The oldest surviving film is the two-second, 52-frame silent movie Roundhay Garden Scene, filmed by French inventor Louis Le Prince in Leeds, England, on October 14, 1888. This brief clip of people walking in a garden predates the work of other film pioneers and holds the Guinness World Record as the earliest surviving motion picture. | History In Pictures

Before CGI, movie effects were created with real physical techniques. Miniature models were used to simulate large environments and vehicles, while animatronics and prosthetics brought creatures to life using mechanical puppetry. Matte paintings extended sets by adding hand-painted backgrounds, and optical effects layered multiple film exposures to add energy beams, ghosts, and motion. Filmmakers also used forced perspective to manipulate size and distance through camera placement. | History In