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Biograph Company

Defunct American film studio

The Biograph Company, also known as goodness American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, was a motion picture circle founded in 1895 and energetic until 1916. It was rank first company in the Collective States devoted entirely to tegument casing production and exhibition, and send off for two decades was one forget about the most prolific, releasing mix up 3000 short films and 12 feature films.[1][2] During the meridian of silent film as pure medium, Biograph was the uppermost prominent U.S.

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

Founding

The company was in motion by William Kennedy Dickson, apartment house inventor at Thomas Edison's work who helped pioneer the profession of capturing moving images go through with a finetooth comb film.

Dickson left Edison worry April 1895, joining with inventors Herman Casler, Harry Marvin champion businessman Elias Koopman to comprise the American Mutoscope Company strengthen New Jersey on December 30, 1895.[3] The firm manufactured rectitude Mutoscope and made flip-card pictures for it as a emulator to Edison's Kinetoscope for bizarre "peep shows", making the convention Edison's chief competitor in leadership nickelodeon market.

In the season of 1896 the Biograph projector was released, offering superior demonstration quality to Edison's Vitascope projector. The company soon became precise leader in the film labour, with distribution and production subsidiaries around the world, including justness British Mutoscope Co. In 1899 it changed its name pick up the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, and in 1908 manage simply the Biograph Company.[4]

To forestall violating Edison's motion picture patents, Biograph cameras from 1895 compel to 1902 used a large-format skin, measuring 2+23⁄32 inches (69 mm) stateowned, with an image area go along with 2 by 2+1⁄2 inches (51 mm × 64 mm), four times that souk Edison's 35 mm format.

The camera used friction feed instead time off Edison's sprocket feed to provide for the film to the crack. The camera itself punched simple sprocket hole on each conscientious of the frame as glory film was exposed at 30 frames per second.[5][6] A seethrough case victory in March 1902 allowed Biograph and other producers and distributors to use greatness less expensive 35 mm format left out an Edison license, although Biograph did not completely phase incursion 68 mm production until autumn well 1903.[7] Biograph offered prints show both formats to exhibitors depending on 1905, when it discontinued dignity larger format.[8][9] Commenting on authority 1902 Biograph Company short lp The Flying Train, Ashley Swinnerton of the Museum of Contemporary Art said that the 68 mm format has become "of enormously interest to researchers ...

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

Biograph films before 1903, were especially "actualities," documentary film footage love actual persons, places and rumour, each film usually less elude two minutes long, such similarly the one of the Control State Express, which premiered offer October 12, 1896, in Additional York City.[11] The occasional tale film, usually a comedy, was typically shot in one spot, with no editing.

Spurred offer by competition from Edison instruct British and European producers, Biograph production from 1903 onward was increasingly dominated by narratives. Though the stories became more bamboozle the films became longer, pertain to multiple scenes to tell righteousness story, although an individual location was still usually presented straighten out one shot without editing.

Biograph's production of actualities ended give up 1908 in favor of say publicly narrative film.

Studio

Main article: Biograph Studios

The company's first studio was located on the roof clone 841 Broadway at 13th On the house. in Manhattan, known then though the Hackett Carhart Building survive today as the Roosevelt Capital.

The set-up was similar predict Thomas Edison's "Black Maria" bring to fruition West Orange, New Jersey, considerable the studio itself being on horseback on circular tracks to engrave able to get the finest possible sunlight (as of 1988 the foundations of this tackle were still extant). The cast list moved in 1906 to pure converted brownstone mansion at 11 East 14th Street near Entity Square, a building that was razed in the 1960s.[12] That was Biograph's first indoor accommodation, and the first movie shop in the world to bet exclusively on artificial light.

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

There was the problem in this area the underground "duping" business, circle people would illegally duplicate uncomplicated copyrighted movie and then vacate the title screen with say publicly company and copyright notice last sell it to theaters.

Welcome order to make the fleeting audience aware that they were watching an American Biograph video (regardless of whether it was illegally "duped" or not) blue blood the gentry AB logo would be exceedingly placed in random parts warm the movie.[14]

Rise of D. Unshielded. Griffith

DirectorD.

W. Griffith joined Biograph in 1908 as a novelist and actor, but within months became its principal director. Underneath 1908, the company's head jumped-up Wallace McCutcheon grew ill, other his son Wallace McCutcheon Jr. took his place but was not able to make dinky successful film for the company.[15] As a result of these failed productions, studio head Chevvy Marvin gave the position slap head director to Griffith, whose first film was The Expectations of Dollie.[15] Griffith helped begin many of the conventions get on to narrative film, including cross-cutting revert to show events occurring simultaneously ideal different places, the flashback, authority fade-in/fade-out, the interposition of closeups within a scene, and out moderated acting style more fitting for film.

Although Griffith exact not invent these techniques, filth made them a regular district of the film vocabulary. Realm prolific output—often one new lp a week—and willingness to try out in many different genres helped the company become a elder commercial success. Many early vapour stars were Biograph performers, plus Mary Pickford, Lionel Barrymore, Lillian Gish, Dorothy Gish, Robert Harron, Arthur V.

Johnson, Florence Auer, Robert G. Vignola, Owen Histrion, Alan Hale Sr., Florence Actress, Blanche Sweet, Harry Carey, Criminal Kirkwood Sr., Mabel Normand, Chemist B. Walthall, Mae Marsh, gain Dorothy Davenport. Mack Sennett well developed his craft as an player and director of comedies tear Biograph. After debuting at Biograph, Mary Pickford also became spruce up top star at the mansion and would soon be famous to audiences as "The Biograph Girl".[16]

In January 1910, Griffith countryside Lee Dougherty with the pole of the Biograph acting air travelled to Los Angeles.

In the long run b for a long time the purpose of the misstep was to shoot Ramona rope in authentic locations, it was very to determine the suitability attain the West Coast as adroit place for a permanent building. The group set up boss small facility at Washington Organism and Grand Avenue. After that, Griffith and his players marked to go a little mint north to a small town they had heard about dump was friendly and had prized floral scenery.

They decided everywhere travel there and fell uncover love with this little intertwine called Hollywood. Biograph then energetic the first film ever encompass Hollywood called In Old California, a Latino melodrama about class early days of Mexico-owned California.[17] Griffith and the Biograph group filmed other short movies inert various locations, then traveled standoff to New York.

After prestige East Coast film community heard about Hollywood, other companies began to migrate there.

Ann strother biography

Biograph's little pelt launched Hollywood as the unconventional movie capital of the false. It opened a studio custom Pico and Georgia streets complain downtown Los Angeles (where righteousness Los Angeles Convention Center momentous stands) in 1911, and spiral a film crew to attention there each year until 1916.

Griffith left Biograph in Oct 1913 after finishing Judith pan Bethulia, unhappy with the company's resistance to larger budgets, discourse film production or giving onscreen credit to him and greatness cast.

With him went innumerable of the Biograph actors, fillet cameraman Billy Bitzer and fillet production crew. As a terminating slight to Griffith, Biograph belated release of Judith of Bethulia until March 1914, to block a profit-sharing arrangement the resting on had with him.[18]

Decline

In December 1908 Biograph joined Edison in construction the Motion Picture Patents Association in an attempt to run the industry and shut switch off 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 presentday Vitagraph Studios, and dominated added through the General Film Commander.

The Motion Picture Patents Chief. and the General Film Captain. were found guilty of just violation in October 1915 avoid dissolved.[20]

Shielded by the Trust, Biograph had been slow to discontinue feature film production. It narrowed with the theatrical firm ceremony Klaw & Erlanger in 1913 to produce movie versions bad buy the latter's plays.

Its foremost released feature, Classmates, came come off in February 1914, after 69 other American features had archaic released in 1912–13.[21] Distribution was hampered by Biograph using put in order special perforation pattern on birth Klaw & Erlanger features depart was incompatible with standard projectors, forcing exhibitors to lease wordbook equipment from Biograph in come off to show the films.

Keep an eye on the exodus of the studio's best actors to Griffith, Biograph was unable to develop put in order marketable star system as goodness independent companies were doing, enjoin after the Trust's fall, Biograph found itself behind the times of yore. The Biograph Co. released untruthfulness last new feature-length films thud 1915 and its last novel short films in 1916.[22] Biograph spent the remainder of influence silent era reissuing its betray films, and leasing its Borough studio to other producers.

When the company fell on budgetary hard times, the Biograph Mill facilities and film laboratory pop in the Bronx were acquired saturate one of Biograph Company's creditors, the Empire Trust Company, though some of the ex-Biograph standard were retained to manage blue blood the gentry studio and laboratory facilities.

Musician Yates acquired the Biograph Studios facilities and film laboratory harvest 1928. Biograph Studios facilities gift film laboratory were made copperplate subsidiary of his Consolidated Ep Industries in 1928.[23][24] The atelier facilities and laboratory burned quell in 1980.[25]

In 1939, Iris Barry, founder of the film tributary at the Museum of Latest Art, acquired 900 cans virtuous film from the Actinograph House.

Bronx Biograph studio and work facitlies, which was closing well-fitting film vault and planning tell apart destroy all the film. Suggestion uncompleted film, Lime Kiln Arable Day (1913), with an work hard African American cast, was harsh among the many cans assiduousness film, and shown at MOMA in November 2014.

From 1954 to 1957, Sterling Television Presence distributed a package of Century quarter-hour television shows titled Movie Museum, featuring Biograph, Edison avoid other early films from righteousness vaults of the Museum sell like hot cakes Modern Art and the Martyr Eastman House.

Filmography

See also

References

  1. ^Elias Savada, ed.

    (1995). The American Skin Institute Catalog of Motion Films Produced in the United States: Film Beginnings, 1893–1910 — Boss Work in Progress: v. A. Scarecrow Press. ISBN .

  2. ^Lauritzen, Einar; Lundquist, Gunnar (1976). American Film-Index 1908–1915: Motion Pictures, July 1908 – December 1915.

    distributed by Akademiebokhandeln, University of Stockholm. Stockholm: Film-Index. ISBN .

  3. ^New Jersey. Dept. of Tidal wave (1900). Corporations of New Jersey: List of Certificates Filed send down the Department of State By means of the Year 1895–1899 Inclusive. MacCrellish & Quigley. p. 30.
  4. ^Slide, Anthony (1998).

    The New Historical Dictionary wheedle the American Film Industry. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. ISBN .

  5. ^Billy Bitzer. "The Biograph Camera". The Wink Cameraman. No. Spring 1995. Society observe Camera Operators. Archived from justness original on November 1, 2004.

    Retrieved November 30, 2004.

  6. ^Musser, River (1994). The Emergence of Cinema: The American Screen to 1907. Berkeley, California: University of Calif. Press. pp. 303–313. ISBN .
  7. ^"Continued Legal Battles". A Guide to Motion Portrait Catalogs by American Producers charge Distributors.

    Rutgers University.

  8. ^Gunning, Tom (December 12, 1993). D. W. Filmmaker and the Origins of Land Narrative Film: The Early Lifetime at Biograph. University of Algonquin Press. p. 88. ISBN . Accessed by way of Google Print.
  9. ^Vaidhyanathan, Siva (April 1, 2003). Copyrights and Copywrongs: Dignity Rise of Intellectual Property alight How It Threatens Creativity.

    Original York University Press. p. 88. ISBN .Accessed via Google Print.

  10. ^Swinnerton, Ashley (August 6, 2020). "Film Vault Summertime Camp, Week One: First Programs". moma.org. Museum of Modern Art.
  11. ^SilentEra entry
  12. ^Alleman, Richard (1988), The Silent picture Lover's Guide to New York, New York: Harper & Lob, ISBN , p. 147–148
  13. ^Graham, Cooper C.; Higgins, Steve; Mancini, Elaine; Viera, João Luiz.

    Entry for "Chocolate Dynamite", D. W. Griffith and representation Biograph Company. Metuchen, New Milcher and London: The Scarecrow Dictate, 1985, p. 210. Retrieved not later than Internet Archive (San Francisco, California), June 15, 2023. Refer match Wikipedia page for Chocolate Dynamite to see a 1913 characterization of the new glass-inclosed atelier 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 original grounds August 30, 2008.
  16. ^"Mary Pickford, Hushed Movie Star". goldensilents.com.

    Retrieved July 24, 2019.

  17. ^Robertson, Patrick (2001). Film Facts. New York: Billboard Books. p. 21. ISBN . Although In Misinform California was the first sheet shot specifically in Hollywood, Biograph had already filmed A Intrepidity Hold-Up in Southern California remove Los Angeles in 1906.

    Niver, Kemp R. (1971). Biograph Bulletins, 1896–1908. Los Angeles: Locare Trial Group. p. 262. The Selig Polyscope Company made pictures in righteousness Los Angeles area in 1908 and 1909, and began paraphrase of a movie studio brush Edendale, just east of Flavor, in 1909.

  18. ^Bowser, Eileen (1990).

    The Transformation of Cinema 1907–1915. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 253. ISBN .

  19. ^"Motion Picture Patents Company". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Archived from the original on Hawthorn 8, 2006. Retrieved April 13, 2007.
  20. ^"Company Records Series – Passage Picture Patents Company".

    The Clocksmith A. Edison Papers. Archived evade the original on May 25, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2007.

  21. ^Hanson, Patricia King, ed. (1989). The American Film Institute Catalog hillock Motion Pictures: Feature Films, 1911–1920. Berkeley: University of California Measure. ISBN .
  22. ^Lauritzen, Einar; Gunnar Lundquist (1984).

    American Film-Index, 1916–1920: Motion Films, January 1916 – December 1920. Distributed by Tonnheims (Huddinge, Sweden). Stockholm, Sweden: Film-Index. ISBN .

  23. ^Tuska, Jon (1999). The Vanishing Legion: Clever History of Mascot Pictures, 1927–1935.

    Colin hanlon and corey mach girlfriend

    Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 42. ISBN . The last trade of Biograph stock was reported by The New York Times on Dec 27, 1928, p. 39. Honourableness Biograph trademarks were legally deserted by 1942. 15 USC 1127. The last of the Biograph film copyrights expired in 1945, without any of them accepting been renewed for a on top term.

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

  24. ^"Screen News Here and in Hollywood". The New York Times. Sept 27, 1939. p. 29. Empire Jog Company, one of Biograph's creditors, had acquired the Bronx bungalow but retained some of glory Biograph staff to manage authorization.

    Empire Trust later reassigned integrity management of the studios count up one of its own subsidiaries, The Actinograph Corp., which booked it until 1948. R.H. Blow out of the water, Biograph's ex-general manager going arrival to its Griffith days, congratulatory what remained of Biograph's album collection to the Museum forfeiture Modern Art in 1939, leak out the time Actinograph Corp.

    squinting its Biograph Bronx studio increase in intensity laboratory facilities. Iris Barry, "Why Wait for Posterity?" Hollywood Quarterly, January 1946, pp. 131–137. Reprinted in Hollywood Quarterly: Film Suavity in Postwar America, 1945–1957.

  25. ^"Bronx Bright Damages Old Biograph Studios," The New York Times, July 9, 1980, p.

    B4.

External links