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Film SL Timeline
This timeline will be an ongoing project throughout my two years of the Film SL course. It will explore pivotal moments in the history of Film, as well as my personal milestones as a filmmaker. -
First Ever Photograph
The earliest known surviving photograph was captured by the Frenchman Joseph Nicephoe Niepce. The image was captured after exposing a bitumen-coated plate in a camera obsucra for 8 hours, which is why shadows from both sides are visible. -
Invention of the Phenakistoscope
Inspired by Faraday’s wheel, Joseph Plateau in Brussels and Simon von Stampfer in Vienna invent the Phenakistoscope independently from one another. This disc demonstrated continuous movement for the first time. It is comparable to film because it uses minimal difference between images to create an illusion of movement. -
The invention of the Zoetrope
The Zoetrope was invented by British mathematician William George Horner. Here, the faces of movement are also seen in the form of an infinite loop through perforated slits. -
First published Photograph
This year saw leading newspaper, “The Mirror” publish the first photograph. The sun picture, or heliotype depicts a set of plants. -
The invention of the Flip Book
The flip book appeared in 1868.It was largely popularized by John Barnes Linnett and was originally called “kineograph” -
The Running Horse by Eadward Muybridge
Edward Muybridge’s sequential photography work began after a bet with Leland Stanford. Muybridge claimed that a race horse has all hooves off the ground at one point during a run. He proved his theory by arming cameras with trip wires to capture these images. The “Running Horse” sequence became the first of his renowned “Animal Locomotion Collection”. -
Sequential Photography by Eadward Muybridge
After great success with previous experiments in photography, Eadward Muybridge is hired by the University of Pennsylvania to photograph people and animals at the Philadelphia Zoo to observe motion patterns. The image attached is a sequence of a running dog. -
More Sequential Photography
Above is another example of a sequence worked on by Eadward Muybridge. The images depict a mother and a child. -
Monkeyshines No. 1
Monkeyshines No. is believed to be the first film ever shot on American soil. The film aided the development of the Kinetoscope that was still at its beginning stages during production, hence the murky quality. It is believed to have been shot between June of 1889 and November of 1890. -
Fred Ott's Sneeze
Fred Ott's Sneeze (aka Edison Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze) is an American silent film produced in 1894 by the Edison Manufacturing Company. It depicts Fred Ott, one of Edison's employees, sniffing tobacco and sneezing for a brief five seconds. Like many of Edison's firsts, the film now belongs to the Library of Congress. -
Annabelle Butterfly Dance
This 40-second short depicts Annabelle Moore, an American actress and dancer performing a dance routine. The film is completley silent and was shot with Edison's Kinetoscope. -
Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory
'La Sortie de l'Usine Lumière à Lyon' is a French 1-minute documentary short directed by Louis Lumière and distributed by the renowned cinematography duo: the Lumière Brothers. The film is often praised as the first ever motion picture, though Louis Le Prince's 1888 Roundhay Garden Scene was 7 years older. The film simply depicts factory workers in Lyon, France leaving the Lumiere factory after a day's work. -
The Waterer Watered
The Waterer Watered, also known as The Sprinkler Sprinkled and L'Arroseur arrosé is a French 49-second black-and-white comedy short. The film is a single scene shot on a single angle, depicting a youngster playing a practical joke on a gardener. The film is often praised as the first-ever comedic film. The humor depicted in this film is eternal, audiences even today will find it humorous. -
Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat
"L'Arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat' also known as Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat is a 50 second documentary short produced and distributed by the Lumiere Brothers. The still camera captures a train arriving in La Ciotat, France. The framing gives the audience an illusion that the train is coming towards them. Rumor has it that audiences were so taken back, some even left the theatre during the first screenings. -
Life of an American Fireman
Life of an American Fireman is a 6-minute short film directed by Edwin S. Porter and distributed by the legendary Edison Manufacturing Company. The film is thought to be one of the first American narrative films. It follows a simple narrative of a woman and a child being rescued from a fire. The film is a compilation of merely seven scenes, and a total of nine shots. Porter's films are famous for the great use of continuity editing, -
A Trip to the Moon
Voyage Dans La Lune (A Trip to the Moon) is a 1902 film directed by renowned cinematographer, George Melies. The 16-minute film follows a group of astronomers on a peculiar voayge to the moon. At the time, the film was seen as revolutionary, primarily because of its unusual lenght, plot development and its amazing use of special effects. It is without a doubt the pioneering film for the Science-Fiction genre. -
The Great Train Robbery
The Great Train Robbery is an American Western film directed by Edwin S. Porter. The film runs for an approximate 16 minutes and is completley silent. This fils was pioneering for cinematographers because of its unique camera work, movement and angles. It is one of the earliest films known to use the cross cutting technique, where two events occuring simultaneously are being depicted with cuts back and forth. -
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
This year saw the release of the first installment of the worlwide phenomena Star Wars. Directed by Sci-Fi pioneer George Lucas, this film follows Luke Skywalker and his adventurous journey to defeat Darth Vader. -
First Cinema experience
My earliest memory of visiting a movie theatre was for The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl (2005). Though it might not have been my first film at a movie theatre, I remember Sharkboy and Lavagirl because it was my first exposure to 3D cinema. I became infatuated with 3D films, even to a point where I would refuse to go into a theatre if the movie showing wasn't in 3D. -
Sequential Experiment
This sequential experiment was shot at Inhaca Island, across the Maputo Bay. It depicts children having a race.
