Arthur Melbourne Cooper (1874-1961) was the creator of what is said to be the earliest surviving stop-motion animation advertisement, "Matches Appeal" This film was created in order to encourage people to send money to Bryant and May who would then send matches to the British troops.
This "Matches Appeal" advertisement is amazing to watch, because I think it is easy to forget just how far back some animation techniques go, such as 2D drawn animation and stop - motion. Its bonkers to think how long this would have taken!
Cooper filmed many newsreels, sports events and comedies. In 1900 he filmed "Grandmother's Reading Glass" In the belief of some historians, this is the first films where a close up is deliberately shown in a medium shot. The purpose of these closeups are to represent what the boy sees through the magnifying glass. This is a really important turning point in the development of film making due to the fact that at this time, closeups were not something to be seen like they are today. Closeups are now a massive part of film making because they help set the mood, for example they are a good way of showing suspense or tension.
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