Early Cinema: Edison, Dixon, Lumière, and the Birth of Motion Pictures

Vocabulary flashcards covering key people, devices, and concepts from the lecture notes on the origins of motion pictures (Edison, Dixon, Lumière, kinetoscope, cinematograph, and early viewing contexts).

kinetoscope

A single-viewer device (patented by Edison) that shows moving pictures from a loop of photographs; operated by a penny and pulleys; no screen or electricity required.

W.K.L. Dixon

William Kennedy Laurie Dickson; early filmmaker/inventor who developed motion-picture camera tech and innovations for Edison; later undervalued in history, moved to Scotland.

Black Maria

Edison's first movie studio: a circular, movable studio with a retractable roof, lit by sunlight, rotatable to chase the sun for consistent lighting.

American Biograph Company (ABC)

Edison's first movie company; produced early films and existed as a major studio until 1928.

Lumière brothers

Auguste and Louis Lumière; French pioneers who created the cinematograph and popularized cinema with early public screenings and short films.

cinematograph

A Lumière device capable of filming, developing, and projecting motion pictures; enabled public projection of moving images.

sprocket holes

Perforations along the edges of film stock that engage gears to advance the film; introduced by the Lumière brothers to streamline projection.

Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat

Iconic early Lumière short (about a minute) showing a train pulling into a station; famous for illustrating cinema’s realism to audiences.

arcade screenings

People watched short motion-picture clips in public arcades (like shopping arcades) by inserting a penny; usually silent and shown one film at a time.

silent film

Motion pictures produced without synchronized sound; music or live accompaniment often added separately.

films under a minute (57 seconds)

Early motion pictures were very short, typically lasting less than a minute (often around 57 seconds).

frame rate irregularity

Early films often had non-standard, inconsistent frame rates, producing movement that could be choppy or uneven.

three-dimensional still photography

Early stereoscopic work by Dixon showing depth by capturing two offset images, an early form of 3D photography.

Edison’s lack of foreign patents

Edison did not patent his movie camera outside the US, allowing foreign inventors to copy the device without paying him royalties.