Early days: the magic lantern
Since its early days, the evolution of the art of film has been influenced by the development of science. Several scientists in the 18th century (amongst them Kircher, Huygens and Fontana) developed devices that used hand-drawn pictures on a reflecting surface, a candle and a simple lens to project images onto a wall. These devices are what are now referred to as magic lanterns.
More than a hundred years later, in 1798 in Paris, Etienne Gaspar Robert’s magic lantern presentations were the talk of the town. His audience sat on one side of a transparent screen while he sat on the other with his magic lantern. He regularly succeeded in scaring his enthusiasm.
Audiences with images of witches, ghosts and other spooky creatures. He created these images by using various technical tricks such as moving the lantern, using a shutter to create fading effects and changing the focus. In many ways, his shows were the forerunner of modern horror films.
The invention of film
The late 19th century saw the development of reel film. At first it was made of paper and then, later, of a scientific invention called celluloid. In the USA, Thomas Edison and William Dickenson invented a camera that automatically took a picture of a moving object every half second. The pictures were then transferred onto film and could be watched through a machine called the kinetoscope. The film could only be watched by one person at a time, looking through a small window to see the moving images.
The next step in the evolution of film was when brothers Augste and Louis Lumiere developed the cinematographe, which made it possible to take moving pictures and project large images. This used the same lens technology as that which had been developed for the magic lantern. They started producing short films that were all roughly 50 seconds long. The most famous one was The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station. It is said that when the film was shown for the first time, the audience was so startled by the huge image of the train coming towards them that they started to scream and run away.
Hollywood
The 1920s were the most important years for the development of modern film. In that period, film studios came into existence and “stars” were born. The film industry began to flourish, with Hollywood becoming the world;s number one place for film production, with over 800 films being made there each year. The 1930s are often called the Golden Era of Hollywood, which is famous for the development of the first talkies (up to then all films had been silent), documentaries and also Western films.
These days, of course, modern cinema audiences are used to state-of-the-art computer generated imagery (CGI) to bring fantastical worlds and unbelievable realistic creatures onto the screen in stunning 3D. It’s sometimes difficult to see how it can be improved upon. But as science and technology continue to develop at lightning speed, we can assume that our cinematic experience will continue to get better and better.
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