The Life Of An American Fireman
Even though this film is quite short it is a good example of linear film making. The events are very linear, as in they follow a logical sequence. This film is quite important because firetrucks were popular for early filmakers and, the director, Edwin S. Porter, had a lot of footage to use. With he firetruck shots he had added some shots of the mother and child trapped in the burning building. So he created the movie of the mother and child being rescued by the firemen. But he edited the scenes in a way so that he interspersed the scenes of the mother and the child in the burning building with the firetrucks racing to the building thus creating a dramatic tension- will the firetrucks make it in time? Will the mother and child get saved? It created a sort of suspense type of feeling. This was quite an innovative technique for that time.