1. Thomas Alva Edison- ‘Railroading in the East’ (1897-1906)
One of the most recognised names in cinema history, Thomas Edison was the inventor of the Kinetograph (also known as the motion picture camera) and the Kinetoscope (a peep-hole motion picture viewer). This silent motion picture which consists of various recordings of American steam trains throughout the country, shows Edison’s early experimentations with motion picture recording techniques. In one of the recordings on the Grand Trunk railroad, evidence of a lap dissolve (also known as a cross-fade) can be seen when the train enters the Sarnia Tunnel, this is regarded as the first ever use of this technique. This motion picture which dates back to 1897 can be defined as the beginning of the motion picture and shows early signs of the use of motion recording tecniques.
2. Georges Méliès- ‘A Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la lune)’ (1902)
“…the illusionist absorption of the viewer that is considered one of the hallmarks of classical cinema” (Hansen 1993 p.2)
George Melies ‘A Trip to the Moon’ is regarded as the first ever science fiction film in cinema history. Based around two novels; Jules Verne’s ‘From Earth to the Moon’ and H.G.Wells’ ‘The First Men in the Moon’, this silent French film was named one of the 100 greatest films of the 20th century by The Village Voice ranking at 84. Melies uses many innovative animation techniques and this film shows the earliest signs of special effects. One of the most memorable scenes in ‘A Trip to the Moon’ is when the spaceship lands in the Moon’s eye. The film was sold in both black and white and hand-colored versions, giving viewers the diversity of choice. This film is seen by many as a defining moment in cinema as it showed early indications of animated cinematography and special effects, sparking the growth of the science-fiction film.
3. Edwin S.Porter-‘The Life of an American Fireman’ (1903)
‘The Life of an American Fireman’ showed early signs of Porter’s innovative use of filming techniques and was believed to display qualities which were later replicated within Porter’s most prolific film ‘The Great Train Robbery’ (1903). This short narrative film was Porter’s first display of the use of cross-cutting to produce a continuous narrative over seven scenes. This production was definitive, as the use of this new technique had not been witnessed before providing a platform for the filming of Porter’s first ever full-length narrative picture ‘The Great Train Robbery’. Through the rise in popularity of narrative films, earlier actuality films and travelogues such as Edison’s ‘Railroading in the East’ fell out of favour to this new style of cinematography.
4. D.W Griffith- ‘Birth of a Nation’ (1915)
David Llewelyn Wark otherwise known as D.W Griffith was remembered as one of the first American film directors who began the development of advanced camera and narrative techniques, setting the stage for the dominance of the feature-length film. Griffith’s racially controversial film the ‘Birth of a Nation’ which was based on the play and novel ‘The Clansman’ (1905) by Thomas Dixon Jr. This feature film played a highly influential role within the ‘silent era’ of cinema and created a flourishing interest in feature length films being the highest grossing film of its era. ‘Birth of a Nation’ was also known for its usage of narrative techniques such as cross-cutting, deep focus and facial close ups which are regarded as staple narrative techniques within today’s cinema.
5. Alan Crosland- ‘The Jazz Singer’ (1927)
“…early cinema is distinguished by an aesthetics of astonishment and display (‘cinema of attractions’)” (Hansen 1993 p.4)
Alan Crosland’s ‘The Jazz Singer’ was the first feature-length film to use synchronised dialogue, and is described as being the first ‘talkie’ film in Hollywood. The introduction of ‘talkie’ films provoked a new era of cinema and was the demise of the ‘silent era’ of film. This Warner Bros. production boasts actors such as Al Jolson, May McAvoy and Warner Oland and depicts the son of a Jewish cantors defiance to pursue his dream of being a famous singer. The significance of ‘The Jazz Singer’ is enormous as it sparked off the start of the ‘talkie’ films in cinema and due to it’s major popularity production companies were copying this new style of cinema. This led to the downfall of the ‘silent era’ and is a definitive turning point in the history of cinema, as people were in amazement of this new approach to Hollywood cinema.
References
A Trip to the Moon / Le Voyage dans la lune – 1902 – YouTube . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JDaOOw0MEE&feature=player_embedded. [Accessed 7 March 2012].
Birth of a Nation by D.W. Griffith – Trailer (1915) – YouTube . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9UPOkIpR0A&feature=player_embedded. [Accessed 7 March 2012].
Clip 1: The Jazz Singer, 1927 – YouTube . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdK37odGSEo&feature=player_embedded. [Accessed 7 March 2012].
HANSEN, M., 1993. Early Cinema, late cinema: permutations of the public sphere. Screen, 34(3) pp.197-210
Thomas Edison Train Films 1897-1906. Historic American Steam Trains – YouTube . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UQolfyxbOk&feature=player_embedded. [Accessed 7 March 2012].
The Life of an American Fireman, Edwin S. Porter, 1903 – YouTube . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM-DhskWrDA&feature=player_embedded. [Accessed 7 March 2012].
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