This actuality -- you might think of an actuality as a bit of newsreel footage before they had newsreeels -- from 1908, when Griffith was trying to make sure he wouldn't lose his job as an actor with Biograph if he directed a few bad movies -- shows that Nordisk Films were far ahead in the production of films. Indeed, all of Europe was far ahead of the United States at this period.
This film has about twenty editing cuts to tell the story of a cornerstone laying presided over by the King, three pan shots and one overhead shot -- what would today be considered a stationary crane shot -- during the actual cornerstone laying. The pacing is leisurely, to make sure that people got a good look at royalty, but the technique is there.
At this time, technique in the US was to show a title telling what was going to happen, then plant a camera and have it happen -- usually mostly in the frame. However, technique is available for anyone to use....
This film has about twenty editing cuts to tell the story of a cornerstone laying presided over by the King, three pan shots and one overhead shot -- what would today be considered a stationary crane shot -- during the actual cornerstone laying. The pacing is leisurely, to make sure that people got a good look at royalty, but the technique is there.
At this time, technique in the US was to show a title telling what was going to happen, then plant a camera and have it happen -- usually mostly in the frame. However, technique is available for anyone to use....
