Earliest Possible Film?

The Admiral Hook

I'm not sure what technologies are needed to produce a film industry in the 19th century or even before, but for those who do know...

What is the earliest possible date for a film, (live action or animated, doesn't matter) and, taking your date into consideration, what might it have been about?

What affects would this have on history in general, and specifically in the history of film and popular culture short and long term?
 

The Admiral Hook

Herzen's love-child said:
Being as the 1st films were being made a mere half-century after the very 1st photographs (1832)......1882. 1888 for 1st film that survives to this day.
"Films" by means of optical illusion---the zoetrope, etc. were 1st created the same decade as the birth of photography.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoetrope
Click to expand...

I'll allow it, as long as you can get me something earlier and have a go at the subject matter. If the POD is earlier photography, that's acceptable.
 

Dathi THorfinnsson

If you want anything like a movie, as opposed to a one second clip, you need flexible celluloid film, which wasnt invented much earlier than otls movies.

If you have earlier film for the movies, youve got earlier guncotton, which will revolutionize warfare and change history more than movies would.
 

historyfool

I had once the idea for an improvement of the Laterna Magica, which uses bands of thin paper with silhouttes to produce simple animation movies. Not sure if it would work though. Heat and paper in general don´t mix well. And it might be impossible to make paper thin enough or lamps bright enough to throw the shadows at the wall before real films get around.
 

Herzen's love-child

But you could project cutout silhouettes on a continuous belt of more heat resistant materials available in the day. Possibly leather, which was used as belts on 19th Cent. industrial equipment. Think of shadow puppet animations...

There were in fact early animations using silhouettes, such as the incredible "Adventures of Prince Achmed" (by Lotte Reiniger, German, 1920s), but shot on film.
 

Dathi THorfinnsson

historyfool said:
I had once the idea for an improvement of the Laterna Magica, which uses bands of thin paper with silhouttes to produce simple animation movies. Not sure if it would work though. Heat and paper in general don´t mix well. And it might be impossible to make paper thin enough or lamps bright enough to throw the shadows at the wall before real films get around.
Click to expand...

But if you are cutting holes in the paper, how do you keep the paper from tearing? Or if the silhouettes are dark dlimages drawn on paper, your going to need even brighter light to shine through the paper.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
Top