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Lizzy Goetz

The Evolution of the Motion Picture

What is your favorite movie? Each person has different genres that they enjoy more than

others. However, movies were not always as they are today. Over time movies have evolved

from black and white with no sound, to colored with people speaking, and now with lots of

different special effects. Looking at movies evolving over time there are a lot of differences.

However, at the beginning of creating the motion picture, there were a lot of steps to get to where

it is today.

In 1839, a French painter and physicist, Louis-Jacques-Mandé Dagurre, perfected a

photographic process called daguerreotype. This type of photography is where the photo is put

onto a silvered copper plate. The daguerreotype is very accurate and detailed. Because it is

extremely fragile, it must be held in a specific type of case so that it is not ruined. These became

more popular to the wealthy, in 1840, because of how expensive they were. The time it took for

these types of photos to develop was only around 20-30 minutes compared to the eight-hour time

of other types of photographs at the time. These were mostly used for portrait photos but that is

not all they were used for. They were also used to capture events, antiques, still life, and much

more. There are many daguerreotypes that have been discovered throughout the years and still

many more to be discovered.

The inventor of the daguerreotypes, Louis-Jacques-Mandé Dagurre, was also a painter in

France. He was born in Cormeilles, France on November 18, 1787. He was a scene painter for

the opera. In 1822, he opened an art exhibit that showed different views effected by the changes

in the light. Niépce had heard of Daguerre’s efforts and they soon became partners. They worked

together from 1829-1833 when Niépce passed away. As Daguerre continued his experiments he
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then discovered his idea for the daguerreotype. On January 9, 1839, he announced his invention

at a meeting of the Academy of Sciences. Because of this invention, he was appointed as an

officer of the Legion of Honour. In 1939, both Daguerre and Niépce were paid for their new

photographic process. Louis then lived until the age of 63, dying on July 10, 1851.

Along the road to creating the motion picture, a French physiologist by the name of

Étienne-Jules Marey took the first series of photographs in 1882. Marey invented the

chronophotographic gun. This new way to take photos could capture up to 12 photos per second.

Originally this was created to study the movement of birds in flight. These photos were copied

onto a glass roll which later became the film roll. Marey had even tried to project his photos.

Marey had a strong interest in deconstructing movement rather than producing it. However, he

did not do much more than just taking instantaneous photos.

Étienne-Jules Marey was born on March 5, 1830. He was not only a physiologist; he was

a doctor as well. Therefore, he had an interest in the human body wanted to learn more about it.

As he looked into the human body more and more, he eventually wanted to extend his research.

He then took an interest in birds and their movement. Originally he used a device called the air

pantographe. This would study the movement of birds while in flight. He gathered his first

findings into a book called Animal Mechanism: A Treatise on Terrestrial and Aerial Locomotion.

This invention was then updated by Marey to what was used in 1882. Because they photos were

so little, they were also quite blurry. Marey worked toward on getting clearer images which

would eventually lay the foundation for the motion picture. Marey would eventually die on May

15, 1904 in Paris, France.

Another contribution to the creation of the motion picture came from the Lumière

brothers. These brothers are accredited with creating an early motion-picture camera and
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projector called the Cinématographe early in 1895. This was an 11-pound machine with a hand-

powered crank on the side. It projected film at the speed of 16 frames per second. Compared to

Edison’s, it was a lot slower however it was quieter and used a lot less film. This device was a

three-in-one device that could record, develop, and project motion pictures. The Lumière

brothers would then use this device to record factory workers leaving at the end of the day. They

showed their video at an industrial meeting in Paris in March 1895. They called this film “La

Sortie des ouvriers de l’usine Lumière” which translates to “Workers Leaving the Lumière

Factory”. This is considered to be the first ever motion picture.a

The Lumière brothers, Auguste and Louis, were born in Besançon, France. They went to

a technology school and helped their father’s photographic firm. While experimenting with his

father’s equipment, Louis created a new “dry plate” process in 1881. This new process largely

influenced the development of photography. After this, the Lumière brothers became

businessmen and Auguste was invited to see Edison’s new invention. He took what he learned

back to his family and they went to work to improve his invention. They eventually came up

with the previously mentioned “Cinématographe”.

Leading to the creation of the motion picture, French people have played some very

important parts. Even from just taking 15 photos per second, French people have helped to create

one of the most popular 21st century activities. Although there were several steps to reach the

movies that we have today, some of the most pivotal ones were taken by the French. No matter

where they came from, they all used their imagination to contribute to one final result. If you had

the opportunity to create something amazing what would you create? Would you use your

existing skills and knowledge like the Lumière brothers or would you chase your interests like
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Marey? As Bo Bennet said, “A dream becomes a goal when action is taken toward its

achievement.”
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Works Cited

“Daguerreobase.” Daguerreobase - What Is a Daguerreotype?

www.daguerreobase.org/en/knowledge-base/what-is-a-daguerreotype.

“Étienne-Jules Marey.” Better Photography, betterphotography.in/perspectives/great-

masters/etienne-jules-marey/48592/.

“Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 2 Apr. 2014,

www.biography.com/people/louis-jacques-mand%C3%A9-daguerre-40754.

Pruitt, Sarah. “The Lumière Brothers, Pioneers of Cinema.” History.com, A&E Television

Networks, 3 Oct. 2014, www.history.com/news/the-lumiere-brothers-pioneers-of-cinema.

Sklar, Robert, and David A. Cook. “History of the Motion Picture.” Encyclopædia Britannica,

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 27 Apr. 2018, www.britannica.com/art/history-of-the-

motion-picture.