The Great Train Robbery (1903)

The Great Train Robbery was the first narrative film and was filmed in November of 1903. It is said that the Great Train Robbery kicked off the motion picture industry.  It was a one-reel film what lasted approximately 10 minutes in duration.  In total, it had 14 scenes.  The film told a story related to a train robbery and was actually based on a true story which occurred in August 1900. 

Many new techniques were used for the first time in this film.  Some of these techniques included minor camera movements, location shooting and parallel editing.  Pan shots were also used the film which were new to the industry.  Jump-cuts showed two separate storylines or events happening at the same time and were used throughout the movie as well.  The story was narrated throughout the fourteen scenes of the movie.  This film was considered a milestone and is significant in the history of film.