Unit 2: Historical Foundations of Cinema & Television 2-1 “History of Cinema”

Earliest Years 17th -18th century: Lantern slides By 19th century saw vast proliferation of visual forms of popular culture 1880’s-1930’s Industrial Era Only the rich! Books of photographs Illustrated fiction What about us? Middle / Working Class: Visit circuses, amusement parks, music halls, theater troupes, dioramas, stereoscopes

Diorama Painted backdrops featuring 3-D figures depicting historical events

Stereoscopes Hand-held viewers that created three dimensional effects by using oblong cards with two photographs printed side by side

Developmental Steps for Motion Pictures First (1st) Step Scientists had to realize, the human eye would perceive motion if a series of slightly different images is placed before it in rapid succession- minimally around 16 per second. Phenakistoscope (1832) Deceiving scope Zoetrope (1833) Life + Turn Second (2nd) Step these fast-moving images needed to be projected on a surface 17th Century “magic lanterns” projecting glass lantern slides (paintings illuminated by glass), but couldn’t flash large numbers of images fast enough to create illusion of motion. Third (3rd)Step Ability to use photography to make successive pictures on clear surface BUT… Speed up exposure time the act of presenting rays of light to a photosensitive surface First photograph had exposure time of 8 hours!!! (1839) Motion pictures would require split-second exposure time Won’t become feasible until 1878 Fourth (4th) Step Photographs needed to be printed on a base flexible enough to be passed through a camera rapidly 1888: George Eastman devised a camera that made photographs on rolls of thin paper. Kodak!  The next year, he introduced transparent roll of film creating a breakthrough in the move toward cinema Fifth (5th) Step Needed to find a suitable mechanism for cameras and projectors.   the film strip had to stop briefly while light entered through the lens and exposed each frame; a shutter then covered the film as another frame moved into place Shutter a mechanical device for opening and closing the aperture of a camera lens to expose film or the like. Aperture an opening, usually circular, that limits the quantity of light that can enter an optical instrument 1st Moving Picture Film Edward Muybridge (1878) and the running horses Photographer Row of 12 cameras, each making an exposure in one- thousandth of a second. Lantern to project the images which were eventually drawings copied from the photographs onto a revolving disk

Invention of the Motion Picture Thomas Edison developed Kinetoscope in 1891 the first motion picture system What is it? (peep show in a box) Scottish-English immigrant William Dixon joined Edison’s team to help develop the technology that would combine pictures and sound Looped in 30 sec vignettes, no story connecting them. The viewer would look into the peep-holes of the Kinetoscope to watch the motion picture Resulting film (but no sound… yet!) Boxing Cats To finish FILM w/ SOUND Put a phonograph inside the cabinet Listen through two rubber ear tubes connected to the machine.

The Bioscop Invented by Skladanowsky brothers in 1895 Held two strips of 3 ½” film running side by side-frames projected alternately 15 minute programs the first moving picture show to a paying audience on November 1, 1895 Problems Too cumbersome Film kept slipping b/c no perforations on side of film

Lumiere Brothers Louis & Auguste wanted to make better camera than Edison's kinetoscope, which did not have a projector. Goal was to correct the flaws in the kinetoscope Image sharper images and better illumination. Weight weighed only 16 lbs!!! manually operated by a hand-crank (less weight than motorized) Usability only one person at a time could use Edison's kinetoscope (peep show style) the Cinématographe could project an image onto a screen for a large audience Workers Leaving the Factory, 1895

American Developments Mutoscope invented by Winsor McCay November 21, 1894 Did not project on a screen Provided viewing to only one person at a time Vitascope Took ideas of kinetoscope and blew it up! Invented by Thomas Armat in 1895 Becomes first modern film projector Thomas Edison buys the concept b/c he knows his kinetoscope is now trash Rough Sea at Dover

American Developments By 1897- only 2 means of film exhibition Peep show devices for individual viewing Projection systems for audiences At the same time, 3 Types of Cinema: Scenics, Topicals and Fiction Films Scenics- Short travelogues offering views of distant lands Topicals- News events, recreations of key occurrences in studio Sinking of battleship Maine during Spanish-American War (1898) Fiction Films- Brief Staged Scenes telling a story Some shot outdoors, but most shot in front of painted backdrops 1904- became the industry’s main product Camera set up in one position and action unfolded in one continuous take. No credits, or music Provided live by the “exhibitor”

Nickelodeon 1905- Nickelodeon- Earliest version of a Movie Theatre Admission was $.05 for a 15-60 minute production Audiences sat on benches, wooden seats Actors stood behind screen and spoke dialogue synchronized w/ the action on the screen Sound effects were made with noisemakers behind the screen (Folly Artists) Warner Bros, Universal, Paramount, & MGM all got their start as Nickelodeon exhibitors!!!

American Cinema: Pre WWI Industry professionals focused on quickly expanding the demand for film in America Nickelodeon theaters were clustered in business districts and working-class neighborhoods Cheap entertainment! By 1908- Nickelodeons were the main form of exhibition / entertainment Most films came from overseas Movie Studio System born from the Nickelodeon boom Time for America to get in the mix!

American Cinema: Pre-WWI Quickly became 2 Company Competition Edison Company vs. American Mutoscope & Biograph Agree to stop fighting with each other and work together! Create Motion Pictures Patent Company owned and charged licensing fees on key camera and equipment patents. Production companies had to pay MPPC licensing fees in order to exist.

American Cinema: Pre-WWI MPPC’s Goal Control all three aspects of the industry production, distribution and exhibition. That’s how you make the $$$ Only licensed companies could produce, distribute and exhibit films Eastman Kodak only sold film to MPPC licensed movie companies, etc. Creates an Oligopoly Small group of companies work together to control the entire market If any other firm attempted to shoot, distribute, or exhibit a film MPPC would threatened to sue for patent infringement.

American Cinema: Pre-WWI 6,000 theaters agreed to pay the fees to MPPC But… The independents fought back!! 2,000 nickelodeons refused A market for unlicensed producers and distributors was created This portion of the industry was identified as the “independents.” What we call, “Indi Films” today! The Independent Movement Independent Motion Picture Company & New York Motion Picture Company Rented films from European companies that MPPC had shut out. Used Cameras that didn’t use Edison’s Patents

American Cinema: Pre-WWI The MPPC retaliates & creates the General Film Company in 1910 Attempt to MONOPOLIZE all aspects of filmmaking. GFC released ALL films made by MPPC producers. Dirty Work MPPC also hired detectives to investigate the Independents claims in regards to Non- Edison Cameras The courts ruled that earlier camera patents lead to INP’s cameras No Violation!!! This freed all Independents from the fear of law suits!!! Key Loss leads to INP’s banding together Leads to… Birth of the Hollywood Studios System we know today!!!