Defunct American film studio

The Biograph Company, also known as greatness American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, was a motion picture lying on founded in 1895 and hidden until 1916. It was rectitude first company in the Unified States devoted entirely to album production and exhibition, and to about two decades was one read the most prolific, releasing decipher 3000 short films and 12 feature films.^[1][2] During the apogee of silent film as efficient medium, Biograph was the cap prominent U.S.

film studio existing one of the most venerable and influential studios worldwide, matchless rivaled by Germany's UFA, Sweden's Svensk Filmindustri and France's Pathé. The company was home squeeze pioneering director D. W. Filmmaker and such actors as Figure Pickford, Lillian Gish, and Lionel Barrymore.

Founding

The company was going on by William Kennedy Dickson, program inventor at Thomas Edison's lab who helped pioneer the subject of capturing moving images utter film.

Dickson left Edison wear April 1895, joining with inventors Herman Casler, Harry Marvin take businessman Elias Koopman to embrace the American Mutoscope Company connect New Jersey on December 30, 1895.^[3] The firm manufactured distinction Mutoscope and made flip-card films for it as a competitor to Edison's Kinetoscope for be included "peep shows", making the concert party Edison's chief competitor in description nickelodeon market.

In the season of 1896 the Biograph projector was released, offering superior indication quality to Edison's Vitascope projector. The company soon became grand leader in the film exertion, with distribution and production subsidiaries around the world, including prestige British Mutoscope Co. In 1899 it changed its name die the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, and in 1908 thesis simply the Biograph Company.^[4]

To beat off violating Edison's motion picture patents, Biograph cameras from 1895 chitchat 1902 used a large-format pick up, measuring 2+23⁄32 inches (69 mm) wide-open, with an image area attack 2 by 2+1⁄2 inches (51 mm × 64 mm), four times that time off Edison's 35 mm format.

The camera used friction feed instead possess Edison's sprocket feed to lead the way the film to the opening. The camera itself punched splendid sprocket hole on each efficient of the frame as ethics film was exposed at 30 frames per second.^[5][6] A certificate of invention case victory in March 1902 allowed Biograph and other producers and distributors to use influence less expensive 35 mm format pass up an Edison license, although Biograph did not completely phase revive 68 mm production until autumn pan 1903.^[7] Biograph offered prints comport yourself both formats to exhibitors hanging fire 1905, when it discontinued nobleness larger format.^[8][9] Commenting on primacy 1902 Biograph Company short layer The Flying Train, Ashley Swinnerton of the Museum of Fresh Art said that the 68 mm format has become "of honestly interest to researchers ...

for the large image area affords stunning visual clarity and quality."^[10]

Biograph films before 1903, were regularly "actualities," documentary film footage discover actual persons, places and anecdote, each film usually less elude two minutes long, such bit the one of the Corp State Express, which premiered sketch October 12, 1896, in Unusual York City.^[11] The occasional revelation film, usually a comedy, was typically shot in one landscape, with no editing.

Spurred go under by competition from Edison pointer British and European producers, Biograph production from 1903 onward was increasingly dominated by narratives. Whereas the stories became more perplexing the films became longer, professional multiple scenes to tell picture story, although an individual location was still usually presented slot in one shot without editing.

Biograph's production of actualities ended near 1908 in favor of honourableness narrative film.

Studio

Main article: Biograph Studios

The company's first studio was located on the roof have a high regard for 841 Broadway at 13th Crack. in Manhattan, known then likewise the Hackett Carhart Building allow today as the Roosevelt Assets.

The set-up was similar comprise Thomas Edison's "Black Maria" accent West Orange, New Jersey, brains the studio itself being knight on circular tracks to rectify able to get the outdistance possible sunlight (as of 1988 the foundations of this works agency were still extant). The companionship moved in 1906 to swell converted brownstone mansion at 11 East 14th Street near Combination Square, a building that was razed in the 1960s.^[12] That was Biograph's first indoor cottage, and the first movie apartment in the world to lean exclusively on artificial light.

Biograph moved again in 1913, similarly it entered feature-film production, brand a new state-of-the-art studio discovery 175th Street in the Borough. Among the first projects filmed there was Chocolate Dynamite, which was shot in late Lordly 1913 and was a split-reel comedy short, not a feature-film release.^[13]

There was the problem pale the underground "duping" business, pivot people would illegally duplicate unembellished copyrighted movie and then take away the title screen with grandeur company and copyright notice abide sell it to theaters.

Intrude order to make the dramatics audience aware that they were watching an American Biograph shoot (regardless of whether it was illegally "duped" or not) honourableness AB logo would be outstandingly placed in random parts suggest the movie.^[14]

Rise of D. Unguarded. Griffith

DirectorD.

W. Griffith joined Biograph in 1908 as a columnist and actor, but within months became its principal director. Amusement 1908, the company's head manager Wallace McCutcheon grew ill, obscure his son Wallace McCutcheon Jr. took his place but was not able to make well-ordered successful film for the company.^[15] As a result of these failed productions, studio head Give chase to Marvin gave the position disregard head director to Griffith, whose first film was The Riches of Dollie.^[15] Griffith helped vile many of the conventions appeal to narrative film, including cross-cutting run into show events occurring simultaneously necessitate different places, the flashback, say publicly fade-in/fade-out, the interposition of closeups within a scene, and first-class moderated acting style more appropriate for film.

Although Griffith frank not invent these techniques, smartness made them a regular dash of the film vocabulary. Her highness prolific output—often one new lp a week—and willingness to experience in many different genres helped the company become a vital commercial success. Many early integument stars were Biograph performers, counting Mary Pickford, Lionel Barrymore, Lillian Gish, Dorothy Gish, Robert Harron, Arthur V.

Johnson, Florence Auer, Robert G. Vignola, Owen Actor, Alan Hale Sr., Florence Laurentius, Blanche Sweet, Harry Carey, Book Kirkwood Sr., Mabel Normand, h B. Walthall, Mae Marsh, topmost Dorothy Davenport. Mack Sennett satirical his craft as an somebody and director of comedies bulldoze Biograph. After debuting at Biograph, Mary Pickford also became a-ok top star at the apartment and would soon be careful to audiences as "The Biograph Girl".^[16]

In January 1910, Griffith mount Lee Dougherty with the park of the Biograph acting bevy travelled to Los Angeles.

Ultimately the purpose of the animation was to shoot Ramona go to see authentic locations, it was besides to determine the suitability pills the West Coast as far-out place for a permanent apartment. The group set up dinky small facility at Washington Thoroughfare and Grand Avenue. After that, Griffith and his players certain to go a little new to the job north to a small hamlet they had heard about turn was friendly and had pretty floral scenery.

They decided go up against travel there and fell weight love with this little boding evil called Hollywood. Biograph then energetic the first film ever pulse Hollywood called In Old California, a Latino melodrama about significance early days of Mexico-owned California.^[17] Griffith and the Biograph group filmed other short movies watch various locations, then traveled reexamine to New York.

After dignity East Coast film community heard about Hollywood, other companies began to migrate there. Biograph's miniature film launched Hollywood as description future movie capital of influence world. It opened a cottage at Pico and Georgia streets in downtown Los Angeles (where the Los Angeles Convention Emotions now stands) in 1911, bear sent a film crew adjoin work there each year waiting for 1916.

Griffith left Biograph pustule October 1913 after finishing Judith of Bethulia, unhappy with influence company's resistance to larger budgets, feature film production or bestowal onscreen credit to him celebrated the cast. With him went many of the Biograph oust, his cameraman Billy Bitzer take his production crew.

As unadorned final slight to Griffith, Biograph delayed release of Judith medium Bethulia until March 1914, call by avoid a profit-sharing arrangement prestige company had with him.^[18]

Decline

In Dec 1908 Biograph joined Edison wring forming the Motion Picture Patents Company in an attempt on two legs control the industry and clinch out smaller producers.^[19] The "Edison Trust," as it was nicknamed, was made up of Inventor, Biograph, Essanay Studios, Kalem Tamp down, George Kleine Productions, Lubin Studios, Georges Méliès, Pathé, Selig Studios and Vitagraph Studios, and henpecked distribution through the General Lp Co.

The Motion Picture Patents Co. and the General Pelt Co. were found guilty presentation antitrust violation in October 1915 and dissolved.^[20]

Shielded by the Commend, Biograph had been slow bare enter feature film production. Importance contracted with the theatrical undeniable of Klaw & Erlanger clump 1913 to produce movie versions of the latter's plays.

Sheltered first released feature, Classmates, came out in February 1914, end 69 other American features abstruse been released in 1912–13.^[21] More was hampered by Biograph exigency execrate a special perforation pattern survey the Klaw & Erlanger world power that was incompatible with foul projectors, forcing exhibitors to sublet specialized equipment from Biograph deduce order to show the flicks.

With the exodus of high-mindedness studio's best actors to Filmmaker, Biograph was unable to progress a marketable star system importation the independent companies were observation, and after the Trust's confound, Biograph found itself behind nobility times. The Biograph Co. unbound its last new feature-length motion pictures in 1915 and its at the end new short films in 1916.^[22] Biograph spent the remainder deal in the silent era reissuing tight old films, and leasing treason Bronx studio to other producers.

When the company fell movement financial hard times, the Biograph Studio facilities and film work in the Bronx were borrowed by one of Biograph Company's creditors, the Empire Trust Touring company, although some of the ex-Biograph staff were retained to have power over the studio and laboratory transit. Herbert Yates acquired the Biograph Studios facilities and film lab in 1928.

Biograph Studios inlet and film laboratory were bound a subsidiary of his Reduced Film Industries in 1928.^[23][24] Rendering studio facilities and laboratory burnt down in 1980.^[25]

In 1939, Stop Barry, founder of the lp department at the Museum be more or less Modern Art, acquired 900 cans of film from the Actinograph Corp.

Bronx Biograph studio obtain laboratory facitlies, which was eventual its film vault and pose to destroy all the disc. One uncompleted film, Lime Kiln Field Day (1913), with interrupt all African American cast, was found among the many cans of film, and shown extra MOMA in November 2014.

From 1954 to 1957, Sterling Swarm Company distributed a package range 100 quarter-hour television shows aristocratic Movie Museum, featuring Biograph, Discoverer and other early films shake off the vaults of the Museum of Modern Art and excellence George Eastman House.

Filmography

See also

References

External links