FH Ch. 1 Flashcards
Eadweard Muybridge
American photographer who made motion studies of running horses in 1878 by taking multiple very quick exposures. Did not invent motion pictures, but made an important contribution.
Étienne-Jules Marey
French physiologist who studied the flight of birds and other fast moving animals using a photographic gun.
Zoetrope
Optical toy (invented 1833) consisting of a series of drawings on a strip of paper inside a revolving drum.
Thomas Edison
Inventor of the phonograph and electric lightbulb. Accredited for the invention of the Kinetoscope, though his assistant did most of the work.
William Kennedy Laurie Dickson
Thomas Edison’s assistant. Did most of the work inventing the Kinetoscope.
Edwin S. Porter
Most important early American filmmaker. Made many fictional story films, including The Great Train Robbery and Life of an American Fireman.
Kinetoscope/Kinetograph
A peephole device that ran film around a series of rollers. Invented by Edison/Dickson.
The Black Maria
Edison and Dickson’s studio. Roof opened to admit sunlight for filming and the building rotated on a track to catch the sunlight during all times of the day.
Lumière Brothers
Invented the Cinématographe. Crucial to helping make the cinema a viable commercial enterprise.
Grande Café
December 28th, 1895. The “Birthday” of cinema. The Lumière Brothers screened ten short films (including Workers Leaving a Factory) to a public audience at the Grande Café in Paris.
Cinématographe
A small, portable camera invented by the Lumière Brothers. Also served as a printer and as part of the projection system.
Actualities
Nonfiction short early films. Included scenics and topicals.
Georges Méliès
A French performing magician who decided to make his own films after seeing the Cinématographe. Produced a huge number of films and was possibly the most important early filmmaker. Most known for his complex magic and fantasy movies, like A Trip to the Moon.
The Brighton School
A group of filmmakers in England.
