During 1892, photographer Birt Acres joined the large photographic materials company Elliott and Son and became manager of their 'Dry Plate' works at Barnet, North London. He made time-lapse studies of clouds, for which he devised a rapid slide-changer. By 1894 electrical instrument-maker Robert Paul had begun to replicate Edison"s Kinetoscopes, but urgently needed an independent supply of films for them. A friend introduced him to Acres as someone who had the necessary photographic knowledge to design a workable camera, and to take and develop the films for it. They met in February 1895 and rapid progress was made, and a workable camera had been constructed by March. A successful test film was taken outside Acres' house. Commercial production began with the filming of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race on March 30th, and by early June several simple comic, dramatic and actuality subjects were available. These included The Arrest of a Pickpocket, The Comic Shoeblack, The Boxing Kangaroo, Performing Bears, and a film of the Derby horse race. Acres resigned form Elliotts and, sponsored by the firm of Stollwerk, went to Germany where he took several films at the time of the opening of the Keil Canal. On his return the association with Paul ended in acrimony. Acres now turned his attention to achieving film projection, and gave a pubic performance to the Lyonsdown Photographic Club on 10 January 1896. A show to the Royal Photographic Society in London followed on 14 January, and on 21 March commercial Kineoptikon performances began at 2 Piccadilly mansions. Admission was 6d (six old pence). In June Acres filmed the Prince and Princess of Wales arriving at the Cardiff Exhibition, and as a result was asked to give the first royal command film performance at Marlborough House on 21st July. Acres disliked the role of showman, and disapproved of the use of film as simply a 'turn' in a variety entertainment, believing instead that the future for cinematography lay in the photographic and educational markets. So while others created new businesses, Acres spent much of the late 1890s touring the country, lecturing and giving performances to scientific and photographic societies. This brought him prestige and press but little profit, and he lost the lead that he once had. In 1898 Acres introduced the Birtac, an amateur system using a small-format film, but it had only limited success, and Acres returned to 35mm film-making (until 1900) and to a filmstock production and developing business, established in 1897. Serious-minded and a perfectionist, Birt Acres was a clever and inventive man, more committed to the future of film than some of his contemporaries; but perhaps temprementally unsuited to life as an entrepreneur. His later years were not successful financially. He died in 1918. Birt Acres is now recognised as a pioneer of outstanding importance in both England and Germany. Continue your tour with the other
BRITISH PIONEERS |
