The History of Movies

Movies are created for various reasons. Sometimes they have an educational, informative, or thought-provoking message. On the other hand, a movie may be produced purely for commercial reasons. Films fall into two broad categories: those produced for entertainment and those produced for profit. In addition, the two terms are used to describe films with the same meaning, motion pictures. A film gives the appearance of motion when projected, and it is also sometimes used to describe the products of the motion picture industry.

The earliest films were static images that showed things happening. They often featured events and actions such as a street scene, a view from a trolly, or a train. The audience would sometimes run from the theater if the train suddenly appeared on screen, causing panic among the audience. Eventually, filmmakers learned to incorporate a series of scenes to tell a story. This helped them make better use of the language of words and their relationships with one another.

Films also employ a number of codes to affect our perception of reality. Whether intentional or not, these codes are accepted implicitly by the viewers and confirmed by habitual viewing. For example, the use of brown lighting in early twentieth century films has come to represent the past, and this visual code is meant to evoke an earlier age. Storytelling codes are even more obvious, and aim to manipulate actual reality in order to make us believe certain things about the past.