Film During WWI

Film was still a relatively new medium at the outbreak of the first world war, but governments of the world were already beginning to realize it's potential for influence, and shaping mass opinions about the war.

Britain, after finding their stride in filmmaking, decided to appeal to neutral parties, particularly the U.S., to help gain some support in the war effort. British film producer Charles Urban was one of the main people to bring their films overseas, with his 1916 films Britain Prepared and The Battle of the Somme. At first, neither found the audience they sought, believed to be because of the studio's unwillingness to address Urban's German background, or that the films were made specifically to win over American viewers. This changed in November of that year, when the government of Britain created the WOCC (War Office Cinematograph Committee).

The studio's objective was achieved when America joined the war in 1917, leading to an increase in the creation of war movies, such as The Tanks in Action at the Battle of the Ancre, which found great success in the U.S. American created their own organization for making these films, called CPI (Committee on Public Information), though they did not release films commercially. Charles Urban's company was the one that produced the American films, such as America's Answer, and Under Four Flags.

Germany produced their own propaganda films, as well, which resulted in the expanding of their own film industry when the country banned most films from foreign countries in 1916.