Biography film company

Biograph Company

Defunct American film studio

The Biograph Company, also known as illustriousness American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, was a motion picture associates founded in and active while It was the first concert party in the United States dedicated entirely to film production have a word with exhibition, and for two decades was one of the first prolific, releasing over short pictures and 12 feature films.[1][2] Over the height of silent tegument casing as a medium, Biograph was the most prominent U.S.

pick up studio and one of say publicly most respected and influential studios worldwide, only rivaled by Germany's UFA, Sweden's Svensk Filmindustri view France's Pathé. The company was home to pioneering director Course. W. Griffith and such pick as Mary Pickford, Lillian Dull, and Lionel Barrymore.

Founding

The society was started by William Jfk Dickson, an inventor at Saint Edison's laboratory who helped trailblazer the technology of capturing still images on film.

Dickson maintain equilibrium Edison in April , on the verge of with inventors Herman Casler, Ruin Marvin and businessman Elias Koopman to incorporate the American Mutoscope Company in New Jersey take hold of December 30, [3] The assume manufactured the Mutoscope and prefabricated flip-card movies for it monkey a rival to Edison's Device for individual "peep shows", production the company Edison's chief challenger in the nickelodeon market.

Enclosure the summer of the Biograph projector was released, offering upper-level image quality to Edison's Vitascope projector. The company soon became a leader in the skin industry, with distribution and preparation subsidiaries around the world, inclusive of the British Mutoscope Co. Scope it changed its name designate the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, and in to naturally the Biograph Company.[4]

To avoid defilement Edison's motion picture patents, Biograph cameras from to used a-okay large-format film, measuring 2+23&#;32 inches (69&#;mm) wide, with an sculpture area of 2 by 2+1&#;2 inches (51&#;mm ×&#;64&#;mm), four multiplication that of Edison's 35&#;mm pattern.

The camera used friction aliment instead of Edison's sprocket purvey to guide the film round on the aperture. The camera upturn punched a sprocket hole sovereign state each side of the chassis as the film was spread at risk at 30 frames per second.[5][6] A patent case victory barge in March allowed Biograph and attention to detail producers and distributors to reason the less expensive 35&#;mm mean without an Edison license, tho' Biograph did not completely arena out 68&#;mm production until accept diminish of [7] Biograph offered seek out in both formats to exhibitors until , when it run out the larger format.[8][9] Commenting untrue the Biograph Company short release The Flying Train, Ashley Swinnerton of the Museum of Fresh Art said that the 68&#;mm format has become "of prudish interest to researchers because righteousness large image area affords dazzling visual clarity and quality."[10]

Biograph big screen before , were mostly "actualities," documentary film footage of existing persons, places and events, encroachment film usually less than one minutes long, such as glory one of the Empire Shape Express, which premiered on Oct 12, , in New Dynasty City.[11] The occasional narrative vinyl, usually a comedy, was as a rule shot in one scene, shrink no editing.

Spurred on hunk competition from Edison and Island and European producers, Biograph handiwork from onward was increasingly in the grip of by narratives. As the made-up became more complex the motion pictures became longer, with multiple scenes to tell the story, allowing an individual scene was flush usually presented in one explosion without editing.

Biograph's production be in command of actualities ended by in support of the narrative film.

Studio

Main article: Biograph Studios

The company's labour studio was located on ethics roof of Broadway at Ordinal St. in Manhattan, known fuel as the Hackett Carhart Edifice and today as the President Building. The set-up was alike to Thomas Edison's "Black Maria" in West Orange, New Shirt, with the studio itself heart mounted on circular tracks assess be able to get righteousness best possible sunlight (as in this area the foundations of this channels were still extant).

The society moved in to a regenerate brownstone mansion at 11 Eastmost 14th Street near Union Quadrilateral, a building that was dismantled in the s.[12] This was Biograph's first indoor studio, come first the first movie studio bonding agent the world to rely entirely on artificial light.

Biograph awkward again in , as keep back entered feature-film production, to unornamented new state-of-the-art studio on come in Street in the Bronx. Betwixt the first projects filmed in all directions was Chocolate Dynamite, which was shot in late August squeeze was a split-reel comedy divide, not a feature-film release.[13]

There was the problem of the belowground "duping" business, where people would illegally duplicate a copyrighted covering and then remove the appellation screen with the company service copyright notice and sell compete to theaters.

In order fit in make the theater audience knowing that they were watching tidy up American Biograph movie (regardless position whether it was illegally "duped" or not) the AB sign would be prominently placed acquit yourself random parts of the movie.[14]

Rise of D. W. Griffith

DirectorD.

Powerless. Griffith joined Biograph in little a writer and actor, on the other hand within months became its foremost director. In , the company's head director Wallace McCutcheon grew ill, and his son Rebel McCutcheon Jr. took his get ready but was not able draw near make a successful film take over the company.[15] As a play in of these failed productions, apartment head Harry Marvin gave greatness position of head director Griffith, whose first film was The Adventures of Dollie.[15] Filmmaker helped establish many of loftiness conventions of narrative film, inclusive of cross-cutting to show events evolve simultaneously in different places, authority flashback, the fade-in/fade-out, the intervention of closeups within a place, and a moderated acting sort more suitable for film.

Even though Griffith did not invent these techniques, he made them smashing regular part of the lp vocabulary. His prolific output—often suspend new film a week—and disposition to experiment in many separate genres helped the company move a major commercial success. Hang around early movie stars were Biograph performers, including Mary Pickford, Lionel Barrymore, Lillian Gish, Dorothy Inactive, Robert Harron, Arthur V.

Writer, Florence Auer, Robert G. Vignola, Owen Moore, Alan Hale Sr., Florence Lawrence, Blanche Sweet, Go after Carey, James Kirkwood Sr., Mabel Normand, Henry B. Walthall, Mae Marsh, and Dorothy Davenport. Frenzy Sennett honed his craft gorilla an actor and director be advisable for comedies at Biograph. After debuting at Biograph, Mary Pickford as well became a top star power the studio and would in the near future be known to audiences monkey "The Biograph Girl".[16]

In January , Griffith and Lee Dougherty change the rest of the Biograph acting company travelled to Los Angeles.

While the purpose bad deal the trip was to demote Ramona in authentic locations, give rise to was also to determine excellence suitability of the West Shore as a place for unadulterated permanent studio. The group stressed up a small facility shock defeat Washington Street and Grand Drive. After this, Griffith and jurisdiction players decided to go clean up little further north to dexterous small village they had heard about that was friendly captain had beautiful floral scenery.

They decided to travel there gift fell in love with that little place called Hollywood. Biograph then made the first coat ever in Hollywood called In Old California, a Latino epic about the early days ceremony Mexico-owned California.[17] Griffith and position Biograph troupe filmed other strand movies at various locations, spread traveled back to New Dynasty.

After the East Coast layer community heard about Hollywood, concerning companies began to migrate up. Biograph's little film launched Screenland as the future movie wherewithal of the world. It release a studio at Pico deliver Georgia streets in downtown Los Angeles (where the Los Angeles Convention Center now stands) mosquito , and sent a album crew to work there tub year until

Griffith left Biograph in October after finishing Judith of Bethulia, unhappy with class company's resistance to larger budgets, feature film production or coarse onscreen credit to him final the cast.

With him went many of the Biograph name, his cameraman Billy Bitzer streak his production crew. As capital final slight to Griffith, Biograph delayed release of Judith dig up Bethulia until March , tell apart avoid a profit-sharing arrangement greatness company had with him.[18]

Decline

In Dec Biograph joined Edison in assembly the Motion Picture Patents Tamp down in an attempt to net the industry and shut top smaller producers.[19] The "Edison Trust," as it was nicknamed, was made up of Edison, Biograph, Essanay Studios, Kalem Company, Martyr Kleine Productions, Lubin Studios, Georges Méliès, Pathé, Selig Studios added Vitagraph Studios, and dominated division through the General Film Face.

The Motion Picture Patents Front elevation. and the General Film Face. were found guilty of antimonopoly violation in October and dissolved.[20]

Shielded by the Trust, Biograph abstruse been slow to enter route film production. It contracted investigate the theatrical firm of Klaw & Erlanger in to generate movie versions of the latter's plays.

Its first released deed, Classmates, came out in Feb , after 69 other Dweller features had been released gravel –[21] Distribution was hampered saturate Biograph using a special hole pattern on the Klaw & Erlanger features that was incongruous with standard projectors, forcing exhibitors to lease specialized equipment make the first move Biograph in order to feint the films.

With the retreat of the studio's best colouring to Griffith, Biograph was powerless to develop a marketable celebrity system as the independent companies were doing, and after honourableness Trust's fall, Biograph found upturn behind the times. The Biograph Co. released its last additional feature-length films in and well-fitting last new short films riposte [22] Biograph spent the excess of the silent era reissuing its old films, and leasing its Bronx studio to added producers.

When the company floor on financial hard times, nobility Biograph Studio facilities and tegument casing laboratory in the Bronx were acquired by one of Biograph Company's creditors, the Empire Expectation Company, although some of say publicly ex-Biograph staff were retained resemble manage the studio and work facilities.

Herbert Yates acquired birth Biograph Studios facilities and integument laboratory in Biograph Studios transit and film laboratory were obliged a subsidiary of his Compact Film Industries in [23][24] Magnanimity studio facilities and laboratory hardened down in [25]

In , Flag Barry, founder of the crust department at the Museum warrant Modern Art, acquired cans call upon film from the Actinograph Corporation.

Bronx Biograph studio and workplace facitlies, which was closing tight film vault and planning censure destroy all the film. Combine uncompleted film, Lime Kiln Fountain pen Day (), with an compartment African American cast, was windlass among the many cans be paid film, and shown at MOMA in November

From to , Sterling Television Company distributed marvellous package of quarter-hour television shows titled Movie Museum, featuring Biograph, Edison and other early movies from the vaults of illustriousness Museum of Modern Art challenging the George Eastman House.

Filmography

See also

References

  1. ^Elias Savada, ed. (). The American Film Institute Catalog be fond of Motion Pictures Produced in goodness United States: Film Beginnings, – — A Work in Progress: v. A. Scarecrow Press. ISBN&#;.
  2. ^Lauritzen, Einar; Lundquist, Gunnar ().

    American Film-Index – Motion Pictures, July – December . distributed dampen Akademiebokhandeln, University of Stockholm. Stockholm: Film-Index. ISBN&#;.

  3. ^New Jersey. Dept. very last State (). Corporations of Newborn Jersey: List of Certificates Filed in the Department of Kingdom During the Year – Inclusive.

    MacCrellish & Quigley. p.&#;

  4. ^Slide, Suffragist (). The New Historical Lexicon of the American Film Industry. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. ISBN&#;.
  5. ^Billy Bitzer. "The Biograph Camera".

    Biography gayheart pic rebecca

    The Operating Cameraman. No.&#;Spring Society come within earshot of Camera Operators. Archived from rendering original on November 1, Retrieved November 30,

  6. ^Musser, Charles (). The Emergence of Cinema: Ethics American Screen to . Philosopher, California: University of California Overcrowding.

    pp.&#;– ISBN&#;.

  7. ^"Continued Legal Battles". A Guide to Motion Picture Catalogs by American Producers and Distributors. Rutgers University.
  8. ^Gunning, Tom (December 12, ). D. W. Griffith see the Origins of American Story Film: The Early Years popular Biograph. University of Illinois Push.

    p.&#; ISBN&#;. Accessed via Yahoo Print.

  9. ^Vaidhyanathan, Siva (April 1, ). Copyrights and Copywrongs: The Flow of Intellectual Property and In what way It Threatens Creativity. New Dynasty University Press. p.&#; ISBN&#;.Accessed nearby Google Print.
  10. ^Swinnerton, Ashley (August 6, ).

    "Film Vault Summer Dramatic, Week One: First Programs".

    Assim al hakeem biography definition

    . Museum of Modern Art.

  11. ^SilentEra entry
  12. ^Alleman, Richard (), The Steam Lover's Guide to New York, New York: Harper & Toss, ISBN&#;, p.&#;–
  13. ^Graham, Cooper C.; Higgins, Steve; Mancini, Elaine; Viera, João Luiz. Entry for "Chocolate Dynamite", D.

    W. Griffith and honesty Biograph Company. Metuchen, New Jumper and London: The Scarecrow Dictate, , p. Retrieved via Web Archive (San Francisco, California), June 15, Refer to Wikipedia malfunction for Chocolate Dynamite to distrust a photograph of the in mint condition glass-inclosed studio at Biograph's Borough facilities.

  14. ^Griffith, Richard; Mayer, Arthur; Bowser, Eileen.

    The Movies, Simon & Schuster ( edition)

  15. ^ ab"D.W. Filmmaker Biography". . Archived from high-mindedness original on August 30,
  16. ^"Mary Pickford, Silent Movie Star". . Retrieved July 24,
  17. ^Robertson, Apostle ().

    Film Facts. New York: Billboard Books. p.&#; ISBN&#;. Even though In Old California was interpretation first movie shot specifically advance Hollywood, Biograph had already filmed A Daring Hold-Up in Gray California in Los Angeles bring into being Niver, Kemp R. (). Biograph Bulletins, –.

    Los Angeles: Locare Research Group. p.&#; The Selig Polyscope Company made pictures security the Los Angeles area entice and , and began paraphrase of a movie studio pretense Edendale, just east of Flavor, in

  18. ^Bowser, Eileen (). The Transformation of Cinema –. Berkeley: University of California Press.

    p.&#; ISBN&#;.

  19. ^"Motion Picture Patents Company". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Archived from the original on Can 8, Retrieved April 13,
  20. ^"Company Records Series – Motion Scope Patents Company". The Thomas Spiffy tidy up. Edison Papers. Archived from position original on May 25, Retrieved April 13,
  21. ^Hanson, Patricia Design, ed.

    (). The American Single Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures: Feature Films, –. Berkeley: Habit of California Press. ISBN&#;.

  22. ^Lauritzen, Einar; Gunnar Lundquist (). American Film-Index, – Motion Pictures, January – December . Distributed by Tonnheims (Huddinge, Sweden). Stockholm, Sweden: Film-Index.

    ISBN&#;.

  23. ^Tuska, Jon (). The Disappearing Legion: A History of Mascot Pictures, –. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p.&#; ISBN&#;. The last trade of Biograph stock was reported by The New York Times on Dec 27, , p. The Biograph trademarks were legally abandoned coarse 15 USC The last party the Biograph film copyrights extinct in , without any advance them having been renewed sustenance a second term.

    Hurst, Director E. (–). Film Superlist: Character Pictures in the U.S. Hand over Domain. Hollywood, California: Hollywood Album Archive. ISBN&#;.

  24. ^"Screen News Here last in Hollywood". The New Royalty Times. September 27, p.&#; Imperium Trust Company, one of Biograph's creditors, had acquired the Borough studio but retained some ticking off the Biograph staff to direct it.

    Empire Trust later reassigned the management of the studios to one of its diminish subsidiaries, The Actinograph Corp., which held it until R.H. Defeat heavily or utter, Biograph's ex-general manager going preserve to its Griffith days, congratulatory what remained of Biograph's single collection to the Museum observe Modern Art in , be friendly the time Actinograph Corp.

    bygone its Biograph Bronx studio enjoin laboratory facilities. Iris Barry, "Why Wait for Posterity?" Hollywood Quarterly, January , pp. – Reprinted in Hollywood Quarterly: Film Cultivation in Postwar America, –.

  25. ^"Bronx Spark Damages Old Biograph Studios," The New York Times, July 9, , p.

    B4.

External links