How did movies get started? Filmmaking is considered by many as “The Seventh Art”. Filmmaking began at the end of the 19 th century when the Lumière Brothers held their first private screening of projected motion pictures in 1895. Their first public screening of films at which admission was charged was held on December 28, 1895, at Salon Indien du Grand Café in Paris. This presentation featured ten short films, including their first film, Sortie des Usines Lumière à Lyon (Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory). The moving images had an immediate and significant influence on popular culture with L'Arrivée d'un Train en Gare de la Ciotat (Arrival of a Train at a Station) and Carmaux, défournage du coke (Drawing out the coke). Their actuality films, or actualités, are the first, primitive documentaries. The first talking movies were produced in France before 1900 by Leon Gaumont. They were short films, in which the movie pictures were synchronized with a gramophone record. By 1912 Eugene Lauste had discovered the basic method for recording sound on film, while Thomas Edison produced several one-reel talking pictures in the United States. An American, Lee de Forest, improved the system. In all this the public showed little interest until the presentation on October 6, 1927, of The Jazz Singer.
Filmmaking is considered by many as The Seventh Art. Filmmaking
began at the end of the 19th century when the Lumire Brothers held
their first private screening of projected motion pictures in 1895.
Their first public screening of films at which admission was
charged was held on December 28, 1895, at Salon Indien du Grand Caf
in Paris. This presentation featured ten short films, including
their first film, Sortie des Usines Lumire Lyon (Workers Leaving
the Lumire Factory). The moving images had an immediate and
significant influence on popular culture with L'Arrive d'un Train
en Gare de la Ciotat (Arrival of a Train at a Station) and Carmaux,
dfournage du coke (Drawing out the coke). Their actuality films, or
actualits, are the first, primitive documentaries.
The first talking movies were produced in France before 1900 by
Leon Gaumont. They were short films, in which the movie pictures
were synchronized with a gramophone record. By 1912 Eugene Lauste
had discovered the basic method for recording sound on film, while
Thomas Edison produced several one-reel talking pictures in the
United States. An American, Lee de Forest, improved the system. In
all this the public showed little interest until the presentation
on October 6, 1927, of The Jazz Singer. This was a silent picture,
starring Al Jolson, with four talking and singing interludes.
Jolson's electric personality and the very much-improved sound
began a movie revolution. Within the year every important picture
was being produced as a "talkie". By 1930 silent films became a
thing of the past.
