History of Motion Pictures: Key Terms from Silent Era to Soviet Montage

Vocabulary flashcards covering key people, devices, terms, and movements related to the history of early cinema and Soviet montage.

Persistence of vision

Theory that an image remains briefly in the visual system after it disappears, helping to create the illusion of motion in film.

Frames per second (fps)

The number of individual frames shown each second; standard film uses about 24 fps.

Hannibal Goodwin

Inventor who developed an emulsion-based film for motion pictures in the 1880s–1890s.

Emulsion

The light-sensitive layer on film where the image is recorded; typically sits on a base.

Film stock

The base material with an emulsion used to record motion pictures; mass-produced by manufacturers like Eastman Kodak.

Eastman Kodak

Company founded by George Eastman that popularized and produced motion picture film stock.

George Eastman

Inventor and entrepreneur who popularized roll film and founded Kodak.

Edward Muybridge

Photographer famous for The Horse in Motion, a key chronophotography study of movement.

Chronophotography

A technique that captures successive phases of motion in a sequence of photographs.

Louis Le Prince

Early pioneer who created one of the first motion pictures and built an early moving-picture camera.

Thomas Edison

American inventor who helped develop early motion-picture technology and devices.

Kinetoscope

Coin-operated peep-show device for viewing moving pictures individually.

The Kiss

Early film example noted for a romantic kiss; part of the era’s experiments in motion pictures.

Serpentine Dance

Early film subject showing a serpentine dance, showcasing early motion-picture display of performance.

Sandow the Strongman

Popular strongman act captured on film as an example of early motion-picture subjects.

Dickson

William Kennedy Laurie Dickson, Edison’s collaborator who helped develop early motion-picture technology.

The Great Train Robbery (Porter)

Edwin S. Porter’s 1903 film often cited as a foundational narrative film with early editing.

Color timing

Process of tinting or coloring film to convey mood or time of day during post-production.

Lumière Brothers

Auguste and Louis Lumière; pioneers of Actualities and portable camera for outdoor shooting.

Actualities

Short documentary-style films depicting everyday life and events.

Workers Leaving the Factory

A famous Lumière Actuality showing workers exiting a factory.

Train Arriving at the Station

Another famous Lumière Actuality depicting a train’s arrival.

Cinematography

Art and technique of capturing moving images on film.

Over-the-Shoulder Shot (OTS)

A shot taken over a character’s shoulder, typically including part of their back and the scene partner.

2-shot

A shot that includes two characters.

3-shot

A shot that includes three characters.

Close-up (CU)

A tight shot, typically of a face or a distinct detail.

Medium Close-Up (MCU)

A shot between a close-up and a mid-shot, focusing on the head and shoulders.

Extreme Close-Up (XCU)

A very tight shot showing a small detail or portion of a subject.

Medium Shot (MS)

Shot from roughly the waist up, balancing subject and background.

Long Shot (LS)

Shot that includes the full subject and significant surrounding environment.

Extreme Long Shot (XLS)

Very distant shot establishing wide context or landscape.

Pan

Horizontal movement of the camera from side to side.

Tilt

Vertical movement of the camera up or down.

Dolly

Camera mounted on wheels that moves toward or away from a subject.

Georges Méliès

Illusionist-turned-filmmaker who treated film as theatre, using artificial sets and special effects.

A Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la Lune)

Méliès’s famous 1902 sci-fi fantasy known for groundbreaking special effects.

The Mermaid (Méliès)

Méliès film noted for its imaginative storytelling and effects.

The Impossible Voyage

Another Méliès film showcasing his pioneering cinematic tricks.

The Four Troublesome Heads

Méliès film exploring illusion and multiplicity through editing and props.

Edwin S. Porter

American filmmaker who expanded narrative storytelling in film; director of The Great Train Robbery.

Movie Palaces

Grand cinema venues opened in the 1910s–1920s that housed large audiences.

The Strand

One of the first large movie palaces in New York, emblematic of the era’s cinema expansion.

Studio system

Industry model in which studios controlled production, distribution, and talent.

Florence Lawrence

Early film star known as The Biograph Girl, a key figure in the rise of star power.

The Biograph Girl

Stage name for Florence Lawrence, emblematic of the era’s star system.

D. W. Griffith

Pioneering director credited with developing the grammar and rhythm of film editing.

Birth of a Nation

Griffith’s controversial 1915 film famous for advanced technique but criticized for racial propaganda.

Intolerance

Griffith’s 1916 film paralleling multiple stories to critique prejudice and censorship.

United Artists

Studio founded in 1919 by Griffith, Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks to control their work.

Charlie Chaplin

Iconic silent-film star and co-founder of United Artists; known for physical comedy and social commentary.

Mary Pickford

Prominent silent-film actress and co-founder of United Artists; early film star.

Douglas Fairbanks

Aleading silent-film star and co-founder of United Artists; known for adventurous roles.

The Grammar of Film

Conceptual framework introduced by Griffith describing the building blocks of film language.

Cross-cutting

Editing technique that alternates between two or more actions in different places to build tension.

Montage (Soviet Montage)

A Soviet editing approach emphasizing rapid cutting and juxtapositions to convey meaning.

Lenin and cinema

Idea that cinema would be a tool for social messages and state influence in the Soviet Union.

Goskino (Sovkino)

Soviet state body governing film production and distribution.

VGIK (Moscow Institute of Cinematography)

Founded in 1919, Russia’s first film school; central to Soviet film education.

Battleship Potemkin

1925 Eisenstein film renowned for montage and the Odessa Steps sequence.

Odessa Steps

Iconic, heavily edited sequence in Potemkin symbolizing mass movement and rhythm.

Man with a Movie Camera

1929 Dziga Vertov film celebrated for its inventive documentary montage and portrayal of urban life.

Illiteracy in the Soviet Union

Context highlighting the need for visually driven, nonverbal cinema; emphasis on visual messaging.