Early Cinema

And some other issues from Chap 1

For film to come into being:

Science of illusion of movement from still pictures
Ability to project images
Split-second exposure (1878 -- Stanfords bet,
Muybridges pictures of horse with all 4 hooves in
the air)
Flexible strip of film (1888George Eastman
invents celluloid, Kodak)

Muybridge: Science of illusion of
movement, split second exposure
Ability to project images

Edisons Kinetoscope and various other
early animation technologies (magic
lanterns etc) existed before cinema
proper, but individual or only animated
and endless loop (like gif)

Black Maria

1894 , one person can view



Where was the first
permanent nickelodeon?
Cinema of Attractions:
1895-1907
Around 1900 Edison,
Biograph, and Vitagraph
dominate
1894 Kinetoscope (Edison)
one person can view
1895 Panopticon many
can view
1905 nickelodeons by
1910 peak 26,000,000
week

June 1905
Smithfield St, Downtown Pgh

450 people Day One
1500 people Day 2

First movie shown: The Baffled
Burglar
worlds first modern movie theater

Cinema of Attractions
International nature multiple endings filmed
Cameraman system of production from 1894-
1907
Exhibitor has the power buys the film
Until 1907, filmmakers concerned with
individual shot, preserve spatial aspects of
profilmic event (time & cause and effect not
important)

What does Cinema of Attractions look
like?
camera set far enough away to show action and entire
length human body
narrative from one pov, not omniscient
camera stationary w occasional reframing to follow action
interventions in editing and lighting infrequent
more theatrical than cinematic
little interest in connection between shots or linear
narrative
1902-4 intertitles
1903-07 multishot fiction starts to dominate w style
changes

More Style
spectacle over story
carnival barker or lecturer
Our knowledge of subject matter fills in the gaps
No star system
No closeups
vaudeville acts, boxing matches, kissing, snow,
etc.
look directly at camera

Major Figures
Thomas Edison
Inventor of the phonograph and light bulb; wanted to invent moving
pictures to go with his phonograph
Developed the Kinetograph (camera hundreds of pounds studio
bound needed electricity) and Kinetoscope (viewing box only one
at a time 40 frames per second very expensive), 1891
Really invented by his assistant, Dickson
Studio was Black Maria, which had a hole in the roof to let sun in and
was rotated for best light; all films made against black background
founder of Motion Pictures Patent Company patent pool (1908-
1915) built on copyright, licenses issued, monopoly, vertical
integration (controlled prod, exhib, dist); 1912 antitrust suit and
disband 1915, oligopoly, push out foreign (allowed one Pathe), took
power from exhibitor and gave to distributor

Edison film links
The Kiss (very controversial for its explicit nature fear
of how cinema would lower the morals of women,
children, working class, and immigrants who were
major portion of audience)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zURTEs8C1lo

Seminary Girls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0Hs_7cnxsM

Sandow the Strongman
http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=mPKRlB4sWAU

Edison was so prescient that he
was Buzzfeed before Buzzfeed
(you will never believe what
happens at 11 second mark)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k52pLvVm
mkU
Auguste and Louis Lumiere

Photographers and industrialists; actualities b/c
location (Cinematographe - 16 lbs camera,
developer, and projector together; handcranked)
Standardized 16 frames per second; identify w pov
camera; mvmt; shot on diagonals usually
Organized first film screening (collective) Dec.
1895, Grand Caf in Paris
Lumiere Brothers
Leaving the Factory (claimed totally real not true) actualite
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYpKZx090UE&NR=1

Arrival of Train (people supposedly ran screaming out of exhibition)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dgLEDdFddk&feature=related

The Sprinkler Sprinkled (amusing narrative)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HVj7kezK98

Serpentine Dance
http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=UkT54BetFBI&feature=related
George Melies
always shot in studio
Star Film Co glass enclosed studio in Paris
movies thought to begin with Trip to the Moon in
1902 recognizable structure and continuous
fictional story performed by actors and extending
over space and time
film as illusion
pioneer in editing
alternative reality instead of realism
first international system to export films abroad

George Melies
The Mermaid 1904
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-
dTU1wKh10
A Trip to the Moon 1902
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUJ4Mh4El
x4&feature=related


Edward Porter
realized did not have to play one scene until
finished could jump back and forth leave
out unimportant details; integrates outdoor
and indoor scenes
editing techniques a turning point in film
narration
Great Train Robbery catalyst for nickelodeon
growth
Cinema of Narrative Integration
(Transitional Cinema) 1907-1913
requires viewer to piece story together predicated on knowledge of
cinematic conventions
move to cultural mainstream mass media
switch in exhibition rise of permanent venues; rent not sell
exhibitors hold the power
calls for film censorship
by 1909 8000 nickelodeons lots of films needed one program 6 one
reelers and changed weekly
need middleman so 3 part structure of production, distribution, and
exhibition in place
Edison merged with 9 other producers Motion Picture Patents Company
(General Film Company distributing arm) graded theaters, set rates,
weekly license fee, take patent away if show someone else's films
(oligopoly)

Narrative Integration
public outcry over moral content/ local censorship forced
self censorship in 1908 1915 National Board of Review
exhibitors didn't want tp pay licensing fees and wanted to
keep duping
star vehicle films; exhibitors wanted foreign films with stars
Europe moves to classic high culture product Film D'Art
in response (prestige productions for middle class audience
adaptations of plays and originals)
separate distribution arm block booking; high rate for
new release; first and second run
star system (camera closer!)
Narrative Integration
indies blossom because forced from dist into prod for theaters outside
MPPC domain; join together during Patents war; Independent Moving
Picture Company (IMP); Hollywood
more narrative formal elements become secondary to narratives
psychologically credible characters
realistic motivation
increased editing - editing emphasizes psych intensity and externalizes
thoughts and emotions
decreased space between camera and actor (9 foot line ankles up; actors
closer to camera; identify with star)
point of view shots (s/rs)
cross-cutting and parallel action
more editing in America, more mise en scene in Europe (European more
cinematic acting and more realist drama)
intertitles less expository and now more dialogue could understand film
without extradiegetic knowledge of source


Stages and who has power
cameraman system done by 1908
director system 1907-1909 (director oversaw
group plan/ film/ edit, prod in studio/factory
cheaper)
Director Unit 1909-1915 production unit each
with own group of workers, departments really
scientific management
Central Producer 1915-1930
hierarchy/scientific division labor, detailed
shooting script, production line

Quick Prep for Sherlock Jr!
Comedy
Less beholden to CHN narrative
Deus ex machina/ coincidences
Absurd behavior
Vaudeville tradition (direct address, series of
gags, self-conscious)
Push against logic (subjective over objective)
Comedy routines disrupt narrative fabric
Performers occupy narrative AND performative
role
Framing Techniques
Trick editing (magical Melies)
Montage
Long take (vaudeville)
Plays on continuity editing (used to excess)
Multiple frame technique
Distanced perspective
Off screen space
Pro-filmic performance foregrounded
Distribution of knowledge (trick framing)
Comedian Comedy (since 1910s)
Performance of star comedian takes precedence over narrative,
even though often more CHN
Both alignment/implication and distance
Hybrid of CHN and presentational
Fictional world built around comedian
Direct address ok (or approximated direct address)
Consistent comic persona from film to film (everyman not star
looks etc like male in porn?)
Normal but with magical properties
Lower budget
Rebel or nonconformist; value of creative individuality but usually
reconciled
Often performers (like backstage musical)


Studio Era 1930-1949 producer unit

Majors vertically integrated, Big Five: Warner
Bros (first to sound viable 1926; Jazz Singer
1927), Loews MGM, Fox, Paramount, RKO own
15% theaters, 75% profit (own first run theaters)
Little 3: part of oligopoly Columbia, Universal, UA
Practiced block booking, blind bidding
1949 Consent Decree; divorce cinemas; early
50s tv

Mid 50s to now Package unit
(rented studio space, short term contract, film by
film producer most important) above the line
(book rights, producer fees, director, stars); below
the line (day to day fees, crew, post-production)
1975 new age of film dist with HBO and vcr
increasingly closing gap b/t cinema release and
DVD release (theatrical window shorter)
cinema = promote (more money made in
downstream revenue)
Brit pack of cards financing source of funding
dependent on participation of other co-producers

Free publicity news worthy
Paid Advertising tv, radio, internet, billboards
Tieins/merchandising 1. mutually beneficial
promotional liaisons (McDonalds) 2.
manufactureres pay to use film name and image
(watches, clothes)
Synergy mega corporations (new oligopoly) bring
areas together to profit across interests (video
games, books, etc)