Final answer:
Edwin S. Porter, director of The Great Train Robbery, was a pioneer in using artistic cuts in filmmaking. His work was ground-breaking for the film industry, introducing dynamic storytelling and innovative techniques that would influence future directors and contribute to the evolution of cinematic art.
Step-by-step explanation:
Edwin S. Porter, the director of The Great Train Robbery, was the first director to use artistic cuts. This film was a significant milestone in the history of cinema, as it showed a shift towards more complex storytelling in the era of silent films. The Great Train Robbery stood out for its narrative structure and innovative use of cross-cutting, setting a precedent for future filmmakers.
Trains were a popular subject in early films due to their dynamic and powerful imagery, symbolizing the exciting advancements of the time. Porter's movie was particularly interesting because of its action-packed storyline and new filmmaking techniques. A movie about the West would appeal to audiences because of the era's fascination with the idea of the frontier and the mythology of Western expansion. The film's ending, with a robber firing at the camera, was a dramatic technique used to engage the audience and leave a lasting impression.
The evolution of film-making culminated in directors like Charlie Chaplin and D.W. Griffith taking cinema to new heights with camera angles and editing that painted expansive narratives. The artistic cuts made by Porter were a prelude to the more sophisticated storytelling techniques used by later filmmakers, such as the German expressionists and Russian directors like Sergei Eisenstein, who further transformed the language of cinema.