Georges Demeny, inventor, chronophotographer, film-maker and physical education expert, devised a viewer-projector for chronophotographs, and invented the important 'beater movement' mechanism used for film projection. Demeny was a physiology student of E-J. Marey, and from 1882 worked as Marey's assistant at the Paris'Station Physiologique', where they made sequence photographs of human and animal movement (chronophotography), first on glass plates and from 1888, filmstrips. In 1892 Demeny patented the Phonoscope with glass discs for projection (and paper discs for direct viewing) and formed a company to commercialise his invention, without Marey's approval. Demeny therefore devised his own camera, inventing the 'beater' mechanism. (He also sketched a claw-mechanism which he reportedly showed to Louis Lumière in December 1894). Marey dismissed Demeny in 1894, and in 1895 Demeny went into partnership with Leon Gaumont, for a short time selling the Phonoscope (re-named Bioscope) and from 1896 the Biographe cine camera, using 60mm film. Gaumont exploited the 'beater' mechanism with great success. Demeny eventually returned to his first passion, gymnastics. Illustration: Portrait sequence of Georges Demeny, published as an engraving in La Nature. Ref: Laurent Mannoni (PR) Continue your tour with
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