Pre-Classic Cinema

 

Preconditions for Cinema

 

Human:

Persistence of vision

Phi phenomenon

 

Technological:

Motion picture camera

*Precursors: OPTICAL TOYSo

 

Thaumatrope

 

Zooetrope.

 

The zoetrope was invented in 1834 in England by William Horner. He called it the 'Daedalum' ('the wheel of the devil). It didn't become popular until the 1860s, when it was patented by makers in both England and America. The American developer, William F. Lincoln, named his toy the 'zoetrope', which means 'wheel of life'.

 

*Eadweard Muybridge and motion experiments

 

FIRST GENERATION OF MOTION PICTURE CAMERAS:

*Edison and Kinteograph

*Lumiere and Cinematographe

*Other inventors

Flexibile Film Stock

*celluloid - Eastman Kodak

 

Motion picture viewer

*Edison Kinetoscope & Kinetoscope parlors (5 cent shows)

--------Andy Holland 1894 showing of Kinetoscopes

*Lumiere cinematographe as projector


 

Social

Familiarity with images: still photography

Theatre

Dioramas


International Spread of Film Industry

UK - Brighton School:

* Cecil Hepworth and Rescued By Rover

Birth Acres & RW Paul - Rough Sea at Dover

France - Pathe Freres and stencil coloring system - The Golden Beetle


Shift to "One-Reelers"

*Approx. 12 min.

Edison switches to projection system to keep up with competition

Distribution: films bought outright and used until destroyed

 

Shift to Rental System of Distribution circa 1903-5


Nickelodeon Boom: regularizes film exhibition