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The writings
about film from many early film makers are often filled
with the sense of mission toward truth telling. Film
was at first considered as a new way to see the world,
as a way of peering into places where the average viewer
was unable to go. The use of the technology as a
storytelling medium was, at first, of secondary concern.
It immediately became apparent
to early film makers that much more money was to be
made from attracting a large audience of viewers, many
of whom were more than willing to pay to view the same
presentation many times, as long as the images were
compelling. While a large number of early film innovators
clearly considered themselves men of science, with noble
ideals for their technological inventions, or as artists
interested in this new form of personal expression,
the pressure of economics and the lure of quick wealth
also encouraged them to be showmen. Therefore, the history
of film is as much about the technology as the hype
that surrounded the new technology (Abel).
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