One fact I remember learning was that film and motion pictures originated as a result of a bet placed by the Governor of California, Leland Stanford, on English photographer Eadweard Muybridge. Though no evidence proves the bet existed, Stanford did ask him to photograph his horses.

He used a camera to capture the horse running, but the images came out blurry, so he had to rethink his approach. He worked with engineers to develop faster shutter speeds and lined 12 cameras along a track that captured photos as the horse and rider galloped past. This took place in June 1875. In 1877, he made the effort to make the images clearer. He then showed these off on a magic lantern. In 1880, while using a zoopraxiscope, he produced what looked like a video of the horse in motion by showing the images of the horse one after another at a fast pace.

It would not be long until we got what would be known as the first motion picture using what Eadweard had created. A French artist called Louis Le Prince is responsible for that. Louis moved to Leeds in 1866. He would build a single-lens camera in 1888 and shoot what is recognised as the first motion picture, Roundhay Garden Scene, in October 1888. Sadly, due to his disappearance, he never influenced modern-day filmmaking.

From then on, Thomas Edison and William Kennedy created a series of videos titled Monkeyshines. Edison would later create the USA’s first film studio, the Edison Black Maria, which produced numerous short films.

The first public screening of motion pictures took place in 1895 in France, at the Salon Indien du Grand Café in Paris, where ten short films were shown to a non-paying audience. This event marks the birth of modern cinema.

As technology advanced and filmmakers experimented with ways to elevate their projects, we got what is regarded as the very first feature-length film in 1906. With the Australian film Kelly and The Gang. This 70-minute film, which tells the tale of Ned Kelly, was a critical and commercial success and was shown internationally.

From then on, feature length became the accepted standard for films, and as the cameras advanced, we were able to shoot with sound and then with colour.

Amazingly, film has been around for such a short time compared to humans. We are already witnessing advancements. I look forward to seeing more advancements.