Watermelon Contest

Plot

In this brief but entertaining early film, two men engage in a spirited competition to determine who can consume a large slice of watermelon first. The contestants sit opposite each other at a table, each with a substantial piece of watermelon before them. As the race begins, both men dive into their slices with enthusiasm, eating rapidly while occasionally glancing at their competitor's progress. The film captures the humorous spectacle of their increasingly messy and determined eating contest, culminating in one participant claiming victory over the other. This simple premise showcases the novelty of capturing everyday activities on film for early cinema audiences.

Historical Background

1896 was a pivotal year in cinema history, marking the transition from Edison's peep-hole Kinetoscope viewers to projected film exhibitions. The Lumière brothers had recently held their first public screening in Paris, and Edison was racing to develop his own projection system. Films like 'Watermelon Contest' were part of Edison's strategy to create a catalog of short, entertaining subjects that could be sold to the growing number of vaudeville theaters adopting motion pictures. This period saw the birth of film as a commercial enterprise, with movies moving from scientific curiosities to popular entertainment. The simple, universally understandable subject matter reflects the international nature of early cinema, where visual gags could transcend language barriers.

Making Of

The filming of 'Watermelon Contest' took place in Edison's innovative Black Maria studio, a tar-paper-covered building designed specifically for movie production. The studio featured a retractable roof that could be opened to allow sunlight in, and the entire structure could be rotated on tracks to follow the sun's path throughout the day, ensuring consistent lighting. James H. White, who directed this film, was Edison's principal filmmaker and had to work with the cumbersome Kinetograph camera, which weighed nearly 500 pounds and had to be bolted down. The watermelon eating contest was likely rehearsed multiple times to ensure it fit within the extremely short film length limits of the era. The participants, probably local workers or studio employees, would have been instructed to exaggerate their eating motions for visual clarity in the tiny Kinetoscope viewing frames.

Visual Style

The cinematography in 'Watermelon Contest' reflects the technical limitations and innovations of 1896. The film was shot using a single stationary camera, as camera movement was not yet technically feasible. The lighting came entirely from natural sunlight entering through the Black Maria studio's retractable roof, creating a harsh, high-contrast look typical of early films. The composition places the two competitors centrally in the frame, ensuring maximum visibility for the Kinetoscope's small viewing area. The camera angle is straight-on, providing a documentary-style view of the action. The film speed was likely around 16 frames per second, giving the motion a slightly jerky quality when viewed at modern speeds. Despite these technical constraints, the framing effectively captures the competitive dynamic and humorous elements of the watermelon eating contest.

Innovations

While 'Watermelon Contest' itself was not technically innovative, it represents the state-of-the-art filmmaking of 1896. The film was created using Edison's Kinetograph camera, which was one of the first practical motion picture cameras. The ability to capture and reproduce motion at 16 frames per second was itself a major technological achievement. The film was shot on 35mm celluloid film, establishing a format that would become the industry standard for over a century. The Black Maria studio's rotating design was an engineering innovation that solved the lighting problems faced by early filmmakers. The film also demonstrates the early understanding of continuity editing, with the entire contest captured in a single, uninterrupted take.

Music

As a film from 1896, 'Watermelon Contest' was produced during the silent era and had no synchronized soundtrack. When exhibited in theaters, it would have been accompanied by live musical performance, typically a pianist or small orchestra playing appropriate mood music. The music might have been light and comical to match the on-screen action. In Kinetoscope parlors, where individual viewers watched the film through peep-hole devices, there was no musical accompaniment. The sounds of the actual eating contest - chewing, swallowing, and the participants' breathing - were not recorded, as synchronized sound technology would not be developed for another three decades.

Memorable Scenes

• The climactic moment when one contestant finishes their watermelon slice first, raising their arms in victory while the other continues eating, their face and hands covered in watermelon juice

What Critics Said

Contemporary critical reception for such early films was virtually non-existent, as film criticism had not yet developed as a profession. However, trade publications of the era did note the popularity of novelty films like 'Watermelon Contest' among Kinetoscope viewers. Modern film historians and archivists recognize this film as an important example of early American comedy and documentary-style filmmaking. It is frequently cited in academic works about the origins of cinema and the development of film comedy. The film is valued today for its historical significance rather than its artistic merits, representing the experimental nature of early cinema and the simple pleasures that entertained audiences at the dawn of moving pictures.

What Audiences Thought

Early audiences were fascinated by any moving images, and a film showing a competitive eating contest would have been particularly entertaining. Viewers watching through the Kinetoscope peep-hole devices would have been amused by the novelty of seeing real people captured in motion, especially engaged in a humorous activity. The universal appeal of watching someone eat messily quickly made this type of film popular across different demographics. In vaudeville theater settings where such films were shown between live acts, audiences reportedly responded with laughter and applause to the simple visual comedy. The film's success likely encouraged Edison to produce more similar competition and novelty films.

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