|
Search By:
|
|
Sept 1899: Britain's First Studio
Britain got its first film studio in September 1899, courtesy of camera and projector manufacturer - and film-maker - Robert W. Paul. The elaborate studio was constructed at Sydney Road in New Southgate, London, and adjoined his Theatrograph and Animatograph factory. The studio was built to Paul's own design, and was equipped with a raised stage, two metres off the ground to allow actors to pass through trapdoors. The camera was mounted on a raised platform situated outside the studio and set on rails along which the camera could travel to achieve rudimentary zoom effects. The set, which measured approximately 8 1/2 x 4 1/4 metres, was surrounded by sliding walls and overlooked by a North facing glass roof. In time, a stock of around 50 painted backdrops were available to Paul's crew.
In 1936, Paul described his studio to the British Kinematographic Society:
"It comprised a miniature stage... raised above the ground level and protected by an iron building with wide sliding doors and a glass roof facing north... Traps in the stage, and a hanging bridge above it, provided means for working certain effects... Eventually a scene-painting room was added behind the studio. A trolley mounted on rails carried the camera, which could thus be set at any required distance from the stage while the picture was being taken, giving a gradual enlargement or reduction of the image on the film."
Further Reading:
© 2009-2010 moviemoviesite.com