Early developments in Film

Victorians There had been a fascination with the occult and the world of spirits. People went to horror magic lantern shows and took part in séances. Spirit photography a fashion for special effects of a ghost like figure hUKEwiB8a-a6ZXKAhVEmg4KHYi4ByoQsAQINQ&dpr=1

Early Technology Still camera Zoetrope Magic lantern shows

1888 The first film was created by Louis Le Prince in It was a two second film of people walking around in Oakwood Grange garden, titled Roundhay Garden Scene

Frenchman Louis Lumiere 1895 Lumier develops a more portable and faster process and therefore has the more commercial potential than that of Eddison of America Lumiere's portable, suitcase-sized cinematographe was his camera, film processing unit, and projector all in one. He could shoot footage in the morning, process it in the afternoon, and then project it to an audience that evening. His first film was the arrival of the express train at Ciotat. Other subjects were workers leaving the factory gates, a child being fed by his parents, people enjoying a picnic along a river. The portable and easily used portable camera quickly became very popular in France. Cinematographers buying his camera were soon developing their work all over the world The motion picture era began.

Novelty short films to the feature The first films were very short episodes maybe a few minutes in length and were called novelties They were often shown at fairgrounds and were often film of ordinary people – this was fascinating to everyone at the time The Great Train Robbery (1903), was the first narrative movie, one that told a story. And was so popular it could be said many saw the potential for creating cinema theatres

A New art Form People just love to see the new technology of moving images As the technology improves films explore the contemporary ideas of the time inspiring story lines that use, Psychological realism The subconscious mind of dreams, fantasy and nightmare

Genre The early silent films explore many genres »Comedy »Tragedy »Horror »Fantasy »The western ( cowboy films ) »Realism and stories about contemporary social issues

The professionals It develops as an industry developing new skilled roles and jobs  The producer  Director  Camera operators and crew  Film distributers  Film editors  Film stars  Projectionists

Women as professionals women-female-directors /

Women directors of Silent film The early development in film in the early 1900’s included many women directors and producers. The Hollywood industry had over 30 female directors. The contribution of women filmmakers in the silent period, particularly The first woman film maker---- Dorothy Arzner, Lois Weber and Elsie Jane Wilson. Lois Webber is one of the most well known and was a favourite with Universal studios and mentored the famous John Ford.

Weber's films are usually revived in the context of her role as one of the American cinema's first female pioneers.

Lois Webber Films Although she made a wide range of films between 1913 and 1926, Weber is perhaps best known as the director of social dramas with moral themes. These films dealt with such serious and controversial issues such as birth control and abortion ("Where are My Children" ), capital punishment ("The People vs. John Doe" ), and generational conflict ("Discontent" ). Her best known feature-length film, The Blot (1921), dealt with the economic challenges facing a young couple surviving in a society that offers great potential for capitalistic skills but meagre rewards for intellectual and moral efforts.

Billie Dove worked hard to become a serious actress She sought out the best directors working in Hollywood. She found a female director, Lois Weber, for whom she would always hold extreme respect. In 1926, Weber cast Billie in The Marriage Clause, as an actress who almost suffers a fatal breakdown, this role made her a famous serious actresses. Billie emerged as a new symbol of freedom, modernity and feistiness. An Angel on Broadway

Many Cinemas are built in most towns and cities

Intertitles Because silent films could not synchronize sound for dialogue, onscreen intertitles were used to narrate the story to, Give some key dialogue Comment on the action. The title writer became a key professional in the silent film industry.

Music From the beginning of the industry music was seen as a vital element of film –it gave emotional depth and atmosphere. The films were accompanied by live music from a piano – later organs became popular and even small orchestras were used Sound effects could be created on some of the organs notably the famous Wurlitzer" Some films had specially composed music scores e.g The Birth of a Nation (USA, 1915) By the height of the silent era, movies were the single largest source of employment for instrumental musicians (at least in America).

Acting style Silent film actors emphasized body language and facial expression This was supposed to help the audience better understand both the story and the feelings Today we see this as over acting and simplistic melodrama But in silent comedies overacting is more natural and many people still like these old film This melodramatic acting style came from the actors experience on stage It was a slow process developing actors skills for film Director Marshall Neilan in 1917:said, "The sooner the stage people who have come into pictures get out, the better for the pictures."

Realism /naturalism Maybe film creates a more intimate relationship with the audience through the large projection and darkened cinema A move towards subtlety and naturalistic acting begins to develop particularly with the European directors But some people still liked the very traditional melodramatic style

Stars Greta Garbo ( ) Max Linder ( ) Charlie Chaplin ( ) Harold Lloyd ( ) Buster Keaton ( ) Douglas Fairbanks ( ) Rudolph Valentino ( ) Lillian Gish ( ) William S Hart ( ) Louise Brooks ( ) movie-stars-in-pictures#/?picture= &index=0

Projection speed varied Silent film were shot at variable speeds so were often replayed badly in some cinemas making them seem jerky Some scenes were deliberately shot at different speed especially the slapstick chases 1926 is a key date because film speed is standardised

Visual qualities The visual quality of silent movies — especially those produced during the 1920s — was often extremely high But we often only see poor copies and many films were damaged or lost

Projectionists Was an essential and skilled job But even if shot at 16 fps (often cited as "silent speed"), the film was made with cellulose nitrate and even at that speed there was a strong risk of fire. Projectionists would receive very general instructions from the distributors as to how fast particular reels or scenes should be projected on the musical director's cue sheet. Cinemas sometimes varied their projection speeds depending on the time of day or popularity of a film so they could maximize their profit

Colour tinting The film was often dipped in dye – this gave shades or hues. Blue for night scenes, yellow or amber meant day. Red represented fire and green represented a mysterious mood. Toning of film (such as the common silent film sepia-toning) with special solutions replaced the silver particles in the film stock with salts or dyes of various colours. A combination of tinting and toning could be used as an effect that could be very striking.

Hand colouring Hand colouring was often used in early "trick" and fantasy films from Europe, especially those by Georges Méliès with all his magic illusions The famous director D.W. Griffith was very interested in colour and used tinting to a unique effect in many of his films. The1915 epic, The Birth of a Nation, used a number of colours, including amber, blue, lavender, and a strong red tint for scenes such as the "burning of Atlanta" and the ride of the Ku Klux Klan at the climax of the picture.

Box office hits The following are the films that earned the highest ever gross income in film history, according to Variety magazine in The dollar amounts are not adjusted for inflation, and the values were calculated in 1932 The Birth of a Nation (1915) - $10,000,000 The Big Parade (1925) - $6,400,000 Ben-Hur (1925) - $5,500,000 Way Down East (1920) - $5,000,000 The Gold Rush (1925) - $4,250,000 The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) - $4,000,000 The Circus (1928) - $3,800,000 The Covered Wagon (1923) - $3,800,000 The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) - $3,500,000 The Ten Commandments (1923) - $3,400,000 Orphans of the Storm (1921) - $3,000,000 For Heaven's Sake (1926) - $2,600,000 Seventh Heaven (1926) - $2,400,000 Abie's Irish Rose (1928) - $1,500,000

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