CHAPTER 3: FILM
Muybridge's Inventions
ntrigued by the horse in motion effect, Muybridge began taking pictures of numerous kinds of human and animation action. This led him to create the zoopraxiscope. • The zoopraxiscope is considered one of the precursors to modern cinema and animation technology. • The zoopraxiscope consisted of a spinning disk or drum with series of images or photographs of various stages of a motion sequence, typically from Muybridge's motion studies. • When the device was rotated, the images would be projected onto a screen, creating the illusion of motion. • It allowed viewers to see a moving image from a series of still images, making it an early form of animation and resulted in the phenomenon known as Persistence of Vision.
A Growing New Film Industry
• Although films were still silent, by the mid 1920's, there were more than 20,000 movie theaters in the United States, many of them movie palaces, elaborately decorated, opulent, architecturally stunning theaters and more 350,000 people were making their living in film production. • More than 1,240,000 feet of film were shot in Hollywood each year and annual domestic U.S. box office receipts exceeded 750 million. • At the beginning of the 20th century the film industry was thriving, not only for their innovation and new artistic intention with filmmaking, but generous immigration rules, combined with political and social unrest abroad, encouraged a flood Europeans immigrants to congregate in American cities where jobs could be found. Due to cheap cost of a nickel and no English in the films it became an activity all English and non-English speakers could enjoy together. • Then in 1914 and 1915, while war raged on in Europe, the European film industry came to a halt however European demand for films did not. • American films became largely distributed overseas showcasing the hallmark principle at the time that movies were universal to any audience or any language.
The Great Depression's Effect on Movies
• By 1932, weekly movie attendance had dropped to 60 million down from around 90 million in 1929. • The depression was having an affect on consumers but the industry was able to weather the storm for two reasons, first being creativity. • New genres emerged that kept people's interest. In 1936, feature documentary "The Plow That Broke The Plains" spoke to audiences that were seeking to understand a world in seeming disorder. Musicals such as "42nd Street" and Screwball comedies like "Bringing It Up Baby" provided escapism while gangster movies like "Little Cesar" reflected the grimy reality of depression city streets. • The film industry during this time also created the double feature. Which was one main event movie followed by a B-movie which was a less expensive movie all for the same price. • The second reason the movies survived the Depression was because of its size and power, both residing in a system of operation called vertical integration. Using this system, studios produced their own films, distributed them through their outlets and exhibited them in their own theaters. • In effect, the big studios controlled a movie from shooting to screening, guaranteeing distribution and an audience regardless of quality.
The Beginning of Narratives
• The Edison and Lumiere movies were typically only a few minutes long and showed simple human movements like weightlifters, jugglers, celebrities and babies. They were fixed in frame meaning the camera never moved and there was no editing. But the novelty of it wearing thin with consumers. • French filmmaker Georges Melies began making narrative motion pictures, that is movies that told stories. • At the end of 1980, he was shooting, exhibiting one scene, one shot movies but soon started making stories based on sequential shots in different places.
How the Biograph competed with the Kinetograph
Improved Technology: The Biograph camera was considered more advanced than Edison's Kinetograph. It featured a more reliable intermittent film movement mechanism, which allowed for smoother and more stable filming. Biograph's system also utilized a larger film gauge, resulting in higher image quality and resolution. Versatility: While the Kinetograph was limited to recording short films primarily within Edison's Black Maria Studio, the Biograph camera was more portable and versatile. It could be used in various locations, allowing filmmakers to capture a wider range of scenes and events. Patent Dispute: The competition between the Edison Company (which held patents on the Kinetograph) and the Biograph Company led to legal battles over patent infringement. These legal disputes significantly shaped the early film industry's development and practices.
Thomas Edison's Motion Picture Studio
Thomas Edison's Motion Picture Studio • The "Black Maria" was the world's first motion picture studio, and it was built by Thomas Edison in West Orange, New Jersey, in 1893. • The name "Black Maria" was derived from its resemblance to a black, tar-paper-covered police paddy wagon of the time, and it came to symbolize the early of filmmaking in the United States.
D.W Griffith
• D.W. Griffith, whose full name is David Wark Griffith, was a pioneering American filmmaker who played a crucial role in early development of the film industry and, in a broader sense, its eventual move to California. Griffith was a director, writer, and producer, known primarily for his groundbreaking 1915 film "The Birth of a Nation". • Griffith began his career in the film industry in the early 1900s when he worked as an actor and writer. He soon transitioned into directing and gained recognition for his innovative storytelling and filmmaking techniques. One of his most significant contributions to cinema was the use of cinematic techniques like cross-cutting, close-ups, and parallel editing, which greatly influenced the language of film and set new standards for narrative storytelling in the medium.
The Horse In Motion
• Eadweard Muybridge's "The Horse in Motion" is a groundbreaking series of photographs and an early experiment in motion capture and photography. • Muybridge was a 19th-century photographer who became famous for his work on motion studies, particularly the locomotion of horses. • His work is often credited with paving the way for the development of modern cinema and understanding of biomechanics. • In the late 1870s, Muybridge was hired by Leland Stanford, a wealthy railroad tycoon and racehorse owner, to settle a debate about whether all four of a horse's hooves leave the ground simultaneously while galloping. • To capture the horse's motion, Muybridge set up a series of cameras along a track, each equipped with tripwires that triggered the shutters when the horse passed by. • The resulting series of photographs proved that, at one point during a horse's gallop, all four hooves are indeed off the ground.
The Big Studious
• In 1908, Thomas Edison, foreseeing the huge amounts of money that could be made from the movies, founded the Motion Picture Patents Company (MPCC), often simply called the trust. • The Trust was made up of 10 companies all under Edison's control, holding patents to virtually all existing filmmaking and exhibition equipment, ran the production and distribution of film in the United States holding complete control of U.S. filmmaking. • Anyone who wanted to make or exhibit a movie needed trust's permission, which typically wasn't forthcoming. • In addition, trust's rules stated that it must be one reel, approximately 12 minutes long and must adopt stage perspective, that is, the actors must fill the frame as they were in a stage play.
The Birth of a Nation
• In 1915, Griffith directed "The Birth of a Nation", a film that is both celebrated for its technical achievements and vilified for its racist content. It was a massive commercial success and is often credited with popularizing feature-length films. • Griffith's pioneering work in his film helped shape the modern film industry and the way movies were made and was one of the founding filmmakers responsible for bringing the industry to California.
Justice Department Challenges Studious
• In the late 1930s, the U.S. government, through the Department of Justice, initiated a series of antitrust lawsuits against several major film studios, challenging their vertical integration practices. The most famous of these lawsuits was the United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. case, which is often referred to as the Paramount Antitrust Case. The key issues and outcomes of this challenge to vertical integration. • The Consent Decree: In 1940, the defendants (the major studios) in the Paramount case reached a consent decree with the U.S. government. This decree, also known as the "Paramount Decree". • One of the main outcomes of the Paramount Antitrust Case was that the major studios were forced to divest their ownership of movie theater chains. Prior to this, the major studios not only produced and distributed films but also owned many theaters in which their films were shown.
The Paramount Decree
• Independent theater owners could own more easily access a variety of films from different studious, promoting competition and diversity in their film offerings. • The Paramount Decree allowed independent producers and smaller studios to enter the industry more easily. Without the major studios controlling both production and exhibition, there was greater opportunity for independent filmmakers to get their films screened in theaters. This contributed to a diversification of film content and styles. • The Paramount Decree and the challenge to vertical integration marked a turning point in Hollywood's business practices. While the decree was modified in subsequent years, it had a lasting impact on the industry and contributed to the development of the modern studio system. • The case actually took 10 years to decide and it's fate was sealed in 1939 when the Radio Corporation of America made the first public announcement from on top of the Empire State Building.
The Kinetograph
• Muybridge eventually met the prolific inventor Thomas Edison in 1888. Edison quickly saw the scientific and economic potential of the zoopraxiscope and set his top scientist, William Dickson, on a task to create a better projector. • Dickson combined Hannibal Goodwin's newly invented celluloid roll film with George Eastman's Kodak camera to create the kinetograph. • In addition to the camera itself, Edison and Dickson also developed the Kinetoscope, a device for viewing motion pictures. The Kinetoscope allowed individuals to peer through a peephole and watch short films.
Herman Casler's Biograph
• The Biograph camera and projector competed with Thomas Edison's Kinetograph and Kinetoscope system during the early days of cinema.
The Lumiere Brother's Cinematographe
• The Cinematographe was an early motion picture camera and projector invented and developed by Auguste and Louis Lumiere, two French brothers who are often credited with pioneering cinema. The Cinematographe was patented in 1895 and represented a significant advancement in the history of film technology. It was a key element in the birth of modern cinema. • The Cinematographe was notable for several reasons: ◦ Portability: Unlike many other early motion picture devices, the Cinematographe was lightweight and portable. This made it possible for filmmakers to take it to various locations, capturing a wide range of scenes and events. ◦ Dual Functionality: The Cinematographe served as both a camera and a projector. It could record moving images on film and then, by reversing the mechanism, project those images onto screen for an audience. This dual functionality was an important innovation. ◦ Commercial Success: The Lumiere brothers used the Cinematographe to create and screen some of the earliest motion pictures in public exhibitions. Their first public screening took place in Paris in 1895, marking the birth of cinema as a form of entertainment. Their films, often brief and documentary-like, captured everyday scenes, and they quickly gained popularity.
The Great Train Robbery 1903
• The Great Train Robbery, " a silent film directed by Edwin S. Porter in 1903, is considered a landmark in the history of cinema. • Porter had seen A Trip to The Moon with all its advancements and began the trend of using better camera placement and storytelling to engage a viewer. It was the first movie to use intercutting of scenes into the editing process. • This created the idea of the montage. Tying two separate but related shots in such a way that had unified meaning that the audience could comprehend. • Almost immediately, hundreds of Nickelodeon's began to open which was the first introduction of public cinema theaters. • The term "Nickelodeon" is a combination of two words: "nickel", which referred to the admission price of five cents (a nickel coin), and "odeon", a Greek word meaning "theater" or "place for music". This reflects the early theaters' affordability and focus on providing entertainment to the masses.
The Hays Code
• The Hays Code allowed the film industry to self-regulate and avoid external government censorship or intervention. By adopting the code, the industry sought to demonstrate its commitment to addressing concerns about the content of films. • The Hays Code had a profound influence on the content of films. Filmmakers had to work within its constraints, leading to more subtle and indirect ways of addressing sensitive or controversial themes. This led to the creation of various narrative techniques and tropes, such as the "good always triumphs over evil" theme and the use of symbolism. • While the code limited filmmakers' creative freedom, it also challenged them to find innovative ways to convey ideas and messages without explicit content. Some argue that this challenge led to more creative storytelling in the long run.
Talkies
• The creation of talkie films, also known as "sound films" or "talkies", marked a revolutionary shift in the film industry. The transition from silent films to sound films was a significant development, and it fundamentally changed the way movies were made and experienced. Here's an explanation of how talkie films were first created: • The Invention of Sound Recording: The key technological innovation that enabled the creation of talkie films was the development of sound recording and playback technology. This included the use of synchronized soundtracks that could be played in conjunction with the film. • The Vitaphone System: Warner Bros. is credited with pioneering the first successful sound-on-film system. In 1927, Warner Bros. introduced the Vitaphone system, which used a separate phonograph record to record sound. For films using the Vitaphone system, the film and the phonograph record were synchronized during playback, allowing for dialogue, music, and sound effects to be heard alongside the movie. • "The Jazz Singer" (1927): "The Jazz Singer" starring Al Jolson, is often considered the first feature-length talkie. It featured synchronized musical numbers and some spoken dialogue. The film's success marked a turning point in the industry and demonstrated the public's strong appetite fro sound in cinema. It was both critically acclaimed and commercially successful. • Rapid Adoption: Following the success of "The Jazz Singer", the film industry rapidly transitioned to sound production. Studios invested in sound equipment, and actors and filmmakers adapted to the new medium. Sound recording technology continued to evolve, making it easier to record and synchronized sound on the film itself, reducing the need for separate records. • Challengers and Adjustments: The transition to sound posed some challenges. For example, actors had to adapt to speaking on camera, and sound recording equipment had to become more portable and reliable. Filmmakers experimented with different techniques to capture sound and integrate it into storytelling. • The Decline of Silent Film: As sound technology improved, silent films became obsolete. By the early 1930s, silent films had almost entirely disappeared from mainstre
Censorship in the Industry
• The cry for government intervention was raised and state legislatures introduced more than 100 separates pieces of legislature to censor and otherwise control movies and their content. • Hollywood responded in 1922 by creating the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) appointing Will H Hays, chair of the Republican Party, A Presbyterian church elder and former Postmaster General. • Hays' Office undertook a vast effort to improve the image of movies. Stressing the importance of movies to national life and as a educational medium. • Eventually in 1934, the Motion Picture Production Code was released. The code forbade profanity, limited bedrooms scenes to married couples, required skimpy outfits be replaced, delineated the length of a onscreen kiss, ruled out scenes that ridiculed public officials or religious leaders and outlawed a series of words from "God" to "nuts" all enforced by a 25,000 fine and the demand that scripts be submitted in advance for approval.
Scandal in the Industry
• The popularity of talkies and the of movies in general, inevitably raised questions about their impact on culture. • In 1920 "America's Sweetheart" Mary Pickford obtained a questionable Nevada divorce from her husband and immediately married moving darling, Douglas Fairbanks also recently divorced. • In 1920, comedian Roscoe Arbuckle was involved in legal problems that resulted in a $100,000 hush money gift to a Massachusetts District Attorney, and a second charge of manslaughter after a San Francisco hotel party. • Then in 1922, actor Wallace Reid died of an addiction of Morphine which the drug was partly supplied by a film studio to keep in working as he recovered from an injury from a train wreck.
Melies Creation of Filmmaking Techniques
• Tracking Shots: Melies was one of the early filmmakers to experiment with tracking shots, where the camera moved along a predetermined path to follow the action. This allowed for more dynamic and immersive storytelling. For example, in his film "The Impossible Voyage" (1904), he used a complex tracking shot to create the illusion of a continuous journey through various fantastical landscapes. • Pan and Tilt Movements: He also employed panning (horizontal movement) and tilting (vertical movement) of the camera to capture different angles and perspectives. These movements added depth and perspective to his scenes, creating more dynamic viewing experience. • Multiple Exposures: Melies frequently used multiple exposures to achieve magical and fantastical effects in his films. By manipulating the camera and the film, he could superimpose multiple images in a single shot, creating ghostly apparitions, transformations, and other illusions. • Stop-Motion Animation: He utilized stop-motion animation in his films, where the camera is stopped between frames while objects or characters are adjusted slightly, creating the illusion of movement. This technique was used for various magical and transformation effects in his work.
