Spotlight on Cinema through the Ages

What were movies like before the days of big-screen blockbusters, 3-D adventures and cutting-edge home cinema solutions?
Heres a look at the history of cinematic entertainment and how it grew to become a part of our everyday lives.

The earliest device used for displaying moving pictures was the zoopraxiscope, or wheel of life, was patented in 1867 by William Lincoln.
The device projected hand-crafted images painted on a series of rotating glass disks in rapid succession, creating the impression of movement.

1879, Eadweard Muybridge's Zoopraxiscope: Mule Bucking and Kicking

Original disk

Spinning disk

In the 1880s, inventors began developing cameras capable of capturing a series of images or frames on film.
American visionary Thomas Edison patented the kinetographic camera (kinetoscope) in 1891. Frenchman Louis Lumiere later created a film camera and projector called the Cinematographe, in 1985. The idea of film started gaining popularity, and soon Lumiere and his brother became the first people to present moving pictures to a paying audience.

Before it was possible to synchronise sound images on film, motion pictures were silent. They were often accompanied by live music, sound effects or commentary. In its first decade, film grew from a novelty to a major, lucrative entertainment industry.

1902, Le Voyage dans la lune (A trip to the moon) by Georges Mlis.

In 1927, the American musical film The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson, became the first feature-length motion picture with synchronised sound. This led to the successful commercialisation of sound film or talkies. The first words spoken in the movie were: Wait a minute, wait a minute, you ain't heard nothin' yet.

The first-ever drive-in cinema opened in New Jersey in 1934.

Technicolor introduced three colours to film in 1935, and Walt Disneys Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs became the first full-length animated feature. The first commercial TV station began broadcasting in 1941, and some film companies branched out into TV production.

NBC broadcast the first made-for-TV movie, See How They Run, in 1964.

With the film and television industry working side-by-side, and technological innovations progressing so rapidly, the popularity of private cinemas, or home cinemas, has soared during the past few years.
A growing number of people have turned to professional home cinema installation and bringing big-screen magic into the comfort of their own living rooms.

Today, home cinemas are the height of luxury living and can be fully customised to suit anyones individual style.