2. The cinema of attractions and early ‘primitive’ cinema
1896-1906
Pre-cinema – Muybridge’s Horse
Early cinema – Lumiere Brothers and their combined film
camera and projector
A time of rapid expansion of film industry
A time of huge shifts in film technology
Film a working class pastime
Mainly non-English speaking spectators
3. George Melies and the ‘cinema of attractions’
His trick films that would tour with Vauldeville acts around
the country
Film formed part of an evening’s entertainment that
included magicians, acrobats, dancers etc.
Early cinema recreated the theatre stage
Film terms like mise-en-scene come from the theatre
4. Films began to experiment with narrative and storytelling
Rescued by Rover (Hepworth, 1905) was the first film to use the
180 Degree Line of Action
The Lonedale Operator (Griffith, 1911) was the first film to use
parallel editing
These techniques allowed film makers to recreate classic
novels.
This then encouraged more middle class people to the cinema
(especially women)
Cinemas were built to look like theatres, with the classes
segregated – poor in the ‘pits’ the rich upstairs in the balcony.
