Prior to the 20th century, films were often short due to limitations in technology. The earliest films depicted everyday subjects and events through single shot recordings. Improvements in recording and editing in the early 1900s allowed for longer films with multiple shots, like The Great Train Robbery in 1903. Audiences' demand for complex narratives led to the development of the first feature films in the 1910s, like The Birth of a Nation. Short films remained popular additions to cinema programs until the 1960s, when they declined in popularity compared to feature films but remained important for visual artists. The rise of MTV in the 1980s popularized music videos as a new form of short film. More affordable video equipment in the 1990s promoted independent