The grandmother who washes the baby and even the street boy who plays a prank had to be replaced by quick little comedies.

Stages were set up; more and more elaborate scenes were created; the film grew and grew in length.
Competing companies in France and later in the United States, England, Germany and notably in Italy developed more and more ambitious productions.

As early as 1898 the Eden Musee in New York produced an elaborate setting of the Passion Play in nearly fifty thousand pictures, which needed almost an hour for production.

The personnel on the stage increased rapidly, huge establishments in which any scenery could be built up sprang into being.

But the inclosed scene was often not a sufficient background; the kinematographic camera was brought to mountains and seashore, and soon to the jungles of Africa or to Central Asia if the photoplay demanded exciting scenes on picturesque backgrounds.