Early Cinema - UoM-Communication Studies · 2014-02-03 · Early cinema (1905-1912) After 1905 –...
Transcript of Early Cinema - UoM-Communication Studies · 2014-02-03 · Early cinema (1905-1912) After 1905 –...
Early Cinema
Reference used:
Film History: An IntroductionSecond edition
Kristin ThompsonDavid BordwellMcGraw-Hill
International Edition2003
Film genres
Conventions of genre = complex contractual events between the film maker and the viewer - expectations on:
− Kinds of stories− Kinds of characters and settings− Particular styles and cinematic elements
Some genres fade or die, some come back (epics, westerns...)
Early cinema (1905-1912)
After 1905 – expansion and stabilisation of film industry
− permanent theatres− expanded production to meet increasing demand− new important producing countries like Italy & Denmark− other countries: emergence of film making on small scale− films become longer with more shots & more complex
stories− exploration of new narrative techniques
French film industry
France still largest producer – rapid expansion in 1905-06
Workers win shorter work week -> more time for leisure & entertainment
Pathé Frères vs Gaumont − Pathé – 3 studios with vertical integration (from
manufacture of cameras, projectors, film stock to theatres) & horizontal integration (studios in Italy, Russia & US) – largest company in 1906 – introduced newsreels
Film d'Art company (1908): Assassinat du Duc de Guise
Italian film industry Later start (1905) but rapid growth Poaching from French industry – imitations / remakes
of French movies (Cines company - 1905) Rapid expansion of exhibition with permanent theatres Cinema won respect as new art form earlier Art films – Ambrosio company: The Last Days of
Pompeii (1908) 1910: Italian industry second to France worldwide Among the first to use more than one reel -> long,
expensive epics
− The Last Days of Pompeii (1908)
Danish film industry 1906: Ole Olsen – Nordisk (NY branch in 1908:
Great Northern) 1907: Lion Hunt 1908: started building four glass studios for
indoor production International reputation for excellent acting &
production values Specialised in crime thrillers, dramas,
sensationalistic melodramas...
Other countries England: Cecil Hepworth's production company –
Rescued by Rover (1905): big international hit Japan: earliest systematic production in 1908 –
kabuki plays in static long shots Germany: industry started flourishing in 1913 Russia: domination of Pathé (1909-1911: Moscow
branch produced half of films)
American film industry Concentration on domestic market - struggle for
power between US companies - flood of European films
1905-1907: rapid multiplication of theatres (small stores with < 200 seats) – Nickelodeons
Warner Bros, Carl Laemmle (Universal), Louis B. Mayer (MGM), Adolph Zukor (Paramount), William Fox started as nickelodeon exhibitors
1907-1908: control through litigation− Since 1897, Edison sued competitors for patent
infringement− 1907: Edison vs. AM&B (American Mutoscope &
Biograph)
A nickelodeon
Social pressures & self-censorship
Religious groups & social workers critical of nickelodeons seen as training ground for prostitution & robbery
1908: brief closure of NY nickeleodons by mayor + creation of local censorship boards in several towns
1909: Board of Censorship (private body to forestall passing of censorship laws) – voluntary submission of films for approval notice
Attempt to release more respectable films appealing to middle and upper classes
From 1908: building or conversion into larger theatres
− Musical accompaniments, ornate decorations, occasional educational lectures for more refined atmosphere
1909 – Rise of feature films (multi-reel) Rise of star actors through public demand 1910: companies started exploiting popular actors
for publicity 1911: first fan magazine (The Motion Picture Story
Magazine) – sale of photo postcards 1914: films start including credits
Mary Pickford
Moving to Hollywood
First film companies: New Jersey & New York Outdoor shooting favoured sunnier climes (Florida) 1910's: Los Angeles established as major production
centre + suburb Hollywood From small open-air stages to sizable complexes
with large enclosed studios & numerous depts Head offices remained in NY By 1920's Hollywood = 800 feature films annually
(82% of global total)
1908: cooperation between Edison & AM&B – created the MPPC (Motion Pictures Patents Company) – Edison owns Black Maria Studios
Strict restriction of imported films (Pathé, Méliès, Kleine, etc. were allowed) – decline in share of foreign films
Oligopoly over all 3 phases (production, distribution & exhibition) – all actors pay fees
1909-1915: Independents fight back – 2000 theatres refused to pay fees (out of 8000) – market for independents
1909: Laemmle turns in licence and creates Independent Motion Picture Company – later Universal
Series of lawsuits of MPPC against nearly all independent producers
Early film making
Silent era: 1895-1927 (use of intertitles)− Edwin S. Porter -> editing technique (basic unit = shot)
The Great Train Robbery (1903)− D.W. Griffith --> jump-cut, facial close-up - The Birth of
a Nation (1915)− Comedies --> Chaplin's The Tramp (1915) The Kid
(1921), Keaton's SteamBoat Bill Jr (1928)− Fantastic films (Murnau's Nosferatu (1922) & Faust
(1926))− Epics (Ben Hur (1907), 10 Commandments (1923))
The Great Train Robbery
The Birth of a Nation
DW GriffithD.W. Griffith
Nosferatu
Slapstick comedies
Attraction to slapstick comedies (physical interaction of human body with objects, others and world)
Two styles / cinematic worlds: Keaton / Chaplin− Buster Keaton (outdoor shooting, mise en scene in
generous space) Steamboat Bill Jr, 1928− Charlie Chaplin (studio shooting, mise en scene reduced
often to himself) Modern Times, 1936
Buster Keaton
Charlie ChaplinCharlie Chaplin
Hollywood studio system
Self-contained film making factories with sets of employees:
− writers, directors, actors, set decorators, electricians, etc. Economy of the visible--> organised, rationalised,
commodity-driven form of production, studio hierarchy
Reliance on audience's alleged willingness to view products
Hollywood studio system(1920-40)
Hollywood studio boss + financial officers in New York
They chose stars and stories (books, plays, scripts) to give to producers
Producers assigned writers, director & crew Use of storyboards, sets, etc. All execute a plan in precise, piecemeal fashion to
avoid mistakes, manage time and control costs