Lights, Camera.... Camera.

How have film cameras evolved over the years?

You may remember my exploration of Technicolour and it's history within my discussion of Wes Anderson's use of colour, however this is just a small part of the long and riveting history of the film camera. From grainy, black and white silent films to the high resolutions and breathtaking hues we see today with digital technology, one has to ask "how did we get here" and "what did it take?"

The zoetrope - 1830s

Initially developed in the 1930s and based on principles from ancient China, the zoetrope was what originally allowed audiences to see moving pictures for the first time. Technically, the Zoetrope was a form of animation, however it was still the first step on the road to film.

The zoetrope was a cylindrical device with vertical slits cut into its sides. The viewer would peer through these slots as it spun around, a strip of images on the inside of the contraption resembling frames from modern day animation. The breaks between these viewing slits would prevent the eye from blurring the images into one another and it would create the illusion of movement and action.

The name "Zoetrope" was patented by William Lincon in 1867, comping greek words "zoe" and "tropos" translating to "wheel of life'”. The devices were distributed internationally to great success, becoming a popular parlour toy in Victorian england. The Zoetrope planted the seed of the moving picture in the minds of the general population, and laid the ground for the developments in film that would follow.

An illustration of the zoetrope

A simple Zoetrope in action

The Kinetoscope in action

The Kinetograph and Kinetoscope - 1891

Thomas Edison was an American inventor and businessman renowned for many things, including being long falsely attributed to inventing the lightbulb (when truthfully he only marketed it), however it is a less known fact that he is credited partially with inventing the first ever film camera, alongside a revolutionary projector. Arguably, it was Thomas Edison's technical William Kennedy-Laurie Dickson who performed the brunt of the research and work required to get to this stage. Also note that many now believe the first video camera was invented by French inventor Louis Le Prince, however Le Prince was never able to screen his groundbreaking film, as he mysteriously vanished shortly beforehand. Le Prince's own wife accused Thomas Edison of being involved with the disappearance, however no concrete proof has been presented.

The Kinetograph (camera) would record on celluloid film, a medium which too was largely developed by Edison and Dickson. Celluloid film was originally conceived for still photography, but in the early days of film became very commonly used to record the motion picture. Celluloid film was cut to 35mm, a format still used to this day. Kinetograph films were displayed using the Kinetoscope, the viewer would look through a small hole, the film passed between a lightbulb and a lens at a high speed to create the illusion of a video. While Edison considered the Kinetoscope trivial, the public became obsessed with the new technology and the hunger for film began.

The Lumiere Cinematographe - 1895

Two of the individuals captured by the wonder of the Kinetoscope were brothers Auguste and Louis Lumere, a pair of photographic equipment manufacturers based in Lyon, France. The pair made it their objective to take film out of the restrictive box of the Kinetoscope and project it onto a screen. The camera eventually developed by the brothers was a three-in-one, named the Cinematographe, it functioned as a camera, a photo developer and a projector. This camera was commercialised in 1897, altered to process the new standard of 35mm film.

The Lumiere Cinematographe was revolutionary as now, anyone with the money and resources could be a filmmaker. The film camera was accessible to markets all over the world for the first time in its very short history, and things would only go up from here.

While by general standards, not modern, this film camera from the 1940s is an immediately recognisable icon of the "golden age" of Hollywood

Modern film cameras

Throughout the large majority of the 20th century, film cameras remained on top, both in terms of photography and video. Film cameras work by rapidly exposing a succession images on a strip of film (either in the standard sizes of 8, 16, 35, or 70mm), moving the film as each frame is captured. This film is then projected at 24 or 30 frames per second.

This technology, as any technology would, naturally became more refined over the years. Companies such as Canon and Kodak manufacture film video cameras to this day, however now the medium is usually a stylistic choice rather than a prerequesite. A topical example of a movie shot on film from the present day is Wes Anderson's latest work, Asteroid City. Released in 2023 and shot on Kodak's ISO 200 colour negative film 5213. This was likely decided in order to produce the unique appearance of the film's colour palette, and to pay tribute to it's 1950s setting. Wes Anderson has shot all of his work's on film with the exception of Moonrise Kingdom in 2012, although he still uses sophisticated technology within his cinematography.

Digital video cameras

The first film shot fully using digital technology to become a blockbuster hit was Star Wars, Attack of the Clones, in 2002. However, this was not the very beginning of digital cinematography. Other departments had made the jump to digital long before, including sound and visual effects.

Digital film was generally more convenient for a number of reasons, it streamlined the process and reduced price tag. Particularly in the erased cost of having to transfer the final cut of a movie to 35 mm film. Through digital film, directors can be more creative with their visual choices, both through aesthetic decisions made in post-production and angles or locations shot in.

As for whether traditional or digital film is better, both have their pros and cons. While digital film is undeniably more popular these days, those inside and outside the film industry still wish to preserve methods that may otherwise be considered "outdated". Ultimately, it is up to what works best for an individual film, and how a filmmaker personally likes to work.

An example of a digital video camera.

What is aspect ratio and what are the aspect ratios of Wes Anderson movies

What is aspect ratio?

Aspect ratio is simply the proportional ratio between an image's width and height. If an image was 1000px by 1000px, it would have a 1:1 aspect ratio, given its height is 1 times it's width. Aspect ratios are written in the shorthand of number:number, the first digit representing the X axis. Aspect ratios are simplified fractions to represent two digits that can be resized infinitely while keeping their dimensions to the same relationship between width and height. Images, and to that extent videos have had to be produced in a number of different aspect ratios over the years in order to fit to the screens they are displayed on.

This message at the beginning of The Grand Budapest Hotel instructs the viewer to set their monitor to 16:9, providing a standard that all of the aspect ratio changes throughout the movie can fit within. This widescreen aspect ratio is the most common modern format for television and computer screens. The world of film more often discusses the 16:9 aspect ratio as it's equivalent of 1.77:1, 16 divided by 9 being 1.77. This being an example of an equivalent fraction.

Wes Anderson's use of aspect ratio in the Grand Budapest Hotel

The Grand Budapest Hotel utilises three seperate aspect ratios throughout different points of the film, this unique stylistic choice serves to convey the multiple time periods of the film, something which Anderson himself has confirmed. This genius framing device mimics the aspect ratios most commonly found in films from said time periods and forms an immersive experience that can trick any viewer into thinking they are really travelling back in time.

The film opens in the time period of the 1980s, the aspect ratio 1.85:1. This aspect ratio is one we would typically recognise from the silver screen, traditionally used to create an immersive experience when watching a film at the cinema and separating said film from the day-to-day of television. This format is wider than 16.9, but here has been scaled down as not to fill the entire screen on any side. As you would assume, this aspect ratio was popularised in the 80s, especially within hollywood.

As the film shifts to the time period of the late 1960s, the aspect ratio shifts too. Now at 2.40:1 (meaning the width of the shot is 2.4 times the height). This is a full widescreen format, something that would have been a relatively new advent in the context of the late 1960s in which these scenes take place. Perhaps unintentionally, the aspect ratio that gives us the widest view of the set coincides with a view of The Grand Budapest as it has fallen into a quiet ruin.

The final aspect ratio on display in The Grand Budapest Hotel is how we view the bulk of the movie's plot, taking place in the 1930s. The aspect ratio used here is 1.37:1, the most narrow of all aspect ratios seen in the film. The 1.37:1 aspect ratio became the standard aspect ratio approved by The Academy in 1932, given 35mm film strips had evolved to match these dimensions from their origins with the very early 4:3 (or 1.33:1) aspect ratio. This is exactly how we would have viewed The Grand Budapest Hotel if the film came out within it's time period, increasing immersion to the classical glamour and what lurks beneath it.

The aspect ratios of The Grand Budapest Hotel as they appear on screen.

What camera techniques does Wes Anderson use?

Close ups

A close up shot occurs when the frame is filled with the face of a character, or any sort of important object that is having attention drawn to it. The filmmaker uses these shots to further connect to their audience by clearly visualising how a character is feeling or pointing out an important detail that they may not have otherwise noticed. Wes Anderson uses closeups often, and generally for this exact purpose. In The Grand Budapest Hotel, this breathtaking closeup of Agatha's face secures the moment in which She and Zero initially fall in love, their story of romance offering a sharp contrast to Gustav H and his time in prison.

Another interesting example of Wes Anderson using a close up of a character's face occurs in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, as the ship is being attacked by pirates and Ned Plimpton is taken hostage, we see a small flash of a frame from earlier in the movie. This shot of Steve's face is taken from his instant reaction to Esteban's death, the incident that sets Seve's motivation for the rest of the film's plot. Its addition here visually shows his fear of losing someone else he is beginning to consider family, these traumatic memories returning to him in what is in his eyes a situation that could end similarly. Rarely is Steve Zissou genuinely emotionally vulnerable in this film, especially towards Ned, but the loss of Esteban still fresh in his mind reaffirms his motivation to persist and retaliate. Tragically, Ned loses his life regardless, to something not entirely within Steve's control, his quest for revenge against a clueless animal causing more harm than good.

Wes Anderson does not just use close ups in his work to show the audience the faces of his characters. Anderson's films feature a surprising amount of writing, letters, plans and maps. Being cliches of his style. These are almost always directly meant for the audience to see. Wes Anderson includes these snippets of information not just to drive home the details of a certain plot beat but to show the processes of the characters, how they note down and what they note down, what sort of things they find worthy of preparing so intricately for.

Saorise Ronan as Agatha in The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

(both) Bill Murray in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

Margaret Yang's notes from Rushmore (1998)

One of the first looks we (and the fictitious Steenbeck family) get at Asteroid City

Establishing shots

The establishing shot is another extremely common camera technique in film. It introduces the setting of a scene or even an entire film, oftentimes shot in birds-eye-view or panning across a landscape. It can also introduce inside locations such as rooms or halls. Wes Anderson often uses extremely specific and often unconventional settings in his films, and getting to know these settings is integral to knowing how the characters ineract within them. Wes Anderson has used the establishing shot a number of notable times in his filmography. Many imagine the intricate miniatures of The Grand Budapest Hotel, but I find the desolate view of the highway we are offered in the beginning moments of Asteroid City does a remarkably fantastic Job of introducing the audience to a beautiful but uncanny destination.

Something very unique to Wes Anderson in his establishing shots is the use of dollhouse sets, furnished, cross-section miniatures that show the exact environments characters will be interacting with. The Life Aquatic showcases an incredibly impressive replica of Steve Zissou's boat (The Belafonte), split open and detailing the vessel's vast facilities. These cross sections have also been exhibited in Moonrise Kingdom, panning around the Bishop family's home.

Camera Angles

Camera angles have to do with what angle we view a scene or subject with, and they can heavily influence the viewer in their understanding of the film. A low camera angle can make a subject look intimidating and powerful, while a high camera angle can make a subject seem small and insignificant in regards to their surroundings or enemies. Wes Anderson manipulates camera angles within his films for a number of reasons. This shot from moonrise kingdom is a perfect example of an Extreme High angle, showing the characters in a near overhead view. On the surface this shot merely exists to show the scale of the treehouse the characters are looking at, but it could perhaps symbolise how ultimately powerless Scout Master Ward feels when it comes to controlling his troupe and keeping them in check, as well as being able to support Sam, something that we see repeated as a motif throughout the movie.

For a low angle shot, take this example from Fantastic Mr Fox. Showing the assembly arranged to go up against the tyrannical farmers, the characters feel incredibly confident here, and the cinematography reflects that directly. The low angle makes these woodland animals that have for most of the film been presented as unable to face humankind look large and self assured.

Moonrise Kingdom (2012), featuring Scout Master Randy Ward (Ed Norton) in an extreme high angle shot.

KHTL

This section of my project covers the learning areas of Social Reasoning, Communication, Quantatative Reasoning and Empirical Reasoning. I investigate the history of the film camera and how interconnected it is with the history of cinema itself, particularly it's earliest conception and the controversy surrounding it. This is an area of history I have always had a minor interest in but never taken the time to fully discover. I am thankful that I did this research as it left me with a far better understanding of the subject. Empirical Reasoning elements become involved as I research the internal mechanisms of the camera, especially how earlier cameras recorded onto film versus newer digital cameras where video is stored as digital data. In looking at aspect ratio I added my Quantitative Reasoning perspective, examining aspect ratio as an example of a simplified fraction and comparing the three aspect ratios of The Grand Budapest Hotel. As well as how said aspect ratios have been used before and when in the history of film they originate from. This was likely what taught me the most, as I had almost no idea what aspect ratio was beforehand. Finally, I examined the use of camera technique in Wes Anderson's work, giving examples of how it effects the impression giving to the audience.

One thing I was proud of was how I was determined to research concepts such as aspect ratio and the evolution of the film camera until I understood them completely and was satisfied with what I had learned.

One thing I would have done differently if I were to redo this section of my project would be to omit the section on the history of film cameras, while interesting, it feels disconnected from the rest of the topic and was time consuming.