This is the First Day of Our Class.

We learned about metaphors in early motion pictures.

-Edward Muybridge gave us the first instance of moving pictures by attaching still pictures of a galloping horse together. I must admit that the tidbit we learned about the misconception that horses galloping with at least one foot on the ground was used many times as conversation starters this weekend!

-George Melias used motion picture to imitate the theatre. He created magic videos with fixed camera and in the clip we saw he gave us the first examples of "stop motion" to create illusions. I found the clip quite amusing and I even showed it to a friend this weekend and he chuckled at it as well.
-The Lumiere Brothers approached film differently and used motion picture to show real life. We watched the Train Station which I found very ordinary and insignificant. However, once Donna explained to us that in this approach the camara becomes our "eye" that allows us to witness something we cannot actually be at, I was more appreciative.

-Edwin Porter used motion picture to tell stories. We watched a clip from the Life of an American Fireman and saw the first example of "cross cutting" which sequences events that are happening simultaneously. I thought this was interesting because cross cutting is a technique so commonly used that I've never even thought it was ever a technique, let alone a revolutionary one.

-I am extremely excited about this class because I learned so much in the first session and left challenged to think beyond the characters I am watching when I watch film!