The medium of film has been around since the late 19th century. Roundhay Garden Scene is usually considered earliest surviving motion picture. It was filmed in the year 1888. Eventually new cameras were developed which could shoot longer sequences. They required only one lens along with a length of physical celluloid film.
The information website Wikipedia contains useful articles about the rich history of movies. They explain how devices such as the Kinetoscope pre-dated the cinema. In the early years of film individual viewers had to watch movies by themselves by looking into a peephole. It took a fair amount of time before exhibitors decided to project the footage onto large cinema screens.
The Rise Of Cinema
An American called Woodville Latham started to charge admission for this form of screening. Around the same time the French Lumière brothers mimicked the exhibition type. In the century to come large screens would be the key domain of movies.
People are often surprised by how early the science fiction genre began to be utilised in film. A good example is 1902’s A Trip to the Moon. The narrative follows astronomers who travel to the moon on a bullet shaped rocket. It was originally shown in colour thanks to a hand painting technique.
The earliest narrative film contained scenes that were often in a single static shot. It took some time before filmmakers realised the potential of editing. Movies such as Napoleon (1927) and Battleship Potemkin (1925) revolutionised new creative montage methods.
Emergence And Struggle
Throughout the 20th century films emerged as one of the most popular forms of entertainment. People would spend their spare evenings at the cinema watching the latest releases. However, this changed when television sets became more affordable for the majority of the general public.
An increasing number of people started to stay at home. As a consequence movies were broadcast on TV channels and released on VHS, DVD and Blu-ray. Today streaming services rival the cinema. As a consequence many filmmakers have to focus on home viewers. This can involve tailoring the aspect ratio, sound and framing to better suit television sets.