The fourth part of our series, “The Evolution of Cinema,” covers the main events and figureheads that shaped the industry into what it is now. Film articles each time carry the news of what has been done by the personal inventors or innovators who simplified film making by eliminating one layer of the films’ past.
The silent era, that of the earliest films, in fact, was a period of cinema, whereupon we went into films and when the first creators gave the direction to films got their films deposed making the film firm I think many people have already forgotten about those movies, but thanks to the above-mentioned contributors, the movies made by the directors became clear and are now accessible to the general audience. The industry was at the edge of the breakthrough that was expected to make cinema a real power that would jump far out of the scientific barriers. Throughout this series, we will tackle the road of the film industry; from the emergence of a new art form to the entertainment industry that relies on both new technology and a good narrative, using the cinema as a medium.
This article emphasizes great inventor Thomas Edison. His skills at invention and technology led him to fame in the world of film. Starting from his invention of the Kinetoscope to his contribution to the establishment of the very foundations, on which the modern cinema is built, Edison’s story is one of ingenuity and perseverance. Next, we are going to write on the Lumière brothers, who paved the way for the exciting development of cinema.
Thomas Edison and the Kinetoscope
Thomas Edison, already famous for his inventions in audio recording, saw the potential for motion pictures to accompany his phonograph, creating a truly immersive audio-visual experience. The development of the Kinetoscope in the 1890s allowed for films to be viewed by one person at a time through a peephole viewer, way different from what we’re used to, but a crucial step in commercializing motion pictures.
The Birth of Film Studios
In 1893, the ability to shoot films of about one minute in length led to the creation of the first film studios. Due to the heavy nature of early cameras, these studios were designed with fixed positions and abundant light to facilitate filming. The Black Maria, Edison’s studio, was notably equipped with a roof that could open to let in natural light and a turntable floor to adjust the positioning relative to the sun. The studio itself was rather rudimentary and box-like, covered in black tar paper, which led to its nickname, resembling the black police patrol wagons of the era that were also referred to as “Black Marias.”
“Fred Ott’s Sneeze” and Early Film Genres
One of the earliest films shot by Edison was “Fred Ott’s Sneeze” (1894), showcasing an employee demonstrating a sneeze. Although seemingly trivial, this film highlighted the potential of motion pictures to capture and reproduce human actions, albeit in a very short format. At this stage, cinema was still largely a novelty rooted in scientific and experimental purposes, rather than purely for entertainment.
Filmmaking in the Black Maria
Edison’s approach to content creation within The Black Maria was straightforward due to the limitations of early film technology. Without the ability to edit or manipulate footage post-capture, each film was essentially a single, continuous shot. The cut happened only when the film reel ended, which imposed significant restrictions on the length and complexity of the scenes being shot.
Recognizing these limitations, Edison adopted a practical approach to filmmaking. He invited vaudeville performers, dancers, and other acts to perform in front of the camera, essentially replicating theater performances in a new medium. This method not only ensured a steady flow of content but also simplified the production process, as these performances were already designed to captivate an audience in a single, continuous take.
Commercialization and Diverging Paths
While Edison charged viewers to watch films through his Kinetoscope, his focus largely remained on sensation and novelty. In contrast, the Lumière brothers in France were developing their Cinématographe, a device that could record, develop, and project motion pictures. Their approach favored capturing ‘slices of life,’ such as workers leaving a factory, which they saw as more reflective of reality. We will talk about the Lumière brothers in the next article.
The Early Days of Film Editing
At this stage in the evolution of cinema, the concept of film editing—as we understand it today involving cutting and splicing scenes—did not yet exist. Films shot in the Black Maria were presented as they were recorded, with no opportunity for rearrangement or correction of the sequence of events. This raw and straightforward method of filmmaking was characteristic of the era and shaped the nature of early films, which were often short scenes capturing simple activities or performances.
The simplicity and constraints of the Black Maria, while rudimentary by today’s standards, played a critical role in the development of film technology and the film industry. It represented a key transition from experimentation to a more structured form of media production, setting the stage for the future complexities of cinema that would evolve with advancements in film editing and cinematography.
