There are lots of different ways of looking at the history of film. Film history could be interpreted as the development of the cinematic experience and how that is created. For example, the transgression of technological advances of picture and sound. Film history also incorporates advancements in style but the technological advancements allow the style to continue developing into new forms, creating new ideas and experiences. In the early 1900s film was seen as an exhibitionist movement where film makers would showcase their innovative ideas and creatively express themselves and their stories. With the introduction of sound and the development of cameras, feature films began to be produced. This allowed for a wider range of genres and far more complex storylines. Original cinema goers were at first, simply astounded by what is now seen as simple and incomparable to modern cinema. Many would argue that original films are now underappreciated by today’s society.

As film became more popular amongst the average consumer, it turned into a competitive industry. Companies such as the Warner Bros and Walt Disney Studios (both founded in 1923), helped pioneer mass commercialism which provided creators the opportunity to create more ambitious projects, costing far more than their predecessors. Films today, can now amass budgets into the billions, with the most expensive movie being Rob Marshall’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, with a budget of $378.5 million, dwarfing original expenditure. The growth of cinema has seen the art form come from humble beginnings, to now the ultimate art form, incorporating aspects from all artistic mediums. Due to the countless personal developments and progressions made throughout history, film history cannot be stopped and defined. To answer the question “what is film history”, all aspects of film as an art, have to be considered.