Videography, the process of capturing motion capture has been with us for over a couple of centuries.
Today, we constantly consume some video content in our everyday lives from TV, and YouTube Videos, to any animations you see on your phone that can be considered videos.
The technologies available today allow us to videograph anything on the go, you can even talk to a person living on the other side of the world through video calls.
In a world, where we are heavily dependent on digital devices, it is almost impossible to live without videography.
But do you know how we got here? Do you know what the first video technology was? Are you curious about what the future holds for video technology? Then read on.
What is Video?
In a time where even 4K videos can be shot in a device that can fit in your pocket, it is wild to think about the inception of videography. But before continuing to explain the history of video technology, let’s explore what videos are.
First, let’s break the myth that motion pictures or videos do not exist in real life. Even if you are seeing an epic movie made with motion capture, CGI, and great visual technologies, or if you are revisiting a moment of your life you got to immortalize through video technology, you are watching a high-speed slide show of still pictures.
So, what we are getting into is that even the most modern video technology that exists today uses the same basic idea of a flip book.
Now that you know what a video is, let’s swiftly change our focus to the history of video technology.
The First Video Technology Ever Recorded in History
You’d assume that the flipbook would be the first installment of video technology by mankind. However, according to historical records, a device called phenakistoscope was the first ever animation device that created the illusion of motion video.
It was invented by Joseph Plateau in 1833. The device worked by spinning a cardboard disk with looping images.
It took the world almost half a century to implement real-life pictures in the phenakistoscope. In 1878, Eadweard Muybridge created motion with photographs of a galloping horse. This made ways for researchers to experiment with different kinds of real-life pictures.
Birth of Film Projection
The next pivotal moment in video technology happened in 1891 when the renowned scientist, Thomas A. Edison invented the Kinetoscope – a predecessor of the motion-picture film projector, which allowed the viewer to see pictures in motion through a peeping hole.
Though it had a long way to go to achieve the marriage of visual and audio together, these baby steps mattered a whole lot.
The First True Motion Picture Camera
Though the world had a way of projecting the pictures captured in celluloid, tricking human eyes into feeling like they are watching a motion video, it had a slight problem, how can you capture something moving?
Here also, we see the name, Thomas Edison. Edison and his assistant William Dickson created a motion picture camera.
First Movie Ever Made
The first film ever produced by humankind was “The Race Horse”, shown to the masses in 1878. Back then, the films just lasted for about seconds. The oldest surviving film in existence is “Roundhay Garden Scene”, which only has a run time of a couple of seconds.
One of the most notable milestones in this era was a film called “The Cinematograph is Born”. This 1895 film was inspired by the picture projector that Thomas Edison and
William Dickson made.
Later color films were invented and they became really popular in 1902. We got our first fully colored movie, “Cupid Angling”. Movies created in this era still didn’t use any audio.
Films That Talk
It took us about a century from the creation of the phenakistoscope to figure out how to capture and play audio along with movies. It was in 1927 that films started to include sounds, which set the motion for the film industry as we know it today.
“Jazz Singer” was the first feature film that introduced synchronized dialogue. The film was made by Warner Bros in 1927. Which paved the way for the end of silent films and the beginning of “talkies”.
Video Technology To Home
The technological advancements at the time were not as rapid as it is today. However, it didn’t take too long for films to make its way to the homes. By the 1940s, almost all of the living rooms in the United States and certain parts of Europe started facing their furniture to their TV.
Later in the mid-1970s, VHS and laserdiscs made their way to every household. Though VHS had a good enough run than its other competitors, CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray Disks overtook their place. Popular DVD rentals such as Blockbuster and Netflix were founded during this era.
It only took a couple of decades for CDs to get phased out by even more reliable and erasable portable devices such as flash drives and hard drives.
Present Video Technology
The most popular way of consuming videos in today’s day of age is through video streaming platforms such as YouTube, and Netflix. The streaming sites are compatible with a range of devices including phones, tablets, and computers.
Knowing from where we have begun, it is wild to think where we have reached. However, as mentioned at the beginning of this article, the basic idea of videography is still the same.
Today, there are countless numbers of ways to capture videos including professional cameras, phones, CCTVs, and even doorbell cameras. It is safe to say that, today we are constantly being filmed all the time sometimes even without knowing.
Bit of a scary thought but that is what happening. You might be just walking on the road minding your own business, but you may end up in TikTok for something as mundane as holding your water bottle in the wrong way.
Setting the socio-political impacts of today’s video technologies aside, let’s explore some of the new video technology trends today.
AI-Generated Videos
From a loop of moving pictures that would take huge machinery to work, we have come to a time where all you need to do is to tell the AI (Artificial Intelligence) what you want and it will try to create it as realistic as possible.
While, the AI video generation started out as just creating human-like avatars that lip sync to the audio, now you can create fully-fledged videos with complicated lighting and multiple objects interacting with each other. One of the most famous examples of video-generating AIs is Sora, from Open AI.
AI-Based Editing Tools
While AI-generated videos are not perfect yet, you will still see some AI capabilities getting utilized in even high-budget filmmaking for challenges in post-production. New AI editing tools allow editors to use text-based commands to edit videos.
AI-based editing tools are now available in popular editing software including Adobe Premier Pro.
VR and XR Videos
One of the major talking points regarding videos in the last couple of years has been the XR and VR headsets. These devices can transform you into an unreal or hyper-real world, regardless of where you are.
Though there are a lot of VR headsets out there, one of the major ones that stuck with general consumers was the Apple Vision Pro.
It created a great buzz on the internet, letting the world know that wearable technology could be the norm of tomorrow.
What’s Next In Video Technology?
The technology around us is constantly evolving, turning concepts that once remained as fiction into actual reality. The future of videos is bright, hopeful, and slightly scary.
Here are some technological advancements in videography that may become a reality in the coming years.
- Much higher resolution: 8K and 4K video capturing has become basic in these years where even some of the phones are capable of producing 4K videos. However, 12K and 16K are still rare. In the future years, these higher resolution may just become an industry standard.
- Less bulky wearable computers: XR and VR headsets today are cumbersome and not as user-friendly as needed. Companies such as Apple, Meta, Google, and Microsoft are already at the top of the problem. So, we may see an improved version of the VR headsets shortly.
- Digital Interactive Avatars: You may see the rise of digital avatars that you can interact with like a normal person in the future. It may revolutionize social interactions and maybe even have an impact on human relationships.
These are just some of the predictions for what the future holds. They may become a reality in the coming years.
However, it likely wouldn’t change the fact that we are seeing a rapid slide show of high-quality still pictures rather than real motion video.
Also, Read: Top 15 Free Video Game Websites In 2024
Conclusion
From a rotating loop of animations made of cardboard to AI-generated videos, the evolution of video technology is astonishing and inspiring.
In this article, we explored all the major milestones of video technology including the first motion video ever exhibited to the digital video technology as we know and use today.
Still, there is a long road to go for video technology and the future looks brighter than ever.
