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How it all Started
Photographer Eadweard Muybridge was given a bet of $25,000 that a horse when galloping couldn't have all four of its feet off the ground. An experiment was conducted and a burst of photos was taken while the horse was galloping. The developed photos revealed that in certain pictures, the horse was indeed airborne with all hooves lifted. -
First Film Actor(ess)
Florence Lawrence was known as the "First Movie Star." She was an actor known as "Flo." She later died of an overdose, however, appeared in about 40 movies. -
First Motion Picture Film
Roundhay Garden Scene was considered as the earliest motion picture film. It's a short film that lasts only 2 - 4 seconds, and produced by Louis Le Prince. It is a silent film shot with 52 frames. -
Single View
Thomas Edison invented the peephole kinetoscope, which was a podium-like box that had a single peephole. This allowed one viewer to see a series of photos projected rapidly that created the illusion of motion. Edison took advantage of this opportunity to get more money. -
A World View
The Lumiere brothers created a short film using their invention, the cinematographe, which allowed audiences to watch it. Their films lasted from 30 to 60 seconds and was featured in a Paris cafe. The films included blockbuster issues and had an admission fee. -
First U.S. Narrative Film
Edwin Porter created the first ever U.S. narrative film. The film, The Great Train Robbery, involved a real story line with crosscuts between different narrative sequences + different camera positions/distances. The film lasted 12 minutes and was considered a historical change in the film industry -
Birth of Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon was a small theater that featured films along with 1 or 2 vaudeville acts. The films included background music such as piano accompanying the film. Vaudevilles feature short dramatic skits and comedy routines. -
Silent Legend
Charlie Chaplin, born in 1889, was a legend in silent comedy. His character "The Tramp" was well known in its time and was what made Charlie famous. When he died, his net worth was around $50 million. -
The Rivals End
Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPC) was created by several companies joining together, combined their patents to control raw film stock, projection equipment, and film distribution/exhibition. The Independent film companies couldn't compete and were raided, but eventually left the original film area (East Coast) which lead to the end of MPPC -
Bigger Audience, Bigger Screen
With more audiences and the popularity of movies and films rising, theaters create bigger screens. Since other methods of projecting films such as television was rising, films needed something to compete against it. Creating bigger screens made films and movies more interesting and exciting. -
Safe and Not Safe for Children
Motion pictures introduced the world with ratings for the films and movies. The ratings included G, PG, R, and X. This meant that some movies required adult supervision or children weren't allowed to watch the movie at all. -
Something Titanic
The movie Titanic was considered as the most expensive movie to make, around $300 million to produce. Titanic becomes the highest-grossing movie ever with around $580 million. It has also won 11 Academy Awards.
