History of Narrative Film Part I — Comprehensive Notes
Pre-Cinema: Illusion and Moving Images Before Film
Early devices created the illusion of motion, laying groundwork for motion perception and storytelling:
The Magic Lantern: A 17th-century projection device attributed to Christiaan Huygens; used a light source, lens, and glass slides to project images.
Flip Books: Simple animation using sequential illustrations; rapid flipping creates motion via persistence of vision.
The Zoetrope: A cylindrical drum with inner images and slits; spinning creates movement (term means “wheel of life”); popularized by Lincoln’s definitive zoetrope (1865).
Photography: Captured single moments, enabling the concept of motion pictures through rapid sequencing.
Chronophotography: Recording successive phases of motion, foundational for motion analysis and cinema.
Muybridge (1830–1904): Pioneered motion studies with sequential photographs, as seen in The Horse in Motion (1872).
Etienne-Jules Marey (1830–1904): Advanced chronophotography with devices like the chronophotographic gun, capturing up to 1212 shots per second for human and animal locomotion analysis.
Pioneers and Early Motion Picture Inventions
Thomas Edison (1847–1931) and William Kennedy Dickson:
The Kinetograph: The first practical motion picture camera (patented 1891, mass-produced 1893); captured moving images on flexible film, originally intended for synchronized sound.
The Kinetoscope: A peep-show device for individual viewing of film loops (first public reveal 1894); established early film consumption in the U.S.
The Vitascope: Edison’s projection device for larger audiences (introduced 1896); aimed to rival the Cinématographe.
The Black Maria: Edison’s world’s first film studio; a small space with a retractable roof for natural light, where films were shot using the Kinetograph.
Lumière Brothers (Auguste and Louis Lumière):
The Cinématographe: A lightweight, portable device combining camera, projector, and printer; a pivotal shift to mobile imaging.
1895 Public Screening: Held at Le Grand Café in Paris, marking the first paying audience experience of motion pictures.
Impact: Demonstrated commercial viability, quick financial success (e.g., 3535 francs earnings, 7,0007,000 weekly moviegoers at 11 franc admission); enabled both recording and projection.
Early Cross-National Adoption:
Mexico: Salvador Toscano Barragán (1872–1947) established Mexico’s first movie theater (1896) and produced Don Juan Tenorio (1898), its first narrative film.
Japan: Shibata Tsunekichi (1850–1929) filmed ghost stories like Bake Jizo (1898) and Shinin no sosei (1898); Momijigari (1899) is the oldest existing Japanese film. Tsunekichi also documented the Boxer Rebellion (1900) using Lumière technology.
Australia: Marius Sestier (1861–1928) screened Lumière films, paving the way for Charles Tait’s The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906), the world’s first multi-reel feature-length film. Sestier also helped lay foundations for Indian cinema.
The Rise of Narrative and Early Film Stories
Narrative vs. Non-Narrative: Early films evolved from non-narrative slice-of-life scenes (e.g., Workers Leaving The Lumière Factory) to structured storytelling.
The Kiss (1896, Edison Studios): A 20-second film that sparked public curiosity and controversy due to its intimacy.
The Sprinkler Sprinkled (1895, Louis Lumière): One of the earliest comedies with a structured plot arc (beginning, middle, end); its title poster is considered among the earliest film posters.
Blacksmith Scene (1893, Edison’s Black Maria): Often described as the first narrative film, depicting three men working and drinking; debate exists on whether it constitutes a true narrative due to minimal plot.
Theoretical critique: A true narrative typically involves plot, characters, suspense, conflict, and theme.
The Founders of Narrative Cinema and Women Pioneers
Alice Guy-Blaché (1873–1968):
A pioneering filmmaker, the first woman to direct a film; worked at Gaumont (1896) and became a leading figure.
The Fairy of the Cabbages (1896): One of the earliest narrative fiction films and possibly the first fantasy film (the 1896 film is lost, but a 1900 remake exists as a still).
Georges Méliès (1861–1938):
Key in popularizing narrative cinema in France; known for imaginative, fantastical storytelling and innovative special effects; produced over 500 films.
Editing Innovations: Discovered the jump cut accidentally; pioneered double exposure and dissolves.
A Trip to the Moon (1902): A landmark in narrative and fantasy cinema, considered among the earliest science fiction films; used hand-coloring of frames; depicted a lunar expedition with a 30-scene structure; satirized militant nationalism.
Piracy and Financial Precarity: Faced piracy from Edison’s lab, leading to financial hardship and eventually burning hundreds of prints in despair (1914).
D.W. Griffith (1875–1948):
A transformative filmmaker who codified many visual storytelling and editing techniques (close-ups, cross-cutting, narrative editing).
The Birth of a Nation (1915): Celebrated for its technical innovation but condemned for its racist content and propaganda.
Cecil B. DeMille (1881–1959):
Major figure known for epic, large-scale productions and emphasis on spectacle; a founding father of American cinema’s blockbuster approach.
Lois Weber (1879–1939):
A significant female director, writer, producer, and actor; tackled social issues (poverty, inequality, drug use, contraception, capital punishment, religious hypocrisy).
Regarded as an auteur and a pioneering female voice, becoming Universal’s top director.
Early Screenwriting, Prototypes, and Continuity
The Great Train Robbery (1903): A landmark film for narrative cinema and cross-cutting; popular and profitable; based on a stage play.
Proto-screenplay: Had a document resembling a screenplay, serving as a promotional outline for exhibitors rather than a production blueprint.
This excerpt (e.g., from Satan McAllister’s Heir, 1914) illustrates early script layout with numbered scenes and shot-by-shot notes.
Innovations: Contributed to developing continuity editing and narrative pacing through cross-cutting and location shooting.
Studio Systems, Production Management, and Continuity Scripts
Thomas H. Ince (1880–1924):
Pivotal in creating modern Hollywood production practices; often called the father of the Western.
Inceville (1904–1918): A self-contained studio with multiple stages; pioneered an assembly-line model using production units, predefined shooting scripts, and Ince’s final cut supervision.
The Continuity Script: A screenplay providing explicit shot-by-shot instructions to coordinate multiple production units, control costs, and schedule. It allowed studios to standardize production and control the final product, departing from individual authorial control.
Narrative Length, Feature Films, and Serial Culture
From Short to Longer Formats:
Early films were typically under a reel, equating to about 1515 minutes of screen time (e.g., The Sprinkler Sprinkled at 4949 seconds; A Trip to the Moon and The Great Train Robbery exceeded 10 minutes but were not feature-length).
Nickelodeons (1905–1913): 5-cent admission parlors for short films and vaudeville acts; gradually displaced by the rise of feature films.
The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906, Australia): First multi-reel feature-length narrative film (over an hour); important for demonstrating audience appetite for longer formats, despite controversy.
Embrace of Feature-length Storytelling: Initial skepticism about longer films faded; by 1915, the U.S. produced over 600600 feature films annually.
Film Serials and Episodic Storytelling: Popular from the 1910s–1950s, known as cliffhangers; kept audiences returning; influenced later radio and television.
Pearl White (1889–1938): Queen of the Serials, known for stunts and action; an international star.
The Perils of Pauline (1914) and The Exploits of Elaine (1914): Landmark American silent serials; significant box office successes; the latter earned over a million dollars and is in the U.S. National Film Registry.
The Wharton siblings (Ted and Leo): Prolific serial producers (1913–1919), working from their Ithaca, New York studio.
Thematic and Ethical Dimensions in Early Cinema
Narrative vs. Ethics and Representation:
Tension between innovation and problematic content, such as The Birth of a Nation's advanced technique with racist ideology.
Lois Weber’s socially conscious films used cinema for social critique, challenging censorship.
Gender and Authorship:
Alice Guy-Blaché and Lois Weber represent early female leadership in directing and production, demonstrating opportunities for women to influence cinema.
Piracy, Capital, and Labor:
Méliès faced piracy from Edison’s distribution, highlighting the economic fragility of early filmmakers and power struggles among studios.
Technological and Organizational Transitions:
Shift from individual auteur shoots to studio-based, assembly-line production (continuity scripts, unit production management) reshaped film creation.
Key Technical and Conceptual Takeaways for the Exam
Early Illusion and Perception: Pre-cinema devices demonstrated persistence of vision as central to perceiving motion from sequential images.
Core Technologies and Milestones:
Kinetograph (camera), Kinetoscope (peep-show), Vitascope (projection) marked the transition to public cinema.
Cinématographe (Lumière brothers) combined camera, projector, and printer, enabling portable public screenings and mass distribution.
Narrative Development and Editing Innovations:
Cross-cutting, close-ups, and scene sequencing evolved for storytelling (D.W. Griffith’s work).
Edwin S. Porter (The Great Train Robbery) advanced continuity editing, moving camera storytelling, and suspenseful cross-cutting.
Industry Structure and Production Management:
Ince’s assembly-line studio system and continuity scripts formalized production, marking a shift to centralized studio control.
Global Diffusion and Cultural Impact:
Global pioneers established a shared film vocabulary, with national cinemas (Mexico, Japan, Australia) diversifying storytelling.
Ethical and Cultural Dimension: Early cinema's capacity to shape attitudes is evident (e.g., Birth of a Nation's racism vs. Lois Weber’s social critiques), alongside progress in gender representation.
Quantitative References and Milestones:
Lumière screenings: 18951895
1-reel film length: ≈15≈15 minutes
The Sprinkler Sprinkled duration: 4949 seconds
The Kiss duration: 2020 seconds
The Great Train Robbery release: 19031903
Lumière weekly attendance: ≈7,000≈7,000 moviegoers; admission price 11 franc; initial revenue 3535 francs
Roundhay Garden Scene (Louis Le Prince): filmed 18881888; length 2.112.11 seconds
US feature films by 1915: >600>600 per year
Marey’s chronophotographic gun: 1212 shots per second
A Trip to the Moon scenes: up to 3030
Hand-coloring: used prior to color film stock (e.g., 1902 film era)
Connections to Broader Course Themes: The arc from magic to narrative cinema reflects shifts in media technology, storytelling, and industry economics. The evolution traces how narrative, production, and global exchange shape media culture.
Enduring Questions for Reflection:
How did early narrative films balance spectacle vs. substance, and what made stories engaging without modern writing conventions?
How did gender and race shape early cinema, and how did filmmakers like Lois Weber and Alice Guy-Blaché challenge or reinforce norms?
How did studio-based production alter creative freedom and authorial voice?
Summary of Key Figures, Works, and Dates (quick reference)
The Magic Lantern: Origins in 17th century; attributed to Christiaan Huygens.
Flip Books: Early animation device, demonstrating persistence of vision.
The Zoetrope: 1865 definitive version by William Ensign Lincoln; “wheel of life.”
Muybridge: The Horse in Motion, 1872; pioneered motion study via sequential photographs.
Marey: Chronophotographic gun; up to 12 shots per second.
Louis Le Prince: Roundhay Garden Scene (1888); early moving image pioneer.
Edison/Dickson: Kinetograph (camera, 1891), Kinetoscope (peep-show, 1894).
Lumière Brothers: Cinématographe; public screening 1895; started mass cinema.
Early Narrative Films: The Kiss (1896); The Sprinkler Sprinkled (1895); Blacksmith Scene (1893).
Alice Guy-Blaché: The Fairy of the Cabbages (1896); first narrative fiction and early female director.
Georges Méliès: Pioneered jump cuts, special effects; A Trip to the Moon (1902).
The Great Train Robbery (1903): Advanced cross-cutting, narrative progression; proto-screenplay.
D.W. Griffith: Known for close-ups, cross-cutting; Birth of a Nation as a controversial but technically influential film.
Cecil B. DeMille: Known for grand-scale epics; “founding father” of Hollywood spectacle.
Lois Weber: Avant-garde female auteur; made socially conscious films.
The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906): First multi-reel feature; Australian cinema landmark.
Thomas H. Ince: Developed the studio system with Inceville and continuity scripts; shifted production toward studio control.
Early Industry Power Dynamics: The Lumière, Edison, and Méliès conflict over piracy and credit.
Rise of World Cinema: Mexican, Japanese, Australian pioneers shaped early national narratives.