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The Bet
It all started when a man bet that horse lifted all of its feet when it ran. He set up cameras to find out. He found out that he was right, but he also got the idea of film. -
The Theatres
Thomas Edison began putting images together to make movies. One would look into a hole and watch the pictures. Edison could have used a projector, but he would have made less money. -
The Projection
Meanwhile in France, the projection became an official invention. They started using it to show movies to large audiences. However, it was still silent. -
The Great Train Robbery
The first movie was released with a storyline was "The Great Train Robbery". It was only 12 minutes and had only 14 scenes, but it was considered an epic. Edwin Porter, an employee of Thomas Edison created it. -
The Nickelodeons
In order to add audio to the "moving images", people would make sounds or perform music where you couldn't see them. People would also perform skits in these theatres. You only had to pay a nickel to go to a nickelodeon. -
The Monopoly
By 1910, nickelodeon were very popular. Many people spent money to see the short movies that were being created. Knowing this, Thomas Edison created a monopoly to control the filming industry. -
The MPPC
The MPPC was controlled by Thomas Edison. They controlled the film industry. They would trash other comapnies' studios if they made movies. -
California
People started to film in California rather than New York. California has better lighting and weather than New York. People were also further away from the MPPC. -
The Credits
The MPPC didn't want their actors to become famous and demand more money, so they didn't put their names in the credit. Other people though that making actors famous would be better. As a result, credits were made. -
Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin was one of the first actors to be credited for his work. He liked to teach moral values with his acting. He made more than one million dollars a year by 1917. -
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was one of the first actors to be credited for her work. She was known as "America's Sweetheart". In other words, she was a popular actress in America. -
Movies Today
These days, movies are made by many companies. They also have audio, colors, and credits. Movies sure have chnaged a lot since the 13-second "falling off of a horse" movies.
