We explain what cinema is, how it was created and the different genres that make it up. Also, what are its characteristics, elements and more.
What is cinema?
Cinema, better known as cinematography, is a technique and an art that It consists of the capture, assembly and projection of frames quickly and successively. The result is the illusion of a moving image.
Cinema uses photographic technology to create the sensation of movementThe audio recordings that often accompany these images help to construct an aesthetic or informative audiovisual experience. In addition to fiction, it can also be used for filming documentaries or even for audiovisual journalism.
Given its ability to tell stories using illusions and special effects, cinema is considered one of the fine arts: the seventh art. On the other hand, it is sometimes considered a meeting point of the arts: photography (camera), literary writing (screenplay), music, etc.
An important group of people takes part in the making of cinematographic works, in charge of different tasks such as:
- Address
- Production
- Script
- Edition
- Camera handling
- Sound recording and many more.
That’s why the cinema It has become a massive issue today.Although there are projects that are carried out with limited funds, each one usually requires large investments from film centres such as Hollywood in the USA or Bollywood in India.
See also: Second Industrial Revolution
Who created cinema?
With the establishment of cities as the axis of societies, a public and a mass culture emerged.
In addition to this social context, science was experimenting with new materials through the new branches of modern chemistry.
Among the technological advances that led to the invention of cinema are inventions derived from electricity.
Besides, Previous experiences in photographic capture were essentialsuch as daguerreotypes and early photographs.
Own Thomas Alva Edison was about to patent cinema, when William Dickson invented the kinetoscope in his laboratory. This device was a precursor to the first projectors and served as a basis for the inventors of cinema.
The children of French photographer Antoine Lumière, known as The Lumière brothers invented the first cinematographic projector. at the end of the 19th century. The first formal presentation of cinema in history took place on December 28, 1895 in Paris.
All the first films They were documentary shots. For example, you can see a baby having lunch, workers tearing down a wall, a train arriving at the station, among others.
History of cinema
After the first experiences of the Lumière brothers, cinema For years it was considered a fair attractionIn this context, the illusionist Georges Méliès explored the possibilities of the invention through short fictional stories in which he put rudimentary special effects into practice.
The attraction that fiction had on the public led to the emergence of various film studies in Europe and the United StatesAt that time, only black and white images could be captured without sound, so the projections were accompanied by live music or commentary.
The first to try couple the phonograph with film screenings It was Charles Pathé. Although he was not very successful in this, he did manage to found the first company that integrated the three branches of the film industry: production, distribution and exhibition. The famous Pathé Frères (“Pathé Brothers”).
The success of cinema as mass entertainment was immense, and soon the great film studies of the 20th century emerged. Among them are Hollywood companies that still exist such as Fox, Paramount, Universal. North American and European production companies competed for the world film market.
In that period, still mute, films were made two films considered pioneers of cinematographic language: The Birth of a Nation by David W. Griffith (1915) and The Battleship Potemkin by Sergei Eisenstein (1925).
Color cinema emerged in 1916, with the appearance of Technicolor, a trichromatic technology made from red, green and blue. In 1935 Vanity Fair Rouben Mamoulian’s film was the first feature-length colour film to be screened.
After a series of more or less successful experiences that had been taking place since the beginning of the century, in 1923 the engineer Lee De Forest solved the problems of synchronization and sound amplification. So, patented sound film as Phonofilm.
Film genres
With the development of cinematographic fiction, Some films showed plot or formal similarities. This allowed them to be grouped into different genres. The list of possible genres is too extensive to attempt to list, but some of the most common ones currently are:
- Documentary film. One that does not use fiction, but rather aims to show real events in the world, like a report.
- Animated cinema. His images are not captures of real movement, but frames drawn and reproduced according to the same system as cinema, thus giving “life” to cartoon characters.
- Horror cinema. They are generally works of fiction that use special effects to simulate disturbing, impressive or frightening scenes.
- Romantic comedy. A genre focused on interpersonal and loving relationships, which usually culminates in the fulfillment of the couple and with happy endings.
film formats
Since its creation, the physical support of cinema has changed a lot. The development of various technologies progressively allowed the use of new and better materials for filming. Simultaneously, projections require more specialized image proportions.
The cinematic format par excellence, The 35mm was invented by Thomas Alva Edison on a cellulose support. Later, 16mm, 9.5mm and Super 8 were added to it. In 1920, the wide screen format became widespread.
They began experimenting with 3D image through stereoscopyin the 1940s. However, the 3D effect was perfected in the late 20th century. At that time, the development of digital 3D revolutionized formats through the use of computers.
Filmmaking process
The creation of a cinematographic work usually involves the following tasks:
- Address. Entrusted to a film professional, he is responsible for the staging and creative coordination of the team, imposing his personal stamp on the final product.
- Production. The responsibility of making a film project a reality falls heavily on the producer, in charge of hiring personnel, financing the project, searching for locations and mediating with distributors, among other things.
- Script. The entire film story is supported by a structured and orderly written story, which is equivalent to the literary version of the film. This is the job of the scriptwriters.
- Photography. There is usually a director of photography, in charge of supervising the way the images are being captured on camera.
- Camera. Camera operators are, as in television, the specialized operators of filming cameras.
- Mounting. Filming is not carried out in the same order of scenes in the script, but according to a shooting plan prepared by the director or his assistant. Specialists subsequently intervene in the “assembly” of the filmed pieces so that they are projected in their proper order.
- Post-production. Everything involved in the final arrangements of the film: special effects, corrections, adding elements, etc.
Elements of a cinematographic work
A cinematographic work consists of:
- Actors. Who plays the characters.
- Locations. The locations where the material is recorded.
- Special effects. Devices and interventions to simulate an event or occurrence that does not actually occur during filming.
- Dialogues. The conversations between the characters that we witness.
- Actions. The events that occur within the plot of the film.
Why is cinema important?
The movie theater is one of the most important forms of contemporary art, due to its enormous diffusion. A variable but abundant number of spectators can simultaneously enjoy the cinematographic story.
Along with literature, it is One of the main ways fictional stories are spread. In addition, it allows you to share records of distant realities, opinions, world views, biographies and other types of stories.
Media
The fact that cinema reaches a wide audience at the same time, such as a movie theater full of people, makes it an ideal means of communication. For this reason, both private advertising and government propaganda often use it.
In fact, in one day Up to four or five showings can be given in the same movie theaterwhich translates, assuming that the room holds between 50 and 100 people, about 200 to 500 people daily exposed to a given message.
Commercial or artistic cinema
Currently there are two opposing and complementary trends:
- Commercial cinema. It is based on the creation of a show that is capable of attracting a massive audience. It guarantees the economic subsistence of the industry and provides stories designed for mass entertainment, leaving little room for experimentation.
- Artistic cinema. This is a less profitable and popular approach. It aims to be significant. It is sometimes called “auteur” because it is usually guided by the director’s interests and creative pursuits.
film industries
For a film industry to be considered to exist, it must have an economic and commercial apparatus aimed at the production and distribution of a mass production of filmsThe first companies to undertake this task were concentrated in Hollywood in the USA.
Because this is the founding moment, a similar name is usually given to the centers that somehow translate its commercial and massive style: Bollywood in India, and Nollywood in NigeriaOther important companies are Vast Networks from Singapore, Nihoneiga in Japan or the Turkish cinema of Yesilcam.