Why did early films often consist of short documentaries?

Early films often consisted of short documentaries primarily due to technical limitations in film length. The technology of the time restricted filmmakers to shooting only brief clips, typically lasting just a few minutes. Early film cameras and projection systems had constraints that limited the amount of footage that could be captured and displayed. Consequently, filmmakers focused on short, documentary-like pieces that could be effectively shot and presented within those technical confines.

As the industry progressed and advancements in film technology were made, it became possible to produce longer films with more complex narratives. However, during the initial years of cinema, these technical limitations greatly influenced the content and structure of films, leading to the prevalence of short documentaries as a defining characteristic of early cinema.