Who Was the First Actor to be Paid $1 Million for a Single Film?
Many early actors earned more than $1 million. Until the mid–1940s most Hollywood actors were paid an annual salary, rather than per film.
General History
When Was Color First Used in Motion Pictures and How Were They Made?
Color motion pictures appeared almost from the very beginning. Thomas Edison experimented with a hand-tinting process in his films.
When Did “Movie” Replace “Motion Picture”?
In America the slang expression “movie” began to get circulation in newspaper comic strips in 1909, and within a year it was well on its way to nationwide usage.
First Actor to be Filmed Doing a Death Scene
The very first death scene we can find on record was filmed by Thomas Edison’s production company between May 10–19, 1895. Unfortunately, the catalogue entry does not list the cast. It is possible that David Henderson played Svengali. The scene was from David Henderson’s Burlesque that recreated an episode from “Trilby”, the 1894 novel by … Read more
The History Of “Aspect Ratio” In Movies
Why the original 4:3 aspect ratio was chosen from the very earliest stage of motion picture development remains something of a puzzle. Although the 4:3 ratio had been used often for 19th Century lantern slides and photographs, there was no “standardized” format at that time.
“B” Movies – A Brief History
By 1935, 85% of American motion picture theaters were programming double features, including the big budget “A” movie and shorter “B” movie.
“Film Noir” – What Is It?
A term coined by French film critics, the “classic period” of Film Noir was an extremely important one in American film history.
When and Why did 35mm Film Become the Standard?
Most commercial movies were, and some still are, shot using film that is 35 millimeters wide. When Thomas Edison and his team of inventors, headed by William Kennedy Laurie Dickson, finally introduced the Kinetoscope in April 1894, it used a film that was almost identical with the 35mm film used today – the same width … Read more
What, and When, was the First Movie Shown on Television?
The first full–length feature film shown on television was a silent movie produced by Gotham Productions that ran for 6 reels (approximately 60 minutes).
