There's something quite thrilling about
sitting in a large auditorium, with an
immense white canvas in front of you. To
the sides there are draped curtains with
carefully placed lights. You sit there, with
your popcorn... the excitement building.
You then turn and look to the back of the
room... in anticipation... in expectation,
and you see light stream forth through a
small openning, and then you turn to the
screen and it is is splashed with light... and
the movie begins and you are transported
to another world. Its an experience that is
shared by millions of people round the
world, and its hard to believe that it hasn't
really changed that much since it first
appeared over a hundred years ago.
Film has its origins in the early neolithic
cave paintings and the shadow plays of
ancient China which were recorded as early as the eleventh centuary.
Long before the motion
picture camera was invented, artists sought
to capture the world around them, and to
tell stories.
Precursers to Movies
Now this is a pretty big subject, so bear
with me if I miss some stuff out. To begin
with, there's this effect known as
Persistence of vision which is pretty
crucial to the film making experience.
You see, film is made up of equal parts of light
and dark. For every frame of image
there's a frame of nothing as the shutter
closes. The brain percieves movement
because the image is retained on the
back of the retina for about a second,
and when the next image appears they
seem to merge. Persistence of vision was
known about 1900 years ago!
With the development of more advanced
optics came the Magic lantern (1671),
which utilised many of the devices that
the modern day projectors still posess.
This device was in effect a slide projector,
and painted slides where projected using
a light source.
The effect of persistence of vision was
used extensively in the late 1700's in such
devises as the Zoetrope. The Zoetrope
was a cylindrical drum with slits cut into it.
On the inside of the drum were placed
slightly different drawings. The drum was
then spun, and when viewed through the
slits the pictures merged into one to
produce movement.
Around the 1770's Chinese Shadow Shows became the fashion
throughtout Western Europe, were the migration appears to
have moved from Italy onto Germany reaching France then England.
One of the most important contributors to this art form was Ambrogoi
also known as Ambroise in Britain and France. These Shadow entertainments
helped to give rise to popular amusements such as film.
The invention of the Diorama in 1822 by
Louis Jacques Mande was also a
precursor to modern film. The diorama
consisted of large semi transparent
paintings. When light was projected
behind and in front of them, and with the
clever use use of shutters and blinds,
amazing effects could be produced.
Birth of Film
When do you think the first photographs
were taken? Would you believe me if I
said over 160 years ago? In 1839 a
Frenchman named Daguerre invented the
Dagueretype process. This utilised light
sensertive chemicals on a metal plate to
capture an image from a Camera
obscura (a device used by artists
previously to help plan out paintings. A
small box room what built in a studio. A
small hole was drilled through the wall to
allow light in. The light fell onto the wall
oposite and produced an image of the
room beyond the box.)
In England, Henry Fox Talbot created his
own photographic process at the very
same time as Daguerre, known as the
Talbotype. It wasn't until a Dutch
Physisist named Plateau (in 1870's)
suggested combining the photographic
images with the Zoetrope, or
Phenakistiscope (used mirrors and
pictures.. when spun they became one
image) that real images, rather than
paintings, could be used. In order to
create movement, photgraphers had to
painstakingly positon and repositon a
model (much like modern animation). It
wasn't until Eadweard Muybridge's
experiments that another solution
presented itself.
Capturing Movement
An English photographer called
Eardweard Muybridge (1830-1904) was
hired by Leland Stanford to find out how
a horse moves it legs when it runs.
Muybridge's ingenious solution was to
set up a series of still cameras at
certain intervals, and then attached
string to their trigger mechanisms.
When the horse struck the string, a
photograph was taken. With the horse's movements
captured as a succession of images he then went on
to take a series of drawings made of the
photographs and animated them by projecting a
disc made up of the drawings. The projecting
Phenakitiscope was named the Zoopraxiscope.
The development of the Photographic
Revolver in 1874 by astronomer Jules
Janssen was another major
development. He managed to record the
passing of the planet Venus across the
sun by using a camera with a single
plate coated with light sensitive
chemicals, and as it was exposed a
shutter came across, blocking the light
and then the disk advanced. The device was
capable of taking twelve photographs in one second.
Development of Roll Film
In 1885, in the USA, George Eastman
developed the photographic roll film.
Previous to this, photographs were taken
on plates. This revolutionised the
photographic industry. Ettiene Marey, a
French physiologists who was interested
in recording the movement of animals
and birds, saw a use for this film
immediately. His Chronophotographe
camera in 1888 used a continuos roll of
film to record a sequence of individual
photographs. Eastman then introduced a
celluloid version of his paper film in 1889.
In 1891, the american inventor Thomas
Edison, who had already gained success
and wealth with his phonograph,
developed the Kenetograph camera and
projector after discussions with Marey.
This new camera and projector used the
new celluloid roll film, with sprocket holes
punched in. He also had a sprocket
wheel in the camera that engaged with
the holes in the film in order to advance it
betwen each exposure. In 1892, Edison
introduced the new, advanced
Kinetescope, which used 35mm film,
which was wider than the previous
celluloid film strip. The Edison camera
used an electric motor, unlike the other
cameras on the market which were still
hand cranked.
Very little has changed since the first film
cameras were produced, only the
language of film has developed. The
technology may have improved, but the
principles remain the same.
Film History Timeline
130 Ptolomy of Alexandria
uncovers the astonishing occurence of
persistence of vision.
1250 Leon Battista Alberti concieve's
the precursor of the camera
obscura.
1671 The Magic Lantern was first described by the
jesuit scientist Athanasius Kircher; however
it was certainly known before then.
1770 Shadow shows became popular throughout
the whole of Western Europe.
1772-1775 Ambrogio takes Paris and London
by storm with his Shadow Show
1788 Robert Baker a portrait painter in Edinburgh gives
rise to the term 'Panorama' meaning a 'view all round' with his
landscape painting on the inner surface of a Rotunda.
1834 Zoetrope, based on an
ancient invention is patented.
1839 Daguerreotype and
Talbottype photographic process
concieved.
1850 Magic lantern
slides are used for the first time.
1873 Muybridge's experiment with
photography of motion begins only to
succeed by 1877.
1877 Edison patents phonograph.
Reynauds patents Praxinoscope which was a
process of painting on celluloid film and
projecting them.
1881 The development of the
Kinetoscope private viewer begins.
1884 Eastman's roll paper
photographic medium is developed.
1889 Eastman gives rise to the
flexible roll film medium for
photography.
1895 December 28th. Lumuieres'
first public viewing of
cinematographe films at the Grand
Cafe. Boulevard des Capucines,
Paris.
Max Skladanowsky finalize's the development
of the Bioskop projector.
1896 April 23rd. Edison's first show
at Koster and Bial's Music Hall in New
York.
1900 Prototype systems of colour and sound
for film are shown at the
International Exposition in Paris.
1902 The first Ealing Studio is built
in London by Will Barber. Pathe'
opens studios in Vincennes.
1903 The film 'The Great Train
Robbery' is the first film to use a close up and is
regarded as the first narrative film.
1915 The film 'Birth of a Nation' directed by D. W.
Griffith is considered to be the first true feature film.
1919 United Artists formed.
Soviet film industry nationalised.
Tri-Ergon sound on film system
patented in Germany.
German Expressionist film
movement begins.
1921 'Nosferatu' directed by F. W. Marnua provided
the reference point for many Dracula film.
1920 America leads in the World
film industry.
1922 Flaherty's 'Nanook of the
North', an example of Documentary
film, is released.
The BBC begin transmissions.
1925 Sergei Eisensteins 'Battleship Potemkin'
remains one of the most influential films ever made.
1926 Vitaphone (sound
on film) premieres 'Don Juan'.
1927 Pfleumer, a German inventor,
devises a magnetic tape system.
1928 Television demonstrated by
John Logie Baird in London.
Massive transition to sound in the
film industry.
First all talking movie called 'Lights
of New York'.
1929 Alfred Hitcock directs first British
talkie called 'Blackmail'.
1930 British Documentary
Movement begins, with Grierson,
Rotha, Wright & Jennings involved.
1932 Post dubbing techniques put
into practice makes
shooting sound based films easier.
Venice film festival, the first of its
kind, opens.
1935 Technicolour three-strip
process comes into practice.
1936 BBC begins TV service only to be
brought to a halt by the outbreak of War.
1937 Arriflex lightweight 35mm
camera, the first with a reflex
shutter is launched.
1941 Orsen Welles films 'Citizen
Kane'.
1945 At the end of World War II
German tape recorders are unearthed.
1950 Eastman's colour stock is
introduced.
1946 'The Big Sleep'
heralds the arrival of Film Noir.
1952 Sony makes progress with
stereo broadcasting in Japan.
Cinerama debuts.
1953 Cinemascope and 3D
introduced.
1956 First use of
videotape in TV.
1959 Birth of the New Wave
movement with Truffaut's 'The 400
blows'.
1960 Video tape in general use in
broadcasting.
1963 Phillips introduce audio
cassette format.
1970 Sony sells Portapak half inch
portable videotape system. Video
movement begins.
1975 The steadycam is used for the
first time by Haskell Wexler on
'Bound for Glory'.
Sony introduces Betamax 1/2inch
videocassette.
1976 Home betamax videotape
cassette system marketed by Sony.
1977 George Lucas releases 'Star
Wars' and becomes one of the most
successful films of all time.
1984 Director Nick Castle uses digital effects
for the first time in 'The Last Starfighter'.
1993 Industrial Light and Magic astounds
the world with digital effects in Spielberg's 'Jurassic Park'.
1999 George Lucas uses digital cameras on
'Phantom Menace'.
Film History
Brief History of Film
TV Discussion
There's something quite thrilling about
sitting in a large auditorium, with an
immense white canvas in front of you. To
the sides there are draped curtains with
carefully placed lights. You sit there, with
your popcorn... the excitement building.
You then turn and look to the back of the
room... in anticipation... in expectation,
and you see light stream forth through a
small openning, and then you turn to the
screen and it is is splashed with light... and
the movie begins and you are transported
to another world. Its an experience that is
shared by millions of people round the
world, and its hard to believe that it hasn't
really changed that much since it first
appeared over a hundred years ago.
Now this is a pretty big subject, so bear
with me if I miss some stuff out. To begin
with, there's this effect known as
Persistence of vision which is pretty
crucial to the film making experience.
You see, film is made up of equal parts of light
and dark. For every frame of image
there's a frame of nothing as the shutter
closes. The brain percieves movement
because the image is retained on the
back of the retina for about a second,
and when the next image appears they
seem to merge. Persistence of vision was
known about 1900 years ago!
sensertive chemicals on a metal plate to
capture an image from a Camera
obscura (a device used by artists
previously to help plan out paintings. A
small box room what built in a studio. A
small hole was drilled through the wall to
allow light in. The light fell onto the wall
oposite and produced an image of the
room beyond the box.)
In 1885, in the USA, George Eastman
developed the photographic roll film.
Previous to this, photographs were taken
on plates. This revolutionised the
photographic industry. Ettiene Marey, a
French physiologists who was interested
in recording the movement of animals
and birds, saw a use for this film
immediately. His Chronophotographe
camera in 1888 used a continuos roll of
film to record a sequence of individual
photographs. Eastman then introduced a
celluloid version of his paper film in 1889.
In 1891, the american inventor Thomas
Edison, who had already gained success
and wealth with his phonograph,
developed the Kenetograph camera and
projector after discussions with Marey.
This new camera and projector used the
new celluloid roll film, with sprocket holes
punched in. He also had a sprocket
wheel in the camera that engaged with
the holes in the film in order to advance it
betwen each exposure. In 1892, Edison
introduced the new, advanced
Kinetescope, which used 35mm film,
which was wider than the previous
celluloid film strip. The Edison camera
used an electric motor, unlike the other
cameras on the market which were still
hand cranked.
