History of Film Questions

   Take a moment to write down 2 questions about the history of sound at the movies that you would like to learn about. What do you want to know about these aspects of sound history?

1) When was the first film with sound? 

      --> I want to know how it was invented and what year sound was added. I want to know how many years after the invention of the moving picture sound was added. 

2) What were people's first thoughts about film in sound?

     --> I want to know what people thought about sound. Did they think it was better? Were they amazed like when the moving picture came to be?

Difference Between Bitrates

 How would you describe the differences between the bit rates? Why do each of them sound different from each other? 

The differences between the bit rates is the quality of the audio. 320 kbps has details in the audio, and it's clear. Even the jump from 320 to 192 kbps is slightly noticeable. They sound different from each other, because the files are smaller, meaning less information is being stores for these different audio clips. The more space the audio file takes, the better quality it'll be. 

What Is Frequency?

 What is frequency in audio? How is it measured?

A frequency in audio is the about of completed wavelengths in a second. The higher the frequency, the more wavelengths are fitting in a second, and vice versa. Lower frequencies are called bass, and higher ones are called treble. Frequency is measured in Hertz, or Hz. The human ear can hear the lowest of 20 Hz, and the highest the human ear can hear is 20 KiloHertz, or 20,000 Hz. 

What Does Sound Look Like?

 What do you find interesting about this video? How does seeing sound visualized help you understand what sound is?

What I find so interesting about this video, is the fact that you can actually see sound, and a change in air density using a high speed camera and Schlieren Visualization. You can also see any change in air density, including the heat off of a human hand! It helped me understand what sound is because you can actually see it, and see how it could translate into sound waves. 

Cinema History Unit Reflection

 Take a few moments to reflect on what you have learned in this unit. The history of cinema is vast, and we could only cover a short part of it. After watching this video, what do you notice about the evolution of filmmaking? How did it all begin? How far have we come? In your opinion, where are we headed?

    I learned so much about old cinema history and how the film industry came to be. I really enjoyed this unit actually, since I enjoy history. I thought I'd find it boring but it was so cool to listen to all the stories. I'm not sure where we could even be headed after this. Cinema has already expanded so much, and I'm not sure what we could achieve. I think CGI will improve maybe, and I'm hoping AI doesn't become a normal thing with film, as the art is so dependent on physical labor, and I think it's part of the magic. 

Asian Actors in American Films

 How were Asian actors and characters treated at the time in American films?  Which of these actors' stories could you relate to?  Explain why you found their achievements so significant.

After dropping out of college, Sessue Hayakawa became one of the highest-paid actors in 1910s. Hayakawa then become the first (and to this day only) Asian American to own a Hollywood studio, and it gathered over $2 million in profit. But, Asian Americans in the industry were suffering as well. Anna May Wong was an aprising actress but during her career, she suffered from the frequent stereotyping of Asian women as "China dolls" or "Dragon ladies." He had immense talent, but she frequently played secondary roles to white actresses. The got very close to getting an Asian role in a major studio film, "The Good Earth" (1937), but she ended up looing the role to Luise Rainer, a white actress in yellowface, who won an Oscar for the role. This was common back then; white actors in yellow-face were commonly cast as Asian characters. Their achievements that they did complete were so significant because of the amount of struggle they endured. 

Why Micheaux is so Important

 Why was Micheaux so important in film history? What was so significant about his achievements considering the period?

    Born and raised in Illinois as one of eleven children born to former slaves, Micheaux wrote, produced and directed 44 films from 1919 to post-WWII. His films tackled ideas such as slavery, and he was also the first African-American film director to have his work shown in "white" theaters. He started as a writer, and wrote seven entire novels, before in 1919, where he's raise money and start his own production company. His films were so important, because his films were the first to portray characters who weren't stereotypes, but real people with everyday concerns. 

Silent Cinema in the Bay Area

 What are the roots of silent cinema in the Bay Area? How did it play an important role in early cinema history? What famous personalities made films here?

 Charlie Chaplin was originally from the area of Fremont. Back in the day, film companies would crank out several short films a week, and it was often said that Fremont was the "first Hollywood", as San Francisco was a bit too foggy, and the surrounding areas were better for filming. 

New Jeresy to LA

If you had to summarize and explain the events that led from the film industry's transfer from New Jersey to Los Angeles, how would you explain it? What was Thomas Edison's role in this transition? What role did patents and Nickelodeons play in this dispute?

 I would explain it as: Edison took credit for so many inventions. He gathered people from the most powerful companies and basically patented everything about film. Because of this, all the smaller film companies wanted to move as far away as possible from Edison. Edison's role is that he almost "scared" people away from the east coast. That's how LA became a huge film area. Patents played a huge role in this transition as people just wanted to make movies and not pay Edison to do it.

Latham Loop

 What is the Latham loop? How did it change cinema?

The Latham loop was a patented invention, that changed the way film went through the camera/projector. In order to keep the film from tearing, there would be some loose film before the film was pulled through so that it wouldn't tear. This changed cinema because now longer films could be shot, and the film wouldn't get ruined. 

D.W Griffith and His Contributions to Film

 After delving deeper into the context of D.W. Griffith's life and career, what are your reflections on his contributions to film? How do you believe Griffith's influence should be perceived and evaluated in the context of 21st-century cinema?

Sometimes, there's a complex situation between the art vs the artist. And when the artwork is the first of its kind, and leads the way and opens the door for major innovations in film, the debate whether or not the film should be praised or not gets heated. D.W Griffith was an American filmmaker in the 1900's. In 1915, he released a film named "The Birth of a Nation." This film was extremely problematic as it was extremely racist and was pro KKK propaganda- but it was the first blockbuster feature film. While most films were a maximum of 15 minutes, this film was almost 3 entire hours long. I think that his influence should be perceived in the context of 21st-century cinema. While it was very racist, it was the first of its kind, that opened the eyes of thousands, and led the way for millions of films. It's unfortunate that this had to be the first, and I don't think the artist should be praised for it- only the art. 

Edwin S. Porter's Contributions to Cinema

 What was Porter's contribution to cinema? What was so significant about his work?

Early on, when film was first starting off, people gathered to watch actualities: films in which normal, everyday actions would be on screen. But, following Edwin S. Porter's narrative films like "Life of an American Firefighter" and "The Great Train Robbery," this shifted over time. Porter was good at taking ideas, and transforming them into something better. He tried new things, and did cross-cutting for the first time, proving that audiences could follow two different perspectives at once, something people thought would confuse the audience. "The Great Train Robbery" was also the first film we can observe that has camera movements such as panning, and includes a medium shot as well. 

Melies' Contributions To Cinema

 What were Melies' contributions to cinema? Why is his work so significant?

Melies' 1902 film A Trip to the Moon is considered the first science fiction film ever made. Melies used camera tricks to create illusions, what today we know as special effects. This was the first film to do that. He created over 500 films, but A Trip to the Moon is the most famous. It took him almost three months to film, and was incredibly ambitious for early cinema. His work is so significant because it basically invented special effects for the camera. 

Tonight, Tonight

 What is this music video about? Why did the band and the filmmakers choose these images? Why are they significant? What do you think they are paying homage or emulating?

The music video is about time and how we'll change. I think the bank and the filmmakers chose the images they did because the song talks about believing the singer, and in the music video a couple was flying through space and the ocean; the man asking the girl to believe him. I noticed they included a priest or person praying in the very beginning of the video, before they left of. I saw that it hinted towards their misfortunes they got into. It also cut from people singing to the couple to show like they're almost telling a story.