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Evolution Of The Cinématographe In The 1890s

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Throughout the history of cinema, a never-ending evolution in technological progression – paired with filmmakers’ resourcefulness and ingenuity – allowed for the development of style and encouraged a more involved craft, thus giving individual films a specific personality which therefore eased the process of discerning which piece of cinema was created by which filmmaker. Because of the progress made in film technology, especially early on, certain aspects of filmmaking that once were inconceivable (camera movement, Foley, CGI) are often employed in the films that audiences view today. Although, while the evolution of technology may be linear, it cannot be assumed that quality of film follows the same trend. Instead, a filmmaker’s skill …show more content…

Early cinema from filmmakers Dickson and Edison included unadorned, naturalistic depictions of “well-known sports stars, excerpts from well-respected vaudeville performances, or entertainment by dancers and acrobats” (Bordwell 8). While the available technology of the time did in fact limit Dickson’s and Edison’s films,) modern or developed technology would be incapable of improving them because of their jejune nature – they did not call for anything more sophisticated. Nevertheless, the creation of the Cinématographe in the 1890s gave filmmakers the ability to shoot on location instead of being restricted to in-studio shoots. Although, the freedom to record in a variety of new locations did not create better movies, but it instead opened the door of opportunity for films like the Lumière brother’s L 'Arrivée d 'un train en gare de La Ciotat and Tables Turned on the Gardener, whose creation would not have been possible if the production was constrained to a studio. With the Cinématographe, options for production were expanded for the film community, which therefore allowed for filmmakers to utilize the technique that was most effective for their piece, whether it be a studio space with controlled lighting thanks to Dickson and Edison or the ability to shoot at a specific location

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