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Episode 12: Edwin S. Porter and Parallel Editing
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Edwin S. Porter

Uncle Josh at the Moving Picture Show (1902)

Life of an American Fireman (1903)

Life of an American Fireman (Crosscut Version)

This is a really helpful video by Technology Connections, who's work I regularly watch and really admire. This is one of the best explanations of film grain and how I works I have ever seen, and I highly recommend it.

The reason I included this one is a bit harder to explain. It actually has to do with me trying to understand how a shutter could be used to create a fade effect, and Im still not really seeing it. An aperture, though, which closes a little bit each frame to darken the image a little more each time, I totally get. C'est la vie. I'll keep researching it.

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The real reason I  included this is because it is one of the most helpful videos I have ever seen in showing how the mechanisms in a camera work–which is essential for understanding the history of film. It demonstrates many of the mechanical processes we have talked about so far, including the sprocket holes, how the camera exposes the film to light, how the film pauses for the exposure, and  how the shutter works. Its more advanced the the cameras we are talking about now, but the principles are the same. 

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