Introduction to FilmSilent Movies

1895 Birth of Cinematography

Robert W. Paul invented the film projector

First public showing in 1895

Movies were shown in: Storefront spaces Traveling

exhibitions Vaudeville

1895 Birth of Cinematography

Early Films: Under a minute Usually a single

scene authentic or staged everyday life public event sporting event slapstick

No editing No camera

movement

1895 Birth of Cinematography

One of the most popular short films: Sally Rand, The Fan

Dance An exotic dancer and

actress.

Silent Era 1895-1927

A Trip to the Moon (1902) Georges Méliès

Directed & Starred Paris stage magician

Pioneered many of the basic special effects used in movies

Increased the length of movies to fifteen minutes

Silent Era 1895-1927

The Great Train Robbery (1903) Edwin S. Porter, Director Thomas Edison, Producer First Western Emphasized the shot, rather than the

scene

The Great Train Robbery (1903)

Filmed in New Jersey Included shot of a

bandit shooting at the audience

Audiences at the time would usually scream in fear, then laugh in relief

Silent Era 1895-1927

Boom in nickelodeons (the first permanent movie theaters)

10,000 in the U.S. by 1908

Standard length of a film remained one reel (ten to fifteen minutes)

Silent Era 1895-1927

The Birth of a Nation (1915) First full length film

(190 minutes) Director D.W. Griffith

Birth of a Nation (1915)

Pioneered cinematic techniques Jump-cut Close-ups

Introduced cinematic innovations Documentary Mobile cameras

Birth of a Nation (1915)

"Top 100 American Films" (# 44) by the American Film Institute

In its day, the highest grossing film, taking in more than $10 million at the box office

($210 million) In 1992 the United

States Library of Congress deemed it "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Silent Era 1895-1927

U.S. produced an average of 800 silent films a year The comedies of

Charlie Chaplin Swashbuckling

adventures of Douglas Fairbanks

Romances of Clara Bow

Talking Pictures 1927

Turning point came in 1927

Warner Brothers Studios released The Jazz Singer

First synchronized dialogue (and singing) in a feature film.