The very first films that were ever shown were shown through Thomas Edison's Kinetoscope in 1894 to the public eye; this was a 'peepshow-like device' which was for individual viewing. These types of films along with projected films which made them succeed were one shot actuality films that would depict things from celebrities to scenes from everyday life. The supposed most well known film from this time era is Lumiere brothers' Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat (1895) which for this time era people would have been trembling in their seats of terror, however for our day in age we would probably see it as highly poor quality and plot twists; these type of short films very much suited Victorian modes of presentation.
However in the early 1900's recording and editing technology began to improve massively which allowed the film industry to produce longer, multi-media films which could include different shots and sounds. The most supposed memorable short films from this time era are:
- Georges Relies's A Trip to the Moon (1902)
- Edwin S Porter's The Great Train Robbery (1903)
From 1910, studio competition and audiences began to demand longer more narrative films and this is where the first feature films were made they then began to become more accepted than the short film due to the audience could become more induced into the film for longer thus making the experience of the film more enjoyable. This attracted more of the middle class crowds therefore this helped to fund the construction of more realistic sets on camera over the next three decades.
