What do you imagine when you say a silent short film, a film without any sound? Have you ever watched silent film? Must be triggering as you do not watch them as usual as feature movies.
Film industry is very interesting topic for researchers. Film industry is quite young but it has developed so fast and in so many ways that there are a lot of things to learn.
There plenty of genres, styles and categories of films.
The majority of movie buffs believe that the best movies are the artistic and individual expressions of outstanding directors. However, the cinema serves a variety of social purposes, and its “art” has benefited numerous genres of films that do not aim to be artistic.
It is important to state that independent filmmakers nowadays start their career with short movies. While we try to find movies online for free, they are trying to earn some money to do bigger projects in the future. You can watch free movies and TV shows online but let’s do something different and instead of watching movies online for free let’s watch some young filmmaker’s effort.
Before we can define “silent short film” let’s understand what is a silent film, and what is a short film?
“Silent era”
During the “silent period,” motion picture art reached its pinnacle (1894 in film – 1929 in film). The height of the silent era, which spanned from the early 1910s in cinema through the late 1920s, was a very productive and innovative time for art. During this time, the French Impressionist, German Expressionist, and Soviet Montage film movements, as well as Classic Hollywood, all got their start. Virtually every kind and genre of filmmaking in the 20th and 21st centuries has its aesthetic origins in the silent era, thanks to the pioneering work of silent filmmakers. Technically speaking, the silent era was also a pioneering one.
The title “silent film” is somewhat misleading because live sound was virtually never absent from these movies. A pianist, theater organist, or even a small orchestra would frequently perform music to accompany the pictures during the silent era, which spanned from the mid-1890s through the late 1920s. Depending on the piece, pianists and organists would either perform from a score or improvise. Even narrating the inter-title cards for the audience was occasionally done.
The first genuine silent movie was released in 1892. The Lumière Brothers’ Cinématographe was the name of the device. The footage for this 50-second clip was filmed in France. The Cinématographe, the first camera that could both film and take photos of moving pictures, was used to capture it.
So by the 1920s, silent filmmaking had overtaken all other forms of cinema thanks to its continuing rise in popularity. There were many different kinds of silent movies available at this time, including comedies, dramas, Westerns, and musicals.
The most popular silent movies
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
These silent horror movie’s twisted and peculiar visuals are well-known. It is regarded as one of the best silent movies ever made and made a significant contribution to the horror subgenre.
The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
The dramatic images and acting in this masterful silent historical drama are praised. The Passion of Joan of Arc was one of the first movies to be almost totally silently shot, with sound effects and music. This is why it has had such a profound impact on cinema. This gave the movie a realistic vibe and made the audience feel like they were there with Joan.
Metropolis (1927)
Fritz Lang is the director of the science fiction movie Metropolis. The story takes place in a futuristic city where the rich live luxurious lives above the factories that employ them. When Freder, the monarch of the city’s son, learns about the working people’s circumstances, he makes an effort to assist them.
Throne of Blood (1957)
One of the best films in the genre is this Japanese samurai movie. Because it provides a Japanese setting for a reworking of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, so Throne of Blood is a significant film. Toshiro Mifune and Isuzu Yamada feature in the Akira Kurosawa-directed movie.
Short films
The first movies were all extremely brief, often lasting barely a minute or less. Films did not begin to exceed ten minutes in length until the 1910s. Thomas Edison’s invention, the kinetoscope, was used to show the first batch of motion pictures in 1894. It was intended only for solitary viewing.
Particularly popular were short comedies, which frequently appeared in serial or series form.
Animated cartoons often had brief subjects. Almost all major film production studios had departments tasked with creating and making short films, and many studios, particularly in the silent and very early sound eras, produced largely or only short subjects.
Silent short film
Now imagine to have silent short movie. Isn’t that great?
If we are talking about silent short movies, that means we are talking about first movies.
In the beginning, movies were frequently only a few minutes or less long. They were shown in music halls, fairgrounds, and other locations where a screen could be set up and a room could be made dark. Local sceneries and activities, views of other countries, quick comedies, and noteworthy events were among the topics covered.
There were lectures, music, and lots of audience interaction to go along with the movies. They were not “silent,” as is commonly said, so despite the fact that they lacked synchronized dialogue.
As more people paid to see movies, the business that developed around them was willing to invest more money in their creation, distribution, and exhibition, leading to the establishment of major studios and the construction of specialized theaters. The film business in Europe was significantly impacted by the First World War,while the American sector gained in relative importance.
Film industry is really interesting, so we just need to learn many new things about it and watch many old movies, different genres and types of movies. Films are part of every country’s history and people.
