The Evolution of Cinema: From Silent Films to Streaming Wars

Today's generations have gotten used to the immediate and easy access to cinema and entertainment. This makes it hard to believe that the world of cinema had ever been any different - yet the industry has drastically changed since it was founded.

Cinema has been around for over two hundred years. During this time, humanity has worked hard to improve technology and perfect the art. Let's look back through history and see how much it has changed.

The Moving Picture Era

The first era of cinema is often known as the moving picture era. This covers the earliest attempts at the film, including magic lantern shows (the early 1600s) and beyond. Some of the most iconic inventions are the Thaumatrope (1820s), the Phenakistoscope (1830s), The Zoetrope (1830s), and the Praxinscope (1870s).

In all of the above instances, artists would create what appeared to be a moving picture by applying scientific principles (persistence of vision) and multiple still images. This illusion was wildly successful and eventually led to today's cinema.

The Silent Era

More likely than not, when you picture classic cinema, you're probably thinking of the silent era. As the name suggests, the silent era was filmed without using voices in feature films. They were black and white and filmed in a single role (one of the many reasons for the silence).

This innovation led to what is considered classic Hollywood cinema and born some of our first cinematic stars. This era lasted only a few decades before the effects of sound and music changed the industry forever.

The Sound Era

Unsurprisingly, the following era is known as the Sound era - or as the "talkies" by some. "Talkie" films had the technology to record and project actors' voices. This innovation took the industry and the world by storm, as people instantly loved it.

This era led to some of the most iconic directors of the time, who later inspired future generations. These directors include Alfred Hitchcock and Frank Capra.

Technicolor

All films were black and white until 1932 when the first color film broke the scene. Once the idea of color entered the scene, it became a mad scramble to find ways to improve it. First, it was coloring the photographs and film (literally painting them). Later, the technology improved to enable filming in real color.

Digital Revolution

The digital revolution further changed the industry, enabling creative practices. The invention of CGI allowed for bigger and better effects while the film quality continues to improve, even to this day. Animation was born during this era and has grown by leaps and bounds.

The Rise of Streaming

This brings us to today: the streaming wars. YouTube was the first big contender to hit the scene, starting in 2006. YouTube's launch was not as seamless as expected, as the company struggled until Google stepped in.

In January 2007, Netflix started experimenting with a digital version of its services. The company was bleeding money and convinced that there had to be a cheaper and more accessible way to lend movies. This idea saved the company, though it had its bumps in the road.

However, Netflix was not the only company to dive into the streaming service industry. Once Netflix proved it was a lucrative business, others soon followed suit. Now, customers have a choice between dozens of companies, including Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Paramount+, and Peacock.

Today, many viewers would argue that too many streaming services exist. They all compete for a customer's time and, more importantly - their money. However, customers have a finite amount of money to utilize, so to many, this feels like the cost of cable television all over again. This begs the question - will the streaming industry continue to be king, or will something new change how we view cinema?