A Concise History of the Origins of Cinema (Revised Narration)
-
0:03 - 0:04- Carl Jung is quoted as saying,
-
0:04 - 0:08"The cinema,
like the detective story, -
0:08 - 0:11makes it possible
to experience without danger, -
0:11 - 0:12or the excitement,
-
0:12 - 0:16passion, and desirousness
which must be repressed -
0:16 - 0:19in a humanitarian
ordering of life." -
0:19 - 0:22Since its inception
in the late 19th century, -
0:22 - 0:24cinema has become one
of the most popular -
0:24 - 0:27and inspiring forms
of entertainment, -
0:27 - 0:30art, education,
and propaganda. -
0:30 - 0:33The birth of cinema is one
of many interconnecting events -
0:33 - 0:38and inventions around the world,
born out of an array technology -
0:38 - 0:42revolving around machinery,
photography, optical illusion, -
0:42 - 1:08and a human love to be
entertained and inspired. -
1:08 - 1:13[ music ]
-
1:31 - 1:33- One of the marvels of cinema
-
1:33 - 1:36is that no one country
can claim its paternity, -
1:36 - 1:38and it is
a worldwide endeavor, -
1:38 - 1:43encompassing many different
people from around the globe. -
1:43 - 1:46It was in 1824, in England,
-
1:46 - 1:50that Peter Mark Roget first
came up with an explanation -
1:50 - 1:55for how moving images create
the illusion of motion. -
1:55 - 1:57Although later proven
to be incorrect, -
1:57 - 2:00this principle is known
as a persistence of vision. -
2:01 - 2:03This, simply defined,
is when a series of pictures, -
2:03 - 2:07or frames, are played or
presented at a rate fast enough -
2:07 - 2:09to trick the human mind
-
2:09 - 2:12into thinking it is viewing
a moving image. -
2:12 - 2:14The effect of the persistence
of vision, -
2:14 - 2:17the writer David
Parkinson notes, -
2:17 - 2:21was defined in 1824
by Peter Mark Roget -
2:21 - 2:24as the ability of the retina
to retain an image -
2:24 - 2:28of an object from
1/20th to 1/5th of a second -
2:28 - 2:31after its removal
from the field of vision. -
2:31 - 2:36However, it has since been shown
that film seems to move -
2:36 - 2:40because the brain, and not
the eye, is accepting stimuli -
2:40 - 2:44that it is incapable
of perceiving as separate. -
2:44 - 2:47The brain has a perception
threshold -
2:47 - 2:50below which images exposed
to it will appear as continuous. -
2:50 - 2:53And film's speed of 24
frames per second -
2:53 - 2:55is below that threshold,
-
2:55 - 2:58thus making cinema, itself,
a strange art form -
2:58 - 3:01for it is primarily an illusion.
-
3:01 - 3:04It is a mystery
as to when it was first noticed -
3:04 - 3:07that putting images next
to each other -
3:07 - 3:08and viewing them
in quick succession -
3:08 - 3:11created the illusion
of a moving image. -
3:11 - 3:16Around A.D. 180, the Chinese
inventor Ding Huan, -
3:17 - 3:19of which no known
picture exists, -
3:19 - 3:22is credited
with inventing a device -
3:22 - 3:25to utilize its effect
for entertainment. -
3:25 - 3:27This invention is called
the zoetrope. -
3:27 - 3:29A zoetrope is basically
a cylinder -
3:29 - 3:31with various slits in it.
-
3:31 - 3:33A sequence of pictures
that link to each other -
3:33 - 3:36are drawn or placed inside
the cylinder, -
3:36 - 3:39and through the slits you can
view inside the illusion -
3:39 - 3:42of motion when
the cylinder is spun. -
3:42 - 3:45This principle laid the ground
work for later developments -
3:45 - 3:50in using photographic images
to create motion images, -
3:50 - 3:55or to give it its technical
term: cinematography. -
3:55 - 3:56Motion images are one part
-
3:56 - 3:58of the founding principles
of cinema, -
3:58 - 4:01but key to its development
was the projection -
4:01 - 4:02of images and shapes.
-
4:02 - 4:05The origins
of light-projected images -
4:05 - 4:10date back to the puppets
of China, India, and Java. -
4:10 - 4:13It was not until around
the 17th century -
4:13 - 4:16that light-projected imagery
would start to become popular -
4:16 - 4:18in Europe in North America.
-
4:18 - 4:22And it was a magic lantern that
captivated people's attention. -
4:22 - 4:25The magic lantern was used
as a form of entertainment, -
4:25 - 4:27starting as early
as the 15th century, -
4:27 - 4:30and its first
incarnation may even -
4:30 - 4:33date back as far as
the time of King Solomon. -
4:33 - 4:35Its precise origins
are a mystery -
4:35 - 4:37and no original inventor
is known of. -
4:37 - 4:41The magic lantern itself
is simply a lantern, -
4:41 - 4:43which its light source,
usually created by a wick, -
4:43 - 4:47a candle, is used to project
a single slide or shape -
4:47 - 4:51on to a wall or flat surface.
The magic lantern relates -
4:51 - 4:54directly to the modern
day slide projector -
4:54 - 4:58and only contributed in part
to the development of cinema, -
4:58 - 5:00albeit an important one.
-
5:00 - 5:03Various enhancements of
this technology included using -
5:03 - 5:06a magic lantern
to project motion images -
5:06 - 5:09from a zoetrope that's
building the ground work -
5:09 - 5:10for cinematic film projection.
-
5:10 - 5:13It was developments
in light-projected -
5:13 - 5:15entertainment technology
-
5:15 - 5:17that were to be used
in the newly developing -
5:17 - 5:19science of photography
-
5:19 - 5:23to establish what we know
as cinematography. -
5:23 - 5:25The history of photography is
also one of complex inventions -
5:25 - 5:28and discoveries around
the world. -
5:28 - 5:30The very first developments
in photography -
5:30 - 5:33and optics originated thousands
of years ago. -
5:33 - 5:37Aristotle wrote and developed
ideas of how human vision works -
5:37 - 5:39and studied rays of light.
-
5:39 - 5:42He used a pinhole camera,
or camera obscura, -
5:42 - 5:44so he could study light rays.
-
5:44 - 5:46Aristotle was one
of the first people known -
5:47 - 5:49to study light using
a camera obscura, -
5:49 - 5:52although its invention has not
been accredited -
5:52 - 5:53to one single person,
-
5:53 - 5:56and its original development
remains a mystery. -
5:56 - 6:02The camera obscura is basically
a box with a small pinhole -
6:02 - 6:05that allows a thin ray
of light into the box. -
6:05 - 6:07This ray of light can
be viewed as an image -
6:08 - 6:10if the camera obscura
is adapted to pick up -
6:10 - 6:15the reflection using a mirror
or shiny surface. -
6:15 - 6:20Ibn Al-Haytham, who lived
965 A.D. to 1040 A.D., -
6:20 - 6:22an Arab scholar
who was born in Iraq, -
6:22 - 6:25further developed
the camera obscura, -
6:25 - 6:27and noted that a single
ray of light -
6:27 - 6:31that passed through the hole
also carried the image reflected -
6:31 - 6:33from wherever the light
was coming from, -
6:33 - 6:37and in this sense
that light carries information. -
6:37 - 6:40This seemingly simple discovery
was a revolutionary one -
6:40 - 6:44in the development in the
history of how vision works. -
6:44 - 6:48And it is a principle that paved
the way for the capturing -
6:48 - 6:52of photographic images
for use in the pinhole camera. -
6:52 - 6:55Initially, the camera
obscura was used -
6:55 - 6:58as a sketching aid by artists.
-
6:58 - 7:00And it wasn't until
around the 1820s -
7:00 - 7:03and the development
of chemical photography, -
7:03 - 7:05that fixing the image
became a reality, -
7:06 - 7:08and photography took
its first steps -
7:08 - 7:11into the recognizable form
that it is today. -
7:11 - 7:13As far back as the 13th century,
-
7:13 - 7:16it was known that some
chemicals darkened -
7:16 - 7:19or changed color
when exposed to light. -
7:19 - 7:22Albertus Magnus,
in the 13th century, -
7:22 - 7:23was one of the first people
-
7:23 - 7:27to note that silver nitrate
darkened when exposed to light. -
7:27 - 7:29In the 17th century,
-
7:29 - 7:33Robert Boyle reported silver
chloride turned black -
7:33 - 7:35after exposure to air,
-
7:35 - 7:38although this was,
in fact, sunlight. -
7:38 - 7:44In 1727 Johann Heinrich Schulze
discovered that certain liquids -
7:44 - 7:46could be prepared
that would change color -
7:46 - 7:50when exposed to light.
At the end of the 18th century -
7:50 - 7:53and the beginning
of the 19th century, -
7:53 - 7:55Thomas Wedgwood
conducted experiments -
7:55 - 7:57where he captured silhouettes
-
7:57 - 8:01of objects using paper covered
with silver nitrate. -
8:01 - 8:04That's making him one
of the first ever -
8:04 - 8:06pioneers of photography.
-
8:06 - 8:10It was not until the work of two
French inventors and scientists -
8:10 - 8:15that fixing a still image using
chemical means became a reality. -
8:15 - 8:18They were Nicephore Niepce
and Louis Daguerre. -
8:18 - 8:21Working in conjunction
they developed a process -
8:21 - 8:23to produce fixed images.
-
8:23 - 8:26Unfortunately,
Nicephore Niepce died -
8:26 - 8:28before the work was completed.
-
8:28 - 8:32But by 1839, Daguerre had
perfected the process -
8:32 - 8:36and it was announced at
the French Academy of Sciences. -
8:36 - 8:39This process was
called daguerreotype -
8:39 - 8:43and produced some of the very
first photographic images. -
8:43 - 8:48This image taken in 1838,
or early 1839, -
8:48 - 8:51was one of the first
photos taken using -
8:51 - 8:53the daguerreotype process.
-
8:53 - 8:56Its exposure time was
about 10 minutes, -
8:56 - 8:59meaning a man standing still
having his shoes cleaned -
8:59 - 9:03was the only person
captured in the photo. -
9:03 - 9:05Daguerreotype type images
were produced directly -
9:06 - 9:10onto a mirror polished silver
plate bearing a coating -
9:10 - 9:16of silver halide particles
deposited by iodine vapor. -
9:16 - 9:19But the images that were
produced were very delicate -
9:19 - 9:23and could be destroyed by even
the slightest handling. -
9:23 - 9:25In the year of 1839,
-
9:25 - 9:28an English inventor
called William Fox Talbot -
9:28 - 9:30had been working
on his own type -
9:30 - 9:33of chemical photographic
process. -
9:33 - 9:37This process called the calotype
process was to greatly advance -
9:37 - 9:40a practical application
of photography. -
9:40 - 9:42The calotype process created
the method -
9:42 - 9:45of negative positive
photographic images, -
9:45 - 9:48and this is a precursor
to most photography processes -
9:48 - 9:52of the 19th, 20th,
and 21st centuries, -
9:52 - 9:55making William Talbot
a very important figure -
9:55 - 9:57in the history of photography
and cinema. -
9:57 - 9:59The calotype process
also allowed for photos -
9:59 - 10:01to be developed on paper;
-
10:01 - 10:04that's allowing photography
to be open to the masses. -
10:04 - 10:07And the same photo could be
produced again and again -
10:07 - 10:10using the negative image.
-
10:10 - 10:12In 1849, in France,
-
10:12 - 10:14Joseph Plateau was one
of the first -
10:14 - 10:18to suggest using a device called
the phenakistoscope -
10:18 - 10:19to project photos.
-
10:19 - 10:24This device, developed in 1839,
was similar to the zoetrope -
10:24 - 10:27but more advanced.
-
10:27 - 10:32Later, in 1877, a device called
the praxinoscope -
10:32 - 10:36was created
by Charles-Emile Reynaud. -
10:36 - 10:39This was another technological
advancement from the zoetrope, -
10:39 - 10:45and in 1889, he created
the Theatre Optique -
10:45 - 10:49using the praxinoscope
not only to rotate images -
10:49 - 10:51but also, using
an adapted magic lantern, -
10:51 - 10:54he projected these images
on to a screen. -
10:54 - 10:56But the static photos
used at the time -
10:56 - 10:58in such devices proved
to be little better -
10:58 - 11:03than pictures in a way of
recording action simultaneously -
11:03 - 11:06as it occurred was needed.
-
11:06 - 11:09Two great innovators were
to work in this field -
11:09 - 11:12and develop a process
of series photography allowing -
11:12 - 11:16the capturing of multiple images
in chronological order. -
11:16 - 11:20They were Etienne-Jules Marey
and Eadweard Muybridge. -
11:20 - 11:22Eadweard Muybridge
is most famous -
11:22 - 11:25for his sequence of photos
of a horse race, -
11:25 - 11:29proving that a horse does
lift all hooves -
11:29 - 11:32off the ground when it gallops.
-
11:32 - 11:34This work was commissioned
for a bet -
11:34 - 11:38by the governor of California,
Leland Stanford. -
11:38 - 11:42Muybridge proved
the governor correct in 1879 -
11:42 - 11:45by using film that
had fast exposure time -
11:45 - 11:47in a lineup of 12 cameras,
-
11:47 - 11:50all taking single shots
in quick succession -
11:50 - 11:54following the motion
of the horse. -
11:54 - 11:58Muybridge then went
on to develop the zoopraxiscope, -
11:58 - 11:59which cast onto a screen
-
11:59 - 12:02the drawings made
of his photographs. -
12:03 - 12:04Although this was projection,
-
12:04 - 12:09it was a big
step towards it. -
12:09 - 12:13In 1882, Etienne-Jules
Marey adapted a device -
12:13 - 12:17called the photographic revolver
to take a series of photos. -
12:17 - 12:21At first, a revolving
plate was used to record -
12:21 - 12:26a dozen instantaneous images
in the course of one second. -
12:26 - 12:29After various experimentations
and adaptations, -
12:30 - 12:33Marey eventually turned
to celluloid film developed -
12:33 - 12:35by the Eastman Kodak Company
-
12:35 - 12:38to produce continuous
strips of images. -
12:38 - 12:42Marey went on to produce
numerous photo sequences, -
12:42 - 12:45and, although he did try,
he was not able to develop -
12:45 - 12:50a projection device
for moving photographic images. -
12:50 - 12:52It was a French inventor
by the name of Louis Le Prince -
12:52 - 12:58who is recognized to have
recorded the first ever -
12:58 - 13:01motion captured
sequences in 1888. -
13:01 - 13:07The first short sequences
of moving images ever filmed -
13:07 - 13:09were the "Roundhay Garden Scene"
-
13:09 - 13:12and the Leeds Bridge scene,
-
13:12 - 13:14These filmed scenes
are recognized -
13:14 - 13:20as the first ever motion capture
cinematography sequences. -
13:20 - 13:24However, it will forever
remain a mystery -
13:24 - 13:27as to the success Le Prince
may have gone to achieve -
13:27 - 13:31and what happened to him
in 1890. -
13:31 - 13:35For in 1890,
after seeing his brother, -
13:35 - 13:38he boarded a train in Dijon
that was heading for Paris -
13:38 - 13:42where he would meet with friends
and then go on to America, -
13:42 - 13:46where he was planning to patent
his single lens camera. -
13:46 - 13:48But he never made it to Paris,
-
13:48 - 13:52and his luggage, including
his camera, was never found. -
13:52 - 13:55After extensive searches
by the French police, -
13:55 - 13:58Scotland Yard,
and Le Prince's family, -
13:58 - 13:59not a solid clue
-
13:59 - 14:03to his disappearance
was ever discovered. -
14:03 - 14:06There remains till this day
a large amount of speculation -
14:06 - 14:10about Le Prince's disappearance.
-
14:10 - 14:12It is unlikely we will ever know
what happened to Le Prince, -
14:12 - 14:16but above all else, he should be
remembered for a contribution -
14:16 - 14:19he made towards cinema.
-
14:19 - 14:23At about the same time,
Thomas Alva Edison -
14:23 - 14:28was also developing motion
capture cinematography. -
14:28 - 14:31Edison was to fund
his head engineer -
14:31 - 14:34William Kennedy-Laurie Dickson
-
14:34 - 14:38in the development of a photo
sequence capture camera. -
14:38 - 14:41Dickson, developing
and adapting elements -
14:41 - 14:45from all other motion capturing
devices and knowledge, -
14:45 - 14:51developed a film camera called
the Kinetograph in 1890. -
14:51 - 14:54A year later, developed
he developed the Kinetoscope, -
14:54 - 14:58a large device to view
the motion captured images. -
14:58 - 15:02Edison also set up the first
ever movie studio -
15:02 - 15:04in the early 1890s,
-
15:04 - 15:08where various but limited
footage was shot -
15:08 - 15:11including the Rice-Irwin kiss,
-
15:11 - 15:13and the "Fred Ott's Sneeze."
-
15:13 - 15:17These short movies were limited
to the technology at the time, -
15:17 - 15:20with most being unedited
lengths of celluloid -
15:20 - 15:23no longer than the strips
of celluloid themselves. -
15:23 - 15:26The Kinetoscope was not
a projection device though. -
15:26 - 15:30And Edison unwisely disregarded
the possibilities of projection, -
15:30 - 15:33and concentrated on peep shows,
thinking they would be just -
15:33 - 15:38another whim in
a novelty-hungry age. -
15:38 - 15:41During the same period,
two French brothers -
15:41 - 15:45were working on their own film
capturing and projection device. -
15:45 - 15:47This device, the cinematograph,
-
15:47 - 15:50was to bring about the dawn
of modern cinema, -
15:50 - 15:54and it was the Lumiere brothers
who were the inventors. -
15:54 - 15:58It was in 1895,
on the 28th of December, -
15:58 - 16:00that one of the most famous
film screenings -
16:01 - 16:03in film history took place.
-
16:03 - 16:06It was held at
the Grand Cafe in Paris, -
16:06 - 16:08and customers paid one franc
-
16:08 - 16:12for the screening
of 10 short Lumiere films. -
16:12 - 16:16The screening lasted
for about 25 minutes. -
16:16 - 16:18The films included,
amongst others, -
16:18 - 16:21"Workers Leaving
the Lumiere Factory" -
16:21 - 16:24in Cordeliers' Square in Lyon.
-
16:24 - 16:27What the Lumiere brothers had
achieved using the combination -
16:27 - 16:30and development
of previous technology -
16:30 - 16:34was a workable way of
combining the Kinetoscope, -
16:34 - 16:37or viewing device,
with a magic lantern, -
16:37 - 16:41thus projecting a sequence
of photos to create the illusion -
16:41 - 16:45of a moving image,
or as it is also known: -
16:45 - 16:47cinematography.
-
16:47 - 16:49It must be mentioned
that the Lumiere brothers -
16:49 - 16:53had done screenings before using
their projection device, -
16:53 - 16:57but this is the date
that has gone down in history -
16:57 - 16:59and is one
of the first screenings -
16:59 - 17:01to charge an entrance fee,
-
17:01 - 17:03one of the foundations
of modern cinema. -
17:03 - 17:07The Lumieres also should be
celebrated for they stand high -
17:07 - 17:10in the rank of film innovators
in history, -
17:10 - 17:15along with the assistance
of the inventor Jules Carpentier -
17:15 - 17:18at their photographic firm,
they invented the cinematograph, -
17:18 - 17:22a three-in-one device
that could film, print, -
17:22 - 17:24and project images.
-
17:24 - 17:27It was hand-crankable,
portable, -
17:27 - 17:28and soon after its invention,
-
17:28 - 17:32it was being used
around the world. -
17:32 - 17:34Interestingly,
the Lumiere brothers believed -
17:34 - 17:37that the cinema of
film projection -
17:37 - 17:39will be a short-lived
form of entertainment, -
17:39 - 17:42and audiences would soon
become bored of the novelty -
17:42 - 17:44and not to wish to pay
for motion images -
17:44 - 17:47that they could see
with their own eyes free. -
17:47 - 17:50Louis Lumiere is famously
quoted as saying, -
17:50 - 17:56"The cinema is an invention
without a future." -
17:56 - 17:59The audiences had other ideas
-
17:59 - 18:00and loved the new form
of entertainment, -
18:00 - 18:04constantly creating
a demand for cinema. -
18:04 - 18:07As technology of cinema
took film advanced, -
18:07 - 18:10so could the creative output
using the new medium. -
18:10 - 18:13One of the forebearers
to take advantage -
18:13 - 18:15and develop the creative aspects
-
18:15 - 18:18of cinematography
was Georges Melies. -
18:18 - 18:20He is considered by some to be
-
18:20 - 18:22the father of the
narrative film, -
18:22 - 18:24and whom D.W. Griffith
-
18:24 - 18:28is quoted as saying,
"I owe him everything." -
18:28 - 18:34Melies made over 500 films
from 1896 to 1906. -
18:34 - 18:36He was one of the first people
-
18:36 - 18:40to introduce cutting
and chronological editing, -
18:40 - 18:42as we see in the movies today.
-
18:42 - 18:44It was also at this time
the public demand -
18:44 - 18:50for the movies was increasingly
and unexpectedly growing. -
18:50 - 18:52Around the same time
-
18:52 - 18:55that Melies was making
his first short films, -
18:55 - 19:00Edwin S. Porter, in 1903,
working for Edison, -
19:00 - 19:04made the "Life of
an American Fireman," -
19:04 - 19:07which displayed new visual
story telling techniques -
19:07 - 19:12and incorporated stock footage
with Porter's own photography. -
19:12 - 19:17It acted as a major precursor
to Porter's most famous film, -
19:17 - 19:21"The Great Train Robbery,"
also made in 1903. -
19:21 - 19:24This had a running time
of 12 minutes -
19:24 - 19:28and is considered a milestone
in narrative filmmaking, -
19:28 - 19:31and one of the first films
to tell a story, -
19:31 - 19:36albeit a simple one.
-
19:36 - 19:39The first ever device developed
to record sound -
19:39 - 19:42before the phonograph was called
the phonautograph. -
19:42 - 19:48This was invented in 1857
by Edouard-Leon Scott in France. -
19:48 - 19:53This device transcribed
soundwaves onto a visual medium. -
19:53 - 19:59The first medium of which was
a lampblackened glass plate, -
19:59 - 20:03but this device had no means
of playing the recordings back. -
20:03 - 20:06A fascinating insight into this
period of sound recording -
20:06 - 20:10was that it was not
realized at the time -
20:10 - 20:12that the waveform transcribed
-
20:12 - 20:16by the phonautograph was
a recording of the soundwave -
20:16 - 20:19that only needed
a playback mechanism -
20:19 - 20:23to replicate the sound.
-
20:23 - 20:28In 1895, Thomas Edison
introduced the Kinetephone, -
20:28 - 20:33which marks the first time sound
was added to cinematography. -
20:33 - 20:35The Kinetephone was not
a projection device, -
20:35 - 20:39and sound was added
using a device called -
20:39 - 20:43a cylinder phonograph that was
added to the Kinetescope -
20:43 - 20:46to produce the Kinetephone.
-
20:46 - 20:48It was in 1899 that
a sound system called -
20:48 - 20:52Cinemacrophonographe,
-
20:52 - 20:55or Phonorama,
was exhibited in Paris. -
20:55 - 20:58This device required headphones
to hear the sound -
20:58 - 21:02which was similar
to the Kinetephone. -
21:02 - 21:06It was not until Clement Maurice
and Henri Lioret, -
21:06 - 21:09in France, developed
the Phono-Cinema-Theatre -
21:09 - 21:13that allowed the projection
of sound in theatres. -
21:13 - 21:17This system was first exhibited
at the Paris Exposition in 1900, -
21:17 - 21:21and is considered
the first public projection -
21:21 - 21:25of both recorded sound
and motion image. -
21:25 - 21:27Meanwhile, silent
film production was starting -
21:27 - 21:29to gain pace around the world,
-
21:29 - 21:31and what is considered the first
feature length film -
21:31 - 21:34was made in 1906 by Charles Tait
in Australia. -
21:34 - 21:37It was called
"The Ned Kelly Gang." -
21:37 - 21:41At 70 minutes long it had
an unprecedented running time -
21:41 - 21:46and only made in a budget
of around $2,250, -
21:46 - 21:48although the complete film
has since been lost, -
21:48 - 21:53with only around 12 minutes
running time left in existence. -
21:53 - 21:55As film technology advanced,
-
21:55 - 21:58so did the creative and
storytelling possibilities. -
21:58 - 22:01It was in the first part
of the 20th century -
22:02 - 22:03that one of the first
famous film directors -
22:03 - 22:04came to prominence.
-
22:04 - 22:07His name was D.W. Griffith,
-
22:07 - 22:11and he's considered one of
the fathers of modern cinema. -
22:11 - 22:15It was in 1908 that
a young D.W. Griffith -
22:15 - 22:17made his first movie,
-
22:17 - 22:19"The Adventures
of Dollie." -
22:19 - 22:22Still in the period of
silent film production, -
22:22 - 22:25its narrative structure and
editing were to set the way -
22:25 - 22:28with Griffith's coming skill
with filmmaking. -
22:28 - 22:31He was to develop filmic
techniques and codes -
22:31 - 22:34that brought in-depth narrative
storytelling to cinema. -
22:34 - 22:37He directed around 450 films
and was one of the most -
22:37 - 22:40successful directors
of his time. -
22:40 - 22:44One of his most notable films,
"Birth of a Nation," -
22:44 - 22:46made in 1915 and based on Thomas
-
22:46 - 22:49Dixon's American
Civil War movies, -
22:49 - 22:52was racist and showed
a lack of integrity -
22:52 - 22:54in portray African-Americans.
-
22:54 - 22:56He would respond to criticism
about this film -
22:56 - 22:59by making "Intolerance,"
showed in 1916. -
22:59 - 23:04This movie used some of the
biggest film sets and crew sizes -
23:04 - 23:05ever at that time.
-
23:05 - 23:10The story portrayed 2,500 years
of history and showed how truth -
23:10 - 23:14and justice are threatened
by hypocrisy and injustice. -
23:14 - 23:16Although audience reaction
was muted at best, -
23:16 - 23:20Griffith's career faulted
after 1916, -
23:20 - 23:23and in 1931, when a
film he made called -
23:23 - 23:25"The Struggle" was a failure,
-
23:25 - 23:29he would endure a 17-year
exile from Hollywood, -
23:29 - 23:32never to return to his
once high status. -
23:32 - 23:35Griffith certainly was not
the only person developing -
23:35 - 23:37filmic codes and narratives,
-
23:37 - 23:40and his work was in part
continuing on from others -
23:40 - 23:44such as Georges Melies
and Edwin S. Porter. -
23:44 - 23:47Whatever you may think
about Griffith, -
23:47 - 23:50his work showed cinema
technology had entered a truly -
23:50 - 23:54advanced form of storytelling
and narrative construction. -
23:54 - 23:57In Russia, at the beginning
of the 20th century, -
23:57 - 23:59not long after D.W. Griffith
-
23:59 - 24:02was setting forth
his place in cinematic history, -
24:02 - 24:06the Russian director,
Sergei Eisenstein, -
24:06 - 24:10was developing his own
distinct form of cinema. -
24:10 - 24:15In the 1920s, Russian montage,
as it is known, -
24:15 - 24:19came to be a prominent
filmmaking style in Russia. -
24:19 - 24:23The basic concept of montage
relies heavily upon editing -
24:23 - 24:27and creating meaning through
the collaboration of shots -
24:27 - 24:29in a sequence and not
from a storyline. -
24:30 - 24:33For example, the three shots
that are shown here -
24:34 - 24:37are taken from Eisenstein's
"Battleship Potemkin." -
24:37 - 24:38They are played in sequence
-
24:39 - 24:42to signify the meaning
of Soviet Russia -
24:42 - 24:44rising up against
the oppression of the czar. -
24:44 - 24:48The term "montage" literally
means putting together, -
24:48 - 24:51and for an over-simplified
example: -
24:51 - 24:53if you place a shot of an ear,
-
24:53 - 24:56then the shot of a door next
to each other, -
24:56 - 25:01the meaning would be eavesdrop.
This is montage in a nutshell. -
25:01 - 25:06In 1925, Eisenstein made one
of his most famous films, -
25:06 - 25:09"Battleship Potemkin,"
a revolutionary portrait -
25:09 - 25:12of mutiny aboard a Russian
battleship -
25:12 - 25:16not long before
the Russian Revolution. -
25:16 - 25:18Although praised by critics,
-
25:18 - 25:21Russian audiences were
indifferent to it -
25:21 - 25:24and much preferred entertaining
and emotionally engaging -
25:24 - 25:27Hollywood-style
continuity films. -
25:27 - 25:31Importantly, montage offered
another approach -
25:31 - 25:34to filmmaking other
than a continuity-based style, -
25:34 - 25:37and it also showed how far
the technology of cinema -
25:37 - 25:43had come in a little
more than 25 years. -
25:43 - 25:46The progress of sound recording
and playback for cinema -
25:46 - 25:48had been steadily
advancing, -
25:48 - 25:50although applying synchronized,
-
25:50 - 25:54prerecorded sound to film had
encountered many problems -
25:54 - 25:58such as recording fidelity,
synchronizing sound to film, -
25:58 - 26:01and projecting sound
at a satisfactory level. -
26:01 - 26:04These problems were to be
overcome by the advance -
26:04 - 26:07of technology
and innovation. -
26:07 - 26:12In 1919, an American inventor
called Lee de Forest -
26:12 - 26:15developed one of the first
sound-on-film technologies -
26:15 - 26:18for commercial application.
-
26:18 - 26:21In Forest's system,
which he called Phonofilm, -
26:21 - 26:24sound was photographically
recorded onto one side -
26:24 - 26:28of a strip of film to create
what was called a composite, -
26:28 - 26:33where simply two elements have
been composited together. -
26:33 - 26:35If the sound was synchronized
exactly to the film, -
26:35 - 26:38the playback would be perfect.
-
26:38 - 26:41Another system developed
and used in the first part -
26:41 - 26:43of the 20th century was called
the Vitaphone. -
26:43 - 26:46The Vitaphone was
a disc-based system produced -
26:46 - 26:50by General Electric and
purchased by Warner Brothers. -
26:50 - 26:52The Vitaphone did not
print sound to film, -
26:52 - 26:56but on to 16 inch
phonograph records. -
26:56 - 26:59These records were then
played using Vitaphone systems -
26:59 - 27:05at theatres where the film they
were produced for was playing. -
27:05 - 27:07There were many problems
with the Vitaphone system -
27:07 - 27:09including synchronization
with the film, -
27:09 - 27:11being projected, and
the phonograph records -
27:11 - 27:14which could not be edited and
limited the corrective output -
27:14 - 27:17for films using
the Vitaphone system. -
27:17 - 27:20Taking into account numerous
technological improvements, -
27:20 - 27:22it would be sound on film
-
27:22 - 27:25that would eventually become
the universal standard -
27:25 - 27:27for synchronized sound
in cinema. -
27:27 - 27:30It was in 1927
that one of the first movies -
27:30 - 27:32ever produced contained
synchronized dialogue -
27:32 - 27:36sequences was released
to the movie going public. -
27:36 - 27:40This film was "The Jazz Singer"
and it used a Vitaphone system. -
27:40 - 27:41There had been other films
-
27:42 - 27:44that had used synchronized
sound and music, -
27:44 - 27:47such as "Don Juan"
released in 1926, -
27:47 - 27:53that had a musical score played
by the New York Philharmonic. -
27:53 - 27:55"The Jazz Singer"
was the first to have dialogue -
27:55 - 27:57which accounted
for about 25 percent -
27:57 - 27:59of the soundtrack in the movie.
-
27:59 - 28:03The movie heralded the coming
of the so-called talkies -
28:03 - 28:05and signaled the start
of the end for silent films -
28:05 - 28:08where talkies were ultimately
more popular -
28:08 - 28:10and technologically advanced.
-
28:10 - 28:13The movie itself is based
on a stage play -
28:13 - 28:15by Samson Raphaelson.
-
28:15 - 28:17It has a culturally
complex storyline, -
28:17 - 28:20with a young Jewish man trying
to make it as a jazz singer -
28:20 - 28:22against the wishes
of his father. -
28:22 - 28:24It was a signifier
of the times -
28:24 - 28:28that so-called blackface
makeup was used by Al Jolson, -
28:28 - 28:32who plays the lead role.
This was naively racist at best, -
28:32 - 28:35and was used to take on
the appearance of an archetype -
28:35 - 28:37of African-Americans,
-
28:37 - 28:38although there is
the assimilation -
28:38 - 28:40of African-Americans and Jews
-
28:40 - 28:43experiencing similar
identities as outsiders, -
28:43 - 28:49and this is something that is
put across in the film. -
28:49 - 28:52At this point,
cinema had come a long way -
28:52 - 28:55bringing together
motion image and sound -
28:55 - 28:57with many brilliant innovations,
-
28:57 - 29:00inventions, passion,
and commitment, -
29:00 - 29:02creating one of the most unique
-
29:02 - 29:05and inspiring art forms
and entertainment -
29:05 - 29:08that has ever been produced
in the history of the world, -
29:08 - 29:11establishing itself
as a powerful element -
29:11 - 29:16in modern societies.
-
29:16 - 29:19[ music ]
- Title:
- A Concise History of the Origins of Cinema (Revised Narration)
- Description:
-
You can download the narration for free at: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Chris_J_Mitchell_A_Concise_History_of_the_Origins_?id=o7UnAwAAQBAJ
This documentary concisely covers the vastly complex history of the origins of Cinema. From the very first zoetropes and magic lanterns to the very first motion capture film cameras. Covering the key individuals involved in the creation of cinema, such as, Albertus Magnus, Eadweard Muybridge, Louis Le Prince and the Lumiere Brothers. Any film fan or anyone with an interest in the history of cinema will hopefully find this both interesting and enlightening.
Note: The narration was re-recorded as some people have commented that the audio is too quiet in this video. In the new narration I have also made an addition at 12:50, inserting a part about Louis Le Prince. Also at 18:05 I have made some minor amendments to the Georges Melies section. Please see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBahe2_sZk0
It is the first documentary I have ever made. Any questions please ask.
Note: The narration was re-recorded as some people have commented that the audio in the original version was too quite. In the new narration I have also made an addition at 12:50, inserting a part about Louis Le Prince. Also at 18:05 I have made some minor amendments to the Georges Melies section.
Please see the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEf-hjQrLTo about Louis Le Prince. This also references Friese Green.
- Duration:
- 29:48
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IDshawnval edited English subtitles for A Concise History of the Origins of Cinema (Revised Narration) |