The History of film By Amelia Barrett

How it all began…

The history of film began in the 1800’s. This was because there was a new concept called the persistence of vision which was developed from the magic lantern. This is when a eye retains an image even when its removed. This then developed into single moving images. This then inspired people to invent new concepts and technology for the film industry.

The first motion picture

In 1872 a man named Eadweard Muybridge done an experiment creating a zoopraxiscope. This was showing a horse and its movement. This idea developed into motion photography and was the first movie to ever exist. This experiment also was evidence that when a horse is in motion all 4 legs come off the ground and are raised in the air. These motion devices became competition for magic lantern. This was because there then was a praxinscope theatre. This theatre was the same as a praxiniscope only it was controlled by a lantern which was used to project the images onto a large screen, making it possible for an audience to watch.

The first reel of film

In 1885 the invention of the reel of film was made. This was by George Eastman and William H Walker. They created the film reel by sensitized paper and then one year later it was replaced by celluloid.

Cinematography

Cinematography was invented by the lumiere brothers. They made their first film in 1894 which was called Sortie de l'usine Lumière de Lyon. This film was publicly screened at L’Eden. This was the worlds first and oldest cinema.

The first color film

The first color film was invented in 1918. This film was called Cupid Angling and even though this film was in color it was in fact in silence.

Produced by Douglass National Color Film CompanyWritten Leon DouglassStarring Ruth Roland, Albert Morrison

Distributed by W.W HodkinsonRelease date(s) September 9, 1918

Country USLanguage- silent

The first film with sound

Most people consider that sound movies were not invented until 1928 with the release of Warner's 'The Jazz Singer'. It is certainly true that this was the first notable film using sound, but we must go back to the invention of the cinematograph to realize that experiments were being carried out using sound as well as picture from the very beginning.

Edison wrote in one of his papers " In the year 1887, the idea occurred to me that it would be possible to devise an instrument which should do for the eye what the phonograph does for the ear, and that by a combination of the two all sound and motion could be recorded and reproduced simultaneously".

The history of horror

Definition of horror

The definition of horror is that it is an intense feeling of fear, shock or disgust

A thing causing such a feeling for example intense dismay

Informal a bad or mischievous person, especially a child.— Latin from horrere ‘shudder, (of hair) stand on end’.

Silent horror films

The very first horror film created was created by the Lumière brothers in 1895. This clip was of a dancing skeleton. However this clip wasn’t classed under the genre horror. This term wasn’t used until the 1930’s. This first film was classed under ‘spooky tales’.

1900’S

In the 1900’s the first horror featured film was created by the German film makers. The director of this film was Paul Wegener the film he produced was a Old Jewish folk tale called ‘Der golem’. This was in 1913 but then re-created in 1920 to gain more success and improvement. This film is a silent horror film. This film features several murders and creatures that come alive that aren't existing in real life. This film was the first horror film that was labeled ‘the first monster movie’.

1930’S

Horror began to use sound in the 1930’s. In the 1920’s horror was of silently floating ghosts that caused terror. However when sound was added this allowed film companies to use mortal monsters that grunted, growled and howled. As well as music to build suspense or sound effects that echoed or footsteps creaking down a corridor.

Horror was thought of as an escape for audiences as it removed the stress of the ‘Great Depression’ and made them focus on the fright that raised there adrenaline.

Directors such as ‘Todd browning’ found it challenging to produce scenes that included talking pictures as it was very different to silent movies.

Examples of horror films made were ‘Dracula’ directed by Todd Browning

1940’s

In the 1940’s because the world war was in action horror movies were using the roots of what was happening in the world and using this to produce films.

Films that were being made were The wolf man, Were wolf of London and Cat people.

Films like these were being produced because of Hitler’s name Adolf meant ‘noble wolf’ therefore as Hitler was someone majorly highlighted in this time. The films were plotting story lines around this history.

1950’S

The change between 1940- 1950 was immense because of the ww2 ending which left over 40 million people dead. This affected the story lines of the horror films.

Films made in the 1950’s were:

Creature Features

Mutant madness

The wasp Women

Houses on haunted hills

1960’s

The beat generation, Kennedy, Cuba, Vietnam and the sexual revolution. These events changed what the public thought of as horrible. The films were releasing on screen nudity and violence increasing.

Films made in the 1960’s were

Psycho (1960)

Night of the living dead (1967)

1970’s

Horror movies of the 1970’s reflected the grim mood of the decade. Society was hitting a disappointment through the the Beatles split, Janis and Jimi died, and in many senses it was downhill all the way from there: Nixon, Nam, oil strikes, glam rock, feather haircuts, medallions. How ever when society turns bad the horror industry becomes great.

Films that were made in the 1970’s were

The Exorcists (1973)

Alice sweet Alice (1976)

1980’s

Horror films in the 1980’s was when the special effects caught up with the gory images and production of the films became real to the viewers.

The shining (1980)

The thing (1982)

A night mare on elm street

1990’s

By the end of the 1980s horror had become so reliant on gore and buckets of liquid latex that it seemed to have lost its power to do anything more than shock and then amuse.

Scream (1996)

Jacobs ladder

Sev7n (1995)

2000’s

Horror movies in the late 1990s predicted things for the turn of the century. Whilst January 1st, 2000 came and went without much mishap, many commentators have identified the true beginning of the 21st century as September 11th, 2001. The events of that day changed global perceptions of what is frightening, and set the cultural agenda for the following years. The film industry, already facing a recession, felt very hard hit as film-makers struggled to come to terms with what was now acceptable to the viewing public.

Final Destination

28 days later (2002)