Question

Discuss differences and similarities between the Zooprxiscope, The Lumiere Brothers camera and Edison’s approach to the use of technology to capture reality. Answer in 100 to 200 words and answer one of the other two questions?

Answer 1

Thomas Edison and the Lumiere brothers contributed immensely to the modern industry, and art form, we call cinema today.

Young Louis began to experiment with his father's equipment shortly after and soon invented a new technique for developing film. This breakthrough came in 1881 when he was only 17 years old.

The new technique was called "dry plate," and it proved to be very successful indeed. So much so that his father was able to open a new factory in the suburbs. 

The device had many advantages over its predecessor, the Edison Kinetoscope. It was much smaller and lighter weighing a paultry 5 kgs and was operated using a simple hand crank.

It was, however, much slower than Edison's device. The Cinématographe could capture and project images at 16 frames per second. 

Edison's, on the other hand, was capable of producing 48 frames per second but that meant it was much louder than the Lumière brothers device.

Whilst the basic principles of the two devices was the same; the Lumière brothers invention had one key innovation. It integrated a special mechanism that moved the film through the device differently to Edison's.

It utilized two pins, called claws, that were inserted into the sprocket holes punches into the celluloid film strip. These pins moved the film along and then duly retracted.

Auguste Lumière and his brother Louis had single-handily invented an entirely new industry with their Cinématographe. It proved so instrumental that the device lent its name to the new art form we know today as cinema.