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Horse Race Beginning
Eadweard Muybridge was sitting around with his friends during a horse race and placed a bet that when a horse runs all four of their legs were off the ground. They set up cameras and Eadweard Muybridege won the bet. Through the process it seemed that the images were making an illusion that they were moving. -
Kodak
Eastman Kodak took the problem of amateur photographers away by making independent film easier. He used a razor and blades strategy to sell inexpensive equipment to the photographers. By late 1976, he contributed to 90% of film sales and 85% of camera sells. -
The Kinetoscope
W.K. Dickson and Thomas Edison create the kinetoscope. They were made to be viewed by people one at a time. Thomas Edison made it this way in hopes of making more money. -
Lumiere Brothers
The Lumiere brothers were the ones that actually presented slow motion pictures to audiences. This was called cinematographe. These films typically lasted from 30 to 60 seconds. -
Vaudevilles
Vaudevilles were small theaters that featured short dramatic skits, comedy routines, etc. that were popular. In between acts, vaudeville theaters started featuring short films. As time went on, vaudeville were known as nickelodeons. -
Nickelodeons
Nickelodeons were small theaters that featured films along with one or two vaudeville acts. The were presented in museum-fashion because they were considered more of "art" at that time. They were accompanied by music since sound wasn't in films at the time. -
The Great Train Robbery
Edwin Porter created the first narrative film in 1903, named The Great Train Robbery. The film introduced different camera positions and distances, along with narrative sequences. The film lasted 12 minutes with 14 scenes which was considered an "epic" back in the day. -
First Cartoon
Fantasmagorie was the first animated cartoon to be produced. It was made by Emile Cohl. He worked on the film for about 5 months. -
Motion Pictures Patents Company
Several countries led by Thomas Edison created the MPPC. This was created to control almost everything in the motion picture industry. Independent companies tried to compete, but MPPC people actually raided their studios and threatened employees. -
Warner Bros.
The Warner Bros. were established at this time. The headquarters are currently located in Burbank, California. It is also currently one of the "Big Six" American Film studios. -
Academy Awards
The first Academy Awards were announced during this time. 15 statuettes were handed out over the course of 15 minutes. Winners were actually announced to media three months later, but this changed in 1930 and changed again in 1941. -
Drive-Ins
Drive-In movie theaters were opened in New Jersey at this time. The movie was shown on a large screen and customers could view the film while inside of their cars. The first film shown was Wife Beware. -
Disney Films
Disney successfully created films like Pinocchio and Fantasia. The success stemmed from the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, released in 1937. Films like Dumbo and Bambi followed. -
Television
Television threatened the cinematic industry, which did force some film theatres to become bankrupt and close. The "studio system" somewhat messed with films with self-commentary like Sunset Boulevard and The Bad and The Beautiful, which were both released in the fifties. -
New Hollywood
The late 1960s showed filmmakers beginning to create more creative and groundbreaking films. A Space Odyssey and Rosemary's Baby are examples. Bonnie and Clyde is often considered the beginning of the so-called New Hollywood. -
Blockbusters
The movies Jaws and Star Wars were released and were a huge hit. These then received the term of Blockbusters. Studios in Hollywood then started producing less larger budget films. -
VCRs
Audiences started watching films on home VCRs. At first, studios tried bannering home ownership of VCRs through copyright, but that didn't work out. Later, the sales and rentals of these films came as an additional source of revenue for the industries of film. -
Independent Production Companies
American Studios began to create their own "independent" production companies to finance/produce non-mainstream fare. Miramax films is an example, which was bought out by Disney. This happened a year before the release of Pulp Fiction. -
Avatar
James Cameron released the 3D film, Avatar. This became the highest grossing film of all-time. It was made from the same director as Terminator and Titanic. -
3D Film Popularity
3D films were increasing in popularity and production. The best success of this was the film Toy Story 3. Star Wars: The Force Awakens, actually surpassed Avatar when it came to the highest grossing film.
