Exam 1 Flashcards
Eadweard Muybridge
Pioneer of motion studies
Was an acclaimed photographer earlier in life, famous for his photographs of Yosemite
1872- Muybridge is hired by CA governor Leland Stanford
– developed a system of photographing objects in motion- one picture at a time
Etienne-Jules Marey
An avid photographer and inventor who was obsessed w/ birds in flight and understanding their flight process
Developed the “chronographic gun”
– camera capable of taking 12 successive photographs in a single frame
(A trick of the eye)
The Film Strip
Multiple still photographs projected at a rate consistent w/ mimicking movement in our vision
( Persistent of Vision)
Phi Phenomenon and Beta Movement
The phenomena that make up the persistence of vision can be demonstrated w/ a zoetrope…
Thomas Edison
1891- debuts the Kinetoscope
- sold machine to exhibitors
- made film strips for them to purchase
Kinetoscopes were originally placed in arcades
– people would pay a penny to watch the film strip play inside the machine
Edison never thought watching films in a large audience would be the business model
– he was in the business of selling machines and films directly to exhibitors
The Lumieres
In France, they also developed a motion picture camera and playback system
The “Cinematograph” allowed for filming, development, and projection
Travelled around France, shooting films in small towns, and charging residents to see those films at a show
They sold the Cinematograph
– They were in the camera business, not the motion picture business
Editing and Narrative
The process of selecting media in order to convey information
Editing techniques developed very quickly in early cinema
Filmmakers learned how to tell stories through experimentation (and accidents) and this created what we can think of as “the language of cinema”
“Trick Films”
George Melies
Was a magician in Paris
Bought a projector in England
- Built a studio and began shooting his own films
- The studio had glass walls and ceilings to allow light in
A pioneer of movie special effects
– A Trip to the Moon (1902)
Edwin S. Porter
Worked for Edison Manifacturing Co.
- Life of an American Fireman(1902) was one of the first American narrative films
- The Great Train Robbery(1903) is considered the first western
- Major editing innovations include “dissolves”and “cross-cuts”
D. W. Griffith
Born in Kentucky in 1895
Began his career as a playwright
Known for his “melodramas” and historical films
Founding partner of United Artists
Most famous feature-length films
- The Birth of a Nation(1915)
- Intolerance(1916)
- Broken Blossoms(1919)
- Way Down East(1920)
- Orphans of the Storm(1921)
The Birth of a Nation(1915) and controversy
Based on the novel the Clansman: An historical romance of the KKK, which was adapted into a wildly successful stage play
The play was banned in many places, but in the south and some Northern cities that only made audiences all more anticipatory
The film rights to the play were purchased by Griffith and adapted into second half of his film
Historical significance to cinema:
- Extensively developed the techniques of cross-cutting/ intercutting
- The film was boycotted and protested against by the NAACP upon its release in 1915
- Griffith was taken aback by the response to his film and the accusation that he was racist
- he made Intolerance the next year in direct response to his critics
- Griffith was taken aback by the response to his film and the accusation that he was racist
- The success of the play and the subsequent film adaptation led to the re-founding of the KKK, and membership grew throughout the U.S.
- as late as the 1970s the film was used as a recruitment tool
- The success of the play and the subsequent film adaptation led to the re-founding of the KKK, and membership grew throughout the U.S.
Thomas Edison and the NY Film Industry
The film industry was based in New York and New Jersey before 1912
There was fierce competition among producers, distributors, and exhibitors
Thomas Edison, in an attempt to consolidate his own power and maintain high profitability, attempted to enforce parents to scare away and reduce competition
The scheme
Edison would file parents on his inventions, then any time someone tried to use similar equipment or do anything that resembled his own work, he would threaten them with w/ a patent lawsuit
– in order to avoid a lawsuit, you could pay a “license” fee to Edison, which then allowed you to legally use his invention
Eventually, he forms the Motion Picture Patents Company(MPPC)
(The MPPC)
A monopoly
Formed by Edison alongside other major companies that owned patents or controlled operations essential to the film industry
– Biograph, Essanay, George Kleine (a distributor), and Eastman Kodak (film stock)
Together, these companies formed a monopoly on the industry, controlling all aspects of film production, distribution, and exhibition
– If you weren’t a member of the Edison Trust, it was difficult to operate in NY/NJ
IMP and the move to Hollywood
Carl Laemmie Sr. - began as an exhibitor
– owned several theaters in New Jersey
Fed up with the monopoly of the MPPC, he formed a new organization, the Independent Moving Pictures Company (IMP)
Eventually IMP was threatened w/ legal action from Edison and the MPPC, so several members of IMP packed up and headed out west
