How did itinerant exhibitors influence the form of early motion-picture programs?

Itinerant exhibitors played a pivotal role in shaping early motion-picture programs by separating the exhibition of films from their production. Beginning around 1897, manufacturers began selling projectors and films directly to these traveling projectionists, who moved between temporary venues such as fairgrounds, circus tents, and vaudeville theaters.12

Because these exhibitors were responsible for arranging individual, one-shot films into cohesive, audience-pleasing programs, they exercised significant control over the form of early cinema. They often enhanced these screenings by incorporating live narration, music, and sound effects. This process of assembling and presenting films functioned as a primitive form of editing, leading many historians to regard these itinerant projectionists as the earliest directors of motion pictures. Some of these individuals, such as Edwin S. Porter, were later hired as professional directors once the film industry stabilized in the early 20th century.12