Film

A film, movie, or motion picture is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since the 1930s, synchronized with sound and sometimes using other sensory stimuli.

Films are produced by recording actual people and objects with cameras or by creating them using animation techniques and special effects. They comprise a series of individual frames, but when these images are shown rapidly in succession, the illusion of motion is given to the viewer.

Films are considered by many to be an important art form; films entertain, educate, enlighten and inspire audiences. The visual elements of cinema need no translation, giving the motion picture a universal power of communication. Any film can become a worldwide attraction, especially with the addition of dubbing or subtitles that translate the dialogue. Films are also artifacts created by specific cultures, which reflect those cultures, and, in turn, affect them.

History

Main articles: History of film technology and History of film

The art of film grew from older ways of telling stories like storytelling, literature, theatre, and visual arts. Early forms of entertainment with moving images included shadowgraphy, camera obscura, shadow puppetry, and magic lantern.

In the 1830s, new ways to create moving images were invented. These included the stroboscopic disc, also called the phénakisticope, and later the zoetrope, the flip book, and the praxinoscope. These devices showed quick, changing pictures that looked like motion.

By the late 1800s, photography had been created, but it took time to learn how to capture moving things. In 1878, Eadweard Muybridge took many pictures of a horse running and showed them to prove that horses sometimes have all four feet off the ground at once. Other inventors like Étienne-Jules Marey and Ottomar Anschütz also made their own ways to capture motion.

The first movies were shown one person at a time using devices such as the Electrotachyscope and the Kinetoscope. Soon, people could see movies on big screens in theaters. The first public movie showings where people paid to see them happened in 1895.

In the early 1900s, movies were just single scenes without editing. But soon, filmmakers began to string several scenes together to tell a story. They also added new ways to move the camera and show different angles.

Movies were silent until the 1920s when sound was added. This let actors talk and added music and sound effects. Sound movies quickly became popular.

Color also changed movies. Early color was not very natural, but new ways to capture color directly from nature were invented. One of the first big color movies was The Wizard of Oz in 1939.

As television became popular in the 1950s, movie theaters added bigger screens, new sound systems, and more color movies to attract people back. Today, movies use digital technology and new ways to make pictures look three-dimensional.

Film theory

"Film theory" helps us understand film as a form of art. It started in 1911 when Ricciotto Canudo called film the "sixth art." The Moscow Film School, the world's oldest film school, opened in 1919 to teach and study film theory. Some theorists, like Rudolf Arnheim, believed film was special because it differed from real life, making it a true art. Others, like André Bazin, thought film's strength was in showing reality just as it is.

Films have their own way of "talking." For example, showing one actor's left side, then another's right side, tells us they are having a conversation. Directors use these film "languages" to tell stories and help us feel like we're part of them. The way films are put together, called montage, can create new meanings. Famous filmmakers like Sergei Eisenstein used montage to make powerful scenes. Today, directors still use these techniques to make movies more exciting and meaningful.

Main article: Montage (filmmaking)

Film criticism is about analyzing and evaluating movies. Critics review new films for newspapers, magazines, and broadcast media. Their reviews can influence whether people decide to watch a film, especially for serious or artistic movies. Some believe that strong marketing can override bad reviews, but often, very negative reviews can hurt a film's success, while great reviews can help unknown films become popular. Critics also study films in deeper ways, looking at how the techniques used in movies affect our feelings and thoughts.

Industry

The making and showing of motion pictures quickly became a way to make money after the process was invented. The Lumières toured Europe to show the first films, and soon local entrepreneurs began making and showing their own films. The Oberammergau Passion Play from 1898 was the first commercial movie ever made. Over time, special theaters and companies formed just to create and share films, and movie stars became famous celebrities.

In the United States, much of the film industry is based in Hollywood, California. Other big film centers exist around the world, like Mumbai-based Bollywood, which makes the most films yearly. While making films can be very expensive, new, cheaper equipment has helped independent filmmakers create movies too.

Associated fields

Films inspire many areas of study and new industries. For example, people study films through film theory, film criticism, and film history. Films can also be used to share messages, such as in film propaganda. Other industries create products related to films, like popcorn makers, toys such as Star Wars figures, and advertising through product placement and other advertising inside movies.

Terminology

The words we use for movies change depending on whether we speak British or American English. In British English, we usually say "film," while in American English, we often say "movie." Both words can be used to talk about watching films at a place called a "cinema" in British English or a "movie theatre" in American English.

In the United States, "movie" is the common word for films meant for entertainment, while "film" often refers to movies looked at for their art or technical skills. Films can be shown in special buildings called cinemas or theatres, where people gather to watch them on large screens. Some films are long enough to be shown by themselves, called feature-length films, while shorter ones are known as shorts. There are also independent films made outside big movie studios, and sometimes two films are shown together in a double feature.

Culture

Films are cultural artifacts created by specific cultures, helping people from different places understand each other. They are an important art form that entertains and teaches about history, often showing what life was like at a certain time. Because films use pictures, they can be understood by people all over the world, even if they do not speak the same language. This is often helped by dubbing or subtitles that translate what is being said into other languages.

Films are also used for many purposes, such as teaching and sharing ideas. When a film is made mainly to teach something, it is called an educational film. Examples include recordings of school lessons or films based on famous books. Sometimes films are also used to influence people’s opinions, which is called propaganda. This can happen in many ways, such as through government-made films or artistic works that support certain beliefs. The same film might be seen as educational by some people and as propaganda by others, because what a film means can depend on who is watching it.

Main articles: Educational film and Propaganda film

Production

Making a film can be as simple as one person with a camera or as complex as thousands of people working together. The basic steps include coming up with an idea, planning it out, filming it, making changes, and sharing it with others. Bigger films take more time and resources, with stages like development, pre-production, production, post-production, and distribution usually spread over three years.

A film crew is the group of people hired to help make a movie during the filming phase. They handle everything needed for shooting, like props, costumes, lights, and sound, while actors perform the characters. Crew members work in different departments to support the director and ensure the film is made smoothly. Over time, technology has changed how films are made, from early hand-cranked cameras to today's digital video, making filmmaking more accessible. Independent films often exist outside big studios, using newer, cheaper technology to create movies without major studio support.

Distribution

Film distribution is how movies get to people so they can watch them. A special company called a film distributor decides how to market the movie and where it will be shown. Movies can be seen in places like movie theaters, on television, or at home using devices like DVD players, computers, or streaming services. People can also rent or buy movies to watch whenever they want.

Animation

Main article: Animation

Animation is a special way of making films where each picture, or frame, is created one at a time. These pictures can be drawn by hand, made with computers, or even made by moving small models a little bit at a time. When these pictures are shown quickly one after another, they look like they are moving. This trick works because our eyes can’t keep up with the fast changes, making things seem smooth and alive.

Creating animation used to take a lot of time and money, so most animated films and TV shows come from big studios. But some people have made animations all by themselves since the 1950s. Even with new computer tools, some artists still paint directly onto film to make unique and creative movies.