Vitascope , Waitascope ( English Vitascope ) - one of the earliest prototypes of modern film projectors , which provided the projection of the image from the film onto the screen using an electric incandescent lamp . For the first time, the Maltese cross was used as a jump mechanism in the apparatus, which later became the standard for professional film projectors [1] . The first demonstrations of the apparatus took place under the name “Phantoscope” ( Eng. Phantoscope ) in Atlanta in 1895 by American inventors Charles Jenkinson ( Eng. Charles Francis Jenkins ) and Thomas Armat ( Eng. Thomas Armat ) [2] .
Content
Appearance History
The creation of the Vitoscope was the response of the Kinetoscope Company to the invention of the Cinematograph by the Lumiere brothers, which made it possible to project an image from a film onto a screen. This method of demonstration was more popular with the public than looking at a tiny frame in the eyepiece of the Kinetoscope apparatus. The sudden commercial success of Cinematography forced Americans to focus on obtaining their own analogue of the screen show. The distribution of the more successful “ Mutoscope ”, which occupied an increasingly significant market share [3], played a role.
By the end of 1895, the company, forced to reduce the price of manufactured kinetoscopes from $ 100 to $ 70, was on the verge of bankruptcy. The statement of the little-known Armat about the invention of the original projection apparatus becomes a salvation for the enterprise that immediately bought the right to develop. After a number of improvements, Kinetoscope Company began mass production, introducing the novelty as the invention of Thomas Edison under the name Vitoscope. Edison's authorship was given to the development with the consent of these developers for advertising purposes, since this name at that time was one of the best-selling brands [4] . The first public demonstration took place on April 23, 1896 in the music hall Koster and Bial's Music Hall on the corner of Broadway and 34th Street in New York [5] . Despite the sale of Kinetoscope rights, Jenkins used the original phantoscope on his own in those states where the company's rights to the invention did not apply. The inventor ended his business after a machine breakdown during a session in Chicago by a projectionist bribed by competitors [6] [7] .
The name “VitaScope” was also used as the name of one of the early widescreen movie systems developed by the Warner Brothers film company in 1930, as well as for the amateur 16-mm movie camera, released a year later [8] .
In connection with the start of sales by Edison's company in November 1896 of its own design - “Projectoscope” ( Eng. Projectoscope , or “Projecting Kinetoscope”), the production and advertising campaign of “Vitoscope” were suspended. Nevertheless, the devices have gained considerable popularity, successfully competing in a number of countries and cities with the "Cinema" Lumieres.
See also
- Kinetoscope
- Cinema (apparatus)
- Vitafon
Sources
- ↑ General History of Cinema, 1958 , p. 123.
- ↑ Goldovsky, 1971 , p. 184.
- ↑ General History of Cinema, 1958 , p. 172.
- ↑ General History of Cinema, 1958 , p. 173.
- ↑ Chronicle of the Film Industry, 2007 , p. eight.
- ↑ Alexander Prischepov. "Gold of silence." Political advertising, pornography, patent wars, or How Cinema Originated in the USA . The culture . Belarusian portal “Tut” (September 24, 2013). Date of appeal September 12, 2015.
- ↑ General History of Cinema, 1958 , p. 175.
- ↑ Vitascope . Collecting Movie Cameras. Date of treatment October 2, 2014.
Literature
- Goldovsky , E. Chapter I // Film projection in questions and answers. - 1st ed. - M.,: Art , 1971. - S. 176—196. - 220 p.
- Georges Sadoul . The General History of Cinema / V. A. Ryazanov. - M.,: "Art", 1958. - T. 1. - 611 p.
- Chronicle of the Film Industry // The Essential Reference Guide for Filmmakers = Cinematographer's Quick Reference. - Rochester: Eastman Kodak , 2007 .-- S. 5-18. - 214 p.