Edwin S. Porter was a pioneering American film director born in 1870 in Pennsylvania who directed the 1903 western film The Great Train Robbery. The 11-minute film consisted of 20 separate shots and was innovative for its time in using a variety of scenes and angles. It featured a shot of a bandit firing directly at the camera that startled audiences. The Great Train Robbery toured the United States for 7 years and was the premier attraction of the first nickelodeon in 1905, cementing Porter's status as a pioneer of early cinema.