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| Santa Claus George Albert Smith | 1898 | 1 min 16 secs The children are put to bed by the maid, who turns out the light, achieved by a jump cut in which the room setting is replaced by a black drape. A circular vignette of the roof is inserted, showing Santa Claus with a small Christmas tree climbing into the chimney. He emerges in the bedroom (through a gap in the drapes), puts down his tree and places presents in the children's stockings that hang from the foot of the bed. He exits with his tree and vanishes (another jump cut). The children wake, still in the dark, and reach for their stockings. For its time this is a considerable achievement. In a film of 75ft (a standard length in 1898) he combines jump cuts—the first carefully contrived to simulate turning off the gas—and superimposition of a separate scene. The latter could have been achieved by combining two negatives at the printing stage but was probably achieved by rewinding the film and making a second exposure. Either technique would have required cutting-edge skills. |
Page updated 23 April 2009
Film: public domain; Text © David Fisher