1. by Matija Sekulic
H I S T O R Y O F S H O R T F I L M S
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2. the success of a production
depends on the attention
paid to detail
D A V I D O . S E L Z N I C K

3. 0 1
Thomas Edison was the one who first
made motion pictures available to
American audiences. He started
developing a device that would
display moving photos for the first
time in the late 1800s.
In 1894, he would finally be able to
use his device, which he termed the
Kinetoscope. His creation was very
different from the modern large-
screen movie theatres that we now
associate with movies.
One viewer could only be entertained at a
time by the Kinetoscope. They would have
to peer through what appeared to be a pair
of little binoculars into the machine. They
would watch a brief moving image inside of
a staged event, like two boxers sparring, for
example. It wouldn't last longer than a few
seconds and would not have any audio
accompaniment.
The birth of cinema

4. Two brothers were putting a lot of effort into another movie genre in
Europe at the same time. Their strategy involved projecting movie clips
onto a screen so that several people could watch them simultaneously.
The Lumiere Brothers are frequently credited as being the first to
demonstrate the true impact of cinema on viewers.
While the tale has not been independently verified, it has been reported
that after the film's premiere at La Ciotat in 1895, audience members fled
the cinema in terror when they saw a train coming directly at them.
0 2

5. 0 3
What would a movie become?
M o v i e s h a d t o e s t a b l i s h t h e m s e l v e s , a s w i t h a l l n e w
f o r m s o f a r t . T h e ' a c t i o n ' s c e n e s i n t h e f i r s t m o v i e
w e r e j u s t o n e - o f f s . T h e e a r l y y e a r s o f f i l m c o n s i s t e d o f
b r i e f f i l m s s h o w i n g e v e n t s l i k e a t r a i n p u l l i n g i n t o a
s t a t i o n o r p e o p l e d a n c i n g b e c a u s e t h e r e w a s n o
m e t h o d o f e d i t i n g a t t h e t i m e .
F i l m m a k e r s s o o n d i s c o v e r e d , h o w e v e r , t h a t t h e y c o u l d
u s e m a n y c u t s a n d c o n v e y s t o r i e s i n a m a n n e r a k i n t o
w h a t t h e t h e a t r e a c c o m p l i s h e d . T h e n u m b e r o f
d i f f e r e n t g e n r e s o f f i l m s p r o d u c e d i n c r e a s e d
d r a m a t i c a l l y a s a r e s u l t .
D i f f e r e n t g e n r e s a p p e a r e d a l l o f a s u d d e n . F i l m m a k e r s
s t a r t e d t o c r e a t e c o m e d i e s , h o r r o r s , r o m a n c e s ,
w e s t e r n s , c o m e d i e s , a n d e v e n s t r a n g e e x p e r i m e n t a l
f i l m s l i k e L o u i s M é l i è s ' A T r i p t o t h e M o o n .
T h e G r e a t T r a i n R o b b e r y ( 1 9 0 3 ) , d i r e c t e d b y E d w i n S .
P o r t e r , i s p e r h a p s t h e m o s t w e l l - k n o w n o f t h e s e e a r l y
f i l m s a n d i s s o m e t i m e s c i t e d a s t h e f i n e s t e x a m p l e o f
e a r l y f i l m m a k i n g .
I t w a s o b v i o u s i n t h e e a r l y 1 9 0 0 s t h a t t h e r e w o u l d b e a
w i d e v a r i e t y o f s t y l e s a n d g e n r e s i n f i l m .

6. 0 4
a VERY long short!
I N T H E F I R S T D E C A D E O F T H E 1 9 1 0 S , C I N E M A M A D E O N E O F I T S M A J O R
A D V A N C E M E N T S . T H E D U R A T I O N O F A T Y P I C A L F I L M H A S I N C R E A S E D F R O M
A F E W M I N U T E S T O A B O U T 2 0 O V E R T H E P R E V I O U S T E N Y E A R S . T H E B I R T H
O F A N A T I O N ( 1 9 1 5 ) , A M O V I E B Y D W G R I F F I T H W I T H A R U N N I N G T I M E O F
M O R E T H A N 3 H O U R S , W A S F I R S T R E L E A S E D I N T H E 1 9 1 0 S .
T H E P O P U L A R I T Y O F T H I S M O V I E T R U L Y C H A N G E D T H E P L A Y I N G F I E L D .
W I T H I N A B O U T T E N Y E A R S O F I T S I N T R O D U C T I O N , M O V I E R U N N I N G T I M E S
Q U I C K L Y I N C R E A S E T O O N E H O U R A N D B E Y O N D . D E S P I T E T H E F A C T T H A T
S H O R T F I L M S S A W T H E I R G O L D E N A G E I N T H E 1 9 1 0 S A N D E A R L Y 1 9 2 0 S , T H E
F U T U R E W A S A L R E A D Y B L E A K .

7. 0 5
The Golden Era For Short Films: 1910’s
C H A R L I E C H A P L I N W A S R E F E R R E D T O
A S T H E M O S T R E N O W N E D P E R S O N A L I V E
D U R I N G T H E Y E A R S O F 1 9 1 0 A N D 1 9 2 0 .
H E B E C A M E T H E F I R S T G E N U I N E
I N T E R N A T I O N A L S E N S A T I O N T H A N K S T O
H I S C O M E D I C S H O R T F I L M S L I K E
L A U G H I N G G A S ( 1 9 1 4 ) A N D T H E
C H A M P I O N ( 1 9 1 5 ) .
M O V I E S D I D N ' T A C T U A L L Y B E C O M E O N E
O F T H E W O R L D ' S M O S T A D O R E D A N D
R E S P E C T E D P A S T I M E S U N T I L T H E 1 9 1 0 S .
M O V I E G O E R S I N T H E U S A N D E U R O P E
C O U L D W A T C H F I L M S A T C I N E M A S T H A T
H A D B E E N C O N V E R T E D , A S W E L L A S T H E
K I N D S O F T R A V E L L I N G C I R C U S E S T H A T
W E R E F A M O U S L Y P O R T R A Y E D I N
J A C Q U E S T A T I ' S 1 9 4 9 F I L M J O U R D E
F A T E .

8. 0 6
Change Is Inevitable: The 1920’s and the
Beginning of The Decline
C H A P L I N I S A F A S C I N A T I N G C A S E S T U D Y F O R T H O S E W H O W A N T T O T R A C E T H E E A R L Y
D E V E L O P M E N T O F C I N E M A . H E H A D T H E F O R E S I G H T T O R E C O G N I S E T H E W R I T I N G O N
T H E W A L L I N T H E E A R L Y 1 9 2 0 S . A F T E R C R E A T I N G H I S F I N A L S H O R T F I L M I N 1 9 2 3 , H E
B E G A N C R E A T I N G W H A T A R E T O D A Y R E F E R R E D T O B E F E A T U R E F I L M S .
H E H A D A T A L E N T F O R R E C O G N I S I N G H I S A U D I E N C E , E V E N T H O U G H T H E E X T E N S I O N O F
R U N N I N G P E R I O D S W A S M O R E O F A N E V O L U T I O N A R Y C H A N G E T H A N A S I G N I F I C A N T
A D V A N C E . M O R E V A L U E F O R T H E I R M O N E Y W A S P R O V I D E D B Y L O N G E R R U N N I N G T I M E S .
A D D I T I O N A L L Y , L O N G E R F I L M S A L L O W E D F O R T H E B E T T E R C H A R A C T E R D E V E L O P M E N T
A N D T H E T E L L I N G O F M O R E C O M P L I C A T E D S T O R I E S .
S O I T C A M E A B O U T T H A T S H O R T F I L M S S T A R T E D T O L O S E P O P U L A R I T Y I N T H E 1 9 2 0 S
A N D T H E E A R L Y 1 9 3 0 S . D E S P I T E T H I S , M A N Y S H O R T F I L M S C O N T I N U E D T O B E
P R O D U C E D . T H E C A R T O O N G E N R E W A S O N E T H A T T O O K O F F A N D H A S R E M A I N E D
P O P U L A R T O T H I S D A Y . D I S N E Y F I L M S I N P A R T I C U L A R W O U L D S U P P O R T T H E S U R V I V A L
O F M A I N S T R E A M S H O R T S .
T H A N K S T O T H E I R U S A G E A S A P R O P A G A N D A W E A P O N , S H O R T F I L M S S A W S O M E T H I N G
O F A R E B I R T H D U R I N G W O R L D W A R 2 . F R A N K C A P R A A N D O T H E R W E L L - K N O W N
H O L L Y W O O D A - L I S T D I R E C T O R S W E R E R E C R U I T E D T O C R E A T E T H E S E F I L M S F O R T H E
W A R D E P A R T M E N T .
T H E E X P E R I M E N T A L F I L M G E N R E W O U L D B E A N O T H E R O N E W H E R E S H O R T S W O U L D
T H R I V E . L O N G E X P E R I M E N T A L F I L M S W E R E F R E Q U E N T L Y D I F F I C U L T T O F I N A N C E D U E T O
T H E I R N A R R O W A U D I E N C E A P P E A L . A L T H O U G H W E O F T E N A S S O C I A T E T H E G O L D E N A G E
O F E X P E R I M E N T A L S H O R T F I L M S W I T H T H E 1 9 6 0 S A N D D I R E C T O R S L I K E A N D Y W A R H O L ,
T H E G E N R E H A S B E E N I N C R E D I B L Y A C T I V E F R O M T H E T I M E O F M É L I È S .

9. MTV And The Rebirth of
Short Films
M O N E Y B E G A N T O F L O W B A C K I N T O S H O R T F I L M S D U R I N G T H E
1 9 8 0 S M U S I C T E L E V I S I O N C R A Z E . I T D I D N ' T T A K E L O N G F O R
C E L E B R I T I E S L I K E M I C H A E L J A C K S O N T O H I R E T O P
H O L L Y W O O D D I R E C T O R S T O S H O O T T H E I R M U S I C V I D E O S .
T H I S R E S T O R E D A G R E A T D E A L O F T H E I R A R T I S T I C I N T E G R I T Y
I N A D D I T I O N T O H E L P I N G T O B R I N G L I G H T T O S H O R T F I L M S .
D I R E C T O R P R I D E I N B E C O M I N G A S H O R T F I L M M A K E R
R E T U R N E D A L L O F A S U D D E N .
I N T E R N A T I O N A L F I L M F E S T I V A L S A N D A W A R D C E R E M O N I E S
H A V E I N C R E A S I N G L Y S T A R T E D T O G I V E O U T P R I Z E S F O R
S H O R T F I L M S . A T T H E S A M E T I M E , L O W - C O S T C A M E R A S
E N T E R E D T H E M A R K E T , M A K I N G S H O R T F I L M S A C C E S S I B L E T O
A L M O S T A N Y O N E . I N 2 0 1 0 , F I L M M A K E R S E V E N S T A R T E D U S I N G
C E L L P H O N E S T O C R E A T E S H O R T F I L M S .
T O D A Y , T E N S O F M I L L I O N S O F S H O R T F I L M S A R E P R O D U C E D
A N N U A L L Y . T E C H N O L O G Y H A S T U R N E D E V E R Y O N E B E C O M E A
S H O R T F I L M M A K E R , E V E N I F M O S T W O U L D O N L Y H A V E A
N A R R O W A U D I E N C E A P P E A L . T H E R E T U R N O F S H O R T F I L M S T O
M A I N S T R E A M C U L T U R E A P P E A R S A L L B U T C E R T A I N .
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10. Thank You
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