UCLA Film 6A Midterm UPDATED
ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Eadweard Muybridge - CORRECT ANSWER - -was the first person to make a moving
picture after being hired by Leland Stanford to settle debate of whether or not horses lifted all
four feet off the ground at any time during their gallop. He set up cameras that were separated
and triggered as the horses ran and tipped wires that caused the camera to tie 12 still pictures of
the horses movements that proved horses lifted all four legs at some point during gallop. He left
the states and later comes back to study human and animal locomotion. Using Marey's camera
gun, he realized he could use photos and drop them into zoetrope and show the illusion of
movement.
Etienne Jules Marey - CORRECT ANSWER - A chronotographer that studied the flight of
birds. He realized he couldn't study the movements because they were too fast to observe and
analyze succession of movements. in 1882, he perfect the photographic gun the size and shape of
a rifle capable of taking 12 pictures in succession in one plate in one seconds time which was
originally created o capture solar eclipse. This can be called the first camera to make motion
pictures. in 1888, he begins experimenting with paper film where you can show and see pictures
that are taken. His work inspires and paves the way for Thomas Edison to get involved in motion
picture cameras.
Thomas Edison - CORRECT ANSWER - Was the inventor of electric lightbulb and the
graphaphone which was a device that could record and playback sound. He begins to think: What
if people had a small mopping image to view with the music? Hires and oversees WLK
Dickinson who, through Edison's company, creates 100 lbs camera for 35 mm film called the
kinetograph, and Edison patents it. He is now able to begin making motion pictures so he creates
the Black Maria which was a an irregularly shaped black shack that could be thought of as the
first studio.He also "invents" the Kinetescope which was a one person peep show of motion
picture. He begins mass producing them and becomes obsessed with patenting his inventions. He
later projects in Vaudeville and starts the Motion Picture Patent Company ("The Trust') in order
to monopolize over every other film production and sues his way to controlling all American
producers except Biograph, the company that WLK Dickinson founded.
WKL Dickson - CORRECT ANSWER - In 1889, Dickson begins working for Edison to
create a 35mm film camera. He technically is the person that invents the kinetograph in 1891 but
because he works for Edison and his company, Edison gets the credit. The camera weighs 100
,lbs and Edison and Dickinson can begin making motion pictures. They create the Black Maria, a
irregularly shaped black surface shack that became the first "studio", where Edison and
Dickinson first shoot their earliest films. Later, Dickinson invents the Kinetoscope, a one person
peep show, to view motion pictures. Once again, all the credit goes to Edison. In 1895,
Dickinson leaves Edison and creates his own company, American Biograph Co., to compete
against Edison. He reinvents everything he did for Edison but makes it completely different and
patents it. He creates the Mutoscope, which is a smaller and cheaper version of the kinetoscope
and is based on the flip book. It is used by cranking a fan to blow pages to create image. When
Edison creates MPCC, Biograph takes the longest and is the last to join the Trust.
-had been in charge of his projects. 1- 2 reels per week, famous star was Florence Lawrence also
known as "the biograph girl"
Biograph had patented their own camera equimpent. Edison sued in 1901 but lost in the appeal.
Produced their
Was taken over by Director D.W. Griffith in 1908
Griffith's style of story telling increased Biographs output greatly
Augustus & Louis Lumiere - CORRECT ANSWER - owned a photography company they
inherited from their father and were interested in doing new types of photography. When they
heard about Edison's doings, they decided they wanted to make a motion picture system and
invent a build hand-cranked camera AND projector called the Lumiere Cinematographe. They
created accessories that allowed them to change it from a camera to projector and it weighed 14
pounds which made it portable. They move away from one person at a time peep show and
decide to project the motion picture in a darken room to a bigger audience. Got this idea from
their Magic Lantern (use light that shines through to project pictures). Begin ongoing public
projection by traveling to many countries and gaining attention.
Edison drove them out of the US
Vaudeville - CORRECT ANSWER - It was a family friendly show with small
entertainment done on a small stage with multiple acts on one bill & had acts for everyone:
singers, dancers, stand-up comedy. It was a program changed weekly (interstate vaudville
circuit) which meant there was a great variety. admission prices were very low, ranging from 5-
10 cents a show, which meant that everyone was able to afford to go to a show, even the poor
families. In 1896 Thomas Edison starts projecting in vaudeville. The circuit-rotation began to
include short one-reel motion pictures, however as this concept was extended to the
, Nickelodeon, Vaudevilles soon began to suffer as the low-priced cinema gained popularity into
the early 1910s.
Vitagraph & J. Stuart Blackton - CORRECT ANSWER - Former Vaudeville performer,
founds Vitagraph. He got a hold of one of Edison's cameras, took it apart, improved it and
patented the improvements. He then builds company, Vitagraph, and competes against Edison.
Vitagraph comes up with the idea to create fictitious war films which become very popular.
Bought by Warner Bros in 1925.
George Melies - CORRECT ANSWER - was a magician and producer that would put on
shows of magic tricks and stories aimed at children. Attends a Lumiere show and falls in love
with the idea of movies so he creates his own company, Star Films. Makes Trip to the Moon;
most famous film, 8-10 shots, tells a coherent story, has a beginning, middle and end, many
special effects, color on the film and is an early example of science fiction. Sets the pace for
fictitious movies - don't have to be documents of realities, can be about imagination.
Edwin S. Porter - CORRECT ANSWER - A filmmaker that worked for Edison's company
-saw that people wanted more films like Trip to the Moon
-created Jack and the Beanstalk (1902) and Life of an American Fireamn (multi-shot, "modern
drama," real life events, animals, people, not so science fiction or fantasy based)
-1903: The Great Train Robbery, was as big of a hit as Trip to the Moon, sparks a new era in film
history: Nickelodeon era
-great grandfather of crime pictures, crime fiction
Nickelodeons - CORRECT ANSWER - -they were converted store/theaters
-low admission of 5-10 cents which was competitive with Vaudeville and was accessible to all
social classes
- Nickelodeon heyday 1905-1915
- Working class people, families with children, immigrants
- Showed: mix of things: westerns, travelogues, short films
- Music: minimal- pianist or fiddle player
- Converted storefronts, old vaudeville theaters
ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Eadweard Muybridge - CORRECT ANSWER - -was the first person to make a moving
picture after being hired by Leland Stanford to settle debate of whether or not horses lifted all
four feet off the ground at any time during their gallop. He set up cameras that were separated
and triggered as the horses ran and tipped wires that caused the camera to tie 12 still pictures of
the horses movements that proved horses lifted all four legs at some point during gallop. He left
the states and later comes back to study human and animal locomotion. Using Marey's camera
gun, he realized he could use photos and drop them into zoetrope and show the illusion of
movement.
Etienne Jules Marey - CORRECT ANSWER - A chronotographer that studied the flight of
birds. He realized he couldn't study the movements because they were too fast to observe and
analyze succession of movements. in 1882, he perfect the photographic gun the size and shape of
a rifle capable of taking 12 pictures in succession in one plate in one seconds time which was
originally created o capture solar eclipse. This can be called the first camera to make motion
pictures. in 1888, he begins experimenting with paper film where you can show and see pictures
that are taken. His work inspires and paves the way for Thomas Edison to get involved in motion
picture cameras.
Thomas Edison - CORRECT ANSWER - Was the inventor of electric lightbulb and the
graphaphone which was a device that could record and playback sound. He begins to think: What
if people had a small mopping image to view with the music? Hires and oversees WLK
Dickinson who, through Edison's company, creates 100 lbs camera for 35 mm film called the
kinetograph, and Edison patents it. He is now able to begin making motion pictures so he creates
the Black Maria which was a an irregularly shaped black shack that could be thought of as the
first studio.He also "invents" the Kinetescope which was a one person peep show of motion
picture. He begins mass producing them and becomes obsessed with patenting his inventions. He
later projects in Vaudeville and starts the Motion Picture Patent Company ("The Trust') in order
to monopolize over every other film production and sues his way to controlling all American
producers except Biograph, the company that WLK Dickinson founded.
WKL Dickson - CORRECT ANSWER - In 1889, Dickson begins working for Edison to
create a 35mm film camera. He technically is the person that invents the kinetograph in 1891 but
because he works for Edison and his company, Edison gets the credit. The camera weighs 100
,lbs and Edison and Dickinson can begin making motion pictures. They create the Black Maria, a
irregularly shaped black surface shack that became the first "studio", where Edison and
Dickinson first shoot their earliest films. Later, Dickinson invents the Kinetoscope, a one person
peep show, to view motion pictures. Once again, all the credit goes to Edison. In 1895,
Dickinson leaves Edison and creates his own company, American Biograph Co., to compete
against Edison. He reinvents everything he did for Edison but makes it completely different and
patents it. He creates the Mutoscope, which is a smaller and cheaper version of the kinetoscope
and is based on the flip book. It is used by cranking a fan to blow pages to create image. When
Edison creates MPCC, Biograph takes the longest and is the last to join the Trust.
-had been in charge of his projects. 1- 2 reels per week, famous star was Florence Lawrence also
known as "the biograph girl"
Biograph had patented their own camera equimpent. Edison sued in 1901 but lost in the appeal.
Produced their
Was taken over by Director D.W. Griffith in 1908
Griffith's style of story telling increased Biographs output greatly
Augustus & Louis Lumiere - CORRECT ANSWER - owned a photography company they
inherited from their father and were interested in doing new types of photography. When they
heard about Edison's doings, they decided they wanted to make a motion picture system and
invent a build hand-cranked camera AND projector called the Lumiere Cinematographe. They
created accessories that allowed them to change it from a camera to projector and it weighed 14
pounds which made it portable. They move away from one person at a time peep show and
decide to project the motion picture in a darken room to a bigger audience. Got this idea from
their Magic Lantern (use light that shines through to project pictures). Begin ongoing public
projection by traveling to many countries and gaining attention.
Edison drove them out of the US
Vaudeville - CORRECT ANSWER - It was a family friendly show with small
entertainment done on a small stage with multiple acts on one bill & had acts for everyone:
singers, dancers, stand-up comedy. It was a program changed weekly (interstate vaudville
circuit) which meant there was a great variety. admission prices were very low, ranging from 5-
10 cents a show, which meant that everyone was able to afford to go to a show, even the poor
families. In 1896 Thomas Edison starts projecting in vaudeville. The circuit-rotation began to
include short one-reel motion pictures, however as this concept was extended to the
, Nickelodeon, Vaudevilles soon began to suffer as the low-priced cinema gained popularity into
the early 1910s.
Vitagraph & J. Stuart Blackton - CORRECT ANSWER - Former Vaudeville performer,
founds Vitagraph. He got a hold of one of Edison's cameras, took it apart, improved it and
patented the improvements. He then builds company, Vitagraph, and competes against Edison.
Vitagraph comes up with the idea to create fictitious war films which become very popular.
Bought by Warner Bros in 1925.
George Melies - CORRECT ANSWER - was a magician and producer that would put on
shows of magic tricks and stories aimed at children. Attends a Lumiere show and falls in love
with the idea of movies so he creates his own company, Star Films. Makes Trip to the Moon;
most famous film, 8-10 shots, tells a coherent story, has a beginning, middle and end, many
special effects, color on the film and is an early example of science fiction. Sets the pace for
fictitious movies - don't have to be documents of realities, can be about imagination.
Edwin S. Porter - CORRECT ANSWER - A filmmaker that worked for Edison's company
-saw that people wanted more films like Trip to the Moon
-created Jack and the Beanstalk (1902) and Life of an American Fireamn (multi-shot, "modern
drama," real life events, animals, people, not so science fiction or fantasy based)
-1903: The Great Train Robbery, was as big of a hit as Trip to the Moon, sparks a new era in film
history: Nickelodeon era
-great grandfather of crime pictures, crime fiction
Nickelodeons - CORRECT ANSWER - -they were converted store/theaters
-low admission of 5-10 cents which was competitive with Vaudeville and was accessible to all
social classes
- Nickelodeon heyday 1905-1915
- Working class people, families with children, immigrants
- Showed: mix of things: westerns, travelogues, short films
- Music: minimal- pianist or fiddle player
- Converted storefronts, old vaudeville theaters
