David Wark "D. W." Griffith advanced the motion picture from a cheap amusement to an art form. Ironically, this theater-trained dramatist and would-be playwright developed many of the cinematic techniques that lifted the motion picture out of the shadow of the stage and gave it its own language and style.

Griffith began acting in films in 1907 at a salary of five dollars per day working under early director Edwin Porter. Griffith was hesitant to act in films, fearing this could hurt his stage career, but he needed the money. His playwriting background also helped draw him to the movies because he could earn extra money by writing story ideas for films. His story ideas soon landed him a job with the Biograph Company. Between 1908 and 1910, he directed 206 short one-reel films, averaging about two films per week. Each reel of film lasted approximately...