#1: Blacksmith Scene, W.K.L. Dickson (1893)

Blacksmith Scene was one of the first shorts recorded by W.K.L. Dickson for the Thomas Edison Company. It's brief, but it's pretty amazing, considering the technology. I'm interested to find out more about the machines used to film (kinetograph) and view (kineteoscope) this short. I've read about them before, but I'll have to look everything up again. Here is the craziest thing, taken from a Google Books version of A Technological History of Motion Pictures and Television:
An Anthology from the Pages of the Journal of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (1979), by Raymond Fielding: Dickson was only nineteen when he wrote to Edison, seeking employment. Edison told him not to come, and he showed up anyway, with references. Hooray for youth and innovation! We could use a lot more of the latter, right now.

I chose this version of the Blacksmith Scene, because it lacks music:

Though another YouTube video includes the obligatory "old-timey" version of the Anvil Chorus, I'm not sure that watching it with a soundtrack lends to an authentic experience. It is definitely worth watching several versions, as some definitely have better picture quality than others. [Unfortunately, people like to complain about picture quality in any kind of visual media, without actually seeing the film/video game/photo for what it really is. It's like complaining about the quality of YouTube videos that are free to watch, whenever your greedy eyes and fingers get the urge. Okay, enough ranting.]

Take a look at the embedded video. There is clearly a guy standing in the shot, off to the left, and yet it took me three viewings to notice it. It's amazing that we take composition for granted, despite our current obsession with movies. Admittedly, it's much easier to see the shadowy figure in some of the restored versions.

Oh, and those quaint, hardworking blacksmiths are actors. This was the first commercial film for the kinetoscope. I was going to make a few comments about how drinking was once part and parcel of working life, but a quick trip to IMDb points out the fact that drinking in the workplace fell out of favor around the time that this short was filmed. The bottle of beer was included to invoke a sense of nostalgia. Mind. Blown.

All in all, this was a great first film. It forced me to hunt down a lot of other obscure and early movies, one of which involves dropping a cat onto a mattress to see if it lands on all four feet. Then again, I'm insane, and my research fervor is to be expected. I could go on forever, but I'll leave you to your own devices; go...watch things...NOW!

Letting Go/Picking Up

Happy New Year! This is a brief housekeeping post to assure myself (as I have no readers, as of yet) that I can start over again, with this blog. In the past, it lacked focus. I got too obsessed with design elements that just weren't working, so I wasn't very motivated to add content. Oh, and instantly streaming every episode of old tv series on Netflix doesn't help, either. (Seriously, that is how I spent most of my tv-time, in 2010.) I tried to focus on completing a list at a time, but it was probably a bad idea to start with Oscar winners and nominees for Best Picture. After a while, things got a bit formulaic. Though I did get to see some stellar flicks, I didn't get much of a break from the heavy-handed drama that tends to overshadow other genres in the winner's circle.

I really needed a break! I have learned a lot from previous mistakes, which led me back here. I really wanted to avoid discussing television on this blog, much as I love some of the series that grabbed my attention in 2010. I also really hate to be pigeon-holed into a single-genre blog, because I feel that I would be limiting myself and my overall enjoyment. ...aaaaannnnd, I'm insane. I decided that I would rededicate this blog to working through the FULL "Starting List" of films on They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? I'm not talking about the list of 1,000 best pictures. No, that would be too easy. I'm going for broke; I'm going to attack the entire 8,800-picture list, in chronological order*. Yep. Insane.

I can imagine that this might get a bit frustrating from time to time, but I'm in too deep to turn back, now. I will be tracking my progress through this blog, but I'll also be using Lists Of Bests to track my progess in a more concise way, too. I'm already setting aside Thursday evenings as official "Movie Nights." It will be great, if I can coerce friends to join in the madness. I'm certainly going to try. Keep your eyes open!

*Of course, I'll still watch movies that aren't on the official list, but I'll probably reserve my thoughts about random picks to no more than one post a week--and probably less than that.