The document discusses the history of film and the supernatural drama genre. It provides a timeline of important developments in early film from the 1890s to the 1940s, including the invention of cameras, film studios, animation, and screen credits. The document then defines supernatural fiction and its subgenre of supernatural drama, which often involves ghosts, magic, and unexplained phenomena. Finally, examples are given of popular supernatural television series from the 20th century like Charmed, Supernatural, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer that featured neutral or evil supernatural creatures from folklore.

1. The history of film and the
Supernatural drama genre.
Jessica Dawson

2. History of film time line.
• 1890’s – the invention of the first motion-picture
cameras and the establishment of the first film
production companies and cinemas.
• 1927- the first motion picture to be made that is
longer than one minute, without sound.
• 1897- the first rotating camera was build to take
panning shots and the first film studios were
built.
• 1899- the first use of animation in movies.
• 1900- close-up shot was introduced.
• 1905- the first successful permanent theatre
showing on films was ‘The Nickelodeon’

3. • 1910- actors began to receive screen credit for
their roles.
• In this period, new film techniques were
introduced, such as the use of artificial
lighted, fire effects and low key lighting.
Specialist writers were employed to simplify
complex stories derived from novels and films
and genres began to be used to categorise
films.
• ‘The golden age of Hollywood’ (from the
introduction of sound to the late 1940’2) ,
featured classic film such as Clark Gable and
Katharine Hepburn.

4. Super natural fiction.
• Super natural fiction Is a wide genre that contains
different sup-genres such as supernatural drama
and supernatural fantasy fiction.
• In the twentieth century, super natural fiction
became associated with Psychological fiction. An
example of film that is both Psychological fiction
and super natural fiction is ‘The turns of the
screw’ by Henry James, which offers both a
psychological and supernatural interpretation of
events that occur in the film.

5. Super natural drama.
• Super natural drama is a subgenre of Super
natural fiction.
• Super natural drama deals with topics such as
ghosts but without the elements of fear that are
portrayed through the horror genre.
• The most common story line of Super natural
dramas are centered around magic or an
unexplained phenomena that cannot be
explained through science but can be explained
through pagan or super natural ideas.

6. • Super natural films as a whole are becoming
more common, so much so that there is an
increasing number of TV series of that genre
as opposed to just films and books.
• Examples of TV series’ that are supernatural
genre are Charmed, Supernatural and Buffy
the Vampire slayer. All of these series 20TH
century series as that is when Supernatural as
a genre became most common.

7. • In the super natural genre the majority of
creatures in the films/books are displayed as
being either neutral or evil, rather than
creatures that have been perceived to be good
natured and some supernatural films use
creatures of Folklore (a culture that consists of
legends, stories and tall tales).
• The creatures most commonly used in super
natural films are apparitions, spirits, witches,
warlocks, super humans, demons, gods,
angles and miracles.