History of Film

About this article

An exploration of the nineteenth-century origins of cinema, tracing the transition from simple optical toys to the commercial birth of projected motion pictures.

Key vocabulary

persistence of vision noun phrase

The optical illusion where the eye's retina briefly retains an image after the source has disappeared.

sequential adjective

Following a logical, successive, or chronological order.

precursors noun

Objects, systems, or individuals that come before and pave the way for a subsequent development.

dissect verb

To analyze, evaluate, or break down something into its constituent parts for close inspection.

proof-of-concept noun

A preliminary demonstration of a method or idea to prove its practical feasibility.