A Small History of FilmOne of the most important contributions to the origin of film was made by Eadweard Muybridge in 1877. Hired to capture the movement of a racehorse on film, Muybridge devised an ingenious system that consisted of a series of wires that ran across the race track. Each wire was connected to a camera. So, when the horse tripped the wire, a photograph was taken. Muybridge then mounted the still photographs on a stroboscopic disk and projected the images using a magic lantern. Though the film images were not connected, as they later would be with roll film, the concept was the same. Eleven years later, world famous scientist Thomas Edison began experimenting with film after he attended a Muybridge lecture. However, the first major discovery was made by a member of his team, Laurie Dickson, who chose to use celluloid film instead of standard film. Celluloid was different because it was tough and supple and could be produced in long rolls, like those that will be used in the upcoming movie, The Hobbit. Using a camera called the Kinetograph that was designed by Edison, the young inventor shot a number of short films. But Edison refused to show these 15-second films to larger audiences because he felt the poor visual quality would not impress them. Instead, he marketed the Kinetoscope as a peep-hole viewing machine for single users who were interested in watching Dickson's moving pictures. In the end, Edison was so unimpressed with the Kinetograph that he failed to extend the patent rights. It was one of the few mistakes Edison would make in his illustrious career, as most early movie cameras were based on his design. |