The Edison Company and Motion Pictures
By Laura T.
During the early 1890’s many middle-class Americans were regimented by the daily factory routine. According to Janette Thomas Greenwood and her book, The Gilded Age, she points out that there was shift in American culture, emphasizing a desire to engage in recreational activities (171). The newly developed cinematic experience offered Americans entertainment during their leisure time. The popularity of full-length films did not arise until the 1930’s with the creations from Walt Disney, however the history of motion picture technology became possible through the inventions of Thomas Edison. Thomas Edison and Company became an influential component in the development of motion picture technology and film production. Thomas Edison was one of the greatest inventors in history, and through his invention of the Kinetoscope and short films, he paved the way for future films and technological advances along with the increasing popularity of movie theatres.
Inventions
Before the invention of the Kinetoscope, the first machine patented in the United States that showed animated pictures was a device called the Zoopraxiscope. William Lincoln had patented this device in 1867. This device allowed for pictures to be watched through a hole in the machine, but was not very successful and soon came the invention of the Kinetoscope.
The Kinetoscope came to existence in October 1888. Edison believed this device would record and reproduce objects in motion, which would "do for the eye what the phonograph does for the ear." The name Kinetoscope was derived using the Greek words "kineto" meaning "movement" and "scopos" meaning "to watch." (1) The image illustrates the basic design of the Kinetoscope. It was a tall wooden box with a magnifying lens in the top. Inside the box the film, was a continuous band of approximately 50 feet, and as each frame passed under the lens, the shutter permitted a flash of light so brief that the frame appeared to be frozen. This rapid series of still frames appeared as a moving image. The invention allowed for Kinetoscope parlors to open throughout the states.
Films
The first motion picture shown in a theater to an America audience was on April 23, 1896, in New York City. Admission was twenty-five cents as viewers were treated to several short films within their cinematic debut. Nearly five hundred people became cinema's first major audience during the showing of the films. The earliest movie theatres were converted churches or halls, showing just ten to twelve minutes of film. (2) Unlike the films today that last two hours, ten minutes was all of the projector's reel capacity at the time.
Early films produced by the Edison Company during this period were actuality films. These short films were motion pictures taken of everyday life and events as they occurred. One of Edison's first motion picture and the first motion picture ever copyrighted showed his employee Fred Ott pretending to sneeze. During this brief five-second clip, the importance was not the content of the action, but the fact that the sequence of movement could be viewed. The Edison Company's actuality films contained scenes of local events such as scenic places, parades, expositions, and sporting events. By 1904, fiction films, as opposed to actualities, were becoming increasingly popular. The Edison Company also focused on contemporary social issues in fictional films that reflected the Progressive attitudes of the time. (3) Thomas Edison created hundreds of short film clips that can be viewed at the Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division.
Theatres
Shifting from the Kinetoscope parlors, new storefront theaters began to emerge. These theatres were called nickelodeons and first appeared in 1905. Nickelodeons featured films all day long. The theaters attracted a variety of people, including women and children, and the frequent showings allowed people to stop in almost anytime. However, by the end of 1907, entrepreneurs began to build movie theaters with greater seating capacities where larger audiences could see longer film productions. (4)
During the Gilded Age, the emergence of motion pictures in America was made possible through the inventions and works of Thomas Edison. The Kinetoscope device allowed a series of moving objects to become short film clips. The growth of film ideas and technology has obviously advanced drastically over time, yet its roots remain with the creation of the ten-minute motion reels. The Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division houses more than half a million moving image items, including feature films, shorts, serials, newsreels, cartoons, documentaries, educational films, television programs, and commercials. (5) The short clips available are quite interesting to see the beginning attempts to create films. The growth of movies has allowed Americans to engage in a leisure activity. Through the history of motion pictures and the innovations of Thomas Edison, we can attribute the birth of films to the innovations of the 1890’s.
Bibliography
1. Kinetoscope. Accessed May 6, 2006
2. History of Edison Motion Pictures. Accessed May 6, 2006
3. Edison Film Production. (1896-1900) Accessed May 6, 2006
4. Fictional Films Dominate as Nickelodeons Emerge. Accessed May 6, 2006
5. Moving Image Section--Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division. Accessed May 6, 2006
6. Thomas-Greenwood, Janette. The Gilded Age: A History in Documents. Oxford University
Press; New York, 2000.
During the early 1890’s many middle-class Americans were regimented by the daily factory routine. According to Janette Thomas Greenwood and her book, The Gilded Age, she points out that there was shift in American culture, emphasizing a desire to engage in recreational activities (171). The newly developed cinematic experience offered Americans entertainment during their leisure time. The popularity of full-length films did not arise until the 1930’s with the creations from Walt Disney, however the history of motion picture technology became possible through the inventions of Thomas Edison. Thomas Edison and Company became an influential component in the development of motion picture technology and film production. Thomas Edison was one of the greatest inventors in history, and through his invention of the Kinetoscope and short films, he paved the way for future films and technological advances along with the increasing popularity of movie theatres.
Inventions
Before the invention of the Kinetoscope, the first machine patented in the United States that showed animated pictures was a device called the Zoopraxiscope. William Lincoln had patented this device in 1867. This device allowed for pictures to be watched through a hole in the machine, but was not very successful and soon came the invention of the Kinetoscope.
The Kinetoscope came to existence in October 1888. Edison believed this device would record and reproduce objects in motion, which would "do for the eye what the phonograph does for the ear." The name Kinetoscope was derived using the Greek words "kineto" meaning "movement" and "scopos" meaning "to watch." (1) The image illustrates the basic design of the Kinetoscope. It was a tall wooden box with a magnifying lens in the top. Inside the box the film, was a continuous band of approximately 50 feet, and as each frame passed under the lens, the shutter permitted a flash of light so brief that the frame appeared to be frozen. This rapid series of still frames appeared as a moving image. The invention allowed for Kinetoscope parlors to open throughout the states.
Films
The first motion picture shown in a theater to an America audience was on April 23, 1896, in New York City. Admission was twenty-five cents as viewers were treated to several short films within their cinematic debut. Nearly five hundred people became cinema's first major audience during the showing of the films. The earliest movie theatres were converted churches or halls, showing just ten to twelve minutes of film. (2) Unlike the films today that last two hours, ten minutes was all of the projector's reel capacity at the time.
Early films produced by the Edison Company during this period were actuality films. These short films were motion pictures taken of everyday life and events as they occurred. One of Edison's first motion picture and the first motion picture ever copyrighted showed his employee Fred Ott pretending to sneeze. During this brief five-second clip, the importance was not the content of the action, but the fact that the sequence of movement could be viewed. The Edison Company's actuality films contained scenes of local events such as scenic places, parades, expositions, and sporting events. By 1904, fiction films, as opposed to actualities, were becoming increasingly popular. The Edison Company also focused on contemporary social issues in fictional films that reflected the Progressive attitudes of the time. (3) Thomas Edison created hundreds of short film clips that can be viewed at the Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division.
Theatres
Shifting from the Kinetoscope parlors, new storefront theaters began to emerge. These theatres were called nickelodeons and first appeared in 1905. Nickelodeons featured films all day long. The theaters attracted a variety of people, including women and children, and the frequent showings allowed people to stop in almost anytime. However, by the end of 1907, entrepreneurs began to build movie theaters with greater seating capacities where larger audiences could see longer film productions. (4)
During the Gilded Age, the emergence of motion pictures in America was made possible through the inventions and works of Thomas Edison. The Kinetoscope device allowed a series of moving objects to become short film clips. The growth of film ideas and technology has obviously advanced drastically over time, yet its roots remain with the creation of the ten-minute motion reels. The Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division houses more than half a million moving image items, including feature films, shorts, serials, newsreels, cartoons, documentaries, educational films, television programs, and commercials. (5) The short clips available are quite interesting to see the beginning attempts to create films. The growth of movies has allowed Americans to engage in a leisure activity. Through the history of motion pictures and the innovations of Thomas Edison, we can attribute the birth of films to the innovations of the 1890’s.
Bibliography
1. Kinetoscope. Accessed May 6, 2006
2. History of Edison Motion Pictures. Accessed May 6, 2006
3. Edison Film Production. (1896-1900) Accessed May 6, 2006
4. Fictional Films Dominate as Nickelodeons Emerge. Accessed May 6, 2006
5. Moving Image Section--Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division. Accessed May 6, 2006
6. Thomas-Greenwood, Janette. The Gilded Age: A History in Documents. Oxford University
Press; New York, 2000.
posted by Leslie Madsen-Brooks at 9:11 AM
4 Comments:
I found it very interesting to learn about the origin of films considering how large a part of our lives film can play. It is such a huge industry and there are millions spent per year on movies, production and for enjoyment, and yet it all started out as a short clip of movement since they reel could only hold a limited amount of pictures. I wonder thought, as it became popular how much did it chance society, when was the shift from theatre to films for entertainment, and did the people who made these films make a lot of money, was it lifes work or something just to do for fun?
Good post. As with all technology i think that people are always a little wary about engaging in new sorts of events and leisure activities. Do you know if the people who mostly went to see such films were the so called Youth or was it the privileged? It is also interesting in seeing how technology first serves a purpose such as transmitting information like the clips we saw today about body building and is later transformed into big business(as in the case with sports in 1890s and today). Because it was new technology, do you know if films had developed 'efficiency standards' or victorian values in what is appropiate (e.g. violence rating or things like that)?
I think its interesting that when film first appeared in the 1890s people were so interested in actuality films. It very much reminds me of how interested people are today in reality television. In the 1890s the technology of seeing something happen right before your eyes was probably what drew people to see the films, whereas today it seems people are trying to get away from the big-budget shows and are again interested in just seeing how other people are living their lives. I think it says something about American values; progress was much valued in the 1890s, but in this context leisure seems to be valued more today.
I like watching movies, and i really liked the educational background your post offers. Film is a huge factor in American economy, let alone the state of California. I think of Edision's invention along the lines of Bill Gates, "Microsoft Windows": everybody uses it. I'm suprised the technological innovation came so early as the 1890's. I believe Edison's invention late 19th century America another incentive to venture from their standard routine of work and home activities.
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