In the 21st century, our world relies heavily on technology. Hundreds of thousands of movies exist today following the origins of cinema. Despite movies’ primary use today, the initial purpose of film was not for entertainment but rather for scientific purposes, such as studying animal movement.
Movies have created a whole new realm of entertainment. From romance to horror to action, movie culture has expanded and shaped society, and with the availability and diversity of films, everyone has the opportunity to explore movies and discover their favorites.
“My favorite movie is ‘Call Me by Your Name,’” sophomore Wren Walton said. “I have watched it dozens of times, but I always cry,”
The first stop-motion film was created in 1878 by Eadweard Muybridge. The film was titled The Horse in Motion, and the reason behind its reaction was to settle a debate of whether all four hooves of a horse are on the ground when galloping. This 11-frame clip used a technique involving cameras stationed along the side of the track, capturing pictures each time the horse ran by and triggered the trick wire, according to Everpresent.
“The funniest movie in the world is ‘The Castle,’” History teacher Jason Enevoldson said. “It is an Australian movie, and you will either love it and get the humor, or you will think it is ridiculous and stupid,”
From the 1880s to the 1920s, the movie industry was in its silent era, with all movies being mute. Then it entered a new stage in 1927 when sound was introduced, and films such as the “Jazz Singer” marked the beginning of a new era, according to Videomaker.
As time progressed, the film industry developed more and more, and by 1914, entertainment movies became the predominant type of film, according to the Science Media Museum.
However, with the current spread of artificial intelligence (AI), many questions regarding its use in movies have been raised. One of the concerns is the job displacements AI will cause for staff members such as editors, actors and writers. In response to these concerns, the Writers Guild of America West went on strike in 2024, demanding for the writers to choose when to incorporate AI, and the guarantee that their job will not be replaced, according to Brookings.
“I have heard a lot of stories with the problems of having A.I. in movies,” sophomore Saoirse Trevino said. “One specific controversy was because Open AI asked Scarlett Johansson to use her voice as the new voice of ChatGPT, but when she refused, they used AI to replicate and use it,”
The three top-grossing movies of all time are ‘Avatar’ with $2.92 billion, ‘Avengers: Endgame’ with $2.80 billion, and ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ at $2.32 billion. The Avatar movies have been one of the leading films behind the start of AI in entertainment. Through computer-generated imagery (CGI), digital animation and many other new technologies, Avatar creators have managed to create human-like characters, greatly enhancing the realism of the movie, according to Walton.
“It is sometimes weird to think how people used to not have the same types of entertainment we have nowadays,” Walton said. “But it is very cool how far we have come since the first film was created.”
Lights, Camera, Action!
