Chapter 9 - Motion pictures. explain how the motion picture industry developed, describe how the studios dominated the industry, discuss how television affected the film industry and its audience, understand the implications that digital moviemaking holds for the industry, explain how the digital age is affecting film, describe the components of the movie industry and how a motion picture is produced. | Motion Pictures Chapter 9 © 2009, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. CHAPTER OUTLINE History of the Motion Picture Motion Pictures in the Digital Age Defining Features of Motion Pictures Organization of the Film Industry Ownership in the Film Industry Producing Motion Pictures Economics Feedback Movies at Home HISTORY OF THE MOTION PICTURE Motion pictures (including TV) are possible because of: Phi phenomenon (consecutive light sources appear to be single source that moves) Persistence of vision (see image for split second after it has disappeared) The Edison Lab Thomas Edison & William Dickson Edison thought profits would come from hardware sales Kinetoscope (1889) Camera and viewing device Sprocket-fed film Vitascope (1896) Edison’s projection-version Generated novelty interest, didn’t last The Nickelodeons Public interest rekindled when films began to be used to tell a story (narrative films) Stationary cameras (Melies’ A Trip to the Moon) . | Motion Pictures Chapter 9 © 2009, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. CHAPTER OUTLINE History of the Motion Picture Motion Pictures in the Digital Age Defining Features of Motion Pictures Organization of the Film Industry Ownership in the Film Industry Producing Motion Pictures Economics Feedback Movies at Home HISTORY OF THE MOTION PICTURE Motion pictures (including TV) are possible because of: Phi phenomenon (consecutive light sources appear to be single source that moves) Persistence of vision (see image for split second after it has disappeared) The Edison Lab Thomas Edison & William Dickson Edison thought profits would come from hardware sales Kinetoscope (1889) Camera and viewing device Sprocket-fed film Vitascope (1896) Edison’s projection-version Generated novelty interest, didn’t last The Nickelodeons Public interest rekindled when films began to be used to tell a story (narrative films) Stationary cameras (Melies’ A Trip to the Moon) Editing and movable cameras (Porter’s The Great Train Robbery) Nickelodeons: 50-90 seat theaters Demand for films soared New film studios were created Zukor and Griffith Introduced long films Adolph Zukor: Queen Elizabeth (4 reels) D. W. Griffith: 1915 Birth of a Nation (3 hours) In response to racist content, films targeting black audiences appeared The Realization of a Negro’s Ambition (George & Noble Johnson; 1916) Birth of the MMPC Motion Picture Patents Company (1908) Tried to restrict movie production and distribution to the 9 companies making up the MMPC Leading film and equipment makers pooled their patents Attempt backfired; independent producers and smaller filmmakers appeared By 1917, MMPC was powerless The Star System Independent studios capitalized on popularity of particular actors and actresses Florence Lawrence, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford United Artists: studio created by the stars Interest in stars led to longer movies and more comfortable theaters .
