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1. How has film and cinema developed through the years?
Film is a huge part of today’s society. Films have a Significant impact on people’s lives and
how they choose to live them. Individual people spend hundreds to thousands of pounds a
year and going to watch films, buying films, streaming films or even renting them. But how
did the beloved film industry get where it is today?
Let’s start right at the beginning, it is known that no one really invented cinema, however, in
1891 the Edison Company in USA invented a prototype of a machine called the Kinetoscope,
this enabled one person at a time to view moving pictures. To do so, they would look
through a small peephole at the top of the device. The kinetoscope was not a film projector,
but it introduced the basic approach to cinematic projection. This was before video of
course. The device managed to create such images by passing a strip of film rapidly between
a lens and an electric light bulb whilst the viewer peers through the peep hole. Then, behind
that hole was a spinning wheel with a narrow slit that acted as a shutter. This creates a
momentary view of each of the 46 frames passing in front of the shutter every second. The
result of this process was a lifelike representation of objects and people in motion. When it
was first created, Edison regarded his invention to just be a toy with no significant purpose.
He secured a U.S patent but, he neglected to obtain patents in any other countries. This was
until 1894 when Edison’s Kinetoscope was finally exhibited publicly on Broadway in New
York, the invention created instant sensation.
Around this time, also 1894 we have Charles Francis Jenkins. Jenkins invented the first
projector which he called the Phantoscope. The device allowed him to show moving
pictures on walls. The invention allowed images to be stitched together in a way that made
films much smoother than previous attempts. This was really beginning of the concept of
cinema therefore we have Jenkins to think for getting the ball rolling. The next documented
film event is history was possibly the most famous of all the time.
This was the story of Auguste and Louis Lumière. Two brothers who were French inventors
and pioneer manufacturers of photographic equipment who created a motion picture
camera and projector called the Cinématographe. The process of creating the device all
began with their father Antoine, a well-known portrait painter turned photographer. In
1894, Antoine Lumière attended an exhibition of Edison’s Kinetoscope in Paris. When he
returned to his business in Lyons, he showed his sons a length of film that he had received
from one of Edison’s concessionaires. He also told them that they should try and develop a
cheaper version of the device. Antione urged the brothers to try and allow their device to be
able to project filmonto a screen, this was so multiple people could view what the device
was displaying rather than just one individual person. Auguste began the first experiments
in the winter of 1894 and by the following year, the brothers had created their own device
which they called the Cinématographe. The brother’s device was much smaller and lighter
than Edison’s Kinetoscope. The Cinématographe photographed and projected film at a
speed of 16 frames per second, this was much slower than Edison’s device as his was 48
frames per second. This meant that their device was less noisy to operate and used less film
when projecting. The Cinématographe was a three in one device as it could record, develop

2. and project motion pictures, the device would go down in history as the first real film
camera.
After a number of private screenings, the Lumière brothers finally unveiled the
Cinématographe in their first public screening on December 28 1895 at the Grand Café on
Paris’ Boulevard de Capuchines. After the success of their first screening, in early 1896 they
opened Cinématographe theatres in London, Brussels and New York. After making over 40
films that year which were mostly scenes of everyday French life however, they started
sending different camera men out into the world to record different scenes of life and
showcase the brother’s invention. By 1905, The brothers had withdrawn from the
moviemaking business as they wanted to try and develop the first practical photographic
colour process known as Lumière Autochrome. Meanwhile, the Cinématographe had lent its
name to a new form of art and entertainment, this was called Cinema.
This was clearly the beginning of cinema but I don’t think anyone knew how huge the
Lumière brothers’ invention would become. The next event in film history would be the
concept of Vaudevilles. Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of entertainment born in France at
the end of the 19th century. It was a comedy show without any moral or psychological
intentions which included songs and ballets. In 1900, Vaudeville began to display a short
film in between musical numbers and comedic skits until the act got booed off stage, then
the next filmwould start. The theatre starting calling the pictures nickelodeons, this was
because they only cost a nickel to watch during the performance. This where the television
company nickelodeon got their name from. These theaters were quite popular and spread
the movement of cinema and short films.
In 1903, a huge milestone in film occurred. The first narrative film was realised, it was called
The Great Train Robbery. The film was 12 minutes long and was directed by Edwin Porter
who was actually a former Edison studios cameraman. Porter used Scott Marble’s 1896 play
for inspiration. The filmcontained a full length storyline and introduced different camera
angles to scenes. This was huge as it created an actual purpose for filminstead of just simply
displaying random moving images which made no sense to the audience.
In 1910, the MPPC, Motion Picture Patents Company was created. Many filmcompanies at
the time wanted to make a profit, this included Edison’s company. The MPPC was created
so that they could control every aspect of the film business; this included the actors, raw
film stock, equipment, sets etc. This new formed company hated independent studios.
Because of this, The MPPC raided independent companies, destroying equipment and
threatening employees. The MPPC was only good as they as they established filmstandards
and created a good international film market. However, the company was terminated in
1915 after conflicts within the industry. After the MPPC, starts like Charlie Chaplin began to
really shine to stardom. He was known as the king of silent films. His films were full of funny
and entertaining moments however; his films also conveyed the idea of good and evil in
society. He is still considered one of the most important figures ever in the film industry.
Ten years later after the breakout of Chaplin, the first feature filmwhich included sound
was released. The film “The Jazz Singer”, directed by Alan Crosland, was realised in October

3. 1927 and was an instant hit. Before this, there was no built in sound to films, they were
either silent or there would be live orchestras playing in the theatres. The sound in the film
was recorded by the Vitaphone, a device created by Warner Bros and at the time was the
leading brand of sound-on-disc technology. This film was a crucial aspect of film history and
changed filmforever.
After “The Jazz Singer”, film continued to improve. 1939 was landmarked as the greatest
year of film in film history. This was because 10 films were nominated for Academy Award’s
and the year produced films such as The Wizard of Oz, Gone with The Wind, Of Mice and
Men, and The Adventures of Sherlock Homes. Each film has become so iconic and
memorable for film fans across the world.
The filmindustry continued to produce classic films through the years including Chitty Chitty
Bang Bang, Bachelor in Paradise and Hitchcock’s classic Psycho. However, the phenomenal
success of Jaws and Star Wars in the 70s led to the rise of modern blockbuster. Hollywood
studios began to focus on producing a smaller number of very high budget films. This led to
what we now have in film, small numbers of huge budget films that are almost always going
to end in success due to better equipment, better actors and a bigger time slot to film.
Finally, in 2009 we have the most recent impact on film. Avatar became the highest grossing
film of all time. It was a 3D filmand won several Academy Awards and Golden Globes for its
incredible design. The movie grossed about $2.7 billion, more than any film company could
dream of.
Film has clearly significantly developed throughout the years. From a Kinetoscope where
one person could watch moving images to now 4D movies displayed in huge cinemas with
unbelievable special effects and crazy budgets. Film is a massive aspect of the world and we
need to help it to keep growing and improving. Film changes the world!