Early_Cinema

Early Cinema The emergence of early cinema originated from technological innovations during the Industrial Revolution, however this was also shared by a strong demand from an audience who were seeking more engaging methods of entertainment. From the early forms of cinema within silent films era with only three elements of an accompanying sound track of live piano on screen narration and sound effects, to the later movement to a more sophisticated talking period that formed a more engaging experience and a significant cinematic movement. This paper examines this movement from cinema’s formative years and the concept of the “cinema of attractions” and its relation to a perceived need to address the early cinema audience. Early cinema was introduced during a time in history where a variety of popular entertainment methods were emerging. During this time development of experiences such as Edison’s the Kinetoscope, (also known as “the viewer of motion”) were prominent, which acted as a miniature “peep show” type of device for one viewer to watch short films of dancers and actors and the like (Gunning, 2008, p. 9) and other entertainment experiences including puppetry, magic lantern shows and nineteenth century toy theatre came onto the entertainment scene. With technological advances and the evident popularity and large crowd drawing ability of cinema productions, audiences were encouraged to interrupt their sense of reality, accepting the version being presented to them as long as the production was visually available (Väliaho, 2013, p. 163). During this period of early cinema the period “cinema of attractions”, a phrase coined by Tom Gunner, played a large part with its embodiment of its illusionistic cinematic experience. The term implies that the audience willingly played an active role of participation and a fostered an ongoing desire to revisit the experience, which transcended any previous cinematic experience (Braudy & Cohen, 2004, p. 786). Through the adoption of characteristics from the “cinema of attractions” by early cinematographers, not only did cinema became a more accessible medium for all walks of life to experience, but it also provided high production values that created a sense of cultural and social equilibrium. Instead of being only available to the affluent – these productions could be made in a form which could be shown over many times. Through this form, not only are the actual production elements such as the mise-en-scene on display, but also the actual story itself in the role as being part of the “attraction” (Higson, 1997, p. 87). The type of camera work utilised was another strong element and characteristic of the “cinema of attraction” model. Camera angle used were more focused on observing the entire scene and actions from afar, similar format to that of a stage play, where the actors would also look at the camera, as Gunning notes is another feature of this form (Higson, 1997, pp. 91-2). With this new take on cinematography within the “cinema of attractions” era that defined it from previous models could be seen to be more of a building block for future productions, as cinematic technology evolved over time. Within the early cinema period, despite early restraints with lack of technology and due to its infancy, it did assist in establishing the type of relationship with its audience that has continued to flourish today. Where different experiential approaches to cinematography embraced technological improvements and innovations, it is apparent that early cinema has formed the foundation for much of what has been developed to be the cinema that we know and love today. The values and design and production elements that were developed in these formative years form the backbone of the multi- billion dollar industry as one of the most popular entertainment forms. With the movement from the early days with camera obscura to the increasingly popular three dimensional IMAX productions which are prominent today, this rapid movement from the early 19th century to now has brought about an enduring entertainment field that forms a true sense of escapism from reality for the everyday viewer. In this form, the key elements of the “cinema of attractions” look to be the beginning of the evolution of the cinematic experience. Bibliography Bean, J., 2004. Trauma thrills: notes on early action cinema. In: Y. Tasker, ed. Action and adventure cinema. London; New York: Routledge, pp. 17-30. Braudy, L. & Cohen, M., 2004. Film theory and criticism: Introductory readings.. New York: Oxford University Press. Brownlow, K., 1994. Preface. In: P. Cherchi Usai, ed. Burning passions : an introduction to the study of silent cinema. London: British Film Institute, pp. 1-4. Faden, E., 1999. Assimilating New Technologies Early Cinema, Sound, and Computer Imagery. Convergence, 5(51), pp. 51-79. Gaines, J., 2006. Early Cinema's Hayday of Copying. Cultural Studies, 20(2-3), pp. 227-244. Gaudrealt, A., 1990. Showing and Telling : image and word in early cinema. In: T. Elsaesser & A. Barker, eds. Early cinema : space, frame, narrative. London: BFI Publishing, pp. 274-81. Gaudreault, A., 1990. Filmographic Analysis and Early Cinema. Canadian Journal of Film Studies, 1(1), pp. 57-73. Gunning, T., 2008. Early Cinema and the Variety of Moving Images. American Art, 22(2), pp. 9-11. Higson, A., 1997. Waving the flag: Construction a national cinema in Britain. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Testa, B., 2007. The cinema of attractions reloaded. Canadian Journal of Film Studies, 16(2), pp. 119-126. Väliaho, P., 2013. Spellbound : Early Cinema's Transformational Spaces. Space and Culture, 16(2), p. 161–172.