Film

Film History

  • The chronophotographic gun was invented

    The chronophotographic gun was invented
    The French physiologist Etienne-Jules Marey invented the gun in 1882. The chronophotographic gun could shoot 12 images per second. It was historical because it was the first invention to capture moving images on the same chronomatographic plate using a metal shutter. The invention became one of the ancestors of the movie camera.
  • The Kinetoscope was made

    The Kinetoscope was made
    The Kinetoscope was made for for films to be viewed by one person at a time. This was done by looking through a peephole at the top of the device. The inventor was Thomas Edison and his assistant William Kennedy Laurie Dickson. They both came up with the concept between 1889-1892.
  • The first electric theater in Los Angeles

    The first electric theater in Los Angeles
    In early April of 1902, Thomas Lincoln Tally opened the first Electric Theater in Los Angeles. This was the first movie theater in California. This was huge because now the people of Los Angeles would be able to go and see a movie for the first time. Thomas also went and showed the first color movie in the same theater.
  • Universal Pictures was founded

    Universal Pictures was founded
    Universal Pictures at the time of its foundation was called Universal Film Manufacturing Company. It was founded by a total of 9 people. They founded it in late April in New York. Right now it's the oldest surviving film studio in the United States. It's also the world's 5th oldest after Gaumont, Pathe, Titanus, and Nordisk Film
  • The creation of Disney

    The creation of Disney
    In 1923 Walt Disney and his brother Roy founded Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in Hollywood, California. The studio soon became known as the Walt Disney Company. The company has had a huge impact on the film industry. It's now one of the largest film studios in the world.
  • The First drive-in movie theater opens

    The First drive-in movie theater opens
    Richard Hollingshead came about the idea of a drive-in movie theater because of his mother. He was inspired by his mother's struggle to sit comfortably in movie theater seats. He came up with the idea of an open-air theater where people can watch movies in their own cars. He then received a patent for his concept in 1933 and he opened Park-in Theaters, Inc.
  • Dorthy entering the world of Technicolor

    Dorthy entering the world of Technicolor
    The musical changed the history of film the moment Dorthy opens the door to the magical land of oz. When the scene changed from black and white to Technicolor it revolutionized cinema. Although it was not the first movie to be in color it is still remembered as the one that changed it for color movies. Although the movie was released during the Great Depression it was still the first film to prove that color could draw in an audience.
  • United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc.

    United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc.
    This court case was a landmark for the fate of film studios. This case decided the fate of film studios owning their own theaters and holding exclusivity rights on which theaters would show their own movies. The case also changed how Hollywood movies were produced, and distributed. The Supreme Court went against the movie studios (Big Five) and forced all of them to get rid of their movie theater chains. Paramount Pictures Inc. was also forced to split into 2 companies.
  • Highest paid individual in Hollywood at the time

    Highest paid individual in Hollywood at the time
    Paramount and Jerry Lewis Productions signed a contract specifying a payment of $10 million-plus 60% of the profits for 14 movies in a 7 year period. The contract made Jerry the highest-paid person in Hollywood. He was also unprecedented in that he had unlimited creative control and having the return of film rights after 30 years.
  • IMAX motion picture projection system premieres

    IMAX motion picture projection system premieres
    IMAX has a circular screen that almost covers the entire theater and it makes you feel like you are in the film. The screens are 6 times larger than regular theater screens. It was co-founded by Graeme Ferguson, Roman Kroitor, Robert Kerr, and William C. Shaw. The projection system premiered at the Fuji Pavilion, at Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan in 1970.
  • The Shining is released

    The Shining is released
    The Shining is notable for being the first outstanding horror film. The film is about a writer hoping to cure his writer's block. He becomes a winter caretaker at a hotel and brings along his family. As his writing goes nowhere he discovers the hotel's dark secret and begins to unravel into a homicidal maniac and terrorizes his family. It has since become one of the most referenced and popular films of all time.
  • First CGI actor

    First CGI actor
    In the movie "The Crow" the main actor Brandon Lee passed away. The director Alex Proyas decided to finish the movie with CGI. To do this they put Lee's stunt double as a stand-in. Lee's face was added afterwards and thanks to the dark lighting and strategic shots it created a seamless effect.