The Natural History of Film Form argues that, more than simply ingredients in film stock, gelatin, silver and celluloid helped shape early film aesthetics. Drawing on fan and industry periodicals, as well as the testimony of pioneering filmmakers and film manufacturers, the book reveals that the politico-material properties of these geo- and bio-physical materials influenced a range of aesthetic regimes from the turn-of-the century trick film, to developments in popular science cinema, to early studio-era fantasies of the silver screen. In the process, the book offers a fresh perspective on the interplay between nature and culture in film history.The Natural History of Film Form argues that, more than simply ingredients in film stock, gelatin, silver and celluloid helped shape early film aesthetics. Drawing on fan and industry periodicals, as well as the testimony of pioneering filmmakers and film manufacturers, the book reveals that the “politico-material” properties of these geo- and bio-physical materials influenced a range of aesthetic regimes – from the turn-of-the century “trick” film, to developments in popular science cinema, to early studio-era fantasies of the “silver screen.” In the process, the book offers a fresh perspective on the interplay between “nature” and “culture” in film history.

"Forget what you thought you knew about film stock. More than simply the material support for filmed images, celluloid becomes, in Duncan’s incisive history and adventurous readings, an active agent in early film aesthetics. Read this book for its vital contribution to reconnecting material history and visual form." - - Brian Jacobson, author of The Cinema of Extractions: Film Materials and Their Forms