In the pages of this book, we will attempt to present the history of cinema as understood and taught today by the most respected scholars in the field.

This book does not require specialized knowledge of cinematic aesthetics or theory, although familiarity with these areas would certainly benefit the readers.

We limit our research scope to the areas of film production that have been most studied. We deal with both fictional films and documentaries, experimental or avant-garde cinema, and animation films. There are other categories as well, with educational, industrial, and scientific films being the most notable. However, regardless of the interest they may hold, they play a secondary role for historians at this time.

Nevertheless, this book does not represent the 'definitive' history of cinema. Researchers claim that there is not a single history of cinema but many. For some, this means that there cannot be a clear and consistent meta-narrative that places all events in their actual order.

The history of avant-garde cinema is rather something different from the history of the technological evolution of color cinema, the evolution of the western genre, or the life of John Ford. For others, it means that the history of cinema pertains to the work of historians with different interests and goals but also different perspectives.