THE BIRTH OF CINEMA: The Lumiere Brothers (1895)

THE LUMIERE BROTHERS
First Films (1895)

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This week, students should study the very first films (1895), which were in fact documentaries in the strict sense.    
    The Lumiere Brothers called them "actualites." One, called The Sprinkler Sprinkled, was actually a staged skit or scene, the first film comedy, however brief.
    The most famous is Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat, which shocked viewers at its first screening, since it looked like the train was going to run over them (see gif, left).
    These films have no cuts. The cut was invented later.
    Also when viewed together they appear as a single film, but actually are independent films of several minutes in length each.
    But there is artistry in these short films: for example, in the framing of the shot: the placement of the camera for maximum effect on the viewer.
    There's artistry in the choice of action too, whether the action is staged (The Sprinkler Sprinkled) or "actual" (Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat). In both cases, the filmmaker set up the camera in anticipation of a certain event or action, with some control over that event in terms of human interest, action, movement, contrast, duration, etc.
    Today the Lumiere Brothers are considered the founders of one kind of cinema, called "Realism," as opposed to "Formalism."
    "Realism" shows life as realistically as possible, allowing the action on the screen to seem unstaged. "Formalism" is more concerned with showing the action through a frame rather than through a window. The action is less important than how it is staged, filmed, and edited.
    To see these films of the Lumiere Brothers on youtube, click on this link.

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