At first the flashy effects of new technology were enough to capture the public’s interest In the early 1900s people would line up to see a film depicting a few seconds of daily activity Soon filmmakers and writers added and developed elements of story Movies tapped into every literary genre from comedy to fantasy to horror Animation and special effects have their own histories running parallel to standard live-action pictures Going Hollywood Film has its roots in Europe and the United States From 1914 to 1918 World War I disrupted the industry in Europe allowing Hollywood California in the United States to dominate Many aspects of filmmaking are still centered in Hollywood though today many films are shot on location around the world In recent decades new systems have allowed people to watch movies in their homes While this cut into cinema visits it also created a huge secondary market for home video and recently streaming movies A film now has a life long after it plays in the theater Although home movie cameras existed fairly early it took decades for higher quality cheaper cameras to 8
Hollywood has remained the filmmaking capital of the world for decades become widely available Recently digital media that is cheaper than traditional film has become common These changes have allowed ordinary people to make movies on their own Some independent filmmakers have begun achieving low-budget success Making movies is now accessible to everyone Film is a technology a business a form of entertainment and an art form Its influence has spread throughout culture and society People quote lines from films and gossip about movie stars Movies can get people talking whether it is a discussion of serious issues or enthusiasm about special effects American films are known around the world While cinema has gone global the United States and Hollywood in particular is still seen as the center of moviemaking In many ways cinema can be considered a particularly American art form 9
10 People have projected images onto screens for centuries In Asia shadow puppets have been popular for 1,000 years The shadows of figures are cast onto a screen of white fabric A puppeteer manipulates the puppets on one side of the screen which is in front of a light source The audience sits on the other side of the screen Shadow-puppet shows were used both for ceremonies and popular entertainment In the 1600s inventors in the Netherlands used a lens to project images onto a wall They used the sun or a candle as a light source Soon after a device called a magic lantern combined the light source lens and image into one portable machine The magic lantern Moving Pictures Chapter 2
11 The earliest projected images were shadow puppets
