Film History

Film is the youngest art form and the one that had the most appeal Each picture in a movie is a frame on a film Frame per second- fps- most films run at 24 fps and silent films run at 16 fps. Professional frame size= 35mm that holds 16 frames per foot of film Peter Mark Roger- who wrote the thesaurus- discovered that the retina of our eyes retain the image of what we seen after we have looked away for fraction of a second Edward James Moybridge- made a bet on whether a horses hooves were ever off the ground all at once. Made a flip book like picture by using trip wires that when activated took pictures. George Eastman- founder of Kodak- made cameras that the middle class people could buy and use Thomas Edison- 1888- invented the phonograph and came up w/ the idea to use sound to accompany the motion picture. William Dickson actually put the idea to use and he invented the parts on the side of the film that holds it in place. Also invented the kinetscope which is the machine part of the nickelodeon. o The Sneeze- 1938- fone of the first films o the Maria studio- Thomas edisons filming studio o the kiss the first controversial film The Lumiere Brothers- Made movies portable. They take their camera to the people. They filmed the first documentary such as Workers Leaving the Factory. They also made a projector so everyone could watch a movie at once instead of individually in a nickelodeon. The Sprinkler is Sprinkled= the first film that is a story instead of a study of motion or documentary. Alice Guy Blanche- got permission to use a camera to tell her own story called The Good Fairy in the Cabbage Patch. Tells how Parisan parents get a baby. Starts her own company and is one of the pioneers in moving making for writing and producing her own movies. George Melies- A Game of Cards- made whimsical, magic, and fantasy films Edwin S. Porter- made an early film adaptation of Uncle Toms Cabin and The Great Train Robbery. Used a panning shot, dissolves, and fades for the first time. Shows we can use more advanced filming techniques. Also the 1st western. David Wark Griffith- Changes camera angles and the distance between the actors and the camera as the actors emotions changed. Birth of a Nation- racist film and is contributed for the rise of the KKK. Most expensive and controversial film at the time.

o The Rise and Fall of Free Speech in America- D.W. Griffin is the first to argue that film is a form of art and should be protected under the 1st amendment. Intolerance- cost 1 million dollars to make. 1st montage because it puts together 4 films. Babylonian, Jesus, French, and the modern story all who are rocked in the cradle of life. Theme: If we are good to each other then we can have a good future. Lillian Gish- shot an icy waterfall film. She liked extreme weather conditions. Silent movies greatest actress. She and her sister worked as actresses in local productions in order to help support their family