History of Film

KINETOSCOPE

1889

The Kinetoscope is an early motion picture exhibition device. The Kinetoscope was designed for films to be viewed by one individual at a time through a peephole viewer window at the top of the device. The Kinetoscope was not a movie projector, but introduced the basic approach that would become the standard for all cinematic projection before the advent of video. Thomas EDISON

LUMIERE BROTHERS

Dec 28, 1895

The Lumières gave their first paid public screening, at Salon Indien du Grand Café in Paris.This history-making presentation featured 10 short films, including their first film,
"Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory"
"Arrival of the train" (1896)

Georges Melies ("A Trip to the Moon")

1898

Georges Méliès was a French illusionist and film director who led many technical and narrative developments in the earliest days of cinema.
- use of special effects, substitution splices, multiple exposures, time-lapse photography, dissolves, and hand-painted color.
- use storyboards.
* "A TRIP TO THE MOON" 1898
* "THE IMPOSIBILE VOYAGE" 1904
both involving strange, surreal journeys somewhat in the style of Jules Verne, considered among the most important early science fiction films.

George Albert Smith (film pioneer)

1899

• "Kiss in the tunnel" (1899) - (first shot from the front of the train)
• "Little doctor and the sick kitten" (1901) (FIRST CLOUSE UP - of the kitten)
• He is best known for his controversial work with Edmund Gurney at the Society for Psychical Research, his short films from 1897 to 1903, which pioneered film editing and close-ups, and his development of the first successful colour film process, Kinemacolor.

Continuity editing - Edwin S. Porter (1903) "Life of an American Fireman"

1903

One of the earliest American narrative films, it depicts the rescue of a woman and child from a burning building.
It bears notable similarities to the 1901 English short film Fire!, directed by James Williamson.
- FIRST EDITING OF SPACE

Paralel editing "The horse that bolted" - Charles Pathe (1907)

1907

Parallel editing used to
- contrast events
- build tension
- advance 2 storylines at once

Thomas H. Ince (Father of westerns)

1910

• He revolutionized the motion picture industry by creating the first major Hollywood studio facility and invented movie production by introducing the "assembly line" system of filmmaking
• first mogul to build his own film studio dubbed "Inceville" in Palisades Highlands.
• shorts in early '10
• Became independent producer (mainly Westerns)
• codirected "Civilisation" '16

"Dark Studious" appear in USA

1910

Concrete studious better for shooting the dark and night scenes. They became standard.

Characteristics of filmmaking

1910

-by 1910 stars, big sets
-raising suspense by intercuting
-1 scene in several shots
-POV shots
-by 1917 common technique shot reverse shot
-continuity editing
-180* rule of the axis
-close up
-feature film became standard

Lighting

1910

-Not flat
-coming from specific source not everywhere
* "the cheat" - De Mille, the scene "the killing of the villain" example for lighting from one source sillhouette.

Europe compared with Hollywood

1910

-they cut rarely than in USA
-longer shots but more complex staging
-importance of the mis en scene
-deeper interiors, many layers
-continuity editing comes in 1920

Guildlines for PLOTS

1910

• A chain of events and effects which involve the charater psychology as opposed to social or natural forces. -Protagonist is goal oriented trying to achieve or succseed -his goal conflicts other character goals or desires -a strugle that resolves at the end (typicaly happy one) -suspense achieved through deadline, conflicts, last minute escape etc.

FLORENCE LAWRENCE (First movie star)

1910

She is often referred to as "The First Movie Star", and was the first film actor to be named publicly. At the height of her fame in the 1910s, she was known as "The Biograph Girl" for work as one of the leading ladies in silent films from the Biograph Company. She appeared in almost 300 films for various motion picture companies throughout her career. She earned 80.000$ her carrier went down and she poisioned herself with ant-poison.

PARAMOUNT (famous players to famous plays)

1914

Zukor founded famouse players to famous plays that will beocme PARAMOUNT. They controled big stars and directors (Griffith, Sennett, De mille)

Division of film roles

1914

In 1914 they divided the roles in the crew. Directors shoot the films, producers produce them, writers do plot and dialog.

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS OPEN

1915

Universal studios opened by Carl Laemmle - 1915

David Wark Griffith

1915

"BIRTH OF NATION" 1915
(American civil war)
*camera in the car to follow the horses
*was considered rasist "INTOLERANCE" 1916
(three historical stories)
*editing between space and time
*crane shot
*3 actions in the same time (koga crnecot ja brka devojkata vo shuma) "HEARTS OF THE WORLD" 1918
"ROMANCE OF HAPPY VALLEY" 1919
"BROKEN BLOSSOMS" 1919
- 400 shorts
- popularisation of CLOSE UP

FIRST NATIONAL INC.

1917

• one of big 3 in late silent era
• Big but short succses when finally it was absorb by Warner Bros

WARNER BROS ('14 distribute / '18 produce)

1918

Brothers Jack and Harry started to distribute films in 1914 and in 1918 they started to produce their own films.

LATE SILENT ERA (1918)

1918

• After WW1 USA become world power
• foreign directors bring fresh styles
• Big investors see film as business
• PARAMOUNT (Zukor) owns 1210 theaters by 1930
• MGM second biggest
• 50 films per year by one company 3 BIG (MGM, PARAMOUNT, FIRST NATIONAL) 5 SMALL (UNIVERSAL, FOX, WB, PRODUCERT DISTRIBUTION CORPORATION, THE FILM BOOKING OFFICE Separate: UNITED ARTIST Mary Pickford, Chaplin, Griffith, R. Valentiono, B. Keaton.

Studio filmmaking (late silent era)

1918

• dark studios
• low full light
• figure illuminated by the backlight
• key light from one side of the camera
• dimmer as secondary light to balance the shadows.
• 3 point lighting system (full, back, key) standard
• soft style of cinematography, focus on main action
• slapstick comedy & western became popular
• anti war genre appears. comedy, gangster, western, horror
• romanticism

Abel Gance (1920) FRANCE (impresionism)

1920

• impressionistic look.
• a pioneer in the theory and practice of montage, he is best known for three major silent films "J'accuse" (1919) "La Roue" (1923),
• rapid montage of a man thoughts before he fells off the cliff. "Napoléon" (1927).
• rapid movement, camera attached to a horse in the first part. The kinetic energy of the ride.
• impressionistic movement with filages and fast edits.
• the grandiose ending filmed with three cameras and projected at same time. Audience had to turn heads

20th CENTURY FOX ('14 fox film corporation)

1920

Rebranding of fox film corporation it became 20th century FOX

Buster Keaton (1920) (comedy)

1920

"Sherlock Jr." (1924)
"The General" (1926)
"The Cameraman" (1928)
- His career declined afterward with a dispiriting loss of his artistic independence when he was hired by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and he descended into alcoholism, ruining his family life. He recovered in the 1940s

Charlie Chaplin (1920) (comedy)

1920

His films are characterised by slapstick combined with pathos, typified in the Tramp's struggles against adversity. Many contain social and political themes, as well as autobiographical elements.
- 1919, cofounder of UNITED ARTIST which gave him distribution freedom
- He build his own studio
"The Kid" (1921)
"A Woman of Paris" (1923)
"The Gold Rush" (1925)
"The Circus" (1928)
"City Lights" (1931)
"Modern Times" (1936)
"The Great Dictator" (1940),

Harold Lloyd (1920) (comedy)

1920

• nerdy look with glasses His films frequently contained "thrill sequences" of extended chase scenes and daredevil physical feats, for which he is best remembered today. Lloyd hanging from the hands of a clock high above the street. "Safety last" (1920)

Robert J. Flaherty (1922) (documentary)

1920

• He is considered the "father" of both the documentary and the ethnographic film.
• First commercially successful feature-length documentary film "Nanook of the North" (1922)
• it wasn't just a reportage but he had character and story to tell with psyhologisation of his main character.
• he staged some scenes. "Moana" (1926) "Man of Aran" (1934)

Ernst Lubitsch (1920) (comedy) (GERMANY)

1920

• Mocking with the capitalism in funny but dosed way without slapstick or stunts.
• visually daring gets surreal. "The oyster girl" (1919) (not in the USA) "The mountain cat" (1921) (not in the USA)
• lieutenant gives his heart to a girl she eats it :) "the marriage circle" (1924) in USA
• he had to get inventive due to censorship in portraying the passion and sex.

Robert Wiene (GERMANY) expressionism

1920

"The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari"
- dark, shadowy, scary with an expressionistic set design almost a horror movie.
- they painted shadows.
- like a frankenstien but with political messages. Chezare (the ordinary man) was killing the enemies of Dr. Caligari (german state) at night.
- he changed the ending to ease up the political tone. Showing that everything was a dream and Caligari was not mean.

Erich von Stroheim (1921)

1921

• realism and harsh topics about money, greed, and nasilstvo and psyhology of the characters.
• auteur filmmaker "Greed" (1924), lasted 7hours he shot every scene that was in the novel the film was based on.

Alexander Dovzhenko (1921)

1921

• "Ukraine Trilogy"
• "Zvenigora"
• "Arsenal"
• "Earth"

MGM studios

1924

• one of 3 big in silent era

King Vidor (1924)

1925

• realism and social problems of USA same as Erich Von they refuse to romanticise the reality.
• pushed the acting of his actors. "The Big Parade" (1925) "Crowd" (1928)
• he didn't cast a star
• used New York as a set. The outdoor film sets.

Producers Distributing Corporation

1925

• one of small 5 in late silent era
• Producers Distributing Corporation was a short-lived Hollywood film distribution company, organized in 1925 and dissolved in March 1927.
• In its brief heyday, film director Cecil B. DeMille was its primary shareholder and major talent.

Fritz Lang (1925) GERMANY (expressionism)

1925

• the social clash between ruling class and ordinary man "Metropolis" (1927)
• great visuals, robotics, symetry
• happy ending the robots girl and the son of the industrialist save the city. "M" (1931)
• first noir

F. W. Murnau(1925) GR/USA (expressionis) and poetic

1925

"Nosferatu" (1922) *an adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula
"Sunrise" (1927)
- poetic - a couple walks through the street full of traffic symbolising the rough life, then the street becomes nature, but they are so into eachother they don't notice anything.

Luis Bunuel (1926) SPAIN (surrealism)

1926

"Andalusian dog" (1929) with Salvador Dali
- free association a trial to show how the unconscious works.
"Age of gold" (1930)
- made a riot and it was forbidden for 50 years

Sergei Eisenstein (1926) RUSSIA

1926

a pioneer in the theory and practice of montage.
"Strike" (1925)
"Battleship Potemkin" (1925)
*the montage of attractions (the emotions come from screen to us)
- Odessa steps sequence (boy dies, then baby cart)
- shots lasting an average of 3 sec, in USA 5, in GR 9sec
"October" (1928)
historical epics
"Alexander Nevsky" (1938)
"Ivan the Terrible" (1944, 1958).

GOLDEN ERA - HOLLYWOOD (1927 jazz singer - 1960 TV shows)

Period: 1927 to 1960

• total control of production
• signing starts and controlling their lives. GENRES
• Musical
• Gangsters
• Screwball comedy (battle of sexes, and social battle)
• Horror
• Western
• Film Noir

Carl Theodor Dreyer (1928) Denmark

1928

Danish film director.
"The Passion of Joan of Arc" (1928)
- close ups, no make up, clean walls without shadows
- actors played realistically crying saying the words that Joan actually said.
- radically simplified set design.
"Vampyr" (1932)
"Day of Wrath" (1943)
"Ordet" (1955)
"Gertrud" (1964)

1930 (SOUND IN FILM)

1930

6 Genres in Hollywood
- Horror "Frankenstein" (1931) - takes from German expressionism
- Gangster movies - depression, twisted moral, antihero.
- Comedy - woman characters. Howard Hawks
faster pace and dialog.
- Western *John Ford (American mythology) epic story of heroes.
- Musical Busby Berkeley - amazing sets and choreography.
- Animation (Disney) creation of Mickey Mouse EUROPE
France
*Jean Vigo (magical realism)
*Rennoir UK
Alfred Hitchcock
- understanding of fear
- close ups
- tension

Soviet MONTAGE theory

1930

Soviet montage theory is an approach to understanding and creating cinema that relies heavily upon editing.
- Kuleshov effect
- V. Pudovkin "montage is an idea that arises from the collision of independent shots" wherein "each sequential element is perceived not next to the other, but on top of the other" has become most widely accepted.
Many directors still believe that montage is what defines cinema against other specific media

Busby Berkeley

1931

Berkeley devised elaborate musical production numbers that often involved complex geometric patterns. Berkeley's works used large numbers of showgirls and props as fantasy elements in kaleidoscopic on-screen performances.
"Dames" (1934)
"Gold diggers" (1935)

Howard Hawks

1931

Versatile director whose career included comedies, dramas, gangster films, science fiction, film noir, and westerns.
- OVERLAPING DIALOG for speed and naturalism
"Scarface" (1932)
"Bringing Up Baby" (1938)
"Only Angels Have Wings" (1939)
"His Girl Friday" (1940)
"To Have and Have Not" (1944)
"The Big Sleep" (1946)
"Red River" (1948)
"The Thing from Another World" (1951)
"Rio Bravo" (1959)
His frequent portrayals of strong, tough-talking female characters came to define a type—the Hawksian woman

Jean Vigo FR (poetic realism)

1931

Poetic realism in film in the 1930s he was a posthumous influence on the French New Wave of the late 1950s and early 1960s.
more interested into playfulness of cinemay and poetics than story and plot.
"Zero for Conduct" (1933)
"L'Atalante" (1934)

Jean Renoir FR (realism)

1931

"La Grande Illusion" (1937)
- starring Erich von Stroheim and Jean Gabin. A film on the theme of brotherhood, relating a series of escape attempts by French POWs during World War I, it was enormously successful
"The Rules of the Game" (1939)

Marcel Carne FR (poetic realism)

1931

A key figure in the poetic realism movement, Carné's best known films include
"Port of Shadows" (1938),
"Le Jour Se Lève" (1939),
"The Devil's Envoys" (1942)
"Children of Paradise" (1945) the last of which has been cited as one of the greatest films of all time.

"The wizard of Oz" (1939) (escapism)

1939

• The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
• Notable for its use of Technicolor, fantasy storytelling, musical score, and memorable characters, it has become an icon of American popular culture.

Ninotcka (1939) (escapism) Ernst Lubitsch

1939

• Lit as romantic comedies from 20ties. Ninotchka is Greta Garbo's first full comedy, and her penultimate film. It is one of the first American movies which, under the cover of a satirical, light romance, depicted the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin as being rigid and gray, in this instance comparing it with the free and sunny Parisian society of pre-war years.

Gone with the wind (1939) (escapism) Victor Fleming

1939

• she starts the life and fantasy but steps into the real world of war near the end
• the director punishesh the main actres for escapism. She loses everything in the end

Stagechoach (1939) John Ford (western)

1939

• John Wayne rises cowboy icon
• John Ford establishes
• Use of wide lenses allowed several plans and not so much editing.

Noir film (1941) USA (Maltese Falcon)

1941

• character types and situations of noir films
• Famme fatal
• ganster stories
• shadows and shilouthes
• expressionism German
• male population
• american thriller John Houston first one Maltese Falcon (1941) Billy Wylder "Double indemnity" (1944) Howard Hawks "The big sleep" (1946) Joseph H. Lewis "Gun crazy" (1950)
• car shot of robing bank

Citizen Kane (1941) mystery drama - Orson Welles

1941

• noir lighthing form german expressionism
• wide lenses 2 plans of acting

Orson Welles (outsider of the studios) independant

1941

"Citizen Kane" (1941)
"The Magnificent Ambersons" (1942)
"The Lady from Shanghai" (1947)
"Touch of Evil" (1958)
"Chimes at Midnight" (1966)

NEOREALISM (Italy) - reality to its bone

1945

Reality movies with the everyday suffering of everyman.
- reaction to the destraction of WW2
- kids
- outside sets
- free camera docu
Rosellini Roberto
"Rome open city" (1945) - first Neo
De Sica
Bicycle thieves (1949) - writer Sabatini (boring parts of life are important

COMUNIST hunt USA

1948

hunt of communism.
Studios agree to testify against artist from their studios and Hollywood.
- black lists
- Eliah Kazan - taster

Big studios are FORCED TO SELL THE CINEMAS

1950

1950 HOLLYWOOD MELODRAMA (swallen movies :)

1950

• strong colors in films (lynch)
• everything is shiny
• Aisenhauer america of middle class optimism
• consumerism
• psychoanalysis goes mainstream
• using glitter to expose the glitter and fake moral of that society. Forbidden lovers (sexuality against social norms) Douglas Sirk "All that heaven allows" (1955) "Rebel without a cause" (1955)

THE ACTORS STUDIO (1950)

1950

The method
- hiding of the emotions and then releasing it.
- Sensitive man
* Montgomery Clift (maybe the frist one)
* Brando
* Dean James

Ingmar Bergman (1951) (personal films)

1951

• explores the senses and questions God
• strong woman in his films (genre movies)
• dead invades his movies first God dies then people :)
• autobiographical "summer with Monika" - she looks at the camera (breaking of the 4th wall) inspired the French wavers :) "The Seventh Seal" (1957) "Wild Strawberries" (1957) "Winter Light" (1963) "The Silence" (1963) "Persona" (1966) "Cries and Whispers" (1972) "Fanny and Alexander" (1982)

TV drama in NY YORK USA (1953)

1953

"Marty" (1953)
- character not a star
- LIVE TV
- low quality but still successes

"On the waterfront" (1954) Elia Kazan

1954

• shot on the East coast
• introduction of Marlon Brando and the method

Robert Bresson (1955) FR (auteur)

1955

Known for his ascetic approach, Bresson contributed notably to the art of cinema;
- non-professional actors,
- ellipses,
- light storytelling
- and sparse use of scoring have led his works to be regarded as preeminent examples of minimalist film.
- shown the unspoken
- inner dialog
"Pickpocket" (1959)
"Man escape"

Agnes Varda (French new wave)

1960

films, photographs, and art installations focus on documentary realism, feminist issues, and social commentary with a distinct experimental style.
Film historians have cited Varda's work as central to the development of the French New Wave film movement; her uses of location shooting and non-professional actors were unconventional in the context of 1950s French cinema.