Early Cinema: The “Wow” Factor
By Steve Kerrigan 11858032
FILM 210: SILENT CINEMA
INTRODUCTION
In modern life we are completely surrounded by screen images. ...
THE TRAIN EFFECT
There is an oft-told anecdote, a piece of cinema folklore. The story goes that early audiences were shown moving pictures for the first time, and when the image of an approaching train was projected on the screen, people in the audience panicked and jumped out of their seats, some even fleeing the theater. ...
In reading various accounts of early film screenings, writers marvel at many aspects of the new technology, but it is clear that the train film was considered special. Most early film programmes saved the train film for the very end as a ‘grand finale. ... ”
It is important to note, as this passage clearly demonstrates, that even though the shot of an approaching train was often a highlight of these early film programmes, it wasn’t only part of the show that had audiences gasping in amazement. ... ’
These and many other effects had a very high “wow factor” for audiences of the time, but ultimately, the ‘train effect’ is known for evoking the most dramatic response from audiences
Many saw the cinema as almost magical. ...
But surely early audiences were not so naïve as to think they were looking at a real train about to run them over. ...
One major factor which distinguished film from predecessors such as the ‘magic lantern’ was its uncanny ability to show objects moving towards and away from the screen. ... It seems reasonable that early film audiences, being completely unaccustomed to this new technology, may have responded in a more instinctual way, not because they actually believed they were seeing a real train about to run them over, but simply because they were not used to suppressing their ‘looming response’ in the particular context of a filmed projection.
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