Unit 8: Task 4 - Technology

My micro teach presentation was about OLED TVs:

The video link http://www.lg.com/uk/lgoled/main.html

Film Technology Timeline:

Films are basically moving pictures, and in the 1830s this was first identified however at this time they were only an illusion however as technology improved and developed they became the films we know today.

1832:Joseph Plateau and his sons create the Phenakistoscope, it worked by pictures on one disc that when viewed through slots in another disc gave the illusion that the image was moving. The images on the disc were the same image with changes made to it, the illusion didn't last long as it took the whole disc to have enough images for the impression of movement therefore it was a repetitive movement so that it looked like it was going on for longer. This was the first try at animation and what shaped the basis of how hand drawn animation began. Similar to this is the Zoetrope which was introduced by William Horner however the images were on slots combined in a rotating drum, they were very popular.

Phenakistoscope

Zoetrope

During this time technology was developing in lots of different forms, mechanisms that would become important were advancing as well improvements and advancements in photograph production. As well other inventors produced illusion toys after the success of those mentioned above changing things to incorporate mirrors or changing the slots.

1878: Eadweard Muybridge successfully captured the movement of horse proving that a horse's hooves left the ground when it galloped. He used a series of cameras with trip wires connected to the shutters so that when the horse tripped the wire the camera took a photo. He then adapted the Zoetrope to produce his own to present his findings. This was ground breaking as the consecutive photos were unlike the images on the illusion toys as those were painted where as these were real. Because of this Etienne Jules Marey began his own experiment studying the flight of birds, this resulted in a photographic gun which exposed 12 images on the edge of a circular plate.  

Technology has gone from being experimental and fun toys to being used for educational and research purposes. Development continued in still photographs, with George Eastman introducing photographs on sensitised paper which was sold under the name Kodak. Marey was the first to use flexible film as he created a moving picture camera with an intermittent mechanism using strips of paper film.

1891: Thomas Edison and W.K.L Dickson demonstrated their Kinetograph which was a viewing box using Eastman film cut into inch wide strips with holes punched in either side of each frame allowing gears to pull the frame through the camera. Prior to this they had created the Kinetoscope which enabled one person at a time to view moving pictures.

This was the start of everything, this was the starting point of cameras for the film industry, they were improved upon however the concept and basic working was not changed.

1895: The Lumiere Brothers create a movie camera and projector capable of projecting an image that can be seen by many people, their first moving pictures were one of workers leaving the factory and one of a train. They were the first to be able to show a projected moving image to a paying audience of more than one person starting off what we know as cinemas today.

1905: Cooper Hewitt introduces mercury lamps allowing films to be shot inside  this meant that it became easier as weather would not factor into shooting and allowed films to have more of a narrative as numerous sets could become available indoors as opposed to external locations.

1906: The first animated cartoon is produced which has then changed the face of entertainment with numerous cartoons being around today and the ever so popular Disney Company who made a name for themselves and changed the world for children.

1911: Credits begin to appear at the beginning of films, as well as actors receiving screen credits as prior to this actors were anonymous. This was the creation of film stars which around today and bigger than ever.

1912: Universal Pictures is set up, they have created hundreds of films since still creating films today.

1912: Cameras became motorised replacing the hand crank camera and since then cameras have become smaller, lighter and more portable with them now being handheld, this is offers more access to particular shots and angles that big fixed cameras couldn't allow.

1915: The Bell and Howell 2709 movie camera allowed directors to make close ups without physically moving the camera, this affected all cameras made after as it became a necessary feature.

1923: Warner Bros is established.

1925:The first in-flight movie was shown, it was a black and whit silent film shown in a converted WW1 bomber plane during a 30-minute flight near London. This started off what became the normal for flights, however as films got longer and flights got shorter a film is not always shown.

1927: The Jazz Singer. Warner Bros presented the first feature length film with synchronised sound, this started the decline of the silent film era. During production they recorded the sound, whilst filming, onto a record which was played at the same time as the visual.

1928: Paramount became the first studio to announce it would only produce 'talkies' which were what films with synched dialogue were called at the time. Paramount are still around today producing films and TV shows as well as distribution. 


1928: Steamboat Willie, the debut of Mickey Mouse and the start of Disney, there had been 2 previous films however they hadn't been distributed; Walt Disney chose to distribute this because he had watched The Jazz Singer and had committed himself to producing a fully synchronised sound cartoon.

1929: The first Academy Awards takes place with best picture going to 1927 film Wings. The awards have taken place annually ever since and are seen as a huge achievement in the industry to be nominated and to win one.

No major changes were made to technology however films changed with dialogue heavy films becoming more popular and favoured as opposed to slapstick comedy. Theatres began opening refreshment stalls as well as drive-in movie theatres opening in America.  Disney's first feature length animated film - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released in 1937 which sparked off the numerous cartoons to follow. The Wizard of Oz (1939) showed advancement as the film started in black and white and then developed into full colour.  

The 1940s saw films being made for propaganda purposes, because of the war technical developments did not take place as money and resources were directed to ammunition. After the success of Snow White, Disney then released 4 more films:  Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo and Bambi.

1945: Films changed the methods of storytelling showing more characterisation and drama, sometimes meaning the chronology may be scrambled and have twist endings. This showed the development of editing and the power it has over the whole film. 

In the 1950s the cinema industry became threatened by television as it became popular and meant that some film theatres became bankrupt and ended up closing. Hollywood films were still largely aimed at family audiences as these were the bigger successes and made the most money. The studio system mainly declined because of the growth in independent producers and production companies therefore allowing a bigger range and genres of films could be made for example Hitchcock's Psycho as the studio system came to an end actors no longer had years long contracts but single-picture contracts. 

The late 1960s saw filmmakers become more innovative and ground breaking whereas the 1970s saw explicit sexual content, guns and battle scenes that included graphic images of blood, gore and death.

In the 1980s as technology and ability increased directors had far greater control and creativity over projects with films like Jaws and Star Wars becoming incredibly popular and commercial successes. It was films like these that introduced the term 'blockbuster' with production companies changing to produce a smaller amount of very large budget films. This is opposite to the studio system which was where films with similar sets/characters/storylines were made continuously on a loop so that new films could come out quicker.

As home VCRs became available more people began watching films at home in their own time, the technology for this was not only the VCR player themselves but the ability to then produce films onto the tape needed for the VCR.

The late 80s and certainly the 1990s saw cinemas being dominated by films including special affects allowing different locations and giving a bigger scope of things to happen that practical effects could not allow.

1995: The first feature length computer animated film - Toy Story. This became the principal technique for animation and meant other companies could compete with Disney. Pixar first animation was the short film Luxo Jr, it was a 2 minute computer animation that revolved around a big lamp, a little lamp and a ball. The lamp became an iconic image for Pixar so they use it in their logo.

 

Late 1990s: Physical film stock (actual film) has evolved to digital technology, VHS were replaced with DVDs. But the 2000s and still today sees the problem of digital distribution with people watching films illegally.

Films began to be released to IMAX cinemas which offers a bigger screen and better sound to standard cinemas boasting that to the audience they are immersive. They use state of the art technology to achieve this however there has not been a full feature length film been shot with an IMAX camera but in 2005 The Dark Knight was the first major film to have been partially shot in the technology. Films are upgraded to IMAX rather than filmed in the technology as it is expensive and big and bulky unlike other equipment.

3D has become popular throughout the 2000s with some films benefitting from it, especially early films which were designed to be shot in 3D as opposed to lots of family films that use 3D more as a gimmick with 3D not being a necessity.  

In 1912 camera became motorised replacing the hand crank camera and since then cameras have become smaller, lighter and more portable with them now being handheld, this is offers more access to particular shots and angles that big fixed cameras couldn't allow.



Technology has changed greatly since the start of cinema now with it being extremely high definition in cinemas and at home with Blu-ray players and sound systems. The question is, how more can it change and what will that change look like?