Aristotle described how sunlight passing through a small hole projected an inverted image on the wall of a darkened room

and put reference to the camera obscura. Gemma Frisius, a Dutchman, published a book containing a drawing of a camera obscura in 1545. The oldest recorded attempt at motion picture photography was made by an Englishman named Eadweard Muybridge. In 1872, California Governor Leland Stanford hired Muybridge to help him win a bet by proving that there were times in a horse race when all four of the animal's feet are off the ground. Muybridge set 24 cameras up in a row along a race track. He attached a string to each camera shutter, and stretched the strings across the track. As Stanford's horse raced on the track, it tripped the wires and recorded 24 photographs that proved that all four of the horse's feet were off the ground at the same time. 1891- Thomas Alva Adison invented kinematograph and Kinetoscope. 1895 28th December Lumiere Brothers projected the world first film for paid audience. The date was supposed to be the birth of cinema.

Pre-history: Camera Obscura to Magic Lantern

Lumiere Brothers: Louis Lumiere & August Lumiere

They projected their first films on 28th December 1895 at Salon Indien du grand caf in Paris. The date was supposed to be the birth of film.

A Train Reaches the station. A Boat Leaves the Harbor. Baby at the Breakfast Table. Watering the Garden. ..etc

George Melies: The Cinema Wizard

Made around 500 short films. First introduced trick photography. He is the first person to use dissolve as transitions. Important Movies: Vanishing Lady (1896), Cleopetra (1899), Cindrella (1899), A trip to the moon (1902), Humanity Through Ages.

Edwin S. Porter: The Master of Storytelling

in 'Life of an American Fireman (1902) he adopted a documentary style of filmmaking . In The Great Train Robbery (1904) Porter used parallel cut. Porter was also one of the first directors to shoot at night in his 'Pan-American Exposition by Night'.

D. W. Griffith: The Father of Cinematic Art

Made more than 450 movies. Important Movies: Birth of a Nation (1915), Intolerance (1916) Griffith used camera movements, High angle, low angle shots. He also used soft focus, Mist photography and close ups after the long shot. Griffith used light to express cinematic mood. He is the first person to use reflector board to use the sunlight for photography. He successfully used creative editing process to create drama and tempo. He introduced cross cutting and contrast editing. First time to use still shot in A corner of Wheat (1909) In The Fatal Hour (1908) Griffith use flash back.

Russian Revolution and Theorizing cinema

In 1917 the October revolution in Russia caused massive revolution in Russian cinema and all other form of arts. V. E. Lenin declared film as the most important art for Russia. The socialist government treated film as their vanguard and they introduced Agit Train containing the mobile film industry to browse around whole Russia . Numerous film critics and philosophers evolved in this period. They introduce the theory of Montage and compositional language in film. Sergei Eisenstein, Lev kuleshov, Pudovkin, Dovchengko, Zhiga Vertov are greatest film philosophers and film analyst in USSR. In 1920 the socialist government of Russia established worlds first film institute in Moscow.

Sergei Eisenstein: Dialectical Cinema

This great film philosopher elaborated the theory of montage. He wrote some very important books and articles on film like Film form & Film Sense. These are supposed to be the bible of cinema. His greatest movies includes Strike (1924), Battleship Potemkin(1925), The General Line (1926), October (1927), Alexander Nevsky (1938), Ivan the Terrible (1944) He is the introducer of Intellectual Montage, Montage of attraction and Dialectical cinema. Eisenstein Classified four kind of montage: Metric, Rhythmic, Tonal & Overtonal Montage.

Vsevolod Pudovkin: Courage and resilience of individual

In contradiction with Isensteins Dialectical Montage Pudovkin emphasized on additive montage. In 1928, with the advent of sound film, Pudovkin, Sergei Eisenstein and Grigori Aleksandrov signed the Manifest of Sound, in which the possibilities of sound are debated, and always understood as a complement to image. Important Movies: Mother (1926), The End of St. Petersburg (1927), Simple Case (1932) and The Deserter (1933) etc.

Lev Kuleshov: A passion for Film

A passionate film Theorist and film analyst. Initiator Moscow Film Institute, the first film institute in the world. Mostly popular for his experiment with the actor Ivan Mozzhukhin. Initiator of montage concept. In the film By the Law he showed the concept of Recreated Space or Created Geography. Important movies: The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks (1924), By the Low (1926),

Alexander Dovzhenko: The Film Poet

The Ukrainian film maker is mostly known for his poetic presentation along with deep political views. He showed his mastery of Poetic composition, using light and shadow to create dramatic mood, slow motion photography. Important Films: Arsenal (1920), The Diplomatic Pouch (1927), Earth (1930). His film The Earth caught attraction of international audience and film lovers.

Dziga Vertov: Camera is the Alternative eye

Initiator

of Kino-Eye Film movement. Established the concept of documentary filmmaking. Created Kino Pravda newsreel series, comprised with 23 episodes, A Man With A Movie Camera etc.

Thank You