When the Great Mute spoke PRESENTATION BY: ANASTASIA BORODINA

Introduction Cinema has never been completely mute. At the beginning there were pianists, ensembles or orchestras who were playing music during the film sessions. There also could be actors in cinemas who were reading the text, hiding behind the screen. Old movies had the titles which were a substitute of the words.

First sound movie The world's leading scientists have long tried to record the audio signal. The phonograph and gramophone were invented. But the real sound cinema came to the audience only in Warner Brothers Company was on the verge of bankruptcy when they decided to produce a film with synchronized sound. It was The Jazz Singer. The film was consisted of musical performances and a few scenes where the hero pronounced his words. The first phrase was: Wait a minute! You still have not heard anything! This phrase became the symbol of the Sound Cinematography.

But even after that sound cinema didnt become established because it still was very expensive. Actors, directors and producers werent ready to the involving of the sound. For the first time sound films were only musicals and operettas. But gradually people got used to it and learned how to use the sound for artistic purposes. For the first time the sound was recorded separately from the image. But the technology was developing and it became possible to record sound directly on the set.

First Russian sound movie The first Russian sound movie was a film «A start in life» (1931) by Nicolay Eck. It received the award in the First International film festival in Venice.

Conclusion Since then the technology of sound recording has been improving and now we can't imagine a modern movie without sound.