As if anyone needs further proof that the history of cinematography is indeed a history of change, here’s an ad from the February 1939 issue of American Cinematographer. 1918 probably seemed like a long time ago when this issue went to print, but with the speed at which technology is evolving today, that window is getting tighter and tighter.
That said, it’s not our job to lament how much more quickly things are moving. It’s to make sure that as our tools continue to improve, we find equally ambitious ways of using them to create memorable images.
I had the pleasure of being a projectionist part time at the Byrd Theatre, a 1920’s movie palace in Richmond Virginia, while in college. We had two Simplex carbon arc lamp housings. I loved to strike an arc and trim it so that little ball of plasma would throw those beautiful images on our screen. Amazing technology, the arc light had such character! They replaced the carbon arcs with a pair of used Xenon based lamp housings in 1995.
Stylistically, movies have evolved at a snail’s pace in the past forty years compared to 1915 to 1955 for example. Even technically, I’d say that today isn’t the whirlwind of change it has been at earlier times. Obviously the switch to all-digital production and distribution is the biggest change we’ve had to deal with — but on the other hand, it still comes down to lighting & recording the actions of actors in spaces as they work from a script (until A.I. perhaps replaces a lot of that work, who knows!?!)