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The Initial Bet
After a bet of $25,000 between some peers on whether a horse, while running, would be off all four of it's legs at a point in given time. By using multiple cameras and a system of string-pulls, Eadweard Muybridge was able to settle the bet by putting that horse in a new form of motion: film! Pictures like this would later be expanded upon by Muybridge, and were then known as the very start of film. -
The Kinetoscope
Thomas Edison invented the Kinetoscope to provide a different kind of use for film: profit! He cared about this profit so much that he didn't unveil his projector until realized what profit it could make, as he thought screening to one person at a time was more profitable. However, his Kinetoscope still led on to entertainment and future innovation, so the projector was expanded upon and profited with, leading Edison to use his. -
The Cinematographe
While Edison expanded on film for a larger-than-one audience all too late, that innovation was truly shared by the Lumiere brothers. Their film consisted of a large screen showing what an early projector put onto it through use of light. Films like this would soon become the norm for video entertainment, and go on to further innovate in the future. -
The Nickelodeon
The nickelodeon theater was theater that, for a nickel, would allow its patrons to view vaudeville acts, which were small pieces of comedy and song, until those acts were booed off the stage. In between these acts, short films were played to keep entertaining, and the venture was seen as a profitable one as it was popularized in 1905. -
The Film Monopoly
In the 1910's, Thomas Edison led a monopoly on the film industry in America due to how profitable the industry became. He and his company owned everything from who/what made the film and where it played them. While the monopoly didn't last very long, it felt like an eternity for independent film makers, who would have their belongings destroyed for going against the company. Those who fled from the monopoly went to the West coast, as it was far away from Edison's company; starting "Hollywood." -
The Rise of Hollywood
After Edison's company broke down due to people going to the coast for film, the film industry there grew to heights not even seen today. The amount of films being produced hit a peak, and with it came well known actors and studios getting their first real taste of what would be known as "Hollywood." Good examples of films that took rise here would be those including Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks, some of the most well-known actors of their time, appearing in many films. -
Sound
In the late 1920s, sound was first introduced into films with what was known as "talkies." These talkies had synced up audio that went along with the film, and they took the film world by storm. (This happens quite often for the film industry.) While some never really warmed up to the idea, it would coexist with silent, more traditional films until it overtook them as a form of entertainment. -
Color
In the early 1930s, color was first introduced into films, and took the film industry by storm much in the way sound sort-of (exactly) did. It would be used in basically every film that could use it, except few that still kept their charm, or tried to remain traditional. Color being introduced made a gateway for animation in film, especially, as those films would get a whole new world to explore for unleashing creativity, though quite obviously live-action film did, as well. -
War
War. With the start of World War II came propaganda. With war in general comes technological innovation. When both are put together you get some interesting media. With this specific example, you get days worth of film created for this set purpose, while also making a profit. Some of the world's best-known films came out during this time, like The Body Snatcher. -
Paranoia and the Civil Rights Movement
After the end of WWII, America was marking non-full-Americans as possible spies as fast as they could. This included famous actors, like Charlie Chaplin, who they said had ties to the enemy. This led many to flee to (or back to) Europe, causing less innovation here, but slightly more over there. The Civil Rights Movement, however, would spark many to create fantastic films, like 12 Angry Men. -
A Wide Spread of Film
With the film industry spreading across the world, so came many new ways to entertain with those moving pictures. Foreign films were on a rise and became a staple of the industry for adding new cultural experiences audiences had never seen before. This decade also brought many memorable films to the eyes and ears of viewers, such as A Fistful of Dollars. -
The Blockbuster
With more "adult" themes being allowed in films, such as sexual content or large quantities of blood, came many more kinds of films. A great example of this would be Jaws, as it both originated the term "Blockbuster," as it would put so many people in one place due to the success of it in theaters, and would show many other future films how to blend action and adult themes into an interesting (and VERY profitable) story. -
Modern Film 1980 to Now
With the rise and fall of many film companies and franchises, the innovations of computer-generated graphic images, and some of the biggest flops in entertainment history came what we have today. Film is a strange media nowadays compared to what it was if you think about it. While we still get classics, blockbusters, flops and everything else, the industry as a whole has changed, creating their own creative universes and anything else you can think of. While strange, film today is an open door.
