The History of Film & TVRAM 2013

Agenda

Grade Trivia Best/Worst Films AFI Top 100 and Best Picture Winners of

Last 10 years History of Film

As you watch the clip…

Write down anything you notice from an analytical perspective – How do the filmmakers use techniques to tell a story?

The Birth of Film

1861 – Coleman Sellers patents the Kinematoscope – projects photos by flashing them rapidly on screen.

1890s – Thomas Alva Edison puts up a shack (“The Black Maria”) that becomes the world’s first movie studio

More Birthing

1895 - French Lumiere Brothers introduce cinematographe (printer, camera, projector) and organize first public performance of motion pictures

Example: The Sprinkler Sprinkled) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HVj7kezK98&noredirect=1› Prepare to be amazed…!

Birth is a LONG Process

1903 – Edwin Porter produced first major American film, The Great Train Robbery.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc7wWOmEGGY› Let’s watch a clip

First film to have a beginning, middle and end (progression from movies about sneezes and train arrivals)

The Purpose of Movies…

To tell stories to a mass audience

Visual Storytelling Focus on realism, action, compelling

plots The Birth of a Nation – 1915 – D.W.

Griffith – controversial Civil War film that pulled filmmaking together as an art form (close-ups, long shots, alternating close-ups, etc.)

Shifts in Industry

Move to The Hills (Hollywood, LA) 50% of films produced world-wide

came from here in 1914 Studios set up by independent

producers system

The Formation of the UA

1919 – United Artists Corporation and star› Producers and distributers tightening

salaries and creativity of stars.› So the film stars formed their own

company to control their work and their futures.

› Founders: Mary Pickford Charles Chaplin Douglas Fairbanks D.W.Griffith

Shifts in Industry

Stars over film 1926, 1927 - “Talkies” – Films with

sound Changed visual expression SO much

that some directors were hesitant to use sound

The Jazz Singer – first feature-length “talkie”

1920s also brought color – The Black Pirate, Gone with the Wind, Wizard of Oz.

Visual Storytelling

First movie star…any guesses?

Charlie Chaplin!

Other stars that popularized film

Judy Garland

Marilyn Monroe

Mary Pickford

Studios

Large studios failed – too much $$$ 1930s and 1940s – desire to attract

MASS audience› Bland films› NOTHING objectionable

1950s – Communist paranoia invades Hollywood› Black lists› Witch hunts

Competition *Pick up here Monday, 12/2.

TV a major rival – Americans can be entertained without leaving home

To compete – films turn to sex and violence – topics banned from TV

The Birds and A Streetcar Named Desire had more adult themes

TV Movies of the Week – film industry realizes they can use TV for $

Film begins marketing TV; TV buys previously released movies

1960s and 1970s

Counter culture reflects in movies VCR Cable TV and HBO Celebrity magazines Theater chains Younger audiences

1980s-today First Blockbuster Video, Netflix, On Demand DVDS Pixar creates first short film – big step for

animation HUGE mergers (Sony buys Columbia and Tri-

Star, Warner merges with Time, Disney buys Miramax, Turner merges with New Line)

Dolby Stereo Digital Sound IMAX HDTV Illegal downloading

Looking ahead

Monday, you’ll start learning about mise en scene, a VERY important film concept, and we’ll watch a Tim Burton film in mid-December.