1936 the Lumière Cinematograph

Louis Lumière Cinematograph

SMPTE J 1996, 105:608-611.

doi: 10.5594/J17187

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 SMPTE RETROSPECTIVE PAPERS: ONE ARTICLE FROM EVERY DECADE -1916 TO THE PRESENT

ventilated, commodious projection There are some projectionists who schedule. This still exists in some of
rooms that contain high-grade equip- have not kept up with the times, but our best theatres, the entire picture
ment costing thousands of dollars, many are waking up and procuring the program being projected as fast as a
built with precision, some parts to a expert knowledge necessary to keep hundred feet of film per minute.
measurement of a ten thousandth of an them at the top notch of their profes- The non-theatrical branch of the
inch; the current is regulated by motor sion. industry has made wonderful progress
generators and the machinery electri- A decent advancement in the indus- since the first industrial motion picture
cally driven. try is "the Theatre Managers Training was made in 1902. Non-theatrical
The old time operator has devel- School," which has been established films are now used for numerous pur-
oped into the projectionist, whose pro- recently by a large theatre circuit orga- poses by industry and by national,
fession has become a highly special- nization. Among other things, the stu- state, and municipal governments; by
ized one requiring careful work and dents have been educated in the cor- Boards of Health and all kinds of
expert knowledge in mechanics, elec- rect presentation of the picture on the organizations for the promotion of
tricity, optics, screen surfaces, and screen. When all of the managers have membership and for building funds
many other things. He must know how been properly educated, we will have and conducting money raising cam-
to apply this knowledge to the profes- no more glare spots in motion picture paigns. The use of motion pictures in
sion of projection. As the picture on theatres, especially the reflection of churches and educational films in the

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the screen depends on the final act of light on the sheet music in the orches- classrooms of our schools is rapidly
projection, the projectionist is as tra, which annoys the audience by developing. The manufacturers of
important as any person in the indus- causing eye strain and by interfering semi-portable and portable projectors
try. All the work of the highly paid with the proper view of the picture. are making equipment to meet every
directors, stars, scenic artists, and The fine productions will not be out- demand. And, finally, the recent
expert camera men who produce won- raged by the manager compelling the development of cameras and projec-
derful photographic results mean noth- projectionist to overs peed the projec- tors for home use has opened up a new
ing unless it is perfectly projected. tor in order to keep within a given field that has unlimited possibilities.

1936
The Lurnlere Cinematograph
By Louis Lumiere

Summary - A historical account of the development of the cinematograph diffusing surface, could not pass suf-
camera and projector. Work on the apparatus was begun in 1894, and a ficient light for good projection.
private demonstration given in March, 1895, at Paris. The first public Moreover, the sharpness suffered
showing at which admission was charged took place in the Grand Cafe on considerably because of the motion
the Boulevard des Capucines, Paris, on December 28, 1895. Motion pic- of the elementary images, even dur-
ing the very short time they were
tures were also projected upon a screen approximately 80 x 100 feet in the
illuminated.
Galerie des Machines at the Paris Exposition grounds in 1898, using a My brother and I decided to inves-
projection distance of more than 600 feet. The paper contains an illustrat- tigate the problem, and I soon suc-
ed description of the apparatus. ceeded in making a device in which
the film was kept stationary, for a
he n the Edison Kinetoscope the moving images, which were pro- time corresponding to two-thirds of
W appeared in Paris in 1894 in a
shop on the boulevards, there were
duced then for only one spectator at a
time, would be of considerable inter-
the total time, each time an elemen-
tary image appeared exactly on the
many who thought, after having est. However, the continuous motion lens axis. The device allowed the fre-
peered into the eyepiece of this inge- of the film in the Kinetoscope per- quency of 16 images per second
nious device, that the projection of mitted the eye to perceive each of the which I had previously established,
elementary images during only a and an illumination time of 1/25 sec-
Reprint of article that first appeared at the request of very short time (1/6000 second), and ond per image, which is more than is
the Historical Committee in the JOIl",,,l of the SMPE. this feeble illumination, which neces- needed for projection. This device
27:640-647. December 1936. At the lime the paper sitated examining the images in consisted of a sliding block (Fig. I)
was published. Louis Lumierc was in Neuilly, Paris,
France. direct light, without interposing any driven with a reciprocating vertical

608 SMPTE Journal, October 1996

 SMPTE RETROSPECTIVE PAPERS: ONE ARTICLE FROM EVERY DECADE -1916 TO THE PRESENT

j
, \
\
.
\
I

-. : 11

Figure 1. Sliding block and triangular

eccentric of pull -down device.

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D

Figure 2. Section through sliding Figure 3. Front elevation of camera mecha- Figure 4 . Side elevation of camera
block, showing mounting of putt- nism. showing arrangement of sliding block mechanism , showing helical cam con-
down pins. and pull-down pins. trolling movement of pull-down pins.

motion by means of a triangular try; and without going back to Nationale, in Paris, in March, 1895.
eccentric, which stopped the motion Zoetropes, Phenakistoscopes, etc., I At the time, I had only one film,
of the block completely at the top and shall cite only the work of the which showed the employees leaving
at the bottom of its travel during one- astronomer Janssen, of Muybridge, the Lumiere factory - an easy sub-
sixth of the total time. When the and especially of Marey of the ject, since I had simply to set up my
block was stationary, the tines or Institute, of Demeny, and of camera in front of the factory gate at
claws (Fig. 2) of a kind of fork locat- Reynaud, who at times carried out closing time.
ed at the side sank into the perfora- remarkable analyses of motion; This first demonstration was a
tions of the film, under the control of although none of the instruments of great success. I met there Mr. Jules
a helical cam (Figs. 3 and 4). These these men was able to achieve the Carpentier, an engineer, member of
pins described a rectangular path and animation of more than about 30 the Scientific Academy, and a well
carried the film along during their images, the projection of which known manufacturer of precision
downward motion and left it motion- involved much difficulty. instruments, who immediately pro-
less during their withdrawal, their The first outfit I developed was posed to undertake to manufacture a
upward course, and their sinking in. made in 1894 in our factory at Lyons, series of Lumiere cinematographs. I
A pressure member, acting upon the according to my drawings and under accepted the offer at once, and the
film as a light brake, was sufficient to my supervision, by our chief mechan- Carpentier factory forthwith manu-
hold the film in perfect alignment ic, Mr. Moisson. The first images I factured much of the apparatus,
with the gate behind which the image succeeded in obtaining were printed which could be used as cameras, pro-
appeared, thus absorbing any play in upon the photographic paper we were jectors, and printers, since by provid-
the apparatus. The principle of the manufacturing at the time. Later, we ing a double-film magazine, both the
movement is shown in Fig. 5. obtained base film from the New raw film and the negative could be
As I contemplated producing only York Celluloid Co. which we coated run in together and printed. Figs. 7, 8,
short scenes, the length of the film with sensitive emulsion in our and 9 are illustrations of the equip-
was only 17 or 18 meters. I had not machines, and made into perforated ment.
deemed it necessary to complicate the rolls. The results obtained were submit-
instrument by having a continuously The film described above had only ted to the Congress of the Photo-
running sprocket, the effects of the two circular holes per image and graphic Society of France at Lyons,
inertia of the small roll of film con- assured unusual steadiness in projec- on July, 1895, and greeted with a
taining the images being deadened by tion. I demonstrated the outfit, patent- tremendous acclaim. We decided to
a spring-lever (Fig. 6). ed in February, 1895, during the give public demonstrations with the
I shall not undertake to write the course of a lecture at the Societe equipment, and on December 28,
history of the motion picture indus- d'Encouragement pour I'lndustrie 1895, opened a place in the basement

SMPTE Journal, October 1996 609

 SMPTE RETROSPECTIVE PAPERS: ONE ARTICLE FROM EVERY DECADE -1916 TO THE PRESENT

of the Grand Cafe, on the Boulevard

des Capucines, Paris, where, for a
small admission fee people could wit-
ness the projection of the following
short films: Men and Women
Employees Leaving the Lumiere
.. ' I'.· ..•.
i
,."" ....I Factory, Arrival of a Train at the
I Station of La Ciotat, The Baby's
I ·· ·· ..•••·I Lunch, The Sprinkler Sprinkled (I),
I I
1. _
I
..0 . . .. , _ .1 , ' ...... '0. . . . . ..,I and Boat Leaving the Harbor, etc.
I I I The success of the showing when the
I I I existence of our place became known,
was considerable, although no public-
Figure 5. Movements of film and various parts of pull·down mechanism during one
exposure and pull·down cycle.
ity was sought. Thus, on that date,
December 28, 1895, was really born
the expression: "I have been to a
movie."

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In 1897, I announced a device (Fig.
10) utilizing as a condenser, a simple
glass flask, as nearly spherical as pos-
sible, filled with water, and carrying
in the upper part a small piece of
pumice stone suspended by a thread
in order to regulate the boiling of the
water which occurred after prolonged
use. The device thus formed a block
Figure 6 . Spring-lever in Figure 7. Front view of camera with shutter removed . system, since the concentration of the
supply magazine to reduce light-beam upon the film would cease
effects of inertia of the film in case the flask were broken. All our
roll. machines were furnished with these
devices.
When the Paris Exhibition of 1900
was decided upon, in 1898, I was
called to Paris by Mr. Picard, the gen-
eral secretary, to whom I proposed
the experiment of projecting greatly
enlarged motion pictures at the
Exhibition. With the small apparatus
described above, I succeeded in pro-
jecting ordinary cinematograph
images covering a screen 24 meters
high and 30 meters wide, set up in the
middle of the Galerie des Machines, a
huge building, 400 meters long by
114 meters wide, which had been
constructed for the Exposition of
1889. Figure 11 gives an idea of the
Figure 8. Rear view of camera. showing method of threading film. size of the screen, set 200 meters
from the projector. As a fabric for the
screen I had selected a material that
reflected, when wet, as much light as
it transmitted, so that one could see
the projected images from any posi-
tion in the big hall. To moisten the
screen on the day of the experiment
required the assistance of the Paris
Fire Brigade, since the screen was the
height of a six-story building. The
Figure 9. Take-up magazine. unassembled. results were so remarkable that the
screen was retained for the

610 SMPTE Journal, October 1996

 SMPTE RETROSPECTIVE PAPERS: ONE ARTICLE FROM EVERY DECADE -1916 TO THE PRESENT

I
Figure 10. Illuminating system of projector. with spherical flask acting as
combination condenser and heat absorber.

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Figure 12. Print from film taken on opening day of
Paris Exhibition of 1900 in Lumiere camera using
wide film (4.5 x 6 cm frame).

Figure t t, Large screen 24 by 30 meters (79 x 98 feet) used for projec-

tion of motion pictures at Paris Exhibition of 1900. Note figures of men at
base of screen.

Exposition of 1900. Unfortunately, each evening, without trouble, the motion picture projector has been
the Galerie des Mach ines was cut in throughout the Expo sition. developed, especially through the
the middle to make a circular hall To obtain better definition in the impetus and improvements that are
more than 100 meters in diameter, images projected upon so large a due to a great extent to the efforts of
and having a capacity of 25,000 seats. screen. I had a camera built, with the American engineers and industry.
This forced me to reduce the dimen- collaboration of Mr. Carpentier, capa-
sions of the screen to 16 meters high ble of producing images, 4.5 by 6 References
by 21 meters wide, and place it along crn., having perfect definition , as G. M. Co issac: Hlsto ire du Cinemutographc
a diameter of the hall. To avoid the shown in Fig. 12, which was taken on Gauthier-Villars (Paris). 1925. According
to this authority. the first public showing
difficulty of moistening the screen at the opening day of the Exposition of of the Lurniere Cine matograph in New
the time of projection, the screen was 1900. Unfortunately, the camera was York occurred in May. J 896.
kept immersed in a large rectangular not finished in time to be used for the T. Ramsayc : A Million and One Nights - the
tank of water, and each evening was more ambitious programs we had Histo ry of the Motion Picture, S imon &
Schuster (Ne w York), 1926: 2 vols.
raised out of the tank by a hand- planned, so we kept to the origin al J. M. Edcr , cd .: Geschichte der Photographic
winch under the cupola after remov- small films. Since at Lyons we were (Vol. I of Ausfuhrlich es Handbuch der
ing the trap door that closed the tank unfavorably situated to undertake the Phot ographic], W. Knapp, Hulle, 1932.
during the day. I had to be satisfied production of longer films, and since Agel/do Lumiere-Jougla, Gauthier-Vill ar s
w ith an arc of only 100 amperes, we were more interested in our labo- (Paris). Issued annually: co ntains accounts
of carly motion picture re sea rc h and a
which, however, was suffic ient ratory investigations, we abandoned complete bibliography of scientific article s
because of the optical instruments the project in 1905. publ ished by Louis Lurnierc and his asso-
used . The demonstrations occurred Every one knows how tremendously ciatcs,

SMPTE Journal, October 1996 611