Film History

  • The Vitascope (Phantoscope)

    This special invention was invented by Charles Francis Jenkins to show a woman dancing on a wall. It was a very short film and it had no sound.
  • Film Scores

    The first film scores were released and it was just sheet music that performed live in the theater by an in-house pianist or organist.
  • First Cinema in Los Angelas

    The first full-time cinema opened in Los Angelas and the films were mostly short and had no sound.
  • The First Nickelodeon

    The first Nickelodeon theaters got their names from their 5-cent admission charge and opened in Pittsburgh, PA and showed short silent films.
  • Birth of a Nation

    The first-feature length film forced Nickelodeon theaters to charge more for admission.
  • The Building Blocks of Hollywood

    Most theaters were owned by production studios and showed more feature length films.