HISTORY AND ORIGIN OF FILM AND RECORDING INDUSTRY
The field of film as an art form and develop earlier than T.V.
Film encompasses individual motion pictures. Traditional films are series of individual images called frames.
Film drives from the fact that was photography film also called film stock. There are different names of films. In USA people called it ‘movie’ and Europeans prefer its name ‘cinema’ some other names are ‘Big screen’, ‘the silver screen’ etc.
Films are produced by recording images with camera or it could be animation techniques or special effects.
Film is a source of popular Entertainment and powerful method for educating the citizens.
Some films have become popular worldwide attraction by using dubbing or subtitles that translate the dialogue.
(Before 1900s)
The Moving Image (1600s)
Light is invented through a small hole or lens from outside and projected onto a surface of screen by GIAMBATTISTA DELLA PORTA. He creates a moving image but it was not preserved in a recording.
Praxinoscope and Zoetrope (1860)
Praxinoscope and Zoetrope or Mutoscope were outgrowths of simple optical devices and would display sequences of still pictures at sufficient speed for the images on the pictures to appear to be moving, a phenomenon called persistence of vision.
Experiment of Edward (1878)
It became possible to directly capture objects in motion in real time. An 1878 experiment by Eadweard Muybridge in the United States using 24 cameras produced a series of stereoscopic images of a galloping horse, arguably the first "motion picture," though it was not called by this name. This technology required a person to look into a viewing machine to see the pictures which were separate paper prints attached to a drum turned by a handcrank. The pictures were shown at a variable speed of about 5 to 10 pictures per second, depending on how rapidly the crank was turned. Commercial versions of these machines were coin operated.
Motion picture Camera (1888)
By the 1880s the development of the motion picture camera allowed the individual component images to be captured and stored on a single reel, and led quickly to the development of a motion picture projector to shine light through the processed and printed film and magnify these "moving picture shows" onto a screen for an entire audience. These reels, so exhibited, came to be known as "motion pictures". Early motion pictures were static shots that showed an event or action with no editing or other cinematic techniques.
Dickson Experimental Sound Film (1894s-1895)
There had been experiments to synchronize a disc recording to the picture. But in 1894 end, William Kennedy who was not only the inventor also a director producer and cinematographer, he invented a projector that recorded sound on reel. There was the trend of silent films before 1920 so that’s why he got no response and people know that film is a silent art form.
Vitascope Theater (1896)
Vitascope theator was the first theator of films with 72 seats opened in 1896 in newyork Amarica.
(After 1900)
This period also called the silent period because there were most feature film were silent.
First Feature Film (1903)
The first feature film was ‘The Great Train Robbery’ shown in December 1, 1903 in
USA, written by Edwin S. Porter and based on the 1896 play ‘Scott Marble’. Starring is Justus D. Barnes, Gilbert M. Anderson. Running time was 12min and a silent movie. Distributed by Edison Manufacturing Company, Kleine Optical Company.
First Color Motion Film and The Silent Period
1st color motion picture was shown in 1908 and that technology used till 1914. The 1st color film name was ‘Kinemacolor’. This kind of movies shown through two color filters red and green used in camera.
Color Technology comes step by step:
1. Tinting and coloring
2. Additive color and Subtractive color
3. Monopack color film
4. Modern color film
5. Kodak color motion picture films and Fuji color motion picture films
1st color feature film(1918)
The 1st color feature movie was Cupid Angling comes in 1918, and after that another color feature film comes that was ‘The Wizard of Oz’. Gone With The Wind was also color film.
Before 1920 silent films gained a hold on the public imagination that films are purly visual art. In the start of twentieth century film was only the stinging of scenes togather to tell the story. The scenes were later brokenup into multiple shots of varying sizes and angles. Other techniques such as camera movement were ralized as effective ways to portray a story on film. Before 1920 there was optical recording of sound on film in Hollywood Amarica.
The Question is, Why did Hollywood wait untill the late 1920 to introduce sound films?
The Awnser is MONEY.
They don’t want to spend money because that process was very costly.
European Cinema was interrupted
The rise of European cinema was interrupted by the outbreak of Worl War 1 when the film industry in United states flourished with the rise of Hollywood. There was great innovative work of D.W Griffith in ‘The Birth Of a Nation’(1914) and ‘Intolerance’(1916), two great movies for the Amarican citizens.
First Animated Feature Film
The 1st animated feature film introduce in 1917 in Argentina by Quirine Christiani. Movie name was ‘Apostle’ and the duration was 70min.
After 1920
(The Golden time of Film Industry)
After 1920 the 80% of Hollywood generating in films and Amarica was the leading producer of films in the world at that time. Hollywood is a place in California where were various studios working for it and generating movies. After some period audience leave the silence, theator owners would hire a pianist or organist to play music fitting the mood of the film at any given movement and the speeches or diologue were started.Many talkie movies comes before 1920s but not recorded on reel.
Business was good in 1920s and the major studios did not want to get into costly experimentation with new techniques. Warner Brothers, however, was not as financially sound as the other studios. Since Warner did not own theaters in the big cities and could not exibit all its pictures in the most lucrative market. The company was willing to try anything to get its films into movie theaters.
1st sound feature film(1926)
In 1926 Warner released 1st sound feature movie ‘Don Juan’. There was music and sound effects but not spoken. Starring was John Barrymore.
1st Full-length feature film (1927)
(The Jazz Singer)
It was the 1st full length feature sound film released on 6th of Oct 1927. It was with dialogue sequences, effects and Jazz music(very new and charming music at that time). It was the decline of the silent movies because movie was super hit.
1st all Talking feature film(1928)
The 1st all talking feature film was ’Light of NewYork’ released on 28th july 1928, it cost only $75000 to produce and grossed $2000000.
The Biggest studios of Hollywood after 1920
After 1920 there were some Big studios working in Amarica.
1. Warner Bros Pictures : They familier because of the ‘gangser movies’.
2. Paramount Pictures : They were got money and fame because of big stars(artists) in their movies.
3. RKO(Radio-Keith-Orpheum) : They produces big budget movies like King Kong(1933) and Citizen Kane(1941).
4. MGM(Metro-Goldwyn Pictures) : The Big Parade(1925), Broadway Melody(1929), Grand Hotel(1932), Mutiny On the Bounty(1935), Gone With The Wind(1939), The Wizard Of Oz(1939), Tarzan Films and Tom And Jerry was big success of these studios.
5. Fox Film Corporation : Today known as 21st Century Fox
6. Universal Pictures : They got success in the early days because of the comedy,serial and cartoon movies. For example Flash Gordon(serial), W.C field, Abbot, Costello(comidies) and Woody Woodpecker(cartoon movie).
7. United Artists Studio : very old and big investment and 1st Owner Was Charlie Chaplin the Famous star.
8. C.B.C(Film Sales Corporation) : Today its name is Columbia Pictures, its 1st movies was Tol Able David in 1930.
