-
The Bet that Started it All
Back in 1872, Eadweard Muybridge made a bet with his fellows on whether at one point during a gallop, the horse would have all 4 of its hooves in the air. He betted $25,000; and he was able to prove himself right by taking 12 rapid pictures of a horse running by. To others, it looked as if the horse was moving in the picture. This led to the idea and foundation of motion pictures. -
Edison's Kinetoscope
Thomas Edison created the Kinetoscope, as he believed it was the best way to show films while earning a lot of money. The Kinetoscope was only able to show films to one person at a time, which Thomas Edison believed would earn him more money. The Kinetoscope was eventually discovered by the Lumiere Brothers, who would fix the problem of the way films were projected. -
The Creation of Cinematographe
After Auguste and Louis Lumiere, also known as the Lumiere Brothers, found out about Thomas Edison's kinetoscope, they wanted to innovate the way films were projected. They invented a camera that not only would it photograph, but also project those photographs at 16 frames per second. It turned out to be more successful than Edison's kinetoscope as they were able to make more money by having the ability to show films more efficiently. This also coined the term "cinematography". -
The First Narrative Film
A lot of the films back then never really had a story to them. Edwin S. Porter would create "The Great Train Robbery", which was a huge milestone in film making. It was 12 minutes long, told a story, and used film making techniques that were never seen before. -
Nickelodeon Opens
The world's first Nickelodeon opened in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Nickelodeons were able to seat up to 96 people and only costed a nickel to get in. This was the best way to get many people to watch movies in a quicker time. It also produced a lot of money. -
The Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPC)
Thomas Edison founded the MPPC back in 1908. His intentions were to use his patents to control almost everything in the motion picture industry. This made other minor companies at risk for making films, as the MPPC would raid them and threaten them. The MPPC was terminated in 1908 due to these conflicts. -
Hollywood Becomes the Center for Movies
Many film companies moved their production sites to Southern California for various reasons. One of those reasons were to escape the threats from the MPPC. Another reason was because the climate of Southern California was best for film making. Whatever the reason was, Hollywood became the center for movies, starting with the Selig Polyscope Company. -
Walt Disney is Created
Walt Disney founded The Walt Disney Company in 1923. The company is famous for major animated films, and sparked a boom in animated pictures. Although there were many animated films already created before Disney, Walt Disney was the first to truly make a successful hand drawn animation. -
The International Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The award was created by Louis B. Mayer, is hopes it would improve the film industry's image. This reward holds a lot of meaning to film makers even to this day, as it represents a significant amount of achievement. -
Sound is Introduces to Films
In 1927, Warner Bros. created the first film to feature sound. Their film was titled, "The Jazz Singer", and was made with sound-on-disc technology. Being able to implement sound into movies was a big milestone for the film industry. -
The "Golden Age" of Hollywood
Thomas Edison believed that he could keep more money to himself by not revealing the names of the actors. Other companies didn't do that, as it got more people to watch their films. In the 1930s, films were being made that included some of the most popular actors of the time, such as Charlie Chaplin. -
Theaters vs. Televisions
During this time, televisions were being introduced. This prompted studios to put audiences back into theaters to earn money. They attempted used more new techniques such as cinemascope, cinerama, and even 3D film to get people away from television and into theaters.
