The Birth of Cinema Leaflet

2. In 1904 Edward Muybridge,
an Englishman, needed to
settle a $25,000.00 bet. He
believed that a galloping
horse had all four feet off of
the ground at the same
time but others said that
this was impossible. The
problem was that galloping
hooves move too fast for
the eye to see.
To settle the bet indisputable
proof was needed. In an
effort to settle the issue once
and for all an experiment was
set up in which a rapid
sequence of photos was
taken of a running horse.
When the pictures were
developed it was found that
the horse did indeed have all
four feet off the ground for a
split-second.
When a series of still
images of a moving
object are viewed at a
certain speed the
illusion of motion is
created.
In the case of
Muybridge’s series of
still photos, when they
were presented
sequentially at 0.1
second intervals they
created the illusion of
continuous motion.

3. The Phi Phenomenon explains why, when your view a series of slightly different
still photos or images in rapid succession, an illusion of movement is created in
the transition between the images.
Persistence of Vision is the phenomenon that explains why the intervals between the
successive images merge into a single image as our eyes hold one image long enough for
the next one to take its place.

4. An inventor by the name of Hannibal Goodwin
greatly simplified the process in 1889, when he
developed a transparent, pliable film base called
celluloid.
The next step was to create long strips of film where
a series of still pictures could be captured in rapid
succession.
Cameras and projectors were developed that
could do this at a rate of 16 frames per-
second. (The rate was later moved up to 18
frames, and eventually to 24 FPS.)
A few years later, George Eastman
standardized film widths for cameras and
projectors to 16 and 35 mm.
George Eastman and
Thomas Edison
Once standardized, motion picture
film was 35mm wide and had
sprocket holes on each side. Gear
teeth fit into these holes to pull
the film through cameras and
projectors at a steady rate. Sound
was added later on one side of the
film next to the sprocket holes.
George Eastman’s 35mm Film
Format

5. Soon, a host of devices were invented to
entertain anyone who wanted (for a
price) to watch "moving images."
Unfortunately, all of these devices had
the disadvantage of only having an
audience of one. A viewer would look
through a peephole at a series of
drawings or photos presented in rapid
sequence.
The Edison profits came from the
sale of machines and prints, not
from exhibition to the general
public. . . . From the Edison
viewpoint, one machine for every
viewer was more to be desired than
a hundred or more viewers for
every machine.
Kinetoscope Parlor in 1899
Thomas Edison’s Kinetograph

6. According to popular
belief, it was the Lumière
brothers in France who
first did what Edison
didn't want to do - to
create a projector that
could show motion
pictures on a screen for
an audience. They called
it the cinematographe.
The Lumiere
Cinematographe 1896
In 1895, the Lumieres
shot a series of 30 to
60 second films that
they showed in a
Paris cafe and
charged a one-franc
admission to see.
The Lumiere film café circa 1895

7. Meanwhile,
numerous inventors
from around the
world introduced
their own "movie
machines." In fact, so
many motion picture
devices appeared at
about the same time
that no one person
can truly be credited
with the invention.
Alfred Wrench’s
Cinematographe
1898
During this time, vaudeville (small
theaters that featured short
dramatic skits, comedy routines,
and song and dance numbers) was
quite popular.
In order get one-up on the
competition and fill in time
between acts, vaudeville theaters
started featuring short films.
As the 1900s dawned, vaudeville expanded into
nickelodeons, which were small storefront-type theaters
that featured films (accompanied by piano music and
sound effects) along with one or two vaudeville acts. As
the name suggests, admission was only a nickel.

8. In the early days, film action resembled
a short stage play. The action was
continuous and uninterrupted. This
allowed a new film to be released every
few days. Within a couple of years
there were thousands of nickelodeons
in operation leading to a worldwide
boom in the exhibition of films.
Pioneers of Film Editing
In 1903, Edwin S. Porter, an employee of
Thomas Edison, shot the first narrative film,
The Great Train Robbery. The film featured a
dramatic story line and cross cutting between
different locations and camera angles. It had
14 scenes and lasted 12 minutes, making it an
epic of its day.