EOTO: Motion Pictures

 Movies have become a staple in our lives. We go to the theaters, we rent them, we stream them, we catch them on live TV, etc. However, movies haven't even been around for that long. A Trip to the Moon (1902) is widely recognized as the first motion picture but, in 1888 Louis Le Prince filmed a 3-second clip known as the Roundhay Garden Scene. Louis Le Prince actually filmed several short clips in Leeds, England in 1888 and was set to debut them in New York City two years later. However, Le Prince disappeared in France before the exhibition and his work remained little known for decades. 

The same year Le Prince was supposed to debut his work in motion pictures William Dickson unveiled the Kinetograph, a primitive motion picture camera. In 1892 he and Thomas Edison announced the invention of the Kinetoscope, a machine that could project the moving images onto a screen. Two years later in 1894, Thomas Edison initiated public film screenings in recently-opened "Kinetograph Parlors.". Because of this Dickson and Edison have widely gained recognition for initiating the transition to motion pictures despite Louis Le Prince’s strides. Finally, in 1906 we got the first full-length feature film which was titled The Story of Kelly Gang and premiered in Australia. In 1908 A Visit to the Seaside successfully became the first in-color motion picture by using the Kinemacolor process process. The Kinemacolor process involved utilizing red and green filters on alternating frames to simulate color. Almost 20 years later in 1927 The Jazz Singer was released by Warner Brothers and it became the first feature-length film to incorporate synchronized sound for dialogue. By 1928 every major theater in the United States had been wired for sound and by 1929 75% of all motion pictures were being produced with sound. 

In the early 1950s colorized motion pictures become a staple and black and white film was phased out. It took so long to become “the norm” because colorizing motion pictures started out extremely expensive. The first use of CGI (computer-generated imagery) was in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 film Vertigo however, CGI was not mainstream until the 80s. In 1982 Tron incorporated lengthy sequences of entirely computer-generated imagery a then-unprecedented 15 minutes’ worth of nothing but CGI which popularized it heavily. 13 years later Toy Story became the first fully computer-animated feature film. 3D film premiered for the first time in 1922 but similarly to CGI, the technology did not become popular until the 1950s. The 50s is often referred to as the golden age for 3D films but 3D actually hit the height of its success in 2009 with the release of Avatar in 3D. The first movie shown in 4DX was Journey to the Center of the Earth in 2008 but the technology only started gaining traction the following year when Avatar also premiered in 4DX.

The impact of motion pictures has been significant, not only have motion pictures created a form of entertainment for humans they’ve also become educational. Films can reflect social issues and cultural beliefs which has in turn led to society becoming more progressive. Motion pictures can also invoke emotions from the viewer which has led to the use of films as a therapeutic tool. Films can have their downsides though, sometimes movies include harmful stereotypes about race, religion, sexual orientation, etc. and the rise of Horror films has led to a glamorization of violence, studies also support that vulnerable individuals may mimic criminal behavior seen in films.