-
The first public showings of films took place in the 1890s. The first theater was built in Philadelphia in 1899. Film companies began building film studios around 1900.
-
In 1903, the Edison Corporation produced the first western, and established the use of shots and editing in film. This also says the growing popularity of story films, over daily life scenes or news.
-
Edison invented the Kinetophone, making talkies an option. They would not become popular for more than 20 years, however thats not all that happend.
-
Released in 1927, The Jazz Singer is the first feature-length talkie. The film starred Vaudeville sensation Al Jolson.
-
With the release of Becky Sharp, audiences could now see films in technicolor. Two-color film technology had been available, but rarely used since 1922.
-
Widely considered to be one of the greatest films in cinema history,It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming (who left production to take over direction on the troubled Gone with the Wind production).
-
With the invention of television, film needed to up its game. New widescreen processes to produce bigger and more exciting films were the answer.
-
The first 3-D film, relying upon stereoscopic technology, achieved wide release in 1953. Earlier attempts had been made, but the 1950s saw the popularity of 3-d.
-
Motion picture ratings were introduced in 1968, with G, PG, R and X. PG-13 came significantly later. The X rating will later be replaced by NC-17.
-
The Steadycam, first used in Rocky, became available offering new options to filmmakers.
-
In 2003, for the first time, home entertainment revenues exceeded the box office. The DVD took over for the video cassette in 2003 as well.
-
With improving technology, 3D films became more popular. In addition, a number of new IMAX facilities, offering larger format screens were constructed. Today, many large-budget films can be watched in 2D or 3D.
