Movies

It is a favorite pass time of millions of people all over the world, and has been so for a very long time. So here is a look at the movies throughout history.

Before Theatres

Before film, cameras and sweeping shots across an extravagant set, there were plays and dances. Local people gathered to watch actors portray characters while playing out scenes. It was a live movie in a way, and in fact, used many of the same elements that you will find in film production today. These included sets, costumes, directors, lighting, actors, storyboards, and musical scores.

The camera obscura was developed by Alhazen before 1600. This was a primitive version of a camera, using light through a hole, or lens, to project moving images onto a large surface. However, this "camera" did not record images, it merely made them visible for large audiences.

Silent Movies

With the invention of film in 1878 came the possibility to create recorded moving pictures for an audience. However, the technology to add sound the recordings did not come until much later, thus creating the silent movie era. Audiences would gather in tent or variety cinemas to watch these pictures, which began as short, one shot videos, while listening to live musicians, sound effects and sometimes commentary. They started out as black and white images, but by 1900 the most popular films were being hand colored.

By World War I, film production had become a major money making business. Audiences were watching feature films in proper cinemas. France and Italy were the most powerful and productive studios in the world at this time, though the war severely interrupted production. Hollywood soon took over as the most powerful center for film production, a title it has held ever since. By 1920, they were at the peak of their success, churning out roughly 800 feature silent films per year, and creating the first movies stars such as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Douglas Fairbanks, and Clara Bow.

Turn up the Sound

Though many studios had been experimenting with sound throughout the Silent Era, it was not until 1926 that Hollywood introduced the "Vitaphone" system in short, live entertainment films that recorded sound actually worked. These movies only contained music and sound effects, but nevertheless, it was the first time that audiences were able to experience film with sound. In 1927, the Jazz Singer was released with recorded dialogue. It was the first step toward film as we know it today.

From then on, film further developed into several different genres, including film noir, propaganda films, and blockbusters. The quality and production of these movies continued to increase. Audiences flocked to the theatres, with ticket prices set at about 25c per ticket, to see their favorite new stars on the big screens. It became the thing to do.

Modern Times

By the 1950s, movie ticket sales began to drop because of the introduction of the television. However, despite the fact that people across the world could watch these moving pictures at home on their own television sets, they continued, and still continue to make that trip to the movies.

It seems that nothing can replace the experience of seeing a great film on the big screen, or sitting in those velvet seats while munching on popcorn. It has become a defining part of culture, and how knows what sort of surprises are in store in the future of movies.