D.W. Griffith & the Modern Blockbuster

Please turn in your homework.

The modern blockbuster is not a new idea. In fact, as early as 1915, the Hollywood Blockbuster became a big deal and influenced many directors, writers, actors, and their audiences.

LAB task: before the end of period 1, please read the following article on Blockbuster trends and POST a comment in the section below about what seem to be the trends and tropes of a blockbuster film. Which "blockbuster" films have you seen? Do you like blockbusters? What seems to be the difference between blockbusters and other films in style and content?

D.W. GRIFFITH

D.W. Griffith was called the "Father of film technique" & "the man who invented Hollywood"

Birth of a Nation trailer.

With cinematographer G.W. Bitzer, he created and perfected the film devices:

• the iris shot
• the flashback
• crosscutting

He directed the very controversial The Birth of a Nation (1915) Based on Thomas Dixon's stage play "The Clansman." Over 3 hours long, the racist epic included a cast of hundreds. The film contained many new film innovations:

• Special use of subtitles
• Its own musical score with orchestra
• Introduction of night photography
• Used a "still shot"
• Used an "Iris shot"
• Used parallel action
• Used panning and tracking shots
• Used close-ups to reveal intimate expressions of actors
• Used fade outs and cameo-profiles
• Used high-angles and panoramic (extreme) long shots
• Used cross cutting between two scenes to create excitement and suspense

Here's a clip from Birth of a Nation. and a famous battle sequence with hundreds of extras.
The film is now regarded as terribly racist as it actually has the KKK riding in to save the day. Here's a few more objectionable scenes:
Negro Majority in the House of Representatives
Origins of the Klan
Controversial Scenes from BofaN
And the suggestive ending...

Here's the entire film, if you have the interest and 3-hours to spare.

A year later his masterpiece Intolerance (1916) was made as a reaction to the censorship of Birth of a Nation

Babylon Long Shot/Crane Sequence (tinted)
The Fall of Babylon from Intolerance
Entire Film: Intolerance.

In 1919 he established the film company United Artists with Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, and William S. Hart

Overall, Griffith directed over 500 films. He retired in 1931 and died in Los Angeles in 1948. In 1975 his picture was on a post stamp. But by 1999, The Director's Guild of America's National Board renamed the prestigious D.W. Griffith Award (first given in 1953 to such directors as Woody Allen, Stanley Kubrick, John Huston, Alfred Hitchcock, Ingmar Bergman, John Ford, Akira Kurosawa, and Cecil B. DeMille) because of Griffith's racism.

"We do not fear censorship, for we have no wish to offend with improprieties or obscenities, but we do demand, as a right, the liberty to show the dark side of wrong, that we may illuminate the bright side of virtue - the same liberty that is conceded to the art of the written word - that art to which we owe the Bible and the works of Shakespeare."
D.W. Griffith (1915)

"If in this work we have conveyed to the mind the ravages of war to the end that war may be held in abhorrence, this effort will not have been in vain." - D. W. Griffith (1915)

Please take a look at these clips and films starring one of his leading actresses: Lilian Gish.

Way Down East (1920) (scene with Lilian Gish) Possibly the most amazing stunt ever pulled in cinema history. Please realize that these actors really were doing their own stunts. That water is cold and yes, those are ice floes.
Orphans of the Storm (1921) (Entire film, with sister Dorothy Gish)
Judith of Bethulia (1914) (part of the film with Lilian Gish)
The Scarlet Letter (1926)  (scene with Lilian Gish)

HOMEWORK: Please read the articles (if you did not finish them in class) on D.W. Griffith & The Modern Blockbuster. If you have late work, get it done and turn it in!

The 2015 Academy Awards

The Academy Awards®, known as the Oscars®, are the oldest, best known and famous film awards. The awards have been presented annually (the first ceremony was held in May, 1929) by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), based in Beverly Hills, California (founded in 1927).

"Except for the early years of the institution, the awards honored films made during the previous 12-month calendar year. Films also had to be over 40 minutes long to qualify as feature-length. Until 1954, the Oscars were presented mostly on a Thursday evening. From 1955 to 1958, they were presented on a Wednesday. From 1959 until 1998 the Oscars were, with a few exceptions, presented on a Monday night. Only since 1999 has the Awards ceremony taken place on a Sunday (traditionally in March). In 2004, the ceremony was moved even earlier (thus the February date) to improve ratings and to be more relevant to the awards 'season'.

Comments About the Awards Themselves:

The establishment of the Academy (and its awards system) has had a major effect and influence upon the film industry, due to the enormous boost a nomination or award (for a film, designer, or actor) creates, by giving prestige and bottom-line profits to a studio or performer.

Studios have often engaged in expensive marketing and advertising campaigns to sway votes. The Academy has, with limited success, tried to limit the influences of pressure groups and promotion, box office gross receipts, and studio public relations and marketing on voting results. It has also attempted to limit votes for melodramatic sentimentality, atonement for past mistakes, personal popularity, and "prestige" or epic scale, but those influences have often had a decided effect upon the outcome of some of the poll results.

Unfortunately, the critical worth, artistic vision, cultural influence, and innovative qualities of many films are not given the same voting weight. Especially since the 80s, moneymaking 'formula-made' blockbusters with glossy production values have often been crowd-pleasing titans (and Best Picture winners), but they haven't necessarily been great films with depth or critical acclaim by any measure." See Tim Dirk's site for "The Worst Academy Awards Oscars" for more information.

"Like any other awards, recognitions, or "best" lists, the top nominees and winners do not necessarily reflect or objectively measure the greatest that cinematic history has to offer. Many of the most Deserving Films of All Time (see Films Without Awards) did not win Academy Awards® (and in some cases were not even included in the nominees). In addition, Top Box-Office Films aren't always guaranteed awards success either. And certain Film Genres (notably westerns, science fiction, and comedy) as well as independent films are not represented in balanced numbers throughout Oscar history." - Tim Dirks

For information about the 2015 Oscars, check out this site!

LAB WORK: Post your comments here (below) on this post about the award winners for 2015. In your opinion did the Academy pick the best films? Which films were left out? Which ones should have won? Which films should you see now? How do these awards affect the way you view these or other films? Discuss.

After commenting, please read the following article from Tim Dirks: History of Early Film: Part 3-5. Start here and use the article to answer the questions. Hand in your notes by end of class.

If you did not complete your film script review and/or rewrite or take the test from last class (due to absences) please complete this work as well. Several of you did not turn in the scene project (see previous posts). Any work you have not completed, please complete and turn in late so you can pass this lovely class.

HOMEWORK: Please read the handout article: "The Edison Monopoly Decision" & "The Hollywood Studio System". As you read, please take notes in your journal on key and important events, people, and concepts. Remember those Cornell Notes? Yep. Thought so.

Quiz; The Arranged Scene; Film Review Revision

After our quiz on early film, please return to the lab to complete the following 2 assignments:

George Melies outlined a narrative story by numbering scenes he would need for a film. See the chapter on Melies (handout) for examples. This arrangement served as a creative outline for most early filmmakers. Much of the plot, acting, and filming was completely improv, but directors had a general idea of the film they wanted to make.

1. Work alone or with one partner.
2. Create your own pre-arranged scene break-down for a film of your own. You may wish, like Melies, to choose a favorite story or fairy tale, or create your own sci-fi or fantasy story or like Porter base your story on an event taken from News headlines, or from your own imagination.
3. Create a short film with up to 10 distinct scenes. You should give a very short description of each scene that includes the following information:

A. Where does the action/filming take place?
B. What is the central action or event in the scene?
C. What characters are involved in the action?
D. How does one action lead to a reaction (cause and effect, or i.e., PLOT) and/or resolution? And E. What type of shot would you use for the scene: Close-up, Medium shot, Long Shot, Tracking Shot, Pan, (extreme close up or long shot?) -- Use the storyboard handout to sketch a quick sketch of your scene.

Reviews of a film script: Final drafts of the assignment for a grade are due today by the end of class.
Tips/Advice:

• Give your review a title.
• Titles of films are italicized.
• When writing about a film, do your research first. Find out the year it was produced, who wrote the script, directed the film, and other important details from IMDB.COM. Use this information to help make your writing/review specific and detailed. Don't be lazy and skip this step!
• Many of you watched a film and wrote a review of a film you saw before, but did not read. Read the script so that you can write the paragraph about writing STYLE and the film's writer. Consider how the film is WRITTEN or reads differently than viewing the film. What have you learned about WRITING a film script from this assignment? That should be part of your review. 
• Start off your review with an attention-grabbing hook. Like a teaser or trailer of a film...
• Some films influenced films that came after them. Other films were influenced by film. If you have written about one of these, add details from your RESEARCH.
• Write about novels and films in the present tense. This is called the "literary present"--assume that the film IS still alive, not in the past. See this explanation for more help.
• Correct grammar and punctuation in your review. Stop being sloppy when writing. Learn the rules of Standard Written English and use them until you die. Help with grammar/punctuation can be found online and here.
• Write your essays and reviews for this class using MLA format. It is the expectation. Look here for help in formatting an MLA formatted review. Also refer to my handouts.
• End your essay with a good, creative concluding statement.
• Check the previous post for details about the assignment. Make sure you have completed all parts of the assignment for full credit.
• Final drafts are due Friday by the end of class.

HOMEWORK: The Oscars will be screening February 22 at 7 on ABC. Please read the article/handout on The Oscars and plan to watch this event. Jot a few notes in your journal about the winners or winning films. You will use the information from the article and the films that win in class on February 24.

Melies, Porter, Hepworth; Styles of Film; The Pre-Arranged Scene Assigment; Review Review

Melies and Porter both found a way to edit and arrange film to create a narrative story. With these two film directors we begin to expand the novelty and artistic quality of the medium. Across the pond in Britain, Cecil B. Hepworth continued the tradition.

If we were to reduce all films to a continuum, we would have realism on one end of the continuum and formalism on the other. The Lumiere Brothers, and many of Edison's films, are considered actualities and are little more than moving snapshots of real life in real settings shot on location in real places. Viewers were fascinated by these films partly because they had never seen a picture move, but also because the events the films captured were spontaneous and true. It don't get more real than this! The most real films are often considered to be documentaries--documents of real people, places, or events.

On the other side of the continuum is formalism. Formalist films are often avant-garde or metaphorical. Melies' films are perfect examples of this kind of film. Melies used trick photography, whimsical and fantastic subject matter that went beyond reality, and arranged his scenes deliberately for effect. While the camera stays at a safe viewing distance (long shot), the entire film is manipulated to create an effect on the viewer. When a director does these things (tricks like dissolves or stop motion or careful editing) he is beginning to lose the spontaneity of capturing real life, as all is "staged" and "un-real".

Today most films are considered the mid-range between realism and formalism. This mid-range is called classicism and most fiction films fall into this category.

As we watch these films, please record the title, name of director, and a 1-3 sentence description.

A TRIP TO THE MOON (1902), Directed by George Melies
THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (1903), Directed by Edwin S. Porter
Rescued by Rover (1905), Cecil B. Hepworth
That Fatal Sneeze (1907), Cecil B. Hepworth

After screening the films, please complete the following:

George Melies outlined a narrative story by numbering scenes he would need for a film. See the chapter on Melies (handout) for examples. This arrangement served as a creative outline for most early filmmakers. Much of the plot, acting, and filming was completely improv, but directors had a general idea of the film they wanted to make.

1. Work alone or with one partner.
2. Create your own pre-arranged scene break-down for a film of your own. You may wish, like Melies, to choose a favorite story or fairy tale, or create your own sci-fi or fantasy story or like Porter base your story on an event taken from News headlines, or from your own imagination.
3. Create a short film with up to 10 distinct scenes. You should give a very short description of each scene that includes the following information:

A. Where does the action/filming take place?
B. What is the central action or event in the scene?
C. What characters are involved in the action?
D. How does one action lead to a reaction (cause and effect, or i.e., PLOT) and/or resolution? And E. What type of shot would you use for the scene: Close-up, Medium shot, Long Shot, Tracking Shot, Pan, (extreme close up or long shot?) -- Use the storyboard handout to sketch a quick sketch of your scene.

Reviews of a film script: if you did not attend last class, or you didn't complete (or need to revise) your film review, please do so today. Final drafts of the assignment for a grade are due Friday by the end of class.

• Give your review a title.
• Titles of films are italicized.
• When writing about a film, do your research first. Find out the year it was produced, who wrote the script, directed the film, and other important details from IMDB.COM. Use this information to help make your writing/review specific and detailed. Don't be lazy and skip this step!
• Many of you watched a film and wrote a review of a film you saw before, but did not read. Read the script so that you can write the paragraph about writing STYLE and the film's writer. Consider how the film is WRITTEN or reads differently than viewing the film. What have you learned about WRITING a film script from this assignment? That should be part of your review. 
• Start off your review with an attention-grabbing hook. Like a teaser or trailer of a film...
• Some films influenced films that came after them. Other films were influenced by film. If you have written about one of these, add details from your RESEARCH.
• Write about novels and films in the present tense. This is called the "literary present"--assume that the film IS still alive, not in the past. See this explanation for more help.
• Correct grammar and punctuation in your review. Stop being sloppy when writing. Learn the rules of Standard Written English and use them until you die. Help with grammar/punctuation can be found online and here.
• Write your essays and reviews for this class using MLA format. It is the expectation. Look here for help in formatting an MLA formatted review. Also refer to my handouts.
• End your essay with a good, creative concluding statement.
• Check the previous post for details about the assignment. Make sure you have completed all parts of the assignment for full credit.
• Final drafts are due Friday by the end of class.

Upcoming Test:
We will also have our first test covering film from the 1880's-1910's. Please study and bring your notes with you to class.

HOMEWORK: Read the chapter handout on Edwin S. Porter. The prearranged scene outline is also due next class, along with a test (bring your notes!--remember: you should have read the first two parts from this website: http://www.filmsite.org/pre20sintro.html) and your revised review. 

Film Script Review; British Invasion: Birt Acres, R.W. Paul, Cecil Hepworth; and The Pathe Frere Company: Ferdinand Zecca

You were asked on January 26 (see HOMEWORK on previous posts) to read a film script from IMSDB.com. Today, please spend the class period reviewing this film script.

A film review should have the following parts to it:

1. Gather facts about your movie. The script you chose probably was already made into a film and distributed by a production company. In other words, it's a movie that we can see since it exists. Go to IMDB.com and gather some information about who directed the film, who has the writing credits, who acted in the film, etc. You'll need this sort of info for your introduction.

2. Start off an introduction to your review with a clever statement or hook. Grab our attention and explain why you chose to read the script you did. Ex. "I was ten years old when my parents took me to see Star Wars. It changed my life..." then add those details from #1 above. Who made the movie, when was it made, who directed it, who starred in it? etc.

3. In the second paragraph summarize the film script's plot. What is its premise--what happens in the beginning, the middle, and the end of the film? Hit just the highlights and big events. You don't have to go into the minutia of minor characters, unless you're trying to make a point.

4. In the next paragraph analyze the writing of the movie. This is your chance to discuss the WRITING. What did you notice about the author's style? How was reading this script different from reading a play? What did you learn from reading this script about writing films?

5. Use examples to support your statements/opinions.

6. Conclude your review in a thoughtful way. Who might like reading this script? Why is this film a good one to read? Have you changed your mind about its relevance? What did you learn about writing, the film industry, character development, plotting, setting, imagery, etc.? How might the reading of this script help you choose scripts in the future?

Here are some sample film reviews at Script Magazine. Before you write your review, check out one of these and read it to help you with the form.

Today in class you should write your review and turn it in for class credit. The review is due at the end of class today, so don't waste your time! Chop-chop. Get writing!


If you finish early, please look at the following material and view these films. Take notes in your notebook on Birt Acres, R.W. Paul, Cecil Hepworth and the Pathe Frere Company. We'll discuss these guys along with Edwin S. Porter and George Melies next class. 

France and the U.S. were quick to jump on the possibilities of film projection. But quick on their heels was Britain. These three countries have a long and respected reputation when it comes to film making. They were there at the beginning.

Birt Acres & R.W. Paul

Birt Acres was born in the USA in 1854, orphaned at the age of fourteen during the American civil war and was taken in by his aunt. Around 1872 Acres was sent to Paris to complete his education at the Sorbonne. Acres returned to the United States four years later to lead the life of a Frontiersman and it during a period of eight or nine years became quite wealthy. Around 1885 he moved to England. He set up a studio in the seaside resort of Devon for the production of painted portraits and photography. In 1894 Acres was introduced to electrical engineer, Robert W. Paul. At this time Paul was in the process of manufacturing copies of Edison’s Kinetoscope and was anxious to construct a camera with which to produce films to show on his machines.

The pair worked together and Acres used the camera to make the first successful film in Britain - Incident at Clovelly Cottage in 1895. It was at this point where the two entered into partnership with a ten year business agreement. This agreement lasted only six weeks before splitting. During their brief partnership, the two shot films. It is widely believed that Paul was angry because Acres had patented his own Kinetic camera in his own name - almost identical to the one they had developed together. The resulting projector became known as the Kinetic Lantern, Kineopticon and the Cinematoscope. 

As for Paul, he invented the Theatrograph projector and shot the first "news" films. Paul also made various “Actuality” films,  and a short comedy - “The Soldier’s Courtship.” He is, also, curiously, responsible for the first Scrooge film. In 1898 Paul began construction on Britain’s first film studios in Muswell Hill, North London and during that summer produced over eighty short dramatic films. Paul’s production company peaked during 1900 and 1905 but he gradually became disenchanted with the business. He returned to his previous occupation, concentrating on electrical engineering.

Meanwhile, Acres gave the first public performance of his projector at the Royal Photographic Society in 1896 - five weeks before the screening of Lumière’s Cinématographe and Paul’s Theatograph. Acres formed his own company - the Northern Photographic Works which specialized in coating, perforating and processing film. In 1898 he unveiled the Birtac - the first 'sub-standard gauge' cine camera and projector, instead of normal 35mm film the camera used narrower width film - typically 17.5 mm. Unfortunately for Acres, within weeks, a rival 17.5 mm camera/projector was announced - the Biokam by the Warwick Trading Company. The Biokam benefitted from its heavy backing and cheapness - half the price of the Birtac. Regardless of this, Birt Acres invented the first amateur cine camera and remained in the film business until his death in 1918.

R.W. Paul: Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee (1897)

Upside Down (1899) (watch camera tricks)

 Scrooge, or Marley's Ghost (1901) (the first Scrooge film).

The Magic Sword (1901)

The Delhi Durbar (1903)

Birt Acres: Rough Sea at Dover (1895)

Crude Set Drama (1896)

Arrest of a Pickpocket (date unknown, 1896+)
Rip Van Winkle (1895)

Cecil Hepworth

Cecil Hepworth (1874 –1953):

How it Feels to Be Run Over (1900)
Explosion of a Motor Car (1900)
Alice in Wonderland (1903) by Cecil Hepworth

• Hepworth was an English film director, producer and screenwriter, he was among the founders of the British film industry and continued making films into the 1920s.
• His father was a famous magic lantern showman.
• He became involved in the early stages of British filmmaking, working for both Birt Acres and Charles Urban, and wrote the first British book on the subject in 1897.
• With his cousin Monty Wicks he set up the production company Hepworth and Co. — later renamed the Hepworth Manufacturing Company, then Hepworth Picture Plays.
• In 1899 they built a small film studio in Walton-on-Thames. The company produced about three films a week, sometimes with Hepworth directing.
• Rescued by Rover (1905) was a huge success at the box office, starring a collie in the title role. The film is now regarded as an important development in film grammar, with shots being effectively combined to emphasise the action. Hepworth was also one of the first to recognize the potential of film stars, both animal and human, with several recurring characters appearing in his films.
• The company continued making popular films into the 1920s.
• The company went public to fund a large studio development but lost money and closed.
• Tragically, all of Hepworth's original film negatives were melted down.

Pathe Freres Company

Charles Pathé (1863-1957), French motion-picture magnate, who, in the early 20th century, was the first to create a system for mass-producing motion pictures. It is thanks to The Pathe Frere Co. that films were shared and distributed around the world. Now, a film made in New York could be seen as far away as Japan. This is the start of a world-wide cinema (and a lucrative business venture...) Check out information about Pathe and some of his company's films:

Aladdin & the Magic Lamp (1907)
The Policeman's Little Run (1907) directed by Ferdinand Zecca
Slippery Jim (1910) directed by Ferdinand Zecca
Onesime Horloger (Onesime, Clock-Maker) (1912)

• Pathé began his career as an importer and merchant of the phonograph in France.
• He extended the business to include projectors and films, creating the company Pathé Frères in 1896.
• By 1901 he concentrated on film production, together with French director and producer Ferdinand Zecca.
• Pathé made films rapidly and reinvested the profits back into the business to improve the technical quality of his films.
• By 1905 the company was employing numerous production teams of scriptwriters, set builders, cameramen, directors, and actors, making short films in an assembly-line process.
• Pathe Company opened in New York in 1904 as a subsidiary of Pathe Freres (Bros.) in France and boasted a catalogue of 12,000 titles.
• In 1909, Pathe was asked to join Edison in forming the Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPC) to try to shut out smaller studios.
• In 1911, Pathe Weekly was issued. This is the first US newsreel.
• WWI took its toll on the company. Pathe ceased production in the US in 1914.
• In 1915, the Pathe Freres temporarily moved its headquarters to New York and changed its name to Pathe Exchange, Inc.
• In 1923, Pathe Exchange sold for 26 million Francs and came under the control of Merrill Lynch.
• In 1926, Joe Kennedy (father of John F. Kennedy) becomes president of the company, and a director.
• In 1930, Pathe Exchange merges with PDC, K-A-O and DeMille to become RKO

Hollywood has never been that original compared to early filmmakers. Here's a few films that keep getting made over and over again. Other films of the early 20th century:

• Joan D'Arc (1900)
• Frankenstein (Edison) (1910)
• Wizard of Oz (1910)

HOMEWORK: Please take notes on the Brits and the Pathe Frere Co. Watch the films posted here and keep this information in your journal! Whatever you did not complete in the lab today, please complete as homework. 

Film Invention

Let's play with some early film toys and inventions.

Please read about early film technology here. In your notes, please identify, describe (and/or draw a picture) and note the significance of the following technology. The side bar on the website's left hand side has the links for each device.

• Zoetrope
• Praxinoscope
• Kinetoscope
• Cinematographe
• Mutoscope
• Vitascope

These are some of the important events, inventions, and inventors that helped create the film industry. You should be familiar with them. Please take notes and study them for the test on this material.

Magic Lantern: Invented in the 17th century by Athanasius Kircher. The magic lantern projected pictures on a screen. It functioned like an overhead projector. Originally it used a candle as the light source.

Thaumatrope: Invented by Dr. John Ayrton Paris in 1824; utilized the theory of “persistence of vision”

Fantascope, Phenakistiscope (“spindle viewer”), Fanatoscope: invented by Belgian inventor Joseph Plateau. Daedalum (Horner 1834)/Zoetrope (Lincoln 1867)

Daguerreotype: Invented in 1839 by Louis-Jacques-Monde Daguerre. The process of capturing images on silvered, copper metal plates - the beginning of photography.

Celluloid: Invented in 1869 by John Wesley Hyatt. Strips of thin film which could be developed with pictures.

Praxinoscope: Invented in 1877 by Charles Emile Reynaud. A film projector. This clip shows examples of Reynaud's animations. Recently, a filmmaker collected Reynaud's praxinoscope animations and created a digital film of what Reynaud might have been envisioning. Here is one of his animated films: Emile Reynaud: pauvre pierre animation (1892)

Light Bulb: Invented the long-lasting light bulb and secured the patent in 1879. Actually the light bulb predates this date. Edison patented the incandescent light bulb filament. 

The Photographic Gun: Often hailed as the "inventor of cinema" Etienne-Jules Marey invented his chronophotography or series photography, similar to Muybridge's attempts, which allowed for the taking of several photographs on the same "plate" in 1882.

If you missed it, one of the first pioneers of “film” was the artist/inventor Eadweard Muybridge: 1830 - 1904. He used several cameras to take a sequence of shots. Film was cut into strips and used in a praxinoscope. Muybridge invented his Zoopraxiscope, photos printed on a glass disc that rotated, to create the illusion of moving images. Here's what the first Zoopraxiscope clip looked like.

Along with the Lumiere Brothers (the founding fathers of film) from France, the first production company in America was the Edison Manufacturing Company (1894-1911). The first film studio was named The Black Maria and was located in New Jersey--here are a few sample films: (films directed by Edwin S. Porter):

• Gordon Sisters Boxing (1900)
• Uncle Josh in a Spooky Hotel
• Uncle Josh at the Moving Picture Show (1903)
• Faust (1900)
• The Life of an American Fireman (1903)
• Dream of a Rarebit Fiend (1906)

With time remaining, let's go to the lab. You may work on your homework (see below), or continue reading Parts 3, 4, & 5 of Tim Dirk's essay. As you read, consider what topic you may want to create a short, short documentary using. Take notes on key points as well. We'll continue this next class as well. Please choose and read a script from the IMSDB site.

HOMEWORK: Please read: Melies & Edwin S. Porter in the handout given to you today. Take notes in your journal/notebook about relevant or interesting points in the article. Also, any questions you may have, please record and ask in class. Complete your reading of a film script for Monday, Feb. 9.

The Birth of Film

We will be covering a broad time line throughout this course, starting with the origin of film and moving on then to the present. For an idea of where we're starting today and where we're going by the end of the course, please take a few minutes this morning to watch this film: The History of Film.

The Birth of Film

Early film was little more than the thrill of capturing "real life." Finally, through technology, photographers were able to depict reality in a way never before possible. This had many uses. For one, it allowed people to witness strange or exotic locations, cultures, or people. Now someone who lived in New York City didn't have to spend a month on a steamer boat to visit far-away-lands. Presidents could be seen without having to campaign in your home town. Life could be seen as it "really was." These slices of life are documentaries in the strictest sense. They are  "actualities"-- little more than moving snapshots. Note there is no plot or character development--just real life.

Watch these early films from the late 1890's and early 1900's. As you watch, take notes about the director(s) and the titles and content of the film. Summarize in a few words or a sentence or two what each film is about. At the end of the collection, answer the following:

• What do you notice about the films? 
• What subject matter do they deal with? 
• What do you notice about the shots and camera work in these films?

This observation should be written and turned in as participation credit today.

The Films

Edweard Muybridge (1830-1904): Our first pioneer of the art of film is the photographer Edweard Muybridge. Muybridge was a photographer who became famous when former California Governor Leland Stanford contacted him to help settle a bet over whether all four hooves of a running horse left the ground. Muybridge began experimenting with an array of 12 cameras photographing a galloping horse in a sequence of shots. Between 1878 and 1884, Muybridge perfected his method, proving that horses do have all four hooves off the ground at some point during their running stride. Muybridge worked at the University of Pennsylvania between 1883 and 1886, producing thousands of photographs of humans and animals in motion. He published several books featuring his motion photographs and toured Europe and North America, presenting his photographic methods using a projection device he'd developed, the Zoopraxiscope.

Some other interesting bits about Muybridge: During a break from his photographic research, his wife, Flora, had an affair with Major Harry Larkyns, a drama critic. Believing that Larkyns had fathered the couple's recently born son, Muybridge tracked him down, shot, and killed him. At his trial for murder in 1875, several witnesses testified that Muybridge's personality had changed after he received a head injury in which he lost his ability to taste and smell. The jury didn't buy the insanity defense, but acquitted Muybridge on the grounds of "justifiable homicide." Muybridge died in 1904. His contributions to art and photography spurred the works of other film inventors, many of which we will study today.

Please watch the following two films, the first a documentary: Photographs of Motion

and the second, a series of Muybridge's photographs, sped up to show motion.

The oldest surviving film in existence at this point is Louis Le Prince's Roundhay Garden Scene (1888). This sequence was recorded on an 1885 Eastman Kodak paper base photographic film through Le Prince's single-lens combi-camera-projector. It moved at 12 frames per second.

Le Prince's life was also interesting and there's a mystery (and some say conspiracy) attached to his death. Le Prince was never able to perform a planned public demonstration in the United States of his films because he mysteriously vanished from a train on 16 September, 1890 --His body and luggage (including his film camera) were never found. Le Prince's disappearance allowed Thomas Edison to take credit for the invention of motion pictures in America, but now Le Prince has been heralded as 'The Father of Cinematography.'

Edison Kinetoscope films: (1894-1896)
Titles in this clip include: The Kiss, Serpentine Dances, Sandow the Strong Man, Comic Boxing, Cock  Fighting, The Barber Shop, Feeding the Chickens, Seminary Girls & Boxing Cats

Many of Edison's early films were shot by W.K.L. Dickson. Thomas Edison invented the idea of the Kinetoscope but it was Dickson who designed it between 1889-1892. The first kinetoscope exhibition occurred in New York, NY in 1894.

Other Kinetoscope films:

• Statue of Liberty (1898)
• The inauguration of President McKinley (1901)
• Skyscrapers of New York (1903) 
• Moscow Clad in Snow (1906)

At the same time, in France, the Lumiere Bros. were also working on the invention of film, particularly a camera that could also project a film for the benefit of an audience. Learn about The Lumiere Bros. (Documentary) here.

• Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat (Lumiere Bros) (1895)
• Lion, London Zoological Gardens (Lumiere Bros) (1895)
• The Sprinkler Sprinkled (Lumiere Bros) (1895)
• Le Squelette Joyeux (the happy skeleton) (1895) 
• Arab Cortege (Lumiere Bros) (1896)
• Various actualities (documentaries)

Please take a look at this film as a model for your own project (details to follow next class): The History of Early Film.

HOMEWORK: Please read and study the following link. You will want to answer the questions on the handout using this website and the article by Tim Dirks. The next page is found on the bottom of the screen. Follow the arrows to the right to advance the page. Complete Parts 1 & 2 only.