Chapter 9 Motion Pictures Early Days

Chapter 9 Motion Pictures

Early Days • Thomas Edison 1888 kinetoscope • Edison’s assistant William Kennedy Dickson • Edison also borrowed ideas from Marey and Muybridge and their photographs • Idea was actually Ptolemy Greek astronomer who discovered persistence of vision

Early Days • Persistence of vision—human eye retains an image on the retina for a moment after the image disappears • Flip books • 1895 French brothers August and Louis Lumiere took Edison’s projector to a larger scale and called it cinematorgraphe • Finally, vitascope, developed by Armat and Jenkins—Vaudeville houses with live musical accompaniment

Early Days • Popularity grows and so does price to a nickel thus nickelodeons

The Films • • • A Trip to the Moon 1902 The Great Rain Robbery 1903 Birth of A Nation D. W. Griffith 1915 Civil War epic three hours Pantomine EPS Cycle movies remain in Elite stage shortest period of time of any medium; more elite movies today than in early years

Comedy • Recurring theme throughout all media; comedy is usually most popular genre • Keystone Kops Mack Sennett 1912 • Hal Roach Our Gang • Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy Who’s On First? • Charlie Chaplin The Tramp • Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd

World War I • • • Propaganda films War Effort 3 years over 175 films The Kaiser’s Finish This also sees Hollywood become the leading producer of films worldwide

Sound • Many thought it would end the industry • Many actors with weak voices did not make the transition • Dr. Lee De Forest one of the first sound on film processes around 1923 • Warner Bros. 1927 The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson; changes everything • Silent films disappear quickly

Censorship • We should add this as the third step in the EPS cycle • Every time a medium goes popular, a wave of social change comes about and morality is threatened • Roaring 20 s/Jazz Age • PCA Production Code Administration 1934 • Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association 1922 Will H. Hays • Republican/Presbyterian—need I say more?

Censorship • Hays gave fines for not getting the approval up to $25, 000 a huge sum for that time • First real challenge was Otto Preminger • Released his films without Hays’ permission • Classic line from Clark Cable was also cited by Hays

Studio System • As we stated earlier, Payne Fund Studies show large numbers of teens going to movies weekly • To keep up with demand, Hollywood develops a system of major studio producing hundreds of films each year • Marketing departments create stars and contracts

Studio System • • Warner Brothers MGM Metro Goldwin Mayer (sp? ) Paramount 20 th Century Fox Universal RKO The Great Depression movies aid morale

Musicals and Other Genres • • Westerns Comedies Musicals Busby Berkley Gangsters Romantic comedies Frank Capra films It’s A Wonderful Life Blockbusters Gone With The Wind

HUAC • • • 1947 House Un-American Activities Committee Communist propaganda Became a witch hunt People were blacklisted and never worked again Many would work under assumed names Later credits were restored but many were ruined and were guilty of nothing

Anti-trust • 1948 Supreme Court • Illegal monopoly of studios to operate all aspects from creation to distribution • Created laws prohibiting ownership of studios and theatres by same company

Television • 1948 TV networks emerge • Baby Boom after World War II kept many home with small children • Sports such as baseball transferred well to TV • Studios forced to create alternative experiences gives rise to 3 -D and color in films (TV was still B &W)

Ratings System • One more time, a new medium forces culture to review its morals • Because of TV, movies cater to youth culture and counter culture and contain sexually explicit and violent materials • Blackboard Jungle • Causes concerns • Enter the ratings system of 1960 s

Ratings System • • • G PG R X (now NC-17) PG 13 added after Spielberg’s Gremlins and Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom • XXX

1970 s • • • Disaster and violence become genres The Poseidon Adventure Towering Inferno Halloween Texas Chainsaw Massacre

1990 s • Special effects • Again, a response to programming on TV; cable allowed for more explicit programming • Hollywood responds with big budget special effects films • Video Rentals people believe will kill the industry • DVD digital video disk • Conglomerates • Future?