the most
famous actors
from this era and
still known today,
benefited from
this system.
• His salaries:
• 1913:
$150/ week
• 1914:
$1250/ week
• 1915:
$10,000/ week
• 1916:
$1,000,000 for 8
short films made
in 18 weeks.
Charlie Chaplin, in his most
recognizable film costume, the “Little
Tramp”.
A New Revolution
• Above mentioned Silent films were accompanied by music
phases are about film almost from the time that they began to tell
without a soundtrack a story. At first, a tinkling piano would be
or SILENTS. used to add to the emotion of the film, but
as time passed, special musical scores were
• Film with sound was written that would use the piano and a small
being developed, but band; eventually, especially in larger cities
most makers of and venues, full and extravagant
motion pictures saw orchestrations for elaborate musical scores
the combination as a would be played live by large symphony
gimmick only, orchestras.
because of popularity
of silent motion
picture and they
were also reluctant to
add to the expense of
film production
which would result
from the addition of
sound.
• Silent films were accompanied by music almost from the time that
they began to tell a story. At first, a tinkling piano would be used to
add to the emotion of the film, but as time passed, special musical
scores were written that would use the piano and a small band;
eventually, especially in larger cities and venues, full and extravagant
orchestrations for elaborate musical scores would be played live by
large symphony orchestras.
• And these movie theatres were large. Many of them featured
marble foyers, balconies and boxes, plush seats, ornate decorations,
huge chandeliers, elaborate staircases, and French, Oriental or
Persian motifs. For example, did you know the beautiful Imperial
Theatre in Saint John with its Italian Renaissance décor opened in
1913 for the performance of vaudeville AND silent movies?
• Despite the resistance to change in the film industry, WARNER
BROTHERS STUDIO, relatively small at the time, was looking for a
way to increase film sales. It bought GENERAL ELECTRIC’s sound
system known as VITAPHONE and made movie history with a movie
called THE JAZZ SINGER in 1927, thus changing the course of film-
making forever.
• Though experimentation with film sound had been happening in the
industry for a few years before this, The Jazz Singer is acknowledged
as the first TALKIE, or film with a synchronized, pre-recorded
soundtrack that included dialogue.
• Some great careers, studios and directors
were lost by this change to sound pictures.
• However, the movie-making business only
flourished with the change and became
major business with highly structured
organizations.
• Most of the big companies tried to make,
market and house their own films, and
many successfully did so. For example,
Warner Brothers Studio would show their
films at Warners’ Theatres first and then
other film houses were allowed to show
their film by paying a certain premium to
do so.
The Industry Grows & Matures
• With their success came criticism, and thus began the business of the
CRITIC.
• Almost from the silent film days, studios faced harsh criticism from critics
about the use of sexuality, violence, crime, and general moral values
depicted in films.
• The motion picture companies came together in the 1920’s to finish
government controls and hired WILL HAYS in 1922 to “keep movies
clean”.
• In 1930, his office developed the Motion Picture Production Code which
banned what they considered to be sexually suggestive acts in movies
(even the showing of double beds), as well as language considered
offensive. The code demanded that movie lawbreakers be punished.
• As the years went by, this code was softened, until in 1939, Rhett Butler
was allowed to utter “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn!” in GONE
WITH THE WIND
• In 1953, the movie THE MOON IS BLUE used the word “virgin”.
• By the 1960’s, movies such as BULLIT could use a few “blue” words (“hell”
& the “s” words, for example) and violence in general became more
prevalent.