In 1895 a frenchman by the name of Louis Lumiere (along with his brother Auguste) is said to be the creator of film. His portable cinematograph about the size of a suitcase served as a camera, film processing unit and projector all in one that was patented on February 13, 1895. His shots of his arrival on the express train at Lyons served as a collection of what would later be in a program of short films directed and photographed by Louis Lumiere. The program was unveiled to the general public on December 28, 1895, the date many historians believe to be the birth of cinema.
At the turn of the century, film was basically made up of short silent movies producing movies of well known silent era stars such as Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. It was considered an expensive hobby before finally gaining the title of an art form.
The 1920’s brought a new movement in film that would change the face of the industry and define what is now known as “Classic Hollywood.” Star powered studios started like Paramount Pictures (1912), Columbia Pictures (1920), Warner Brothers (1923), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1924), and 20th-Century Fox (1935). Unlike today, stars couldn’t seek their own contracts and it was commonplace for stars to be borrowed by other studios. These contracts secured a movie stars’ status under a particular studio so they can continue to make movies. The stars keep their job, the studios have sure fire hit after hit. The films were mediocre nonetheless, but the fame was enough to keep everyone happy. Soon the Hollywood mythology was born (“move to Hollywood and change your life”) and Hollywood was soon known as the land of opportunity. Unfortunately, too many people came and gone not knowing the success of being in a Hollywood film.
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