-
In 1878, the first movie was created! It was made when Eadweard Muybridge made a bet that at one point, all four legs of a horse are in the air. His friends didn't believe him and then it started. They used cameras to take pictures of the horse. They compiled it into a movie and the horse DID have all feet off the ground.
-
Thomas Edison and W.K Dickson created the Kinetoscope which allowed one person at a time to view a movie. The Kinetoscope was a small counter-like box that had a little peephole for people to view the movie through. Later, they were housed in these parlors and you had to pay to watch.
-
5 years after the first Kinetoscope was made, Kinetoscope parlors were made. They were like little movie theaters. You just go in, pay, then get to your Kinetoscope and start watching!
-
The Lumiere Brothers patent a move camera and projector combination called the "Cinematographe". This allowed MANY people, not one anymore, to see a movie at the same time! The Lumiere Brothers were the first people to present projected, moving, photographic pictures to an audience.
-
Thomas Edison showed his improved Vitascope Projector. It was made by Jenkins and Armat, but Edison said that if they credit him with the invention, his company will produce more of them AND make film for it. The first theatrical presentation of the Vitascope was presented at Koster and Bial's Music Hall in New York City
-
Nickelodeon theaters open! It went from Vaudeville, to Nickelodeon. In these theaters, patrons are charged a nickel to watch.
-
In 1906, the first silent, animated cartoon, Humorous Phases of Funny Faces, was created. The scenes are hand drawn on a chalkboard. It shows a clown holding a hoop and a dog jumping through it and some other drawings.
-
There are now approximately 9,000 movie theaters in the USA. The film reels are usually single reels and are about 10-12 minutes long. Also, the actors were anonymous and were not shown in credits.
-
In 1911, the actors finally start getting credited in films. At first, directors didn't want to give them credit because if they did, then the actors would become stars and demand more money.
-
Carl Laemmle organizes Universal Pictures. It is the first major movie studio. Carl gave up selling dry goods to make this for us!
-
The Bell & Howell camera comes out that allows close ups, or zooming, without even moving the camera. There is a dial lens that you can turn to zoom in. It was made for recording.
-
In 1923, Warner Bros. was founded. Later on in 1925, they developed a way to have sound in their movies. This changed the film industry for the better.
-
Walt Disney releases it's first, full-length, fully animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It was their first movie ever to create and it contained a lot of amazing aspects for that time. Color, full length, animated, etc.
-
When the Cold War came along, directors started making Supernatural movies. Some of them had people invading armies of aliens or alien invasions. Others had vampires
-
The film industry was threatened with the invention of the television. The television grew popular. Some theaters would close due to bankruptcies.
-
Studio systems in Hollywood declined. Many films were now being made out of the US. Many other places used studios abroad like Pinewood in the UK.
-
Film Directors now start thinking outside the box. They started making up creative movie ideas. Some include Star Wars and Jaws
-
The films, Jaws and Starwars, led to the rise of "blockbuster" movies. Hollywood studios started focusing on making smaller numbers of large budget movies. They pushed out promotional campaigns and massive marketing
-
VCRs came around and the film industry were not happy. They tried banning home VCRs, but they were not successful. Later, VCRs became another way for film industries to gain money
-
Cinema started becoming increasingly dominated by Special FX films like Jurassic Park. Alfred Clark created special effects. Special effects can place a dinosaur in a movie, or a building exploding.
-
Pixar Animation Studios produced the first computer-animated feature, Toy Story, and it was released by Disney. After the success of Toy Story, computer-animation grew. Many computer-animation studios were allowed to compete with Disney with successful films
-
DVDs came around and became the new film viewer. It also replaced VHS tapes. Many film companies made the switch.
-
The 3D movie, "Avatar" made by James Cameron, became the highest-grossing film of all time. It grossed approximately $2 Billion in North America.
