A short history of film

In short: Film emerged at the end of the 19th century. The Lumière brothers showed the first public film screenings in Paris in 1895. Silent film was followed by sound film, colour film, television and digital media.

In more detail: Film relies on persistence of vision: successive still images (usually 24 per second) are perceived as motion.

In detail

• Silent film (until 1927): With intertitles and music; Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, German Expressionism (“The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari”).
• Sound film: “The Jazz Singer” (1927); new genres and musicals.
• Colour film: Technicolor in the 1930s, later standard.
• Hollywood and the studio system: Shaped the cinema of the 20th century.
• New waves: French Nouvelle Vague, New German Cinema, Neorealism.
• Digital: Computer animation (Toy Story 1995), digital cameras and streaming (kamera-einstellungen-und-schnitt-im-film).
• Today: Streaming services change production and viewing habits.