Motion Picture

3 Pages 704 Words

The Motion Picture: Then and Now
First presented in 1867, the motion picture was introduced as the “wheel of life” or “zoopraxiscope.” William Lincoln is credited for this invention, which consisted of moving drawings or photographs watched through a slit in a camera (“Who Invented Cinema”). Since 1867 the motion picture has become technologically advanced and is able to evoke strong emotions in those who view it.
The invention of the motion picture did not just come about one day in an experiment gone wrong. Rather, it is the result of many different devices created by many different people that make it what it is today. It is “a continuum which begins with early experiments and devices aimed at presenting images in sequence” (Usai 6). Frenchman Louis Lumiere and his brother are often credited with inventing the first motion picture camera in 1895 (“Who Invented Cinema“). They were the first to show their film to a paying audience. The showing of this first movie aroused the feelings of fear and excitement in the audience as they saw a moving train headed straight towards them. This was the start to what the motion picture is today.
Today similar feelings can be aroused in audiences watching a motion picture. A person can walk into a theatre and expect to be moved by what is seen and heard on the screen. The motion picture can make someone laugh, cry, or become angry, depending on the subject matter of the film.
The motion picture is not solely used as a form of entertainment, but the film medium has come to be used for purposes of education and propaganda (Nowell-Smith xix). Every day there is a new episode on the Discovery Channel which we can watch and learn valuable information from. Within those episodes exists commercials with propaganda. The advances in technology have allowed us to view such images from the comfort of our own homes. In 1895, the audience who sat in awe of the Lumiere brot...