Editing Silent film (section)

== Elements and beginnings (1833–1894) ==
{{main|Precursors of film}}
{{main|History of film technology}}
[[File:Horse in Motion - Sallie Gardner (animation).gif|Animation of 11 frames of [[Eadward Muybridge]]'s 1878 cabinet card of running horse "Sallie Gardner" from the series ''[[The Horse in Motion]]''|thumb]]
[[File:LouisLePrinceFirstFilmEver RoundhayGardenScene.jpg|''[[Roundhay Garden Scene]]'', which has a running time of just over two seconds, was filmed in 1888. It is believed to be the world's earliest surviving motion-picture film. The elderly lady in black is [[Sarah Whitley]], the mother-in-law of filmmaker [[Louis Le Prince]]; she died ten days after this scene was filmed.|thumb]]
Film projection mostly evolved from [[magic lantern]] shows, in which images from handpainted glass slides were projected onto a wall or screen.{{sfn|Lewis|2008}} After the advent of photography in the 19th century, still [[photograph]]s were sometimes used. Narration of the showman was important in spectacular entertainment screenings and vital in the lecturing circuit.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dellman |first=Sarah |date=2016 |title=Lecturing without an Expert |url=https://a-million-pictures.wp.hum.uu.nl/wp-content/uploads/sites/210/2017/01/Dellmann_Lecturing-without-an-expert.pdf |journal=The Magic Lantern Gazette}}</ref>

The principle of stroboscopic [[animation]] was well-known since the introduction of the [[phenakistiscope]] in 1833, a popular [[optical toys|optical toy]], but the development of [[cinematography]] was hampered by long exposure times for [[photographic emulsion]]s, until [[Eadweard Muybridge]] managed to record a [[chronophotography|chronophotographic]] sequence in 1878. After others had animated his pictures in [[zoetrope]]s, Muybridge started lecturing with his own [[zoopraxiscope]] animation projector in 1880.

The work of other pioneering chronophotographers, including [[Étienne-Jules Marey]] and [[Ottomar Anschütz]], furthered the development of motion picture cameras, projectors and transparent celluloid film.

Although [[Thomas Edison]] was keen to develop a film system that would be synchronised with his [[phonograph]], he eventually introduced the [[kinetoscope]] as a silent motion picture viewer in 1893 and later "kinetophone" versions remained unsuccessful.