Question

What advances in storytelling were demonstrated in The Great Train Robbery?

Answer 1

The Great Train Robbery by Edwin S. Porter introduced new storytelling techniques such as cross-cut editing, camera mobility, and on-location shooting, which helped to create a more dynamic and engaging narrative. Trains in film symbolized the technological advancements of the time, and a western theme appealed to the American audience's fascination with the frontier. The film's climactic scene where a robber fires at the camera broke the fourth wall and enhanced the sense of danger.

Step-by-step explanation:

The advances in storytelling demonstrated in The Great Train Robbery are notable for their time, as this 1903 film by Edwin S. Porter introduced several filmmaking techniques that were innovative for the era. To begin with, trains were a favorite subject matter in early films because they represented the technological advancements of the age, symbolizing the sweeping changes in how people perceived time and distance. The use of a train in movie narratives also provided dynamic movement and excitement, contributing to the intrigue and suspense that audiences craved.

People likely found Porter's movie most interesting for its narrative structure, cross-cut editing, camera mobility, and the use of location shooting, all of which were groundbreaking at that time. These elements allowed for a more complex and engaging story than what had been seen in films up to that point. Moreover, the theme of the West likely appealed to audiences because of the allure of the American frontier and its association with adventure, opportunity, and the idea of the "wild west." This was a landscape where the myths of outlaws and lawmen captured the public imagination, much like the stories of Jesse James robbing trains.

Porter's choice to end the film with a robber firing directly at the camera was probably intended to have a strong impact on the viewer, heightening the sense of danger and lawlessness that characterized the film's narrative, while also breaking the fourth wall to connect directly with the audience, a technique that was quite innovative and startling at that time.

Answer 2

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Step-by-step explanation:

An 11-minute-long escapade telling the story of a gang of bandits who rob a passenger train, The Great Train Robbery is a spectacle- and drama-laden film. It was a breakout success, transcending everything that had been screened before it. Its director was Edwin S. Porter, a camera operator in the Edison Laboratory, who became one of the most successful early American filmmakers. While the earliest Edison films were actualities or brief fictional scenarios, by 1902, technological advancements in motion picture cameras and celluloid made possible longer, more complex narratives like The Great Train Robbery.