The History of Motion Pictures

For this week's assignment, I was chosen to research the history of Motion Pictures. This was actually very exciting for me because I hope to someday write and produce a film of my own and am planning on going to get my masters in writing for film and television.

In one of my first Journalism classes, Video Production, we learned about the first film ever made, The Horse in Motion (1878) by Eadweard Muybridge.

The film was essentially just a series of photos that were made to be viewed rapidly to create the illusion of motion. It was made with a device called the zoetrope, which was created by Eadweard Muybridge as well. He also created the zoogyroscope in 1879, which projected his motion pictures to an audience.

It wasn't until ten years later that the first motion-picture showing consecutive action, not just a series of photos was made. The film was called The Roundhay Garden Scene.

In 1890 Thomas Edison and his assistant, William Dickson, created a device that could record moving pictures. The device was the Kinetograph.

Then in 1892, the duo announced the invention of the Kinetoscope, which projected moving images onto a screen. Edison began holding public film screenings in 1894 that were referred to as "Kinetograph Parlors".

It's so interesting to look back and see how far we have come. The things we can do now while creating a film are so incredible, but it all started with a series of photos showing a horse galloping.

The beauty of motion pictures is that they tell a story. No matter how simple, no matter how short or how long, they tell a story.

Film has become a way to express emotions or educate in a creative way. However, it's also paved the way for propaganda.

As Tom Sherak, President of the Oscars put it:

“Film is a reflection of society, both present, and past. I think the film and its innovations sometimes have to catch up to society but sometimes it leads society too… Movies are a form of communication and that communication, those stories, come from societies - no just where society is presently and what it’s doing now - but where society has been”