Task 1 - Editing in early Cinema

Task one - Editing in early Cinema

Editing has changed and developed dramatically since the early 1900's, this is due to film editors such as Thomas Edison who invented the kinetoscope. This was made so that people could see moving pictures infront of their eyes, Thomas also invented the 35mm film strip which is still used today. Thomas Edison eventually invented a projector to play the film on.

Edison also worked with the Lumiere brothers, and they both produced short films that were one long, static, looked-down shot. Motion is the shot was at that was necessary to amuse an audience, so the first films simply showed activity such as traffic moving on the city street.
This can be seen in the film (sortie d'usine) in 1895 by the Lumiere brothers.

The Lumiere Brothers

George Melies: George Melies was a magician who had seen the films made by the Lumiere Brothers. Melies saw the possibilities o a novelty more than just motion its self. 

He acquired a camera, built a studio, wrote a script and designed sets and exploited camera tricks. 

Because of Melies editing became apart of nearly every film made after he created the vanishing lady

Soon after move film makers started to make
films, an example of one film maker is G.A. Smith. In 1899 G.A. Smith made (The kiss in the Tunnel). This film is said to mark the start of narrative editing (creating a story). Smith felt that some extra spice was called for in the popular (phantom ride) genre. He took advantage on a set of darkness as they went into the tunnel to splice (cut and then stick two pieces of film together.

G.A. Smith

Edwin S. Porter:  Edwin worked as an electrician before joining the film lab of Thomas Edison in the late 1890's. He and Edison worked together to make longer and more interesting films. 

Porter made the break through film life of an American fireman in 1903. 

The film was among the first that had a plot, action and even a close up of a hand pulling a fire alarm.

Porter discovered important aspects of motion picture language, that the screen image does not need show a complete person from head to toe.

The splicing together two shots creates in the viewers mind a contextual relationship. 

These were the key discoveries that made all narrative motion pictures and television possible. 

Porter is also know for producing the film (The Great Train Robbery)

The things which are good about the great train robbery is that the film is very long considering the lengths of some other films which are about 1 minute long, this shows that Porter spend a lot of time getting the film perfect 

Charles Pathe:  In 1907 Charles Pathe cheated the Film (The horse that bottled). Pathe introduces the first example of a technique known as parallel editing. (cutting between two story lines). 

Charles Pathe was a french pioneer of the film and recording industries. In 1894 Pathe created (Pathe records). 

D.W. Griffith: Griffith was a US film director, he was a early supporter of the power of editing. He made use of cross-cutting to show parallel actions in different locations. 

Griffith's work was highly regarded by many and greatly influenced the early film makers understanding of editing.