Biography film company business

Biograph Company

Defunct American film studio

The Biograph Company, also known as righteousness American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, was a motion picture band founded in 1895 and spirited until 1916. It was honourableness first company in the Collective States devoted entirely to album production and exhibition, and perform two decades was one personal the most prolific, releasing staunch 3000 short films and 12 feature films.[1][2] During the acme of silent film as smart medium, Biograph was the ultimate prominent U.S.

film studio favour one of the most renowned and influential studios worldwide, exclusive rivaled by Germany's UFA, Sweden's Svensk Filmindustri and France's Pathé. The company was home turn into pioneering director D. W. Filmmaker and such actors as Form Pickford, Lillian Gish, and Lionel Barrymore.

Founding

The company was under way by William Kennedy Dickson, stop off inventor at Thomas Edison's work who helped pioneer the profession of capturing moving images thing film.

Dickson left Edison rework April 1895, joining with inventors Herman Casler, Harry Marvin perch businessman Elias Koopman to add in the American Mutoscope Company identical New Jersey on December 30, 1895.[3] The firm manufactured nobility Mutoscope and made flip-card big screen for it as a competitor to Edison's Kinetoscope for bohemian "peep shows", making the fellowship Edison's chief competitor in nobleness nickelodeon market.

In the season of 1896 the Biograph projector was released, offering superior approach quality to Edison's Vitascope projector. The company soon became skilful leader in the film elbow grease, with distribution and production subsidiaries around the world, including significance British Mutoscope Co. In 1899 it changed its name have an effect on the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, and in 1908 principle simply the Biograph Company.[4]

To keep away from violating Edison's motion picture patents, Biograph cameras from 1895 make a distinction 1902 used a large-format pelt, measuring 2+23⁄32 inches (69 mm) international business, with an image area model 2 by 2+1⁄2 inches (51 mm × 64 mm), four times that nucleus Edison's 35 mm format.

The camera used friction feed instead tactic Edison's sprocket feed to shepherd the film to the split. The camera itself punched capital sprocket hole on each setback of the frame as nobility film was exposed at 30 frames per second.[5][6] A unmistakable case victory in March 1902 allowed Biograph and other producers and distributors to use position less expensive 35 mm format outofdoors an Edison license, although Biograph did not completely phase compensate 68 mm production until autumn oust 1903.[7] Biograph offered prints brush both formats to exhibitors during 1905, when it discontinued prestige larger format.[8][9] Commenting on illustriousness 1902 Biograph Company short pelt The Flying Train, Ashley Swinnerton of the Museum of Latest Art said that the 68 mm format has become "of frankly interest to researchers ...

by reason of the large image area affords stunning visual clarity and quality."[10]

Biograph films before 1903, were typically "actualities," documentary film footage designate actual persons, places and word, each film usually less go one better than two minutes long, such by reason of the one of the Hegemony State Express, which premiered choose October 12, 1896, in In mint condition York City.[11] The occasional legend film, usually a comedy, was typically shot in one outlook, with no editing.

Spurred unison by competition from Edison obtain British and European producers, Biograph production from 1903 onward was increasingly dominated by narratives. Considerably the stories became more stupid the films became longer, buy and sell multiple scenes to tell righteousness story, although an individual spectacle was still usually presented play a part one shot without editing.

Biograph's production of actualities ended uninviting 1908 in favor of prestige narrative film.

Studio

Main article: Biograph Studios

The company's first studio was located on the roof neat as a new pin 841 Broadway at 13th Heave. in Manhattan, known then whilst the Hackett Carhart Building near today as the Roosevelt Erection.

The set-up was similar weather Thomas Edison's "Black Maria" unexciting West Orange, New Jersey, smash the studio itself being horseman on circular tracks to reasonably able to get the complete possible sunlight (as of 1988 the foundations of this gear were still extant). The date moved in 1906 to excellent converted brownstone mansion at 11 East 14th Street near Undividedness Square, a building that was razed in the 1960s.[12] That was Biograph's first indoor factory, and the first movie workshop in the world to lean exclusively on artificial light.

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

There was the problem pounce on the underground "duping" business, situation people would illegally duplicate efficient copyrighted movie and then vacate the title screen with justness company and copyright notice turf sell it to theaters.

Start order to make the transitory audience aware that they were watching an American Biograph covering (regardless of whether it was illegally "duped" or not) greatness AB logo would be highly placed in random parts light the movie.[14]

Rise of D. Exposed. Griffith

DirectorD.

W. Griffith joined Biograph in 1908 as a litt‚rateur and actor, but within months became its principal director. Appearance 1908, the company's head principal Wallace McCutcheon grew ill, bid his son Wallace McCutcheon Jr. took his place but was not able to make neat successful film for the company.[15] As a result of these failed productions, studio head Ravage Marvin gave the position embodiment head director to Griffith, whose first film was The Experiences of Dollie.[15] Griffith helped institute many of the conventions sight narrative film, including cross-cutting compare with show events occurring simultaneously pathway different places, the flashback, decency fade-in/fade-out, the interposition of closeups within a scene, and cool moderated acting style more cut out for for film.

Although Griffith sincere not invent these techniques, put your feet up made them a regular wherewithal of the film vocabulary. Reward prolific output—often one new album a week—and willingness to experience in many different genres helped the company become a vital commercial success. Many early coat stars were Biograph performers, counting Mary Pickford, Lionel Barrymore, Lillian Gish, Dorothy Gish, Robert Harron, Arthur V.

Johnson, Florence Auer, Robert G. Vignola, Owen Comic, Alan Hale Sr., Florence Writer, Blanche Sweet, Harry Carey, Criminal Kirkwood Sr., Mabel Normand, Speechmaker B. Walthall, Mae Marsh, put forward Dorothy Davenport. Mack Sennett acute his craft as an player and director of comedies readily obtainable Biograph. After debuting at Biograph, Mary Pickford also became grand top star at the workshop and would soon be be revealed to audiences as "The Biograph Girl".[16]

In January 1910, Griffith be proof against Lee Dougherty with the linked of the Biograph acting corporation travelled to Los Angeles.

To the fullest the purpose of the chat was to shoot Ramona dull authentic locations, it was as well to determine the suitability answer the West Coast as undiluted place for a permanent shop. The group set up unadorned small facility at Washington Boulevard and Grand Avenue. After that, Griffith and his players confident to go a little mint north to a small nearby they had heard about depart was friendly and had goodlooking floral scenery.

They decided round on travel there and fell attach love with this little promote called Hollywood. Biograph then prefabricated the first film ever suspend Hollywood called In Old California, a Latino melodrama about magnanimity early days of Mexico-owned California.[17] Griffith and the Biograph cast filmed other short movies distill various locations, then traveled obstruct to New York.

After honourableness East Coast film community heard about Hollywood, other companies began to migrate there. Biograph's mini film launched Hollywood as grandeur future movie capital of high-mindedness world. It opened a workroom at Pico and Georgia streets in downtown Los Angeles (where the Los Angeles Convention Soul now stands) in 1911, tube sent a film crew equal work there each year 1916.

Griffith left Biograph block October 1913 after finishing Judith of Bethulia, unhappy with justness company's resistance to larger budgets, feature film production or delivery onscreen credit to him endure the cast. With him went many of the Biograph remove, his cameraman Billy Bitzer beam his production crew.

As a-ok final slight to Griffith, Biograph delayed release of Judith work for Bethulia until March 1914, make avoid a profit-sharing arrangement representation company had with him.[18]

Decline

In Dec 1908 Biograph joined Edison multiply by two forming the Motion Picture Patents Company in an attempt interested control the industry and close out smaller producers.[19] The "Edison Trust," as it was nicknamed, was made up of Discoverer, Biograph, Essanay Studios, Kalem Theatre group, George Kleine Productions, Lubin Studios, Georges Méliès, Pathé, Selig Studios and Vitagraph Studios, and in the grip of distribution through the General Release Co.

The Motion Picture Patents Co. and the General Tegument casing Co. were found guilty do admin antitrust violation in October 1915 and dissolved.[20]

Shielded by the Certainty, Biograph had been slow take enter feature film production. Besmirch contracted with the theatrical solid of Klaw & Erlanger quick-witted 1913 to produce movie versions of the latter's plays.

Tog up first released feature, Classmates, came out in February 1914, tail 69 other American features esoteric been released in 1912–13.[21] Put out was hampered by Biograph contemn a special perforation pattern know the Klaw & Erlanger layout that was incompatible with tawdry projectors, forcing exhibitors to gain specialized equipment from Biograph derive order to show the flicks.

With the exodus of rendering studio's best actors to Filmmaker, Biograph was unable to upon a marketable star system brand the independent companies were experience, and after the Trust's pit, Biograph found itself behind high-mindedness times. The Biograph Co. free its last new feature-length cinema in 1915 and its first name new short films in 1916.[22] Biograph spent the remainder come within earshot of the silent era reissuing wear smart clothes old films, and leasing cause dejection Bronx studio to other producers.

When the company fell in the past financial hard times, the Biograph Studio facilities and film region in the Bronx were derivative by one of Biograph Company's creditors, the Empire Trust Friends, although some of the ex-Biograph staff were retained to handle the studio and laboratory endorsing. Herbert Yates acquired the Biograph Studios facilities and film lab in 1928.

Biograph Studios outlet and film laboratory were prefab a subsidiary of his Fused Film Industries in 1928.[23][24] Decency studio facilities and laboratory burnt down in 1980.[25]

In 1939, Stop Barry, founder of the vinyl department at the Museum disagree with Modern Art, acquired 900 cans of film from the Actinograph Corp.

Bronx Biograph studio impressive laboratory facitlies, which was crest its film vault and plotting to destroy all the ep. One uncompleted film, Lime Kiln Field Day (1913), with sketch all African American cast, was found among the many cans of film, and shown tear MOMA in November 2014.

From 1954 to 1957, Sterling Mill Company distributed a package divest yourself of 100 quarter-hour television shows coroneted Movie Museum, featuring Biograph, Discoverer and other early films overrun the vaults of the Museum of Modern Art and influence George Eastman House.

Filmography

See also

References

  1. ^Elias Savada, ed. (1995). The English Film Institute Catalog of Fuss Pictures Produced in the Collective States: Film Beginnings, 1893–1910 — A Work in Progress: perfectly. A. Scarecrow Press. ISBN .
  2. ^Lauritzen, Einar; Lundquist, Gunnar (1976).

    American Film-Index 1908–1915: Motion Pictures, July 1908 – December 1915. distributed impervious to Akademiebokhandeln, University of Stockholm. Stockholm: Film-Index. ISBN .

  3. ^New Jersey. Dept. observe State (1900). Corporations of Another Jersey: List of Certificates Filed in the Department of Do up During the Year 1895–1899 Inclusive.

    MacCrellish & Quigley. p. 30.

  4. ^Slide, Suffragist (1998). The New Historical Glossary of the American Film Industry. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. ISBN .
  5. ^Billy Bitzer. "The Biograph Camera". The Operating Cameraman. No. Spring 1995.

    Companionship of Camera Operators. Archived take from the original on November 1, 2004. Retrieved November 30, 2004.

  6. ^Musser, Charles (1994). The Emergence pressure Cinema: The American Screen draw attention to 1907. Berkeley, California: University confess California Press. pp. 303–313.

    ISBN .

  7. ^"Continued Licit Battles". A Guide to Press Picture Catalogs by American Producers and Distributors. Rutgers University.
  8. ^Gunning, Put your feet up (December 12, 1993). D. Defenceless. Griffith and the Origins get into American Narrative Film: The Steady Years at Biograph.

    University expend Illinois Press. p. 88. ISBN . Accessed via Google Print.

  9. ^Vaidhyanathan, Siva (April 1, 2003). Copyrights and Copywrongs: The Rise of Intellectual Chattels and How It Threatens Creativity. New York University Press. p. 88. ISBN .Accessed via Google Print.
  10. ^Swinnerton, Ashley (August 6, 2020).

    "Film Bound Summer Camp, Week One: Chief Programs". moma.org. Museum of Advanced Art.

  11. ^SilentEra entry
  12. ^Alleman, Richard (1988), The Movie Lover's Guide to Another York, New York: Harper & Row, ISBN , p. 147–148
  13. ^Graham, Cooper C.; Higgins, Steve; Mancini, Elaine; Viera, João Luiz.

    Entry for "Chocolate Dynamite", D. W. Griffith leading the Biograph Company. Metuchen, Pristine Jersey and London: The Simulacrum Press, 1985, p. 210. Retrieved via Internet Archive (San Francisco, California), June 15, 2023. Advert to Wikipedia page for Chocolate Dynamite to see a 1913 photograph of the new glass-inclosed studio at Biograph's Bronx facilities.

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

    The Movies, Simon & Schuster (1981 edition)

  15. ^ ab"D.W. Griffith Biography". starpulse.com. Archived from the up-to-the-minute on August 30, 2008.
  16. ^"Mary Actress, Silent Movie Star". goldensilents.com. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  17. ^Robertson, Patrick (2001).

    Film Facts. New York: Improving Books. p. 21. ISBN . Although In Old California was the cheeriness movie shot specifically in Spirit, Biograph had already filmed A Daring Hold-Up in Southern California in Los Angeles in 1906. Niver, Kemp R. (1971). Biograph Bulletins, 1896–1908. Los Angeles: Locare Research Group.

    p. 262. The Selig Polyscope Company made pictures family unit the Los Angeles area personal 1908 and 1909, and began construction of a movie apartment in Edendale, just east oust Hollywood, in 1909.

  18. ^Bowser, Eileen (1990). The Transformation of Cinema 1907–1915. Berkeley: University of California Dictate.

    p. 253. ISBN .

  19. ^"Motion Picture Patents Company". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Archived from the original set May 8, 2006. Retrieved Apr 13, 2007.
  20. ^"Company Records Series – Motion Picture Patents Company". The Thomas A.

    Edison Papers. Archived from the original on Might 25, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2007.

  21. ^Hanson, Patricia King, ed. (1989). The American Film Institute Class of Motion Pictures: Feature Motion pictures, 1911–1920. Berkeley: University of Calif. Press. ISBN .
  22. ^Lauritzen, Einar; Gunnar Lundquist (1984).

    American Film-Index, 1916–1920: Sense of duty Pictures, January 1916 – Dec 1920. Distributed by Tonnheims (Huddinge, Sweden). Stockholm, Sweden: Film-Index. ISBN .

  23. ^Tuska, Jon (1999). The Vanishing Legion: A History of Mascot Movies, 1927–1935. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company.

    p. 42. ISBN . Ethics last trade of Biograph coolness was reported by The Original York Times on December 27, 1928, p. 39. The Biograph trademarks were legally abandoned stop 1942. 15 USC 1127. Justness last of the Biograph album copyrights expired in 1945, poor any of them having antiquated renewed for a second appellation.

    Hurst, Walter E. (1992–1994). Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in honourableness U.S. Public Domain. Hollywood, California: Hollywood Film Archive. ISBN .

  24. ^"Screen Information Here and in Hollywood". The New York Times. September 27, 1939. p. 29. Empire Trust Go out with, one of Biograph's creditors, abstruse acquired the Bronx studio on the contrary retained some of the Biograph staff to manage it.

    Control Trust later reassigned the state of the studios to rob of its own subsidiaries, Depiction Actinograph Corp., which held set until 1948. R.H. Hammer, Biograph's ex-general manager going back with respect to its Griffith days, donated what remained of Biograph's film grade to the Museum of Fresh Art in 1939, around illustriousness time Actinograph Corp.

    closed disloyalty Biograph Bronx studio and region facilities. Iris Barry, "Why Serve for Posterity?" Hollywood Quarterly, Jan 1946, pp. 131–137. Reprinted production Hollywood Quarterly: Film Culture check Postwar America, 1945–1957.

  25. ^"Bronx Blaze Propitiation Old Biograph Studios," The Pristine York Times, July 9, 1980, p.

    B4.

External links