In 1839, the first ever photographic process of negatives was invented by English inventor William Henry. Through this, people were able to capture photographs which started as “negatives,” and were developed into film through a process of photographic development in a dark room. A few years later in 1882, French scientist Jules Marey developed the chronophotographic gun. This machine allowed photographers to take twelve photos a second, which introduced the foundations of videography. Using the chronophotographic gun, photographers would line up consecutive photos and play them back-to-back at high speed, giving the effect of a video. This concept was first seen in 1888 when the world saw its first ever motion picture, Roundhay Garden Scene. This film was three seconds long and contained no color or sound, however it proved to the world that the production of video is indeed possible.
Video has a unique and multifaceted history and has served to be a transformative component to modern day western civilization. Today, practically every person in our nation would say that video is a crucial part of their everyday life, as a platform for entertainment, education, news, and creativity. It is difficult to imagine that in just over one hundred years, the concept of video has evolved from brief scenes developed by the combination of a few negatives, to long and high-quality films, detailed with special effects, extensive editing, and a multitude of complex features. This post will highlight the evolution and development of videos, along with their impact on society.
1891 marked a revolutionary turning point in the evolution of videography with Thomas Edison’s development of the motion camera. As a result of this invention, video took off running. We began to see color and sound added to motion pictures in the early 1900s, the first of these being Cupid Angling and Jazz Singer. Television shows like I Love Lucy grew in popularity around America and the world, and made video rise to the top of entertainment. In 1954, Charles Ginsburg invented the VCR, also known as a video cassette recorder. This made video-taking portable and mobile, with a more compact, sleek build to the machine. For the next fifty years, video production and streaming was accomplished through these bulky physical machines like the VCR, DVD, and VHS. Inventions like these all had a generally short lifespan, because in 2008, video became digitized and the world never looked back.
Each development in the evolution of video was aiming to improve video quality, increase ease and accessibility of videos, and strengthen interactivity. Through these developments, the impact that video had on our nation and world evolved and changed as well. With the initial developments of motion pictures, television, and cable in the 1900s, we see video as a democratizing force. Cable TV allowed for access to news and current events. This was especially impactful during the first and second World Wars in the 1900s. Wars became documented like never before, and families gathered around the TV to stay updated. Television solved many problems like miscommunication and misinformation, with widespread, real-time access to information. As time went on, people began to use video as an opportunity and platform for media activism and education. However, as video became digitized in the early 2000s, some of these impacts revealed a negative side, and led to issues like isolation, attention-span, and manipulation of public opinion. Like any major presence, there were of course both positive and negative impacts, but overall, video has transformed our world for the better.
No comments:
Post a Comment