History of film
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The document provides an overview of the GCSE Film Studies course, outlining its aims and objectives. It discusses how students will develop their knowledge of mainstream Hollywood films from the 1950s and 1970s-1980s, as well as more recent independent and international films. All films will be studied in relation to key developments in film history and technology. The timeline of developments discussed includes the first moving images, silent cinema, the Hollywood studio system, the introduction of sound and color, and modern technological advances like CGI and portable cameras.
![Timeline of key developments in film and film technology
You need to know the following events and this booklet helps you to learn and
understand this timeline.
1895 First moving images (Lumière brothers)
1895 – 1927 Development of silent cinema from early short films to full-length feature
films, during which period the foundations of filmmaking were established
– e.g. cinematography, the principles of lighting and continuity editing
and an extensive range of mise-en-scène, including location shooting
1920s Gradual emergence of a vertically integrated Hollywood film industry,
established by 1930 into five major studios (Paramount, Warner Bros,
Loew's/MGM, Fox [Twentieth Century Fox in 1935] and Radio Keith
Orpheum [RKO]) and three minor studios (Columbia, Universal and
United Artists) – the so-called Big 5 and Little 3
1927 Alan Crosland's, The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson - the first feature film
with a soundtrack
1935 Rouben Mamoulian's Becky Sharp, the Technicolor Corporation's first
feature length, 'three strip' colour film
1948 Paramount court case which prevented studios from owning all phases of
the production, distribution and exhibition process ('vertical integration')
which led, in the 1950s, to the emergence of independent film production
and agents producing films for the Hollywood studios to distribute and
exhibit
1950s Emergence of widescreen and 3D technologies as a response to the
growth of television and the corresponding decline in cinema
attendance
late 1950s Although not the first examples, lightweight, portable cameras were
produced suitable for hand-held use (which had an immediate impact on
documentary filmmaking and were used by a new generation of directors
in France – French 'new wave' directors)
1970s Steadicam technology developed by cinematographer Garrett
Brown (a stabilising device for hand-held cameras to keep image
'steady' whilst retaining fluid movement). First introduced, 1975
1990s More widespread use of computer-generated imagery, most
significantly onwards pioneered by Industrial Light and Magic in the 1970s,
resulted in a move away from filmed 'special effects' to visual effects created
digitally in post-production to the computer generated imaging of characters in
films](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/historyoffilm-200615132948/85/History-of-film-3-320.jpg)
![Test your knowledge
Use the following tasks to test and revise your knowledge.
Name the year
1. First moving images (Lumière brothers) [1]
2. Development of silent cinema from early short films to full-length feature films [1]
3. Gradual emergence of a vertically integrated Hollywood film industry, established by 1930
into five major studios [1]
4. Alan Crosland's, The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson - the first feature film with a soundtrack
[1]
5. Rouben Mamoulian's Becky Sharp, the Technicolor Corporation's first feature length,
'three strip' colour film [1]
6. Paramount court case which prevented studios from owning all phases of the production,
distribution and exhibition process [1]
7. Emergence of widescreen and 3D technologies [1]
8. Lightweight, portable cameras were produced suitable for hand-held use [1]
9. Steadicam technology developed by cinematographer Garrett Brown [1]
10. More widespread use of computer-generated imagery, most significantly pioneered by
Industrial Light and Magic [1]](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/historyoffilm-200615132948/85/History-of-film-20-320.jpg)
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History of film
- 1. GCSE Film Studies The History of the Film Industry
- 2. Aims and Objectives The WJEC Eduqas specificationinGCSEFilmStudiesisdesignedtodraw onlearners'enthusiasm for filmandintroduce themtoa wide varietyof cinematicexperiencesthroughfilmswhichhave beenimportantinthe developmentof filmandfilmtechnology. Learnerswill developtheirknowledge of USmainstreamfilmbystudyingone filmfromthe 1950s and one filmfromthe later70s and80s, thuslookingat twostagesinHollywood'sdevelopment. In addition,theywill be studyingmore recentfilms –a US independentfilm aswell asfilmsfrom Europe,includingthe UK,SouthAfricaandAustralia. Key developments infilmand filmtechnology All filmswillbe studiedinrelationtokeydevelopmentsinfilmandfilmtechnology –bothto provide acontextfortheirstudyof filmandto understandhow theirchosenfilmsreflectkey developmentsinthe historyof filmandfilmtechnology.Learnerswillbe requiredtogaina knowledge of: the firstmovingimagesandsilent film the rise of Hollywoodandthe developmentof sound the introductionof colour film the emergence of widescreentechnologyand3D film the developmentof portable camerasandSteadicam technology the role of computer-generatedimageryin film.
- 3. Timeline of key developments in film and film technology You need to know the following events and this booklet helps you to learn and understand this timeline. 1895 First moving images (Lumière brothers) 1895 – 1927 Development of silent cinema from early short films to full-length feature films, during which period the foundations of filmmaking were established – e.g. cinematography, the principles of lighting and continuity editing and an extensive range of mise-en-scène, including location shooting 1920s Gradual emergence of a vertically integrated Hollywood film industry, established by 1930 into five major studios (Paramount, Warner Bros, Loew's/MGM, Fox [Twentieth Century Fox in 1935] and Radio Keith Orpheum [RKO]) and three minor studios (Columbia, Universal and United Artists) – the so-called Big 5 and Little 3 1927 Alan Crosland's, The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson - the first feature film with a soundtrack 1935 Rouben Mamoulian's Becky Sharp, the Technicolor Corporation's first feature length, 'three strip' colour film 1948 Paramount court case which prevented studios from owning all phases of the production, distribution and exhibition process ('vertical integration') which led, in the 1950s, to the emergence of independent film production and agents producing films for the Hollywood studios to distribute and exhibit 1950s Emergence of widescreen and 3D technologies as a response to the growth of television and the corresponding decline in cinema attendance late 1950s Although not the first examples, lightweight, portable cameras were produced suitable for hand-held use (which had an immediate impact on documentary filmmaking and were used by a new generation of directors in France – French 'new wave' directors) 1970s Steadicam technology developed by cinematographer Garrett Brown (a stabilising device for hand-held cameras to keep image 'steady' whilst retaining fluid movement). First introduced, 1975 1990s More widespread use of computer-generated imagery, most significantly onwards pioneered by Industrial Light and Magic in the 1970s, resulted in a move away from filmed 'special effects' to visual effects created digitally in post-production to the computer generated imaging of characters in films
- 4. Genre Task 1: What do you already know? What isa genre? Write a definition andlistall the differentgenresthatyouknow. What filmsfall intoeachgenre?Findanexample of afilmforeachgenre. Challenge task: Canyou explainthe commonfeaturesof eachgenre? For example,horrorfilmsalwaysuse conventions suchasdarkness,isolatedlocations,blood,stormy weather,supernatural,etc.
- 5. Task 2: What do you think? Films,aswe knowthemand recognise themtoday,were bornin1895. Can you name all of the major inventionsthat neededtohappento filmsbefore youget to the kind of filmsyou findin the cinema today? e.g. Cameras filmprojectors audiosoundrecording
- 6. Answers:Cameras,filmprojectors, audio soundrecording,sound effects,technicolour,digital film, CGI (computer-generatedimagery),computers,3D,widescreen. Let’s start with modern day film making – 1990s + Task 3 1. Watch the first 7 minutes of this BBC Click programme. BBC Click:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmKFUffO5G4 2. Also watch this clip on What 15 Movies From2019 LookedLike Behind The Scenes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3djdugD0b0 Notice how modern film production is very reliant on technology: green screen, cameras, computers. Whatwe see on screen is very different to what is on the set. Films today use a lot of computers to develop scenes during post- production and this can turn a swimming pool into an ocean!
- 7. Now let’s travel back in time to the 1890s… The firstrecordedmovingimagescame fromtwoFrenchbrotherswhose experimentationwith photography, combinedwithseeingEdison’s‘Kinetoscope’. The brotherswere: Auguste and Louis Lumière Theywere Frenchinventorsof photographicequipmentand theydevisedanearlymotion-picture cameraandprojector calledthe Cinématographe. (“cinema”isderivedfromthisname). The year was 1895. Task 4 Watch thisclipto see theirfirstfilm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nj0vEO4Q6s Watch this10 minute cliponthe Lumiere brothers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFkSjdaqbyE
- 8. Task 5 – summary Make notes on the Lumiere Brothers by finishing thesentences. The year was... The inventorswere named… They inventedacameracalled… It created… Challenge task: Do some research on the Lumiere brothers.List 5 more facts about them.
- 9. 1895-1927, Developing Silents Duringthe earlylife of cinema, silentfilmswere the onlyoption - increasinglyaccompaniedbya live musician/musicians.Thisperiodsawbasicfilmlanguageestablished - the principlesof continuityediting,lighting,mise-en-scène andthe rise of the ‘feature length’film(1hour+). Task 6 Watch this clipof an earlysilentfilm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgQpI-jpJao Watch this 9 minute clipon The SilentEra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROOV9tucra0&list=PL8dPuuaLjXtN-Bd- H_TGq72CN50Fpv_JX&index=10 Notice howthisfilmisdifferenttothe Lumiere brothers’earlyfilms. Thishas: A set A plot A range of characters Costumes Lightingtechniquesare emerging BUT NOSOUND Language alert Continuityrefersto action movingthrough multiplelocationswithoutinterruptions.So one longpiece offilm that is not edited.(Continuous) Continuityediting iswhen film isedited but doesn’t lookit.The editingisso good you don’t notice it. Mise en scene –this is a French term that means ‘placed in the scene’and refersto props,locationsand any detailin a scene that addsto the audience’sunderstandingofwhat’shappeningin the film.
- 10. 1920s, The Studio System Americancinemarose toprominence inthe 1920s withthe adventof the ‘StudioSystem’.Mostof these studiosstill,sortof,existtoday!Theyturnedfilmmakingintoan industrial processand createdthe ideaof Hollywood. There were 5 main studios in 1930: • Paramount • Warner Brothers • Loew’s/MGM • Fox (20th CenturyFox) • RadioKeithOrpheum And three minor studios: • Columbia • Universal • UnitedArtists Theywere calledthe Big5 andthe Little 3.
- 11. Task 7 Answerthe questionsbelowbasedon your reading. Duringwhichyearswere silentfilmsdeveloped? Name twoexamplesof basicfilmlanguage thatwere alsodevelopedduringthistime. What doesthe termmise enscene mean? Name the ‘Big6’ studiosthatbeganto grow in powerduringthe 1930s. Name the ‘Little 3’ minorstudiosthatbeganduringthe 1930s. What iscontinuityediting?Canyouthinkof a modernfilmthatusesit?
- 12. The introduction of sound and colour – 1927, 1935 1927, The Jazz Singer The JazzSinger (1927) starred musical star Al Jolson. It was the first feature filmto have a synchronisedsoundtrack, includingsynchronised speechandsinging. Thiswas the birthof the ‘talkies’ –filmwhere the speechwassyncedtomatch the mouth movement. The Jazz Singercontainsmusical sequencesusinglive soundrecording.The moviegoerswere electrifiedwhenthe silentactionswere interruptedperiodicallyforasong sequence with real singingandsound.Jolson'sdynamicvoice,physical mannerisms,andcharismaheldthe audience spellbound. Task 8 Watch a clipof The JazzSinger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22NQuPrwbHA
- 13. 1935, Becky Sharp In 1935 the release of Becky Sharp (Robert Mamoulian) heraldedthe feature lengthuse of the ‘three strip’ technicolourprocess for colouringfilm and openedtogatesto many competingcolour technologies. Task 9 Watch thisclipfrom BeckySharp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7Zezn-S6UQ What is three-strip technicolour? Technicolorisa colourfilmprintingprocessinventedin1916. It was the most widelyusedcolour processinHollywoodfrom1922 to 1952 and celebratedforitssaturatedlevelsof colour.Itwasused mostcommonlyforfilmingmusicalssuchasThe Wizardof Oz andSingin'inthe Rain and usedfor Disney’sanimatedclassicssuchasSnowWhite and the SevenDwarfsandFantasia. "Technicolor"isthe trademarkfora seriesof colourmotionpicture processespioneeredby TechnicolorMotionPicture Corporation(asubsidiaryof Technicolor,Inc.),now adivisionof TechnicolorSA.The process involvedcapturingthe individual colourcomponentsred,greenand blue onthree individual blackandwhite negatives.
- 14. 1948, The Paramount Case This famous court case prevented the studios from owning the full chain of production, distribution and exhibition. This led to the emergence of independent production companies, or ‘indies’. This case stopped studios from monopolising the filming industry and was seen by some as the event that ruined the ‘Golden Age’ of the Hollywood film studios. Task 10 Watch this clip on the Paramount Case: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4mmAj67yjM Below write any questions youhave about this case. Do you understand what happened in the case? Were there any words that you didn’t understand?
- 15. Task 11 Complete the gaps in the timeline below
- 16. Post-War film Industry - 1948+ 1950s, Widescreen/3D vs TV AfterWorldWar II, an improvedformof black-and-white TV broadcastingbecame popularinthe UnitedStatesandBritain,and televisionsetsbecamecommonplace inhomes,businesses,and institutions. One consequence of thiswasthataudienceschanged theirhabitsandreducedthe amountof time theyspentat cinemas. To entice audiencesback,studioshadtodeveloptechnologyto make the cinemaexperience more appealingthanwatchingTV at home. In the 1950s filmproducerscontinuedtodevelopnew waysof expandingthe viewingexperienceinresponsetothe rise of televisionownership. 3Dand Widescreenpresentationsbecame popular. WidescreenwasalsoknownasSuperscope. Task 12 Watch this film trailer from 1953 that promotes a 3D film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vl1exNDg4o How would3D and widescreenfilmsappeal toaudiences?How dotheyimprove the cinema experience?
- 17. Late 1950s, Handheld Revolution Until the late 1950s, cameras were all static and often stood on tripods meaning that filmmakers couldn’t walk around with the actors or action. In the late 1950s, the continued developments in camera technology allowed for smaller and smaller cameras to become available to film-makers. The French ‘new wave’ and documentary makers used this to their advantage. One downside of this was that some camera work could be jumpy and so inventors continued to explore how to make a moving camera that created a smooth shot. Task 13 Watch this clip on Brilliant Moments of Camera Movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2c3JZ6X3f8 Researchandlist5 camera movementsthatdirectorsuse toaddmeaningtotheirfilms. For example,trackingshot…
- 18. 1970s, The Steadicam In the 1970s, Steadicam technology, pioneered by Garrett Brown, allowed the camera to roam whilst maintaining a fluid and smooth movement. Task 14 Read this article on Garrett Brown and the invention of the Steadicam and answer the questions: https://photobite.uk/story-steadicam-interview-garrett-brown/ What year was the Steadicam invented? What was it originally named? Name four films that were enhanced by Garrett’s invention of the Steadicam.
- 19. Which brings up back to where we started… 1990s, The Rise of the Machines The 1990s saw an explosion in the use of computer generated imagery, pioneered by Industrial Light and Magic back in the late 1970s and 1980s. Filmed, practical, special effects took a backseat to post-production computer generated imagery. Task 15 Watch this clip of early CGI from 1985: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOsxXi-tu_U Then watch a few minutes of this clip of Top 10 best CGI from this decade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwbXYySYwbc It’scome a longway! Explain what each of these terms mean: GCI – Green Screen – Chroma key – Special effects – Post-production –
- 20. Test your knowledge Use the following tasks to test and revise your knowledge. Name the year 1. First moving images (Lumière brothers) [1] 2. Development of silent cinema from early short films to full-length feature films [1] 3. Gradual emergence of a vertically integrated Hollywood film industry, established by 1930 into five major studios [1] 4. Alan Crosland's, The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson - the first feature film with a soundtrack [1] 5. Rouben Mamoulian's Becky Sharp, the Technicolor Corporation's first feature length, 'three strip' colour film [1] 6. Paramount court case which prevented studios from owning all phases of the production, distribution and exhibition process [1] 7. Emergence of widescreen and 3D technologies [1] 8. Lightweight, portable cameras were produced suitable for hand-held use [1] 9. Steadicam technology developed by cinematographer Garrett Brown [1] 10. More widespread use of computer-generated imagery, most significantly pioneered by Industrial Light and Magic [1]
- 21. Make your own Timeline Cut out the events below, match them with their image and glue them on to paper to create your own timeline. Remember to put them in the correct chronological order.