I Am Filmmaking: A Moving Picture Story

Imagine sitting in a dark, cozy room. Suddenly, a big, bright light shines on a screen. You see amazing things. A friendly bear sings a song, a shiny red car flies through puffy clouds, and you visit magical castles far, far away. It all looks like a wonderful dream. But how do these stories come to life? I help people tell stories with pictures that move. I am Filmmaking.

Long, long ago, pictures just stayed still, like in a coloring book. They were very nice, but they couldn't run or jump or dance. People dreamed of making them move. One day, a man named Eadweard Muybridge had a clever idea. In the year 1878, he took many, many photos of a horse as it ran. Click, click, click, went his camera, super fast. When he showed the pictures one after another, it looked like the horse was really galloping. It was so exciting. Later, two brothers, Auguste and Louis Lumière, showed the very first movie to a whole room of people. It was on a special day, December 28th, 1895. The movie was short and showed a big train pulling into a station. Choo-choo. Everyone was amazed to see a picture that could move all by itself.

At first, my movies were quiet. You couldn't hear anyone talk. But then, around the year 1927, I learned how to speak and sing. Soon after, I started wearing bright, beautiful colors just like a rainbow. Today, making a movie is like a big team adventure. Lots of friends work together. Some people write the story, some people dress up in fun costumes and pretend to be characters, and others build the magical lands you see on the screen. I help everyone share their happy dreams and wonderful ideas, turning imagination into a big adventure for you to enjoy.

First successful photographic capture of motion c. 1878
First public film screening 1895
First feature-length 'talkie' released 1927