William Friese-Greene British photographer and inventor Date of Birth: 07.09.1855 Country: Great Britain

1. Biography of William Friese-Greene
2. Early Life and Career
3. Collaboration with John Rudge
4. The Chronophotographic Camera
5. Color Cinematography
6. Later Years and Death

Biography of William Friese-Greene

William Friese-Greene was a British photographer and inventor, and one of the pioneers of cinematography. In the early 20th century, several projects related to moving pictures were being developed simultaneously; some of them were initially unpromising, while others had a significant impact on the development of modern cinema. One of the most prominent cinema inventors of that time was the British photographer William Friese-Greene.

Early Life and Career

William Edward Green was born in Bristol, and he studied at Queen Elizabeth's Hospital. In 1869, Friese-Greene became an apprentice to the photographer Maurice Guttenberg. By 1875, Friese-Greene had his own photography studios in Bath and Bristol, and later he opened two more branches in London and Brighton. On March 24, 1874, Friese-Greene married Helena Friese, and he later added her maiden name to his own.

Collaboration with John Rudge

In Bath, William Friese-Greene met John Arthur Roebuck Rudge, a creator of various useful technical devices and an expert in developing "magic lanterns." Rudge had recently developed a new model of a "magic lantern" that could quickly change 7 slides, creating a fairly realistic illusion of movement. Friese-Greene was fascinated by Rudge's invention and together they started improving it. However, Friese-Greene soon realized a fundamental flaw in the device - it used glass plates that couldn't be changed at a sufficient speed. He began experimenting with other materials, starting with oiled paper and then switching to celluloid film in 1887.

The Chronophotographic Camera

On June 21, 1889, Friese-Greene patented a new model of a "chronophotographic" camera. This device could capture up to 10 frames per second using perforated celluloid film. On February 28, 1890, an article about the camera appeared in the "British Photographic News," and Friese-Greene sent a cutting of the article to Thomas Edison, who was actively working on his own version of moving pictures. In the same year, Friese-Greene presented his invention to the public, but unfortunately, it worked relatively slowly and unreliably, failing to make the desired impression. Friese-Greene funded his experiments at the expense of his other projects, and by 1891, he went bankrupt. He later had to sell his "chronophotographic" patent, and he never managed to buy it back.

Color Cinematography

Later, Friese-Greene started developing a color cinematograph, experimenting with the "Biocolour" system, which involved passing the film through two color filters, red and green. This development could indeed produce quite realistic colors, but it had many drawbacks. Additionally, Friese-Greene faced competition from other developers working on a similar project and accusing him of patent infringement. After lengthy legal battles, Friese-Greene won the lawsuit, but he was unable to take advantage of his victory.

Later Years and Death

Eventually, William Friese-Greene's son Claude continued his father's work and achieved success. In 1921, Friese-Greene traveled to London to attend a meeting of the film industry professionals. The main topic of the meeting was the dire state of British cinema. Friese-Greene disagreed with the theses and tone of the speakers and tried to voice his objections, but his speech suddenly became incoherent. He was helped back to his seat, but shortly afterward, he collapsed and died. William Friese-Greene was 65 years old at the time of his death. His body was buried in the Highgate Cemetery in London.