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The First Film Machine
The first machine patented in the United States that showed animated pictures was a device called the “wheel of life” or “zoopraxiscope”. Patented by William Lincoln, moving drawings or photographs were watched through a slit. -
Eadweard Muybridge
British photographer Eadweard Muybridge takes the first successful photographs of motion, showing how people and animals move. -
George Eastman
American inventor George Eastman introduces film made on a paper base instead of glass, wound in a roll, eliminating the need for glass plates. -
Kinetoscope
Thomas Edison and W.K. Dickson develop the Kinetoscope, a peep-show device in which film is moved past a light. -
The Edison Company
The Edison company successfully demonstrated the Kinetoscope, which enabled one person at a time to view moving pictures. -
Lumiere Brothers
Two French brothers, Louis and August Lumiere patent a combination movie camera and projector, capable of projecting an image that can be seen by many people. In Paris, they present the first commercial exhibition of projected motion pictures. Lumiere and his brother were the first to present projected, moving, photographic, pictures to a paying audience of more then one person. -
Cooper Hewitt
Cooper Hewitt mercury lamps make it practical to shoot films indoors without sunlight. -
Movie Production Booms
There are about 9,000 movie theaters in the United States. The typical film is only a single reel long, 60 - 90 seconds in length, and the actors were anonymous. -
Credits
Credits begin to appear at the beginning of motion pictures. Which means actors were recognized by their names and bacame famous. -
Bell & Howell 2709 movie camera
The Bell & Howell 2709 movie camera allows directors to make close-ups without physically moving the camera. -
Sound
1925 Western Electric and Warner Bros. agree to develop a system for movies with sound, instead of having a live orchestra or musician play during the movie. -
First Academy Awards
The first Academy Awards are announced, with the award for the best picture in 1927 going to ‘Wings’.