The_Evolution_of_Film__from_Silent_to_All_Around

The evolution of film: from silent to all around With the consistent development of new forms of entertainment and technology amongst many people the inevitable question is raised; will new media wipe all forms of traditional media (such as music, events or movies) off the face of this earth' As for music, forget about it, of course not. Same goes for events, as one may think people will always retain a certain need to physically get together, instead of always meeting up online. Off course, in a way, these forms are colliding with new media and new technologies. Furthermore, these are as ancient as the Greek themselves. Now what about movies' If you think about it, movies are also as ancient as the Greek. Plays and dances had (and of course still have) many elements common to film; scripts, sets, lighting, costumes, production, direction, actors, audiences, storyboards, you name it. Therefore, it is ridiculous to think that new forms of entertainment will be the death of the movie industry. It might seize to exist as we know it, but when you think about it, throughout the years, it already has quite a few times. Film historians more or less unanimously agree that the first public exhibition of motion pictures occurred on the 28th of December 1895, when the famed Lumière Brothers showed a selection of their single-reel films. Word has it that when one of their reels, L’arrivee d’un train a La Ciotat (showing the arrival of a train at the station) was shown, the audience, unfamiliar with the concept of moving images, fled the theatre in fear of being run over by the approaching train. Today, we merely yield when an “object” gets thrown our way during any given 3D movie. What followed after that day was an era of over thirty years in which the movies were black and white and above all else silent (although usually film was supported by live musicians). Filming in color has been possible ever since the introduction of Technicolor in 1915. But the trend itself would not catch on for many years, as filming in black and white was cheaper. At first the films consisted out of just one shot, made by very few people. But over time the movies became several minutes long and consisted out of multiple shots. Thus, the movie industry was created. Although experimentation with sound film technology occurred way before, it was not until the late 1920’s before the first sound containing movies were released. Perhaps the most famous of them all was the Jazz singer, a musical film that became the first motion picture with synchronized dialogue sequences. But by the end of 1929, the silent film era belonged to the past. Arguably, this was the first major change in the movie industry, as dialogue-based storytelling was the new way to go. Many major silent filmmakers and actors, unable to adjust, saw their career take a severe hit or even end because of new possibilities and technologies. On the contrary, there was much more room for creative input of others. Alfred Hitchcock is an example of one of the directors who was able to put new technologies to great use. From then on, many classics were made rapidly. Films such as King Kong, Dracula, Frankenstein and The Public Enemy were all made in the early 1930’s. Over the years many changes would take place. Such as the introduction of 3D-films in the early 1950’s (which would not really catch on at that time), the usage of scale models as special effects (2001: a Space Odyssey, Star Wars), the introduction of the Ampex VRX-1000, the first commercially successful videotape recorder, making it possible for the viewers to watch motion pictures at home, and the introduction of adult cinemas, offering pornographic footage to the audience. But the most groundbreaking change after the introduction of sound is the digitalization of motion pictures. With modern technologies the possibilities seem endless. For example, editing movies became a lot easier and faster, thus providing a lot of new possibilities. But this new technology was also a lot more accessible, which meant more competition in the field. Modern technologies also meant a new era in the world of special effects. Scale models were no longer needed, as modern computer techniques made it possible to create things on screen that aren’t actually there. The digital era also meant images and sound were of much better quality, providing present-day moviegoers with an utterly mind blowing experience when they leave the theatres (as long as the movie itself is good of course).[pic] In over a hundred years, the movie industry has taken a giant leap forward. But is it approaching its peak' The past suggests it’s not. Modern technologies and innovations didn’t exactly mean the downfall of the movie industry. Therefore it’s safe to think that as society evolves, the industry evolves with it. Proof is the revolution of the Internet. As more people became familiar with the concept, marketing methods of movies started to show up on the Internet as well. As nowadays distribution methods are also making more use of the modern superhighway everyday, one might think that the future of cinemas could be in jeopardy. Whether or not this will happen, only time can tell, but one thing is certain, the movie industry as we know it hasn’t exactly seen the metaphorical peak by far. We can be sure of that. Resource Directory Film History - Retrieved September 16, 2010: http://www.filmsite.org/filmh.html l’arrivee d’un train a La Ciotat (1896) - Retrieved September 16, 2010: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0000012/ Toy Story (1995) - Retrieved September 16, 2010: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114709/ 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) - Retrieved September 16, 2010: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062622/ One hundred Years of Film Sizes. Almost one hundred film widths and perforations were experimented with. - Retrieved September 16, 2010: http://www.xs4all.nl/~wichm/filmsize.html History of film - Retrieved September 16, 2010: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_film ----------------------- In the 30s more and more cartoons were in Technicolor. Poster of ‘Citizen Kane (1941)’ from director/actor Orson Welles. By many considered to be the best movie of all time. Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Oddysey (1968) was revolutionary for its beautiful scale model special effects. Movie still of ‘The Matrix (1999)’ one of the best examples of the possibilities offered by modern technologies.