Early Cinema

Reference used:

Film History: An IntroductionSecond edition

Kristin ThompsonDavid BordwellMcGraw-Hill

International Edition2003

Film genres

Conventions of genre = complex contractual events between the film maker and the viewer - expectations on:

− Kinds of stories− Kinds of characters and settings− Particular styles and cinematic elements

Some genres fade or die, some come back (epics, westerns...)

Early cinema (1905-1912)

After 1905 – expansion and stabilisation of film industry

− permanent theatres− expanded production to meet increasing demand− new important producing countries like Italy & Denmark− other countries: emergence of film making on small scale− films become longer with more shots & more complex

stories− exploration of new narrative techniques

French film industry

France still largest producer – rapid expansion in 1905-06

Workers win shorter work week -> more time for leisure & entertainment

Pathé Frères vs Gaumont − Pathé – 3 studios with vertical integration (from

manufacture of cameras, projectors, film stock to theatres) & horizontal integration (studios in Italy, Russia & US) – largest company in 1906 – introduced newsreels

Film d'Art company (1908): Assassinat du Duc de Guise

Italian film industry Later start (1905) but rapid growth Poaching from French industry – imitations / remakes

of French movies (Cines company - 1905) Rapid expansion of exhibition with permanent theatres Cinema won respect as new art form earlier Art films – Ambrosio company: The Last Days of

Pompeii (1908) 1910: Italian industry second to France worldwide Among the first to use more than one reel -> long,

expensive epics

− The Last Days of Pompeii (1908)

Danish film industry 1906: Ole Olsen – Nordisk (NY branch in 1908:

Great Northern) 1907: Lion Hunt 1908: started building four glass studios for

indoor production International reputation for excellent acting &

production values Specialised in crime thrillers, dramas,

sensationalistic melodramas...

Other countries England: Cecil Hepworth's production company –

Rescued by Rover (1905): big international hit Japan: earliest systematic production in 1908 –

kabuki plays in static long shots Germany: industry started flourishing in 1913 Russia: domination of Pathé (1909-1911: Moscow

branch produced half of films)

American film industry Concentration on domestic market - struggle for

power between US companies - flood of European films

1905-1907: rapid multiplication of theatres (small stores with < 200 seats) – Nickelodeons

Warner Bros, Carl Laemmle (Universal), Louis B. Mayer (MGM), Adolph Zukor (Paramount), William Fox started as nickelodeon exhibitors

1907-1908: control through litigation− Since 1897, Edison sued competitors for patent

infringement− 1907: Edison vs. AM&B (American Mutoscope &

Biograph)

A nickelodeon

Social pressures & self-censorship

Religious groups & social workers critical of nickelodeons seen as training ground for prostitution & robbery

1908: brief closure of NY nickeleodons by mayor + creation of local censorship boards in several towns

1909: Board of Censorship (private body to forestall passing of censorship laws) – voluntary submission of films for approval notice

Attempt to release more respectable films appealing to middle and upper classes

From 1908: building or conversion into larger theatres

− Musical accompaniments, ornate decorations, occasional educational lectures for more refined atmosphere

1909 – Rise of feature films (multi-reel) Rise of star actors through public demand 1910: companies started exploiting popular actors

for publicity 1911: first fan magazine (The Motion Picture Story

Magazine) – sale of photo postcards 1914: films start including credits

Mary Pickford

Moving to Hollywood

First film companies: New Jersey & New York Outdoor shooting favoured sunnier climes (Florida) 1910's: Los Angeles established as major production

centre + suburb Hollywood From small open-air stages to sizable complexes

with large enclosed studios & numerous depts Head offices remained in NY By 1920's Hollywood = 800 feature films annually

(82% of global total)

1908: cooperation between Edison & AM&B – created the MPPC (Motion Pictures Patents Company) – Edison owns Black Maria Studios

Strict restriction of imported films (Pathé, Méliès, Kleine, etc. were allowed) – decline in share of foreign films

Oligopoly over all 3 phases (production, distribution & exhibition) – all actors pay fees

1909-1915: Independents fight back – 2000 theatres refused to pay fees (out of 8000) – market for independents

1909: Laemmle turns in licence and creates Independent Motion Picture Company – later Universal

Series of lawsuits of MPPC against nearly all independent producers

Early film making

Silent era: 1895-1927 (use of intertitles)− Edwin S. Porter -> editing technique (basic unit = shot)

The Great Train Robbery (1903)− D.W. Griffith --> jump-cut, facial close-up - The Birth of

a Nation (1915)− Comedies --> Chaplin's The Tramp (1915) The Kid

(1921), Keaton's SteamBoat Bill Jr (1928)− Fantastic films (Murnau's Nosferatu (1922) & Faust

(1926))− Epics (Ben Hur (1907), 10 Commandments (1923))

The Great Train Robbery

The Birth of a Nation

DW GriffithD.W. Griffith

Nosferatu

Slapstick comedies

Attraction to slapstick comedies (physical interaction of human body with objects, others and world)

Two styles / cinematic worlds: Keaton / Chaplin− Buster Keaton (outdoor shooting, mise en scene in

generous space) Steamboat Bill Jr, 1928− Charlie Chaplin (studio shooting, mise en scene reduced

often to himself) Modern Times, 1936

Buster Keaton

Charlie ChaplinCharlie Chaplin

Hollywood studio system

Self-contained film making factories with sets of employees:

− writers, directors, actors, set decorators, electricians, etc. Economy of the visible--> organised, rationalised,

commodity-driven form of production, studio hierarchy

Reliance on audience's alleged willingness to view products

Hollywood studio system(1920-40)

Hollywood studio boss + financial officers in New York

They chose stars and stories (books, plays, scripts) to give to producers

Producers assigned writers, director & crew Use of storyboards, sets, etc. All execute a plan in precise, piecemeal fashion to

avoid mistakes, manage time and control costs