3 Most Important Tech Innovations in Film History

Summary

This captivating video by CineFix unveils the three most pivotal technological breakthroughs that revolutionized filmmaking: Celluloid film, optical sound, and the CRT television. From the inception of motion pictures with Celluloid film stock in 1888 to the transformative introduction of optical sound, and finally, the widespread influence of TV, each innovation dramatically reshaped the film industry. These technological feats not only advanced the art of filmmaking but also had profound impacts on the economics and storytelling capabilities within cinema.

Highlights

• Celluloid film, invented in 1888, revolutionized motion picture by allowing continuous image capture. 🎞️
• Optical sound technology overcame early setbacks, integrating sound with film and enhancing cinema's expressiveness. 🔉
• Introduction of CRT TVs in homes brought competition, leading to cinema's blockbuster era. 📽️
• Film studios innovated with widescreen and color formats to differentiate from black and white TV. 🌈
• The video humorously suggests we might not have talked enough about the quirky smellivision era! 🤔

Key Takeaways

• Celluloid film stock enabled the capture of motion and paved the way for modern filmmaking. 🎥
• Sound in cinema became a reality with optical sound innovations, enhancing the storytelling experience. 🔊
• The CRT television introduced competition, leading to the blockbuster era and innovations like widescreen formats. 📺
• Each innovation had lasting impacts on the aesthetics, economics, and overall history of film. 🎬
• The evolution of film technology continues to shape the immersive experience of movies today. 🌟

Overview

The video embarks on a journey through film history, spotlighting the technological wonders that have defined the art of cinema. It starts with the creation of Celluloid film, a game-changer for the industry, providing the means to capture fluid motion and laying the groundwork for the film industry as we know it. Without this key innovation, the dynamic visual storytelling we enjoy today would never have been possible.

Next, the video explores the audio revolution with optical sound, which brought syncing sound with visual media. The technological prowess here resolved early challenges and massively upgraded the storytelling arena, providing films with new emotional and experiential depth. This leap was essential in transitioning films from silent storytelling mediums to multisensory experiences.

Finally, the introduction of TV is examined. The CRT television was not merely a new medium; it altered the landscape of cinema viewing and production. To compete, studios amplified the cinematic experience with innovations such as widescreen and vibrant color, fueling the blockbuster era. This shift irrevocably changed how films were made and consumed, a rippling effect still seen in today’s film industry.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Technological Innovations in Film Cinema has undergone constant technological evolution, more than any other art form, shaping its development significantly. This chapter explores pivotal inventions influencing modern filmmaking. It highlights the top three technological innovations in film, focusing on advancements in camera technology starting from Edward Muybridge's era of flip books.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Development of Camera Technology The chapter discusses the evolution of camera technology, beginning with early methods of image capture that involved using multiple cameras in rapid succession. Eventually, inventors transitioned to attaching multiple lenses to a single camera body. This technological path eventually led to the single lens and single body camera model, which remains prevalent outside the realm of matrix-films. The chapter highlights a pause in camera development, not due to a lack of technical capability to repeatedly open an aperture, but due to the absence of technology for capturing the images efficiently. This serves as a prelude to discussing what is considered the first most important invention in camera history.
• 01:00 - 03:00: Invention of Celluloid Film Stock The chapter titled 'Invention of Celluloid Film Stock' discusses the revolutionary development of celluloid film stock in 1888. This invention was crucial for cinema as it allowed for the capturing of approximately 24 images per second, which is necessary to create the illusion of movement on the screen. The chapter highlights the technical challenges and the impact of this invention on the film industry.
• 03:00 - 05:30: Introduction of Sound in Film The chapter discusses the introduction of sound in film, noting the technical advancements required for the cinematic experience. It explains how the motion picture medium needed to run through the camera at about 90 feet per minute and each frame had to come to a complete stop before the shutter opened. This technological evolution was reliant on the invention of early plastics like celluloid in 1855, which enabled the production of motion pictures beyond a few seconds, revolutionizing filmmaking.
• 05:30 - 10:00: Development of Optical Sound Recording This chapter explores the historical development of optical sound recording, tracing its roots back to the use of Celluloid as a medium for photographic emulsions. It highlights the evolution of film stock from Celluloid nitrate to more advanced emulsions, including the transition to color processes and digital sensors. Despite numerous competing claims about the invention of the first camera, Celluloid played a pivotal role in this technological advancement.
• 10:00 - 10:30: Impact of Television on Film Industry The chapter explores the historical impact of television on the film industry, highlighting the technological advancements in cinema. It begins by noting the evolution of film technology from cranked to motorized cameras, and improvements in lens and lighting systems. The chapter emphasizes the introduction of sound as a pivotal moment in film history, referencing landmark films like "Don Juan" and "The Jazz Singer" as significant milestones.
• 10:30 - 12:00: Evolution to Blockbuster Era The chapter "Evolution to Blockbuster Era" discusses the technological advancements in cinema, specifically focusing on the transition from silent films to "talkies" or sound films. The transcript provides an insight into the skepticism that surrounded the introduction of optical sound in films, illustrating the hesitation and doubt of the time. Warner Brothers took a significant risk with their production of "The Jazz Singer," a full talking picture, despite widespread doubt and dismissal from contemporaries who compared it to the skepticism once faced by the automobile, referred to as the "Horseless Carriage." The narrative captures the uncertainty of technological innovations and their potential impact on cultural and industry standards.
• 12:00 - 15:00: Conclusion The chapter 'Conclusion' discusses the challenges faced in synchronizing phonograph audio recorded on wax with film strips. Initially, it was very difficult to achieve this synchronization. However, engineers eventually solved the issue by mechanically connecting the film camera motor to the phonograph motor using gears and pulleys. This inventive solution was similar to what someone like MacGyver might attempt. Warner Brothers adopted this method, and sound in films became a great success despite the Rube Goldberg-like complexity of the synchronization method.

3 Most Important Tech Innovations in Film History Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 more than any other art form Cinema's development has been shaped by constant technological development today we're looking at the inventions that have most impacted movies as we know them these are our picks for the top three technological innovations in film [Music] [Music] history we think the obvious place for us to start looking for important Tech is in the camera itself people like Edward mu Bridge took us from flip books
• 00:30 - 01:00 to real life image capture first by stringing up multiple cameras in Rapid succession and then attaching multiple lenses to a single body before narrowing in towards the single lens single body camera model that dominates all non-matrix films to this day but right before we got there camera development basically halted not because we didn't have the tech or the know-ow to open up an aperture a couple dozen times per second but because we didn't yet have the tech for what to open it up on which brings us to what we think is the first most important invention in the history
• 01:00 - 01:30 Cinema the invention of Celluloid film stock in 1888 as it turned out capturing the approximately 24 images per second needed to create the illusion of movement is real really demanding on the
• 01:30 - 02:00 photographic medium not only does it need to move through a camera at approximately 90 ft per minute but it has to make each frame size movement in 148 of a second and come to a complete stop before the shutter opens every time photography had existed since about 1839 on copper on paper and most notably on glass but none of these work for motion pictures for longer than a few seconds it took the invention of the very earliest of the Plastics to do the trick inter Celluloid invented In 1855 as a synthetic Ivory replacement for manufacturing cheap billiard balls
• 02:00 - 02:30 Celluloid proved to be the perfect combination of Bendy strong and moldable necessary to embed a photographic Emulsion that eventually brought us to where we are today amidst dozens of competing claims for the first camera there is really only one Celluloid nitrate since then the earliest film stock has given way to faster more sensitive emulsions the invention of color processes has moved away from traditional Celluloid to something slightly less flammable and most recently begun to Disappear Completely in favor of the digital sensor but it all began just
• 02:30 - 03:00 140 years ago in an attempt to kill fewer elephants first few decades after the invention of film saw vast progression on all fronts and cameras moving from cranked to motorized lenses faster and with less aberration and lighting moving through mercury vapor tube lights to the carbon Arc but after the creation of Cinema there is little doubt in our minds that the next most tectonic shift in film technology involved the introduction of sound but while Don Juan and especially the jazz singer are heralded as Landmark turning point they
• 03:00 - 03:30 were actually dead ends technologically but our second pick Optical sound is what really took Cinema to its next level it's just a toy it's a screen it's vulgar RF do you think they'll ever really use it I doubt it the Warner Brothers are making a whole talking picture with this gadget The Jazz Singer they'll lose their shirts what do you think of it Dexter it'll never amount to a thing yeah that's what they said about the Horseless Carriage the idea of talkies has been with movie technology almost since it began with many of the same inventors as were making the cameras trying to find a way to tie
• 03:30 - 04:00 sound in too but it turns out it's really really hard to get phonograph audio on wax to record and play back at the exact same speed as separately recorded strips of film eventually Engineers solve the persnikity synchronization problem in just about the exact way you me and mcgyver would probably try first by attaching the film camera motor to the photograph motor with gears and pulley and stuff Warner Brothers picks it up and what do you know sound is a hit the only problem is apart from being really really obvious the grou Goldberg sync solution had a
• 04:00 - 04:30 bunch of problems not the least of which was the complete inability to edit the audio together with cuts at all a real useful scalable solution would mean recording sound onto an editable medium like film but that would mean converting Sound Vibrations into light fortunately Warner Brothers going all in on the wrong Tech convinced the other big movers like Fox RCA and United Artists to invest in the right one and quickly each developing their own slightly different but incredibly clever way to convert vibrations into lightwe United
• 04:30 - 05:00 Artists used a Western Electric System that had sound drive a vibrating pair of metallic ribbons in front of a slit to modulate a light's intensity RCA developed the photoone system which used a sound sensitive galvanometer to steer the orientation of a tiny mirror to paint more traditional looking waveforms and fox developed movie tone a gas tube based technology that modulated its glow via sound and in multiple ways at once the soundtrack was born within 15 months the entire industry had converted entirely to Takis and while the aesthetic effect of the new technology
• 05:00 - 05:30 was initially quite restrictive locking the camera into a static soundproof shed and hiding a mic in a plant for the actors to talk straight into it was only a few short years before things had loosened back up and headed toward a new stylistic future before sound film was graphic it was representational it was abstracted from Life in the same way as a painting or a photograph after sound film took a huge step away from representational towards experiential moving pictures no longer just showed you an image of Life they really were starting to seem like it which set film
• 05:30 - 06:00 on a course of immersion and realism that continues to this day the sound era gave way to important post-production advances such as the flatb the edit system that unlocked creative picture and sound editing potential and Optical printing that pav the way for the entirety of visual effects forever but we want to look even further post post- production because Cinema's story history of technological achievement is not just one of image and sound capture but also image and sound playback in the early days this took the
• 06:00 - 06:30 form of arcade likee cabinets called kinetoscopes that individuals peered into one at a time to watch short novelty pieces before The Lumiere Brothers came along and ran their camera backwards with a lamp behind it to throw images onto a flat surface in front of a crowd in better and better conditions a man named Lee Deforest invented a thing named a triode vacuum tube that Western Electric commercialized into the first ever audio amplification system that would go on to allow audiences to actually hear the sounds Studios were so keen on sinking up but it was a different vacuum tube that infiltrated
• 06:30 - 07:00 American homes in the late 1940s that ironically had the next biggest influence on the Silver Screen after sound we are of course talking about the CRT TV scw it's television yes first TVs date back to the 1920s where a quickly spinning mechanical disc with a spiral pattern of holes would scan by an image line by line in order to capture its brightness where another spinning disc in front of a synchronized light would replicate that pattern of brightness line by line fast enough to look like a single image it was called the
• 07:00 - 07:30 mechanical TV and much like sound on dis it wasn't really going anywhere but a few engineers and an American Farmer all simultaneously converged on a design that would make the final leap they used cathode ray tubes to shoot electrons of varying amounts at a phosphor screen that would glow when they hit it they could guide its path with something called steering coils that pointed its beam along a familiar line byline pattern and that is how they invented TV it's hard for most people under the age of 70 to imagine just how magical and special the cinema was before or the invention of Television far before
• 07:30 - 08:00 videotape and DVDs and smartphones and Netflix there was quite literally no other way to watch a moving picture beyond the movie theater so the introduction of TV had two humongous unintended consequences on the film industry first with competition in the moving picture business for the very first time film studios began to take dramatic steps to carve out a niche for themselves that was for lack of a better word even more cinematic TV screens were small black and white and blurry so movies played to their strengths and did things TV couldn't they got wider developing cinama too and cinemascope
• 08:00 - 08:30 they got more colorful finally bringing about the mass adoption of the already existing Color Film technology and they got gimmicky setting off the first wave of 3D films and the only wave of smellivision thank God but the second effect was even more consequential viewership dropped and never recovered in 1944 over 60% of America went to the theaters at least weekly by 1960 it was heading down to around 10 Hollywood went from producing 500 films a year to about 150 combine lower numbers with flash
• 08:30 - 09:00 year films and you wander yourself into a world where Studios attempt to build their years around a few major tent poles that they try to drive everybody to at once that small box of electron beams is the very reason Hollywood entered the Blockbuster era and why we're still in it today and we don't know what will be the next big break that changes Cinema forever but we do think the most important one so far the flexible Celluloid film strip the optical recording of sound and the mass-produced CRT television have had permanent important and perceptible
• 09:00 - 09:30 effects on the history economics and Aesthetics of an entire art [Music] form so what do you think disagree with any of our picks do we leave out any of your favorite Cinema inventions we not talk enough about smellivision I knew we should have talk more about smell Vision oh well let us know in the comments below and be sure to subscribe for more cix movie lists [Music]