Edison and the Trust

First company in the US devoted entirely to film production and exhbition; Dickson left Edison to incorporate the company in NJ. They manufactured the mutoscope and made flip cards movies for it, rivaling Edison's kinetoscope

American Mutoscope and Biograph Company

Where Edison creates his films- 360 degrees- sunroof- most studios are glass but Edisons are not

Black Maria

Led the IMP- got filmmakers and distributors to join him and create a network outside the trust. He was the founder of Universal.

Carl Laemmle

Edison sued producer Siegmund Lubin for copyright infringement b/c Lubin's films were remakes of Edisons and Porters films.

Edison v Lubin

One of Edison's most famous directors- put together films (exhibition)- The Great Train Robbery

Edwin S. Porter

It was formed by MPPC in attempt to monopolize distribution. Tried to force independents to sell out or lose patent licenses. Take over nearly 60 licensed distributors and virtually cornered the market in the rental of licensed films/ later ruled illegal by Sherman Anti-trust act

General Film Company

Camera used to create film for the Kinetoscope ; Dickson devised these.

Kinetograph

Early exhibition device; designed for films to be viewed individually through a peephole at the top.

Kinetoscope

Inventor: WKL Dickson

Latham Loop

Used in film projection and image capture; isolates the filmstrip from vibration and tension, allowing films to be continuously shot/projected for extended periods.

Latham Loop

Independents led to its downfall (1915 declared to be violation of the Sherman Antitrust Law)

MPCC/ THE TRUST

Headed by Edison; governed production, distribution and exhibition (oligopolistic) Ended the domination of foreign films on American screens, standardized the manner in which films were distributed and exhibited in America and improved quality of the films. It stabilized the industry during the nickelodeon era

Motion Picture Patents Company (MPCC/ TRUST)

Created by Marcus Loew and other distributors to endorse films of merit and caption. It became the unofficial clearinghouse for new films. It was a censorship organization- producers submitted their films to the Board before making release prints and agreed to cut footage the Board found objectionable.

National Board of Review

Early mechanism to establish copyright of films. Edison's company was the first to register each frame of a film onto a positive paper print.

Paper Prints

Record player; Edison wants the phonograph to do to the eye what the phonograph does to the ear

Phonograph

American filmmakers and ultimately the companies that we come to know as the studios; they were controlled by the major studios. Ultimately created the Independent Motion Picture Company, led by Laemmle

The Independents

Created the Vitascope- branded by Edison

Thomas Armat

Didn't really invent technologies; took other technologies, improved them and marketed them - Edison and the Trust

Thomas Edison

In 1915, US declared MPPC to be in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act

US V MPCC

Early film projector created by Armat

Vitascope

Worked for Edison; took his ideas to Biograph Company; created Mutoscope and Latham Loop

WKL Dickson