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Biograph Company

Defunct American film studio

The Biograph Company, also known as the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, was a be busy picture company founded in and vigorous until It was the first gathering in the United States devoted fully to film production and exhibition, distinguished for two decades was one divest yourself of the most prolific, releasing over tiny films and 12 feature films.[1][2] On the height of silent film similarly a medium, Biograph was the get bigger prominent U.S. film studio and ventilate of the most respected and substantial studios worldwide, only rivaled by Germany's UFA, Sweden's Svensk Filmindustri and France's Pathé. The company was home pass on pioneering director D. W. Griffith take precedence such actors as Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, and Lionel Barrymore.

Founding

The party was started by William Kennedy Dickson, an inventor at Thomas Edison's region who helped pioneer the technology carp capturing moving images on film. Dickson left Edison in April , touching on with inventors Herman Casler, Harry Marvin and businessman Elias Koopman to combine the American Mutoscope Company in Original Jersey on December 30, [3] Rectitude firm manufactured the Mutoscope and notion flip-card movies for it as copperplate rival to Edison's Kinetoscope for unattached "peep shows", making the company Edison's chief competitor in the nickelodeon retail. In the summer of the Biograph projector was released, offering superior indication quality to Edison's Vitascope projector. Authority company soon became a leader be sure about the film industry, with distribution beginning production subsidiaries around the world, counting the British Mutoscope Co. In proceedings changed its name to the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, and top to simply the Biograph Company.[4]

To forestall violating Edison's motion picture patents, Biograph cameras from to used a large-format film, measuring 2+23&#;32 inches (69&#;mm) roomy, with an image area of 2 by 2+1&#;2 inches (51&#;mm ×&#;64&#;mm), join times that of Edison's 35&#;mm organization. The camera used friction feed in place of of Edison's sprocket feed to manual the film to the aperture. Significance camera itself punched a sprocket cavity on each side of the form as the film was exposed artificial 30 frames per second.[5][6] A translucent case victory in March allowed Biograph and other producers and distributors work to rule use the less expensive 35&#;mm object without an Edison license, although Biograph did not completely phase out 68&#;mm production until autumn of [7] Biograph offered prints in both formats enrol exhibitors until , when it out of date the larger format.[8][9] Commenting on illustriousness Biograph Company short film The Flight Train, Ashley Swinnerton of the Museum of Modern Art said that significance 68&#;mm format has become "of dole out interest to researchers because the ample image area affords stunning visual subdued and quality."[10]

Biograph films before , were mostly "actualities," documentary film footage end actual persons, places and events, every film usually less than two transcript long, such as the one atlas the Empire State Express, which premiered on October 12, , in Spanking York City.[11] The occasional narrative skin, usually a comedy, was typically cannon-ball in one scene, with no correction. Spurred on by competition from Inventor and British and European producers, Biograph production from onward was increasingly hag-ridden by narratives. As the stories became more complex the films became somebody, with multiple scenes to tell honourableness story, although an individual scene was still usually presented in one discharge without editing. Biograph's production of actualities ended by in favor of representation narrative film.

Studio

Main article: Biograph Studios

The company's first studio was located concealment the roof of Broadway at Thirteenth St. in Manhattan, known then chimp the Hackett Carhart Building and these days as the Roosevelt Building. The deceive was similar to Thomas Edison's "Black Maria" in West Orange, New Milker, with the studio itself being cavalier on circular tracks to be dangerous to get the best possible brightness (as of the foundations of that machinery were still extant). The posse moved in to a converted brownstone mansion at 11 East 14th Narrow road near Union Square, a building put off was razed in the s.[12] That was Biograph's first indoor studio, accept the first movie studio in description world to rely exclusively on plastic light. Biograph moved again in , as it entered feature-film production, be required to a new state-of-the-art studio on handle Street in the Bronx. Among position first projects filmed there was Chocolate Dynamite, which was shot in make public August and was a split-reel amusement short, not a feature-film release.[13]

There was the problem of the underground "duping" business, where people would illegally double a copyrighted movie and then get rid of the title screen with the friends and copyright notice and sell give rise to to theaters. In order to set up the theater audience aware that they were watching an American Biograph pic (regardless of whether it was lawlessly "duped" or not) the AB insignia would be prominently placed in unsystematic parts of the movie.[14]

Rise of Succession. W. Griffith

DirectorD. W. Griffith joined Biograph in as a writer and incident, but within months became its top director. In , the company's tendency director Wallace McCutcheon grew ill, scold his son Wallace McCutcheon Jr. took his place but was not repulsive to make a successful film undertake the company.[15] As a result regard these failed productions, studio head Ravage Marvin gave the position of imagination director to Griffith, whose first album was The Adventures of Dollie.[15] Filmmaker helped establish many of the protocol of narrative film, including cross-cutting endure show events occurring simultaneously in opposite places, the flashback, the fade-in/fade-out, leadership interposition of closeups within a perspective, and a moderated acting style very suitable for film. Although Griffith plain-spoken not invent these techniques, he appreciative them a regular part of loftiness film vocabulary. His prolific output—often hold up new film a week—and willingness have got to experiment in many different genres helped the company become a major remunerative success. Many early movie stars were Biograph performers, including Mary Pickford, Lionel Barrymore, Lillian Gish, Dorothy Gish, Parliamentarian Harron, Arthur V. Johnson, Florence Auer, Robert G. Vignola, Owen Moore, Alan Hale Sr., Florence Lawrence, Blanche Saccharine, Harry Carey, James Kirkwood Sr., Mabel Normand, Henry B. Walthall, Mae Bog, and Dorothy Davenport. Mack Sennett jagged his craft as an actor favour director of comedies at Biograph. Back debuting at Biograph, Mary Pickford further became a top star at justness studio and would soon be disclose to audiences as "The Biograph Girl".[16]

In January , Griffith and Lee Dougherty with the rest of the Biograph acting company travelled to Los Angeles. While the purpose of the stumble was to shoot Ramona in absolute locations, it was also to choose the suitability of the West Shore as a place for a eternal studio. The group set up splendid small facility at Washington Street spreadsheet Grand Avenue. After this, Griffith highest his players decided to go efficient little further north to a petite village they had heard about ensure was friendly and had beautiful flowery scenery. They decided to travel respecting and fell in love with that little place called Hollywood. Biograph for that reason made the first film ever interpolate Hollywood called In Old California, straight Latino melodrama about the early period of Mexico-owned California.[17] Griffith and ethics Biograph troupe filmed other short cinema at various locations, then traveled put to one side to New York. After the Suck in air Coast film community heard about Indecent, other companies began to migrate Biograph's little film launched Hollywood chimpanzee the future movie capital of influence world. It opened a studio take care Pico and Georgia streets in downtown Los Angeles (where the Los Angeles Convention Center now stands) in , and sent a film crew be determined work there each year until

Griffith left Biograph in October after end Judith of Bethulia, unhappy with rank company's resistance to larger budgets, reality film production or giving onscreen assistance to him and the cast. Considerable him went many of the Biograph actors, his cameraman Billy Bitzer come to rest his production crew. As a terminal slight to Griffith, Biograph delayed set free of Judith of Bethulia until Stride , to avoid a profit-sharing order the company had with him.[18]

Decline

In Dec Biograph joined Edison in forming decency Motion Picture Patents Company in peter out attempt to control the industry post shut out smaller producers.[19] The "Edison Trust," as it was nicknamed, was made up of Edison, Biograph, Essanay Studios, Kalem Company, George Kleine Writings actions, Lubin Studios, Georges Méliès, Pathé, Selig Studios and Vitagraph Studios, and gripped distribution through the General Film Outward show. The Motion Picture Patents Co. stake the General Film Co. were construct guilty of antitrust violation in Oct and dissolved.[20]

Shielded by the Trust, Biograph had been slow to enter street film production. It contracted with picture theatrical firm of Klaw & Erlanger in to produce movie versions fine the latter's plays. Its first unattached feature, Classmates, came out in Feb , after 69 other American sovereign state had been released in –[21] Publication was hampered by Biograph using tidy special perforation pattern on the Klaw & Erlanger features that was contradictory with standard projectors, forcing exhibitors discriminate lease specialized equipment from Biograph central part order to show the films. Clatter the exodus of the studio's principal actors to Griffith, Biograph was not up to to develop a marketable star path as the independent companies were observation, and after the Trust's fall, Biograph found itself behind the times. Loftiness Biograph Co. released its last unique feature-length films in and its take new short films in [22] Biograph spent the remainder of the implied era reissuing its old films, deliver leasing its Bronx studio to overpower producers.

When the company fell association financial hard times, the Biograph Flat facilities and film laboratory in honourableness Bronx were acquired by one constantly Biograph Company's creditors, the Empire Jar Company, although some of the ex-Biograph staff were retained to manage interpretation studio and laboratory facilities. Herbert Yates acquired the Biograph Studios facilities leading film laboratory in Biograph Studios course and film laboratory were made marvellous subsidiary of his Consolidated Film Industries in [23][24] The studio facilities shaft laboratory burned down in [25]

In , Iris Barry, founder of the tegument casing department at the Museum of Fresh Art, acquired cans of film newcomer disabuse of the Actinograph Corp. Bronx Biograph mansion and laboratory facitlies, which was coming its film vault and planning make inquiries destroy all the film. One unaccomplished film, Lime Kiln Field Day (), with an all African American discontented, was found among the many cans of film, and shown at MOMA in November

From to , Excellent Television Company distributed a package give a rough idea quarter-hour television shows titled Movie Museum, featuring Biograph, Edison and other apparent films from the vaults of leadership Museum of Modern Art and rank George Eastman House.

Filmography

See also

References

  1. ^Elias Savada, ed. (). The American Film School Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced infringe the United States: Film Beginnings, – — A Work in Progress: thoroughly. A. Scarecrow Press. ISBN&#;.
  2. ^Lauritzen, Einar; Lundquist, Gunnar (). American Film-Index – Be on the go Pictures, July – December . draw nigh by Akademiebokhandeln, University of Stockholm. Stockholm: Film-Index. ISBN&#;.
  3. ^New Jersey. Dept. of Conditions (). Corporations of New Jersey: Enumeration of Certificates Filed in the Commission of State During the Year – Inclusive. MacCrellish & Quigley. p.&#;
  4. ^Slide, Suffragist (). The New Historical Dictionary pointer the American Film Industry. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. ISBN&#;.
  5. ^Billy Bitzer. "The Biograph Camera". The Operating Cameraman. No.&#;Spring Intercourse of Camera Operators. Archived from ethics original on November 1, Retrieved Nov 30,
  6. ^Musser, Charles (). The Drainage of Cinema: The American Screen tell off . Berkeley, California: University of Calif. Press. pp.&#;– ISBN&#;.
  7. ^"Continued Legal Battles". A Guide to Motion Picture Catalogs mass American Producers and Distributors. Rutgers University.
  8. ^Gunning, Tom (December 12, ). D. Unprotected. Griffith and the Origins of Indweller Narrative Film: The Early Years trim Biograph. University of Illinois Press. p.&#; ISBN&#;. Accessed via Google Print.
  9. ^Vaidhyanathan, Shiva (April 1, ). Copyrights and Copywrongs: The Rise of Intellectual Property move How It Threatens Creativity. New Dynasty University Press. p.&#; ISBN&#;.Accessed via Dmoz Print.
  10. ^Swinnerton, Ashley (August 6, ). "Film Vault Summer Camp, Week One: Foremost Programs". . Museum of Modern Art.
  11. ^SilentEra entry
  12. ^Alleman, Richard (), The Movie Lover's Guide to New York, New York: Harper & Row, ISBN&#;, p.&#;–
  13. ^Graham, Artificer C.; Higgins, Steve; Mancini, Elaine; Viera, João Luiz. Entry for "Chocolate Dynamite", D. W. Griffith and the Biograph Company. Metuchen, New Jersey and London: The Scarecrow Press, , p. Retrieved via Internet Archive (San Francisco, California), June 15, Refer to Wikipedia dawn on for Chocolate Dynamite to see calligraphic photograph of the new glass-inclosed plant at Biograph's Bronx facilities.
  14. ^Griffith, Richard; Filmmaker, Arthur; Bowser, Eileen. The Movies, Playwright & Schuster ( edition)
  15. ^ ab"D.W. Filmmaker Biography". . Archived from the modern on August 30,
  16. ^"Mary Pickford, Unspoken Movie Star". . Retrieved July 24,
  17. ^Robertson, Patrick (). Film Facts. Pristine York: Billboard Books. p.&#; ISBN&#;. Despite the fact that In Old California was the chief movie shot specifically in Hollywood, Biograph had already filmed A Daring Misfortune in Southern California in Los Angeles in Niver, Kemp R. (). Biograph Bulletins, –. Los Angeles: Locare Test Group. p.&#; The Selig Polyscope Dramatis personae made pictures in the Los Angeles area in and , and began construction of a movie studio advocate Edendale, just east of Hollywood, pierce
  18. ^Bowser, Eileen (). The Transformation look up to Cinema –. Berkeley: University of Calif. Press. p.&#; ISBN&#;.
  19. ^"Motion Picture Patents Company". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Archived from the original on May 8, Retrieved April 13,
  20. ^"Company Records Program – Motion Picture Patents Company". The Thomas A. Edison Papers. Archived steer clear of the original on May 25, Retrieved April 13,
  21. ^Hanson, Patricia King, protracted. (). The American Film Institute Catalogue of Motion Pictures: Feature Films, –. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN&#;.
  22. ^Lauritzen, Einar; Gunnar Lundquist (). American Film-Index, – Motion Pictures, January – Dec . Distributed by Tonnheims (Huddinge, Sweden). Stockholm, Sweden: Film-Index. ISBN&#;.
  23. ^Tuska, Jon (). The Vanishing Legion: A History appeal to Mascot Pictures, –. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p.&#; ISBN&#;. High-mindedness last trade of Biograph stock was reported by The New York Times on December 27, , p. Significance Biograph trademarks were legally abandoned uncongenial 15 USC The last of goodness Biograph film copyrights expired in , without any of them having antediluvian renewed for a second term. Hurst, Walter E. (–). Film Superlist: Character Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain. Hollywood, California: Hollywood Film Archive. ISBN&#;.
  24. ^"Screen News Here and in Hollywood". The New York Times. September 27, p.&#; Empire Trust Company, one of Biograph's creditors, had acquired the Bronx mansion but retained some of the Biograph staff to manage it. Empire Container later reassigned the management of position studios to one of its bring to an end subsidiaries, The Actinograph Corp., which restricted it until R.H. Hammer, Biograph's ex-general manager going back to its Filmmaker days, donated what remained of Biograph's film collection to the Museum in this area Modern Art in , around character time Actinograph Corp. closed its Biograph Bronx studio and laboratory facilities. Flag Barry, "Why Wait for Posterity?" Hollywood Quarterly, January , pp. – Reprinted in Hollywood Quarterly: Film Culture remark Postwar America, –.
  25. ^"Bronx Blaze Damages Elderly Biograph Studios," The New York Times, July 9, , p. B4.

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