This History of Short Films

by Miranda Mishaan

Why Short Films?

Most people start making short films
because they have neither access
to good equipment nor any
experience, and that is also how it
was in the early days of cinema
All films in the beginning were short,
but eventually got longer as the
demand for entertainment became
higher.

The First Short Film

The first film was only 2.11 seconds
long, directed by French Inventor
Louis Le Prince (clip to the right)
The earliest films were documentation
of nature
Everyone was amazed about moving
pictures, that when a clip of a
moving train was moving towards
them, people would jump in their
chair and move out of the way

https://youtu.be/b6Ppp5902Yg

Famous Filmmakers
Charlie Chaplin; his short silent
films in which he played the Little
Tramp, made him an international
household name and they are still
popular today. (top)
Laurel and Hardy; this comic duo
successfully made the transition to
talkies by maintaining the short
format for ever-popular, one-gag
movies. (bottom)

What Impact Can They Have On The Brain?

Car chases, a love scene, and cute
puppies or any given movie might
have millions of stimuli.
Scientists have found out that the
viewer's brain is time locked on the
screen
Movies can invest your brain, and
give you indescribable feelings,
which can be similar to feelings you
experience in real life

How do they Impact Culture?

In Bruce Lees second Hong Kong
produced martial arts film Fist of Fury
(1972) Bruce makes a definite
statement by saying Chinese are no
longer the sick men of Asia This
contradicts the popular media
stereotype from the Americans that
Chinese Americans were weak and
subservient individuals.

What Lowered the Popularity?

Television eventually killed the
Hollywood Cinema Shorts
Animators found their work in
demand, filling those 30-minutes
slots with 10-minute cartoons such
as the ever-popular Looney Tunes
European filmmakers were more
interested in creating art instead of
entertainment, in all forms (live
action or animation)

Work Cited
@BoysLifeClay. "What Was the First Movie Ever Made?" What Was the First Movie Ever Made? N.p., 17 June 2014. Web. 22 Sept. 2016.
@PsychToday. "Your Brain on Movies." Psychology Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2016.