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How it all began
Eadweard Muybridge speculated that when a horse was galloping, all of its feet were off the ground. He made a $25,000 bet with his friends, and a series of photos were taken to prove who was right. These were the first steps to creating film, as they were able to see motion through still images. -
First motion picture camera
The first motion picture camera came out in 1895. It was called the Kinetoscope, and it allowed people to view short movies created through a series of still images. However, they only allowed an audience of one. It was created by Thomas Edison. -
Lumiere brothers' invention
The Lumiere brothers are credited with creating the first projector that could show motion pictures on a screen for an audience, rather than just one person. They called it 'cinematography'. They showed 30-60 second films in Paris cafes for one-franc each. -
First US narrative film
Thomas Edison came out with the first film involving an actual story and different camera angles. It was called The Great Train Robbery, and it was a total of 12 minutes long. It was then considered an epic, based on the new concepts of film it introduced. -
Creation of the MPPC
As film became more and more popular by 1910, Thomas Edison saw this as an opportunity to make more money. He created the Motion Pictures Patent Company, and by doing so now controlled all films and got all of the profits. This created a very competitive motion picture industry. -
The rise of Hollywood
Film on the West Coast began getting significantly more popular. The weather conditions were favorable, having enough light for well-lit films. Another primary reason it was so popular was because of the distance it had from MPPC. Being so close to Mexico, if the MPPC came after them they could retreat to Mexico and not get in trouble. -
Actors and Actresses given credit
Hollywood was favorable by the actors and actresses in them, because the independent companies gave them a substancial pay for their world. This was in contrast to MPPC, where they were given no credit at all. Those at MPPC feared if the actos and actresses became too popular, they would demand more pay. -
The Golden Age of Hollywood
The 1930s was very big for the film industry, as it was the first era that began using sound in films. Although the talking was very poor quality and many actors were inexperienced, they were still fairly successful at the Box Office. It was also the birth of many new movie genres. -
Film during the War
Hollywood films changed along with the general mood of the public. With the war going on, the happy-go-lucky tone of most movies became more serious. Many films were used to help entertain soliders during the war. -
The threat of television
Film attendance delcined during this time as television became more and more popular. Since studios began losing money, they had to come up with new ways to make up what they were losing. They began producing films for television, which in turn made Hollyood more popular in the aspect of television production as well as film. -
The Cleopatra Disaster
The film Cleopatra, made in 1963, was a huge financial disaster. The company 20th Century Fox was in crippling debt afterwards and was in shambles. It produced two more movies that thankfully saved them, but the aftershock from Cleopatra was still felt. -
Turning point in film
The 2000s marked a huge turning point for film, as more and more special effects were used. This was also when blu ray discs were introduced. We have advanced very much in terms of film, with IMAX theaters, smart phones which we can watch movies with the click of a button, etc.
