Edwin S. Porter

What was Porters contribution to cinema? What was so significant about his work?

Porter introduced the narrative form into cinema using continuity editing, gradual transitions, and cross cutting. Porter was a master of reworking themes and techniques. For example in Jack and the Beanstalk, he reworked the already established theme of fairy tale films by implementing his cinematic and narrative elements. He understood the importance of cross cutting and allowing the audience to interpret the spatial relationships between the shots. Furthermore, he made even more cinematic breakthroughs by highlighting the heroism of firefighters. His firefighter film, American Firemen, was one of the first uses of cross cutting. This was a technique was highly innovative for the time. In his most important work, The Great Train Robbery, Porter utilized temporal repetition to create an effective narrative progression.