DRAMA STUDY GUIDE

Film History
In 1888, Thomas Edison invented the kinetoscope. Its name is derived from the Greek words kineto meaning movement, and scopos meaning "to watch. He was the first person to understand that movies could make money. This earned him the title of the Master Exploitation Artist. One way he profited from movies was by making movies that had what the public wanted. Edison realized very quickly that the public was drawn to films with violence. This is what led Edison to make the movie entitled The Great Train Robbery. Another way Edison made money from films was by creating and selling copies of the film A Trip to the Moon, by French filmmaker, Georges Mlis. While Edison himself profited from the sale of this film, he did not share the money with Mlis. Thomas Edison's kinetoscope later evolved into the projecting vitascope In the early 1900s, the first movie theaters that used Edison's latest invention charged each patron a nickel to see a movie. Because of this, the new theaters were often referred to as nickelodeons. As the movie industry continued to evolve, Edison was eventually pushed out of the business. Movie studios like Charlie Chaplin's United Artists, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), & Warner Brothers were producing bigger and better movies than ever before and in record numbers. However, the pioneering contributions Edison made to the movie industry are an invaluable part of film history.

VAUDEVILLE
In the year 1881, after the Civil War, and during the Reconstruction Period, live, family-friendly variety shows began to open their doors to everyone. Vaudeville was the most popular form of entertainment in America from 1881 until 1932. These shows included a variety of entertainment . Some examples of these acts included: singing, dancing, comedy, magic, animals doing

tricks, as well as novelty acts such as roller skaters, ventriloquists, plate spinners, and trapeze artists. Vaudeville performers were often immigrants who brought their countrys unique style of performing and humor to the U.S. It is cultural intermingling such as this that earned the United States the title of being the melting pot of the world. Three examples of countries Vaudevillians emigrated from are Russia, China, and Ireland, Italy. Unfortunately, by the year 1932, almost all Vaudeville theaters had gone out of business. Three reasons this occurred were radios in homes, films, and The Great Depression. Many Vaudeville stars, however went on to have successful performing careers in radio , films or movies, and television.

GEORGES MELIES Georges Mlis was very innovative in the use of special effects. He accidentally discovered the stop trick, or substitution, and was one of the first filmmakers to use multiple exposures, timelapse photography, dissolves, and hand-painted color in his films. Because of his ability to seemingly manipulate and transform reality through cinematography, Mlis is sometimes referred to as the First "Cinemagician." Unfortunately, Mlis did not profit from his films. He later melted down his films and sold the cellulose nitrate to be used to make the heels of boots. Mlis was found working in a small shop at a train station in the 1930s and he died virtually penniless in 1938.

CHARLIE CHAPLIN Charlie Chaplin came to America from his native country of England in his early 20s. He got his American career started by performing in Vaudeville shows in New York City. Chaplin created the iconic character The Tramp and is considered by many to be the first movie star. His best known films are the silent films: The Kid, Modern Times, and The Great

Dictator. Chaplin wrote, acted, directed, produced and wrote the music for most of his films. His song Smile is still very well-known and performed today. Although Chaplin died in 1977, Chaplin continues to influence people and performers today, including Johnny Depp and Michael Jackson.