‘The Inventors of Cinema’: The Lumière Brothers
Louis and Auguste Lumière. You may not have necessarily heard of them, but their aptitude for invention and business would play a major role in the history of filmmaking and ultimately label them ‘the inventors of Cinema’.
Both brothers excelled in science at school and had a natural ability to solve problems
The Lumière brothers grew up in mid-1800’s Lyons in France. Their father, Antoine, owned a small business in photographic plates which prompted a young Louis to experiment with the technology available, causing the ‘dry plate’ process of developing film to take off and boost sales. Both brothers excelled in science at school and had a natural ability to solve problems. Thomas Edison’s ‘Kinetoscope’ had already been invented but it was large, noisy and showed around 48 frames per second. Although it was a game-changing invention, its major restriction was that it wasn’t easily transportable and it only allowed one person to view the film at a time. In 1894, there was an exhibition of Edison’s Kinetoscope in Paris so Antoine decided to go and take a look. After seeing it, he told his sons they should develop something better that would allow multiple people to view the film.
The ‘Cinématographe’ was revealed to the public in Paris on December 28th of that year
The following year, the brothers had come up with an invention called the ‘Cinématographe’. The design of the device meant that it could record, develop and project motion pictures. It became the first usable camera which projected 16 frames a second. Far more watchable. In order to test it, they shot what would become the very first motion picture: La Sortie des ouvriers de l’usine Lumiere which consisted of footage of their workers leaving the factory. The Cinématographe was revealed to the public in Paris on December 28th of that year. From 1896 onwards, theatres all over the world began to open showing basic films, newsreels and even documentaries made by the brothers and a crew of filmmakers who had trained under them.
they darted to the back of the theatre in panic
One of the most famous incidents in early motion picture history was a silent film about the arrival of a train filmed from the perspective of someone on a platform. Audiences had never seen anything like it projected on such a large screen and it has become urban legend that they believed the train was going to drive into them (due to the composition of the shot) and that, in response, they darted to the back of the theatre in panic. This was without sound as well, imagine what the same audience would have done if they experienced 4D screenings as we do.
Always seeking new opportunities, in 1905 the Lumière brothers turned their attention to developing colour processes within film and photography. But their invention had taken off successfully and allowed creativity to flourish further with the idea of ‘cinema’, inspired by their invention’s name, becoming the latest artistic craze. Filmmakers, Film critics and Film fans have a lot to thank the Lumière brothers for as without the invention of the Cinématographe partnered with the willingness to surpass prior technology, it would have perhaps taken far longer to reach the stage we’re at in the world of Film.
Comments