Video production. It is the thing that can help make ideas come to life. Whether that would be your favorite books turning into your favorite TV shows and movie, it has played a pivotal role in our society. 

In Canada, the video production industry made $11.3 billion in 2021 alone. 

With so much money made in this industry, it may be hard to believe that not so long ago in human history, videos did not even exist. 

How did film and video begin? How did it progress to where it is today? 

This is the history of video. 

Film Origins 

To get a complete idea of the history of video production, we need to go back to the beginning. 

It all started with the very first photograph. The first known one was taken by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1826. 

That allowed people to discover that recording images of the world around them was possible. In 1832, someone took this a step further. 

A Belgian physicist named Joseph Plateau was working on creating a device called a phenakistoscope. 

What is this? It is the first device used for animation because it is good at creating images of continuous movement. In other words, this device can play tricks on your mind to think you are watching an animated show or movie where characters and objects really move. 

However, this device was mainly used for art and as a children's toy at the time it was invented. Regardless, this does not mean that it was not put to good use. 

Over the next few decades, this device would be used as inspiration for other inventions and milestones that would move the video production industry forward. 

Kinetoscope and Cinema 

Most people reading this are probably familiar with the famous inventor Thomas Edison. Well, his Edison Company would play a major role in changing the video production industry forever. 

That is because, in 1891, he invented a device that would allow people to see moving pictures. That device was a kinetoscope. 

It would be a couple of more years before the public had an opportunity to try this device out in 1893. When it was released to the public, it instantly became popular and received global recognition as the years went on. 

Then, in 1895, two brothers named Auguste and Louis Lumière decided to try to profit from this device. What they did was come up with their own device to help present these moving pictures to a bigger audience. 

The brothers invented their own device called the cinématographe. What this device did was combine the purpose of three separate devices and put those all into one device. They used aspects of a camera, projector, and film printer for this device. 

With the combined efforts of Thomas Edison and the Lumière brothers, they changed the way people would view moving pictures forever. Both of their devices and efforts led to the modern movie theater viewing experience that we know today. 

Milestone Movies 

Once the two devices mentioned above were invented, this gave movie directors and film producers a good opportunity to put their ideas on the big screen. Over the next 20-25 years, there were a few movies that helped move the video production industry forward. 

The Great Train Robbery 

This was a movie that was made in 1903. While it is not quite the same kind of movie compared to what we see today, it still made film history as the first silent movie ever released. 

While you could not hear the actual dialogue in this movie, it still told a story and had narrative slides to move the story along. The film was short and sweet, with a running time of just 12 minutes. 

The plot was essentially what the title implies. It was about four train robbers who attempted to rob a train and then they had to fight off a group of people that tried to stop them. 

This film made its debut to the public in 1904 and made its way to almost every movie theater by 1905. As a result, this film is credited with the advancement of modern movie theaters that we see today. 

The Story of the Kelly Gang 

In 1906, movies took another step further by attempting a much longer running time for this film. Rather than just 12 minutes, The Story of the Kelly Gang had a running time of at least 70 minutes. However, future edits of the film made later editions even longer. 

The film ended up taking six months to produce and it was considered a massive success, especially in Australia. 

However, the film was arguably the first one ever to be controversial. That is because the Australian government claimed that the film depicted the police as villains. 

As a result, the government blamed the film for an increase in crime in later years after its release which ended up leading to some bans of film screenings. 

The Birth and Fall of a Nation 

The next two movies called The Birth of a Nation and The Fall of a Nation had two milestones in movie history. 

The Birth of a Nation was the original movie in this franchise that debuted in 1915. It is widely known as the first big Hollywood blockbuster film that we have come to know today. 

This film ended up being very successful and as a result, it unintentionally caused another milestone to take place. 

That milestone was to create the first ever sequel to a movie. This would lead to The Fall of a Nation's production and release the very next year. 

Cupid Angling

Cupid Angling was a film released just two years after The Fall of a Nation in 1918. 

How did this film make history? It is widely regarded as the first color film ever released. 

Believe it or not, movies were released in black and white at first. That is how movies like The Great Train Robbery and The Birth of a Nation claimed fame. However, releasing a movie in color would be the start of a permanent change in how we watch movies decades down the road. 

There tend to be some misunderstandings about the first color film. That is because The Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind are two of the most famous films in cinematic history made in color. 

As a result, these tend to receive credit as the first films ever made in color. However, neither came out until more than 20 years after Cupid Angling. 

Steamboat 

For Disney fans, you may recognize this next film. Steamboat was made in 1928 by Walt Disney and it is a film that starred Mickey Mouse. 

Why is this film a milestone? Because it was the first animated film ever released in theaters. Most of you are aware that Walt Disney went on to make several more successful animated films and Walt Disney Studios went on to become a titan of the film industry. 

Flowers and Trees 

We did not have to wait long for another milestone film by Walt Disney Studios to be released. Flowers and Trees was released four years after Steamboat in 1932. 

This was another very successful animated film that went on to win awards. In fact, this was the first animated movie ever to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. 

How does this film stand out from Steamboat? It was the first animated film ever released in color. That is something that Walt Disney Studios would continue to do to this day. 

Milestone Inventions 

On top of milestone movies, there were milestone inventions that helped push the video production industry forward. There were a few inventions that came out after the cinema was more widespread. 

Nickelodeon 

If you read the story of The Great Train Robbery above, you will know that it was considered a major success. While the idea to show moving pictures to an audience already existed for over a decade, it took a much bigger leap forward in 1905. 

That is because two guys in Pittsburgh named John P. Harris and Harry Davis opened the first ever movie theater during that year. They called it a Nickelodeon because they charged people five cents to see one of the movies that played in their movie theater. 

The idea spread like wildfire and in the next few years, you could find towns and cities all over the place with their own movie theaters. 

The First Television 

Another important invention in video production was the first television. This was made by someone named Philo Taylor Farnsworth in 1927. 

Admittedly, it took a while for televisions to take off. That is because, for decades, it was a luxury item for homes.

Even as far into the future as the 1960s, it was still a big deal for somebody to have one TV in their home. Today, it may not be a big deal to have several TVs in one home. 

This would still be a very important invention for video production history because when the television did take off, broadcasts would have to accommodate it. 

Things such as sporting events were almost exclusively on television. There is a broadcast team and video production team that has to bring that feed to your home. 

Then, you have to consider all of the TV shows that were made specifically for television. A more famous example is The Twilight Zone. 

The point is that while televisions did not have a huge impact on the industry in 1927, they have a huge impact on how we view videos, shows, and movies today. 

16 MM Film

Something else that is important to note is what equipment people used to produce movies. Before 1923, most films got made with 35 mm film. 

As you can see, that is more than twice the size of the 16 mm film discussed here. So, when 16 mm film became available, it changed the game for film producers. 

This film made it so that it could fit on smaller screens and film producers could use smaller cameras to shoot their films. That resulted in camera operators now being able to shoot film while carrying their cameras on their shoulders. 

In other words, it allowed for a lot more movement and flexibility for directors and camera operators. It also ended up saving producers quite a bit of money on film production because of the film's flexibility. 

Film Distribution

Finally, let's go over some of the ways that film gets distributed outside of movie theaters and television shows. At some point, people wanted a way to watch their favorite movies and shows at home anytime they wanted. 

One way people did this was by getting a videocassette recorder (VCR). These allowed you to view tapes of your favorite movies and shows on your television. Eventually, this switched to lighter objects with DVDs and DVD players. 

Now, all of that is obsolete with the invention of streaming services such as Netflix. Streaming services like this give you a film library if you will. It allows you access to hundreds or even thousands of movies and shows in one place. 

Learn More About Video Production 

These are the main things that you should know about the history of video production. It is important to note what inventions led to movies and shows being made in the first place. However, it is also important to note what movies and inventions allowed the industry to progress as much as it has. 

Does this make you want to start producing videos? Get a quote from our production company today.