Early cinema from 1896-1906 was a time of rapid expansion and technological shifts in the film industry. Films during this period known as the "cinema of attractions" were short and aimed to entertain working class audiences with tricks and spectacle, often touring with vaudeville acts. Key figures like the Lumiere Brothers and George Melies helped establish the new medium and experiment with techniques like narrative, mise-en-scene, and editing to make films more appealing to middle class audiences and recreate classics novels, encouraging more people including women to attend cinemas.