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It Began With A Bet
Film first started with a $25,000 bet Leland Stanford made amongst his colleges. He claimed that a horse at full speed had all four hooves off the ground. Baffled by this thought, his friends gathered around a race track and took multiple pictures of horses running by. Leland Stanford was correct, but he and the others noticed that when the photos were aligned like a flip-book, the horses appeared to be running. -
The Peephole Kinetoscope
The Peephole Kinetoscope was invented by Thomas Edison. These devices were found at Kinetoscope Parlors. One person could view a short film at a time. Behind each peephole was a series of drawings or photos that were revealed at a rapid pace so that the images appeared to be moving. Films at this time would only last 30-60 seconds, hence why they are called "short films". The first Kinetoscope Parlor was made on April 14, 1894. -
Cinematographe
Thomas Edison also invented the projector, but thought he would earn more money by charging one person at a time with his Peephole Kinetoscope. Although, the Lumber brothers in France created their own projector that could show motion pictures on a screen for an audience. They called their invention cinematographe. -
The Great Train Robbery
Edwin Porter created the first US narrative film: The Great Train Robbery. This was the first film of it's time to last longer than 60 seconds. The Great Train Robbery lasted a full 12 minutes! -
Filming Indoors!
Peter Cooper Hewitt, along with many others, struggled recording film outside in various locations due to weather changes. So, Hewitt experimented with mercury-filled tubes to discover that they produce a large amount of light. Noticing a possible profit, Hewitt eventually created the Cooper Hewitt lamp, a lamp high in demand in the filming industry at the time. -
The First Animated Cartoon
"Humorous Phases of Funny Faces" was the first animated short film. It shown a person drawing on a chalkboard, then the faces drawn coming to life. This film moved at 20 frames per second. -
Monopolies Among Us
Nickelodeon (once called vaudeville) theaters brought 26 million viewers per week. Five years later, the number more than doubled! This brought the attention of those persuing fortune. This was when Thomas Edison and multiple companies combined together to form the Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPC), a monopoly that destroyed multiple other industries hoping to make profit in the film industry. -
Our Names!
Actor's names were now credited with their work. Certain Actor's popularity brought many people to see films. Thomas Edison did not do so in his films because he thought that the actors will begin to realize their importance and demand better pay. -
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford became insanely popular to the public. Also known as "America's Sweetheart", she sang with Famous Players and acted in several films. Pickford claimed that these times were the happiest days of her life. -
Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin became famous for his part as "The Tramp" in various films. Also known as "The Comic Genius", he was making $150 per week. By 1917, he made more than $1 million per year. -
The Jazz Singer
The Jazz Singer was the first film produced with it's own sound. Created with a vita phone, it was a hit amongst the population. It used lip-sinc singing and talking. -
The Golden Age
This was the year that silent film ended and film with sound flooded the markets. This time showed exaggerated characters often overcoming the impossible. Some classics are "Gone With The Wind", "The Wizard Of Oz", and "King Kong". -
Shirley Temple
Shirley skyrocketed to fame for her part in a popular film called "Bright Eyes". She received a Juvenile Academy Award for her outstanding performances. She later served as a Chief Of Protocol of the United States. -
The Production Code
In 1934, The Production Code was passed. This code had specific regulations that films at the time must meet. It is also known as the Hays Code, after Will H Hays. Hays was the president of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA).
