We often talk about how far the medical world or the engineering world has come since technology came to us. But the world of cinema was incomprehensible without him: camera, microphone, speakersthe concept of … film anyone sherry Nothing would be possible without the technology we know today.
Advances have been necessary to create the tools that create cinema. After the cinema was created, the series came. That is why today we will focus on developments that make it possible to create a completely new communication tool. (Literature is more than 2000 years old, cinema is only 127 years old).
As we said, it would be impossible to get started without a camera, then came the sound, then the color.
without further delay, Let’s start with seven major technological developments that revolutionized the world of cinema and television. Of course, the first one you already know.
1º Movie camera
The beginning of the seventh art cannot be understood without the contribution of the Lumière brothers. These pioneers, the inventors of the cinematograph, recreated the illusion of motion. Its purpose was nothing more than to deceive our eyes.
According to experts, cinema and its technological developments are based on representations such as the camera obscura of the mid-16th century, the magic lantern of the 17th century, or the portable chronograph by Étienne-Jules Marey.
But the industry has gone far beyond these basic techniques of projecting images into dark rooms.transparent still images displayed, or animated tapes displaying twelve images per second.
The cinematography of the Lumière brothers was introduced at a scientific congress in March 1895. although its official presentation was on December 28 of the same year at the Grand Café Boulevard des Capucines in Paris. In this French corner and as a surprise to the public, they predicted the arrival of a train to Ciotat station. The seventh art was officially born.
As explained at the National Museum of Communications Media, it didn’t take long for the Lumière brothers to realize the business opportunity presented to them. That’s why they created 450 portable cinematographs.
2º Color, major shortage in first 20 years
In 1916 one of the most important techniques of the seventh art arrived: TechnicolorThis allowed filmmakers to shoot films in color. It is an important turning point for the sector, which is possible with the introduction of a chemical photography process that succeeds in adding color to the film frames.
Thanks to the discovery of Daniel Comstock and Burton Westcott, Technicolor Corporation has succeeded in converting black and white films to color. Based on the Kinemacolor system, this expedition recorded images in two colors (red and bluish green) using only one lens.
How did it work? A light beam splitter and color filters made the process easy, however, it resulted in many difficulties for theatrical release.
The arrival of the next two systems will improve color film production. But it was the development of the tricolor camera. (Technicolor three lanes) which will technically revolutionize the industry.
According to experts, this invention is attributed to Comstock, Troland and Ball, while its development depends on Kalmus. A development that allowed color cinema to experience unstoppable growth from 1935 onwards.
3º Sound, goodbye to the jukebox
The inclusion of color photography was not the only technical revolution that cinema experienced between the 1920s and 1930s. In 1927, Alan Crosland released his black and white film The Jazz Singer.
A work that has not yet taken advantage of Technicolor, but has changed an important aspect for another of our senses. gone from silent movies Characterized by Charles Chaplin to someone whose projected images are accompanied by sounds.
The technical breakthrough that made this possible was the Vitaphone. Backed by studios Warner Bros. and First National, this system allowed soundtracks and spoken texts to be recorded on discs that played simultaneously with the movie.
Although insecure, this device completely changed the industry, but soon It was replaced by Movietone, invented by Lee de Forest and marketed by Fox from 1927. He produced Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans.
This second system allowed sound to be recorded directly on film; this was a feat that proved successful until 1939. innovation changed the industry once again with another system implemented by Edward C. Wente: optical audio, which is still used.
4º Television, the great democratizer
Twenty years after these technological revolutions, cinema faced what would have been its biggest competitor until the advent of the Internet: television. The British communications giant, the BBC, which is a pioneer in this field, started its test programs in 1937.
To counter the popularity of cinema, Fox has developed a new viewing system known as Cinemascope. This method takes large size images by compressing a normal size image into a standard 35mm frame.
The aim was to achieve a ratio of 2.66 to 2.39 times greater than height, thanks to the use of special anamorphic lenses attached to cameras and projectors. In this way, he moved from cinema to television without having to reinvent anything.
And the introduction of Cinemascope also marked the beginning of a new era in cinema.From then on, VistaVision is characterized by the use of panoramic formats with systems similar to Todd-AO, Panavision, SuperScope and Technirama.
Animation where 5º Disney shines above all
If there’s one thing that stands out in recent cinematographic innovations, it’s undoubtedly their work in animation. And Disney played a fundamental role in these advances. With the premiere of Steamboat Willie in 1927, Walt Disney ushered in the golden age of animated movies in which Mickey Mouse was the big star.
The animation genius introduced a technique that would be imitated by many other filmmakers of his time. The method, known as “voicing cartoon”, ensured that the drawings and sounds were perfectly synchronized as shown. In the classic scene of Mickey Mouse sailing on a boat.
Disney was the first to place emphasis on animation as a potential for the film industry. and therefore he wanted to go much further in the techniques used.
multi-plane cameraDeveloped by Ub Iwerks and introduced by Disney, allowed to provide traditional animation At least then, innovative three-dimensional effects.
This type of video camera used The company’s first feature film Snow Whitebrought depth to animation for the first time, making scenes more realistic.
6º Computer or CGI generated images
We need to talk about this separately because creativity raises the bar so high. Previously, movies did not have CGI. The first use of CGI dates back to 1973 with the release of the science fiction movie Westworld.. It introduced the world to 2D technology.
But just three years later, in 1973, its sequel, Futureworld, introduced 3D technology to the masses. Since then, audiences have been glued to this exciting addition to the film industry’s technology.
It is completely impossible to imagine cinema today without CGI. All major productions have a green TV background and the sets are computer generated. Without going any further, the highest-grossing movies of the last decade use CGI without exception.
Latelythe industry has adopted another innovative technology called Faceshift, which has now been acquired by Apple.. The latest addition to the Star Wars franchise, The Bad Shipment uses Faceshift technology to enhance the experience.
7. Netflix and streaming video
Did you know that Netflix wasn’t originally an on-demand video streaming platform? Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph, it started as a DVD rental-mail concept.
Netflix changed the audiovisual industry with its streaming possibilities. to be Upload large catalogs of movies and TV shows to a server for anyone to see legally from home without having to go to the video store It was the great revolution of our century.
to get it, companies needed to develop and improve video codecs, minimize data and improve compression. With all this in place (an example of this is YouTube), the entertainment giants have not hesitated to step up.
Stream rivals cinema right now, and with a very casual approach: For a monthly subscription ranging from 6 to 21 Euros, we can watch hundreds of movies and TV shows without ads, without waiting and in high definition… from home.
We currently have all the entertainment giants struggling to develop their customer base. Warner Media, Disney, Paramount, Netflix, Amazon, Sony… they all stream in some form and it is undoubtedly the work of today and tomorrow.
As we can see, the future is bright. Technology is, without a doubt, what most influences the progress of the film industry. And the environment is expected to move much faster in the coming years. The film industry, cinema and serials should embrace these developments.
Source: Computer Hoy
