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Birt AcresBritish photographer, film director and inventor of the home video camera
Date of Birth: 23.07.1854
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
Biography of Birt Acres
Birt Acres was a British photographer, film director, and inventor of the home video camera. Despite the increased attention in recent years to the pioneers of British cinema, Birt Acres' name is still somewhat neglected. Although his contribution to creative directing was insignificant, as an inventor and innovator, and simply as a person who was particularly active in the film industry of his time, Acres holds an important place among other pioneers. Born on July 23, 1854, in Richmond, Virginia, to English parents, Birt Acres became a professional photographer in London. Acres oversaw the production of roll film for cameras and in December 1894, he met engineer and inventor Robert Paul, who was making a copy of Thomas Edison's kinetoscope and needed the assistance of someone with photography experience. Eventually, the two creatives developed a film camera, and by February 1895, they made their first experimental film, which they showed to their mutual friend, Henry Short. This unnamed work became the first true British film.
Collaboration and Separation
Acres continued to work with Paul, filming movies until June 1895, when all of their films, including 'The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race,' 'The Arrest of a Pickpocket,' 'The Sea in a Tempest, Causing a Flood in Dover,' 'A Boxing Kangaroo,' and 'The Derby,' were shown on Robert's peep show. However, the two inventors were incompatible in real life, leading to their split. Moreover, they attacked each other using the press, and each went his own way in the British film industry. In July 1895, Birt went on a trip to Germany sponsored by the German chocolate company 'Stollwerck' and filmed several works, including the silent short documentary film 'The Opening of the Kiel Canal.' Upon his return, Acres presented his films at Marlborough House on July 21, 1896, but his position in the British business remained precarious.
Inventions
In 1898, the native of Richmond began working on creating an original miniature camera/projector called 'Birtac,' designed for shooting home movies. As a pioneer of British cinematography, Acres was involved in two heated disputes over what could and could not be filmed and shown to others. On June 27, 1896, he captured the visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales to the Cardiff Exhibition. In order to secretly film his movie, Acres obtained permission to create a hole in the wall, albeit not from members of the royal family. This film included a scene where the Prince of Wales scratched his head, which provoked criticism of Birt from the press, although the royal couple was happy to offer the filmmaker the opportunity to showcase his creation at Marlborough House.
The second dispute arose from the filming of the launch of the large ship 'H.M.S. Albion' on June 21, 1898, when a crane collapsed, resulting in the drowning of many spectators. At that moment, Robert was also filming nearby, and Acres launched a furious attack against him, again through the press, accusing Paul of gross insensitivity because his former colleague had the audacity to exhibit this horrific documentary. After 1900, Birt abandoned directing and devoted himself to the processing and creation of film, but he was not successful in this business, filing for bankruptcy twice.
Legacy
Acres passed away on December 27, 1918. Essentially, he and Robert were two sides of the same coin. While Birt hid behind science, using it as an excuse for his business failures, Paul managed to take a leading position in both fields and became one of the key figures in British cinema.
