1 / 14

Early Developments

Early Developments. Persistence of vision human eye retains images for short periods still images moving past lens at 24 frames per second appear as moving pictures Edison, Dickson, and Eastman, 1880s Edison used Eastman’s flexible celluloid film for pictures to accompany his phonograph

kiora
Download Presentation

Early Developments

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Early Developments • Persistence of vision • human eye retains images for short periods • still images moving past lens at 24 frames per second appear as moving pictures • Edison, Dickson, and Eastman, 1880s • Edison used Eastman’s flexible celluloid film for pictures to accompany his phonograph • Kinetoscope • peephole viewers popular in 1890s • for pennies, people could see 20-second movies • Black Maria • Edison and Dickson’s movie studio, covered with tar paper • building rotated to catch light at various times of day • Lumière brothers • first functional film projector, 1895 • portable hand-cranked camera

  2. The First Movies • Edison-Dickson films • Fred Ott’s Sneeze (1894) – first film, of mechanic sneezing • The Kiss (1895) – controversial film of people kissing • George Méliès • French magician experimented with split screens, double exposure, and stop motion • A Trip to the Moon (1902) • Edwin S. Porter • Edison director developed time breaks, cutting, panning, and medium close-ups • Life of an American Fireman (1903) and The Great Train Robbery (1903)

  3. Studio Beginnings • Biograph, Vitagraph, and Edison • Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPC) • formed by nine New York companies in 1909 • shared patent rights and kept other companies from entering film production business • arranged exclusive deal with Kodak • Nickelodeons – early theaters that charged 5¢ • Filmmakers moved to California to escape MPPC • William Fox – 20th Century Fox • Carl Laemmle – Universal

  4. Griffith and His Contemporaries • David Wark (D.W.) Griffith • experimented with lighting subjects from below, long tracking shots, flashbacks, close-ups, and medium shots • parallel editing – used to cut back and forth in rescue scenes • The Birth of a Nation (1915) • cost $115,000 • Civil War film with KKK heroes • considered first blockbuster, though it caused riots and was banned in some cities • Mark Sennett and Charlie Chaplin • Sennett preferred sight gags, Chaplin character-driven comedy • Chaplin the first actor to sign a million-dollar contract

  5. World War I Developments • George Creel • formed Division of Films under federal government Committee on Public Information • used motion pictures for public information • Growth of independent producers • produced longer films • gave stars more personal recognition • “Biograph Girl” became Florence Lawrence • “Little Mary” became Mary Pickford • MPPC outlawed in 1917

  6. Hollywood in the 1920s • Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks marriage scandal • Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) • formed in 1922 to clean up movies and Hollywood’s image • headed by Will Hays for 23 years – “Hays office” • Motion Picture Production Code • formed in 1930 under threat of censorship and Catholic boycott • producers voluntarily submitted movies for review • Block booking • Paramount Pictures forced theaters to buy lesser quality films in order to show more popular features • Vertical integration • Marcus Loew owned Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Loews theaters • United Artists formed by Fairbanks, Pickford, Chaplin, and Griffith

  7. Sound • Lee DeForest’s audion tube – allowed sound to be amplified for movies • The Jazz Singer (1927) • first full-length movie to use sound as part of narrative • static shot of Al Jolson in blackface singing “Mammy” • By 1929, most movies were in sound • New actors replaced silent stars

  8. The “Golden Years” of Moviemaking • Studio years from 1930 to 1940 • MGM, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Warner, RKO, Universal, Columbia • mass-produced scripts in assembly-line fashion • actors and directors under contract to individual studios • Box office health • 1930s double features usually included one B picture • 90 – 100 million tickets sold per week in 1946, highest in history • Popular genres • Westerns • comedies – Charlie Chaplin, Marx brothers • musicals – Busby Berkeley, Shirley Temple • gangster films – The Front Page (1931) • animation – The Three Little Pigs (1933), Snow White (1937) • patriotic war films – The Battle of Midway (1942), Why We Fight (1942)

  9. Hitchcock and Welles • Alfred Hitchcock • started directing career in England • placed well-known actors such as Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, and Grace Kelly in alarming situations • The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), Strangers on a Train (1951), Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1957), Psycho (1960) • Orson Welles • Citizen Kane (1941) – did poorly at box office, but extended art of filmmaking • pioneered deep focus and low angle shots • combined animation and live footage • used newly developed incandescent lights

  10. Color • Technicolor • founded in 1917, and arranged monopoly over color experiments • 1920s – two-color process • 1933 – three-color process with three separate lenses and rolls of film • Stable color internegative system developed in late 1960s

  11. Hard Times • Increased costs – studios let stars’ contracts expire • United States v. Paramount, 1948 • Supreme Court outlawed vertical integration • most studios sold their theaters • B movies and double features disappeared • McCarthy-era blacklisting • Hollywood 10 refused to answer questions, jailed for contempt, 1947 • more than 200 people, mostly writers, lost work • Technological attempts to compete with TV • 3-D movies – Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) • Cinerama – three projectors and wrap around screen • CinemaScope – anamorphic lens showed wide picture on curved screen

  12. The Road Back • Independent production companies • filled vacuum left by studios’ dissolution in 1960s • auteur theory – gave director more creative freedom • Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) • 1951 Supreme Court ruling – movies protected by First Amendment • ratings system established, 1968 – G, PG, R, X • Social commentary of 1960s • Stanley Kramer – Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? (1967) • Stanley Kubrick – Dr. Strangelove (1964)

  13. Moviemaking Today • George Lucas • Dolby noise reduction – Star Wars (1977) • Industrial Light + Magic • Steven Spielberg • started with action films – Indiana Jones series, Jaws (1974) • 1990s social themes – Schindler’s List (1993), Saving Private Ryan (1998) • New studio system • DreamWorks – Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, David Geffen • combination of independent and studio eras • collaboration among film companies – Titanic (1997) • Aftermarket • VHS, DVD, pay-per-view, international distribution, airplane showings, television, etc. • make more money than theatrical showings

  14. Issues and the Future • Production • digital videotape • computer-generated images – Shrek (2001) • Satellite distribution • Exhibition • theater exhibition not very profitable • Internet movies on demand • Interactive movies • Internationalization of studios and production

More Related